Friday Photo

This week Disney released concept art for the upcoming "Festival of Fantasy" parade, due to hit the Magic Kingdom in Spring 2014. So, instead of just one Friday Photo, I'm giving you a bonus. To see the entire group of artist concept drawings (which look amazing!), visit the Official Disney Parks Blog.

 





 

Disney Pulls Another All Nighter

On May 24, guests at the Magic Kingdom can once again party all night long! "The Monstrous Summer All Nighter" was officially announced via a giant projection of Mike Wazowski on Spaceship Earth at Epcot. While technically it is a 24-hour party--from 6:00 a.m. on May 24 through 6:00 a.m. on May 25--the MK will indeed close briefly after that to "reset" for the regular opening on May 25. So, no, you can't stay in the MK for two days straight.

Similar to last year's "One More Disney Day" to celebrate Leap Day, this event will both celebrate the upcoming Monsters University film and also be tied in with Limited Time Magic. (This is also the kick-off of Memorial Day weekend.) There will be special entertainment (likely an extra parade and dance parties, etc.) to help fill the extra hours. And some of the characters will even appear in their PJs!

Does anyone out there have plans to attend? Let me hear from you!

 

Coming Soon to the Magic Kingdom: A Pirate's Adventure

Wait Times Now Posted on Ferries and Monorails

This is a brilliant idea that should have been implemented years ago! Disney has finally begun posting wait times on the monorail and ferry boat signs as you exit the Magic Kingdom (although the ferry boat sign is not yet operating). If you've ever played the, "Which will be faster?" game in your head, as I have, this will certainly help! How many times have you "just missed" that ferry boat and wondered when the next would come along, or tried to figure out how many monorails you'll have to wait through for the crowd ahead of you to be accommodated? At least now, the wait board will give you a more educated estimate as to which method will be most efficient. Hooray for this new addition to the system!

Oh, and btw, the Avengers Monorail seen above has been returned to its former glory as Monorail Red. A sad day for Super Hero fans, but I'm sure it won't be long before we have another fun monorail scheme in the rotation.

 

 

 

Happy "One More Disney Day"! (Oh...and Leap Day!)

Happy Leap Day, readers! Today is your last chance to enter the One More Disney Day Sweepstakes here. I've been following twitter feeds and fan sites posting about the day's events at the Magic Kingdom. It seems that the crowd level and ride waits are all quite manageable--not bad at all. So sad to be missing all the fun!

Are any of my readers there? I had one reader on Facebook comment that she was at Disney's California Adventure today, and it's incredibly crowded. It seems that Disney World is faring better with the crowds than California is. All in all, it seems like a pretty normal day at the Magic Kingdom so far, but there's nothing normal about spending the night there. What a fun place to pull an all-nighter!

Remember, even if you couldn't make it to the MK, you can purchase merchandise for the event at the Disney Store online.

Christmas Day Parade Taping Schedule

The taping of the Diney Parks Christmas Day Parade will take place this Friday and Saturday, December 2 & 3 at the Magic Kingdom. Unless you're determined to actually see the taping--and willing to camp out on Main Street and miss some of your other favorite attractions--I recommend skipping the MK on these two days and focusing on other Parks, as there will be some interruptions in the usual entertainment schedule at the MK. For example, the Main Street Trolley (or its accompanying "show") will not be running either day, and neither will the "Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it!" street party. The "Dream Along with Mickey" castle show will still run on Friday, but will not on Saturday. And the "Celebrate a Dream Come True" parade will start later on both days, at 5:00 p.m., and will begin in Frontierland.

Interactive Park Game HQ to Take Over Main Street Firehouse

When Disney recentlyannounced that the gift shop in the Main Street Firehouse would be closing--without acknowledging what would take its place--tongues started wagging on fan sites. It seems that we now have our answer: Sorcerors of the Magic Kingdom, a new interactive game--not unlike the Kim Possible Adventure in Epcot--will have its headquarters there.

