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 Genie+ Price Reaches New Record High at Walt Disney World

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

The Disney Genie+ price reached an all-time high at Walt Disney World today. The service costs $35 per person today, which is six dollars more than the previous highest price of $29.

Disney Genie+ Price

The service sold out before noon yesterday. If a sellout occurs, sales of Genie+ will not resume again until the next day. Guests can purchase Genie+ starting at 12:01 a.m. on the day of their visit.

Genie+ reached its previous record highest price in the past few months, including yesterday. It first reached that price during the 2022 holiday season, with its record high before that being $22 in October.

Disney Genie, Genie+, and Lightning Lane

Disney Genie service logo

Disney Genie is a free feature that launched in October 2021 at Walt Disney World. Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane are the paid program that replaced FastPass+.

When Genie+ first launched, the service was available at a flat rate of $15 per person, per day. Last year’s switch to date-based pricing saw a new high price of $22 — which Disney noted was the highest it would go in October, implying the even higher rates that have now come to pass.

Individual Lightning Lane prices have always been on a date-based basis, but the maximum was formerly $20. Since the update to the pricing scale for Genie+, rates for Individual Lightning Lane have been rising as well.

Genie+ Lightning Lane Attractions

Select attractions offer Lightning Lane access that you can book through Genie+. Check out the current full list below.

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Magic Kingdom

  • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
  • Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
  • Dumbo the Flying Elephant
  • Enchanted Tales with Belle
  • Haunted Mansion
  • “it’s a small world”
  • Jungle Cruise
  • Mad Tea Party
  • Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
  • Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
  • Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater
  • Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
  • Mickey’s PhilharMagic
  • Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
  • Peter Pan’s Flight
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
  • Space Mountain
  • The Barnstormer
  • The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
  • Tomorrowland Speedway
  • Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

EPCOT

  • Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
  • Frozen Ever After
  • Journey into Imagination with Figment
  • Living with the Land
  • Mission: SPACE – Green
  • Mission: SPACE – Orange
  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
  • Soarin’ Around the World
  • Spaceship Earth
  • Test Track
  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends
  • Turtle Talk with Crush

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

  • Alien Swirling Saucers
  • Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
  • Disney Junior Play & Dance!
  • For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
  • Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
  • Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
  • Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
  • Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
  • Muppet*Vision 3D
  • Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
  • Slinky Dog Dash
  • Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
  • The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
  • Toy Story Mania!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

  • Festival of the Lion King
  • DINOSAUR
  • Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
  • Feathered Friends in Flight!
  • Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
  • It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
  • Kali River Rapids
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris
  • Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
  • Naʻvi River Journey
  • The Animation Experience at Conservation Station

Former Imagineer Confirms ‘Elee’, A Large Creature That Could Carry Guests Around Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Was Scrapped Due to Budget

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

Via wdwnt.com

On Twitter, former Walt Disney Imagineer Frank Mezzatesta confirmed that Disney scrapped plans to create a large creature that could carry guests around Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge due to budget concerns.

“Elee”, The Giant Star Wars Creature

Yesterday, Twitter user @DisneyProject shared this look at concept art from “Elee”:

The concept art by Jerry Rees shows Elee in more detail than we have ever seen her. Elee was initially designed as a large, mechanical creature that could roam Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge with as many as six guests seated on her back.

Rees states that Elee was designed to be a relative to the Bantha, a wooly creature we first see in “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” in the deserts of Tatooine.

In response to seeing this detailed concept art, former Walt Disney Imagineer Frank Mezzatesta chimed in:

According to Mezzatesta, while he and his teammates worked on Elee for “like 2 years”, she ultimately was a casualty of budget limitations as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge neared completion. If you scan the QR code next to the concept art in the tweet, you can hear Rees speak hopefully that even though Elee was scrapped, maybe she will eventually appear in the parks. He states, “Galaxy’s Edge is going to be around for a long time”.

“The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” is a coffee-table book by Nerdist managing editor Amy Ratcliffe, who spoke to more than twenty people involved in the land’s creation. This includes Scott Trowbridge of Walt Disney Imagineering, who also provides the book’s foreword. The 256-page book includes more than 300 images, including concept art and descriptions of ideas that made it into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and some that were scrapped.

Margaret Kerrison, Managing Story Editor at Walt Disney Imagineering, and Story Lead for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge had this to say about Elee: “We liked the idea of a big beast lumbering through the land and having a very personal connection with you. So you would go up and pat her muzzle, and she would react to you. We really wanted to make you believe that Elee was a real creature. So you would go on rides. We actually had a path that went around the land. Mostly to the Resistance area and back in front of the garage; it was a circle.”

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Rees spoke glowingly of the backstory he created for Elee and his desire to see her be a gentle giant that even small children could walk up to and interact with in Galaxy’s Edge.

