The Disney Skyliner station at Epcot’s International Gateway is looking mighty fine with a crisp new marquee installed onto the entrance archway. Personally, this Skyliner station is arguably the nicest, with its intricately patterned loading canopy and Art Nouveau style wrought iron design. Hollywood Studios’ station may have the glamorous neon, but this station borrows from the nearby France pavilion to lend it an elevated, artistic look. Take a look at the new marquee that was just installed:
The entrance will have two sides, one for regular entry and an additional entryway for handicap guests in wheelchairs, ECVs, or other assisted mobility devices. As a reminder, Skyliner Gondolas fitted to accommodate wheelchairs, ECVs, or other mobility devices will only seat a maximum of up to six guests. Mobility aids and strollers must fit within a 30” x 48” area for access.
The station itself looks gorgeous with intricate, lush grass patterns and sections of tile interwoven with grass. Once past the entrance archway, guests file through a queue to the main station where they board their character gondola.
Yesterday, September 7, Club Cool, Fountain View Starbucks, and the Mickey & Friends Character Spot closed so Walt Disney World could begin construction on the new Festival Center that is part of the Epcot transformation. Guests who arrived at the park this morning were met with construction walls and closing signage at each location.
According to the Walt Disney World website the Epcot Character Spot will only be temporarily closed:
“During the exciting transformation of Epcot, Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot will temporarily close—beginning on September 8, 2019. Enjoy meeting some of your favorite Disney Characters at other locations throughout Epcot!”
We’re happy to report that Mickey & Friends are now meeting across the way where Baymax and Joy and Sadness were located.
The characters have been relocated to the following locations:
Minnie Mouse will move into the World Showcase Gazebo
Daisy Duck will move to The American Adventure
Mickey Mouse & Goofy will temporarily move to Innoventions West while a new permanent locations are established
Joy – TBD
Baymax – TBD
Fountain View – Starbucks
Although Fountain View, the home of Starbucks, is currently closed, it will be returning to a temporary location in the late fall according to the Walt Disney World website. In the meantime, you can visit any of the Joffrey’s kiosks around the park.
Club Cool
Unfortunately, Walt Disney World has not issued a statement on Club Cool and if it will be returning to Epcot. Where will we find sticky floors? The signs that are posted indicate a “reimagining” of the future of Club Cool so there is still hope!
Innoventions West
Everyone’s favorite quiet and air-conditioned spot has been closed permanently.
Fountain of Nations
The Fountain of Nations is also scheduled to close today, September 8, for the construction of the new entry.
Being from Indiana, we only get 1 or 2 chances a year to travel down to Orlando and visit Walt Disney World. Our next Disney Vacation is slated for next May. With all of the new updates and additions, we are beyond excited for our next visit (and first visit for the newest member of the family).
To quell our thirst for all things Disney, sometimes you have to live vicariously through other people. For us, we have some dear friends who live near the Orlando area and frequent WDW.
So when one of them messaged us yesterday telling us they were going to Galaxy’s Edge today, my first thought was pure jealousy. My second thought, though, was…get as many pics as you can and share. I asked them to also share some of their thoughts on the new Disney land.
Here’s their Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge story (Big Thanks – Adam & Shelby):
“It’s (Galaxy’s Edge) underwhelming when first entering the land, if the guest enters from the Star Tours side. It’s a couple minute walk until you truly see the magic. Bear with it though, they’ve truly outdone themselves.
There’s a rebel member who’s recruiting for the resistance outside of the outpost. She has blue hair. Part of the magic of the land lies within the small details; the background noise, the cast members whom remain in character, and the aesthetics.
As you continue through the outpost and market, you’ll see things from droid-ran shops, creature stalls, and the resistance supply, to name a few. At the back, left hand side of the land lies the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. It’s on Batuu for repairs in the Black Spire Outpost (not shocking). It took Adam and I quite a few moments to take the entire scene in.
We decided to make the run in the single rider line due to the wait time. We waited for 25 minutes then were ushered onto the Falcon itself!!! It was an impulse to want to touch the walls. Once ushered through the entrance with boarding group colors and assignments, the cast members directed us to wait to the side for our color to be called. It’s six people to a run. Adam and I were both engineers. Basically we had to “fix” the stuff the two pilots kept breaking.
The point of the run is to steal coaxium to sell to help fund the resistance.
The difference about this motion simulator is how responsive/interactive it is. The controls were legitimately touchy. Our mission was a success, however, we got hosed by Ohnaka in repairs and his share.
Overall, it was one of the most magical experiences ever!”
“Walt Disney World Resort was fortunate to be spared from Hurricane Dorian, and today it’s back to business as usual. Cast Members across property worked diligently to prepare for the storm, including the Animals, Science and Environment Cast Members, who were busy taking care of our herd. And we’re excited to share the herd just grew by one.
Early this morning, an eland in our care gave birth to a healthy calf named Doppler in honor of its post-storm arrival. Gender is not known as of yet. These photos were taken in the first few hours after the birth, and the calf has already taken its first steps.
The calf was born as part of a species survival plan in partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Mom and baby are bonding well, and the team will conduct a neonatal exam in the coming days to get a gauge on the calf’s weight, height and gender. The pair will remain backstage for the next several weeks before venturing out onto the savanna with the rest of the herd at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.”
“Hooray for Hollywood, and Skyliners! For weeks now, the Disney Skyliner sign at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been haphazardly wrapped in plastic, and just today, it was unwrapped and revealed ahead of the Skyliner’s big debut later this month.
While we could pretty much make out the overall outline of the sign before, getting to see it unobstructed against the neon-studded pillars is nice. We didn’t notice that the sign itself had any kind of backlight, so we might lose sight of it once the sun goes down. Hopefully they embed some kind of lighting for it.
The side sign was also fully unveiled, with the top “Disney” cap revealed and the silver accents around it. This one will probably light up, too. These signs will beckon guests to take the Disney Skyliner to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, where guests can transfer to Disney’s Riviera Resort and on to Epcot, or to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and Disney’s Pop Century Resort.”
