BREAKING: Disney World Introducing $150 Paid After Hours Event At Magic Kingdom

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Disney has just announced a new paid after hours event called “Disney After Hours”.

With “Disney After Hours,” guests may purchase a ticket and get access to The Magic Kingdom for three hours after the park closes, including select attractions and meet & greets.

Tickets are on sale now for select dates in April and May only. Dates of the events are April 14th, 21st, 28th, and May 5th, 8th, 12th, & 19th. Tickets are $149 plus tax each for children or adults. At that price, we imagine space is very, very limited and lines should be almost non-existent.

Disney has since announced that guests who buy tickets to the event may begin to check-in at 7PM, allowing them a few more hours of park enjoyment before the other guests leave at park closing time.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Expands to 29 Nights, New Costume Guidelines

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party returns to the Magic Kingdom in 2016, now on 29 evenings. Here is the full list of this year’s dates:

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September – 2, 8, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 29, 30
October – 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 31

With new security procedures in place, Disney has revised their costuming guidelines for special events in the theme parks. While costumed attire may be worn, guests ages 14 and older are strongly discouraged from wearing layered costumes or costume props that surround the entire body as they may be subject to additional security screening. Additionally, costumes may not contain any weapons that resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.

Tickets are not yet on sale, but should be soon.

Magic Kingdom Adding “Early Morning Magic” Ticketed Fantasyland Event

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Earlier this week we told you about Disney After Hours, a $149.00 event that gives you three hours after park close to enjoy the Magic Kingdom. Well, now we’re finding that Disney will be rolling out an early morning option as well, one that will let you into select Fantasyland attractions early and provide a little bit of breakfast:

Fantasyland Fun Before the Park Opens

Make your Walt Disney World mornings more magical than ever with a first-access experience in the park!

Rising with the sun on select mornings, Disney Early Morning Magic gives you the chance to be among the first to enter Magic Kingdom park and experience a trio of Fantasyland attractions:

  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
  • Peter Pan’s Flight.

Plus, in addition to the early-morning fun, you can get your fill of a fantastic continental breakfast at Pinocchio Village Haus—featuring such scrumptious breakfast fare as:

  • Chilled juices, coffee and teas
  • Seasonal fruit and berries
  • Freshly baked pastries
  • Cheese and cured meats
  • Scrambled eggs with assorted toppings
  • Vegetable frittata
  • Smoked bacon
  • Pork and turkey sausages
  • Fried potatoes with caramelized onions
  • Mickey Waffles

Available with the purchase of a separate ticket, Disney Early Morning Magic takes place on select dates from 7:45 AM to 10:00 AM. However, admission is limited—be sure to buy your tickets before it’s too late!

Admission to Disney Early Morning Magic is available $69 per adult and $59 per child (tax not included).

Learn all you need to know about this special event—including where to check-in and when you can enter the park.

  • Official check-in will take place near the far left turnstiles of the Main Entrance to Magic Kingdom park beginning at 7:30 AM.
  • Guests who have purchased both regular theme park admission and a special event will receive an event sticker for identification upon check-in.
  • Starting at 7:45 AM, event Guests will be admitted into the park and guided into Fantasyland.
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Pan’s Flight are the only attractions that will be operational during this special event.
  • From 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM, breakfast will be available at Pinocchio Village Haus.
  • Around 9:00 AM, the theme park will open to Guests with regular Magic Kingdom admission tickets and event-only attraction access will end.
  • Please note that regular theme park admission is required for this event, in addition to a Disney Early Morning Admission ticket.
  • The number of tickets for these events is limited. In addition, all tickets are non-refundable, non-transferrable and are only valid for admission during the special event date and hours.
  • All attractions, entertainment and experiences are subject to change without notice.

The event is now official and on sale. Event dates are most Tuesdays and Saturdays.

PHOTO REPORT: Disney Springs 3/24/16 (STK, Souvenir Mason Jar, Edison, ETC.)

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited Disney Springs earlier this week and took a few newsworthy photos to share with us during his trip:

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A look at the construction of The Edison and STK from across the water

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Some walls up outside of La Nouba

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There is a The Good Dinosaur photo-op on the West Side

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United World Soccer will be staying where they are on West Side as they now have permanent signage

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Not much visible progress on STK Steakhouse

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Some walls outside of Earl of Sandwich as well

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The new Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique should open soon

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Dockside Margaritas now has a souvenir mason jar

Nick and Judy from Zootopia Coming to Disney Parks This Weekend

While not ever announced, it seems Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps of Disney’s Zootopia are coming to the U.S. Disney Parks this weekend.

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Judy and Nick with co-director Rich Moore at a media event

At Walt Disney World, guests will find Nick and Judy in the Move It, Shake It, Dance and Play It! Street Party starting Saturday, March 26th.

Nick and Judy will also appear on Hollywood Boulevard in a meet and greet at Disney California Adventure starting on the 26th as well.

