New Figment Bus, 2020 Test Track Closure, Ride Heist & More Disney World Updates
It’s been a while since our last Walt Disney World news & rumors round-up, so we’re back with the latest on transportation (both bus and Skyliner), new dining, Test Track’s 2020 closure, and tales of mystery and (journey into) imagination–including both Figment’s new “ride” and a true WDW crime caper!
We’ll start with Epcot, which is going to see another attraction go down in early 2020 with the refurbishment of Test Track. Test Track will be closed starting January 13, 2020 through February 26, 2020. This refurbishment is anticipated to be routine maintenance, and will include all components of the Test Track building (meaning the post-show exhibits and gift shop will also close).
While Walt Disney World has not indicated as such, we believe this is likely being done prior to Spaceship Earth going down for its big overhaul. Disney has already announced and teased this, indicating a new “story light” would be added to the attraction. Several months prior to that, we shared our 2-Year Spaceship Earth Reimagining Rumors post.
This is simply speculation on our part, but it seems highly unlikely that Walt Disney World would close Test Track and Spaceship Earth simultaneously, especially with Innoventions now gone and so much other work already occurring in Future World. More likely, Disney wants to get all routine maintenance in Future World done ahead of Spaceship Earth closing.
It would be pragmatic for Walt Disney World to want nothing else to go down unexpectedly while that prominent attraction is also down for a prolonged period. It also wouldn’t be surprising if the construction walls around Test Track are expanded to encompass the adjacent walkways, so whatever necessary reconfiguration work can also be accomplished. We’d expect more Epcot refurbishment announcements in the near future.
Continuing to the big food news: Portillo’s is opening in Lake Buena Vista, Florida! It’ll be located at the Palm Parkway and Daryl Carter Blvd interaction near Walt Disney World (specifically, Disney Springs). The pun-filled announcement from Portillo’s is filled with references to Walt Disney World, among other things.
The only disappointing aspect of this Portillo’s news is that the famous Chicago-style hot dog restaurant won’t be coming directly to Disney Springs, as was rumored earlier this year. However, it should be under 10 minutes from Disney Springs, and almost within walking distance of the Disney Character Warehouse Outlet–you can always send a “hot dog runner” to grab some of those while you’re waiting in Florida’s longest line at the outlet.
The convenient location near Disney Springs and the popular WDW outlet will make it an easy Uber or Lyft option. Then again, who knows? Maybe Portillo’s will be so popular that Walt Disney World will expand bus service to include a stop at Portillo’s on the way to Typhoon Lagoon?! (Not really.)
As anyone from the Midwest will undoubtedly tell you, this is pretty big news. Portillo’s is sort of like the In-N-Out Burger of Chicago (except serving different foods…and not nearly that delicious!), with a fervent fanbase that’ll no doubt take issue with me calling it inferior to In-N-Out Burger.
Hailing from the Midwest, we already have extensive experience with Portillo’s. (Let’s call it “early field research.”) In fact, the photos here are from the flagship River North location in Chicago, which I’d recommend visiting if you’re ever in town. The decor is fun and eclectic, and the food is fantastic and inexpensive.
There was much jubilation when the first Portillo’s opened near us. Many hours that could’ve been wasted studying were instead spent waiting in line and dining at Portillo’s. This greatly improved our quality of life, reduced stress, and (almost certainly) increased our life expectancy. In other words, we’re deeply indebted to Portillo’s.
Thanks to all of the aforementioned research, I can tell you right now that the perfect Portillo’s order is a Hot Dog (Chicago-style, of course), Big Beef Sandwich, and Chocolate Cake Shake.
I truly cannot wait for this. It’s been way too long since I’ve enjoyed one of those glorious Chicago dogs. The upcoming restaurant may technically be off-site, but it’s “close enough” and you better believe we’ll have a review of Portillo’s on the blog once it opens. (Spoiler alert: it’s delicious!)
Next, the latest in the great attraction heist, which is something of an ongoing Walt Disney World crime saga that will surely form the basis for True Detective Season 5, starring Christopher Walken and Kevin James.
