Disney News

If you’re a Tables in Wonderland member, you should have received this email today.  Sounds pretty awesome:

[click to continue reading..]

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Edit: The correct date for Winnie the Pooh is February 3rd, rather than March 3rd.

The daily analysis for all of August 2012 is now available.

Disney added Fantasmic on April 24th and 25th.  This changed the recommendations during that week slightly.  You don’t necessarily need to switch your days around if you’ve already made plans and dining reservations.  As always, you can conquer Hollywood Studios with little stress if you arrive prior to Park opening and take care of Toy Story Midway Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster first thing.  You may also want to prioritize the Toy Story Meet and Greet and/or Phineas and Ferb.

I removed references to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Test Track in the daily analysis where applicable.  Test Track is expected to close for refurbishment from April 15 – September 21.  The official dates have not been announced.  Currently, all we know is “April – September,” but it’s unlikely Disney would close the attraction during the very busy Easter weeks.  Interestingly, Epcot is busier during the Food and Wine Festival than it is during Easter Week or most days over the summer, at least in 2011.  That’s why the plan is to get it open and operational before the Food and Wine Festival starts at the end of September.

This website was mentioned in this Sunday’s edition of “Practical Traveler”in the New York Times.  You can view the article here.  In an effort to remain mysteriously sexy, I normally refuse all interviews and podcast requests.  But this was done without my knowledge.  If nothing else, it gives my mom something to brag about.

Word is that the Dumbo refurbishment/movement will continue through the end of March.  You may recall that the original reopening date was February 17th and then March 12th.  This has not yet been officially changed, but I am expecting it to be shortly.

Winnie the Pooh and Friends in Epcot will return to the Toy Soldier Shop on February 3rd.  They are currently meeting at the International Gateway.

The Aladdin’s Magical Carpets refurbishment is no longer scheduled.

The Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure refurbishment is no longer scheduled.

House of Innoventions is now expected to reopen as the Vision House in April instead of May.

Basin at Downtown Disney will be closed for refurbishment through mid-March.

The Contemporary Resort’s Pool Slide will be closed for refurbishment through February 17th.  Pool remains open.

The Piano Pool at All-Star Music will be closed for refurbishment from February 6 – March 2.

The Meadow Feature Pool Slide will be closed for refurbishment from February 6 – March 2.  Pool remains open.

The Grand Floridian’s Pool Slide at the Beach Pool will be closed for refurbishment from February 6 – March 2.  Pool remains open.

The Port Orleans’ Resort’s Ol’ Man Island Feature Pool will be closed for refurbishment from February 6 – 8.

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You may remember a Mickey Mouse shirt from a few days back from this post.

With the very coy subtitle, “What does it mean?”  Apparently it means that the shirt is no longer for sale.  Basically, the shirt is based on an album cover from a band called “Joy Division.”  Unfortunately, the lead singer of the band committed suicide in 1980 after a long battle with epilepsy.  The name of the band also comes from Nazi lore.  I don’t recommend looking it up.  The shirt has been pulled from theme park shelves and is no longer for sale online.

Whoops.

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Got my confirmation for the One More Disney Day Mouse Ears.  Here are the details.  Doubt I’ll make it:

This was from a promotion from a couple of weeks ago.  As far as I know, there’s no way to register for a pair at this time.  And before any of you geniuses try to print out my voucher, you’re going to need the bottom half of that barcode.  Though you’re welcome to try.  The only place I’m going to be at 4:30am on February 29th is in bed.  With my teddy.

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Update: Main Street Electrical Parade added to 1/18/12 and 1/20 at 7pm.

Barack Obama Visit

There are two main sources of information for Thursday’s visit by Barack Obama.  The first is the Orlando Sentinel article here: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-obama-disney-visit-20120117,0,1018781.story.  The second is the internal cast member website, “The Hub.”  TouringPlans.com has copy/pasted the Cast Member FAQ here and the Studios advisory here for your reading pleasure.

