Category: Uncategorized

Some Unannounced Maintenance Projects Are Taking Place With Typhoon Lagoon and The Short Film Festival

by Guide4WDW

Some Unannounced Maintenance Projects Are Taking Place at Typhoon Lagoon and The Short Film Festival  

by: guide4wdw – Collin
instagram: @guide4disney

Just recently, a few unexpected closings have taken affect at both Typhoon Lagoon and Epcot. Just yesterday, Typhoon Lagoon closed due to weather related concerns, but surprisingly the park remains closed today in what many have reported as “unscheduled maintenance.” It is expected to reopen tomorrow, but no real details of what is being done has been officially announced. 


Over at Epcot, The Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival will be down for a week beginning June 12th. The closing will continue through June 18th and will reopen on the 19th. It appears as if the closing is just for a short refurbishment, but some believe the short films included in the show will be rotated out and replaced with new ones. Personally, I see this as a vastly overlooked attraction. When you combine short films and a simple yet entertaining shifting theater concept, it creates something that always makes you laugh. The attraction rarely has a wait, so if you’ve never given it a shot, be sure to do so before or after it reopens! 

For those of you who may not know, The Short Film Festival replaced Captain EO just a few short years ago. Before that, the theater housed “Honey, I Shrunk the Audience” which ironically replaced Captain EO after it’s first run in the parks. Over the years, this theater has really struggled to draw larger crowds, so I wouldn’t be surprised if something is announced in the not so distant future to try and revitalize the area once again.         

"Departed Disney" – The Catwalk Bar and Soundstage Restaurant: A Lost Classic!

by Guide4WDW

“Departed Disney” – The Catwalk Bar and Soundstage Restaurant: A Lost Classic! 

by: guide4wdw – Collin
instagram: @guide4disney

When you look back through Disney parks history there’s always a few things that you wish you could have seen in person. For many, it’s a classic attraction or even a dining establishment that has faded away over the years. Personally, there’s so many parts of the magic that I wish I could have experienced, but perhaps one of the most interesting is what we’re sharing today, The Catwalk Bar and Soundstage Restaurant.
(photo: Public Domain) 

Long before Star Wars and Toy Story Lands were ever thought of, Hollywood studios was a place that truly embodied the “Hollywood” experience. From the real life sound stages to the  elaborate guest experiences, everything felt realistic. The Soundstage Restaurant was no different. 
The location itself developed greatly over the years, but in the early days it featured a buffet style dining environment with a character meal tie in. It was a great experience for guests of all ages and something everyone could enjoy. Later on, the space was reimagined and developed into a food court style counter service offering. 
However, the theming is where the restaurant really thrived. Once you walked through the doors, you were instantly enveloped in what looked like an operating stage set used in big blockbuster productions. The concept even went as far as to bring in cast members dressed as a catering crew. It truly was a one of a kind experience for all of those who got to enjoy it. 
Of course, the real story begins with the famous and somewhat hidden Catwalk Bar attached to this classic eatery. The bar itself overlooked the entire Soundstage restaurant from above and offered a rather impressive place for guests to hang out and get away from the Florida heat and crowds of the park. 
The Catwalk Bar was a clever concept where guests utilized two different staircase entrances that were vaguely marked. The first and perhaps the more obvious entrance was from the restaurant below. However, the glowing sign of the bar led the way to a second entrance inside of what is the far left hand portion of the Brown Derby. 
After many years of operation, the Soundstage Restaurant closed to guests as the area was reimagined into The Bear and The Big Blue House Show which was later replaced by Disney Junior – Live On Stage. The Catwalk Bar continued operation for a short time after the Soundstage’s closure in 1998, but ended up closing it’s doors likely due to the inconvenience of the location’s only entrance through the Brown Derby. 
Today, the only real remnants of the location can be seen from inside the aforementioned Brown Derby and surprisingly over at the Magic Kingdom! The entrance from The Hollywood Brown Derby remained easily visible for many years and was simply blocked off by a rope. Just recently, Disney took action and randomly blocked the area off with their typical construction barricades. Many believe this could end up developing into the location of Hollywood Studio’s Club 33 location. Disney just recently announced that each park is set to open a Club 33 location, but that is really all that has been released regarding the new concept for Walt Disney World. All locations and theming are simply speculation. (photo: flickr)
Over at Magic Kingdom, if you head to The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, you can catch a glimpse of a remnant of the dining establishment many grew to love over the years. The camels you see at the attraction once “guarded” the entrance of the Soundstage dining location during one of many theming variations over the years. Today, the entire concept has really faded away, but if you look closely in today’s park you can still picture the concept in your mind and remember the history of the park we all know and love. Sure, it’s changing, but we’re looking forward to new experiences that will arrive in the near future! 
Thanks for reading and be sure to SHARE this article with friends! Thanks! 