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In these pieces of concept art, you can see Elee interact with a child guest. Initial designs seemed to allow guests to feel the breath from Elee’s mouth and even have their cotton candy slurped up by the giant beast.

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Imagineer Scott Trowbridge had this to say about the reasoning behind why Elee never fully materialized: “Elee was a creature that we designed and did a fair amount of work to figure out how we would bring her to life. lain McCaig did some designs for her. We just fell in love with those designs. We did some models and figured out how we could bring her to life technically, and then ultimately what we realized is, with the kind of population we expect in the land, we won’t really be able to have her feel authentic.”

Elee was one of many initial designs for the land that either got scrapped or essentially ended up behind a “paywall” that guests could only experience if they visited Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.

Guest Goes Viral In Meltdown at Park

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

Via DisDining.com

Walt Disney World Resort is a popular resort located in Orlando, Florida, and is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, seeing thousands of Guests daily. Disney World is home to four separate theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as well as two water parks called Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Guests also can enjoy going to shops, food, and much more while visiting Disney Springs.

The term “Disney Karens” has been used to describe certain individuals who behave in entitled and demanding ways at Disney theme parks, often causing disruptions and conflicts with other Guests and Disney Cast Members. The term “Karen” is a slang term that has become popular in recent years to describe middle-aged, privileged white women who exhibit entitled and often aggressive behavior.

There have been numerous reports of Disney Karens causing disruptions and ruining the experiences of other Guests. For example, some have been known to demand that attractions be shut down for their own personal use, or to insist that they be allowed to skip long lines. In some cases, Disney Karens have even been caught on camera engaging in physical altercations with other guests or park staff.

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In a Reddit Thread, Disney World Guests talk about an incident with a “Karen” Guest and a Cast Member. This Guest described the “Karen” as a  “Ken.” He was parking his stroller when a Cast Member asked him to move it due to a safety liability.

“Ken puts his family’s stroller in the empty spot in our row. I helped him maneuver it on by just pushing a wheel that was caught. It’s at the end of the seat. The cast member is doing checks and tells me I can’t have that on the end and I tell him it isn’t mine. He yells to ask who it belongs to and Ken says it’s his. Cast member explains it can’t be on the end because it’s a safety liability.”

The Cast Member shut the Guest down by saying either someone needed to be with the stroller or they needed to be removed from the train.

“Cast member shuts him down and basically tells him someone either needs to get off with it or move someone around so it can be in the middle. Ken says “What if she switches places with me?” I respond and say “I want to sit with my family”. He will NOT stop arguing with this amazing cast member who says that there are 300 people waiting and they need to make a decision and if it fell off it could kill someone. Ken didn’t care. OH! He also told the cast member I said I would be responsible for it, which never happened.”

Disney Cast Members do their best to look out for the safety of Guests and to keep attractions running smoothly.

Barstool Founder Dave Portnoy Pretends to be Disney Cast Member

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

When wandering around Walt Disney World Resort, it is so fun to watch all of the iconic Disney characters walk around in costume. Character interactions are one of the best parts of visiting Disney Parks, and it is a central part of any Disney vacation. To help preserve the magic, Disney strictly enforces that no adult Guests should be wearing a costume within any Park unless it is at a special Halloween event. This is one of the reasons why fans were shocked to see Barstool founder and internet celebrity Dave Portnoy in a full Disney costume walking around the Parks.

Dave Portnoy is known on the internet as an incredibly wild and hilarious personality. He has garnered a massive fanbase for being the founder of the pop-culture blog Barstool Sports. His company has now become a source of sports content, celebrity gossip, and lots of entertaining podcast channels. Dave himself stars on some podcasts, including the popular celebrity gossip podcast Bff’s.

One of the main things that fans love Dave Portnoy for is his trademark “one bite pizza reviews.” On March 9, the internet celeb headed to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida to shoot a new Pizza review and film a bunch of content in the Parks. While he was there, he had some extra fun getting into character as a Disney Cast Member.

@stoolpresidente

I think anyone would be nervous to meet Mando and Baby Yoda when you’re dressed like a bad guy

♬ original sound – Dave Portnoy

On Dave Portnoy’s personal TikTok account, @stoolpresidente, he shared a clip from inside the Park where he gives directions to a Guest while in costume. Fans found the clip hilarious, and it now has gone viral with over 133,300 likes. Disney fans sounded off in the comments joking around that Dave Portnoy had accepted a job as a Disney Cast Member. Others were quick to correct his one-finger point, saying “You need to point with two fingers. It’s the Disney way.”

@stoolpresidente

Once I put on my costume, guests started thinking I actually worked for Disney

♬ original sound – Dave Portnoy