Main Street is expected to be closed from Park opening through the President’s departure around 2pm.  Guests can expect to enter into Tomorrowland through the entrance between Tony’s Town Square Restaurant and The Confectionery/Town Square Theater FASTPASS machines.  The President’s speech at Cinderella Castle is by invitation only.  And no, I haven’t received an invitation either.  To keep guests occupied, Disney will be offering dance parties all morning and afternoon at Diamond Horseshoe and Tomorrowland.  Most of the rest of the Magic Kingdom should be operating as usual.  It’s difficult to say how discreet security will be.  I’m sort of excited to take pictures and circle “suits” in red and have them be armed Secret Service agents rather than some boring Disney middle management types.

The Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade on Thursday is also pushed back from 3pm to 3:30pm.  It’s a great opportunity to ask someone when the 3pm Parade starts and receive an answer that isn’t 3pm.

The reason for the Toy Story, Great Movie Ride, and One Man’s Dream closures is that the “fallout” for the 7pm “Rock The Night!”Fireworks is in that area.  Basically, they want to clear that area ahead of 7pm to make sure no one is injured by the Fireworks that will be shot above Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat from around the Studios.  Based on the title, I’m expecting a show similar to the New Year’s Eve Fireworks where Mulch, Sweat, and Shears (The Studios’ “House Band”) plays live music to the Fireworks.  It should be fun.

Other than that, I don’t want to see any comments whining about “why Disney would agree to this” or “how terrible this must be for people visiting right now.”  I’ll ban you permanently from the site.

Dumbo Delay

The current Dumbo refurbishment/movement’s reopening has been pushed back to March 12, 2012.  If you’ve been following the Fantasyland construction, it’s pretty obvious that the February reopening wasn’t going to happen.  Hopefully the March date is tenable.

Tutto Italia

Tutto Italia’s refurbishment has been pushed back through April 27, reopening on April 28.  The restaurant is expected to reopen with a new menu, new interior, and new wine bar.  As you may be aware, Via Napoli and Tutto Italia are owned by the same parent company.  Expect Tutto to reopen with a menu and “feel” that differentiates itself better from the currently superior Via Napoli.

Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show

Will be closed for a brief refurbishment from April 29 – May 2, reopening on May 3.  This is usually to repave the stage.

Downtown Disney Bus Stop

The Marketplace Bus Stops at Downtown Disney are closed for refurbishment through January 31st.  The Pleasure Island stop remains open.

Flower and Garden Festival Flower Power Concert Lineup

Date                          Act                                                                                “Known For(?)”

HGTV Presenters During Flower and Garden Festival

Date                              Celebrity, Show

March 9 – 11               John Gidding, HGTV’s Curb Appeal: The Block

March 16 – 18              Sabrina Soto, HGTV’s The High/Low Project

March 23 – 25             Jason Cameron, DIY Network’s Desperate Landscapes and Man Caves

March 30 – April 1     Camille Styles, HGTV.com Entertainment contributor

April 6 – 8                   Dan Faires, HGTV.com’s DanMade, Fan Favorite HGTV Design Star

April 13 – 15                Brandon Johnson, host of HGTV’s My Yard Goes Disney

April 20 – 22               Meg Caswell, HGTV’s Meg’s Great Rooms

April 27 – 29               Monica Pedersen, HGTV Dream Home Tour 2012 and Designed to Sell

May 4 – 6                     Antonio Ballatore, HGTV’s The Antonio Treatment

May 11  – 13                 To be announced

May 18 – 20               Genevieve Gorder, HGTV’s Dear Genevieve and HGTV Design Star

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So much for the secret:

Saddle up!

Wednesday January 18: Animal Kingdom no longer hosting morning Extra Magic Hour.  Morning Extra Magic Hour added to Magic Kingdom.