UPDATE: New Fastpass+ Policy Causing Problems for More Than Just Those Manipulating the System – Penalties Now Appear Much Greater Than Expected As Well

by Guide4WDW

UPDATE: New Fastpass+ Policy Causing Problems for More Than Just Those Manipulating the System – Penalties Now Appear Much Greater Than Expected As Well
by: guide4wdw – Collin

instagram: @guide4disney

After rumblings arrived across the internet of a new policy arriving to correct the large issue of manipulating fastpass+ selections, it appears as if other problems have arrived along with the change.
According to mostly speculation, Disney is putting into affect today a policy intended to stop “ghost” fastpasses from being used in the Disney parks. For those of you who may not know what that is, many guests have been utilizing a “loophole” in the fastpass+ system which allows guests to utilize active MagicBands to make additional same day attraction pass selections on extra MagicBands which were not used to enter the park. In many cases, these “ghost” bands are not even linked to a ticket at all. 
Essentially, when the park opens, guests with these extra bands will utilize the kiosks to reserve extra fastpass+ selections on multiple bands that were not used as tickets to enter the park. 
To “fix” the problem, Disney is supposed to roll out a new policy which will stop guests from using these “ghost” bands. When a band is used to try and enter an attraction without being used as a ticket to enter the park, they are supposed to get a spinning blue circle at the attractions entrance and their account will be locked out. In order to free up their account, these guests will have to head to guest services and sort out the issue. 
However, while this is a great concept in theory, it is causing quite a few unexpected problems. Throughout the morning many guests are reporting that their My Disney Experience account is showing a variety of problems with both tickets showing up and fastpass+ selections even they had never manipulated the system in the past. Currently, it appears as if it is just a glitch as a result of the policy change, but a select few guests have had to re-book passes that were set 60 days out for vacations planned as soon as next week. Not every account has had issues, and ours was not one that has been affected so far, but you’ll certainly want to check and make sure all types of reservations booked for your vacation are still listed as they should be. 
Some groups are reporting that switching to a different browser or checking on the Disney app quickly solves the issue. Others haven’t been quite so lucky.

Again, we have not personally experienced the issue, but we’ll try and keep you updated as new information arrives.

UPDATE: It appears as if the new system is a bit more aggressive than initial reports stated. If a guest attempts to use a fastpass not liked to a ticket used for park entrance, after their day is over, their account will be locked out. The only way to reopen the account will be to contact guest services and get the account un-“frozen.” If and only if cast members determine it to be a misreported issue or unintentionally manipulative act will the account be unfrozen. Otherwise, it appears as if they will remain locked. 

If you have friends visiting the parks soon, you may want to share this with them as well!   

Apple Announces New Disney Watch Faces With WatchOS 4

by Guide4WDW

Apple Announces New Disney Watch Faces With WatchOS 4

by: guide4wdw – Collin
instagram: @guide4disney

Today, with a brief article away from covering the Disney parks, we’re happy to announce a fun change for the Disney community in regards to new technology! Just a few short hours ago, Apple announced that they will be debuting new Disney watch faces for their Apple Watch devices in the next few months.


The new designs will be rolling out this fall as a part of Apple’s watch OS 4 software update. All watch devices are set to operate with the new generation of the software according to Apple’s official release today at WWDC 2017. 

Disney faces are nothing new for Apple, but the new designs will feature many of your favorite characters from the Toy Story franchise. Each of the new interfaces will offer one of three characters: Woody, Jessie, or Buzz Lightyear. Each design will interact with the time stamp on your device similar to the current Mickey and Minnie offerings already available. 
       

