Tidbits October 2011

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10-15-2011, 07:18 PM
Figment!

Tidbits October 2011

Tidbits
October 2011

Retirement, Relatively Speaking

10/29/11 The retirement of the Little Einsteins from daily Meet & Greet appearances has been delayed until Mid-November 2011. Character Cast have reported that the group will cease daily Meet & Greets in Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on November 12, 2011. On November 13, 2011 Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates will reportedly begin Meet & Greets in the same spot. As previously reported, June and Leo’s appearances at the Play ‘n’ Dine Character Meals will be unaffected.

6/28/11 The Little Einsteins are schedule to be retired from daily Meet & Greet appearances later this Summer. The Little Einsteins Meet & Greet in Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is schedule to cease operation in August 2011. Despite the ending of their meet & greet, Character Cast have reported that the June and Leo will continue to appear at the Hollywood & Vine Play ‘n’ Dine Character Meals.

Oh Bother

10/29/11 Guests wishing to ride the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh at the Magic Kingdom will have their queue options reduced in early November. The attraction’s interactive stand-by queue will be closed for refurbishment from November 2 through November 9, 2011. During this period, the FastPass Return queue will be used as the stand-by queue and no FastPasses will be distributed.

Say Cheese?

10/29/11 Character Cast have reported that the Town Square Theater Meet & Greet may be getting a new enhancement. Cast have reported that “talking” Mickey Mouse is tentatively scheduled debut at the Magic Kingdom Meet & Greet location in “Early November 2011”. The articulation of the character is reportedly similar to what is displayed in Dream Along with Mickey, but with the added ability to interact with Guests in real time.

Gaelic Gobble

10/23/11 Downtown Disney is hosting a special Thanksgiving meal on November 24, 2011. Master Chef Kevin Dundon will be preparing a pre-plated meal at Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant that features classic holiday staples of turkey, potatoes, and stuffing with an Irish flair. The meal is priced at $26.95 per person.

The Holidays and You

10/23/11 The Magic Kingdom has internally announced that a special Holiday Edition of The Magic, The Memories, and You! will debut on November 8, 2011. The end date for the Holiday Edition of the show was not announced, but is expected by Entertainment Cast to be January 2, 2012.

Pardon our Pixie Dust

10/23/11 Cast close to the construction project have reported that the February 18th opening will only be a partial opening of the new Dumbo attraction in Storybook Circus. The full attraction will reportedly open Summer 2012.

10/14/11 The Magic Kingdom park has announced that Dumbo the Flying Elephant will close for re-location on January 9, 2012. The ride system will be incorporated into the new Dumbo attraction as part of the Fantasyland expansion project. The new Dumbo attraction in Storybook Circus has been announced to open on February 18, 2012.

Eerie Eats

10/12/11 Mickey’s Backyard BBQ is holding a special Halloween themed event on October 31, 2011. The Halloween themed meals will be held from 5 pm to 7 pm and feature the characters in their Halloween costumes and a special dance party.

Reservation Reservations

10/14/11 Due to the expansion of table service restaurants enforcing a penalty for missed reservations, the Walt Disney World resort has opened a dedicated phone line for reservation cancellations. Guests who need to cancel an Advanced Dining Reservation may call 1-407-WDW-CNCL for added convenience.

Meal Merger

10/14/11 Two Disney’s Hollywood Studios dining locations have recently altered their menus. 50's Prime Time Cafe and Sci-Fi Dine-In have replaced their separate Lunch and Dinner menus with a single All-Day menu.

A Slice of Italy

10/14/11 As part of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, Via Napoli has started serving pizza-by-the-slice again through its counter service window. The offering will continue until November 30, 2011.

3/12/11 The counter service window at Via Napoli has begun offering pizza-by-the-slice. According to Cast, this offering will last through May 28, 2011
10-15-2011, 07:47 PM
faline

Thanks for the updates!
10-15-2011, 08:38 PM
Dsnygirl

Thanks Jason!

I wonder how many other restaurants are going to do the same as Sci Fi and 50's Prime Time... seems just another way of cheapening the food offerings. :( I like the fact that many menus are different for lunch & dinner... I may like the ambiance enough to return, but not necessarily for the exact same food !!

Oh well...
10-15-2011, 09:04 PM
buzznwoodysmom

If there is an "all day" menu does that mean lunch will no longer be a cheaper meal than dinner? I ask this because one of the best ways to save money on TS meals is to dine at lunch instead of dinner. We don't do it very often, but I've seen that suggestion more times than I can count on discussion boards like this one.