Orlando Sentinel is reporting that $20,000 worth of pieces were stolen from Walt Disney World, which they uncovered in a law enforcement report. Per that, a Cast Member doing inventory noticed a set of sails used on Peter Pan’s Flight ride vehicles had disappeared from storage shed behind Test Track in Epcot.
Upon further investigation, the Cast Member discovered that a Space Mountain shell and seats had also gone missing. Walt Disney World contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and filed a report, but has declined to provide further comment. It’s a mystery how the grand theft and burglary occurred, given that the items were in padlocked storage surrounded by a fence.
While writing this, I’m now realizing we never covered the first 37 installments in this true life crime saga. How we glossed over the whole Where’s Buzzy and #FindBuzzy pandemonium is truly beyond me. It has been one of the most interesting and bizarre Walt Disney World stories of the year, so I sincerely apologize for that. I can’t even begin to recap it all here, but there are no shortage of articles about it you can find via Google. (Be prepared to lose a few hours if you decide to head down that rabbit hole.)
To be clear, there is no evidence that this is in any way related to the Buzzy caper or that same bandit. If my years in the criminal justice system (mostly spent watching Law & Order) have taught me anything, it’s that coverage of one crime can inspire copycats. From this, I’ve also learned that there’s apparently a thriving and lucrative black market for rare Walt Disney World attraction props and items.
“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!”
That’s how I feel when it comes to Figment and Walt Disney World. Earlier this week in our Epcot Forever Review: You Can’t Go Home Again, I wrote that I had a momentary lapse of reason when reading Journey into Imagination rumors prior to the D23 Expo, becoming foolishly optimistic and excited only to be let down.
Then I saw photos of the Figment’s sweet new ride, and I once again got pretty excited. Yeah, I know it’s “just a bus,” but it’s a pretty fly set of wheels. Naturally, the cool new Figment bus led to a ton of speculation on social media. What could this mean?!?
Wanting to see this in person, Sarah agreed that we could spend all day hanging out at the Disney Springs bus stops, as one does. We’ve had pretty poor luck with the other character buses, so I was all ready to camp out for the long haul.
Then, we were filling up at the Speedway station yesterday, and the Figment bus serendipitously pulled up right along side us in the bus refueling area. I think I got the most excited anyone has ever been at a gas station (at least, while not engaged in lewd and lascivious acts).
This new Figment bus has led to a lot of speculation, all of which could be filed under “wishful thinking” rather than bona fide rumors. I won’t repeat any of that wishful thinking or speculation here as I don’t want you to unnecessarily get your hopes up.
All I will say is that if you like this Figment bus (or really anything, for that matter), you should voice that to Walt Disney World. Whether it be by emailing Walt Disney World directly or sharing your elation on social media, forums, blog post comments, etc.
Expressing approval and proactively stating what you like is infinitely more effective than signing a petition or complaining after the die has been cast.
Since we covered the new NextGen Sensational Six Buses at Walt Disney World, a variety of other character buses have rolled out. These don’t follow the same visual style of the Sensational Six buses, and are more like gigantic ‘mural art’ buses.
This new style includes Maleficent, Guardians of the Galaxy, Pandora — World of Avatar, Dumbo, Frozen, Moana, Monsters Inc, and the Lion King.
In other breaking bus news, free WiFi was just added to the fleet at Walt Disney World. The WiFi network here is different from in-park or resort WiFi, and as such, it won’t automatically connect when you’re in range.
To connect, look for the “Disney Transport Guest” network when you’re at the bus stops or aboard a bus. It doesn’t appear the entire fleet has been upgraded, but you’ll see a little sticker near the door of the (unwrapped) buses that now have WiFi. Between this and the USB chargers aboard some of the new vehicles, Disney buses are now the “perfect” workstations during your Walt Disney World vacation!
Sticking on the topic of buses but transitioning to the Skyliner…we really have nothing new to report here following last weekend’s collision/accident/incident/unplanned maintenance/whatever you’re inclined to call it and evacuation. ‘Resort Skyliner’ buses are operating as alternative transportation among the Skyliner destinations, and signs are up around the Skyliner and Crescent Lake Resorts indicating that it’s not operating.
