Category Hollywood Studios

Sep 18 2019

Introducing The New Disney Skyliner

Very soon another big Walt Disney World construction project will be complete and available for guests to enjoy – the Disney Skyliner. This may be “just transportation” to some visitors, but I am so excited for the Disney Skyliner to open and to be able to take my first ride next month. It reminds me of the Skyway in Magic Kingdom that I loved so much as a child and of home here in our Colorado ski resorts.  It’s truly the best of both worlds for me. If you are still having your doubts about what the Disney Skyliner is all about, be sure to check out my earlier post Fact vs. Fiction: Disney Skyliner At Walt Disney World to help answer some of your questions, plus here’s all the latest information about the opening of the new Disney Skyliner courtesy of Disney:

There will soon be magic gliding above the treetops of Walt Disney World Resort when the new Disney Skyliner takes flight September 29, 2019. As much a magic carpet as a complimentary transportation system, Disney Skyliner will soar above waterways and wooded areas alike on its way to theme parks and Disney resort hotels, while wide-eyed guests will be treated to views never before seen.

This “most magical flight on Earth” connects Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and the new Disney’s Riviera Resort, a Disney Vacation Club resort that will open December 16, 2019. With approximately 300 vacation homes, including various accommodation types, Disney’s Riviera Resort will be available for traditional hotel reservations as well as membership sales.

Nearly half of the approximately 300 Disney Skyliner cabins will be wrapped in whimsical Disney scenes – with beloved characters, fan-favorite movies, attractions and more – giving the appearance that Disney pals are riding along with guests. The cabins will be easy to spot overhead, because each gondola will shimmer in one of eight vibrant colors and feature sleek curved lines.

Disney Skyliner guests will discover bird’s-eye views of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, including the Hollywood Tower Hotel. Approaches to Epcot are equally eye-catching, as the countries around World Showcase Lagoon come into view with iconic Spaceship Earth in the distance.

In addition to convenient theme park access, guests staying at Disney resort hotels accessible by Disney Skyliner will have quick-and-easy transportation to a world of other dining and entertainment options. These include all the fun of Disney’s BoardWalk entertainment district, access to Epcot through the International Gateway station, and restaurants and recreation found at the resort hotels serviced by Disney Skyliner.

Disney Skyliner Stations Are Artful Connection Points

The artful stations along the Disney Skyliner route will feature uniquely Disney designs that reflect their surroundings:

  • The Epcot International Gateway station is inspired by the nearby European pavilions in the park. Covered metal and glass canopies, hand-painted murals themed to flight and ornate metal detailing are all in the Art Nouveau style.
  • The Disney’s Riviera Resort station incorporates influences from the Mediterranean coast to produce an elegant portal for guests.
  • The station at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort connects all three routes and extends the architectural details and bright island colors associated with the Caribbean.
  • The Disney’s Hollywood Studios station reflects the Art Decostyle of the park’s main entrance area. Guests arriving on Disney Skyliner will be awestruck as a panoramic view of the park unfolds.
  • Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort share a Disney Skyliner station at Hourglass Lake. Colorful structural forms create a space that feels whimsical and contextual with both resorts. Departing the station, guests will glide above Hourglass Lake and ascend to thrilling views of both resort hotels.

Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Co.®, the official specialty coffee of Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and Disney Vacation Club, will welcome guests with a quick-service location adjacent to the station at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. The menu of coffees, pastries and specialty items will include the new “Toffee Flight Latte” found initially only at the station. The latte blends sea salt caramel toffee and dark chocolate, topped with toffee and chocolate crumbles and a cloud of whipped cream.

Cast Costuming Takes Flight

Disney Skyliner cast members will sport stylish costumes that reflect the sleek, contemporary lines of the transportation system. Costume designers created a mid-century design that recalls 1960s airline travel marking a new era of flight. Clean, streamlined designs of the gondolas are incorporated into the costumes as style elements.

The Newest Way for Guests to Travel Around Walt Disney World Resort

Disney Skyliner joins the network of complimentary Walt Disney World transportation benefits for resort hotel guests allowing them to travel effortlessly around Walt Disney World with a touch of Disney magic. The gondolas join other favorite options such as the world-famous Walt Disney World monorail system along with ferry boats and water taxis, and one-of-a-kind motor coaches.

Fun Facts: Disney Skyliner

  • Project Announced: July 2017
  • Launch Date: September 29, 2019
  • Miles of Cable: 6
  • Number of Lines: 3
  • Loading Stations: 5
  • Number of Gondolas: Nearly 300
  • Maximum Seating Capacity per Gondola: 10
  • Resort Hotels Connected: 4
  • Theme Parks Connected: 2

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Sep 11 2019

Become A Part Of The Story In Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Recently the highly anticipated Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios finally opened at Walt Disney World. There are so many things to love about this new land from Star Wars: Smugglers Run to the unique dining and drinking options. But what die hard fans will now get to enjoy in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is to truly become immersed and a part of the Star Wars story like never before. Here’s what we know about this one-of-a-kind experience courtesy of Disney:

In Star Wars films, exotic locales function almost like characters unto themselves, setting the tone for the adventures to come. In the same way, exploring the 14-acre Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is an attraction experience all its own at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge comes alive for guests as they play roles in their own Star Wars stories. Whether using the Play Disney Parks mobile app, encountering some Star Wars characters, or interacting with Disney cast members, guests can engage with this new land in ways never experienced before in a Disney park.

