Walt Disney World (FL) - TouringPlans.com Blog

©Disney

It is the event that we’ve been waiting for to officially kick off a great summer at Walt Disney World and at Disneyland. The weekend is officially almost here.

Guests who visit on May 24 will have the opportunity to spend 24 hours in either the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World or Disneyland and Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort.

Walt Disney World

Those attending at Disney World will have the opportunity to see Mike and Sulley take part in the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It Street Party. In addition, before the two performances of the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade, a special pre-parade will take place featuring the duo plus a cheer squad, a marching band playing the MU fight song, and flag corps.

In Tomorrowland, from 4 – 9 pm, guests will be able to boogie down at the Monster Mania DJ Dance Party over at the Rockettower Plaza Stage. From 11 pm – 5 am, that same area will feature back to back showings of Monsters, Inc. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet and greet Mike and Sulley.

Over in front of Cinderella Castle, from 2 am – 5:45 am, take part in the Disney Up All Night Dance Party.

Read the rest of this entry »

We are slowly getting information about the 2013 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, in my opinion one of the best times of year at Walt Disney World.

Earlier this week, we found out who some of the new artists performing during the Eat to the Beat Concert Series were (along with a few new details for this year’s Food & Wine Festival). They include The Go-Gos, Edwin McCain, The Manhattan Transfer, Spin Doctors, and Christopher Cross.

Here is a look at when they, along with the other performers, will be taking the stage:

• Sept. 27-29 – Starship starring Mickey Thomas
• Sept. 30-Oct. 1 – Go-Go’s
• Oct. 2-4 – Air Supply
• Oct. 5-6 – Sister Hazel
• Oct. 7-9 – Sugar Ray
• Oct. 10-11 – Edwin McCain
• Oct. 12-13 – Manhattan Transfer
• Oct. 14-15 – Wilson Phillips
• Oct. 16-17 – The Pointer Sisters
• Oct. 18-20 – Night Ranger
• Oct. 21-23 – Boyz II Men
• Oct. 24-25 – Survivor
• Oct. 26-27 – 38 Special
• Oct. 28-30 – Smash Mouth
• Oct. 31-Nov. 1 – Spin Doctors
• Nov. 2-3 – Christopher Cross
• Nov. 4-5 – Hanson
• Nov. 6-8 – Dennis DeYoung
• Nov. 9-11 – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

The performances take place at the American Gardens Theater in the American Adventure Pavilion.  Concert times are 5:30 pm, 6:45 pm, and 8:00 pm and are included with your park admission.

We’re getting ready to stay up for a full 24 hours in Magic Kingdom for Monstrous Summer on May 24, 2013, and we want you to join us! I plan on being in the parks all day and will be roaming around handing out stickers, subscriptions, and water bottles…but there will be some scheduled meets as well.

Meet #1: Bi-Coastal Opposite Day Photo Opp: 1:00pm – The Partners Statue in the Hub: Disneyland has a small castle, Magic Kingdom has a big castle; Disneyland has a male researcher, Disney World has a female researcher; and if those researchers both want to have meets in front of their respective castles, why not make them full on opposites? Since Guy is having a meet in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle in the middle of the night at 1am, I’m having my meet at Cinderella Castle in the afternoon at 1pm! That way we can have two opposite pictures from opposite coasts to commemorate the day. Guests who come to this meet at Magic Kingdom will get a 3 month extension to their TouringPlans subscriptions, and there will be other giveaways.

Read the rest of this entry »

After a morning at Disney’s Animal Kingdom checking out the new Adventurers Outpost meet and greet, I went to spend the day at Magic Kingdom.

First thing we saw upon arriving was that the Citizens of Main Street were out and about, and I wanted to get my picture with the Mayor. He was just wandering around chatting with people and had no problem stopping for a quick picture…he even commented on how much he loved standing next to a gorgeous red head…that mayor is quite the charmer! Even though they aren’t a major attraction, I really enjoy the Citizens of Main Street. They add so much to the ambiance and theming of the land and make it seem more authentic.

I was anxious to get to Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor because I heard they added in a few things from the upcoming Monsters University movie. The queue and pre-show were completely unchanged. Even the actual show had very little done. The Marty Wazowski set had a Monsters University backdrop, and he made a comment about wanting to grow up to attend Monsters University, but that was all. The only other significant thing I noticed was that we got Buddy Boyle’s box trick instead of his mind-reading act. The box trick set he does has always been an option for the show but is rarely used since it is much more complicated for the actors than the mind reading. I’ve heard a few other people mention they have gotten this set recently, so it may be used more often now that Disney made some adjustments.

Read the rest of this entry »

On May 24, 2013, Disney Parks will host a Monstrous Summer 24-hour event at Magic Kingdom in Orlando and Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in Anaheim. Just like at One More Disney Day last year, there will be special t-shirts and other merchandise available for the event. We were sent a picture of some of the items that will be available.

The button in the picture below is supposedly the free button all guests will receive upon entering the park (while supplies last, just like those given out for other special events). The special desserts pictured will likely be available for the rest of the summer but will debut on May 24. We don’t have any information about pricing or sizing of the merchandise but will provide updates as we know more.

Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve taken a look at the general pool situation at Walt Disney World, as well as the pool specifics about the value level resorts. Now it’s time to dig in to the details about the pools at the Disney moderate resorts: Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans French Quarter, and Port Orleans Riverside, as well as the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. (Disney classifies the Fort Wilderness cabins as moderate level accommodations.)

CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT

• How many pools are there? There are seven real pools. The main feature pool, Fuentes del Morro, is located in Old Port Royale Centertown. There are also six smaller quiet pools, one each in the Martinique, Barbados, Aruba, Jamaica, Trinidad South, and Trinidad North guest room areas.
• What is the pool themeing? The feature pool has an old fashioned pirate theme, with faux pirate outpost ruins.
• What’s the kiddie pool situation? There is an aquatic play area, reserved for children under 48″ tall, adjacent to the main feature pool. The water around the play area is shallow and appropriate for the smallest children. There is also a small traditional kiddie pool.
• Are there water slides? Yes, there are twin mini-slides in the aquatic play area. There are two medium-sized slides in the feature pool, appropriate for older children.
• Is there a nearby playground? The aquatic play area functions much like a playground, with interactive elements. Traditional playgrounds are located in the Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad South village areas.
• What’s the nearest food option? The Banana Cabana bar is located directly adjacent to the main feature pool. The Market Street food court and Shutters full-service restaurant are located in nearby Centertown. Other than vending machines, there are no food options near the quiet pools.
• Are there showers at the pool? Yes, there is a locker room with showers located next to the main feature pool.
• Are there hot tubs? Yes. There is a small hot tub located next to the main feature pool.
• Are there towels available at the pool? Yes, there are towels available at the main feature pool. Towels are typically not available at the quiet pools.
• How deep is the pool? The main feature pool is four feet, ten inches at its deepest point. The quiet pools average four feet, six inches at their deepest point.
• Are there zero entry pools? Yes, the main feature pool has a zero entry access point. The children’s aquatic play area is also zero entry. The quiet pools are standard entry.
• Are poolside cabanas available? No.
• Are there poolside activities? Yes. All activities take place at the feature pool area. Schedules may vary seasonally, but recently there were planned events from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. every afternoon, plus a movie under the stars in the evening. Events may include: Dance Parties, “What’s in Your Beach Bag,” “Mickey Who?,” Notable Quotes, and others. Weather permitting, there is a free campfire with s’mores.
• Anything else? There are laundry facilities near the pool in each village area. There are often hair wrap artists located at the Dig Site pool mid-day. While there are plentiful beaches here, there is no swimming allowed in the lake.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the map with all the information for Weekend 1 of the 2013 Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I don’t expect much to change for other weekends aside from the shows at Premiere Theater. For example, next weekend Warwick Davis will have a one man show called An Ewok’s Tale – My Short Story. Enjoy planning!

Read the rest of this entry »

Today Mickey and Minnie got a new home at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The Beastly Bazaar store closed several months ago to make way for this new meet and greet location, Adventurers Outpost. We were there this morning to check out the Big Cheese’s new spot.

Even though the official opening was today, there was still a lot of work being done on the building. Managers and Imagineers were all around working on things and excitedly greeting the first guests. The wait time sign out front wasn’t working properly, and the FASTPASS entrance sign was still covered up. Although there are two different rooms for meeting Mickey and Minnie, only one was in use today. The door to the other room was open; we could see there were still ladders and work materials around, and Cast Members were still painting.

Read the rest of this entry »

Do you have a podcast that discusses Disney or Universal theme parks? If so, we would like a word with you to discuss the development of the TouringPlans.com Podcast Network.

We are looking for a number of various podcasts to possibly form a new network which would combine the wonderful content that already exists in the podcasting world with the reach of a popular site like TouringPlans.com. No matter the style, format, or topics of your podcast, we would love to hear from you.

We’re looking toward the future…well okay, the Italy pavilion.

Very, very little would need to change about your podcast yet you would get the backing of a website that gets a few million hits a year (yes, this one). The basic idea is that your podcast, along with a handful of others, would be available via the TouringPlans.com Network feed. Listeners would get the benefit of finding great content all in one place and you would get the benefit of a very wide audience.

This could be a great opportunity for you as well as us and the theme park community as a whole. If you are interested in hearing all the details, please email Brian at Brian@TouringPlans.com by no later than Wednesday, May 22. Your email should include:

• The name of your podcast
• A brief description of what the podcast is about
• Any other details we should know (is your podcast only 20 minutes long, do you only record once a month, is it dirtier than George Carlin’s stand up, etc.)
• The name and email of at least one person from the podcast that we can contact
• A link to a fairly recent episode that you would like us to review for consideration

Simply applying is not a binding agreement so you can send us an email simply if you want to hear more about it and you can remove your application at any time. When we get all of this information we will review your podcast and give you all of the details about what we would expect and what you can expect from us should we decide to partner up. We are very excited to be starting this and we look forward to hearing from you. Thanks!

Yesterday my good friend and fellow TouringPlans.com researcher Shane was celebrating his birthday at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and I headed out to join him. It was a gorgeous sunny day, not too hot, and was perfect for being outside.

We arrived just after noon and before we even got into the park we noticed all the Star Wars Weekends signs are starting to go up. At first I was surprised to see them up so early and then realized that time has gotten away from me and the event begins this Friday! I love Star Wars Weekends and will for sure be back on Friday to enjoy the first day.

Read the rest of this entry »