The DisGeek Podcast

Your Guide to the Happiest Place on Earth

Disneyland Breakfast Tradition Ends as River Belle Terrace Changes Menu

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Morning Breakfast at the River Belle Terrace has been a tradition for many families over the last few decades. That will all come to an end on February 10th 2016 as the River Belle Terrace switches over to become a table-service location, serving lunch and dinner. “Southern barbecue staples like ribs, chicken and sustainable seafood alongside enticing starters and sides will be on the menu”, according to the Disney Parks Blog. Disney is also promising signature desserts as well.

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Breakfast will now be served at Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante beginning February 2, 2016. According to the blog favorites from the old River Belle Terrace menu such as the traditional Mickey Pancakes, as well as new favorites like Mexican-inspired breakfast entrees has been added. Breakfast will be available until 11:30 a.m. every morning, before switching to the lunch and dinner menu at noon.

Reservations for River Belle Terrace will be available soon.

Holidays at the Disneyland Resort – Nov. 13 Through Jan. 6

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Disney Press Release:

‘Paint the Night’ Parade, ‘Disneyland Forever’ Fireworks and ‘World of Color: Celebrate!’ Bring More Merriment to Holidays 2015 at the Disneyland Resort  

ANAHEIM, Calif. (Sept. 14, 2015) – Disneyland Resort will deliver the Holidays with a shimmering sprinkle of Diamond Celebration pixie dust this year beginning Friday, Nov. 13, as holiday festivities are added to the ongoing 60th anniversary celebration. The holiday season will offer unforgettable entertainment, attractions, food and gift items day and night at the Disneyland Resort through Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016.

In addition to traditional Disneyland Resort holiday attractions like “it’s a small world” Holiday, Haunted Mansion Holiday, “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!”  and “A Christmas Fantasy” parade, guests at the Disneyland Resort will enjoy all of the spectacular new nighttime Diamond Celebration spectaculars: “Paint the Night” parade  and “Disneyland Forever” fireworks in Disneyland Park, plus “World of Color – Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney” in Disney California Adventure Park, which will be presented most nights along with the popular holiday version, “World of Color – Winter Dreams.”

Holiday time at the Disneyland Resort has become an annual tradition for many guests, filled with the merriment and magical memories of the season. This year, the sparkling excitement of Diamond Celebration décor and entertainment adds to the holiday excitement throughout the resort. Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland and Carthay Circle Theatre in Disney California Adventure bring extra glitter to the season with diamond highlights on their facades.

The Disneyland Resort holiday traditions include soaring Christmas trees in Town Square, Disneyland, and Buena Vista Street, Disney California Adventure, along with visits by Santa Claus to both parks, and holiday food and merchandise items. Additional highlights include:

In Disneyland:

  • “A Christmas Fantasy” parade, a Disneyland holiday treasure, presents Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and an array of Disney characters celebrating the holiday season. The daytime parade features 100-plus performers including Santa Claus, who brings jolly holiday wishes from the North Pole. After dark, the Diamond Celebration “Paint the Night” parade will bring its own brand of glittering magic to Disneyland, with dazzling special effects, unforgettable music, energetic performances and spectacular floats. The luminescent parade creates a river of color flowing down Main Street, U.S.A., with an array of Disney characters and more than 1.5 million brilliant LED lights,
  • “Disneyland Forever” – The dazzling, new fireworks spectacular “Disneyland Forever” is a street-to-sky, immersive experience like nothing seen before at the Disneyland Resort, with pyrotechnics, original music and viewing locations throughout Disneyland Park. Guests will be surrounded by the worlds of timeless Disney tales, from the tips of their toes to the sky high above, thanks to the largest installation of projection mapping technology in a Disney park and surprising special effects.
  • “it’s a small world” Holiday offers a worldwide celebration of the season, with more than 300.000 twinkling lights on the attraction’s façade. Inside, animated dolls representing children of many nations are dressed in holiday attire, singing holiday songs as well as the classic “It’s a Small World After All.”
  • Haunted Mansion Holiday presents a spooky but lighthearted mashup of the Halloween and Christmas holidays as imagined by Jack Skellington from the Walt Disney Pictures animated classic Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Continuing an annual tradition, a new gingerbread house is created each year for the Mansion, adding a humorous touch to the ballroom scene. This year, the gingerbread house design features gingerbread men constructing a teetering “house of cards.”
  • Jingle Cruise, an instantly popular addition in 2014, returns to take adventurous guests on a fun-filled expedition. They discover a cargo of holiday gifts and decorations that have been jettisoned over the jungles of the celebrated Jungle Cruise attraction in Adventureland.

