by Don Myers

It’s hard to believe it, but we’re nearly two months into 2013 now. And as the calendar shifts over to March, we find ourselves quickly approaching the Spring season. This transition brings us a plethora of exciting news from Walt’s beloved Florida Project. 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. For this newsbit, let’s head down Main Street and make our way through Cinderella Castle and into Fantasyland. It’s here in the land of Fantasy where we find a restroom refurbishment nearing completion. Now usually I wouldn’t make a restroom refurb the headlining topic, but these are no ordinary restrooms. These are the themed restrooms based off the Disney film Tangled that have been under construction at the site of the former Skyway Station. The last remaining pieces of the Skyway Station were removed back in June 2011, and the restroom transformation has been ongoing at the location since March 2012. But it looks as if we are just days away from completion now, as the themed restrooms are slated to open up at the end of the month. For those of you who may be wondering, the location I’m referring to is right next to it’s a small world, just across the way from Peter Pan’s Flight. When completed, the expanded area should open up the flow of traffic between Fantasyland and Liberty Square tremendously. Guest flow can get quite congested in this area, but the newly expanded paths should help to avert this problem significantly.

Continuing in Magic Kingdom, let’s head back to Cinderella Castle for some news on Cinderella’s Royal Table. Cinderella and her Princess pals will be going on a brief hiatus later this year, as the dining location will close on Monday May 13th and re-open four days later on Friday May 17th.

Time to park-hop over to Epcot now, where there’s some news to report on one of the park’s tours. As of last week, the Segway tour “Keep Moving Forward: See the World, Share the Dream” is longer available for booking, and has thus been discontinued from service. The Segway tour took Guests around World Showcase in the early morning hours before that area of the park was open to the public. A few years ago Segway tours were commonplace at Epcot, but the recent removal of Keep Moving Forward signals the end of these types of tours at the park. But Segway fans fear not; as there’s still one last option remaining in existence. The Wilderness Back Trail Adventure Segway Tour is still being offered at Fort Wilderness, and there are no current plans in place for its removal anytime soon.

Time to venture over to Animal Kingdom now for some follow-up news on a new indoor Character meet and greet spot. In the June 12th 2012 edition of the Newswire, I detailed plans for the transformation of Beastly Bazaar into an indoor Character meet and greet location. Well, construction is nearing completion and a recent announcement has shed further light on the situation. The location will be known as the “Adventurers Outpost” and will be the new meet and greet spot for Mickey and Minnie Mouse! Adventurers Outpost is slated to open sometime this Spring, and when an exact date is announced I’ll be sure to report it right here on the Newswire.

For our final bit of news, let’s hop aboard the Walt Disney World Monorail System. Last week, Monorail Red re-emerged with its classic paint scheme. The monorail had been covered with a special wrap based on the Marvel film “The Avengers” since March 31, 2012. Monorail Red sported the special Avenge-o-rail wrap for nearly eleven months, similar to the sixteen month stint Monorail Coral had as the Tron-o-rail from March 2010- July 2011. With the success of these special wraps, it will be exciting to see which Monorail will be next to don a special alias (maybe Star Wars-o-rail?!!!).

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

 What is your favorite room in The Great Movie Ride?

. Footlight Parade/Mary Poppins

. Gangster Underworld

. Wild West

. Alien

. Indiana Jones

. Tarzan

. Casablanca

. Wizard of Oz

. Finale

And the winner is…….

Wizard of Oz with 36% of the total vote! Second place honors went to Indiana Jones with 16% of the votes. Gangster Underworld followed closely behind with 15%, followed by Alien with 11%, Finale with 8%, and Wild West with 7%. Once again, a big thank you to everyone that took the time to vote! Okay, 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: Fantasyland Restrooms Set To Open At End Of Month And In-Park Character Dining Poll appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

The term “Meatless Monday” was part of an international campaign designed to encourage people to start their week off in a way that was healthy for their bodies and the planet. It has a lot of history behind it, but the basic idea is that you don’t eat meat for one day out of the week!

This concept inspired me with an idea for an interesting recurring segment for “Fish are Friends, Not Food.” So, in upcoming posts I will be developing 1-day meatless-itineraries for those who either already don’t eat meat, but don’t know what to get in the parks, or for those who DO eat meat, but are interested in challenging themselves to one meatless day in the parks! I will give multiple options for each meal, in case your preferences are different. I’m keeping each section limited to 3 options, so that I can make a printable “pocket” itinerary for all of you vegan diners in the parks!

