Universal Studios finally announces Harry Potter expansion in Orlando

Universal Studios

It’s been known to be coming, but it was never official, until today: Universal Studios Orlando have finally announced the expansion of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, to be built over at the Universal Studios Florida park, with a connection to the existing section via the Hogwarts Express!

Being dubbed “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley” (with the existing section being redubbed “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade”, the new section will recreate the Diagon Alley and from the movies, as well as part of London, which would likely serve as the gateway. The big attraction will be a ride based on Gringott’s Bank, likely some form of coaster reminiscent of the travel system to the vaults as seen in the final movie.

How they’ll resolve that some elements of Diagon Alley – notably Ollivander’s Wand Shop, were transposed to Hogsmeade for the park, remains to be seen – but they could easily do with expanding it, and perhaps put in something else in the original location. No details on how the Hogwarts Express will handle the transportation backstage between the parks, although some sort of virtual component is expected. Also remaining to be seen is how they handle park tickets, since visiting both parks in one day requires their equivalent of a Park Hopper ticket.

Here is the full release:
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Once Upon A Time visiting Fantasyland at WDW

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The episode of Once Upon A Time airing this Sunday (May 5th) will feature a little more than Storybrooke or the Enchanted Forest – this time it is going to Fantasyland – literally.

The ABC fantasy show featuring characters who at least in name should be recognizable to all Disney fans, will be going to a place just as recognizable – the newly expanded Fantasyland at Walt Disney World. Segments were filmed around a month ago for the show, featuring Regina (Lana Parilla) looking over Fantasyland as if she were in charge. Check out this video about filming the segments:

[Video no longer available]

I get the feeling that this may be as much about promoting the new Fantasyland as much as the show’s story, perhaps even more so. This wasn’t unusual for shows in the 80s and 90s, notably those produced by Disney (and Buena Vista Television Productions before that), that would occasionally feature an episode set at one of the parks…ABC has been owned by Disney since 1996.

Update: It turns out that it was simply a commercial that featured Regina in character…not part of the episode itself.

MagicBand/MyMagic+ testing potentially under way with select guests at Animal Kingdom

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WDW Magic is reporting that MagicBand testing – including full features of MyMagic+ such as Fastpass+ and touch-to-pay, is taking place, although it seems limited to pre-selected guests staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge and going to the Animal Kingdom park.

I have not seen any reports from any participants yet, nor any from a rumored test with Boardwalk Inn guests that was supposed to have happened already. It remains to be seen how this all works out.

Signing up for Jedi Training Academy

Walt Disney World

The Jedi Training Academy is incredibly popular – and is doubly so during Star Wars Weekends. With those coming up, I thought I’d let people know what the current sign-up method is to get your child involved. They no longer pick children out of the crowd, but you must sign up in advance – and early, as the limited slots can go very quickly.

To make sure you can sign up your child, get to Disney’s Hollywood Studios early – before the announced opening time (besides, during Star Wars Weekends the stormtroopers put on a bit of a show before opening…) – they often let people in earlier – as much as 30 minutes – than advertised to avoid the “Toy Story Mania Road Race” that had been going on. On Extra Magic Hour mornings, you might need to get in a line and wait, as they may not start taking names right away. But you CAN have another member of your party to and fetch Fastpasses for you, as you will not need tickets to sign up. But the child you are signing up will need to be with you.

The sign up are can move around. If you can, ask a Cast Member before getting in. But the common places are outside of the Hollywood and Vine restaurant (up Hollywood Boulevard then the first left, H&V will be on the left), outside or inside the old Sounds Dangerous Soundstage near the Jedi Training Academy stage, or at the JTA stage itself. You will pass things in that order, so keep an eye out as you head there.

When you sign up, you will get a return time. This is not like a Fastpass return time – your child MUST be at the stage at that time to participate, so plan accordingly. Times are given in order of signups, so the first people will be given a return time of the first show, and so on.

Disney Springs, a major overhaul of Downtown Disney, officially announced

Walt Disney World

It is official – Downtown Disney is getting a makeover. Again. And maybe this one will happen. 🙂

It’s been rumored for a few weeks after some details leaked, but the Downtown Disney area will receive a major overhaul that will include a new name (“Disney Springs”), new theme (a town that grew up around a spring), new areas (“Town Center”, between West Side and Marketplace, and “The Landing”, a renamed Pleasure Island), and new parking garages at either end.

The Town Center will be VERY new, taking over the current area between the Marketplace and West Side areas by expanding into the existing parking area (which will be made up for by the two parking garages, which will hopefully overall increase parking) and provide better flow between the two existing shopping areas, a long-standing problem that led to the opening of Pleasure Island to the public and eventually to the clubs downfall. Don’t expect this to mean a return of the clubs, though…although there is still some hope that something make come back. But PI, or The Landing now, will not return to charged admissions again.

Construction begins in April, with completion expected in 2016.

No particular third party tenants have been announced yet.

Check out the official park blog story for some of the artwork.

Over two years ago, Disney announced and showed concept art for “Hyperion Wharf”, a rename/retheme of Pleasure Island. After tearing down a couple buildings and planting grass, however, the project was canceled.