PHOTOS, VIDEO: Rivers of Light Floats Begin Testing at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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Rivers of Light will debut at Animal Kingdom on April 22nd, but some of the animal floats that will be a part of the show are already traversing the waterways by Expedition Everest:

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These floats and others will debut in Animal Kingdom’s first nighttime spectacular, Rivers of Light, debuting April 22nd, 2016.

Stay tuned for more information on this new show as it becomes available.

PHOTOS, VIDEO: Nick & Judy Characters from Zootopia Arrive at Magic Kingdom

On Saturday, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps from Zootopia were added to the Move It! Shake It! Dance and Play It! Street Party at the Magic Kingdom (replacing Stitch and Genie in the show):

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During the interactive portion, guests even picked “Try Everything” from Zootopia for the duo to dance to. Here are some highlights of the show:

Nick and Judy also ended up appearing in the Magic Kingdom Easter Parade later in the day as well:

Are you excited to see Nick and Judy appearing at the Magic Kingdom? Would you rather see them in a meet and greet opportunity?

Writer’s Stop to Become Sci-Fi Dine-In Lounge Starting April 3rd

For a limited time starting April 3rd, guests waiting for their table at Sci-Fi Dine-In will be able to enjoy some appetizers and drinks in the relaxing atmosphere of the Writer’s Stop next door.

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While the Writer’s Stop was originally set to close on April 2nd, it will instead begin operating from 11:30AM until one hour prior to closing time at the Dine-In on April 3rd.

The new menu at the lounge will include a warm pretzel with spicy mustard and cheese sauce, sugar spiced nuts, and a cheese platter, as well as a selection of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages.

Somehow, the Writer’s Stop will still also function as a shop when it reopens on April 3rd, but it remains to be seen how.

PHOTO REPORT: Animal Kingdom 3/30/16 (Rivers of Light Testing, Finding Dory, AVATAR, ETC.)

I visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom over the weekend to see the latest progress on all of the upcoming projects, so let’s take a look at what’s new and exciting around the park:

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Preferred parking testing has expanded to Animal Kingdom

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It’s $15 above the regular parking charge, but it is fairly close to the front entrance

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A permanent structure is finally being built for the non-Disney bus stop at Animal Kingdom

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Pandora: The World of AVATAR is still chugging along

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Disney Outfitters has reopened as the Discovery Trading Company

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Gone is the central register

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You’ll also find a subdued paint scheme throughout

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Work continues ont eh gazebos at Falme Tree BBQ

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The viewing area for Rivers of Light looks ready for the April 22nd debut

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As we posted earlier this week, we caught them testing some of the floats

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A closer look

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Walls finally came down around the north side of the River

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It’s nice to have this section of the park come back to life

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Some speakers and assorted new items for the show can be seen around the river, not sure if they will move or be covered

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The Everest shrine is finally back!

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Work continues to enclose the Flights of Wonder theater facade

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Not much visible progress on the former trails behind the Tree of Life

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A strange wall up in Harambe Market

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We rode Kilimanjaro Safaris to see if there was any visible prep for the new nighttime version

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If you look closely through the trees, you can see the screen that will raise up over the savannah

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A giraffe walking by…

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We spotted some new poacher-relate props near the elephants, so maybe the poacher storyline will return for the nighttime ride?

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Work continues on Tiffins and the Nomad Lounge

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With Finding Dory being released soon, lots of new Finding Nemo items are being released

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PHOTOS, VIDEO: La Nouba Trapeze Artists Practicing For Historic Trick

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On Thursday, March 31ST, Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, in partnership with Experience Kissimmee, will stream LIVE via Facebook Live and Periscope as the energetic Trapeze troupe attempts two rarely performed tricks that only a handful of Trapeze artists have accomplished. The “Double Double & ½ Layout to the Legs” is an extremely skillful maneuver that includes a 2 ½ backward layout with a twist, all performed within seconds before the artists is caught by his legs. The second trick will be a “Quadruple” layout, which is rumored to be completed less than 20 times in the 150 year history of Trapeze.

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On Tuesday afternoon, I was able to attend a special behind the scenes performance that showed the trapeze artists practicing for this Thursday night’s record breaking performance.

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Not only was I able to witness their performance from the audience seats, but I was also taken seven stories above the arena for a amazing view from the rafters and actually above the performers themselves.

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After the practice was over, I got to meet the trapeze artists and I was stunned to find out that most of them were second and third generation trapeze performers with the art-form being a passion that was shared with them at a very young age by their families. Only two member will try to break the record but they all are confident and have no doubt that a record will be broken Thursday night.

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If you happen to be at Disney Springs this Thursday (or watching the worldwide live stream which La Nouba will be providing) be sure to check out Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba and cheer on the amazingly talented team of trapeze artists as they look to become a part of history!