WDWTools Blog – Page 5 – Updates and announcements to maximize your magic.

Polynesian Village Resort Construction Update – October 27, 2014

It’s been a while since we updated you on the status of the construction at the Polynesian resort, Â now officially called Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Changes are moving fullÂ speedÂ ahead. Here’s what’s going on.

First things first, the entrance has a new sign with a really pretty waterfall and the new official resort name. They threw in some tiki torches for fun and fire.The parking lot has been completely restructured with a large number of handicap spaces up front directly across from the hotel entrance and half-rows behind. Full rows still exist on the left side of the handicap spaces (facing the parking lot) and some more valet has been added to the previous section on the right. One note about the lot: the entrances into the rows are only about 14 feet wide, making for some sharp turns and what I think are going to be incessant curb checks. There are also now only 3 entrances to the lanes.

These entrances are only about 14 feet wide.

Inside, the right side of the lobby has been completely closed off and the check-in desk is now where Bell Services and the kids’ lounge resided previously.

Walls remain up around the center of Great Ceremonial House with supports for the ceilings on the second floor, now around Kona Cafe.

Just past Captain Cook’s, the hallway has been closed off for the installation of Trader Sam’s.

Upstairs, the gift shop has undergone a little bit of a refresh. The ceilings have been painted blue and the decor changed to match the theme that will take over the hotel. The glass fishing floats are a nice addition that are reported to match the lighting theme that’s coming.

A new electronic park hours board has been installed just outside the shop.

The ‘Ohana waiting area has been returned to full size with a large portion of the floor reserved for stroller parking.

Outside, the waterfall and river have been removed and replaced with sidewalk. There’s a great deal of construction at the feature pool with the volcano being reshaped and the pool area being expanded.

Construction continues on the DVC bungalows with exterior finish details and porch railings going up.

Construction on the DVC long house conversions continues with drywall going up in the rooms.

The quiet pool remains in use and is fairly busy given its support of the entire resort. Typhoon Lagoon is now closed for refurbishment so guests may go to Blizzard Beach.

Landscaping and new sidewalk have been added to the Tangaroa Terrace area, completing the look there.

And the walkway to the Transportation and Ticket Center has been re-routed around the front of the resort.

All across the property, lighting has been added to the decorative fencing as the sheer numberÂ of the structures has made things a bit dark at night.

Finally, Dole Whip has returned to the Polynesian. The Pineapple Lanai is open just outside the back doors at Great Ceremonial House. Dole Whip is no longer self-serve or available 24 hours, but more menu items can be purchased than previously. Don’t forget the souvenir tiki bowl!

How to use the new Documents feature

From theÂ home page clickÂ on â€œDocsâ€ found on the navigation bar at the top of the page

Once there click on the desiredÂ document

At this point you will be brought to a page displaying a preview of the document

From here you want to scroll down to the bottom of the page and click â€œGet Full Documentâ€ which will bring you here

Once you have accepted the terms you will have the option of either downloading the document without customizations

Or customizing a stamp for a specific party (instructions on this below)

The first step in making a custom document is adding your custom logo (if desired you may use the default WDW logo)

Click â€œChoose fileâ€ in the add image section

Browse to your file and click â€œOpenâ€

Once you have certified that you are legally entitled to use the image click â€œUpload Custom Imageâ€

Now your custom image will appear as an option for logo printing. If you made a mistake, just click â€œRemoveâ€ to delete your picture and then redo the last step. Go ahead and select it now

Now that your image is saved and selected it is ready to be used.

Next we will show you how to create a custom party date and message to be printed on the document.

First you will want to give your custom document a title. I recommend something descriptive. The title is not printed on the document and only you will see it

Next click on the text box labeled â€œEvent Dateâ€ to reveal a calendar and choose the date of the event. This box can be left blank to make a more generic document or for parties with multiple park dates.

Next you can enter a custom message to print on the bottom of the first page of the booklet.

Once you are done with that click on â€œDownload with Customizationsâ€ at the bottom of your screen to save your custom stamped document

Once you have done that hit â€œSaveâ€ (This may take a few moments)

Open the document and there you go! Now you have a helpful guide to give to your clients with a personal feel.

Documents: WDWTools’s latest feature

WDWTools has launched Documents. Documents is a feature that combines the two central powerhouses of WDWTools: informed original content and unusually powerful tools.

The star of the show is our timely original content, composed into an event or venue-specific guide that can easily be printed and brought along for quick reference in the parks. Above and beyond the standard blog fare, our guides contain on-the-ground photos of the stuff that matters, overviews and plans of the event or venue, and much more invaluable information that will maximize the magic of your WDW vacation.

