It’s happening! Dr. Strange will be the first MARVEL character to host a meet and greet experience at Walt Disney World.
Starting Friday, November 4th, Dr. Strange will be meeting guests and performing illusions towards the end of PIXAR Place by the third track exit of Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The Meet and Greet will not be publicized anywhere by the company, be it online, in a times guide, or in any cast member publications. This is a biproduct of restrictions caused by the MARVEL-Universal contract.
The Elena of Avalor meet and greet is currently testing at Princess Fairytale Hall at the Magic Kingdom
Now, meeting Elena is not a guarantee until 11/24, but if you see the Cinderella sign next to a crown on the board outside of Princess Fairytale Hall in Fantasyland, there’s a good chance you could be meeting the star from the Disney Junior series.
Elena of Avalor meeting with some of her “subjects” inside Princess Fairytale Hall
On a hunch, we grabbed a FastPass+ for the experience and Elena just happened to be meeting just next door to Cinderella.
Princess Elena of Avalor meet and greet at the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World
I’m not one for face character interactions in my old age, but Elena was pretty charming and very talkative with all guests (even the awkward ones filming her for a blog post). I have a feeling this will be quite the popular offering once it officially starts and if her interaction with your little one (who likely loves the show) is half as good as ours was, I’m sure it will be worth your wait.
Again, the meet and greet experience with Elena of Avalor officially opens at Princess Fairytale Hall on November 24th, but is testing there currently. There is no guarantee that she will be there when you visit during this test period, but you can certainly take a shot and hope for the best. Just don’t send me nasty messages if you get Aurora…
When Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire debuted at the Magic Kingdom, we were promised that the show would introduce seasonal show finals that would differ based on when you were seeing the show. Well, yesterday, the Christmas season version of the Cinderella Castle stage show made it’s debut:
You can also watch the full show below if you prefer:
While we have already seen most of the new merchandise for Christmas 2016 at the Disney Parks, Disney today shared a look at some limited release items that will be hitting store shelves next week.
The three Dooney & Bourke handbags – Tote, Crossbody, and Wristlet – will be released on November 11 at Cherry Tree Lane in the Marketplace Co-Op at Disney Springs Marketplace, and in select Disneyland Resort merchandise locations. Guests may also find limited quantities available via the Shop Disney Parks app that day.
The limited release holiday t-shirts pictured above will be available on the Disney Parks online store from November 7-13, 2016. The shirt was designed by Disney Design Group artist Richard Terpstra. There will be both a Disneyland Resort and a Walt Disney World Resort version available. During this limited release offer, look for another t-shirt with artwork from the 1952 animated short, “Pluto’s Christmas Tree.”
Disney Parks will officially kick off the holiday season on television earlier than ever this year, with three musical holiday specials set to air Nov. 24 & 25 and Dec. 25.
Shot at both the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and the Disneyland Resort in California, each of the three shows will feature special musical performances and celebrity appearances.
Here’s the schedule:
“The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration” on ABC on Nov. 24, from 8-1 p.m. EST. Emmy Award-winners Julianne and Derek Hough will serve as hosts for this two-hour special from the Walt Disney World Resort, which will also feature “Descendants 2” star Sofia Carson, a duet by Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks, and a performance by Kelly Clarkson.
“Disney Parks Presents: A Descendants Magical Holiday Celebration” on Disney Channel on Nov. 25 from 8-9 p.m. EST. Musical performers include Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Sofia Carson and Booboo Stewart, “Descendants 2” star China Anne McClain, Trisha Yearwood with Garth Brooks, and Kelly Clarkson. ABC stars and Disney Channel stars will also surprise philanthropic families around the country with once-in-a-lifetime experiences at the Walt Disney World Resort.
“The Disney Parks’ Magical Christmas Celebration” on the ABC on Dec. 25, from 9-11 a.m. EST. Join holiday hosts Julianne and Derek Hough for a magical ride down Main Street and beyond for a celebration that brings together the beloved Christmas day parade with magical musical performances, surprise celebrity guests and heart-warming family stories. Musical performers on tap are Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks, Kelly Clarkson, Sofia Carson and Jordan Fisher.
Additional performances will be announced for each of the three holiday specials over the next few weeks.