Thursday January 19: Magic Kingdom no longer hosting morning Extra Magic Hour.    Morning Extra Magic Hour added to Animal Kingdom.  Evening Extra Magic Hours added to Epcot.  Evening Extra Magic Hours added to Hollywood Studios.  Hollywood Studios is scheduled to have a performance of the “Rock the Night” Fireworks at 7pm.

President Barack Obama will be in town on January 19th.  Florida’s primary is January 31st.  I have no idea what the President’s plans are.  But this is pretty curious.

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Disney released the August 2012 operating schedule here: http://media.disneywebcontent.com/StaticFiles/DTA-Domestic/pdf/ParkHours/WDW_Operating_Calendar_aug.pdf.  Click “refresh” on your browser if it still shows August 2011 in the top right hand corner.  You can rest assured that this is the “official” entertainment schedule and operating hours.  DisneyWorld.com most likely won’t show August’s schedule until the end of the month, even if the hours are programmed into the website much earlier.

August is busy, up through about August 26th when things will die down substantially going into September.  This is evident in the longer hours of operation, abundant nighttime entertainment, and the summer Extra Magic Hours schedule.  If you’re flexible with your dates and looking to minimize overall crowds, you’ll want to visit as late into August as possible.  Ideally, you would put off the trip until September, but that isn’t always possible with school schedules and other commitments.  August is also hot.  Very hot.

The 2012 August Crowd Calendar image will come shortly after I make the February 2012 updates and the daily analysis will follow that.

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Disney updated the February 2012 operating schedule today.  You can see the schedule in full here: http://media.disneywebcontent.com/StaticFiles/DTA-Domestic/pdf/ParkHours/WDW_Operating_Calendar_feb.pdf.  If the date in the lower left hand corner of each page doesn’t say 1/13/12 (or sooner), click refresh on your browser.  Some browsers don’t load new versions of documents if they have the same name.  DisneyWorld.com most likely won’t update their calendar for a few more days, but you can rest assured that they will update eventually.  DisneyWebContent.com is an “official” Disney World website.  It’s just a matter of it being easier to update a PDF file than the convoluted DisneyWorld.com calendar.

Overall, the changes aren’t anything we weren’t expecting.  The 8am openings over President’s Day Week at Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom reinforce the higher crowd levels over that week.  I’ll take a closer look at the new set of numbers, but I’m expecting the overall crowd level to be bumped up one on each day over President’s Day Week.  We also have Fantasmic added at Hollywood Studios on the 24th and 25th, which will affect the recommendations around those dates.  Main Street Electrical Parade is no longer scheduled on February 11th, which means the Electrical Parade will be dark from January 20th through February 12th.  The February 2012 Crowd Calendar will be updated with these changes shortly.  I’m not expecting the recommendations to change much.

Wednesday February 1: No changes.

Thursday February 2: No changes.

Friday February 3: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm.

Saturday February 4: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 12am from 9am – 10pm.

Sunday February 5: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 10pm from 9am – 8pm.

Monday February 6: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm.

Tuesday February 7: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm.

Wednesday February 8: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm.

Thursday February 9: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm.

Friday February 10: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 11pm from 9am – 8pm.

Saturday February 11: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 1am from 9am – 11pm.  Main Street Electrical Parade no longer scheduled.  Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.  Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.

Sunday February 12: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 11pm from 9am – 9pm.  Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.  Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.

Monday February 13: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 11pm from 9am – 9pm.  Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.  A second Fantasmic added at 8:30pm, in addition to 7pm show.

Tuesday February 14: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm.

Wednesday February 15: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm.

Thursday February 16: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 11pm from 9am – 9pm.

Friday February 17: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 1am from 9am – 10pm.  Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 11pm, in addition to 9pm Parade.

Saturday February 18: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 1am from 9am – 11pm.  Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 11pm, in addition to 9pm Parade.  Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 10pm from 9am – 8pm.  A second Fantasmic added at 8:30pm, in addition to 7pm show.  Animal Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.