Play Disney Parks App Deepens Guest Engagement with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

  • Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is the first land in a Disney park designed from the ground up to fully integrate with the Play Disney Parks mobile app.
  • When guests enter the land, they will be able to transform the Play Disney Parks app into their very own Star Wars: Datapad on their mobile devices. As guests earn galactic credits for things they do in the land using their Datapad, the credits will show in their Datapad profile.
  • The app will provide four primary functions to unlock a deeper level of storytelling within the land:
    • Hack – Interact with certain droids, blinking door panels and other scenic elements
    • Scan – Explore the contents of cargo crates and other containers and collect virtual items
    • Translate – Understand written languages from the Star Wars galaxy
    • Tune – Tap into the signals from satellite dishes and antenna arrays to eavesdrop on characters’ conversations
  • Guests can use the app to play a multiplayer game throughout the land, “Outpost Control,” that occurs several times daily:
    • The First Order wants to install surveillance devices in door panels to spy on the Resistance, while the Resistance is trying to remove them
    • Guests can choose to support either side by hacking the panels for the Resistance or the First Order
    • The game concludes when one side successfully hacks a majority of the available panels
  • While waiting to board Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, guests may take on a job for Hondo Ohnaka, proving through this in-queue game that they are ready to pilot the Millennium Falcon.
  • Certain functions performed with the app may trigger physical effects within the land.

Star Wars Characters Bring Batuu to Life

  • Guests may encounter several different Star Wars characters while visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
  • Rey, a hero of the Resistance, may be seen near the ancient ruins outside Black Spire Outpost. She is recruiting Batuuan locals and visitors alike to the Resistance cause.
  • From time to time, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren may appear at the First Order encampment at Docking Bay 9. With Stormtroopers in his wake, Kylo Ren will then march through Black Spire Outpost in search of the Resistance.
  • Guests may stumble upon Resistance spy Vi Moradi in Black Spire Outpost as she keeps tabs on the First Order. Vi may pass on some tricks of her trade and ensure those she encounters know the Resistance is gaining strength.
  • The mighty Chewbacca may be spotted in Black Spire Outpost or just outside the Resistance encampment in the ancient ruins of Batuu, rounding up recruits.
  • First Order Stormtroopers patrol Black Spire Outpost under the command of Kylo Ren. They may snap the occasional order at guests or question them about the presence of the Resistance on Batuu.

Interactions with Disney Cast Members Take Story Immersion to a New Level

  • Disney cast members working in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will become part of the story, as local citizens of Batuu. They are encouraged to develop their own identities and personas within the stories of their roles, and to interact with guests.
  • Walt Disney Imagineering spent three years developing the costumes cast members wear in the land.
  • Costumes are modular, so cast members can pick and choose from a variety of options to create looks that best fit the personalities they want to portray while working in the land. They can choose from tunics, wraps, vests and more, and then augment their base costume with accessories such as necklaces, scarves and hats.
  • Cast members who work in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge wear nametags customized specifically for the land, with names translated into Aurebesh, the written language in the Star Wars galaxy.

If you’re going to be at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to experience Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge this month, I hope to see you there!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Are you excited to become a part of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge?
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Sep 9 2019

First Look At Star Wars: Rise Of The Resistance In Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Now that the highly anticipated Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios has finally opened at Walt Disney World, all we are waiting for in order to fully enjoy the land, is the most elaborate attraction ever built, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, to open this December. Here’s what we know so far about this one-of-a-kind experience courtesy of Disney:

Opening December 5, 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will be one of the most ambitious, advanced and immersive experiences ever undertaken by Walt Disney Imagineering. The innovative new attraction will take guests aboard a full-size transport shuttle before they are captured by a Star Destroyer and wind up in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance. The harrowing adventure will blur the lines between fantasy and reality on a scale never seen before in a Disney attraction.

Recently Walt Disney Imagineering released additional details about what promises to be one of the most thrilling experiences ever created for a Disney theme park:

  • 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.
  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will bring guests face to face with some of their favorite Star Wars characters, including Resistance heroes Rey, Poe and Finn, as well as Kylo Ren and General Hux of the First Order.
  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is one of the largest attractions Disney has ever created. Its massive show building is a world unto itself, housing two full-sized AT-AT walkers and a Star Destroyer hangar bay – complete with a TIE fighter and a garrison of Stormtroopers – plus more thrills and surprises.
  • Walt Disney Imagineering will combine multiple ride systems to tell the story of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. In one sequence, a new simulator experience will give the sensation to guests they are falling from space to crash land on Batuu.
  • During a portion of the experience, guests will race through a Star Destroyer in a trackless ride vehicle featuring an onboard droid that reacts to its surroundings.

