For the love of Disney
Today Disney have finally announced their opening date for Galaxy’s Edge at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World
Disneyland – 31st May 2019
Walt Disney World – 29th August 2019
For Florida this is a lot earlier than we were expecting but there are reports that construction is ahead of schedule.
Are you in either park then? Are you planning on braving opening day crowds?
For all cruise fans, March is a firm date in the calendar as the next lot of cruise itineraries are released. Last week Disney announced their itineraries for Summer 2020 – May to September. So what do they have in store?
The old favourites are still there – 3 and 4 night Bahamian cruises, 7 night eastern or western caribbean, Alaksan, Northern European, and Mediterranean curises. Castaway Cay fans can also choose some 5 night cruises with two stops on the island (the double dip).
New for 2020 is a Greek itineray with a choice of 9 and 12 night cruises. These are bound to be popular as is any new itinerary. Expect demand for these to be high – along with the prices!
So when can you book? As always this depends on your castaway club status.
This means that general booking opens tomorrow – 7th March. It is expected that the new Greek cruises will not have much availabilty at this point – certainly the new Hawaiin cruises in the last release sold out before they went on general release.
Bookings can be made online or on the phone – but remember that if you have a placeholder from a previous cruise you must book on the phone.
Good luck! As gold members with a place holder we have already booked. Took 36 attempts to get through on the phone and once we did get through we were on hold for an hour and twelve minutes!
So, it’s finally here. The teaser tailer for Frozen 2, due for release later this year!
Always a popular table service reservation, Disney have announced that Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club Resort will be closing from 5th August 2019. No reopening date has been announced, but they have simply said that it will reopen in the winter.
This applies to both the restaurant and the walk-up counter. A temporary location will be set up to allow you to still have their delicious ice-cream, but a full menu will not be available. The temporary location will not be selling infamous Kitchen Sink.
There are some restaurants that you need to book at the 180 day window and this is definitely one of them. It is small so can’t take many reservations. With the themeing of a 1950s soda shop, the menu is traditional American diner fare such as burgers, grilled, cheese, and sandwiches. Of course most people tend to go for the deserts, from chocolate cake and ice cream to the Kitchen Sink – an ice-cream sundae for 4 that is literally served in a Kitchen Sink. There is also the smaller Mickey’s Pants version – I prefer this option as you do get to take the pants home 🙂
Mickey’s Pants (and Minnie’s Skirt) will still be available at the Plaza Restaurant in Magic Kingdom.
If you have a Mickey’s Pants at home, how have you re-purposed it? Mine sits on my desk in my classroom 🙂
2019 brings some new events at all four parks at Walt Disney World. So what is coming up?
Magic Kingdom 
Starting on 18th January Magic Kingdom will be hosting ‘Mickey and Minnie’s Surprise Celebration’ to honour these staple Disney characters. New merchandise, events, and foods will be available. There will be a new version of popular dance parade called ‘Move it! Shake it! MouskeDance it! Street Party’. The Dapper Dan’s and the Casey’s Corner pianist will also add some new Mickey and Minnie magic to their repertoire from 18th Jan to 30th Sept.
Epcot
The Epcot International Festival of Arts is in its 3rd year now and runs from 18th Jan – 25 Feb. We were lucky enough to visit this during its first year in 2017. Amongst other events the Disney on Broadway concert series returns to the America Garden’s Theatre in the world showcase, this year expanding to 7 days a week.
The theatre will also be in use during the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival from 6th March to 3rd June. The Gardn Rocks Concert Series will also expand to 7 days a week during this time.
The biggest event for Epcot in 2019 is probably the end of Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. This 20 year old nighttime firework and music display will come to an end in the second half of 2019. Stay tuned for more news of its replacement!
Hollywood Studios
2018 was a big year for this park with the opening of Toy Story Land in June, but it looks like 2019 will be even bigger! Of course the big event is the opening of ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge’ in late autumn, but that is not all.
The park itself has its 30th anniversary on 30th May (having originally opened under the name MGM Studios) and Pixar will be a big theme this year. Pixar Place is now transformed into a Metroville city block from ‘The Incredibles’ films. Here you can meet Edna Mode, look out for clues as to the whereabouts of Jack-Jack, join in with a lively party and catch Mr Incredible, Mrs Incredible, and Frozone at various points during the day.
