Drury Hotels To Open a Disney Springs Resort

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Resorts, Uncategorized

Drury Hotels is developing a property in the Disney Springs Resort Area. The Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista will be the company’s largest to date and first Official Walt Disney World Hotel. The property will boast 604 rooms and a resort-style pool complete with splash pad and poolside bar. There will also be an indoor marketplace offering guests grab-and-go food options as well as sundries.

This property has been a long time in the making, and we are delighted to see it take shape, said Chuck Drury, president and CEO of Drury Hotels. We’ll be able to give our guests an unforgettable experience as they visit the Walt Disney World Resort and everything the colorful community has to offer. Being named an official Walt Disney World Hotel means we have been entrusted to adhere to exceptional service standards. Given our track record of providing award-winning guest service, I know our top-notch team will make our new property a magical experience for our guests and visitors.

The new hotel can be booked as part of your Walt Disney World Resort vacation package. The first 264 rooms will be available by spring 2021. Guests will enjoy the offering of amenities which include:

  • Transportation to the theme parks and surrounding attractions
  • Wi-Fi throughout the hotel
  • Hot breakfast, including pancakes, biscuits and gravy, eggs, yogurt and more
  • 5:30 Kickback® reception including appetizers and beverages
  • 24-hour business and fitness centers

Drury Hotels Company has been a family owned business since 1973. The Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista will be the company’s 4th hotel in the state Florida.

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New “Rise of The Resistance” Merchandise

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

The debut of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Walt Disney World also means that there will be new merchandise that is offered! Guests can expect to see items like clothing, baseball caps, pins a tumbler, etc. Check out some of the great options below:

The Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction pin is at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland park now. The other pin that displays the icon for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is also available at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and then at Disneyland park on January 17th, 2020.

Guests can purchase a collectible toy inspired by the attraction vehicle. The item is available at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and will be available at Disneyland park on January 17th, 2020.

Walt Disney World and Disneyland Annual Passholders will have a special shirt option available for purchase, plus Passholders can use their 20% discount on all merchandise.

Get Your New Gear When You Visit WDW on Your Next Vacation! Book Here!

New Restaurant Details for Epcot & Hollywood Studios

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Dining, Disney Parks, Epcot, Hollywood Studios

When we think Disney… we think DINING! This is exactly why we are super excited about the new details Walt Disney World has released on three restaurants opening in 2020 at Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Here’s the latest!

Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue

Let’s make our way over to Epcot’s American Adventure Pavilion where quick service restaurant, Liberty Inn, was serving up American cuisine until it closed it’s doors early July 2019. While closures can be a bummer, the sadness melted away quickly when Disney announced Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue would be replacing the Liberty Inn location. Disney has confirmed this new fast-casual restaurant will open this winter with classic barbecue and home-style craft brews. According to DisneyParksBlog:

When you step into the pavilion, you’ll be greeted by the enticing aromas of barbecue coming from a large smoker located in the center of the outdoor bar and seating area. Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue will celebrate American backyard barbecue with flavors from different regions around the United States.

Space 220 Restaurant

Next up, we’ll stay in Epcot but head on over to Future World for an “out of this world” dining experience… the Space 220 Restaurant! Situated next to Mission: SPACE, Disney was hoping to have this new table-service restaurant open by the end of 2019. Space 220 is worth the wait however with a new push for “this winter”. DisneyParksBlog shares all the details about this enticing restaurant by saying:

When you enter the restaurant, you’ll step into a special space elevator that will take you 220 miles above the earth’s surface and offer incredible celestial views. You’ll feel as if you’re traveling straight up into space to dock next to the Centauri Space Station suspended just beyond the orbit of Mission: SPACE. Upon arrival, you will be guided to your seats past the grow zone, a spinning wall of produce that mimics Earth’s gravity and represents some of the fresh ingredients used by the restaurant’s culinary team.

Roundup Rodeo BBQ Restaurant

In the words of Toy Story’s Jessie, “YeeHaw!” We are super excited that a new table-service restaurant is on the way in to Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for 2020. According to DisneyParksBlog:

Roundup Rodeo BBQ Restaurant invites you to a rootin’, tootin’ rodeo right in Andy’s back yard! Guests will be immersed with all their favorite toy pals in the western atmosphere of Woody’s Roundup providing a fun, family-friendly dining experience that could only be had in Toy Story Land. A new artist concept image released today emphasizes the theme of the new dining locale constructed from Andy’s favorite larger-than-life playsets and games.

Three restaurants we can’t wait to check out for ourselves!

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New Limited Edition Walt Disney MagicBand Now Available

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

This week is a very special week for Disney fans as December 5th marks the birthday of Walt Disney, and we’re always looking for ways to honor and celebrate the man (and mouse) who started it all. Today, a new Limited Release MagicBand has arrived on the shelves, and we’re loving its classic, quirky design.

The all-white band features Walt Disney on one end and another end dotted with vintage Mickey Mouse plush.

 According to D23, the first design was actually created by a seamstress named Charlotte Clark in the early 1930s:

“A successful example of a Mickey Mouse doll had already been created by an enterprising seamstress in Los Angeles, Charlotte Clark (née Carolyn Geis), who in January 1930 had asked her then 16-year-old nephew and aspiring young artist, Bob Clampett, to come up with sketches of Mickey Mouse on which she could base her doll design. Not having any reference material handy, Bob grabbed his sketch pad and went to the Alexander Theater in Glendale, California, to sketch Mickey in action from one of the Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts being screened there. Charlotte and Bob created the first doll, and on the advice of Bob’s father, sought the approval from Walt and Roy to produce and sell their Mickey Mouse doll creations. Not only were the Disney brothers pleased with Charlotte Clark’s doll, they set it as the standard against which all subsequent Mickey Mouse dolls were soon to be measured.”

The band retails for $29.99. 

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Disney To LiveStream Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Dedication Ceremony on December 4th

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios
RISE OF THE RESISTANCE — Disney guests will traverse the corridors of a Star Destroyer and join an epic battle between the First Order and the Resistance – including a face-off with Kylo Ren – when Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens Dec. 5, 2019 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Jan. 17, 2020 at Disneyland Resort in California. At 14 acres each, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is Disney’s largest single-themed land expansion ever. (Joshua Sudock/Disney Parks)

Thursday, December 5th marks the official grand opening of the Rise of the Resistance attraction at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Select members of the media are invited to a special preview event tomorrow, December 4th, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us have to miss out. Disney Parks will be live streaming the attraction’s dedication ceremony on YouTube for all to see.

In it, guests will join the Resistance and depart from Batuu in a transport ship to meet General Leia Organa at a secret rendezvous point. However, on their way to the hidden base, guests are intercepted and taken prisoner by the First Order as their ship is drawn into the hangar bay of a Star Destroyer. The action then ramps up as guests seek to escape the clutches of Kylo Ren and the First Order.

The dedication ceremony for the attraction is set to take place at 6:55 PM (EST).

It is during this dedication ceremony that we expect to see the highly-anticipated X-wing drones (and possibly more) fly over the land as part of the grand opening spectacular. Cast Member parking lot closures tied to the X-wing drone project are scheduled to take place on the 5th and 6th of December as well, indicating that these may fly a second or third time throughout the attraction’s opening week.

To watch the live stream, simply visit the Disney Parks Blog on December 4  p.m. 

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