WDWTools Blog – Updates and announcements to maximize your magic.

Skipper Canteen opens in Adventureland

December 16, 2015 marks the official grand opening of Skipper Canteen in Adventureland! This is a new Jungle Cruise-themed restaurant that offers table service. Photos and information will be added throughout the coming days.

Cast photo on Skipper Canteen’s opening day

Skipper Canteen is only taking walk-up seating. There is a small waiting veranda with big chairs, fans, and “chests” to sit on and await your turn. The check-in booth is in the center of the veranda. There is also a decorative sphinx.

Skipper Canteen is run by Alberta Falls, granddaughter of one Dr. Albert Falls, who ran the Canteen in the past. These portraits adorn the indoor waiting area, along with the Skipper Canteen’s “biggest fan”.

Skipper’s Mess Hall

Immediately following the indoor waiting area is the Skipper’s Mess Hall. This room contains the bulk of the restaurant’s seating. Jungle artifacts line the walls.

An interactive panoramic of the Mess Hall in Skipper Canteen on opening day, December 16, 2015.

S.E.A. (Society of Explorers and Adventurers) Room

Hidden behind a secret bookcase off the mess, the S.E.A. Room is adorned with the relics and insignia of a secret society of skippers known as the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. Little is known about this exclusive cadre of skippers, but their dining room is very tastefully composed around the hearth. A scene of a skipper intimidating a dangerous snake sits above the mantle.

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An interactive panoramic of the S.E.A. Room in Skipper Canteen on opening day, December 16, 2015.

Falls Family Dining Room

Also called the jungle room, this dining room contains many of the Falls family’s most precious heirlooms and specimens. It is said that Alberta opened this room to the public as a means to cope with her grandfather’s death.

Familiar forms in the chandeliers…

New information on Star Wars offerings at DHS

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will debut new, permanent Star Wars experiences beginning December 1, 2015, and continuing through 2017 until construction on Star Wars Land is complete.

The Disney Parks Blog has released information on 3 new experiences.

On December 1, the Star Wars Launch Bay, which occupies the former Magic of Disney Animation building, will open and provide sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes looks at the forthcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens (scheduled for theatrical release December 18, 2015).

The new Star Tours program.

Star Tours will get a simulator ride based on The Force Awakens. Disney says that during the “opening months”, this will be the only program that runs on the Star Tours simulator. After the initial period, the program will be entered into regular rotation.

A session of the now-defunct Jedi Training Academy in action.

In early December, the currently walled off Jedi Training Academy, immediately adjacent to Star Tours, will re-open as Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple. The new attraction will serve the same purpose as the classic JTA, but the program and set will be refreshed to include the Seventh Sister from Disney XD’s Star Wars: Rebels.

Star Wars Weekends discontinued

With Star Wars taking a permanent presence in Hollywood Studios, the long-running Star Wars Weekends event, normally held at DHS in the early weeks of summer, will no longer occur.

There is no word yet on the long-term future for events like Jedi Mickey’s Star Wars Dine at Hollywood and Vine or other Star Wars Weekends favorites.

Christmas Decorations Go Up at the Magic Kingdom

The first performance of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is on Nov. 8th. The Christmas tree is up early this year.

Around Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival 2015

Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival runs through November 16, 2015, with unique dishes from around the world, seminars from celebrity chefs, and special merchandise.

2015 will be the last year for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, an annual feature at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, will have its final showing this year. Hollywood Studios’ massive renovation project will consume the Streets of America, the section of the park that hosts this display.

Halloween comes to the Magic Kingdom

The Magic Kingdom is decked out for autumn and the first performance of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is just days away!

Major new lands coming to Hollywood Studios

Last week’s D23 conference revealed two major new developments at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land. Both have long been rumored and anticipated, but are now official. Star Wars Land will also be added to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Early concept art was revealed for both lands.

Toy Story Land, based on “Andy’s backyard”

Star Wars Land

Further detail on either development is scarce (speculation can be made from images of the concept art at reasonable resolution, like those shown here). More information was given about Star Wars Land than Toy Story Land, suggesting that it is further along in development. Star Wars Land will feature “two signature attractions”: one based on flying the Millennium Falcon and one in which guests are put “in the middle of a climactic battle”. There will be a walkthrough attraction called “Star Wars Launch Bay”. This is all the real information we have on either development so far.

In addition to the land overview, 3 other concepts around Star Wars Land were released:

Millennium Falcon

Concept likely depicting the “climactic battle”

Star Wars Launch Bay

Pricing changes at WDWTools

WDWTools has released an update that changes our pricing structure for new elite members. Elite memberships are now available as a monthly auto-renewal at the cost of $21 per month. An activation fee will probably be added soon. Existing elite memberships will be honored and see no changes until their renewal date.

Single-watch pricing remains unchanged at $10 per watch.

This change is important in ensuring a stable future for WDWTools and allowing us to continue to provide the best tools for Walt Disney World travelers without resorting to unfair or abusive tactics. We are home of the original ADR Sniper and have always taken good citizenship very seriously. We take pride in the fact that our service is a net benefit for all parties, including Disney and travelers that do not use our tools, by ensuring that users of our service do not monopolize the available reservation pool and that Disney’s servers and user experience are stronger for our existence, not weaker.

WDWTools understands and appreciates its role as the professional’s choice in Walt Disney World planning and vacation tools. We’ve seen a lot of progress over the last year with the introduction of event watches and a beautiful new brand image from world-class designers to make the experience worthy of our clientele. We have many more exciting things coming in the next several weeks, including the re-introduction of Documents (and several top-secret projects that we’ll be announcing soon). We look forward to continuing the journey together and thank everyone for their support thus far.

DisneyQuest, Magic of Disney Animation, and others to close in near future

Disney has announced that DisneyQuest will close in 2016 and be replaced by “The NBA Experience”, a restaurant and store featuring “high-tech experiences”. A definite closure date has not yet been announced. Universal’s CityWalk is home to NBA City, which is closing at the end of August 2015.

The Magic of Disney Animation at Hollywood Studios will close in July 2015.

Richard Petty Driving Experience will close on August 9, 2015 and the Walt Disney World Speedway will be razed to make room for expanded parking at the Magic Kingdom.