When Disney started building both Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge, large sections towards the back of the park were closed. One of the casualties of this was the Mike and Sulley meet and greet. The good news is that these popular characters are now back and can be seen inside the Walt Disney Presents Theatre.
The new park expansion also saw the end of the Cars related experiences including a Lightning McQueen meet and greet. Later on in the Spring, Lightning McQueen returns with a new show experience telling the untold story of Lightning McQueen.
Animal Kingdom
This park celebrated its 25th anniversary last year and this year from 18th Jan – 30th September it will mark the 25th anniversary of ‘The Lion King’. A ‘Hakuna Matata Time Dance Party’ will see Timon and Rafiki dance with live musicians celebrating music around the world. Immersive 3D photo opportunities will also be available with more celebrations yet to be announced.
So make 2019 your year to visit Walt Disney World!
As most people know, a holiday at Disney is about more than just visiting the parks. There is so much to do in and around the resorts too.
A new offering is a series of painting workshops across Walt Disney World.
On most Sundays and Wednesdays (at midday) Animal Kingdom Lodge is offering the ‘Wild about Painting’ experience. This will teach you to paint an animal-inspired masterpiece. It takes place on the Kuba Terrace just outside the Jambo House Lobby, and includes a cocktail or non-alcoholic beverage.
The Boardwalk resort is offering two workshops. ‘Canvas Painting on Boards’ takes place in the Trattoria al Forno restaurant on Tuesday afternoons, and ‘Wine Glass Painting on the Boards’ is at Abracadabar on Thursday afternoons. Both include snacks and a cocktail or non-alcoholic beverage.
Finally is an experience just for DVC members and their guests. ‘Painting with a View’ takes place in the Top of the World Lounge at Bay Lake Tower, this is available on Tuesday mornings and Thursday afternoons. You can learn how to paint a classic Disney images, along with breakfast (for the morning classes), snacks (for the afternoon classes) and a non-alcoholic drink or a glass of wine or beer. As this is for members only you will need to show your membership card.
All three are for guests aged 12+ and last for 2 hours. Each costs $50 per person.
With less than 12 months till the opening of Galaxy Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, more details are leaking.
No firm release date has been given – ‘late fall’ is all that Disney are committing to – but here is what we do know.
There will be two quick service locations within this section of the park, with a market shopping area, similar in someways to walking down Diagon Alley at Universal Studios.
The ride that has generated the most hype is Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. This will see people split into groups of 6 and ‘pilot’ the Millennium Falcon through the galaxy. It sounds like a souped-up version of the existing Star Tours ride, with a much more interactive, personalised experience promised.
The second ride is Rise of the Resistance and Disney have not been too forthcoming with details on this ride. It appears to be a traditional Disney dark ride, but the largest that Disney has ever constructed. It appears that, including the pre-show, it will be a 28 minute experience! This is probably twice as long as the current experience at Flight of Passage, Disney’s current headline new ride.
And of course that just leaves the new Star Wars hotel. Due to open at the same time as Galaxy’s Edge we know that this is due to be an immersive experience. Rumours are that stays are restricted to 2 nights – and with the cost also rumoured to be around $1000 per night this would make for an expensive stay. Disney have suggested that guests will be given a story line to complete during their stay, which will link in with Galaxy’s Edge.
The latest DVC resort is due to open later this year and this week Disney released more details about the accommodation it will provide.
The Riviera Resort is located between Hollywood Studios and Epcot and is adjacent to The Caribbean Resort (a moderate level resort). It will have its own station for the Skyliner – the new Disney gondola system – giving easy access to both of these parks. It is officially classed as an Epcot Area Resort and will have 300 rooms. Theming is based around the Riviera in the south of France.
Like all DVC resorts there will be Deluxe Studios (sleeping 5), 1 bedroom villas (sleeping 5), 2 bedroom villas (sleeping 9), and 3 bedroom grand villas (sleeping 12). However they are adding an additional room type, the Tower Studio. This will sleep 2 and offers a slightly cheaper option.