Walt Disney World still hasn’t released any new information about when the Skyliner will be operational again–or anything else, for that matter. Aside from a short statement downplaying what happened and indicating that there’s a “team diligently looking into the cause of the malfunction,” it’s been pretty much radio silence from Disney. We’ll keep you posted if and when we hear more about when the Skyliner will return, or if Walt Disney World releases additional info about it.
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Your Thoughts
Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I hope they revamp Figment. It was such a cool ride when it opened way back when. But it is so boring now. Not at all Disney worthy. Very disappointed it hasn’t been upgraded or totally changed yet!
Thanks for your updates!
That gas station excitement comment just gave me a good laugh. Thank you. I’ve never heard or been to a Portillo’s but we will definitely check it out because of your post.
Oh no!! We are coming from Canada to WDW the first week of Feb and one of our planned attractions at Epcot was Test Track seeing my husband works for GM! Are you sure of the dates?? I am so disappointed!
Epcot has generally been my favorite Disney Park but I have to say that if it wasn’t for the Food and Wine Festival I would be skipping it this fall. I realize it needs the new construction but the construction walls really detract from the beauty of the park and make it very difficult to get from one place to another. Also no France movie, no Canada movie. I know some find them boring but I love the beauty of both shows and of course the AC. With test track down I will find it very difficult to get my grandkids or husband to join me at Epcot.
I bet the guy that stole the space mountain car and the peter pan sails made a better ride in his garage than Smugglers Run (TM)
Haha. So true. That ride was pretty terrible even with tempered expectations. And I’m a Star Wars fan.
I was disappointed to hear about the Skyliner accident, not so much because I like the Skyliner, but because it continues to confirm to me what I’ve been saddened to observe increasingly in the last several years: that Disney has been gradually abandoning their focus on the guests/families and the legendary service they used to be famous for in favor of the bottom line. I am afraid this is another case of teetering on the precipice of sacrificing guest safety to save a buck. My family and I loved Disney for they used to be generous and used to care about people. Not so much anymore. The quality of service has sadly gone down in recent years. What do you think Tom?
hey man gotta pay for chinese parks and bow to chinese masters, like espn, and the NBA
So true. Totally agree with your assessment. We have been going since 1980 and it is gone down in recent years.
We’ve “only” been going since 1998, but made some wonderful memories as a family going almost every year. Those memories are tugging at me to go back, but last year we had such poor service at Art if Animation, they ended up returning to us a full quarter of the cost of our package because of it.
Test Track will be down???? Oh man, I am never going to get a chance to ride that. When we were last in Disney (2012), it was also down all the days we were in Epcot. And now it will be closed the whole time we’ll be in Disney. Oh well. I wonder how it will affect the wait times at the other rides (the few that are left lol).
Portillos is fantastic!
Really great food & atmosphere!!
Living in Palm Springs CA, I stop by the one in Moreno Valley all the time on my way to and from the Disneyland Resort.
But when at Disney World, “outside the bubble” might as well be “in Siberia”.
I’ll keep getting my fix here in So Cal.
I’m surprised Tom hasn’t been going to the Portillo’s in Buena Park since he’s out in LA now. It’s right down the street from Knott’s Berry Farm and maybe 10 miles from Disneyland. Coming from Las Vegas, it’s barely out of my way to Anaheim for Disneyland or Ducks’ games.
Love Figment and any fan pandering Disney wants to throw out is a win for me. Having been on all three versions of the Imagination ride I can say with authority more Figment> less Figment.
For the Buzzy story if you search “Jenny Nicholson Buzzy” there is a half hour video about Buzzy’s disappearance I find so fascinating. I would love your thoughts if you ever wanted to write in depth about this mystery, Tom!
Hooray for Figment design. I would rather ride the Figment bus than the Skyliner.
winning comment right here.
I’m surprised Disney isn’t at least shining some strobe lights on the Skyliner cars to give the impression they’re moving as you pass by.
Oh my god I love that Figment bus. It’s very 90s Lisa Frank. I also love that lately, with this and his representation in Festival of the Arts, they’re really embracing his original association with art and creativity. It makes me optimistic that there’s finally some understanding about what Figment stood for- I think in large part due to the fact that people that were inspired by him as children, like me, are now in their 30s and likely more than a few are occupying the controlling artistic positions at Disney- and maybe there will be an attempt to bring that back to his attraction.