Even better, our custom toolkit allows users to stamp pertinent information in a highly-visible place on the document, so that the most critical custom information is always available. Travel agents can use this to ensure that their clients always have their contact info. Park attendees can use it to write custom reminders or instructions. Room for an image is also available; attendees can stamp an image of the weather conditions, travel agents can stamp their logo. Stamped documents are organized by doc and title for quick access or reference.

Elite members already have access to this feature: click “Docs” on the main site’s navigation bar. All documents will be free to elite members. Access will roll out to non-elite members in the near future, but access to documents will be charged per-doc.

Right now, a doc is available for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, and more will be available soon. The character index posted last month is a sample of the type of content available through the Documents feature.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party: The Need to Know

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is one of the most popular events at the Magic Kingdom, so it’sÂ not-so-surprising that there are lots of questions about what goes on during the celebration. Here’s our take on the best ways to experience the party and how to get the most out of the cost of your ticket.

Continue reading Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party: The Need to Know

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2014: Character Index

MNSSHP 2014 Character Index

Aladdin, ðŸ•· Abu, Jasmine, and ðŸ•· Genie – Across from the Swiss Family Robinson tree house
Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter, White Rabbit & ðŸ•· Queen of Hearts – by the Mad Tea Party (teacup ride).
ðŸ•· Captain Jack Sparrow – stage across from Pirates of the Caribbean
! Daisy, Donald & Minnie – Just outside Big Top Souvenirs in Storybook Circus
! Goofy – In front of the Barnstormer
ðŸ•· Jack Skellington and Sally – between City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce in Town Square
ðŸ•· Jafar – In the Agrabah Bazaar across from Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Buzz Lightyear and ðŸ•· Lotso – Next to Buzz Lightyearâ€™s Space Ranger Spin toward Carousel of Progress
ðŸ•· Madame Carlotta & Madame Rinata – Haunted Mansion Courtyard
! Mickey Mouse – Inside Town Square Theater
ðŸ•· Monsters, Inc. Boo, Sulley, Needleman, Mike, & George Sanderson – Monsters, Inc. Dance Party at the Tomorrowland Stage.

! Pooh, Piglet, Tigger & Eeyore – In the Thoughful Spot next to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
ðŸ•· Seven Dwarfs – at the gates between Fantasyland and New Fantasyland
ðŸ•· Tarzan, Jane, & Terk – on the terrace to the right just across the Adventureland bridge
ðŸ•· Witch – (from Snow White) between Seven Dwarfs Mine Train & Enchanted Tales with Belle.
*Cruella de Vil, Dr. Facilier, the Tremaine family, Frollo, and Gov. Ratcliffe meet and greet in the Villains Dance Party at the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon in Frontierland.
*Tinker Bell, Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Ariel, Tiana and Merida all meet in their normal locations in their regular costumes throughout the night as well. Check your park map for locations.

ðŸ•·	These characters are party-exclusive.
!	These characters have special party costumes.

Locate your favorite spooky characters at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party with this convenient index. This is just one page from our comprehensive expanded guide for MNSSHP 2014, which will be available to elite members shortly!

Captain Cook’s Reopens and more changes at the Polynesian

After a fairly short refurbishment and sprucing up, Captain Cook’s has reopened at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.Â The location underwent a complete remodel a relatively short while back, so there aren’t too many changes to note, but a couple of changes answer some questions people had about the remodel.

Continue reading Captain Cook’s Reopens and more changes at the Polynesian

Standby Changes at Be Our Guest Restaurant and How to Get In

As Walt Disney World adapts to changes brought about by the introduction of FastPass+ and the MyMagic+ program, crowd control solutions change nearly daily. The newestÂ introductions to the way guests move through queues have been return time cards, which Disney says are meant to nearly eliminate standby lines. First introduced for the Frozen Summer Fun Sing Along, the cards are obtained from cast members throughout the day until all cards have been given out. Guests return to the line in the window of time printed on their card, turn the card in to cast members at the attraction, and enter a much shorter standby line or are immediately seated.

Over the last couple of weeks, these return time cards have been tested at various attractions including the Princess Fairytale Hall Anna and Elsa meet and greet and Soarin’ at Epcot (neither attraction is still using them), with mixed guest reviews as to their effectiveness. The most recent venue to get return time cards, however, is Be Our Guest restaurant.

Be Our Guest is a modified quick-service restaurant during lunch time, which is served from 10:30 a.m. to approximately 2:30 p.m. (the end of lunch service depends on several variables including crowd volume). In the past, resort guests were offered FastPass+ entitlements that allowed them to enter the line to order without waiting and guests not eligible for this option stood in a standby line that formed over the bridge and often out into New Fantasyland. While the line moved rather quickly in most cases, the lack of cover led to some pretty hot and sometimes wet waiting conditions.

