Darren Wittko 1/16/16 Darren Wittko 1/16/16

5 More Closures For Studios + Earful Tower to Come Down

In an earlier post we reported that Lights Motors Action! Extreme Stunt Show is set to close for good on April 2, 2016. The Walt Disney World Resort has now announced that there will be 5 more closures at Disney's Hollywood Studios beginning on April 2, 2016. It was also reported that the theme park will be retitled although no official word on what that will be.

The park's landmark, the Earful Tower, is also scheduled to be torn down as the park gets rebranded but no official date has been announced.

5 More Closures Scheduled for April 2, 2016

Monsters Inc Meet & Greet
Honey I Shrunk The Kids Movie Set Adventure
Writer's Stop
Studios Catering Co.
Wattos Grotto

Already closed are The American Idol Experience, Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, Studio Backlot Tour, and the Sorcerer's Hat icon.

Darren Wittko 1/15/16 Darren Wittko 1/15/16

Star Wars Villain Kylo Ren Coming to Walt Disney World

Star Wars: The Force Awakens has become a global phenomenon, and soon you'll be able to interact with one of the film’s most intriguing new characters, Kylo Ren at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Kylo Ren is on his way to Walt Disney World Resort

Every day you can step into exciting Star Wars experiences such as Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple and Star Wars Launch Bay, where you'll come face to face with some of the greatest heroes and villains of the saga. Soon, a visit to Star Wars Launch Bay at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will transport you to the Star Wars galaxy for an encounter with Kylo Ren on the bridge of his First Order Star Destroyer.

As seen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren is a dark warrior with a mysterious past. Ren is strong with the Force and serves as a leader of the First Order, seeking to destroy the New Republic, the Resistance and the legacy of the Jedi.

Star Wars Launch Bay was designed to showcase a variety of Star Wars characters over time. In addition to Kylo Ren, you may also come across a garrison of First Order Stormtroopers or the heroic Wookiee, Chewbacca, holed up in a secret Resistance base.

The portal from Star Wars Launch Bay to Kylo Ren’s Star Destroyer opens in February at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Darren Wittko is the creator of Save at Walt Disney World and a Disney Destinations Specialist at Magical Vacations Travel. Voted "best of the best Disney travel agent" by readers of the 2015 Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. He is also the creator of The Best of Walt Disney World blog.

Darren Wittko 1/15/16 Darren Wittko 1/15/16

Lights Motors Action! Secrets and Fun Facts

As Disney makes way for the largest park expansion in history, will it be good-bye or good riddance to Lights Motors Action?

With the park scheduled to close permanently on April 2 we thought it might be fun to review a few Disney secrets about Lights Motors. Plus, check below for a special surprise.

Lights Motors Actions Secrets and Fun Facts

Featuring high-flying, gravity-defying automobile, motorcycle and watercraft stunts, the turbo-powered stage show immerses park guests in the thrill-a-minute world of big-budget movie action.

“Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show” is inspired by a similar edge-of-your-seat show at Disneyland Resort Paris. (There, it thrills guests under the name “Moteurs… Action! Stunt Show Spectacular.”)

A cast of more than 30 stunt drivers, technicians, actors and stunt managers thrills audiences with pulse-pounding chases featuring automobiles, motorcycles and high-powered watercraft. Customized and modified, these vehicles utilize almost every corner of the outdoor theater during the 30-minute show.

The arena for “Lights, Motors, Action!” — a huge, 6.5-acre “stage” featuring a Mediterranean village set — allows stunt drivers to perform high-speed spins, two-wheeled driving, jumps, pyrotechnic explosions, high falls and plenty of surprises created just as they are performed for the silver screen. The premise of the show is the filming of a European spy thriller, and after each scene unfolds live, the director combines shots into the completed scene that is played on a mammoth LCD video display for the audience of 5,000.

Other highlights of “Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show”:

Guests enter the arena through the garage — or atelier — as mechanics and technicians tune the show vehicles. Large windows offer guests behind-the-scenes views.
The show features more than 30 vehicles on stage and inside the garage area.
Each vehicle is highly modified to perform the many extreme stunts. For example, each car is equipped with four forward gears and four reverse gears, enabling them to travel as fast in reverse gears as they do in forward gears.
Vehicles include high-performance automobiles, motorcycles and watercraft as well as surprise vehicles, including one designed to drive backwards and another designed to split in half. “Herbie,” the loveable “car star” from several Disney films, makes a special cameo appearance.
Vehicles are designated by color so the audience will always know which is the hero vehicle (the red one) and which is the chase vehicle (the one painted black).
Meticulous planning, practice and timing are dedicated to each stunt. Because of the choreography involved, crew members liken the synchronized driving to a “ballet on wheels.”

