‘Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure’ to Replace ‘Kim Possible’ at Epcot
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The official Disney Parks blog confirmed earlier today that it will introduce the popular Disney Channel series ‘Phineas and Ferb’ to Epcot later this year when it replaces the also-popular ‘Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure’ with ‘Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure,’ starring Perry the Platypus’ alter-ego, Agent P.
The change was reported earlier this year by @TouringPlans on their Twitter, with an expected timeline of June (the Disney Parks blog mentions only summer as the transition time), but was recently confirmed by Walt Disney Parks Chairman Tom Staggs in an interview with Travel Weekly (via Jim Hill Media).
Earlier today at the 2012 annual shareholder’s meeting held in Kansas City, MO, Disney President and CEO Robert Iger made note during the question and answer session that the company is looking at ways to integrate boy-favored properties into the Disney Parks, noting ‘Phineas and Ferb’ especially. Currently the title pair operate as meet & greet opportunities at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort.
Categories: Epcot, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Kim Possible, PAF, Phineas and Ferb, World Showcase
D23 Announces 2010 ‘Sip & Stroll’ Event, Dave Smith Retirement Dinner at Walt Disney World
On October 15 and 16, D23 members are invited to partake in the 2010 ‘Sip & Stroll’ event at Walt Disney World. In addition, a limited number of tickets will be available for a private retirement celebration dinner in honor of Walt Disney Studios Archivist Dave Smith which will be held at the VIP Lounge at the Seas with Nemo and Friends pavilion at Epcot.
Tickets for the just event are $85 while tickets for both the event and dinner are $185 each. D23 members in good standing may purchase a ticket for themselves and one additional guest.
The event begins on Friday evening as D23 attendees are invited to celebrate Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival with unique experiences created just for them. The group will first gather in the foyer of The American Adventure pavilion for a wine and cheese reception. A selection of artisan cheeses with dried fruits, berries, nuts, and house made breads along with Canadian cheddar cheese fondue and additional flavorful treats will be available. Wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverages will also be served to set the tone for a fabulous event.
Guests who have purchased the Dave Smith retirement dinner package will then join the festivities inside the VIP Lounge of The Seas with Nemo and Friends Disney Legend Dave Smith, retiring Chief Archivist for The Walt Disney Company, is honored on his final day with the company.The VIP lounge is one of Epcot’s most beautiful private spaces, featuring an enormous glass window that looks into the pavilion’s 5.7 million gallon aquarium. Dinner includes a selection of crisp salads, grilled flatbreads, pecan-roasted turkey, fresh scallops and beef medallions. Sumptuous sides include sweet potato mash, wild mushrooms and truffle mac ‘n’ cheese. You can also wash down some delicious German sausage and baked spaetzle with Radeberger beer from Germany. For dessert, there will be a selection of sweets inspired by Disney movie classics. Dinner includes wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages — all perfect to toast the man who founded the Walt Disney Archives 40 years ago.
Saturday morning the event convenes at the Mexico pavilion in World Showcase to sample some robust Mexican coffee and pastries at the newly opened La Hacienda restaurant, hosted by Ricky Deblar, president of the San Angel Inn, who will be on hand to talk about the latest addition to Epcot eateries.
Following the breakfast treat, the group will journey on to the Odyssey building for exclusive presentations and surprises. Our friends from Guerlain and Givenchy will explore their rich histories with Epcot — and Givenchy will offer a sample of their brand new fragrance. Chef Scott Hunnel and Israel Perez of Disney’s exquisite Victoria and Albert’s restaurant will share exciting details about the new Queen Victoria Room, and they will prepare a new dish that will be featured at Remy — the new restaurant on the Disney Dream!
That afternoon, guests can join D23 head Steven Clark, Dave Smith, Archives Director Becky Cline, Disney twenty-three editor in chief Carmen Capone, D23′s Disney Geek Jeffrey Epstein and others from the D23 Team as they sip and stroll our way around World Showcase. As we talk about some of our favorite Epcot spots, each guest will have a “passport” they can use to obtain exclusive Sip & Stroll surprises at various locations around the lagoon.