Much like KP, this new interactive adventure will send guests on a quest to find clues that will trigger some sort of action in the various Lands of the Magic Kingdom, and ultimately allowing guests to solve some sort of mystery or dilemma. Unlike KP, however, guests will not be given handheld cell phone devices, but rather cards with bar codes that will somehow drive this experience. (Hey, I'm no technology guru...maybe I'll understand it when I see it.)

Disney has plans for similar games in its Alauni Resort in Hawaii and already has implemented a game using this technology on the Disney Dream cruise ship.

Flynn Rider to Leave Meet-N-Greet

My girls were more than a little disappointed to hear that Flynn Rider will be leaving the Tangled meet-n-greet in the Magic Kingdom, beginning July 3. The "play-n-greet" which replaced Storytime with Belle in the Fairytale Garden, will continue with only Rapunzel.

If there is a bright side to this news, it's that Disney has added additional meet times to the schedule. And guests can still expect to find Flynn Rider at special events, such as Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

Thursday's Tip

You might say today's tip is a whole collection of tips. I like to call it Find the Hidden Gems. On your first visit to Walt Disney World, it really takes almost all your energy just to see the major attractions and soak in the atmosphere. And it takes several visits to be able to say you've done the major and most of the minor attractions. (After more than a dozen trips, I still haven't seen everything!) Somewhere around your 5th or 6th trip (it varies from family to family), you'll realize that you more or less "know the drill." You still enjoy every attraction, of course, but you are finally ready to dig in a bit more...to look for some of the many hidden gems around the World.

Hidden gems are those surprising details that Disney crams into every square inch of their Parks--little things that make you smile. Here are a few you can explore on your next Disney vacation:

Magic Kingdom

• On Main Street, you might come across the occasional "old-timey" telephone. Go ahead--pick it up and listen. You just might get an earful.


• If you're in the train station on Main Street and you have a penny, you can treat yourself to a "moviola" on one of the machines.


• If you get to Tom Sawyer Island early in the morning, you might just find a paint brush that Tom left behind. Take it to a Cast Member for a prize!


• Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe has a couple of interesting trash cans. Listen closely, and you might hear something.


• Legend has it that Cinderella has a favorite horse on Prince Charming's Regal Carousel--the only one with a gold ribbon on its tail. (Hint: This horse is in the middle--not on the outside ring of horses.)

Epcot

• The Kim Possible Adventure has added a whole bunch of hidden gems to the World Showcase. You never know what you might see--and the best part is that you control the action with your Kimmunicator!


• Behind the United Kingdom pavilion, you can try to weave your way through a hedge maze. Don't worry--it's not nearly as tall as a corn maze.


• Near the Canadian pavilion, you will see three totem poles--only one of them is "real." See if you can tell which is made of cedar (and carved by renowned Tsimshian Indian carver, David Boxley) and which two are made of fiberglass?


• Try to make your way to the courtyard of the Germany pavilion at the top of the hour. Listen for the "kukoo!"

Disney's Hollywood Studios

• There's a well near the entrance to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. Pull the rope and listen!


• While you're there, go ahead and open those crates in the bushes that say, "Don't Open." Really...it's OK.


• There's a cool speeder bike near the exit to Star Tours. You're perfectly welcome to hop on and live the fantasy (great photo op!).


• As you go through the turnstiles at Muppet 3-D Vision, you'll see a welcome mat. Take a peek under it.

Animal Kingdom

• Look for D'Vine on the trail between Africa and Asia. This performance artist is not to be missed!


• Along the walkway to Camp Mickey & Minnie, listen for two talkative plants, Herb and Flora.


• The bridge near Kali River Rapids has a few buttons that allow guests to "shower" those riding the attraction.


• This one is a photo clue. If you stand near this small temple area in India, and look across the Park to Everest, you'll see something interesting in the silhouette.

There are so many more. Any favorites to add?