October 16, 2012 by admin
Just a few additional detail shots of the Be Our Guest Restaurant’s “Dress Rehearsal” sneak peek. You couldn’t go into the actual dinning rooms and the grand ballroom was the only one you could see from behind a rope, but there are a lot of little details adding to the Castle feel.
When you enter, it’s to a “receiving hall” of sorts. To the right is a hallway with the suits of armor standing guard. To the left, is the beautiful mural of Belle and the Prince dancing. There are tapestries all over, and framing the arched entryway to the Grand Ballroom are two minotaur statues holding up the ceiling.
Inside the ballroom, there are giant chandeliers, columns, and a mountain view out the back window.
It will be exciting to see the details up close once it opens November 19th!
Posted in All Posts, Fantasyland Expansion, Food, Magic Kingdom, Photos & Pics, Restaurants & Dinning, Special Events, Under Construction, Walt Disney World | Tagged Be Our Guest, behind the scenes, behind the wall, disneyworld, fantasyland, fantasyland 2012, fantasyland expansion, new fantasyland, photos, pics, under construction | Leave a Comment »
October 15, 2012 by admin
It’s been years in the making but this past weekend, New Fantasyland was open for a “Dress Rehearsal” so we headed over for the day to check it out.
We got to tour the area, ride The Little Mermaid, peek inside Be Our Guest Restaurant, shop at Bonjour Gifts, get a La Fou’s Brew at Gaston’s Tavern and experience Enchanted Tales with Belle. I took hundreds of pictures so here’s a massive look at both scenery and details. The place is full of amazing touches and looks absolutely stunning.
Posted in All Posts, Fantasyland Expansion, Magic Kingdom, Photos & Pics, Special Events, Under Construction, Walt Disney World | Tagged behind the scenes, behind the wall, disneyworld, fantasyland, fantasyland 2012, fantasyland expansion, new fantasyland, photos, pics, under construction, walt disney world, wdw | Leave a Comment »
Rumors abound that they are currently doing work on the queue for Pirates of the Caribbean to bring “Next Gen” features. The jury is out what this will entail. Personally, I think the Pirates queue is the gold standard for immersive experience already and I think adding screens or games or such would ruin the amazing look and feel of the queue. Clearly though, Disney did not ask me.
And so today, I was shocked to see not only subtle changes but an entire DOOR abruptly ruining the feeling and theme of the queue with another section of scrims blocking off part of the wall.
A door???
(Click for larger)
This shows up on the right-hand queue, just slightly past and to the left of the famous skeletons playing chess scene. I can’t fathom what they are doing here but it was certainly shocking to see such a blatant break in theme.
Posted in All Posts, Magic Kingdom, Photos & Pics, Under Construction, Walt Disney World | Tagged next gen, pirates of the caribbean, pirates of the carribbean, pirates of the carribean, pirates queue, POTC | Leave a Comment »
Posted in All Posts, Fantasyland Expansion, Magic Kingdom, Photos & Pics, Under Construction, Walt Disney World | Tagged behind the scenes, behind the wall, disneyworld, fantasyland, fantasyland 2012, fantasyland expansion, new fantasyland, photos, pics, under construction, walt disney world, wdw | Leave a Comment »
For my birthday, we had lunch at the ever-delicious, Via Napoli restaurant in Epcot. They have a full Italian menu, though I go for the wood-fired pizza. It’s really yummy.
We opted for the “Quattro Formaggi” specialty pizza. A white (sauceless) pizza with mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, provolone. One half has pepperoni added for Parker’s enjoyment.
Via Napoli goes to great lengths for an authentic pizza experience.
Caputo flour imported from Naples, San Marzano tomatoes, handmade fior di latte mozzarella, water from our own wells identical to the water found in Naples, to make our pizza as authentic and delicious as that found on the streets of Naples.
We ordered a “large” size which feeds 2-3 people. It’s $28 for build your own or $30 for specialty large. Toppings are $3.50 each. You can also get an individual ($16/18) or the ginormous “Mezzo Metro” which feeds 3-5 and is $39/$41 respectively.
I ate a whopping three pieces; Parker ate two and we still had three slices left over. It’s a lot of value for money compared to other Disney dining experiences. It may be more costly than your average pizza chain at home, but it’s significantly more tasty and a much more enjoyable dining experience. ADR’s (Advanced Dinning Reservations) are recommended, though they will accept walk-ups as seating permits.