Remember When? Before Lights Motors Action this space was home to the Backlot Tour. In this image we see the facade of the home used on the hit show, Golden Girls. — **Remember When?** Before Lights Motors Action this space was home to the Backlot Tour. In this image we see the facade of the home used on the hit show, Golden Girls.

Darren Wittko 1/14/16 Darren Wittko 1/14/16

New Acts for La Nuba by Cirque du Soleil

La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil at Disney Springs allows you to enter a world of extraordinary as acrobats, singers, trapeze artists, jugglers and clowns delight and mystify with daring acts of grace. And now, this breathtaking show welcomes two exciting new acts.

The high-energy b-boys will delight Guests as they perform dizzying combinations of hip-hop and breakdance moves with choreography that merges from freestyle solo moments to precision-timed moves in unison. Plus, a mesmerizing aerial bamboo act will leave the audience breathless. These additions give the opening sequence and the acts that follow a new and fresh feel.

Darren Wittko 1/14/16 Darren Wittko 1/14/16

Disney Parks Statues Coming Soon

Look for these items in select merchandise locations at Disney Parks in 2016. Once released, you will also find them available using the Shop Disney Parks mobile app. This app gives you access to thousands of Disney Parks’ products which you can have shipped directly to your home.

My personal favorite is the hippo from "it's a small world"

Darren Wittko 1/12/16 Darren Wittko 1/12/16

New Disney Parks Mom Panel

Introducing the 10 new moms and dads who join the Moms Panel this month.

These 10 new panelists were selected from a near record number of thousands of applicants last fall, by sharing their extensive Disney Parks knowledge through storytelling, videos and interviews.

The new panelists have very different and diverse backgrounds, families and careers. Among the 2016 class are a doctor, lawyer, nurse, teacher, realtor, professor, event planner, IT tech, and digital marketing consultant.

Darren Wittko 1/12/16 Darren Wittko 1/12/16

VIDEO: Adventures by Disney: Nashville

On the Adventures by Disney Nashville Long Weekend itinerary you are invited to discover the food and culture of Music City, which was recently chosen as Destination of the Year in Travel + Leisure’s Readers poll.

This 4-day/3-night getaway allows you to explore the capital of country music and home of the musical drama Nashville on ABC. From a backstage tour at the Grand Ole Opry and a visit to the famed Bluebird Café to a stop at The Hermitage, home of President Andrew Jackson and a chance to record a song in the historic RCA Studio 6, your Clients will enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience that includes the best of Nashville.

And, with two Disney-trained Adventure Guides taking care of the details, you can focus on having fun together as a family.

Darren Wittko 1/12/16 Darren Wittko 1/12/16

Insiders Look: New Rivers of America at Disneyland

The Rivers of America and the Disneyland Railroad at Disneyland Park are temporarily closed as Walt Disney Imagineers prepare to make room for the all-new Star Wars-themed land.

When these areas reopen, the north bank of the Rivers of America will feature a beautiful new waterfront. The new riverbank will also include an elevated trestle over which the Disneyland Railroad will travel. Take a look at this Walt Disney Imagineering artist rendering for a sneak peek!

Darren Wittko 1/9/16 Darren Wittko 1/9/16

Reserve Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party

Don’t Forget! There’s a sweet new way to have even more out-of-this-world fun now through March 19, 2016 with Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort.

Featuring special viewing of the “Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular” fireworks, this new dessert party allows you to enjoy a selection of sweets as the night sky erupts with an arsenal of impressive fireworks, set to the most dramatic and memorable Star Wars themes of all time.

On the menu, look for lots of Star Wars-themed dessert treats, including the popular Droid and Darth Vader cupcakes, a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and a souvenir Chewbacca stein to take home.

The dessert party costs $69 for adults and $39 for children. Tax and gratuity are included. Advance reservations are recommended.