This week, the Frozen segment finally debuted in Celebrate the Magic at the Magic Kingdom. The segment features the “Let It Go” sequence from the film along with the song performed by Idina Menzel as Elsa in the film. The segment is pretty cool and is a welcome addition to the show:
What do you think?
WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Saturday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us from his trip:
The free Jingle Cruise posters may be gone, but you can still snap a shot of this one…
New souvenir holiday cup
Some tarps are up on the top of the buildings that house Country Bear Jamboree and the Enchanted Tiki Room
Walls came down in front of Pinocchio’s Village Haus revealing a new planter/bench
It seems this will also serve as some overflow seating for guests at the restaurant on busy days (the seating area was also expanded slightly)
The paint is still drying in some areas
Walls are still up on this section
The giant Mickey wreath is now up on the Contemporary
Moving over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Christmas tree has been installed replacing the long-running Monsters University display
Yummmmmm…
A sparse collection of celebrity autographs now hangs in Sid Cahuenga’s at the Studios, no longer a store and now a MyMagic+ service center
Phineas and Ferb wearing holiday attire
Much of the Sid Cahuenga’s merchandise has moved to the AFI Showcase by the Backlot Tour
The final display in the AFI Showcase from Life of Pi is now gone
Inside the Magic of Disney Animation building, posters are now up for Big Hero 6 and Inside Out
As well as The Good Dinosaur and Planes Fire and Rescue
Next door to the Cars meet and greet, a new quick service coffee and pastry stall is going up
The web at the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Playset Adventure is under refurbishment
Some sort of permanant stall is going up at the front of PIXAR Place as well…
I made a few visits to the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and Downtown Disney over the last couple of weeks and have been taking quite a few photos to share with you, so let’s take a look at what’s new and exciting at Walt Disney World:
Disney Infinity store displays can now be found in the parks
The gingerbread display at Disney’s Contemporary Resort is once again “it’s a small world” themed
There’s a tiny Contemporary made of out of gingerbread
Some of the offerings have Monorails filled with children of the world
There are even 5-legged goat crispy treats…
They also have a hidden Mickey cupcake!
Belle’s Village at the Magic Kingdom has been decorated for Christmas
Gaston uses antlers in all of his decorating…
There is now a Gaston’s Tavern antler hat
Also now for sale at the parks are these Disney food magnets
Moving to Downtown Disney, the path in the front of the West Side is now closed to guests
Pleasure Island is now the Walkway to the Marketplace…
The new bridge around Pleasure Island opened recently
Disney Springs artwork can be found on the construction walls
It seems all of the buildings not staying have been removed at this point and construction should go vertical soon
Captain Jacks and the marina should be removed very soon
Some new iPhone 5 cases with a better safety bumper came out recently
Also, we found the Master Gracey lenticular phone case
Another bumper case
Starbucks is coming to the West Side, replacing Wetzel’s Pretzels
Another look at Disney Springs construction
Another bumper case featuring Mickey Mouse
The food trucks have moved…
They can now be found between Disney Quest and La Nouba
The Namaste Cafe menu
The Superstar Catering menu
I attended the very fist Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on Tuesday and I am very happy to report that the offerings this year were much improved over years past. In short, a lot of small changes and additions did not go unnoticed.
First off, if you want to pick up this year’s exclusive Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom card, I suggest you make that your first stop at the party. The card is available in limited quantities at each party and after they run out, well, Disney then starts to hand out the Chip and Dale card that was given out in 2012.
Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade, still pretty much the best parade you can see anywhere in Orlando, saw some minor changes this year. The Country Bears are now roaming around the route instead of on a float. Also, 3 of the cone units from the now-defunct Block Party Bash were repainted as candy corn and have found a new home towards the end of the parade.
Here’s a full video of this year’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade:
When they announced that the Tomorrowland Dance Party would get a Monsters Inc. overlay this year, I couldn’t have been less interested. However, seeing this party in person, all I can say is that I am stunned at the investment from Disney. The DJ’s costume, the set pieces, and the characters used really make for a fun experience. As much as I wanted to dislike this, the giant laugh canisters and the DJ’s CDA costume were just too much fun.
Here’s some video of the Monstrous Scream-O-Ween Dance Party in Tomorrowland:
The merchandise this year was also well done. Here is the t-shirt design available at the parties in 2013:
There was also an assortment of event exclusive pins available as always. However, my favorite merchandise offering had to be this brand new Mickey Mouse Hatbox Ghost popcorn bucket:
The biggest addition to this year’s party is easily the new meet and greet with Jack Skellington and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. The line fot his was so long, I didn’t even get near the photo area. The line was constantly over an hour-and-a-half except during the first parade. That would be my suggested time to visit if you need to meet this pair.
The candy quality was once again improved upon this year. Our bags were full of quality, name-brand candy when we left at Midnight. Kudos to Disney on making sure you at least get quality candy for your money. Oh, and don’t forget to get some Peeps on the way out of the park!
Overall, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was as much fun as it always is. I’m glad to see many improvements, even if they are small, being made annually to this event. As always, I highly suggest that you attend this party if you have the chance as it always proves to be a great night at the Magic Kingdom.
While Princess Fairytale Hall may open tomorrow at the Magic Kingdom, we have some photos from a limited preview of the new meet and greet to share with you right now courtesy of WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen:
The sign underneath the marquee
The stained glass windows feature icons and characters from Cinderella
The elegant queue
Princess portraits adorn the walls
There is a nod to Snow White’s Scary Adventures
One book is open and it’s Snow White… you can even see the scene where the witch gives Snow White the apple
The books on display
Beautiful artwork
The meet and greet areas are really pretty
Sleeping Beauty, Princess Aurora
Cinderella
Cinderella’s Glass Slipper on display
The exit
Stay tuned on September 18th as we cover the grand opening of Princess Fairytale Hall at the Magic Kingdom!