Also during the day, the VIP lounge inside The American Adventure pavilion will be open just for D23 Members as a place to enjoy some water or lemonade. If you haven’t seen the elegantly designed lounge, you will definitely want to stop in for a look and a libation.
That evening the group will gather at the America Gardens Theatre for reserved seating to the Eat to the Beat concert featuring ’80s icon Howard Jones (“What is Love,” “No One is the Blame”).
The event draws to a close at the Italy Isola for private, reserved viewing of the nighttime spectacular IllumiNations and a mouthwatering dessert party that will include strawberries with Creole Shrubb burst, milk chocolate hazelnut crunch, flambéed cinnamon doughnuts with tiramisu gelato and much more! The perfect way to end a fantastic food-filled weekend!
Tickets will become available for purchase on August 30 at 1 pm ET. Please note that park admission to Epcot is required for both days and is not included in the D23 package. For more information and to order tickets when available, see here.
Categories: D23 Expo, Epcot, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: D23, Food and Wine Festival, Sip & Stroll, World Showcase
Walt Disney World Candlelight Processional Dinner Packages On Sale August 26
Walt Disney World has announced that dinner packages for its Candlelight Processional will become available August 26. The package includes dinner at one of the table service restaurants around the World Showcase, priority admission to the American Gardens Theatre where the event is held and special viewing for the holiday edition of Illuminations.
The partial list of narrators for the 2010 Candelight Processional are as follows:
- Isabella Rossellini – 11/26 – 28
- TBD – 11/29 – 12/1
- TBD – 12/2 – 4
- TBD – 12/5 – 6
- Jodi Benson – 12/7 – 9
- Whoopi Goldberg – 12/10 – 11
- Steven Curtis Chapman – 12/12 – 15
- Thomas Gibson – 12/16 – 18
- Trace Adkins – 2/19 – 21
- Brad Garrett – 12/22 – 23
- TBD – 12/24 – 27
- Marlee Matlin / Jack Jason – 12/28 – 30
Categories: Epcot, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Candlelight Processional, CPP, Dining, Events, Holidays, World Showcase
New Pizzeria Via Napoli Unveiled at Epcot World Showcase at Walt Disney World Resort
Patina Restaurant Group has opened a new casual pizzeria, called Via Napoli, adjacent to Tutto Italia Ristorante, its restaurant in the Italy pavilion in Epcot World Showcase at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. This becomes the first authentic Italian pizzeria to ever open in the park.
Restaurateur and longtime Patina Restaurant Group CEO Nick Valenti created the Via Napoli concept, based upon his travels in Southern Italy and his time developing and overseeing the successful Naples 45 Ristorante e Pizzeria in New York which was awarded the coveted certification of “La Vera Pizza Napoletana.” While in Naples, Valenti spent time studying the art of dough, crust, sauce and oven temperatures at the famous pizzerias Da Michele and Trianon. At Da Ettore, he discovered the art of pagnotiello, a folded round of pizza dough filled with mozzarella, ham and mushrooms.
“I have always loved the beauty of a simple Neapolitan pizza,” Valenti says. “It’s a perfect food, something beloved by both Italians and Americans. At Via Napoli we will make pizza the traditional Neapolitan way: with a textured, soft and charred crust. I look forward to bringing it to Walt Disney World, where it should be a welcome addition to guests visiting Epcot.”
Via Napoli features a selection of classical Neapolitan pizzas, ranging from pizza bianca, quattro stagioni, piccante, ortolano and a traditional margherita. Famed Pizzaiolo Charlie Restivo serves as executive chef at Via Napoli, where he crafts the pies using simple and delicious Italian ingredients such as San Marzano tomatoes, Caputo flour, handmade fresh mozzarella, Parma Cotto, crumbled sausage and water calibrated specifically to the pH found in Naples.