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

A New Enchanted Tiki Room Limited Edition Magic Band Has Been Released

by Guide4WDW

A New Enchanted Tiki Room Limited Edition Magic Band Has Been Released

by: guide4wdw – Collin
instagram: @guide4disney

As a continuation in the Magic Kingdom 45th Anniversary lineup of MagicBands, Disney has just released an Enchanted Tiki Room band. The new series has been released in limited quantities in the Disney Parks and on the Shop Disney Parks app. 
The band will be run in a limited amount with a total of 2500 bands being made for the release. The band itself costs $32.99, as is typical of the of these special edition bands. While we do not know for sure at this point, we can make the fair assessment that they will likely interact with the touch points in the parks with special lights and sounds centered around the Enchanted Tiki Room attractions as do many of the other special releases. 
Here’s a closer look at the MagicBand which will likely arrive in the parks in the very new future. As of June 2nd, they were made available via the application:
If you liked this article please do me a favor and share it with friends on your favorite social media platform! It truly helps us out. Thanks! 

Glowing Cotton Candy Has Finally Made It To The Magic Kingdom!

by Guide4WDW

Glowing Cotton Candy Has Finally Made It To The Magic Kingdom! 

It’s official, glowing cotton candy has officially debuted at the Magic Kingdom. This seemingly simple creation is taking the internet by storm and has started to roll out quickly all across social media.
The creation itself is based on a design where the stick the cotton candy would usually be placed on is replaced by a glowing wand that emits light through the sugary substance. 
If you’re in the parks in the next few weeks, you will undoubtedly see these “floating” around the park. This very well could be the next big thing in fun Disney snacks.
Currently, we do not know how long this will last or if it is here to stay. All we know for sure is that it has arrived in the Magic Kingdom and is being sold to guests. The creation has received rave reviews and while it is simply cotton candy beyond aesthetics, the concept is genius. 
The design itself has been around for quite some time, but with it’s adoption in the Disney parks, it is set to grow rapidly and may start appearing in other locations more frequently across the country.
Are you looking forward to trying this new creation? Leave it to Disney to find a way to improve on a classic theme park creation! A special thanks to @thegirlandthemouse and @welovedisneyx5 (Disneyland version) over on Instagram for letting us share these photos and a video down below.

    

If you’re interested in the Disney Vacation Club Resale Process, be sure to take a look at our newest partners, The DVC Resale Market! Click the banner on the right (or below on mobile) to check out all that they do!   

  

//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js

A Look Back At Spaceship Earth’s "Presidential" Influences and Borrowed Technologies

by Guide4WDW

A Look Back At Spaceship Earth’s “Presidential” Influences and Borrowed Technologies 

by: guide4wdw – Collin
instagram: @guide4disney

Epcot Center has changed drastically over the years, but one particular element has always remained relatively the same, Spaceship Earth. As the beacon of the park, the geodesic sphere fills a unique role that no other Disney park icon (U.S.) truly encompasses. It is both a ride as well as a symbol of the theme park itself. It inspires and encourages new ideas and creativity. However, the animatronics involved with the ride have a surprising, dare I say “Presidential” backstory. 

As you can likely imagine, Disney tries to cut corners wherever it will not effect the overall guest experience. So, when Spaceship Earth was created, many iterations of previously developed audio-animatronics were used to build a new experience for guests. Of course, many of those figures were later replaced by newer technologies to fill the void they left in their previous roles. 

(Photo: Disney)

Throughout the many intricate scenes of the attraction, technological improvements are debuted in a progressive way to depict our world’s innovations, but the animatronic technology remains largely the same. It’s not until you take a closer look and start digging through Disney history that you find the presidential influence we’re taking a look at today. The carry over use of the animatronics is nearly unnoticeable, but the entire concept likely saved Disney thousands of dollars in build costs.  

During the overall Spaceship Earth attraction we know that at least 8 former Hall of Presidents animatronics were modified and used in the on-ride experience. For example, Theodore Roosevelt reappears as a Senator in the Rome section, Andrew Carnegie operates the printing press, and James Buchanan is Gutenberg himself! Of course, these characters are simply the moving parts of the ones found in the Hall of Presidents, but it’s quite interesting to recognize how Imagineering recycles these animatronic figures to develop new roles. 