In Disney California Adventure:

  • For the first time, two splendid versions of the “World of Color” spectacular will be presented most nights during the Holiday season, on Paradise Bay. The nighttime water show with animation, film, music, fountains and special effects is fully programmable, allowing guests to enjoy different experiences. The holiday-themed show, “World of Color − Winter Dreams,” features Olaf the snowman along with classic winter scenes from beloved Disney and Disney●Pixar films such as “Bambi,” “Toy Story” and “Frozen,” the blockbuster Disney film. For the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration, “World of Color – Celebrate” pays a fun, colorful, surprise-filled tribute to Walt Disney, whose fertile imagination led to the creation of Disneyland and so many beloved characters. Guests may check the park schedule for show times.
  • “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” is a daily celebration of Latino culture and holiday traditions with music, dancing, vibrant colors and delicious food. Disney characters join the fun in the lively “Disney ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party.”
  • “Olaf’s Snow Fest” celebrates its return to Hollywood Land with Olaf, the comical snowman from “Frozen.” Stage 17 is transformed into a charming castle courtyard inspired by the “Frozen” kingdom of Arendelle. Kids of all ages have fun in a giant wintry play area with real snow where they are encouraged to build snow creations and zip down a snow slide. Guests who wish to observe the icy fun will have a nearby viewing area. Music and storytelling entertainment will be presented throughout the day.
  • The residents of Radiator Springs will welcome guests with a “snowcar” at the entrance of Cars Land. Each address along the roadway into the land – Flo’s V8 Café, Fillmore’s Taste-In, Cozy Cone Motel and more – will feature holiday decorations reflecting the personalities of the “Cars” character who lives there.
  • Flik and his buddies decorate “a bug’s land” with giant Christmas lights and holiday ornaments, adding to the festive spirit.

In the Downtown Disney District, guests may take a break from their holiday shopping and dining to go skating on “Olaf’s Frozen Ice Rink.” The Downtown Disney Winter Village around the ice rink will offer shoppers holiday gift items sold from the windows of the charming village houses.

Tickets are Now on Sale for ‘Halloween Horror Nights,’ at Universal Studios Hollywood

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Official Press Release

HHN-logo

Let the Terror Begin!

Universal Studios Hollywood Announces Tickets are Now on Sale for

“Halloween Horror Nights,” Southern California’s Most Extreme Halloween Event,

Which Kicks Off on Friday, September 18

Universal City, CA, August 18, 2015—Tickets are now on sale for “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood as Southern California’s premier Halloween event unveils a slate of new mazes, an exciting hip-hop dance show, a new cutthroat Terror Tram experience and terrifying Scare Zones, beginning Friday, September 18, 2015.

Tickets to this year’s event are available for purchase at www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com/hollywood, including a “Killer Deal Nights” ticket option with discounts of up to $25 on select dates as well as a Front of Line ticket option which enables guests to enjoy priority access to each “Halloween Horror Nights” maze, “Terror Tram,” Jabbawockeez show and theme park attractions.  Advance purchase is recommended as event nights will sell out.

“Halloween Horror Nights” dates are: September 18, 19, 25, 26, 27, October 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31, and November 1, 2015.

The Walking Dead at HHN 2015

 

“Halloween Horror Nights” brings together the sickest minds in horror to immerse guests in a living, breathing, three-dimensional world of terror inspired by TV and film’s most compelling horror properties.  This year’s line-up includes:

All-New Mazes and Show:

  • “Guillermo del Toro Presents Crimson Peak: Maze of Madness” is inspired by the visionary filmmaker who directed, co-wrote and produced the upcoming October 16 Legendary and Universal Pictures feature film. The three-dimensional living replica of the film is designed to send guests spiraling through the chilling world and into the footsteps of Crimson Peak’s lead character, Edith Cushing, first as they venture from her home in America, then to the decaying and haunted Allerdale Hall mansion in a remote English countryside. With a foreboding “Beware of Crimson Peak” message that echos from Edith’s past, guests will navigate a labyrinth of paranormal tortured souls who have born witness to the estate’s dark history of unspeakable acts…and who continue to reside in vengeful, ghostly forms.

