Ears the News with Richard

Ears the News is brought to you courtesy of our friends at WDWMagic.com

Flik from "a bugs life" will be returning to Disney's Animal Kingdom for meet and greets this weekend.

You can meet Flik from October 4 2015 near Starbucks on Discovery Island.

Daisy is moving to Epcot in place of Duffy and will no longer be appearing for meet and greets at Disney's Animal Kingdom. She will however still be appearing at Tusker House Restaurant.

Downtown Disney is now officially Disney Springs, and to mark the occasion, leaders held a brief ceremony last week  in The Landing's Waterview Park.

Appearing at the event was Walt Disney World President, George A. Kalogridis and Disney Springs Vice President Keith Bradford - along with the Walt Disney World Ambassadors.

Check out this video from WDWMagic.

To go along with the new name, Disney has also launched a new dedicated website for Disney Springs.

Separate from the main Walt Disney World website, the very elegantly designed 

http://www.disneysprings.com gives an overview of all the shopping, dining and entertainment offerings at Disney Springs.

Operating hours for each location, tips for visiting, and maps are all included - along with suggestions
on things to do during the day, night and tomorrow. 

Kali Rapids has now been removed from morning Extra Magic Hours line-up at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

The white-water rafting ride was added to the EMH offering in August, with its last morning EMH availability now being October 2 2015. Kali Rapids will now open with the rest of the park at 9am on morning EMH days.

Also at Kali Rapids, the test of compulsory use of lockers for personal items has been cancelled.

Starting October 16 2015, 'One Man's Dream' at Disney's Hollywood Studios will be showing preview scenes from the upcoming Disney-Pixar movie 'The Good Dinosaur.'

You can see the preview through December 4 2015, with the original 'One Man's Dream' movie returning on December 5 2015.

'The Good Dinosaur' opens in theaters on November 25 2015.

Check out the trailer below, from Disney-Pixar

Rafiki will be meeting and greeting with guests in Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom from October 4 2015.

The meet and greet will be near to the Sunshine Tree Terrace.

At the same time, Stitch will be leaving Tomorrowland, but will continue to appear in the Move It, Shake It Street Party each day.

Minnie Mouse will be appearing in a new character meet and greet experience in the Animation Courtyard later this week at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

From October 8 2015, Minnie will move from the current center stage area to a new space outside the Disney Junior - Live on Stage! building.

The meet and greet will be themed after the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse TV show, with Minnie appearing in her Clubhouse outfit.

Parking at Walt Disney World theme parks has increased to $20 for most guests, up from the previous price of $17.

●     Cars and Motorcycles $20

●     Campers and Trailers $22

●     Bus and Tractor Trailer $25

Parking is now included with all Annual Pass tickets.

Resort Valet parking has also increased to $25.

The new pricing is effective October 4 2015.

Effective October 4 2015, the Tables in Wonderland dining discount program will see an increase in price.

The new price will see an increase of $50 over previous pricing, and is now $150 for Annual Passholders and DVC members, and $175 for Florida Residents.

Disney is introducing an all new Annual Pass ticket program, with new pricing and new benefits.

Some tickets are only available to Florida Residents, including the Silver, Weekday Select and Epcot After 4 Pass. The Gold Pass is available only to Florida Residents and DVC Members.

For non-Florida Residents, there are two passes available, The Platinum Plus Pass and Platinum pass.

Disney Vacation Club Members can purchase Platinum Plus, Platinum, and Gold.

All Annual Pass tickets now include complimentary parking. Monthly payment plans continue to be available with a $112 down-payment up-front.

New pricing is effective October 4 2015, and is for ages 3+.

Disney Platinum Plus PassNew: $829 + tax / Florida Residents and DVC Members $729 + tax.Renewal: $705 + tax / Florida Residents and DVC Members $619 + tax.Charter: Non-FL Resident $685 + tax / Florida Resident and DVC $599 + tax.

Disney Platinum PassNew: $749 + tax / Florida Residents and DVC Members $649 + tax.
Renewal: $635 + tax / Florida Residents and DVC Members $549 + tax.
Charter: Non-FL Resident $615 + tax / Florida Resident and DVC $539 + tax.

Disney Gold PassNew: Florida Residents and DVC Members $549 + tax.
Renewal: Florida Residents and DVC Members $466 + tax.

Disney Silver PassNew: Florida Residents $389 + tax.
Renewal: Florida Residents Renewal $330 + tax.

Disney Weekday Select PassNew: $259 + tax.