Sunday February 19: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 12am from 9am – 11pm.  Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 11pm, in addition to 9pm Parade.  Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 10pm from 9am – 8pm.  A second Fantasmic added at 8:30pm, in addition to 7pm show.  Animal Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.

Monday February 20: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 1am from 9am – 11pm.  Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 11pm, in addition to 9pm Parade.  Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 10pm from 9am – 8pm.  A second Fantasmic added at 8:30pm, in addition to 7pm show.  Animal Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.

Tuesday February 21: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 1am from 9am – 11pm.  Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 11pm, in addition to 9pm Parade.  Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 7pm.  A second Fantasmic added at 8:30pm, in addition to 7pm show.  Animal Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.

Wednesday February 22: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 1am from 9am – 11pm.  Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 11pm, in addition to 9pm Parade.  Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 7pm.  A second Fantasmic added at 8:30pm, in addition to 7pm show.  Animal Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.

Thursday February 23: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 12am from 9am – 11pm.  Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 11pm, in addition to 9pm Parade.  Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 7pm.  A second Fantasmic added at 8:30pm, in addition to 7pm show.  Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.

Friday February 24: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 1am from 9am – 11pm.  Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 11pm, in addition to 9pm Parade.  Fantasmic added at Hollywood Studios at 7pm (no Fantasmic previously scheduled).  Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.

Saturday February 25: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 1am from 9am – 11pm.  Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 11pm, in addition to 9pm Parade.  Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 7pm.  Fantasmic added at Hollywood Studios at 7pm and 8:30pm (no Fantasmic previously scheduled).  Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.

Sunday February 26: No changes.

Monday February 27: No changes.

Tuesday February 28: No changes.

Wednesday February 29: No changes.

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This update was a bit delayed while I awaited confirmation on a few operating schedule changes to February and March.  It wasn’t my fault, I promise!  As you are probably aware, Disney announced “One More Disney Day” on New Year’s Eve.  Magic Kingdom will be open from 6am Wednesday February 29th to 6am Thursday March 1st.  That’s 24.00 straight hours.  A lot of the particulars are still a bit hazy.  Overall, it should be a bigger deal than the 40th Anniversary this past October, but it’s still unclear as to exactly what Disney will be offering and at what point during the day that will happen.  We should know more as plans are finalized and approved.  As it stands, very little is set in stone.

Disney made the following updates from February 27th through March 1st:

Monday February 27 – Fantasmic added at Hollywood Studios at 7pm.

Tuesday February 28 – Morning Extra Magic Hour moved to Magic Kingdom.  Epcot is no longer hosting a morning Extra Magic Hour.

Wednesday February 29 – Magic Kingdom hours extended to 6am – 6am (24 straight hours) through March 1st.

Thursday March 1 – Morning Extra Magic Hour moved to Epcot.  Magic Kingdom is no longer hosting morning Extra Magic Hour.

I updated the February 2012 Crowd Calendar and will update the rest of that week moving into March tomorrow.  With the Extra Magic Hours switcharoo and major changes to Wednesday’s hours at Magic Kingdom, some of the recommendations have changed.  The daily analysis under the Crowd Calendar should explain the changes in full.  Should you have any questions about the particulars, please post a comment and I’ll take a look at your particular situation.

The fact that the “One More Disney Day” is a Wednesday in February should temper crowds significantly.  With short notice and nothing officially announced to cause people to book a flight out (outside of the gimmicky 24 hour thing), I’m not expecting an influx of out-of-town guests arriving specifically for the “event.”  It’s also unlikely the “locals” further than an hour out (think Tampa Bay) would visit without further motivation.  I run a mediocre Disney blog, live 20 minutes away, and I’m planning to sleep in and drink lemonade on my balcony for most of the day.  Anyway, I’m expecting Magic Kingdom to be relatively busy in the afternoon and evening, but 6am to at least noon on February 29th and 10pm – 6am moving into Thursday is looking wide open.  The rest of the day shouldn’t even approach July-size crowds.

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