Like all DVC resorts, some rooms will be available for cash sales. Prices in £ have not yet been released, but US prices are as follows:
Tower Studio – from $486 per night
Deluxe Studio – from $662 per night
1 bedroom villa – from $984 per night
2 bedroom villa – from $1519 per night
3 bedroom villa – from $3110 per night
One interesting design feature included in these rooms is a double Murphy bed. A lot of DVC studios already utilise. A small drop down Murphy bed under the TV which is perfect for a child to sleep on (our youngest uses these when we go), but these double ones have not yet been seen at a DVC resort. Rather than using a sofa bed, all room types excluding the grand villa will have a pull down Queen size bed which will come down over the top of the sofa. I imagine that this will please a lot of people who don’t like sleeping on the sofa beds, but still retains a sofa available for use during the day.
Disney have not yet released a points chart for the Rivera but if we look at the cash prices for rooms, it looks as if they are aiming at a similar level to Boardwalk.
More images and floor plans can be found at WDW News Today.
So quite a bit earlier than usual Disney have released dates for this year’s Halloween Party. Usually dates are released and tickets go on sale around April/May, but this year it would seem that Disney want us to be planning early.
This is a good thing as it can help people budget for the party if they know it is going to be on when they are there, or it can help them plan park days if they are not going to the party.
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (known as MNSSHP) is a hard-ticketed event held in Magic Kingdom from 7pm till park closing on a selection of dates from mid-August until the end of October. If you buy a party ticket you can enter from 4pm without having to buy a regular park ticket. If you don’t have a park ticket then you will need to leave the park before the party starts. And yes, they do police it – if you don’t have a party wristband they will ensure you leave the park. This means that there is not a regular showing of ‘Happily Ever After’ (the firework show) on party nights.
We love MNSSHP having now done it three times. This is the only time that guests over the age of 14 are allowed to dress up in costumes (the best aspect of the party as far as I’m concerned), there is free candy, special fireworks, a special parade and show, Halloween themed snacks and desserts, along with merchandise
This year there are 36 dates and are as follows:
August – 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30
September – 2, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27 and 29
October – 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 29 and 31
November – 1
Ticket prices are from $85-135 for adults and $74-130 for children (under 10). Slight discounts apply to some dates for DVC Members and Annual Passholders.
Tickets can be purchased from the Disney World website
This is a question that is often asked – when is the best time of year to go. Unfortunately there is no simple answer, but I shall try and give some general advice here. There are a number of things to take into account.
The weather
This is the big one with Florida. It’s hot! Even in winter time it is in the low to mid 20s – what we would call a nice comfortable summer over here. The downside of all of this is that June-August is VERY hot. It is worth bearing in mind that unlike the UK there is air-con everywhere, and most rides have indoor queues, but despite this it can feel very hot walking around. To add to this you have hurricane season. Only once in recent years has Disney actually closed due to weather (Hurricane Matthew in 2016) but for some people this is a concern.
Crowd levels
Okay, so the bad news here is that there is really no quiet time at Disney anymore. Queues are to be expected all year round, but they can vary. The two busiest times are Christmas and Easter (Spring Break in the US). They are so busy that when free dining is released, those dates are the only ones excluded from the offer – no need to give an incentive. Of course Christmas can be a magical time to be at Disney, but when you can hardly move it’s not so magical. You can also sometimes get park closures at these times where they start restricting entrance to the parks due to the volume of guests. 4th July can also see this happen.
School holiday options
Of course, coming from the UK we like to visit for two weeks or more, which can rule out half-terms unless you are prepared to pull your kids out of school. So, looking at crowd levels/weather and school holidays, when are best.
So how do you decide?
It depends what you want. Is it a quieter park? Is it cooler or hotter weather? Is it one of the festivals at Epcot? Or the magic of the festive season? Only you can answer that but there are things that can help you make your decision. Highly recommended is the WDW Prep School Crowd Calendar. This is published for the year in advance from September to August. Another fun way is to check the MDE app (My Disney Experience) a the time of year you are interested in going to see what the wait times are like. The higher the wait time, the busier it is!
And of course, lots of us like checking the app just to imagine we are there 🙂
Ultimately, the best time to go to Disney is whenever you can! It is just best to be prepared for crowds and heat.
When is your favourite time to go? Let us know below.