Yay!
Omg LISA FRANK. You are SO right 🙂 I love that bus now – makes me relive my childhood 🙂
Total bummer about the Skyliner. Made my Pop Century res for November in the hopes of using it.
But to be frank, this is what happens when you do things as cheaply as possible. While it’s questionable whether the issue was truly mechanical or human error, it’s clear they didn’t have enough evacuation drills, or even get enough of the equipment that the fire department needed. Not enough cherrypickers/barges to get everyone evacuated in a reasonable amount of time. Imagine people getting stuck for nearly three hours in the middle of July? Yikes!
Tom,
Are you sure of the test track refurbishment dates? I don’t see it listed on Disney website. What’s your source? It’s disappointing as I will be there for a week starting 1/14/20.
Glad to see a Figment Bus. He is under-rated and overshadowed by Princesses in EPCOT. He is the original star of EPCOT and needs more publicity and a bigger role. This makes me happy.
Hey Tom! How about that news of the new great plant based options Disney is adding !
hey at least no lines for those!
Jon, you are so cool -trolling a Disney blog! Thumbs up buddy
No real news of value here … beyond the Portillo’s opening, which really isn’t as important to 99% of your readers as what limited time cupcakes are being offered at Pop Century Resort & Spa Featuring Skyliner Servi… maybe not.
It does make me wonder if you guys have ever been to Freddie’s in LBV for their great burgers, hot dogs, fries and custard. That place has been open for a good five years now.
BTW, doesn’t WDW’s security inspire as much confidence as the safety and efficiency of their transportation system these days? Or is it just me?
We live in central Illinois and have Freddie’s in our town. Freddie’s is good, but Portillos is a whole different level of better! We bring Portillos beef home In bulk packs anytime we drive to the Chicago area and have even had it shipped to us on vacation at the beach! So for those of us in the know, it is big news!! Just wish they would open a Portillos in my town!
We live in Central IL and there is one in our town. My kids would go a couple times a week if we let them
For all you non-Illinoisians, Portillo’s is THE Italian Beef and Chicago Hot Dog place.
Everyone should eat there.
Get some cake.
Perhaps Disney should rethink their structuring of ticket prices. Buy a 4 day pass and get the park hopper option for Epcot only. Charging full price for Epcot is ridiculous considering how much of it is closed.
in 2016 we took a short 4 day trip without hoppers and opted to spend 2 days at mk and skip HS for this exact reason since it was half closed there as well. it’s ridiculous in both cases a full day’s price is still being charged, but of course they would never reduce prices.
We booked our November 2019 vacation stay at the Caribbean long time ago just for the Skyliner convenience. I know you said you would keep us updated BUT since you are my boots on the ground do you recommend changing resorts at this time? Do you hear rumors of it running in the next month?
It’s total radio silence. Haven’t heard a single word.
I’d hope that it’ll be running by November, but it’s truly impossible to know. It really depends upon what, if any kind of changes they opt to make to the system. (I wouldn’t change resorts, but that’s just me.)
I know even less than you do, but here’s my reading of the tea leaves:
If it was a simple problem, the Skyliner would be up and running by now. I guess there’s a slight possibility that all that is needed is additional cast training, in which case the Skyliner might be up again in a few weeks.
My guess is that it’s a complex problem, or even worse, they’re still trying to figure out what went wrong. In this situation, it could well be down for months. Ideally there should already be safeguards which prevent operator error from causing a collision.
An additional factor is that Disney has to be as close as possible to absolutely sure that there won’t be future major malfunctions before they re-open it. One accident is a serious problem, but a second one anytime soon would be a catastrophe from a PR standpoint. Finally, if local government officials get involved this could really stretch the process out.
So my totally uninformed guess is that it will be down for quite a while.
this chicagoan is loving your deep appreciation for all things portillo’s!
Tom, Is all of the Skyliner down or is just one part of it down?
All of it.
Tom I always loved Figment and was terribly saddened when the ride was changed. Loved the sing, loved the Dream finder and the ability to meet them outside the ride. It would be wonderful if they could bring him back in some form. And the new bus gives me some hope.