Disney Blog at Magical Kingdoms

WALT DISNEY WORLD

Seasonal Dining

Three seasonal locations are open in the Magic Kingdom for the busy spring/Easter period. We have menus from Tortuga Tavern, Tomorrowland Terrace and Diamond Horseshoe.

Character Changes

Lotso will be leaving his meet & greet location inside The Magic of Disney Animation attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, to make way for Winnie the Pooh on May 16. Pooh will be there in honor of his upcoming feature film, “Disney’s Winnie the Pooh,” which debuts in theaters on July 15.

May 16 also sees Phineas and Ferb arrive for a new movie-themed play ‘n’ greet experience at the Studios. Here, the duo are making a movie about their crazy adventures. With the help of the Guests and Cletus Filmore, the greatest movie Director in the Tri-State Area, Phineas and Ferb will recreate some of their favorite moments…unless they are taking a break to meet with their fans – signing autographs and taking pictures.

As we reported last month, Mater will be leaving the current meet & greet location in the Studios, and Lightning McQueen will be getting a fresh coat of paint before re-appearing in the same location. In June, he’ll make his debut at the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show in a cameo that will replace the Herbie the Love Bug scene in the show.

New pirate, Angelica, who is portrayed by actress Penelope Cruz in the film “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” will make her debut at Magic Kingdom on April 15. Angelica is the daughter of the legendary pirate captain, Blackbeard, and she’ll be appearing for meet and greet in Adventureland.

continue reading…

Print and cut out the voucher (links below) to save 25% off dining with the purchase of any entrée at select quick-service restaurants from April 17 – 23, 2011 at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.

You must dine before 11:30 a.m. or between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Alcohol is excluded. Theme park admission is required and taxes and tips are not included.

You can print out the voucher from the links below, or find one in the Walt Disney World Resort Times Guide, at the bottom of select merchandise receipts or at the bottom of receipts from select resort quick-service restaurants. At Disneyland Resort, it’s on the Entertainment Times Guide or on select merchandise receipts.

continue reading…

Magical Kingdoms can exclusively reveal that Mickey Mouse has announced his retirement, with effect from today, April 1st, 2011.

At the grand old age of 83, Mickey blamed his decision largely on the fact that Disney have recently made him homeless, demolishing his house to make way for the new Fantasyland expansion.

“Can you imagine being made homeless at my age, and all to make way for a new Dumbo ride? They’ve finally given me a new home at Town Square Theater, but it’s just not the same, I don’t even have a bed to sleep in,” Mickey complained.

He continued, “And then there’s being expected to be here, there and everywhere, jetsetting around the world. It’s tough trying to be in two places at once don’t ya know?!”

Mickey Mouse was born in 1928, making his debut in the silent animated short Plane Crazy, although many consider his first appearance to be in Steamboat Willie, which was actually released six months later. He has since starred in many cartoons, comics, TV shows and has made regular appearances at Disney Parks around the world.

Questioned on his future plans Mickey revealed that he’s considering taking a Disney cruise. “It’ll be a nice way to start retirement, and I’ll even be able to leave the ship for a change!” quipped Mickey.

Our sources tell us that Disney are hastily trying to find a new mouse to replace Mickey.

Disney spokesperson, Flora Opil,  refused to comment on the shock news, mumbling something about having to interview someone called Jerry.

WALT DISNEY WORLD

Stitch dance party returns

The “Club 626 Character Dance Party” has returned to the Rockettower Plaza Stage in Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland for the spring period. It will run daily from 4-10pm.

Peter Pan Queue Change

The queue area for Peter Pan is to be extended, using the space currently occupied by the restrooms next to the attraction. Restrooms will be built in the former Skyway station area to replace the ones that are being removed.

ESPN dates

The dates for next year’s ESPN Weekend have been announced – March 2 – 4, 2012.

continue reading…

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself for anyone who doesn’t know who you are?

I’m just a Disney nerd like everyone else reading this. I also happen to be very interested in photography in the parks. I am the Chief Photographer for TouringPlans.com, a blogger for both TouringPlans.com and WDWPhotography.com, and also a contributor to the Unofficial Guide Color Companion to Walt Disney World and Celebrations Magazine.

When did you first become interested in photography?

My wife, Sarah, and I had taken photos of ourselves in the parks beginning in 2006 with our P&S camera (all auto modes–I didn’t know a thing about photography).  I got serious when I bought a Nikon D40 DSLR in July 2008.

