Disney100 Pressed Pennies Now Available at EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Port Orleans Resort

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

Via wdwnt.com

Disney100 pressed pennies are now available at EPCOT, as well as at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside.

Disney100 Pressed Pennies at EPCOT

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With Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary recently ending its 18-month-long celebration, we are starting to see Disney100 merchandise taking its place. All around the parks, the Disney100 pressed pennies have slowly been replacing the 50th Anniversary ones.

At EPCOT, over at The Seas with Nemo & Friends gift shop, we spotted the new Disney100 pressed pennies. The pennies feature Remy from “Ratatouille”, Figment from “Journey into Imagination with Figment”, Nemo and Dory from “Finding Nemo”, and Ariel and Flounder from “The Little Mermaid”.

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Over at World Traveler, which is the merchandise shop over at the International Gateway, we spotted another machine with Disney100 pressed pennies.

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Lumiere and Cogsworth from “Beauty and the Beast” are featured on this pressed penny.

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Lumiere and Cogsworth are the only Disney100 pressed penny at this machine, but you can also collect a Mulan penny or Mickey on a postcard from China penny featuring the old EPCOT logo.

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Over at Port of Entry, we spotted another penny machine with a Disney100 penny.

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Grogu, or Baby Yoda, from “The Mandalorian” is featured on his own Disney100 penny.

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Next door at World Traveler, the pressed penny machine has a Disney100 design featuring Guardians of the Galaxy Rocket and Baby Groot.

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The Disney100 pressed penny design in this machine features Anna, Elsa, and Olaf from “Frozen.”

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

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Park hopping to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you’ll find this pressed penny machine in Oscar’s Super Service near the main entrance.

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The Disney100 penny features a dapper-looking Kermit the Frog.

Disney100 Pressed Pennies at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside

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Lastly, at Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside, a penny machine is in Jackson Square Gifts & Desires.

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The new design in this machine features Princess Tiana in her human form and Prince Naveen in his frog form.

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Check out the full list with locations of Disney100 pressed pennies at Walt Disney World Resort.

Disney Announces Changes to Their Virtual Queue System

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

If you are a Disney fan who hasn’t been living under a rock, you know that tomorrow marks the grand opening of the new TRON attraction in Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World Resort. Early this morning at 7:00 a.m. ET, Guests visiting this Disney Park will wake themselves up to try and grab one of the coveted spots in the new roller coaster’s virtual queue. For the lucky few who get a place, be sure to know the changes to Disney’s virtual queue system before you head into Magic Kingdom.

For those who do not know, the virtual queue system is Disney’s way of managing the lines of popular rides and attractions. Instead of having it be a free-for-all with lines stretching a mile long, Disney has implemented a new system to help manage crowds. For very popular rides like TRON Lightcycle/Run, fans hoping to ride it on opening day will wake up early to try and secure a space in one of the ride’s “boarding groups.”

If you do manage to get into a boarding group for TRON, there are a few things you need to know. Firstly, each Guest will only be allowed to enter the virtual queue once per day for this attraction. Disney explains that even if you are given a boarding group, you are not guaranteed to ride the attraction. Boarding groups will be called based on availability.

Disney also mentioned an important new change to their virtual queue policy. In the past, Walt Disney World has been lenient with Guests punctuality when they come to check in for their boarding groups. In the past, Guests have been given an hour of wiggle-room after their boarding group is called to make it to the ride. This is no longer the case.

Disney has announced that Guests must be at the attraction when their boarding group is called. If they are not there, no late arrivals will be accommodated. 

If you get a spot on the virtual queue for TRON, be ready to drop whatever you’re doing to be at the attraction in time. Walt Disney World is not messing around!

Tomorrowland Launch Depot Now Open to All Guests

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

Via wdwnt.com

Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. has been transformed into Tomorrowland Launch Depot and serves as the TRON Lightcycle Run gift shop. After spending much of the day serving as a reservation-only location, the new shop outside of Tron Lightcycle Run is now open to all guests visiting Magic Kingdom.

Yesterday, the Tomorrowland Launch Depot was reserved to guests who had booked an opening day reservation for the TRON Identity Program experience. Though the opening day experience was canceled, Disney reconciled with guests who had booked the experience by providing them with an exclusive first entry into the new TRON merchandise shop.

It was originally expected that the shop would open to all guests beginning tomorrow.

We had the chance to take a full tour of the Tomorrowland Launch Depot as it opened to guests today. It’s located between TRON and Space Mountain (it has always been the Space Mountain gift shop). There are entrances from the main Tomorrowland walkway and the exit walkway from TRON Lightcycle / Run.

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We got the first look of all new TRON Lightcycle Run merchandise guests can expect to see on their first visits to the Tomorrowland Launch Depot, including a line of TRON Lightcycle Run opening day merchandise. We also found new TRON Lightcycle Run-inspired merchandise options at the MaDe kiosks in Tomorrowland Launch Depot at Magic Kingdom.

New Walt Disney World Attraction Coming VERY Soon

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Epcot

Some very exciting news was announced during this year’s Walt Disney Company’s annual shareholder meeting.

A brand new attraction coming to the Parks this year is ahead of schedule and is reportedly nearly completed. Disney CEO Bob Iger announced this news during the meeting.

This year marks the end of the massive revamp of EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort. This Park has seen some incredible renovations and exciting new attractions this year. One of the main new additions the Park is receiving is an exciting new Moana-themed attraction called “Journey of Water.” This incredible new area allows Guests too,

“Explore the wonders of water along an interactive trail that’s fun for all ages—based on the Disney animated film Moana.“

Journey of Water Inspired by Moana

The new area will capitalize on the massive success of the movie Moana. Moana follows the story of a young Hawaiian girl who sets sail on a journey to save her people. Along the way, she meets Maui, a demigod who has fallen from his previous status. The unlikely duo goes on a wild adventure to save their people and fulfill an ancient quest.

A major theme in the movie is Moana’s relationship with water. In the film, Moana has a special relationship with water and values it heavily. In our world, water is also an incredibly valued source. The new Journey of Water attraction is meant to help Guests understand the important role that water plays in our lives and in our world.

The attraction is planning to open in late 2023; however, that might change. During the shareholder meeting, Mr. Iger revealed that the Journey of Water is nearly completed. A walk-through of the land showed that the progress was coming along very well and the land looked ready to open. With the announcement that a live-action Moana is happening, this land is more timely than ever.

This news is very exciting, and with any luck, this attraction will be open in EPCOT very soon!

Company Investing $17B in Walt Disney World Over Next 10 Years

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

When addressing the situation in Florida with Governor DeSantis, Reedy Creek Improvement District, and Disney, CEO Bob Iger noted that The Walt Disney Company will be investing billions in Walt Disney World over the next 10 years.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock (10507025y) Disney CEO Robert Iger arrives at the world premiere of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”, in Los Angeles World Premiere of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” – Arrivals, Los Angeles, USA – 16 Dec 2019

Iger stated that they are planning on investing $17 billion in Walt Disney World over the next 10 years. They will be creating 13,000 new jobs, leading to thousands more indirect jobs, as well as attracting more tourists.

Iger cited the 75,000 employees they have in Florida and 50 million visitors they have brought in this year alone, including 8 million internationally. He pointed out that Disney is the largest taxpayer in the state.