May 18, 2013

Disney has given us a sneak peek into the entertainment schedule for the Magic Kingdom, Disneyland and California Adventure for the special 24 hour event on May 24th, 2013. We’re just one week away from our next Limited Time Magic event, the huge Disney ParksMonstrous Summer All-Nighter on May 24! Pam Brandon and Steven Miller will be along later to share details about some of the great food and merchandise you can expect to find, but first I’d like to tell you more about the special entertainment we have in store. Everything kicks-off with special opening moments in front of the parks, leading up to 6 a.m., and then you’re off and running for 24 hours of fun!* Many of your usual favorite characters and shows will be happening throughout the day, but we...

Feb 21, 2013

Starting on March 3rd, 2013, new Walt Disney World Resort park maps are coming… This will be the first major change made to the WDW park maps since the late-1990′s. The new maps are designed to align in look and feel with the My Disney Experience app. You’ll even notice that there is a QR code to download the app right on the front cover of the new maps. The new maps make it clear that complimentary guest WI-FI is available in the parks, marking the first time Disney has openly admitted that this service exists. We expect the map to add some other features as MyMagic+ actually rolls out later this Spring. So, what do you think of the new look for Walt Disney World park...

Cast Members and Guests traveling on roadways at the Walt Disney World Resort may notice a new bus in town. The new bus design scheme makes its debut on a Nova bus model in our bus fleet this week. The colors and design elements were developed with safety in mind and feature reflective vinyl, which improves visibility. The silver and red color scheme also complements the bus drivers’...

Following in the footsteps of Cinderella a few months back, Belle will also soon have a new look when you visit her in the Disney Parks: Madame Wardrobe has pulled out an all-new formal ball gown for Belle, made with luxurious fabrics and detailing. After much anticipation and hard work on behalf of the Creative Costuming team, Belle will begin making appearances in her new look this Sunday, Feb. 3, at the Disneyland Resort. She is sure to dazzle our Guests with a complete makeover from head to toe, wearing her elegant attire at Ariel’s Grotto Princess Celebration in Disney California Adventure park. Belle will also wear her new gown when participating in shows and character greetings at Fantasy Faire, opening in Disneyland Park March 12. Walt Disney World Resort...

Disney has issued a formal statement to cast members about the roll-out of new RFID tickets this week as they prepare for the launch of MyMagic+: As we convert our theme park entrances to touch points, single or multi-day tickets purchased at Vacation Planning and Guest Relations locations beginning Jan. 30 will be enabled with radio frequency (RF) technology. Guests with these tickets will be able to utilize the main entrance touch points to enter the parks as well as turnstiles. The rollout of the new tickets will happen over several days, one park at a time. The tentative schedule is Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Jan. 30, Magic Kingdom on Jan. 31, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Feb. 1 and Downtown Disney on Feb. 4. The remaining locations will...

BURBANK, Calif. (Jan. 9, 2013) – Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Tom Staggs today announced key leadership changes across one of the world’s leading providers of family travel and leisure experiences to better position the organization for growth.  Effective Feb. 1, Meg Crofton will fully assume her global role as president, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Operations, U.S. and France – a position she has held since July 2011 – while concurrently serving as president of Walt Disney World. With Meg’s transition complete, George A. Kalogridis is named president of the Walt Disney World Resort, and Michael Colglazier is named president of the Disneyland Resort. Both Kalogridis and Colglazier’s roles are also effective Feb. 1. “With all that we...

So, 2012 is coming to a close and you’re probably now asking, “Well, what is happening at Walt Disney World in 2013?” It’s going to be nearly impossible to top all the changes and additions we had in 2012 at the Vacation Kingdom of the World, but there will be a steady diet of exciting offerings coming in 2013: Princess Fairytale Hall Disney princesses including Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Jasmine, Tiana and Rapunzel will have a new home for meeting their loyal subjects when Princess Fairytale Hall opens in 2013 in the shadows of Cinderella Castle. The castle-like entrance will feature walls of stone and stained glass windows leading to a large, high-ceilinged room where portraits of the princesses adorn the walls. When summoned, Magic...

Disney released a few MagicBand press pictures not too long ago, and if you look closely, you can see guests using bands of various designs and colors If you look really closely, you can even see one child has a Pirates of the Caribbean themed MagicBand This is really just the beginning of the customization options for MagicBand, as there will be bands representing characters such as the Fab 5, Disney Princesses, and PIXAR characters, just to name a few. There are even rumors that companies like Dooney & Burke and Swarovski will produce upscale vanity bands that guests can buy as well. If a wristband isn’t your thing, Disney plans on creating watches, keychains, and various jewelry that can also serve as your MagicBand. Resort guests and Annual Passholders...

We’ve seen some interesting changes to Disney PhotoPass recently, but the most interesting has to be this booth I came across at the Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. Arcade: I thought at first it was just a photo booth sponsored by PhotoPass, but is is more than that You can scan a PhotoPass card Not only can you print photos from the booth, but you can now access photos and video from the booth using your PhotoPass card Pretty neat, huh? What do you think about Disney PhotoPass...

We’ve been keeping you updated on tests of FastPass+ and “Order Ahead” dining over the last few months, well, now we have the official word from Disney on how all of this “Next-Gen” technology will tie together to change the way guests experience Walt Disney World. If you have been following this site and our podcast for any amount of time, you have probably heard us discuss much of what we will explain in this post, but this is the first time we are getting the info straight from a Disney document. To protect our sources, we will not be showing you the document itself, but rather telling you the more interesting or important points of a release that was given to certain WDW cast members. Alright, let’s take a look at what...