AuburnJen

Is this a rhetorical question?  

I watched it live last night when they revealed it.  It was nice.  It will be nicer when I can walk through it and not look at a model, lol.

The First Order Fleet Transports were shown at D23 as well.  This was posted on Blog Mickey.  I couldn't find it on WDW Blog.
http://blogmickey.com/2017/07/photos-first-order-battle-escape-ride-vehicle-model/
 

I put the "official" links on the rumor threads, but since all of you are doing such a good job, I am going to leave the rest of them to be posted here.  
HOWEVER,
The admins are going to be LIVE from the next D23EXPO, so you will get all the latest and greatest information from the "horses' mouths"

If you have booked, you probably have already noticed, but if you are planning on booking, be informed, here you go.
http://www.chipandco.com/additional-person-fee-increasing-across-disney-resorts-2018-stays-274956/
 

I have them (Jason sent them to me.)  Here you go.
 

http://www.chipandco.com/new-paint-added-old-streets-america-building-facades-274071/
 

I just got a PM from a "Fiend on the Scene" that the Fort Pool is going to close this afternoon because of a "chemical imbalance".  Now folks, we all know what this means....
TOO MUCH PEE IN THE POOL!
I am laughing so hard right now.
I also came across this gem a little while ago.  I have been giggling all day!

 

I just got a PM from a "Fiend on the Scene" that the Fort Pool is going to close this afternoon because of a "chemical imbalance".  Now folks, we all know what this means....
TOO MUCH PEE IN THE POOL!
I am laughing so hard right now.
I also came across this gem a little while ago.  I have been giggling all day!

 

Here is the latest about Fuel Rods.  They are now available at the following resorts.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Disney’s Boardwalk Resort Disney’s Contemporary Resort Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside http://www.chipandco.com/8-new-fuelrod-locations-walt-disney-world-resorts-272627/

http://www.inquisitr.com/4290722/walt-disney-world-to-erect-lighthouse-statue-in-honor-of-lane-graves-toddler-killed-by-alligator-last-year/
One year ago, a young two-year-old boy by the name of Lane Thomas Graves was attacked and killed by an alligator in Walt Disney World, and the company wishes to honor his memory. Wednesday marks one year since tragedy struck on the edge of the beach at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, but the wounds will never heal. To pay tribute to young boy, Walt Disney World is going to erect a lighthouse statue which is the icon and symbol of the Lane Thomas Foundation.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, the family founded the Lane Thomas Foundation to not only honor Lane but also support the families that have been there for them. With the lighthouse as their symbol, they state it can serve as a “beacon of hope in the depths of despair.”
Disney is looking to do their part as well. George A. Kalogridis, the president of Walt Disney World Resort, issued a statement on Tuesday to detail the company’s plans.
Even though Wednesday is the one-year mark since Lane’s death, a spokeswoman for Walt Disney World did say that no ceremony was planned.
While spending time with his family on the beach of the Grand Floridian Resort on June 14, 2016, Lane was simply playing with a beach pail and scooping up some sand. That was an alligator unexpectedly came out of the water, grabbed the child, and pulled him into the water.
Matt Graves, Lane’s father, attempted to wrestle with the alligator and get his son out of the animal’s clutches, but he could do nothing. More than 16 hours later, police located Lane’s body and after an investigation, his death was marked as an accident.
Over the following months, Walt Disney World made a number of huge changes to its resorts which sat on the edges of lakes and other waterways. Beaches were closed for weeks as rock walls were erected and fencing was put up to further separate beaches from the waterways.
Signs have been put up all over property to let guests know there are dangerous animals such as alligators, snakes, and other creatures in the water and marshes.
Kalogridis did not say where the lighthouse statue was going to be erected on Walt Disney World property, but only that it will arrive later this summer.
The family still has no desire to speak publicly about the tragedy from last year as they just want to live their lives without publicity.
Lane Thomas Graves lost his life far too soon in what can only be seen as a tragic accident that affected his family, friends, and so many others. The alligator attack that killed the child ended up changing so many things at Walt Disney World in an attempt to make all areas as safe for their guests as possible. While those new barriers and safety measures serve as a reminder, the lighthouse statue will serve as an honor and tribute to Lane.
article credit: doctordisney.com and Danny Cox

I have this one from yesterday at Dunkin Donuts.  My comment was just "Why?"
(she didn't appreciate me taking a picture of her car either, lol)
 

According to wdwnt.com, those who abuse the Fast Pass system will now get their accounts locked.  Here is the story:
http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/06/disney-world-cracking-fastpass-cheating-will-begin-locking-guest-accounts-abuse-system/
Disney will soon be turning on a validation system of sorts for FastPass+ usage inside of the Walt Disney World theme parks.