Have you taken any courses or are you self-taught?

Entirely self-taught.

continue reading…

Yesterday, Disney held its Investor Conference, where Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs talked a little about some exciting new innovations they have planned for Disney Parks in the future. Some of what he discussed has already been implemented in the Parks, such as the new interactive queue area, whilst other things are perhaps only at the early ideas and development stage and it could be years before we see them in action.

Here’s an excerpt from his presentation:

“We know that our guests love creating great Disney memories with their friends and their families. We also know that they don’t exactly relish waiting in line, checking at the resort, worrying about missing their favorite attractions or feeling uncertain how to best navigate and access our properties. In the coming years, we’ll introduce a broad, integrated set of systems and tools that will help us create a more seamless, personalized experience, and help guests to get more out of their visit with us. That’s our ultimate goal – to welcome more and more people, while making their experience more satisfying, more personal and more immersive.

We know that our guests love creating great Disney memories with their friends and their families. We also know that they don’t exactly relish waiting in line, checking at the resort, worrying about missing their favorite attractions or feeling uncertain how to best navigate and access our properties. In the coming years, we’ll introduce a broad, integrated set of systems and tools that will help us create a more seamless, personalized experience, and help guests to get more out of their visit with us. That’s our ultimate goal – to welcome more and more people, while making their experience more satisfying, more personal and more immersive.

continue reading…

Walt Disney Imagineering has turned its sights to the next highly-anticipated opening: The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, coming soon in 2011. In this video, Imagineer Lisa Girolami takes you behind the curtain (or under the waves) to give you a first look at Ariel’s world. From the drawing board to the incredible scenery, this is an attraction sure to make a splash with guests.

WALT DISNEY WORLD

Wild Africa Trek Debuts

Animal Kingdom’s new Wild Africa Trek experience began yesterday. Taking guests on a private VIP tour of the Pangani Forest where they will have close encounters with exotic wildlife species including hippos and crocodiles. Learn more here.

continue reading…

A lot of these tips come from what I’ve learned personally after trips with young children. We took our eldest to Disney World when she was six months old, and our most recent trip was with our 3 year old and 18 month old. Whilst they are based on experience mostly at Disney World, they also apply to other Disney Theme Parks.

All Disney restaurants provide an activity sheet and crayons for kids dining there. However, they are more suited to older kids. Print off some Disney coloring pages (easily found online) and / or take a blank coloring pad with you to keep the kids amused while waiting to be served and in between courses.

Disney restaurants aren’t permitted to heat baby food or bottles for guests (health and safety rules), so be aware of this and prepare accordingly. In-park Baby Care Centers have microwaves provided for this use. Most places will provide a complimentary small bowl of pasta for young ones old enough to eat it. More on the subject of dining in a future article.

When making Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) for breakfasts, bear in mind that you’re often up later at night on vacation, and although your toddler may get up bright and early while at home, they’re likely to be more tired while on vacation. Factor in the travel time to the park or resort and an 8am breakfast reservation might not be quite as good as it sounded when you booked it. We learned this the hard way on our last trip. Long days at the parks and later nights meant our kids were really too tired to be getting out of bed at 7am and were very cranky as a result. Breakfast ADRs can usually be made up to about 10:30-11am, so make the most of this and let the kids have a lie-in!

Similarly, don’t expect your kids to be able to stay awake to see IllumiNations at 9pm, or Wishes at 10pm. As much as they might want to see the fireworks, little ones find it very hard to stay awake when they are so tired, and if you try to keep them awake you’re likely to have a cranky child on your hands and possibly even tantrums.

continue reading…

We’re excited to announce that we’ve re-opened our Disney forums!

Does the world really need yet more Disney forums we hear you ask? We think so, as we hope to be a bit different from the others available.

Just as MagicalKingdoms.com covers the whole spectrum of Disney, so will our forums. Rather than focusing on just Disney World or Disneyland Paris like many others do, ours cover all Theme Parks, plus Disney Cruise Line, weddings and animation.

Magical Kingdoms forums will not only be a place for people to plan their trips and get advice, but also for Disney fans to meet, make new friends and have fun. All in a family-friendly, welcoming environment.

So if you want to meet fellow Disney fans for general chit-chat, or need help planning your Disney vacation, pop in and check us out!

Registering is completely free and takes only a couple of minutes.