August 2015 – threestrandswdw

Eat To The Beat Changes At EPCOT F&W Fest

As usual, the entertainment for this year’s EPCOT Food and Wine Festival looks really good. There are a few changes to keep in mind. First, The Eat To The Beat Concert Series has been designated as a Tier 1 Fastpass+. There will be a separate queue line at the American Garden’s Theater that will open up 20 minutes before each concert.

Here is this year’s line up:

David Cook – September 25-27, 2015
Wilson Phillips – September 28-29, 2015
Christopher Cross – September 30-October 1, 2015
Starship – October 2-4, 2015
Smash Mouth – October 5-7, 2015
The Pointer Sisters – October 8-9, 2015
38 Special – October 10-11, 2015
Rick Springfield – October 12-13, 2015
Sugar Ray – October 14-16, 2015
The S.O.S. Band – October 17-18, 2015
Air Supply – October 19-21, 2015
Fuel – October 22-23, 2015
Tiffany (NEW!) – October 24-25, 2015
Dennis DeYoung – October 26-28, 2015
Jo Dee Messina – October 29-30, 2015
Everclear (NEW!) – October 31-November 1, 2015
Boyz II Men – November 2-4, 2015
Sister Hazel – November 5-6, 2015
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – November 7-9, 2015
Hanson – November 10-12, 2015
Maxi Priest (NEW!) – November 13-14, 2015
Chaka Khan (NEW!) – November 15-16, 2015

With three shows daily,at 5:30p, 6:45p, and 8;00p, there should be ample time to see your favorites!

For now, I’d like to wish you all a Blessed and Magical rest of your weekend! Bye, now!

WDW Potpourri

When going to Walt Disney World, there are some little things to remember, and a few to be ‘warned’ about. Today, we’ll look at a few of these things. Here we Go!

If you are traveling to WDW with little ones, remember that there are Baby Care Centers in all of the parks. These are great places to go to feed and change your baby, as well as a good place to take a bit of quiet time if you, or you baby, need it. Just ask any Cast Member where to find the Baby Care Center in the park you are visiting.

There are Stroller and Wheelchair or ECV rentals available just inside each park entrance. There are also rentals available at Downtown Disney (Disney Springs). There is a daily fee for the use of these items. And, if you leave the park to go to another park, you will need to drop at the park you are leaving and pick up another one at the second park. If you have a need for a longer stay, you may want to consider an off-site provider as they are typically more affordable.

Whether you are staying at Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, or visiting while at WDW, consider going to see Yehaa Bob at the River Roost Lounge. But, be warned that this is an AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION live show. Yehaa Bob is

usually playing Wednesday – Saturday evenings beginning at 7:30pm. But, get there early as seating is limited, and Bob comes around to visit before each show to say hello! Go to http://www.yehaabob.com for more information and to check the schedule.

Considering going to EPCOT for Food and Wine, or Flower and Garden? You might want to limit your visits to weekdays. There are a lot of locals that come out on the weekends and the crowds are larger and sometimes more obnoxious.

Pack some patience! There is no quicker spoiler to a vacation then a bad attitude. If you have kids, think about keeping their schedule the same as when you are at home. Taking a midday break can save the good memories to be made while you are visiting Walt Disney World. And, sometimes, it’s not a bad idea for us parents! Or, schedule an in park ADR and take advantage of the down time to recharge while you enjoy a meal together.

Well, that’s it for today! Feel free to add your comments about some of the Little Things that can come in handy on a WDW vacation. For now, I hope you all have a Blessed and Magical Weekend, my friends!

Star Wars Addition to Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Star Wars experiences were announced for Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, Florida at the D23 Expo this weekend. Here are a few of the highlights…

Star Wars Launch Bay will open later this year and allow you to experience exhibits, behind-the-scenes action, visit some new characters, food, and new merchandise from the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This experience will be located in the current Animation Courtyard portion of DHS.

