Author: waltdisneynews

It’s been a long time coming, but change is on the horizon for the Disney PhotoPass cameras used at the Walt Disney World theme parks. While visiting EPCOT recently, we noticed that some photographers were using updated cameras and camera lenses, which should significantly improve the quality of Disney PhotoPass photos taken in the theme parks and beyond. Here’s what we saw, and what we know. Disney PhotoPass Camera Upgrades For years, Walt Disney World had a partnership with Nikon. That partnership not only included Nikon branding in the theme parks, but it also extended to the camera equipment that Disney used for its Disney PhotoPass service. Disney PhotoPass is the name for the service that captures your Walt Disney World memories from on-ride photos to character interactions and everything in between. The Nikon partnership, first announced in 2013, came to an end in 2021. We were the first to announce the end of the partnership. Shortly following our article about the end of the partnership, we started to see Nikon branding removed from the theme parks. While the Nikon branding has long been removed, what remained was the camera equipment utilized by Disney PhotoPass photographers. Now, it looks like a big change is coming with regard to the camera equipment that Disney PhotoPass photographers will use. During a recent visit to EPCOT, we noticed that a PhotoPass photographer was using a Sony camera and lens combination. As someone who uses Sony equipment daily

A new Cool Kid Summer offering has debuted at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Daisy’s Dig at Restaurantosaurus invites guests inside The Hip Joint room at the DinoLand quick-service location to hang out with Daisy Duck. In addition to some much-needed air conditioning, guests can find coloring activities and Daisy Duck wandering around, happy to interact and maybe even do some coloring herself. We made it out to Disney’s Animal Kingdom recently to check out the new offering. Daisy’s Dig at Restaurantosaurus Daisy is one lucky duck. She’s ditched her outdoor meet-and-greet area for an inside hangout. Signage outside of the Pterodactyl Pterrace informs guests of the offering. When we visited, there were also Cast Members inviting guests inside to meet with Daisy. Once inside, we found that Daisy Duck and the activities team have taken over The Hip Joint – one of the many themed rooms within Restaurantosaurus. As the story goes, Dino Institute interns would use this room to play games during their free time. We can find a badminton net hanging above us (along with some lodged shuttlecocks), a dart board (sort of), a basketball hoop, and more. This entire room is utilized for the Daisy’s Dig offering. Guests can either pick a character to color from a station, or find some characters and crayons ready for them at the tables. Daisy Duck wanders the room, interacting with a group at a time, sort of like what you might find

BlogMickey.com has been able to confirm that a Test Track ride vehicle impacted the foam sliding doors in the grand finale scene as the car accelerated toward the outdoor portion of the ride. The incident took place during a Cast Member preview yesterday at EPCOT. Four guests were treated on site for injuries sustained when their ride vehicle hit the door. No guests were transported to the hospital. Here’s what we know. Test Track Ride Vehicle Impacts Sliding Door A Test Track ride vehicle impacted the foam sliding doors after the doors failed to open properly during a Cast Member preview yesterday. Four guests were treated on site for injuries sustained during the incident. None were transported to the hospital, which would suggest that the injuries were relatively minor. While the doors, seen in the promotional image below, are supposed to fling open as your car accelerates towards them, they are also built from foam for safety in case they malfunction. While it is rare that they do not open, they are designed to break away should a vehicle impact them, as was the case yesterday. While the sliding door effect itself malfunctioned, the safety measures put in place operated as expected. Test Track Sliding Door Effect Turned Off Following Incident As a result of the malfunction, the doors have been removed for Cast Member previews today. It is unclear if the effect will return at a later time or if Disney will

As Cast Member previews continue for Test Track at EPCOT, we have an early look at the updated Cast Member costumes for the reimagined ride. As you’d imagine, a newly reimagined ride means newly reimagined Cast Member costumes. While Walt Disney World hasn’t announced any details about the new costume, they appear to continue the recent trend of breathable, recycled, lightweight materials. Here’s a closer look! New Test Track Cast Member Costumes First, here’s a look back at the old costumes. The old costumes featured a large “TT” on the front of the costumes in black and blue. The majority of the costumes was gray, with blue sleeves and yellow shoulder stripes. The right shoulder featured the Test Track logo above a Chevrolet logo. Cast Members had the option of dark gray pants or shorts. Test Track “2.0” Cast Member costumes And now, here’s a look at the new Test Track 3.0 Cast Member costumes. Shout out to the Cast Members who were kind enough to pose for a few photos!The new costumes are radically different in style, ditching a more themed look for a polo-style look. The new costume features a shirt that is mostly blue, with a subtle hint of yellow on the zipper. Similar to the old look, Cast Members have an option of dark gray shorts or pants. New Test Track “3.0” Cast Member costumes There are subtle, chevron-style designs on the front and back of the shirt. The entire shirt

As Disney continues to make wonderful progress on a new Fort Wilderness hotel, friend of the site Bioreconstruct recently took to the skies over Walt Disney World to provide a unique view of a number of construction projects. Disney Lakeshore Lodge is the new name for the revived Reflections hotel project at Fort Wilderness, and while we’ve been providing coverage of the construction boom from the ground, a look at the site from some 3,000 feet in the air provides some scale to the imposing nature of the hotel. Let’s take a look! Aerial Photos of Lakeshore Lodge Construction at Fort Wilderness This first photo shows just how large the hotel is, and how it now dominates the once-tranquil waterfront at Fort Wilderness. It’s probably worth repeating that you very likely won’t see the hotel from your campsite, Disney has never built a hotel tall enough for that, but Lakeshore Lodge has forever changed the Settlement/Pioneer Hall area. Here’s a look at Pioneer Hall in the foreground, and Lakeshore Lodge in the background nearby. This photo was taken earlier this month as crews continue to work toward a permitted 10-story maximum height for the hotel. Going back to the aerial photos, we can see just how sprawling the hotel footprint is, and how close it is to Pioneer Hall. In the final angle below, we can see how the hotel is being built in phases, with the “left” side of