In our latest photo report, we visit the Magic Kingdom as the Christmas holiday season kicks off early. The park is already fully decorated and new entertainment for the season has already debuted. There’s also plenty more new and exciting things happening around the park, so let’s check it all out.
Merry Christmas
November 2nd was the official start of the holiday season at Walt Disney World as the Magic Kingdom is fully decorated and several holiday offerings are now in full swing.
The Jingle Cruise poster is back under the train station. We’ll check in on that a bit later in the report.
IS IT ART?
IS IT? IS IT ART?
Be sure to take a look at our daytime video tour of the decorations below:
Uptown Jewelers Reopens
Uptown Jewelers has been closed for months but reopened over the weekend. The store was completely remodeled and now seems just jewelry and bags for women.
Baked Potato Moves
The baked potato is gone from Liberty Square Market, but don’t fear. It has moved to the nearby Sleepy Hollow Refreshments.
The Jingle Cruise Returns
The Jingle Cruise is back for 2016! The annual holiday overlay began its third season at the Magic Kingdom on Wednesday. We have a video of our first ride of the season for you below:
This and That
The lighting on the Storybook Circus sign is being replaced, so it is just some flat lettering right now.
A Snowman Tote is now available as a purchase-with-purchase gift for $19.95 when you spend $25.00 or more.
Pins from Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party still linger in Big Top Souvenirs.
Elena of Avalor Meet and Greet
The Elena of Avalor meet and greet, scheduled to begin on November 24th, 2016, is already in a soft-opening phase. Elena can be found next to Cinderella at Princess Fairytale Hall at random.
We have video of our excellent experience with Elena of Avalor for you:
“it’s a small world” Merchandise
Some new “it’s a small world” merchandise is now available around the resort.
Mousecellaneous
Even though the crane is gone, work continues behind Cinderella Castle.
The holiday finale of Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire debuted yesterday. You can see video of the finale below:
When a new cup surfaced at the Disneyland Resort a few weeks ago, we speculated that the Disney Parks were returning to Resort-specific cups and plates at counter service dining locations. Well, look at what I found today…
The small cups have arrived at the Contemporary Resort already. Plates, larger cups, and more are still on the way, but it is nice to see this return to quality, even if it is something small.
The Federal Aviation Administration has granted Walt Disney Parks & Resorts permission for “Night small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) operations” and “Operations of multiple small unmanned aircraft systems within Special Security Notice Flight Restriction Areas and Class G airspace.”
This FAA Part 107 Waiver allows Disney to fly multiple unmanned drones at night over Disney parks in the U.S. Specifically, 14 CFR § 107.29, Daylight operation, is waived to allow sUAS operations during night, and 14 CFR § 107.35 Operation of multiple sUAS, is waived to allow a person to act as the remote Pilot in Command (PIC) or visual observer (VO) in the operation of more than one unmanned aircraft at the same time.
We first reported that Disney was seeking FAA permission to use this new technology back in January. Disney had conducted limited testing of its entertainment drone technology, dubbed “Flixels,” in preparation for incorporating these aerial vehicles into new nighttime spectaculars. As part of the waiver application, Disney submitted example flight paths at Epcot and Disneyland, and noted that these flight paths are not over guest-accessible areas for safety purposes.
Flixels Epcot Flight Path
Flixels Disneyland Flight Path
Flixels are to accompany entertainment at the Walt Disney World® and Disneyland® Resorts, including during each resort’s nightly Fireworks Spectaculars. Deployed from a monitored platform designated as the launch/land area in restricted access areas of each resort, Flixels will be “magically” incorporated into Disney story elements that engage and inspire children and their families.
The Flixels’ fleet consists of four, six, or eight propeller multicopters. Flixels operate within assigned subnetworks for communication to the ground and each other, where each subnetwork comprises five multicopters. Each Flixels weighs less than ten pounds. Each multicopter includes a special effects element (e.g., LED lighting), battery, and wireless signal receiver/radio. Flixels will flyslower than six knots groundspeed during a short (e.g., five minute) airborne segment. All Flixels flights are restricted to an airspace no more than 600 feet in diameter and Flixels’ maximum flight level will be no higher than 150 feet AGL.
Disney is also developing a related technology, drones with projectors and screens. In August, Disney was granted US Patent 9,405,181 for these drones with attached projectors and screens.