I sure hope Sci Fi keeps the burger. We always go for lunch because the burger isn't on the dinner menu (even tho I recently read that you can request it for dinner). We'll be bummed if we can't get the burger there any longer. We've tried other dishes, but the burger is our fav.
10-15-2011, 09:05 PM
Buttercup

Oh wow! So when I go down at the end of January, there's gonna be a big hole where Dumbo normally is! For the first time since I was a kid in the 70's, it won't be there. :eek2: Weird...
It's gonna feel empty!
10-16-2011, 06:52 AM
vizsla

Thanks for the updates.
10-16-2011, 09:28 AM
Butters

I was eager to take my DD on her first ride on dumbo, luckily it will open for the last two days of our trip :mickey:
10-16-2011, 09:41 AM
DizneyRox

Quote:

Originally Posted by buzznwoodysmom

If there is an "all day" menu does that mean lunch will no longer be a cheaper meal than dinner?

I suspect this may be the case. There's no distinction between a lunch TS credit and a dinner TS credit so this makes sense. My gut though tells me the lunch menus will be the all day offerings though, not the other way around. You know, another cleverly disguised price increase.
10-16-2011, 07:41 PM
Crow

thanks...
same menu...ummmm. prices going up
10-17-2011, 08:55 AM
Ian

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dsnygirl

Thanks Jason!

I wonder how many other restaurants are going to do the same as Sci Fi and 50's Prime Time... seems just another way of cheapening the food offerings. :( I like the fact that many menus are different for lunch & dinner... I may like the ambiance enough to return, but not necessarily for the exact same food !!

Oh well...

Agreed. This is disappointing and I hope it's not a trend.
10-17-2011, 10:59 AM
buzznwoodysmom

Quote:

Originally Posted by DizneyRox

I suspect this may be the case. There's no distinction between a lunch TS credit and a dinner TS credit so this makes sense. My gut though tells me the lunch menus will be the all day offerings though, not the other way around. You know, another cleverly disguised price increase.

Yeah I think your right. And while it won't affect those on the dining plan, like you said no distinction between a lunch TS credit and dinner TS credit, it will affect those who pay out of pocket. When paying out of pocket lunch is always the better deal since the prices can be much less.
10-17-2011, 07:44 PM
pdrlkr

Thanks Jason! :thumbsup: :mickey:
10-17-2011, 08:10 PM
Mousemates

thanks for the info :thumbsup:
10-17-2011, 11:06 PM
seanyred

I agree, not a fan of the single menu.

The main question I have is in the pizza at Via Napoli Counter Service window the same pizza that is served in the actual TS Restaurant. I remember hearing last year that it wasn't the same quality at CS Window.
10-18-2011, 07:34 AM
bouncer

So between restaurants changing to all day menus and charging for un-cancelled reservations it sounds like a better option to make no reservations at all and strictly do CS.
10-19-2011, 08:35 AM
diz_girl

Thanks Jason! I always look forward to your updates.

Dumbo being down for six weeks is pretty big news. I guess if it had to go down, then the January/February timeframe is the best time to do it. There will be a lot of upset people whenever they do it. Thankfully, it will still be operational in its original form when we're there next month.
10-19-2011, 07:12 PM
Figment!

Quote:

Originally Posted by buzznwoodysmom

If there is an "all day" menu does that mean lunch will no longer be a cheaper meal than dinner?

This appears to be the case if the same entree was served for lunch and dinner (ie only the dinner portion is now offered).

Quote:

Originally Posted by buzznwoodysmom

I sure hope Sci Fi keeps the burger. We always go for lunch because the burger isn't on the dinner menu.

The All American Picnic Burger and the Angus Chuck Burger are on the new menu for $15.99.

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanyred

The main question I have is in the pizza at Via Napoli Counter Service window the same pizza that is served in the actual TS Restaurant. I remember hearing last year that it wasn't the same quality at CS Window.

Officially there isn't a distiction, but Guest reports still hold that it is not the same style that is served at the Table Service location.
10-21-2011, 01:21 PM
Reedy Creek Buccaneer

I had heard that the new Dumbo would be open before the old one was moved. Is this not the case now?
10-21-2011, 08:24 PM
Figment!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reedy Creek Buccaneer

I had heard that the new Dumbo would be open before the old one was moved.

Details aren't entirely clear, but this was not part of the recent announcement.
10-23-2011, 11:04 AM
Figment!

**Update**
10-26-2011, 12:01 PM
bjbunny

10/14/11 As part of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, Via Napoli has started serving pizza-by-the-slice again through its counter service window. The offering will continue until November 30, 2011.

We were just here last week and the cast member at Via Napoli said they only serve slices on Saturdays!:(
10-27-2011, 03:48 AM
vizsla

Thanks for the updates.
10-30-2011, 05:09 PM
Figment!

**Update**