A term dubbed “In-Park Validation” on internal documents, this phrase means the validation of park admission and entry for the day before allowing FastPass+ usage. Guests “in the know” for the past few years have learned a loophole in the system that allows bookings using the in-park FastPass+ kiosks with expired tickets or by using a second ticket on their account to book another set of FastPass+ for the day, but not actually using the ticket to enter the theme park. Basically, tickets not used to enter the park could be used to obtain valid FastPass+ reservations.
There is a similar loophole with Cast Member passes as well, where they have 3+ “Guest Passes” to allow their family and friends into the park, but limited restrictions on FastPass+ booking and usage without redeeming admission.
Another issue that’s been plaguing the parks has been 3rd party tour guides. These are the unofficial tour guides people are finding through numerous Disney fan sites, Craigslist, and more. These guides promise FastPass+ usage for all the attractions for their paying clientele, which means their employees rope-drop the park with these handfuls of expired tickets and cards to book the major attractions first thing in the morning at the FastPass+ kiosks. This is all combining to a few people holding FastPass+ options from thousands of folks who are paying admission that day and now cannot find anything they want available.
This in-park validation system will check to ensure that a guest used an active ticket for admission before redeeming a FastPass+. If you didn’t, the Cast Member at the FastPass+ line at any attraction can see this and deny you entry. Repeated attempts will lock MyDisneyExperience accounts from utilizing the FastPass+ booking option, which can be a serious deal for those abusing the system. Guest Relations will be able to unblock accounts if the behavior was deemed non-abusive.
This new policy is slated to rollout within the next few weeks at Walt Disney World. Stay tuned for a more definite date.
article and photo credit: Tom Corless and wdwnt.com
 

The best way to get near the draft horses is when they are getting new shoes honestly. (my opinion only here)  They(the blacksmith crew) let my son even pet the horse and take pictures with him.  He was very gentle and demanded more petting.  It definitely was not with a bunch of people though.  This was this past week during break.
 

It should be back.  Sorry for the problem.  The issue is resolved now and you all should not have a problem.  The old version is there and we are still working on the new version and will have it up asap.

Here, I found it on chipand.com 
 
Annual passes: Florida-Resident Gold Passes (which include block out dates during Christmas and spring break) are going up from $549.00 to $559.00.  Florida-Resident Platinum Passes (which include no block out dates) are going up from $649.00 to $679.00. I am breathing again.  Thanks chipandco.com
http://www.chipandco.com/disney-world-raises-ticket-prices-annual-passholder-rates-259495/

According to chipandco.com Trails End will now offer brunch on certain dates.  Here is the information.
http://www.chipandco.com/trails-end-restaurant-disneys-fort-wilderness-resort-offers-brunch-select-dates-2017-259212/
 
Trail’s End Restaurant located at The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort is offering a bountiful brunch on select dates throughout the year. The restaurant originally began testing a weekend-only brunch menu back in May 2016 but reservations are now available during the week as well.
Whether you’re on the run or simply in the mood for something fun, book a reservation for an upcoming brunch at Trail’s End on the following dates in 2017:
February 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26 March 4, 5 and 11 – 26 April 1, 2, 8 – 23, 29, 30 May 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28 & 29 June 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 and 18 – 30 July 1 – 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 August 5, 6 September 4 Dig into a heaping brunch feast fit for the Frontier including:
Mickey & Belgian waffles with topping Carving station with smoked bacon & glazed ham Omelets and eggs made to order Bacon, sausage and hash browns Pasta, fried chicken and mashed potatoes Cold foods like shrimp, smoked salmon & salads Plus, an entire island dedicated to dessert! Reservations can be made online or by calling 407-WDW-DINE up to 180 days prior to your visit.
article credit: chipandco.com

Oh yes, Snarky and Fort Fiends.net are going to be 6 years old on Sunday!  
We are so happy and glad all of you are here!
Monique and I are working on new designs for this year and our goal will be to load the store with them AFTER WILD WOMENS WEEKEND.  (not before, hahahaha)
If you are of the creative type, and would be willing to come up with a design for a shirt to put in our store, you can earn a $50 credit in the store for anything you choose.   
I still can't believe it has been 6 years!
We now have to start thinking about renewing next year our trademark and filing a separate trademark for Snarky's logo.  We will be starting a fundraising effort for that this year.  