Princess Fairytale Hall finally opened to all guests in New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom yesterday. The meet-and-greet is the second-to-last piece of the New Fantasyland expansion to open, leaving just the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train at this point. The meet and greet always hosts Cinderella and Rapunzel through two separate queues offering FastPass and FastPass+. Rapunzel and Cinderella will be joined daily by one visiting princess each, with the eventual plan being a pool consisting of Jasmine, Tiana, Snow White, Mulan, and Aurora for Disney to choose from. We take a look at Princess Fairytale Hall courtesy of WDWNT Reporter Joe Hogarty who provided pictures and video:
The entrance
You can meet Rapunzel and a visiting princess…
Or Cinderella and a visiting princess
Standard FastPass available at Peter Pan’s Flight
The two machines are labeled
These will go away once FastPass+ rolls out
Inside the queue for Princess Fairytale Hall
Symbols for each princess can be found around the Hall
In the main waiting area you’ll find Cinderella’s glass slipper
A really nice touch
In the meet and greet rooms you’ll find large paintings resembling backgrounds from the films
Rapunzel
Snow White was the visiting princess yesterday
A reference to Snow White’s Scary Adventures can be found in this open book
Returning outside, the stained-glass windows feature characters from Cinderella
FastPass+ is being offered
Cinderella
Another look at the Snow White book
Princess Aurora
We also have a short video of Princess Fairytale Hall to share with you:
Overall, Princess Fairytale Hall is nothing groundbreaking. It is another highly immersive, well-themed meet-and-greet experience and a fitting place after several non-permanant attempts to have a Princess-only meet-and-greet area at the Magic Kingdom. The Princesses needed a home and the Magic Kingdom finally has one for them. While it did replace an opening day attraction, let us not forget that a brand new Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs attraction is opening in just a few months. It will be interesting to see how often Disney rotates the visiting princesses and how the wait times vary for Princess Fairytale Hall and we will be watching that over the coming weeks.
So, what do you think of Princess Fairytale Hall?
WDWNT Reporter Joe Hogarty Visited the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios last week and has a ton of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:
Castle Dreamlights are already being installed
Princesses are gone from Town Square Theater, now it is just Mickey
Pluto has an umbrella!
As always, so does Mary Poppins
Moving over to Epcot
The new restrooms at the American Adventure have opened
A new water fountain was installed as well
The new restrooms are really nice
They have Dyson Airblades
Mirrors by the doorway
We can start to see Spice Road Table taking shape in Morocco
The restaurant has an interesting look
The new stage for Mo’ Rockin’
Pooh and Tigger meeting guests at International Gateway while their U.K. home is being refurbished
Moving over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is already being installed
Frozen billboards up in the Animation Courtyard
Banners are up for Toy Story of Terror in the Animation Courtyard
Another Frozen billboard on Mickey Avenue
Walt Disney World announced a new daytime parade for the Magic Kingdom several months ago, but today they are previewing two more floats from the parade:
Ariel will sit on a large music box float to the tunes of Under the Sea
Merida from Brave and her bear-brothers will travel with a troupe of Scottish dancers and this giant bagpipe
Also announced for the parade thus far is a Princess Royal Court Garden Float, the previously previewed Mickey and Minnie hot-air balloon, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider on a longship, and the Nerverland unit with Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, Wendy, and Tinker Bell. The Sleeping Beauty, Dumbo, and Pinocchio units in the parade have still not been previewed to date. Festival of Fantasy is scheduled to debut at the Magic Kingdom in early 2014.
Also announced is that the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade will return after Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade for 4 final performances January 1st-4th, 2014. Until Festival of Fantasy premieres a few weeks later, there will be no 3PM parade at the Magic Kingdom, just the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party and Main Street Electrical Parade.
Anna and Elsa from the upcoming Disney Animated film “Frozen” will be appearing at Walt Disney World, in the Norway pavilion at Epcot. Disney also announced today that the long-standing cultural exhibit in the stave church at the pavilion will be receiving a face-lift. The new exhibit opening in November will explore how the culture and beauty of Norway inspired the makers of Frozen.
“Celebrate the Magic” at the Magic Kingdom will ale be adding a scene representing Frozen in November.
Stay tuned to WDW News Today as more becomes available on these new offerings!
WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom yesterday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:
The final turnstiles at the Magic Kingdom are being converted to touch-point entrances
Some pavement outside of the Confectionery being worked on
The entirety of Main Street will be repaved in January in preparation for Festival of Fantasy
A few weeks ago, Sleepy Hollow got a new sign and a new name, now the Sleepy Hollow Inn
All of the walls are down around the old Peter Pan restroom area
A new backdrop for the Peter Pan and Wendy meet and greet was revealed
Peter Pan’s Flight is down for refurbishment
It appears that paper FastPass (or legacy if you prefer) is gone forever at Peter Pan’s Flight
Some work going on at Pinocchio’s Village Haus, but the restaurant remains open
Work continues on the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train in New Fantasyland
A look through the wall reveals that the pathway and fence along the ride are finished
The cake cups are still available at Cheshire Cafe, so they must be doing well
A new Madame Leota Haunted Mansion phone case available for the iPhone 5
The Grand Floridian Villas are scheduled to open on the 23rd
Work is wrapping up
The walkway to the older buildings is the last piece to be completed
Until it is done, there are going to be some monorail downtimes daily
