The Excitement Is Real!

With all of the news coming out yesterday at the D23 Expo in Anaheim this mama got super excited. Our family loves Disney World the way it is now, but change is inevitable and should be welcomed. Disney fans grow and change, and they want new rides and areas to enjoy while still having some of the nostalgia to fall back on. And personally I think that they're on the right track. Also, as a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) family, we look forward to seeing the changes.

 

Photo Cred: Inside the Magic

First...the change for DVC. We will welcome a new resort to Disney Vacation Club: Disney's Riviera Resort. The resort is to be between Hollywood Studios and Epcot. I believe the area this resort will sit on is right next to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. Based on the location, there will be no walkway access to Epcot or Studios, but there will be a new Disney Skyline gondola station at the resort which will give Riviera Resort guests access to International Gateway at Epcot (along with Disney busses, of course). And speaking of the new Disney Skyline....

There were two new forms of transportation introduced at yesterday's panel...the Disney Skyline (a gondola system that will give guests a bird's eye view of Walt Disney World), and Disney's Uber-like service - "Minnie Vans" (a fleet of Chevy Traverse vehicles [which seat 8 passengers] painted to evoke Minnie Mouse's traditional white polka dotted red dress).

Now...onto the parks. This was epic. 

Hollywood Studios: 

- Star Wars Land has a name! It will be known as Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

- Toy Story Land is scheduled to open Summer 2018 (which makes this family super happy as we will be there towards the end of that summer).

- The Great Movie Ride will be closing August 13, 2017 to make way for a new Mickey Mouse themed ride (based on the new Disney Shorts style of animation).

Epcot:

- The Guardians of the Galaxy are coming to Epcot! This new ride will be located where Universe of Energy is now (and it will have a larger footprint).

- Ratatouille (the hit ride at Disneyland Paris) will be making it's way to France in the World Showcase. The ride will be located in the space behind the Eiffel Tower so no changes will be coming to the France Pavilion.

- The China Pavilion will be getting a new CircleVision movie.

- Nothing was announced in regards to a possible new pavilion addition to World Showcase, but we can only hope.

Animal Kingdom:

- There were no announcements made in regards to Animal Kingdom, but that was to be expected since Pandora: The World of Avatar just opened Memorial Day weekend.

Magic Kingdom:

- There will be a new E-Ticket attraction coming just in time for the Magic Kingdom's 50th Anniversary Celebration: TRON Lightcycle Power Run. This extremely popular ride at Shanghai Disneyland is heading over to our favorite place. The ride will not be replacing the Speedway (as was rumored), but will be located behind the Speedway and next to Space Mountain.

WOW....just Wow. We were out to dinner when all of this news broke, and I was literally freaking out. 

Resort News:

Besides the new DVC resort, it was announced that a new, fully immersive Star Wars resort would also be coming to Walt Disney World.

A lot of fun things are also happening in Disneyland and at California Adventure, even at the New York hotel in Disneyland Paris...but this Disney Mum's knowledge of those locations is limited to what I read and see online, and I have no personal experience there.  At Walt Disney World we love to get fully involved in the magic...and let our inner child be free - along with parenting our own little children. We can't wait for all that is to come!

Disney's AVATAR Announcement

Today it was announced that construction on the AVATAR Land project at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom park is slated to begin in 2013. The project is in it's beginning design stage, and a project of such dimension and scope takes about roughly five years to complete. DAK was chosen as the location for this land because the park "gives visitors the opportunity to experience the worlds of animals and nature - real and mythical - in whole new ways". AVATAR is one of the most extraordinary and mesmerizing mythical worlds ever conceived. The Animal Kingdom also celebrates adventure and living in harmony with nature, themes which are deeply rooted in the story of AVATAR.

If the estimate of 5 years from design to completion is accurate, the new AVATAR Land should be completed in the Fall of 2016. This would be wonderful for our family as we go to Disney World every two years - this would fit into our visits timeline...2012, 2014 and 2016!! The Cernadas Family is extremely excited and looking forward to this magical, mythical experience!

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/09/avatar-coming-to-disney-parks/