Oh yes, Snarky and Fort Fiends.net are going to be 6 years old on Sunday!  
We are so happy and glad all of you are here!
Monique and I are working on new designs for this year and our goal will be to load the store with them AFTER WILD WOMENS WEEKEND.  (not before, hahahaha)
If you are of the creative type, and would be willing to come up with a design for a shirt to put in our store, you can earn a $50 credit in the store for anything you choose.   
I still can't believe it has been 6 years!
We now have to start thinking about renewing next year our trademark and filing a separate trademark for Snarky's logo.  We will be starting a fundraising effort for that this year.  

Oh yes, Snarky and Fort Fiends.net are going to be 6 years old on Sunday!  
We are so happy and glad all of you are here!
Monique and I are working on new designs for this year and our goal will be to load the store with them AFTER WILD WOMENS WEEKEND.  (not before, hahahaha)
If you are of the creative type, and would be willing to come up with a design for a shirt to put in our store, you can earn a $50 credit in the store for anything you choose.   
I still can't believe it has been 6 years!
We now have to start thinking about renewing next year our trademark and filing a separate trademark for Snarky's logo.  We will be starting a fundraising effort for that this year.  

Oh yes, Snarky and Fort Fiends.net are going to be 6 years old on Sunday!  
We are so happy and glad all of you are here!
Monique and I are working on new designs for this year and our goal will be to load the store with them AFTER WILD WOMENS WEEKEND.  (not before, hahahaha)
If you are of the creative type, and would be willing to come up with a design for a shirt to put in our store, you can earn a $50 credit in the store for anything you choose.   
I still can't believe it has been 6 years!
We now have to start thinking about renewing next year our trademark and filing a separate trademark for Snarky's logo.  We will be starting a fundraising effort for that this year.  

Thanks to wdwnt.com, one of their bloggers went on Pirates of the Carribean and all of the AudioAnimatronics are turned off.  Watch!  It is spooky.
http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/01/video-take-creepy-ride-pirates-caribbean-audio-animatronics-turned-off/
 
I have seen a broken or immobile animatronics character from time to time on many a Disney attraction, but I’m not sure I’ve ever been on a ride where every single audio-animatronic was turned off. Well, that’s what happened to our Disneyland Reporter Conner Purzycki as he rode Pirates of the Caribbean on Thursday evening:
Pretty creepy, huh? At least he wasn’t riding “it’s a small world” when this happened…
We don’t know exactly what happened to the ride, but it appears it wasn’t anything too major as it reopened shortly after this happened.
Article credit: wdwnt.com  Video credit: wdwnt.com and youtube

Some of these are over the top and some not so much, but you be the judge.  Thanks to chipandco.com for the pictures and information!  Enjoy!
http://www.chipandco.com/magic-kingdom-offer-new-breakfast-items-257612/

New breakfast items will soon be offered at Magic Kingdom Park. Sleepy Hollow in Fantasyland will debut an egg, ham and tomato waffle sandwich later this month. The fruit and chocolate-hazlenut waffle sandwich and a freshly-made waffle topped with strawberries and whipped cream are also available.

Plaza Ice Cream Parlor has introduced the donut sundae, a donut topped with your favorite flavor of hand-scooped Edy’s ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, apple, peanut butter and chocolate chips topped off with a cherry. Mickey waffles, Kelloggs cereal and donuts are offered as well.

Casey’s Corner will offer a brunch-like option of corn dog nuggets and the hash brown dog. Muffins, bagels and croissant donuts are also available for breakfast.
photos and article credit: chipandco.com

I, as a rule, do not set up my magic bands to have charging privileges at all.  This way I keep everyone in control, mostly myself.