Plus… Location confirmed for Epcot’s Space-themed restaurant, Update on Tomorrowland’s TRON Coaster, and more!
We begin the May 2018 Edition of the WDW Radio Newswire at Epcot, where the concrete foundation for the Guardians of the Galaxy Roller Coaster was recently poured. It took a whopping 960 truck loads of concrete to cover the coaster’s 72,000 sq. ft. foundation. The process took 17 hours and included a crew of 300 workers to complete the task. The foundation is located between the Wonders of Life Pavilion and the now-closed Universe of Energy Pavilion. It is assumed that the new foundation will be home to the coaster’s indoor track/show building, and the former Universe of Energy Pavilion will house the attraction’s queue and pre-show space, as well as the loading area. This would lead to the idea that a tunnel will connect the two buildings and shoot the ride vehicles from the loading area into the show building.
There’s more news to report out of Epcot, as Disney has officially announced the location for the Space-themed restaurant. The restaurant will be constructed on a spot of land between Mission: SPACE and Test Track. No official timetable has been given as to an opening date for the new dining establishment.
Time to board the Monorail and hop over to Magic Kingdom Park now for an update on the Florida version of the Tron LightCycle Power Run coaster. Trees have been removed from the area and fencing now surrounds the construction zone. It’ll still be a little while before we see any vertical construction rising up in Tomorrowland, but with the area cleared of trees, work on the ground preparation is in full swing.
Time to park-hop over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios now for an update on Toy Story Land. We have an official opening date, as Disney has confirmed the Land will be open and fully operational on Saturday, June 30. However we should start seeing Cast Member previews and attraction “soft openings” in the weeks leading up to June 30. In addition, Toy Story Midway Mania will be closed from Monday, June 11 through Monday, June 18. During the week-long closure, work will be taking place to reconfigure the building for its new entrance in Toy Story Land.
For more news out of DHS, let’s venture over to Hollywood & Vine.The Play ‘n’ Dine Breakfast will be seeing a small shake up to its character line-up, as Goofy will be replacing Handy Manny beginning Sunday, May 13. Goofy will be in his Mickey and theRoadster Racers attire, and is joined by Disney Junior favorites Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, and Jake.
Our final bit of news today takes us over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Let’s follow the path into Pandora – The World of Avatar, as a new walk-around experience has been delighting Guests in recent weeks. The Pandora Utility Suit has been making the rounds around the area. The Utility Suit towers over park-goers at a height of 10 feet, and is piloted by a friendly scientist who’s happy to stop to chat and interact with Guests. The walk-arounds have been taking place in the mornings, so be sure to make your way into Pandora before noon for your best chances to see the Utility Suit in action.
Well, that’s gonna do it for the May 2018 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!
(Images copyright Disney)
To learn more about Don and read his recent posts for WDW Radio, visit his author page by clicking the link on his name at the top of this post.