If you’re going to be at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in December for the opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, I hope to see you there!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Are you excited to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance?
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Sep 6 2019

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run In Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

The wait is finally over…the highly anticipated Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios has opened at Walt Disney World and along with it the new attraction – Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Since opening day, the wait time for Smugglers Run has been averaging about a 90+ minute wait. Currently FastPass+ is not being offered, however, that is expected to change in the near future. The reviews for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run have been mixed. Most guests have expressed enjoyment of the elaborate detailing and theming of the attraction and queue, but many have felt that the experience itself fell flat. The most common description I have seen of Smugglers Run is that it is a cross between Star Tours and Mission: SPACE. Until you have the chance to check out Smugglers Run for yourself, here’s the inside scoop courtesy of Disney:

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is an anchor attraction inside the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. It combines immersive storytelling with interactive game play to make guests the protagonists of their own Star Wars adventures in a way never before undertaken by Disney Parks.

Lovingly described at various times as a “piece of junk” or “bucket of bolts,” the Millennium Falcon is the most famous of all Star Wars star ships. On Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, guests 38 inches or taller climb aboard the Falcon in all her ramshackle glory and settle into the cockpit to operate “the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.” They could just discover the ship has a few surprises left in her, because the Millennium Falcon may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts.

Following the events of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Chewbacca brought the Falcon to Black Spire Outpost for repairs at this spaceport on the edge of the galaxy. In exchange for some much-needed replacement parts, Chewie is loaning the Falcon to Hondo Ohnaka, a smuggler who is now making good use of the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. It is at this point guests enter the story of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

Who Is Hondo Ohnaka and What Does He Want?

  • A fan-favorite miscreant from the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” animated television series, Hondo is a Weequay pirate always looking for the next big score.
  • Hondo is running a “legitimate business” out of the spaceport, called Ohnaka Transport Solutions. When guests meet Hondo in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, he tells them he has more cargo than he can handle and needs extra flight crews to make some runs for him – especially crews that won’t ask too many questions about the cargo or how Hondo acquired it!

Step Aboard the Falcon

  • When guests accept Hondo’s offer, they enter the Falcon via an access hatch on the ship’s port airlock. Once aboard, they spend some time in the ship’s main hold and lounge, where they can sit at the famous Dejarik (chess) table or poke around at other equipment in the room.

Three Roles to Play – One Goal

  • When it’s time for the mission to begin, guests strap themselves into the Falcon cockpit in groups of six. Each person is assigned one of three critical roles to complete their mission, and guests know it’s their turn to act when buttons light up in the cockpit:
    • Pilots (2) – Work together to steer the ship – the left pilot controls horizontal motion, the right pilot controls vertical motion – avoiding obstacles that could cause damage
    • Gunners (2) – Use blasters and missiles to defend the Falcon and its precious cargo (switching to manual targeting creates an even greater challenge!)
    • Flight Engineers (2) – Keep the Falcon from falling apart on its mission by managing the ship’s systems, repairing any damage the ship encounters and take control of the “special modifications” Hondo installed for these unusual missions

Interactive Gameplay

  • Industrial Light & Magic (the visual effects division of Lucasfilm) collaborated with Walt Disney Imagineering to create the gaming platform and interactive media for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
  • Guests begin their adventure by powering up the Falcon and making the jump to lightspeed. From there, Hondo Ohnaka (with occasional input from Chewbacca) helps guide guests along their mission.
  • If the Falcon sustains damage – such as smashing into obstacles or taking enemy fire – and is not properly repaired, the ship’s handling is affected.
  • At the end of the mission, Hondo informs guests how well they accomplished their objectives.

Authenticity in the Details

  • Walt Disney Imagineers worked with Lucasfilm to ensure authenticity in every detail of the Millennium Falcon – down to the hoses, pipes, switches and even the stickers on the exterior hull. Imagineers visited Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom to study Falcon film sets and pored over archival Lucasfilm photographs of the ship.
  • Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run marks the first time Hondo Ohnaka has been seen in any form other than an animated on-screen character. Walt Disney Imagineering consulted Hondo’s creator, Dave Filoni, in designing the smuggler’s physical look, ensuring the essence of his character was authentically captured in his Audio-Animatronics figure inside the attraction.
  • Over time, the Millennium Falcon has undergone many modifications. For this mission, Hondo altered the control sticks for the pilot and co-pilot and supplemented the Falcon’s arsenal with a harpoon, among other tweaks.
  • If guests’ mission aboard the Falcon doesn’t go quite as planned, the ship’s hallways will show damage as they leave the attraction.

If you’re going to be at Disney’s Hollywood Studios during the opening weeks of Star Wars: Galaxy’s edge, I hope to see you there!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Are you excited to ride Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!