In 2006, Disney announced Flamingo Crossings, a new shopping/entertainment district that was to be located at the end of Western Way at the extreme western edge of the property along Route 429, to be filled with third party retailers, restaurants, etc. and some hoped would become a “Pleasure Island 2.0”. But aside from a lot of grading work of the land, nothing happened, although there is still a web site for it.

Annual Passholders to start getting RFID cards next week

Walt Disney World

According to touringplans.com, starting Wednesday (3/20) all new annual passes redeemed at WDW ticket booths will come in the form of an RFID-enabled card similar to those being given out to resort guests (while we all await signs of the actual MagicBands…) which will allow using the RFID entrances at all the parks rather than the old turnstiles.

Reports have basically shown that the RFID entrances are often walk ups while lines for guests without RFID tickets had to wait in sometimes long lines at the few remaining “old-style” entrances, while Disney has been providing resort guests only with RFID cards. Since then, they have started to give RFID tickets at the booths, and I’ve even heard one report that someone got “plastic” tickets from Undercover Tourist, so even ticket resellers seem to have them now. But annual passholders seemed to have been left out until now.

Existing passholders will be able to “trade in” their old passes for RFID cards, but ONLY at the old Odyssey Restaurant location in Epcot (you know, that strange building situated between Test Track and Mexico) during normal park hours, starting March 20th and through at least May 19th. After that I believe the ticket booths will be able to handle it, or at least Guest Relations locations.

The new cards for passholders will have a special colored stripe on them – an orange stripe indicates that the pass has parking privileges, whereas a black stripe indicates that it does not (some restricted passes, like Seasonal and Weekday Select do not get free parking), so it will be quickly obvious to the parking attendants. Some sort of similar adornment is expected on passholder MagicBands.

WDW cancels all Epcot Segway tours indefinitely

News, Walt Disney World,

According to this thread, all Segway tours at Epcot have been canceled effective immediately and they are contacting guests who had reservations, and indications are that they will not return.

Disney is not giving any information as to why, so naturally there is lots of speculation. However, there are two leading contenders:

  1. Although the results of a lawsuit against Disney’s policy of allowing guests to use their own Segways in the park was ruled in Disney’s favor, there is still the potential for appeals. And the tour was often cited by the plaintiffs to show that the Segways were not as dangerous a Disney claimed.
  2. The tour generally went around the World Showcase prior to the normal 11am opening, where guests were limited to the area between the International Gateway and the paths to Futureworld, and over to Akershus in Norway for breakfast. Now the newly remodeled bakery in France is available to guests, so there is even more foot traffic, and this could make navigating more complicated.

And it could even be a combination of the two, with the increased traffic offering a better chance for appeal if Disney was claiming the limited traffic before made it acceptable.

Segway tours at Ft. Wilderness, which are done on off-road paths, are still available.

Rumor: Downtown Disney to be re-themed (again) and become Disney Springs

Rumors, Walt Disney World

The web site Park Rumors is reporting that Disney is attempting to re-theme Downtown Disney again…this time going with Disney Springs.

I don’t know the source of the rumor, so I don’t know how much confidence I have in it, but Disney has been trying and trying to revitalize DTD ever since closing the clubs…most recently with the abandoned “Hyperion Wharf” project.

At least once basis for the rumor is filing of Phase I plans for the “BVD Corridor Stormwater Project”, which apparently refers to the existing Downtown Disney area. From there, the article refers to later phases that include putting in a 5-story garage, taking the existing more central parking lots and expanding the area into the “The Gateway” and “The Town Center”, which would now give a more contiguous shopping district between Marketplace and West Side. The current Marketplace would be renamed “The Village Marketplace”, touching on the area’s original name. West Side would remain unchanged, and Pleasure Island would become “The Landing”.

With the Town Center in place, the island-that-was-Pleasure-Island is no longer a necessary pathway, which brings up some interesting possibilities. PI became ungated in part to improve flow between Marketplace and West Side, which prior to that was via a small sidewalk along the parking area – the two areas were pretty separate and distinct. Then when PI was ungated, the clubs suffered and eventually were closed and have remained so since, although a couple were demolished and not replaced. Many fans hope for the reopening of the remaining clubs some day, and this could possibly offer the opportunity, but having a separate but more “family friendly” path. However, I don’t expect that “The Landing” will become gated again – there are now restaurants and retail located there.

Also interesting – they show the Planet Hollywood location as becoming “The Observatory”, but I am unaware of the Planet Hollywood planning on closing.

But even if Disney confirms this rumor, I’ll believe it when they actually complete it.

No more Nescafé at WDW and Disneyland – to be replaced with Joffrey’s

Disneyland, News, Walt Disney World

I’m not a coffee drinker at all – tea is more my hot drink of choice – but I know a lot of them, and I know their hatred of Nescaf&eacut;, which for the longest time was the only coffee available at WDW outside of a few small locations. But Nescafé is ending its long run (thanks to the sponsorship by Nestle) at both Disneyland and WDW, and is being replaced by Joffrey’s Coffee. Joffrey’s was already operating a few kiosks and supplying specialty coffees used at some locations.

Over the next few months, Joffrey’s will be rolled in, using blends specially produced for Disney, and will be served at counter and table service locations as well as the in-room coffee at moderate and deluxe resorts.

The recently announced Starbucks agreement, where they will take over the Main Street Bakery in the Magic Kingdom, is not affected.