Plus…. Trial period set to test “Single-Day” quick-service dining plan, new bar opening at Epcot’s Mexico pavilion, and more!
We begin the New Year with the January 2017 Edition of the WDW Radio Newswire. Let’s kickoff 2017 with news from Magic Kingdom Park, where the Magic Kingdom Welcome Show has relocated. The rope-drop show has delighted Guests for years now from atop the Main Street Railroad Station. But as of Monday, January 9, the newly dubbed Let the Magic Begin Welcome Show will take place on the Castle Forecourt Stage, just in front of Cinderella Castle. Guests will now be allowed to enter the park up to one hour before it’s scheduled opening time to allow time to gather by the Castle Forecourt Stage, as well as to help alleviate some of the crowd congestion at the main entrance. In addition, the Emporium and the Main Street Bakery will be opening early for shoppers and diners. Casey’s Corner will be open for business in the early morning hours as well, and will feature a breakfast menu consisting of assorted muffins, bagels, and doughnuts, as well as corn dog nuggets, and a new signature item: Hash Brown Dog.
For more news out of MK, let’s shift our focus over to a new quick-service dining package about to be tested. Known as the 1-Day Disney Dine-on-the Go, this plan will allow Guests to purchase single-day dining packages, as opposed to being locked into a plan for the duration of your stay. For $29 (plus tax) for adults and $12 (plus tax) for kids ages 3-9, 1-Day Disney Dine-on-the Go will feature one quick-service lunch (available until 4pm), and one quick-service dinner (from 4pm until park closing). The meals include your choice of one entree and one non-alcoholic beverage. Dessert is not included with this package. The restaurant’s participating in this plan will be Casey’s Corner, Columbia Harbour House, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, Peco’s Bill’s Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, Pinocchio’s Village Haus, and the Tomorrowland Terrace. The trial period is set to run from Thursday, January 12 to Wednesday, February 22, 2017.
Time to board the Monorail and venture over to Epcot now. For this newsbit, let’s venture into World Showcase, as the Mexico pavilion is about to unveil a brand-new outdoor tequila bar. Choza Tequila will feature refreshing hand-crafted margaritas, available straight up, on the rocks, and in the frozen variety. There will also be a small menu featuring delicious Mexican favorites like tacos, empanadas, and tortilla chips with fresh guacamole. Look for Choza Tequila to officially open for business along World Showcase Promenade within the next couple months.
Our next bit of news takes us over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where a pair of shops along Hollywood Boulevard are set to close for refurbishment. The Darkroom and Cover Story will both be shuttering their doors on Monday, January 9, with a re-opening date set for Friday, March 24, 2017. This will put the total closure time for the two shops at right around 2 1/2 months.
For more news on the refurbishment front, let’s venture over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. Kali River Rapids has just closed for its annual refurb, as the attraction will be closed from Tuesday, January 3 through Sunday, January 29, 2017.
Well, that’s gonna do it for the January 2017 Edition of the WDW Radio Newswire. But I’ll be back again next month with lots more news, notes, and happenings from Walt’s beloved Florida Project!
(Photo ©Disney)
Don Myers has covered Walt Disney World news and recent/upcoming events for the WDW Radio Blog since 2011. He has loved “all things Disney” since his first family trip to WDW in 1986. As they say, the rest is history! Don was also a contributing writer for Celebrations Magazine, penning over 30 articles and 7 cover stories for the publication from 2009 to 2012.