No good idea gets left behind or forgotten as new innovations are developed each and every day. While today, (after the renovation of Spaceship Earth quite a few years ago) these “Presidents” may not appear as they once were, it’s interesting to see how Disney brought this attraction to life with immense originality while essentially borrowing the heart of the operation from former audio-animatronics.

Believe it or not, this used to be and likely still is a common practice in Imagineering. Attractions break and new technologies are developed, so older options are still utilized to bring life back to many in-park experiences. Disney is always innovating and creating new ideas, but it’s great to imagine what could be on the horizon. Walt said it best, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” 
Thanks for reading and if you learned something new or interesting today please SHARE this article with friends!

Click Here: Join Over 550 Other Disney Fans In Our Guide4WDW Instagram Community!

The Celebrity Sports Center – A Somewhat Lost Element of Disney History

by Guide4WDW

The Celebrity Sports Center – A Somewhat Lost Element of Disney History 

by: guide4wdw – Collin
instagram: @guide4disney

As many of you may know, Disney has an extensive and encompassing history. However, as with much of what we share here on the site, quite a few elements really get overlooked by a majority of Disney fans and even many Disney connoisseurs. So, today we bring you something that was separate from the parks in a unique way and didn’t even take place on one of the two coasts! 


The Celebrity Sports Center was a concept that developed into a reality with Walt Disney highly invested in it’s success for many years. The center itself was located in Denver, Colorado and debuted in 1960, just a short time after Disneyland’s debut in 1955. The overlying concept was essentially a large-scale recreation center featuring multiple bowling lanes, an enormous arcade, bumper cars, and even a pool facility complete with waterslides. After a short 2 years of use the entire project was purchased by Walt Disney Productions and was reportedly used to train employees who would be working at the new Disney project, Walt Disney World in it’s 1971 debut. (photo: wikipedia)   

The entire facility was built by a series of celebrity investors (reminiscent of it’s name) and included in the group were big names including but not limited to Bing Crosby, George Burns, Burl Ives, Walt and Roy Disney. The combined efforts of these investors helped bring the 6 million dollar facility to life. After about 20 years of active and constructive entertainment for guests of all ages, the property was completely given up to an external investor (and then a second investor after a short time of operation) and closed after about 20 more years of active use. Today, the project has been completely destroyed and built into a much more modern use of the space as a retail shopping location. 

To me, this simply extends the legacy of the Disney company beyond the parks and resorts. Little pieces of Disney can be found across the country and often in some of the most unlikely places.

If you liked this article, be sure to SHARE it with friends! Your support really helps us grow and develop the site for your future enjoyment! Thanks!  

Click Here: Join Over 500 Other Disney Fans In Our Guide4WDW Instagram Community!

The Main Street Emporium’s Osh Popham Story

by Guide4WDW

by: guide4wdw – Collin

Next time you’re visiting the Magic Kingdom, take a moment on your journey down Main Street to experience one of the many hidden gems of the experience, the Emporium’s proprietor. For years, I toured the parks and likely walked past this reference hundreds of times without ever appreciating it’s intricate backstory. 
As you approach the front corner entrance to the Emporium, look in the window to your right and at the bottom you’ll find the description, “‘Osh Popham’ – Proprietor.” At the surface, it simply seems like a fun name Disney came up with to give a backstory to a retail establishment. However, as with anything the Disney company does, this reference to a proprietor or rather a creator has quite the backstory.
A few of you may recognize the name Osh Popham if you take a brief moment to think back through Disney film history. If not, you’ve likely heard of a film called Summer Magic at some point. The film itself debuted in 1963 as the ideas of Walt Disney World were really starting to develop for it’s official unveiling in 1971. During the film a leading character, Osh Popham, owns a hardware store that is a piece of the story in the film. 
Considering the timing, Disney used this reference to tie a familiar name to the Emporium’s backstory. Of course, today many guests hardly even remember Summer Magic, but many of you will certainly appreciate the name behind the character, Burl Ives. Ives was best known for his roles in Frosty the Snowman and as Sam the Snowman in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964). For many, these appearances became instant classics among his numerous roles across many years of entertainment.   
So, as usual, Disney went above and beyond in creating a story that goes much deeper than simply a name in a window. Next time you’re in the park, gather your friends and head over to the window and blow their minds with this Disney backstory! (While you’re there, don’t forget to grab a postcard for another hidden gem of the Main Street Experience)    
Thanks for reading and be sure to SHARE this post with friends! Don’t forget to join our Disney email community down below and follow along with us on our Instagram page for more Disney content! 
Dont forget to check out our other recent articles! Including this one about how to save some money on tickets!

