by Don Myers

The calendar has shifted to December, and that unmistakable feeling known as the “spirit of the season” is in full effect everywhere you look. But Christmas is coming a little early to the Vacation Kingdom of the World, as the parks have a pair of big debuts on tap this week. So let’s get to it, time for the latest edition of the WDW Radio Newswire……

We begin this edition of the Newswire inside Magic Kingdom, as there’s a buzz in the air over the official opening of the latest phase of the Fantasyland Expansion. The big event takes place on Thursday December 6th, as Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid and all the components of Belle’s Village (including Storytime with Belle), will be officially opening up to the public. These elements have been in a preview stage for several weeks now, but December 6th will serve as the “official” opening date for the area. The park will be open at 9am (extra magic hours begin at 8am) and the festivities will kickoff at 10am with a special ceremony on the Castle Forecourt Stage. The park will be closing to the public that night at 7pm, as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will take over the reigns until midnight.

For more news out of Magic Kingdom, let’s take a look ahead to the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade. Portions for the event were recorded at Magic Kingdom on Friday November 30th and Saturday December 1st. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so you’ll just have to tune in to your local ABC station on Christmas Day to see how the magic unfolds! You can catch all the action beginning at 10am in the east, and 9am in the central, mountain, and pacific time zones.

Time to board the monorail and park hop over to Epcot now, where another big debut is on the horizon for Thursday December 6th. I’m referring to Test Track, which is set to re-emerge this week after a nearly eight month closure. The attraction was shut down back in mid-April for a major overhaul, one that will see a complete “re-imagining” of the popular thrill ride when it reopens December 6th. Cast Member previews have been taking place at Test Track since Thanksgiving, and preliminary reports show that the modifications are pretty much in line with original expectations. I detailed these expected changes in the January 9th and October 16th editions of the Newswire, so you can reference back to either edition for a detailed look at all the specifics.

For more news out of Epcot, we venture into World Showcase now for an update on Bistro de Paris. Extensive changes to both the menu and decor have been underway at the restaurant since July, and the location has reopened as scheduled this week after a closure of just about five months. But there’s much more to this story, as there was another distinct change at the location when construction scrims came down earlier this week, and it was an unexpected one…the name! This name change basically sends Bistro de Paris into that dark realm of extinction, as the restaurant now has a completely new look, a new menu, and a new name: Monsieur Paul.

Okay, there’s one more stop to make on today’s adventure, and this one can be found at WDW’s flagship resort: The Grand Floridian. The resort’s gift shop Sandy Cove reopened at the end of November after a major refurb to the location. The closure began back in August, so the total downtime for the gift shop was just about three months.

Well, that’s gonna do it for today’s update. But before we call it a wrap, let’s take a look at the results of our last poll. The question was:

What is your favorite Holiday tradition at WDW?

. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

. The Candlelight Processional

. Nightly lighting of the Castle Dreamlights/Cinderella’s Holiday Wish

. The Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

. Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade

. Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade

. Grand Floridian Resort Gingerbread House

. Beach Club Resort Gingerbread Carousel

And the winner is…..

The Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights with 44% of the total vote! Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party finished in second with 22% of the votes, and the nightly lighting of the Castle Dreamlights rounded out the Top 3 with 19% of the total vote. The Candlelight Processional finished in fourth with 11% of the votes, and fifth place was a tie between Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade and the Grand Floridian Resort Gingerbread House. Thanks once again to everyone that took the time to vote! And now on to this week’s question:

Don Myers covers news and recent events in Walt Disney World.  He has been enamored with the World of Disney since his first trip to WDW in 1986. As they say, the rest is history!  Don also has been a contributing writer for Celebrations magazine since 2009.

The post WDW Radio Newswire: New Fantasyland & Test Track 2.0 Set To Officially Debut This Week And Future Projects Poll Question appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

by Don Myers

The Newswire is ablaze, as the confirmed opening date for the next Phase of the Fantasyland Expansion has been announced! So let’s dive right into the latest edition of the WDW Radio Newswire…..

We start this edition with some major news out of Magic Kingdom. Last week, Disney officially announced the opening date for the next Phase of the Fantasyland Expansion. Up to this point, “Holiday Season 2012″ had been the only official word given. But it has now been confirmed that both Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid and Enchanted Tales with Belle will be making their “Grand Opening” on Thursday December 6th! Belle’s Village, which includes both Gaston’s Tavern and Bonjour! Village Gifts will also be debuting on Thursday December 6th as well. In addition, the gates of Beast’s Castle will finally be open to the public, as the Be Our Guest Restaurant is also set for a December 6th Grand Opening. And if you’re going to be visiting the “World” over the Thanksgiving Holiday, you may be able to catch a preview, as it was also confirmed that there will indeed be “Soft Openings” which are slated to begin on Monday November 19th. The press release also talks about Princess Fairytale Hall opening in 2013 and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Coaster in 2014. These opening dates were previously announced, so there’s nothing new there. However, in the paragraph about Princess Fairytale Hall, the press release does mention several Princesses by name, including Cinderella, Aurora, Tiana, and Rapunzel. Speculation has been ongoing as to exactly which Princesses will be appearing inside the meet and greet for quite some time, at least now there’s a few names officially out there.

Now let’s head from Fantasyland over to Frontierland for a reminder about the Country Bear Jamboree. Back in the June 12th edition of the Newswire, I talked about an August 22nd closure to the attraction for a two month refurb. Well, we’re now just one week away from that date, so if you want to see the likes of Big Al and Liver Lips McGrowl before the October 16th re-opening, you’ve got until Tuesday August 21st to do so.

Before Park Hopping out of Magic Kingdom, let’s make a quick stop in Adventureland, where there’s a tiny bit of news to report on Pirates of the Caribbean. The attraction is scheduled to be closed on Tuesday October 9th. As of now, this is only scheduled to be a one day closure, as the attraction is slated to be re-open on Wednesday October 10th. If plans happen to change, I’ll be sure to report it.

Okay, time to venture over to EPCOT now for a follow-up on Bistro de Paris. Back in the May 7th edition of the Newswire, I talked about a three month refurb at the restaurant which was to begin in July and conclude in October. Construction is indeed well under way now, but unfortunately it looks as if the downtime is going to be extended by a couple months. Instead of an October opening for Bistro de Paris, it now appears as if we’re looking at a re-opening date of Saturday December 1st.

Our final bit of news today comes out of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where it’s never too early to start talking about the upcoming Holiday Season. And if you’re talking about Christmastime at the Studios, it can only mean one thing…the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights! I know it’s only August, but the dates for the 2012 incarnation of the Dancing Lights have just been officially announced, so let’s take a look. This year, the festivities kick off on Friday November 9th and are scheduled to run all the way through the Holiday Season and into the new year, with the final performance slated for Friday January 4th 2013. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit the Studios the last two Decembers, and I can personally say that the Osborne Lights are something you will never forget. Stepping onto the Streets of America and seeing those lights dance in unison to the Holiday music, it’s absolutely breathtaking. Words honestly can do it no justice…it’s a “Must See!”

Well, that’s gonna do it for today’s update. But I’ll be back again soon with another edition of the WDW Radio Newswire……

The post WDW Radio Newswire: Confirmed Opening Date For Next Phase of Fantasyland Expansion appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.