Epcot After 4 PassNew: Florida Resident $249 + tax.
Renewal: Florida Resident $211 + tax.

A new high-end chocolate shop will be coming to The Landing at Disney Springs later this year.

Owned and operated by Disney, The Ganachery will offer custom blended chocolates with flavors from around the world, handmade ganache, bonbons and more.

The Ganachery will be very different from the other candy stores at Disney Springs, with the focus here on creativity and high-end chocolate. If you have travelled to Japan, expect something similar to the chocolate boutiques found there.

Pecos Bill’s has reopened with their new, Tex-Mex menu. New entrees include rice bowls and burritos with your choice of beef, chicken, or veggies. Fajitas sizzle with delicious steak or chicken. For a lighter option, try the Southwest Chicken Salad. Fans of the fixin’s bar needn’t worry, it’s back and better than ever with tasty sauces, salsas, peppers, onions, cheese and more.

Look for traditional tortilla chips and Chicken Enchilada Soup as scrumptious side dishes. For dessert? Mini churros with dipping chocolate and Sopapillas (a crispy, puffy, fried pastry) make for a perfectly sweet ending to your meal.

Disney is once again offering big discounts for active and retired U.S. military personnel.

At Walt Disney World Resort – from September 25, 2015 through December 16, 2016, active and retired U.S. military personnel (including active and retired members of the United States Coast Guard, National Guard and Reservists) or their spouses can purchase:

Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets with Park Hopper Option for $196 each, plus tax

Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets with Water Park Fun and More Option for $196 each, plus tax

Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets with Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More Options for $230 each, plus tax.

Walt Disney World Resort tickets may be used January 3, 2016, through December 19, 2016, except that the tickets may not be used March 20, 2016 – April 1, 2016.

Active and retired U.S. military personnel can purchase Disney Military Promotional Tickets for themselves and up to five additional family members or friends. No more than six Disney Military Promotional Tickets may be purchased by any eligible member of the U.S. military (or spouse) pursuant to this offer. All tickets and options are non-transferable and must be used by December 19, 2016.

At the Disneyland Resort – from October 12, 2015 through December 16, 2016, active and retired U.S. military personnel (including active and retired members of the United States Coast Guard, National Guard and Reservists) or their spouses can purchase:

Disney Military Promotional 3-Day Park Hopper Tickets for $143 each

Disneyland tickets may be used January 3, 2016, through December 19, 2016, except that the tickets may not be used March 20, 2016– April 1, 2016.

Active and retired U.S. military personnel can purchase Disney Military Promotional Tickets for themselves and up to five additional family members or friends. No more than six Disney Military Promotional Tickets may be purchased by any eligible member of the U.S. military (or spouse) pursuant to this offer. All tickets and options are non-transferable and must be used by December 19, 2016.

Active and retired U.S. military personnel can also take advantage of specially priced rooms at select Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort hotels.* This offer is valid for stays most nights from January 3, 2016, through December 19, 2016, except for:

March 20, 2016 – April 1, 2016

For information on Disney 4-Day Military Promotional Tickets for admission to Walt Disney World Resort, or to make room reservations at Walt Disney World Resort, military personnel may call 407-939-7830 or participating U.S. military base ticket offices. For information regarding Disney 3-Day Military Promotional Tickets for admission to the Disneyland Resort, or to make room reservations at the Disneyland Resort, military personnel may call 714-520-7088 or participating U.S. military base ticket offices. Information is also available at disneymilitaryoffers.com.

Next year's Night of Joy will see some significant changes with the concerts to be held at ESPN Wide World of Sports.

Night of Joy guests will continue to get admission to the Magic Kingdom, but Disney hasn't yet said if the park will be exclusively available to Night of Joy guests, or if access will be during regular park hours. Disney will be providing transportation between the concert venues at Wide World of Sports and the Magic Kingdom.

ESPN Wide World of Sports complex provides a number of venues both indoors and outdoors that will be more flexible during inclement weather. It will also help Magic Kingdom operations with the difficulty of hosting the event in the park.

The Magic Kingdom's Pirates of the Caribbean has recently reopened from a three month refurbishment that has brought a handful of upgrades to the show.

The show scenes have a fresh coat of paint, the audio has been improved, and the animatronics have all been redressed and improved. The show content has not changed and the ride still has the same familiar feel, albeit looking and sounding much fresher.

Backstage upgrades were also carried out on elements of the ride system.

Check out this video from WDWMagic.