2017 Discount Disney World Ticket Buying Tips – What is the Best Option For Your Situation?

5 Unusual Fireworks Viewing Locations at Walt Disney World That You May Have Overlooked!

How I Ended Up Leaving Big Law and Moving to Disney World

5 Fastpass+ Tips to Improve Your Disney Experience

by Guide4WDW

5 Fastpass+ Tips to Improve Your Disney Experience 

by: guide4wdw – Collin
instagram: @guide4disney

Utilizing the Fastpass+ system is a must for any Disney vacation. Not only does it allow guests to pre-plan their vacation, but also greatly increases the amount of attractions you can complete within a given day. However, using a few particular tips when setting up your passes can greatly improve your Fastpass+ experience.
1. Plan Ahead 
Well, we’ll start with the simplest tip on the list and one that many of you certainly already know, Plan Ahead! For many first time guests, this can be quite frustrating. Having to choose the attractions you want to ride and the particular times you want to ride them weeks in advance can be quite intimidating. However, if you do plan near the beginning of your Fastpass+ booking window, your experience will be much better. For resort guests, reservations for attractions can be made up to 60 days in advance (30 days for offsite guests). Utilizing that window of opportunity and booking the day of will almost guarantee you a chance at your favorite attractions. 
2. Pick Your Favorites
Again, this one seems fairly self explanatory, but when I say pick your favorites, give it a little thought. These choices are likely attractions that you will be guaranteed a ride on during your time in the parks. Take a poll from the guests in your party and have each person pick one attraction that is their “must-do” for that particular day. It will relieve some of the stress of racing to that attraction in the morning, and guarantee a smile for each guest in your party. 
3. Timing Is Everything
When scheduling your Fastpass selections, make sure to schedule at not only times that fit your dining reservations and other pre-planned experiences, but also accommodate the additional Fastpass+ option. For those of you who may not know, once you utilize your 3 attraction passes for the day, you can book an additional pass on a rotation for any other attractions available on that given day. For example, if you used all three of your passes in the Magic Kingdom, but Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin still has pass availability, you can schedule an additional fastpass for that attraction. Once that pass is used you can repeat the process of adding a single additional pass until the distribution is depleted for all attractions for the day. 
4. Account for Park Hopping
For many, changing parks in the middle of the day is a great way to experience two parks on the same day or to spread out your time across all of the parks. However, with fastpass+ it presents a few problems. If you plan on visiting a park in the morning and then one later in the afternoon or night, be sure to plan your Fastpass+ selections and times accordingly. 
Typically, you have a few options. First, you can plan all of your passes early in the morning at your first park with hopes of getting to the second park in time to book your additional one selection before they have disappeared for the day. Second, you can book your passes for the second park and just attempt to get to your first park early enough to ride whatever you’d like before the crowds really start to build. It’s not the perfect situation currently for Fastpass+ but there are a few different options to still get the most out of your park hopping experience. 
5. Be Patient!
If you can’t get the particular attraction fastpass+ that you want, keep checking the app or online reservation system. Many guests will cancel a vacation or change their selections on a daily basis. Also, while it has never been confirmed officially, it is rumored that fastpasses are distributed in waves as dates approach in order to accommodate both annual passholders and offsite guests who cannot book as early as resort guests. Being persistent and checking back frequently really will open up a lot of opportunities, especially for new attractions like Flight of Passage. Also, and perhaps my favorite tip is to check the My Disney Experience App for canceled selections throughout the day if you couldn’t get the reservations you wanted. Things happen and reservations are canceled by other guests that you can pick up as quickly as they drop them. Of course, you don’t have to constantly check your phone, but if you get a moment while eating or waiting on a show to begin, take a quick look and you never know what you may find! 

So, those are our favorite tips! If there’s anything we can help you out with or you need any recommendations for scheduling passes, feel free to ask! We’d be happy to help you out with any questions you may have throughout the planning process.

Thanks for reading and be sure to SHARE this list with friends! Thanks!