Fun Tidbits From The Xmas Day Parade

WDWNT on December 31, 2008

I’m back from England! Upon arriving home from my flight, I finally got the chance to sit down & watch the Walt Disney World Christmas Day, & I managed to grab a few screen shots of the Disneyland side of the parade:

Ryan Seacrest, the host from Disneyland, went over some of the latest additions at & coming to the resort. Among the additions mentioned were the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough.

Celebration Roundup at Big Thunder Ranch.

Pixie Hollow.

And the thing I was most looking forward to seeing, concept art of the new Tinker Bell float in Disney’s Electrical Parade!

There was a recap of the kick-off for What Will You Celebrate?- Miley Cyrus’ Sweet 16 birthday bash.

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Coming Attractions

WDWNT on December 31, 2008

Even though we are a few days removed from it, here are some interesting pictures taken from the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade of some new attractions on the way to WDW:

Concept art of the “Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party”, debuting in February 2009

The stage inside the Superstar Television Theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Original Concept Art

Original Concept Art

Real stage under construction

Theater and stage

Completed stage with some rules at the bottom

Humbug Made Official

WDWNT on December 30, 2008

Disneyland has now officially announced the entertainment cutbacks for 2009:

As The Year of a Million Dreams celebration comes to a close and the Disneyland® Resort heads into 2009, entertainment offerings and show times are being updated for the kick-off of “What will you celebrate?” 

Disneyland Park 

  • A Christmas Fantasy Parade and “Believe In Holiday Magic” Fireworks Spectacular will run through Sunday, Jan. 4 to close out the holiday season.
  • Disney’s Princess Fantasy Faire will have its last showings of the Royal Coronation Ceremony and Disney Princess Storytelling on Sunday, Jan. 4. Disney Princess Meet & Greet will continue to remain at the Fantasyland Theatre.
  • “Remember Dreams Come True” Fireworks Spectacular will return to the skies above Disneyland® on Jan. 17-19 (Martin Luther King Jr. weekend) and Feb. 13-16 (President’s Day weekend). The show is scheduled to make a full return in March 2009. 
  • Fantasmic! will continue to run daily through most of January and February. 
  • Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams will not return to Disneyland® Park after the holidays. There will be no parades at Disneyland® Park after the holidays due to track work being done on Main Street, U.S.A. 
  • Celebrate! A Street Party will make its debut down Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland® Park on March 27. 

Disney’s California Adventure Park 

  • Disney’s Electrical Parade will have its final run on Sunday, Jan. 4 at Disney’s California Adventure® Park and will not return until June 12 for the summer season. 

Beginning Monday January 5th:

  • Pixar Play Parade at Disney’s California Adventure® Park will be dark on Mondays and Tuesdays. 
  • High School Musical 3: Right Here! Right Now! will be dark on Mondays through Thursdays. 
  • Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular will be dark on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

All entertainment offerings are subject to change without notice.

Registration for American Idol Experience AP Previews Now Open!

WDWNT on December 30, 2008

You can now register for the Walt Disney World Annual Passholder previews of the new American Idol Experience attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios by going to this link. You must have a valid Annual Pass to register and attend the event anytime from February 5-8, 2009. Space is limited, so be sure to register as soon as possible for one of the open time slots on the preview dates mentioned above.

Don’t worry if you can’t be there for these previews, random soft-previews will be occurring throughout the month of January. Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more information on previews of the American Idol Experience becomes available.

New Years Eve!

WDWNT on December 29, 2008

A quick update on New Years Eve at the Disneyland Resort while Luke is still overseas on vacation:

  • Disneyland will stay open until 2:00am with entertainment including live bands through-out the night, A Christmas Fantasy Parade at 3:30pm & 6:30pm, the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks spectacular at 9:25pm, Fantasmic! at 9:00pm & 10:30pm, & the classic Fantasy in the Sky fireworks to ring in 2009 at midnight.
  • Disney’s California Adventure will remain open until 1:00am, with of course live bands, the Pixar Play Parade at 5:15pm, Disney’s Electrical Parade at 8:45pm, & much more!

Of course all the holiday happenings around the resort are avalible until Jan. 4th. For a full listing of the holiday fun visit www.disneyland.com/holiday.

Two New Endurance Events in 2009

WDWNT on December 29, 2008

Just a few weeks away from the 2009 Walt Disney World Marathon, Disney has released information on two new events coming next year:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Road-running enthusiasts will have new opportunities to run for fun at Walt Disney World Resort this spring as Disney’s Endurance Series introduces ESPN The Weekend 5K Feb. 28 and Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend presented by Lady Foot Locker March 6-8.

The ESPN The Weekend 5K at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will include special appearances by ESPN talent, and a portion of every entry fee will benefit the V Foundation for cancer research.  Kids races are also offered.

The Princess Half Marathon Weekend will bring women of all ages together to participate in an event designed just for them – with the Disney Princesses as the inspiration.  The weekend includes a half marathon, a family 5K, kids races and an expo.

More information and registration for all events is available at disneyenduranceseries.com.

Registration for both events is open at the provided website above. We still do not have any confirmation that the Everest Challenge or Tower of Terror 13K will return this year, but we expect both to do so and details to be available in the not-so-distant future.

Weekend News Round-Up

WDWNT on December 29, 2008

Here are a few news items that have come up over the weekend:

-In case you haven’t heard yet, the window for making Advance Dining Reservations for Walt Disney World table service locations has been set back to 90 days. It appears the days of calling up for reservations 6 months in advance are over and you may now have to time your calls at precisely at 90 days out if you hope to get seating at your favorite restaurant during your trip. It seems that this is in preparation for the system switching to online sometime in the very near future.

-Space Mountain is currently expected to close for refurbishment in April 2009. We do not know the length of the closure at this time, but stay tuned.

-In case you haven’t listened to it yet, the 2008 Christmas Podcast Parade is now available for download through iTunes or through our podcast download page. Be sure to check out our annual comedy podcast if you haven’t already!!!

New Year’s Eve 2009 Line-Up

WDWNT on December 29, 2008

Here is the current line-up for New Year’s Eve entertainment at the Walt Disney World Resort:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — A kaleidoscope of colors and elaborate light displays will decorate the skies on the final night of 2008 at Walt Disney World Resort.

Dazzling fireworks showers, live entertainment and extended park hours throughout the Vacation Kingdom on Dec. 31 make it a popular spot to ring in the new year.

  • At Epcot, a special version of “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth,” the laser-light spectacular featuring dancing flames and cascading fountains orchestrated to an original musical score, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. and 11:40 p.m.  The park’s Dec. 31 operating hours are 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. 
  • Disney’s Hollywood Studios will host “Fantasmic!,” the lavish spectacular of water animation, lasers and fireworks, at 6:30 p.m. and 8 and 10 p.m.  Revelers can “rock on” with live performances by in-park band “Mulch, Sweat and Shears,” plus a DJ spinning tunes at Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat.  A special “Lights, Camera, Happy New Year” fireworks show brings in the new year at 11:50 p.m.  The park is open from 8 a.m. until midnight on Dec. 31.
  • Late-nighters can party at Magic Kingdom until the wee hours with parades and fireworks galore.  The park is aglow with “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade” at 12 noon and 3:30 p.m., followed by the wondrous “SpectroMagic” parade at 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.  “Holiday Wishes” fireworks, the boldest and brightest pyrotechnics show at Disney, takes place at 8:30 p.m. capped with the grand finale “Fantasy in the Sky” fireworks at 11:50 p.m. On Dec. 31, the park is open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Dec. 31.  Guests can enjoy one of the final presentations of the romping character cavalcade “Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade” at 3:45 p.m.