 

  • Bringing together the most sinister of scenes from all three films, “Insidious: Return to the Further,” investigates unexplained phenomena in the Lambert family’s eerie Victorian home as guests find themselves at a séance that unleashes chaos and horror. They’ll journey into “The Further” – a supernatural realm that houses tormented spirits – and face deadly ghosts and demons like the Woman in Black and Oxygen Mask Demon, that will stop at nothing to infiltrate the world of the living.

 

  • “The Walking Dead: Wolves Not Far,” inspired by season 5 of AMC’s critically-acclaimed, Emmy Award®-winning television series, this all-new maze will feature twice as many walkers in the longest and most gruesome maze ever built at Universal Studios Hollywood. Following in the footsteps of “The Walking Dead” cast, guests will begin their journey at the Terminus safe-haven compound, where an unspeakable hunger has consumed the demented souls of those dwelling within. As the chaos ensues, guests will encounter even greater atrocities as they stumble upon dismembered “W” walkers, witness the horror of victims besieged by the living dead, and step onto the loading dock of the Del Arno Food warehouse to face hordes of “W” walkers.

 

  • The hilarity of this genre-defying blockbuster movie, This is the End, will take a dark turn in this all-new maze experience, “This is the End 3D,” that will come to life in hypnotic 3D. The end of the world will begin as guests head to the ultimate A-list party at James Franco’s new Hollywood Hills home before the Apocalypse strikes, and they find themselves trapped in a life-or-death struggle against the demons of the underworld. With the fate of humanity at the crossroads of heaven and hell, “This is the End 3D” will offer defining moments for those guests brave enough to tempt the devil as their destiny hangs in the balance to be damned for eternity or raptured to heaven engulfed in a sea of blue light.

 

  • Halloween, hailed as one of the greatest horror films of all time and starring Jamie Lee Curtis in her acting debut, will come to life in the demented new experience, “Halloween: Michael Myers Comes Home.” The haunted maze will take guests through the tormented town of Haddonfield, where on one fateful Halloween night in 1963, a six-year-old child by the name of Michael Myers inexplicably and brutally stabbed his sister to death with a kitchen knife. Guests will relive the terror that a maniacal Michael Myers inflicted upon the once quiet town after his escape from a psychiatric hospital to take bloody revenge on new and unsuspecting victims.

 

  • The visually stunning, yet terrifying “AVP: Alien vs. Predator” maze is back by popular demand to entangle guests in the middle of an epic and primal war between the universe’s most deadly species in a horrifying haunted attraction inspired by the Twentieth Century Fox cult sci-fi franchise. This menacing maze will bring to life the violent creatures cohabitating our world as it pits two rival alien species in a fight to the death with Earth as their battleground.  “AVP:  Alien vs Predator” will uncover a dangerous alien spaceship carrying a race of hunter aliens known as Predators and a threatening new alien life form that uses human hosts to propagate its species.  After crash landing in a remote section of America and escaping to the countryside, the Alien and Predator become hunter and prey with guests caught in the crossfire.

 

  • The all-new “Terror Tram: Survive the Purge” experience, inspired by Universal Pictures’ blockbuster film series, invites guests to a disturbing “Purge Party,” luring them with exclusive access to the world-famous backlot and thrusting them into the film’s depraved world in which all crime is declared legal as part of the government’s annually sanctioned 12-hour Purge, and where citizens take to the streets to dispose of the country’s less desirable humans without fear of retribution. Recognizing that not all citizens choose to hunt during The Purge, the newly endorsed “Purge Party” welcomes guests to honor this proud national tradition by watching the night’s dramatic events unfold on large video screens set up around the famed Universal backlot – until the experience quickly turns into an unforgettable living nightmare.

 

  • Jabbawockeez, the highly-accomplished, award-winning hip hop dance group and universally recognized as America’s best dance crew, will bring their innovative choreography, intricate synchronized style and signature white masks to Universal Studios Hollywood in an electrifying all-new show created exclusively for “Halloween Horror Nights.” Currently starring in the acclaimed “PRiSM” show at the Luxor in Las Vegas, and following up with a newly reimagined performance at MGM Grand Las Vegas this fall, the Jabbawockeez are considered dance movement pioneers, having shattered the glass ceiling for dance groups worldwide as the first dance crew to ever headline their own show in Las Vegas.

 

Scare Zones:

  • “The Purge: Urban Nightmare,” inspired by Universal Pictures’ disturbing blockbuster films, will greet guests with pure unadulterated fear, bringing to life the turmoil and pandemonium that awaits those vulnerable to masked vigilantes in search of new victims during the government’s annually sanctioned killing spree.