Season Of The Force will debut in early 2016 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This will be a new fireworks show set to the score penned by the brilliant composer, John Williams. This will be a seasonal event and will take place on the weekends. Dates have not been announced, as yet. And, I’m not sure if this is a replacement for Star Wars Weekends, or in addition to SWW.

Star Tours – the Adventure Continues will be getting an update. But, it doesn’t seem like there will be a need for much refurb time. There will be new scenes added to the current ride from the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This should ad a bit more variety to this random experiential attraction.

Disney VISA Cardholders will be able to order new cards with Star Wars characters on them. And, there will be the Star Wars Imperial Meet and Greet for Disney VISA holders, as well.

The Star Wars Land experience will take us to a new, never before seen planet near the outer rim. It will include two new ride experiences, and the much anticipated Cantina will be quite a draw. This 14 acre additions is being considered the MOST ambitious undertaking in Disney Company History. There will be a mirrored experience built at Disneyland Park in California, too. No time line has been announced for completion of these projects, but I hope progress will be seen quickly!

Thanks for reading, sharing, or commenting! Have a Blessed and Magical Day, my friends!

Disney Quick Hits for August 3, 2015

1. Be Our Guest Restaurant has made the Breakfast option a permanent addition for visitors. However, the price has gone up a bit. Adult meals are now $21.99 while Kids 3 – 9 will cost $13.99. Booking for October 4 and beyond will begin on August 5, 2015.

2. Pizzafari in Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be closed for refurbishment beginning August 24, 2015 and going through October 19, 2015. The closure is believed to be a part of an addition of a Full-Service portion to the restaurant. We will try to keep an eye on this one for you. You can follow my refurbishment listing for WDW at: https://wordpress.com/page/30334162/1120.

3. Packages for the Disneyland Resort are now available through 2016! You can now book for any of the Disneyland Resort Hotels, or the Good Neighbor Hotels through December 31, 2016. Packages will include souvenir tickets with Magic Morning Entry, Magical Extras Savings Card, Disneyland Photo Memory, ESPN Game Card and Burger, as well as a collectible pin, lanyard, and luggage tag. Booking one of these packages is limited to 499 days before arrival.

That’s your Quick Hit for August 3, 2015. Have a Blessed and Magical Day!!

Changes in AOA Rooms Status at WDW

Disney has decided that the Finding Nemo Suites at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort are now Preferred Rooms! This means that you will pay a premium to reserve these accommodations. The amount of this premium will depend on the time of year. In low season, the premium may be worth the up tick, if you want the closest location to Animation Hall where you have the Ink and Paint Shop, Landscape of Flavors Dining, and Bus Stops to all of the parks.

As an option, while a little farther away, both the Cars Family Suites and Lion King Family Suites are really not that bad. We stayed Lion King our last trip, and found the distance manageable. The only real concern is that none of the parking lots are CLOSE to any of the buildings.

Simba by Day! Art of Animation Resort — Simba by Day!
Art of Animation Resort

I truly hope you all have a Blessed and Magical Sunday!

One Man’s Dream? Gone? From DHS?

As a rule, I don’t like to dive into rumors, but this one seems like it may be real, given other information available. Walt Disney One Man’s Dream appears to be another attraction placed on the chopping block for the anticipated Re-Imagining of Disney’s Hollywood Studio.

Along with Voyage of the Little Mermaid, One Man’s Dream may be scheduled to close as early as the end of September 2015. At this time, there is no word on if it may be relocated to another park, or re-opened under another moniker after once the park is completed.

And, while I know that there are many people out there who never knew who Walt Disney was, I believe it is still important to save something of the LEGACY of the man responsible for so many smiles, on so many faces! It is my sincere hope that this is not the Disney boards way of erasing Walt from the company! Instead, just a temporary displacement of something that allows us a small glimpse into the man whose name is Walter Elias Disney!

Hopefully, we’ll know more after the D23 Expo coming up in a few weeks!

Thanks for reading, my friends! I hope you have a Blessed and Magical day!