Each restaurant will be labeled CS (counter service) or TS (table service) appropriately. At counter service locations, the ordering process involves waiting in line at a podium, ordering your food with a cast member, waiting for your order at a counter, and bringing the meal to an available table to sit down to eat. A table service location is more similar to a restaurant and involves being seated, and served at your table. You may need to make an advance dining reservation to dine at TS locations and tip your server’s!

So, let’s start with the park that most people start everything with; Magic Kingdom!

Breakfast

1. Crystal Palace - TS, (to the left off of Main St) & 2. Cinderella’s Royal Table- TS, (in Cinderella’s Castle!) Both restaurants are buffets and will have similar options for vegans. Buffets are good options for picky eaters. A chef will take you around the buffet to show you what options are good for you! You will find cereal, oatmeal, soy milk, rice milk, coffee, breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit, and make sure you talk to a chef who will most definitely prepare you your own vegan, allergy-friendly Mickey Waffles!

• Another option may be to eat in your resort cafeteria where you will find the same options listed above.

Lunch

1. Columbia Harbor House- CS, Liberty Square- CHILI!Please, please, please get a cup chili! It has mushrooms, (but they are big enough to pick out if you don’t like them),olives, beans, peppers, onions, and, well, so much more! Depending on how hungry you are, you can add a side of steamed broccoli and/or french fries (I always do!).
2. Be Our Guest- CS, New Fantasyland- Try the Quinoa, Shallot, and Chive Salad which has green beans, potatoes, olives, roasted bell peppers, and tomatoes!
3. Columbia Harbor House (again)! CS, Liberty Square- Try the Lighthouse sandwich, which comes with hummus with tomato and broccoli slaw. The Slaw has dairy, so ask them to substitute it with regular steamed broccoli and an allergy-friendly sandwich bun!

Snack

1. Just can’t wait until dinner to eat again? Stop by the Fantasyland Pretzel Wagon for a pretzel!
2. Or head over to The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor at the end of Main St near the castle and ask for a cup of Tofutti or Rice Dream Ice Cream!

Dinner

1. Tony’s Town Square -TS, Located at the beginning of Main St (on your right if you are facing the castle)  Let them know you’re vegan and the chef will cook you up a special pasta dish with vegetables and garlic sauce, or just marinara or tomato sauce! The pasta is served with a house salad on the side, so order Italian dressing, balsamic vinaigrette, or oil and vinegar with this. For dessert you can order tofutti ice cream, sorbet, or rice dream ice cream.
2. Be Our Guest Restaurant- TS, Located in the New Fantasyland Expansion! Try the vegan Ratatouille! It’s oven-baked Zucchini, Eggplant, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions sliced and layered on Quinoa served with Bell Pepper Salsa.
3. Liberty Tree Tavern- TS, Liberty Square- Apparently they have a delicious veggie burger here that can be made vegan upon request. Get it with the allergy-friendly bun and toppings!

Snack

• Stop by the popcorn cart at the end of Main St and stroll towards the castle while you munch away on hot, fresh popcorn!

<<(Here’s a pocket guide of the above information for you to print out and take along with you on your next WDW vacation!)

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave them in the comments below, please!

Angie has been a WDW addict since her first visit at age 8, and since then her life has never been the same! She lives in southeastern MA with her boyfriend, Kevin (fellow Disney lover), and their 3 dogs, Flip, Josie, and Hildy, where she is currently training to become a professional dog trainer.  Please join Angie every week in “Fish Are Friends, Not Food: Eating Vegan in WDW!” Angie believes that WDW is the most magical place for people with special diets, so, should you have any special diet questions (especially about vegan and gluten-free dining) she’d be happy to help! Angie is also an artist, and you can see her work at www.angiecarreiro.com! 

Disclaimer: This blog post, and all past and future Fish Are Friends, Not Food blog posts, are written with my most recent knowledge of the food in WDW parks. Please note that things are constantly changing, so this information might not always be up to date. Also note that I do not take into consideration refined sugar, cross contamination, or impure food items. With that said, always ask a chef before ordering if you are unsure about something, because the recipe may have changed or you may have a different way of defining your vegan lifestyle.

The post Fish Are Friends, Not Food: Magic Kingdom 1-Day Vegan Itinerary appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.