Highly recommended!
Posted in All Posts, Epcot, Food, Photos & Pics, Restaurants & Dinning, Reviews, Walt Disney World | Tagged ADR, dinning, epcot, Italy, photo of food, photo of pizza, photo of pizza at disney, photo of via napoli, photos, pics, pizza, Quattro Formaggi, via napoli | Leave a Comment »
The former Fantasyland skyway station was demolished several months ago to make way for what will be restrooms, a possible Tangled meet-and-greet as well as a new, more open pathway between Fantasyland and Liberty Square. Right now, the only way in is through a tight underpass just past Peter Pan. It creates a bottleneck and can be hard to maneuver through the area during busy times. The new pathway will help open up the area further plus move the existing bathrooms near Peter Pan to the other side and more out of the direct path.
Current, narrow path in blue. Rough estimate of new path in red
Here are a few overhead shots from Saturday, April 14, 2012 of the work going on behind the walls for the new pathway and restrooms.
Click for larger view!
Posted in All Posts, Fantasyland Expansion, Magic Kingdom, Photos & Pics, Under Construction, Walt Disney World | Tagged behind the scenes, fantasyland, fantasyland pathway, fantasyland restrooms, fantasyland skyway station, new pathway, new restrooms, pathway to liberty square, under construction | Leave a Comment »
From Saturday, April 14, 2012 – over the wall photos of the still in-progress area that will be the future home of the Casey Jr. water play area in Storybook Circus area of New Fantasyland.
Click each image for larger version!
Posted in All Posts, Fantasyland Expansion, Magic Kingdom, Photos & Pics, Under Construction, Walt Disney World | Tagged behind the scenes, casey jr, new fantasyland, over the wall, storybook circus, under construction, water play area | Leave a Comment »
February 6, 2012 by admin
The New Fantasyland train station (replacing the former Toon Town one) is coming along nicely! Looks really good too. Here’s a quick shot from Saturday, February 4, 2012.
(Click for full size)
The Train Station is one of the elements to open the earliest of the new land. As you can see, it’s getting a lot of attention and should be ready soon.
Posted in All Posts, Fantasyland Expansion, Magic Kingdom, Photos & Pics, Under Construction, Walt Disney World | Tagged new fantasyland, New Fantasyland Train Station, toon town, toontown, Walt Disney World Railroad | Leave a Comment »
December 23, 2011 by admin
We started a few years ago with the WDW Monorail playset you can buy in the parks for about $73 and put it around our Christmas Tree. Next, we bough the Contemporary Resort accessory that, just like the real hotel, the monorail can drive through. Then I found out about an old set of ceramic buildings by a company called Dept. 56.
Back in 1994-1996, they apparently made a series called “Disney Parks Heritage Village Collection” across two years. Slowly but surely, I’ve been finding the buildings on ebay. This year, I was able to expand the collection further with a few choice buys. Though not yet complete (I’m missing Tinkerbell’s Treasures and the Silversmith buildings), it really looks amazingly magical already.
(Click both images for larger version)
Our village includes Olde World Antique Store I & II (which look just like Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in MK), Olde World Gate, Disneyland Fire Station, Mickey’s Christmas Carol (which looks like Sir Mickey’s in MK), the Balloon seller figure set and the 3 family set. We’ve sprinkled in some other people and trees purchased from the craft store and viola!
I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season!
Posted in All Posts, Christmas, Disney at Home, Photos & Pics | Tagged christmas decorations, christmas tree, dept 56, disey village, disney christmas, disney christmas decorations, disney heritage village, disney parks heritage village, monorail playset, monorail under the christmas tree | 2 Comments »
November 20, 2011 by admin
The quick snack service eatery, “The Enchanted Grove” was under renovation the past few months. It’s now re-opened as “Cheshire Cafe.” This name is to tie into the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party which is just across the way.
The roof sports a new color scheme. (click for full-size)
There is a new Cheshire Cat-themed sign. (click for full-size)
The menu remains the same though now matches the new name. (click for full-size)
The small seating area to the left of the shop is unchanged and once again open for guests.
Posted in All Posts, Food, Magic Kingdom, Photos & Pics, Restaurants & Dinning, Under Construction, Walt Disney World | Tagged cheshire cafe, ddp, enchanted grove, fantasyland, menu, photos, pics, quick service, rehab, reno, renovation, snacks | 2 Comments »
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