Disney News on Parade: Splash Mountain Logs, Empty Cantinas, Cardboard Barbecue Restaurants & More
For August 6th, 2020
What do neon barbershop trailers at Disney’s Grand Floridan Resort, sunken Splash Mountain logs, and toy barbecue restaurants have in common? It means another episode of Disney News on Parade, where we’re covering all that’s happening throughout Walt Disney World and beyond. We’re showcasing everything from empty Cantinas to empty stores to empty campgrounds. From Food & Wine additions to Disney+ additions and more.
You can find our podcast here on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, MyTuner, and ListenNotes. Key notes and photos are below, but you’ll find most of my commentary on the podcast.
Magic Kingdom
Rated #1 by Traveler’s Choice
Trip Advisor has listed its Traveler’s Choice Awards for 2020. Magic Kingdom sits on top.
- Magic Kingdom
- Islands of Adventure
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Universal Studios Florida
- Universal Studios Hollywood
- Dollywood
- Disneyland
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Silver Dollar City
- Disney California Adventure
Maintenance Issues
The big news on social media was video of a Splash Mountain log literally sinking in the trough, and the response of Disney Cast Members.
This is really the tip of the iceberg to a larger scale issue, one that we’ve been showcasing for some time. But it’s best showcased on the other end of the park at The Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover.
Park Entrance Construction
It’s ironic that so much construction is still going on at Walt Disney World and yet, there are maintenance issues that don’t seem to get addressed. Here’s just one example of such construction near the monorail station at the entrance to Magic Kingdom.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Coming to Disney+
National Geographic Global Television Networks president, Courteney Monroe, announced during Disney’s Investor Day Disney+ presentation, a new documentary series called Magic of the Animal Kingdom, which takes viewers behind the scenes with the highly respected animal-care experts, veterinarians and biologists at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot’s SeaBase aquarium in Walt Disney World.
In the heart of Central Florida, a team of more than 1,000 highly respected animal-care experts, veterinarians, and biologists perform groundbreaking work at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park and Epcot SeaBase aquarium. Now for the first time, National Geographic will offer viewers an all-access pass into the 24/7 world of the incredible animal caretakers running one of the most advanced veterinary facilities in the world.
New Baby Mandrill Showcased
Her name is Olive, and she was born on July 25th, but it took a few days for the animal care team to determine the baby mandrill is a girl. Cast Members chose to name the infant Olive to fit in with the rest of her colorful family, including mom, Scarlett and sister, Hazel. You can see the whole mandrill troop on Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
New graphics and construction behind the fence gives us a glimpse of the new entrance to the Roundup Rodeo BBQ Restaurant Coming to Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Earlier text shared the following:
“Using three cardboard boxes cut and taped together, Andy has created a new rodeo arena using some of his favorite toys, games, and play sets. And while some pieces are definitely western-themed, what makes this rodeo special is the broad assortment of toys that have been brought together to create a fun, colorful mashup-atmosphere that only a child could create.”
Here’s a “beyond the fence” view.
Empty Cantinas and Stores
We talk about visiting the Cantina during quieter operational hours.
The former Keystone Clothiers store made recently into a Star Wars store on Hollywood Boulevard.
Epcot
More Food & Wine Reviews
Last week I had a chance to try out a few new dishes at Epcot during the Food & Wine Festival. First was the Mongolian Beef Bao Bun served in China.
For some reason I thought this would be like the bao bun you get at Satuli Canteen, which is similar to how it’s packaged in Asian countries I visited. When I received this I remembered tasting it last year. It was better than the previous visit, lots of beef. But I wouldn’t rush to try it again.
The other dish was a flancocho: a passion fruit cake with coconut Flan. It was available at the Islands of the Caribbean booth.
It tasted good enough, though the honey was a little over the top–literally. It’s nothing I would hurry back to have again.
If you haven’t checked out our post and podcast showcasing this year’s Food & Wine festival be sure to do so. We have sampled over two dozen items and will keep updating it as we continue to visit the park.
Before we leave the parks we should mention that we’ve put together a video of the Disney Character Cavalcades in all four Walt Disney World parks. There are over two dozen Disney characters throughout. Take a look!
Walt Disney World Resorts
When Walt Disney World opened, Roy and Walt wanted every kind of accommodation possible from “a sleeping bag to a suite”. No two places showcase the two opposite ends of that spectrum than Disney’s Grand Floridan Resort and Disney’s Fort Wilderness. Let’s visit.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
The resort is beautiful but empty.
In the courtyard we see the NBA compound.
Check out the barber shop. We share our thoughts about it and more.
Just had to share this beautiful cupcake. It looked better than the bao bun.
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground
We also find an empty campground. So different for this time of year.
We visit the new Tri-Circle-D Ranch.
We end with construction at the Reflections DVC resort. Again, we share our thoughts on the podcast, so be sure to check it out.
There’s Always More
Thanks for joining us. Make sure you check out the following:
DisneyatWork.com
It’s where we take best-in-business ideas from the “Happiest Place on Earth” and help apply them to your business organization. Visit DisneyatWork.com
YouTube.com
It’s our place for videos and more at my YouTube channel J. Jeff Kober
Book a Stay at Walt Disney World
Meanwhile, is it time to book your next trip to Disney? The best person to answer that question is David Zanolla, owner and agent of of Out The Door Travel, LLC. There’s no cost–but it could save you a lot of time–and even money–especially when you put it in the hands of someone who really knows Disney and travel. Call today at 309-863-5469 or reach out to him via zanolla@otdtravel.com