“We’re excited to be working with the Patina Restaurant Group once again on this significant expansion project,” said Dan Cockerell, vice president of Epcot. “Via Napoli will certainly enhance the guest experience and the architectural landscape of World Showcase just in time for our 15th annual Epcot Food & Wine Festival.”
A unique feature at Via Napoli is the wood-burning ovens, which are named after the three active volcanoes in Italy – Mount Etna, Mount Vesuvius and Stromboli. Each oven is sculpted with the “face of the volcano” — reflecting the gods whose mythology surrounds each volcano’s history.
The architecture and design of the new pizzeria is based on a mix of traditional Italian styles, with the Florentine architect Stefano Nardini (of Magris & Partners) working in conjunction with Rick Swisher Architect to build it.
Categories: Epcot, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Dining, Italy Pavilion, Via Napoli, World Showcase
New Upcoming Disney Parks Entertainment Include Show Inspired by ‘TRON Legacy,’ All-Female Improv Troupe
Disney Parks has posted notices for auditions for a couple of new upcoming productions at the domestic Disney theme parks in the wake of the recent announcement of the Disney Channel Rocks! show.
At Disney California Adventure, the Disneyland Resort is preparing a new nighttime celebration in honor of TRON Legacy from Walt Disney Studios. For the show (reported working title of ElecTRONica), male and female contemporary and hip-hop dancers are being seeked out to perform on stages outside in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot and main entrance areas. Experience with martial arts is considered a plus.
Meanwhile, over at Epcot, Disney Parks is looking to form a new comedic all-female improv troupe complete with accordionist. The unnamed show is described as a ‘highly interactive, comedic, and mostly non verbal show’ and ‘demands high energy, great physical improvisation and a passion for guest involvement.’ As a plus, a ‘fun, good natured sense of all things Italian may be helpful!’
No clues provided on where the new show might take place (cough).
Categories: California Adventure, Disneyland Resort, Epcot, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Entertainment, Italy Pavilion, Tron, Tron Legacy, World Showcase
New Dining and Shopping Experiences Arriving at Epcot’s World Showcase
Just in time for the 15th Annual Epcot Food & Wine Festival, Walt Disney World guests will be able to experience the newest enhancements to the World Showcase at Epcot – a new lagoon-side, 12,000 sq. ft. taqueria at the Mexico pavilion, an authentic 14,000 sq. ft. pizzeria at the Italy pavilion, a new merchandise kiosk at the China pavilion, and a new exclusive Givenchy shop at the France pavilion.
Building on its more than 25 years of success in bringing Mexican cuisine to Walt Disney World guests, San Angel Inn, LLC will open a new 400-seat waterside restaurant and quick-service food location specializing in the freshly baked culinary flavors of Mexico. The Cantina de San Angel Restaurant, located directly in front of the Mexico pavilion in the World Showcase, is currently closed until fall 2010 for a significant refurbishment and expansion.
The new indoor and outdoor restaurant will be nearly four times larger than the previous 3,500 sq. ft. Cantina. The Cantina will serve as the first flex- service restaurant at Walt Disney World Resort. Disney research has shown that guests prefer a quick lunch while spending a day at the parks and enjoy a nice tableside restaurant experience in the evening hours. As a result, the new restaurant will serve quick service meals during the day where guests can enjoy an indoor, air-conditioned dining, or outdoor dining experience. Then, in the evening hours the restaurant is converted into a tableside restaurant where reservations are recommended.
At the Italy pavilion, the Patina Restaurant Group will expand its Italian culinary options by opening a new 300-seat pizzeria that will feature traditional Italian dishes straight from wood-burning ovens representing Italy’s infamous volcanoes. Guests will be immersed in the dining experience as they take in the sights, sounds, and aromas of the Italian delicacies, Florentine architecture, vaulted-ceilings, and indoor and outdoor dining.
Based on its success at Naples 45 in New York, the Patina Restaurant Group will import water from a source where the composition most resembles water used in Naples, Italy, to make the authentic Italian dough.
