This is the weekly news, rumors and refurbishments update for Walt Disney World for the week of June 29, 2014.
Here are the three biggest updates from around the resort for the past seven days…
1. Rumors of a Soarin’ expansion are churning once again
Since the debut of Soarin’ at Epcot, rumors have been swirling that an additional theater will be built to boost its capacity. Although the attraction has remained the same for the past nine years, these rumors are being brought back to life.
It is all but confirmed that the current California film is going to be replaced with a new “around the world” film possibly around 2016. As a result of the new film, Disney is probably expecting an increase in demand for the attraction. The obvious decision to handle the additional demand would be to build a third and possibly fourth theater behind the current ones (by “theater”, I mean the giant screen and simulator).
The image above was taken from Google Earth and you can see the Soarin’ show building in the bottom left corner (the purple-ish color building). An additional theater fits directly on the plot of land behind the current one.
Sparking the rumors are reports of that area being cleared and prepped for construction. If this is true it won’t be too long before permits are filed and construction begins. For now, this is just a rumor with some legs.
2. The Yankee Trader is now closed for refurbishment
The Haunted Mansion may finally get its own gift shop.
The Yankee Trader is a gift shop across from the Haunted Mansion and will be closed for refurbishment until the end of September.
It is rumored that the store will be re-themed into a Haunted Mansion gift shop. Also part of the plan might be to add on-ride photos to the Haunted Mansion. The attraction will take your picture during the hitch hiking ghost scene and the Yankee Trader will serve as a place to view and purchase the photographs.
Of course, Disney has not confirmed this and the store may very well reopen exactly the same way.
3. Dining Packages for Epcot’s Candlelight Processional are now on sale
It’s never too early to start thinking about the holidays…right? Well now you can get into the spirit of the season if you book a dining package for Epcot’s 2014 Candlelight Processional.
© Disney
The Candlelight Processional is a musical re-telling of the Christmas story and is held at the America Gardens Theater. It starts the day after Thanksgiving, November 28 until December 30. A celebrity narrator hosts each show and the current line-up is:
- Jodi Benson November 28 and 29, 2014
- TBD November 30 to December 2, 2014
- TBD December 3 and 4, 2014
- Whoopi Goldberg December 5 and 6, 2014
- TBD December 7 to December 8, 2014
- TBD December 9 to December 11, 2014
- TBD December 12 to December 14, 2014
- Sharon Stone December 15 to December 17, 2014
- Ana Gasteyer December 18 to December 20, 2014
- Marlee Matlin December 21 to December 23, 2014
- TBD December 24 and 25, 2014
- TBD December 26 and 27, 2014
- Steven Curtis Chapman December 28 to December 30, 2014
Celebrity narrators are subject to change without notice.
Show times are 5:00pm, 6:45pm, and 8:15pm, except for December 7 when only the 6:45pm and 8:15pm shows are performed. For the 5:00pm show, your dining time will be between 12:30 – 2:30pm. For the 6:15pm show, your dining time will be between 3:30 – 4:15pm. For the 8:15pm show, your dining time will be between 4:20 – 5:45pm.
Pricing for the Candlelight Processional Dining Packages start at $35 for lunch and $50 for dinner for an adult. The package includes a meal at one of Epcot’s restaurants and a guaranteed seat for the Candlelight Processional. The package is not required to view the performance, but highly recommend, as the stand-by line tends to form very early before each show.
To book a dining package you can call 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463).