 

  • “Exterminatorz” introduces hideous hybrid creatures—part pests, part human—spawned from years of dangerous chemicals recklessly dumped down the drains by irresponsible humans. These now persecuted pests arise from the cesspools to turn the tables and retaliate on their human oppressors.

 

  • “Corpz” features an army of decaying World War I soldiers known as “The Lost Generation,” who have risen from their dank, muddy graves to haunt the streets of old Paris.

 

  • Krampus, the demonic Christmas Devil, returns in “Dark Christmas,” a Pagan-themed scare zone where demonic creatures hunt disobedient children and drag them to hell.

 

As a complement to the nighttime event, Universal’s most popular rides and attractions will also be open to guests.

To learn more about “Halloween Horror Nights,” click here.

For more information about “Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood visit www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com. Join the “Halloween Horror Nights” conversation using #UniversalHHN on Facebook at Halloween Horror Nights – Hollywood and Instagram; Twitter and Periscope @HorrorNights.  Add username HorrorNights on Snapchat for nightly live content, and watch the terror come to life on Halloween Horror Nights YouTube.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Announces New Lands, Entertainment and Experiences at D23 EXPO 2015

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Official Press Release:

Star Wars, Toy Story Land, Pandora – The World of AVATAR, Soarin’ and Iron Man among new experiences coming for guests

ANAHEIM, Calif. (Aug. 15, 2015) – Today, Disney announced a line-up of new attractions and entertainment coming to its theme parks around the world during the D23 EXPO 2015 in Anaheim, Calif.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek gave 7,500 lucky fans a behind-the-scenes look at what’s to come. He was joined by Imagineers working on these projects as well as legendary filmmakers James Cameron and Jon Landau who shared new details about Pandora – The World of AVATAR including the names of the land and E-ticket attraction – AVATAR Flight of Passage. Fans also got a chance to see Marvel legend Stan Lee in a cameo appearance where he posed as an unsuspecting fan during Iron Man’s dramatic entrance.

Among the many announcements Chapek shared were new and enhanced Star Wars experiences coming later this year to the Florida and California theme parks, plans for a new Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and more details on Pandora—The World of AVATAR, which is already under construction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Chapek also shared that Soarin’ Around the World will make its U.S. film debut at Epcot and Disney California Adventure taking guests to new places around the world. Additionally, fans got a preview of exclusive video of the first Marvel attraction planned for Disney parks, coming to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2016.

“From Disneyland’s 60th anniversary celebration to the anticipation of Shanghai Disney Resort, we’re in the midst of unprecedented growth and expansion around the globe,” said Chapek. “With these new announcements, we continue our legacy in creating innovative attractions, worldwide entertainment, and magical lands that take our guests into the worlds of stories they love.”

In addition to these announcements, Chapek talked about the exciting news announced earlier in the day by Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company Bob Iger for plans to bring Star Wars-themed lands to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando and Disneyland park in Anaheim. Each 14-acre land will transport guests to a never-before-seen planet with two signature attractions, including a customized secret mission on the Millennium Falcon and an epic Star Wars adventure that puts guests in the middle of a climactic battle.

Details on each of the projects include:

Star Wars Enhancements & New Experiences

From a new Star Tours adventure to Star Wars Launch Bay, from a new Jedi Training Academy to “Season of the Force,” soon guests will be part of both new and enhanced experiences at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.

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  • Star Tours – The Adventures Continue – Later this year, Star Tours will include a new adventure featuring locations and characters from the upcoming film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, giving guests a new adventure in the Star Wars galaxy.
  • Star Wars Launch Bay – This interactive experience will take guests into the upcoming film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with special exhibits and peeks behind-the-scenes, including opportunities to visit with new and favorite Star Wars characters, special merchandise and food offerings.  Star Wars Launch Bay will be located in the Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and in Tomorrowland at Disneyland park.  Also at Disneyland park, Star Wars Launch Bay will share the space with the reimagined Super Hero HQ, featuring opportunities to meet and take photos with super heroes like Captain America and Thor, as well as experience the returning Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries. Both experiences will be available for guests later this year.
  • Jedi Training Academy— A favorite of younger fans is reimagined with a new experience that includes new characters and a new villain to battle from the popular Disney XD series “Star Wars Rebels.”
  • Season of the Force – This new seasonal event, beginning early 2016, brings new experiences to both coasts.  In Tomorrowland at Disneyland park, guests will explore the Star Wars galaxy with special entertainment throughout the land, themed food locations and more. Guests also will be thrilled to climb aboard Hyperspace Mountain, a reimagining of the classic Space Mountain attraction, in which guests will join an X-wing Starfighter battle. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, guests will close out weekend nights with a new fireworks spectacular set to the iconic score of the Star Wars movies.
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Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida

The reimagining of Disney’s Hollywood Studios will take guests to infinity and beyond, allowing them to step into the worlds of their favorite films, starting with Toy Story Land.  This new 11-acre land will transport guests into the adventurous outdoors of Andy’s backyard.  Guests will think they’ve been shrunk to the size of Woody and Buzz as they are surrounded by oversized toys that Andy has assembled using his vivid imagination.  Using toys like building blocks, plastic buckets and shovels, and game board pieces, Andy has designed the perfect setting for this land, which will include two new attractions for any Disney park and one expanded favorite.

  • Family-friendly roller coaster – All on the back of Slinky Dog, this coaster will zip and zoom, plunge and coast as it takes guests on a fun, toy-filled adventure throughout the new land.
  • Alien saucers attraction – The famous little green aliens from the movie will take guests around for a spin in their very own flying saucers.  The music, lighting and sound effects add to the flurry of action, while “The Claw” looms over.
  • Toy Story Mania! – Guests glide into the Toy Story Midway Games Play Set  and take aim at 3D objects in a variety of fast-paced games, with an expansion that adds a third track to this popular attraction.
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 After Dark at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Pandora – The World of AVATAR

As part of the largest expansion in the park’s history, Disney’s Animal Kingdom will immerse guests into the world of Pandora, and the entire park will transform after dark with new nighttime entertainment experiences, offering guests longer days than ever before to experience this one-of-a-kind theme park.

  • “Rivers of Light” – Expected to open next spring, “Rivers of Light” will be an innovative experience unlike anything ever seen in a Disney park, combining live music, floating lanterns, water screens and swirling animal imagery. “Rivers of Light” will magically come to life on the natural stage of Discovery River, delighting guests and truly capping off a full day of adventures at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris – This popular attraction will be extended for a new nighttime adventure next spring, where guests will travel through the African savanna amid the magically extended orange glow of the setting sun and discover two species new to the attraction: African wild dogs and hyenas.
  • Pandora – The World of AVATAR – Disney’s Animal Kingdom guests will journey into the magnificent world of Pandora at this new AVATAR-themed land – a world that includes floating mountains, a bioluminescent forest and the winged creatures known as Banshees, giving guests a transformational experience they will never forget.
    • AVATAR Flight of Passage – This E-ticket attraction, the centerpiece of Pandora, allows guests to soar on a Banshee over a vast alien world. The spectacular flying experience will give guests a birds-eye view of the beauty and grandeur of the world of Pandora on an aerial rite of passage.
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Soarin’ Around the World in Florida and California

Next year, guests at Epcot in Florida and Disney California Adventure in California will journey to far-flung lands and fly above some of the world’s most unique natural landscapes and man-made wonders when the new Soarin’ Around the World makes its U.S. debut.

Iron Man Unveiled for Hong Kong Disneyland

Iron Man landed at D23 EXPO today for a special appearance, and soon Hong Kong Disneyland guests will have the opportunity to meet and take photos with the Super Hero himself. Set to open in 2016, Iron Man Experience will be the first Marvel attraction at any Disney park, taking guests on an epic adventure over the streets and in the sky above Hong Kong. The adventure will begin at the new Stark Expo where guests board the Iron Wing to take flight and battle Hydra alongside fan-favorite Avenger, Iron Man.

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About Walt Disney Parks and Resorts

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts are where dreams come true. Sixty years ago, Walt Disney created a new kind of entertainment families could experience together, immersed in detailed atmospheres and vibrant storytelling. His vision now includes a collection of five of the world’s leading family vacation destinations – Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, Calif.; Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.; Tokyo Disney Resort, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan; Disneyland Paris, Marne-la-Vallée, France; and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, located on Lantau Island. A sixth resort, Shanghai Disney Resort, is currently under construction in Pudong New District, Shanghai. In addition, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts includes the world-class Disney Cruise Line; Disney Vacation Club; Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa; Adventures by Disney, a guided group vacation experience to some of the world’s most popular destinations; and Walt Disney Imagineering, which creates and designs all Disney parks, resorts and attractions.