Lighting McQueen and Mater will make a special pit stop at Downtown Disney on June 2 and 3 for Cars Weekend

On June 2nd and 3rd Downtown Disney Car Masters returns to Walt Disney World.

Guests will get a chance to meet characters from the popular Disney/Pixar franchise cars. Lighting himself, Mater and Finn McMissle will drive into Downtown Disney.

Guests will also have the opportunity to see the talking autos on the big screen at a special AMC Downtown Disney 24. Both Cars and Cars two will be screened.

New elements that will debut this year include an appearance by automotive designer Chip Foose, who contributed to the design of Ramone in the “Cars” film and in the upcoming Cars wing of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort; a LEGO interactive zone; “Cars”-themed topiaries; a DJ and food trucks. Jay Ward, Cars guardian, will also make an appearance.

Returning fun will include a chance for guests to test-drive Ridemakerz model cars and browse a car show presented by Hess that will feature more than 100 classic, muscle and exotic cars. Families can even vote for their favorite car this year. GM will also have their latest and greatest models on display.

Check out the video featuring Jay Ward

Scheduled for either an opening this summer or fall The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow is replacing the Narnia themed Prince Caspian. While Caspian and its predecessor, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, were huge disappointments, it is hoped that this attraction will be more than a chance to see some props from a movie.  Disney has not said much about it yet. The only hint we have is that it will be an immersive look into the four movies and their eccentric captain. I guess we will have to wait and see but I hope that the opening does not prove to be a day we will always forget.

Of course it will only go up if I keep making the site better. I have been working on several things lately behind the scenes trying to find the right plug-ins to do what I want. You  may have noticed I changed how pictures are posted to the blog. It took quite a while to find the right plug-ins for this and quite a bit longer to get them to work the way I wanted. Take a look at the Pirates of the Caribbean slide show to see what I mean.

As a guest here I hope you enjoy your visits and if you can do me a favor follow grumpymickey.com on our FB page. And if you see something you like on the site, drop me a note. If you see something you don’t, feel free to drop me a note about that too! Thanks for stopping by and have a grumpy day!

Unfortunately to unlock some of the features you actually have to be in one of the parks! I know the apps are designed for helping you in the park but that is not how I use it! I use it to take the edge of my Disney withdrawal because I cannot be in the parks! Still it’s pretty cool.

Read more by clicking the pic.

What this will do to the story line is still not known, at least by Grumpy, but the story line was not what kept people coming back to the safari anyway. It was the real life animals and the fact that every ride is a different experience.

The safari will stay open during the refurbishment and is expected to be completed by fall of 2012.

Look forward to more Zebras on the safari! Coming Fall 2012

So what is free dining? I am glad you asked! Free dining means that Disney will give you one of their Dining Plans for free.  As you might imagine this can save you quite a bit of money.

Unfortunately the number of rooms available and the dates that are open are limited.  The dates are limited to check-in between August 25-September 29, 2012. Three resorts are not included, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s All Star Music Family Suites, and the campsites at Fort Wilderness.

Disney offers a variety of dining plans from the very basic to the very extravagant. For those who are staying at the value resorts the dining plan is the Quick Service variety which includes: Two quick-service meals per person, per night (ages 3+); one snack per person, per night (ages 3+); and one Resort-refillable drink mug. For those staying at a moderate resort or better the plan is the Dining Plan which includes: One table-service meal per person, per night (ages 3+); one quick-service meal per person, per night (ages 3+); one snack per person, per night (ages 3+); and one Resort-refillable drink mug.

As you can imagine this can save quite a bit of money and you can get some great food at the same time, especially if you are staying at a Moderate or Deluxe Resort.