Currently (no one knows if this is only a test or if it’s being permanently implemented), guests who want to eat without a FastPass+ reservation are being given return time cards and no standby line is being allowed to form. While this makes for a much more pleasant wait (you can enjoy the rest of the park) it also means that if you don’t get a return time card while they’re being handed out, you’re out of luck for the day.

So how can WDWTools.com help you get into Be Our Guest while you’re at Walt Disney World? Because it may now be harder to get into lunch with standby seating filling up as the restaurant opens and people get return time cards, consider a dinner reservation at the restaurant instead, secured with our reservation sniper. We’re running a 50% off sale through this weekend on single searches using the code NKJKDGQX3T.Â Â It may be just the time to secure your reservation rather than worrying about waiting to see if you can get in.

Quick Update: PeopleMover re-opens after 2014 refurbishment

FINAL UPDATE: Confirmed that all show changes observed were temporary technical issues. Voiceovers are still in place.

UPDATE 8/8/2014: There are reports that the voiceovers have returned and that they were not functioning due to a technical issue.

The Tommorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover went down for refurbishment on June 2 for a whopping two-month refurb, reopening on August 5. While initially closed for the first portion of the day due to “technical difficulties”, PeopleMover was back in operation by 11:45am. Some major alterations have occurred, most obviously an orange paint job.

Almost all voiceovers have been removed. The only voiceovers remaining are the introductory voiceover (“Welcome to your grand circle tour of Tomorrowland…”), the explanation of the EPCOT diorama, Star Traders, Tomorrowland Speedway, and a rewritten explanation of the Carousel of Progress,Â and Roz’s “move along” voiceover as one passes Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor. Such storied phrases as “Experiment 626 has escaped!” and “This time it’s laughter their after at Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor!” are gone forever (hopefully). It is possible that more voiceovers will come back later on, or that they failed to play on this ride-through, which was shortly after the ride re-opened from a morning-long technical outage.

Much of the track now has background music or sound effects and new safety voiceovers have been added when boarding/unboarding.

That was fun.

UPDATE: Here’s a ride-through video so you can see the new experience for yourself.

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort Construction Update: August 3, 2014

Renovation is now in full swing at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort with lots of noticeable changes taking place.Â A new traffic light has been installed near the entrance, though it is not yet operational.

The scrims that hide the work going on near the entrance including the new resort sign have been changed from an image of the concept drawings of that sign to decorative foliage scrims which have been put up all over the property.

The major changes to the Grand Ceremonial House that have taken place over the last couple of months leave little room for more, but a temporary section of wall has been added to the ‘Ohana waiting area while another has been removed.

Downstairs, the former exit to the pool area has been blocked off. The exits are now under the main staircase and near the former Captain Cook’s.

Outside, the back wall of the former Captain Cook’s has been removed to allow for expansion and the waterfall and creek that we thought might stay safe is gone.

Decorative scrims have been added to the fencing and guests must walk through the center of the property near the quiet pool to reach the longhouses.

The Nanea Pool area is now closed for major refurbishment. It has been completely fenced in and some of the beach is now inaccessible.

Guests of the Polynesian who stay during the pool closure will be offered several “upgraded” options includingÂ free admission to Blizzard Beach for the duration of their stay. The guests’ admission will include a dedicated bus and park entrance as well as complimentary towels and use of their refillable mugs at the water park. When Blizzard Beach closes for refurbishment later this year, accommodations will be switched to Typhoon Lagoon. The quiet pool will remain open, and guests are not allowed to pool hop to the other resorts nearby.

Construction continues on the Disney Vacation Club bungalows, which don’t show too many signs of development at the moment. Earlier in the week crews were seen dropping plunge pools into place, confirming rumors that the bungalows may have their own pools and explaining the large hot-tub-like structures seen sitting on the former Paradise Point.

The front of the resort remains walled on the left side with major work going on behind the walls.

Bobotie for Beginners: Food & Wine Booth Menus Decoded!

Navigating Food & Wine at Epcot is all about having as much information as possible before you go so that you can plan what you’re going to eat and drink. If you’re not a foodie, some of the preparations and ingredients can be pretty intimidating. We’ve collected the menus and added explanations to the food and wine descriptionsÂ to get you ready to eat and drink your way around World Showcase from September 19 through November 10. As always, the best tips include pre-purchasing the wristband gift cards to keep your purchases under control and attending on weekdays when crowds are more easily managed asÂ compared to weekend dates.

Continue reading Bobotie for Beginners: Food & Wine Booth Menus Decoded!