“Together with the addition of the pizzeria and the extensive refurbishment of the Cantina, we’re expanding the table service restaurant seats in World Showcase by approximately 20 percent,” said Dan Cockerell, vice president of Epcot. “We’re excited about this significant expansion, which will certainly enhance the guest experience and the architectural landscape of World Showcase. The timing couldn’t be better since we will be celebrating our 15th annual Epcot Food & Wine Festival.”
Details for 2010 Walt Disney World Wine and Dine Half Marathon Announced
The Walt Disney World resort has announced the details for the upcoming Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon events taking place October 1 – 3, 2010.
On Friday, October 1, 2010, the Disney’s Kids’ Races will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Track & Field Complex beginning at 4 pm for children ages 8 and under. Registration includes: Commemorative T-shirt; Personalized Bib (Must register by September 3, 2010 for name to appear on bib); Trick-or-Treat bag of refreshments; Commemorative finisher medallion.
Race details and age groups are as follows:
- 12 months and under – Diaper Dash for crawlers
- 1 – 3 years old – 100m dash
- 4 – 6 years old – 200m dash
- 7 – 8 years old – 400m dash
On Saturday, October 2, at 7:00 am will be the Mickey’s Halloween Family Fun Run 5K. The only 5K run to take place inside the Magic Kingdom, runners are encouraged to dress in costume (with safety in mind) as they travel along the course filled with Halloween-themed entertainment. Registration includes: Admission to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party for the night of Sunday, October 3, 2010; Commemorative Champion® T-shirt; * Goody Bag; Personalized Bib (must register by August 2, 2010 for name to appear on bib); Trick-or-Treat bag of race refreshments; Commemorative 5K finisher medallion.
Categories: Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Epcot, Events, F&WF, Food and Wine Festival, Half Marathon, Race, Sports, World Showcase
Sneak Peek: Miniature Train Garden at Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival
Many Walt Disney World Resort guests are familiar with the miniature train garden located outside the Germany pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase. But we’re willing to bet a much smaller number of them realize that the garden is actually specially decorated for holiday seasons and festivals going on inside the park. Today, Walt Disney World released this photo showing horticulturist Julia Clark working on the garden for this year’s International Flower and Garden Festival which kicks off March 3 and shows off one of the neatest feature of this year’s decor: miniature horticulturists working on a dollhouse-size topiary of Snow White. Photo by Kent Phillips.
Categories: Epcot, Theme Parks Tags: F&G Festival, Flower & Garden Festival, Flower and Garden Festival, Germany Pavilion, Snow White, World Showcase
WDW Refurb Update: Cantina de San Angel Refurb Begins Major Refurbishment and More
Cantina de San Angel, the quick service location in Epcot’s Mexico pavilion, has just closed and begun its lengthy refurbishment. Expected to be replaced with a new, more convenient dining opportunity, the restaurant is slated to re-open on September 24, just a week shy of the 2010 Food and Wine Festival.
During the refurbishment, Taqueria Del Lago, the Mexican booth from the 2009 Food and Wine Festival will be operating for guests’ convenience.
We are also being advised that Shrunken Ned’s Junior Jungle Boats, located near the World Famous Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland, will be unavailable from January 8 through January 25.
Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Be the first to know when changes that potentially affect your trip occur by signing up with ReSearch!
Categories: Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: Adventureland, Attractions, Dining, Disney, Mexico, Refurbishments, Refurbs, Rehabs, Shrunken Ned's Junior Jungle Boats, World Showcase
The Princess and the Frog’s Anika Noni Rose to Greet Guests at Epcot December 8
Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Tiana in The Princess and the Frog, will be available to meet and greet guests tomorrow afternoon from 1:30 – 2:30 PM at Heritage Manor at the American Adventure in Epcot’s World Showcase in Walt Disney World. She is currently acting as official celebrity narrator for the Candlelight Processional with tomorrow being her last evening.
She will be signing merchandise purchased at the event only, limit two per guest.
Categories: Epcot, Theme Parks, Walt Disney World Tags: American Adventure, Anika Noni Rose, Celebrities, Events, Princess and the Frog, Tiana, World Showcase
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