Coco Comes To Mickey's PhilharMagic

All images: Disney

Mickey's PhilharMagic is one of my favorite shows in the Magic Kingdom. Guests head into the theater, don their "opera glasses" and travel alongside Donald Duck on a musical trip through favorite Disney animated movies. The story is a lot of fun and it's a perfect spot to beat the summer heat or sudden downpours of hurricane season.

While the show is already great, Disney Imagineers have decided to "plus it" with a new scene from Pixar's Coco. The "Un Poco Loco" scene will be added to the show in Disney's California Adventure and Disneyland Paris on July 17. It will appear in the Magic Kingdom later in the year as part of the 50th anniversary celebration. I can't wait to see how this new scene fits in. I'm sure it will be hilarious!

Disneyland's King Arthur Carrousel Is Beautiful

No matter how old I am, I'll always love going for a ride on a carousel. On of my earliest Disney memories is of riding the King Arthur Carousel in Disneyland. Recently, Disney ImagineersImagineers took time during the parks closure to repaint and gild each of the 68 unique horses on this beloved attraction. The result is something beautiful. 

Disneyland is scheduled to reopen, to California residents only, on April 30.

The Updates To Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Look Amazing

Disneyland

The ghosts of the Haunted Mansion have been making some alterations while guests have been away. A few of these changes can be found outside the manor in the Pet Cemetery. And a few nods to the rides origins have been added inside. It seems the classic "April to December" has reappeared, with a fantastic new portrait. And the demon cat originally envisioned by Xavier Atencio has popped in as well.

Disneyland is scheduled to reopen on April 30, 2021.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Disney

The Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ride, which, in theory, will be opening in EPCOT next year, is looking incredible. The adventure will start in the "Galaxarium", a planetarium-like exhibition comparing Earth's galaxy to Xandar. As you learn more about Xandar’s treasures, the Guardians arrive and chaos ensues.

Guests will board the OmniCoaster for an entirely unique, family-friendly roller coaster ride through the galaxy. The ride system can rotate in any direction, even while traveling at high speeds. This way, you'll be fully immersed in the story as each individual cab directs your attention to what's happening at that moment. It should be amazing!

Slinky Dog Dash Update

Disney

The first ride vehicle for the Slinky Dog Dash coaster arrived in Hollywood Studios last week, just in time for National Slinky Day. It looks like the toys were eagerly awaiting Slink.

Toy Story Land Update

Disney

Disney's Imagineers have been hard at work creating the new Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios for some time. Recently, they shared a photo of the final piece of track for the Slinky Dog Dash being lowered into place.

The ride is a family friendly coaster that Andy has built using his Mega Coaster Play Kit, with his usual creative flair. In Toy Story Land, guests shrink to toy size while they explore Andy's backyard.

There's still a lot of work to do before the attraction opens next summer, but so far, it looks pretty awesome. Are you looking forward to playing in Andy's world?

Star Wars Land Update

Disney had some major announcements yesterday regarding Star Wars and it's presence at Hollywood Studios. It seems that there are many new experiences that will be opening in the coming months, starting December 1. The Star Wars Launch Bay will be a sneak peek behind the scenes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There will be special exhibits, merchandise, and the chance to meet Chewbacca and Darth Vader.

Star Tours will be adding a new adventure to its line-up. For the first few months, everyone will experience the new adventure. Afterward, it will be part of the random adventures we can see now. Disney shared a quick glimpse of this new adventure. I can't wait to see it in the park!

Another new experience is Star Wars: Path of the Jedi. Featuring scenes from all of the films, this will give new fans a chance to explore the galaxy many of us know and love. Finally, the Jedi Training experience for kids will receive a makeover and a new home. Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple will take younglings to the site of an ancient Jedi temple where they will face off against Darth Vader and the Seventh Sister. Bean is going to love it!

Unfortunately, with all these new experiences comes the loss of an old one. While construction is underway on the new 14-acre Star Wars Land, Star Wars Weekends have come to an end. While we'll now be able to experience a galaxy far, far away every day, I will miss this special event. I'm glad we had the chance to see it one last time this year. Which experience are you most looking forward to?

The Mortal Instruments

A friend loaned me the first three books of the Mortal Instruments series last week and I must say, I'm totally hooked! These books are fantastic! I love the story line and the characters are well written and believable. These books may become my new obsession. So far, I've completed reading the first two books and am nearly done with the third. The only problem with these books is that once you finish one book, you want to move on immediately to the next. I'm sad that there is only one more book to read at the moment. Cassandra Clare has two more books to write to complete the series. Fortunately, much like JK Rowling, she seems to know where she intends to go with the stories.

The stories follow the life of Clary Fray and how everything changes when she meets a certain boy, Jace Wayland. In meeting Jace, a chain of events is set in motion that will lead Clary to question everything she thought she knew about herself and the world around her. Jace, and the family that have taken him in, are Shadowhunters, a secret group of Demon fighters. The monsters humans think are merely fairy tales, are real. There are Demons, Vampires, Werewolves, Warlocks, and the Fey, or Fairies. Drawn into this world almost against her will, Clary must find her place among the Shadowhunters and aid them in their battle to save all of humanity.

I love these books and was excited to learn that they are currently casting for a movie based on the first book. The studio has only announced the casting of the two leads, but more should be released soon. Lily Collins, of the Blind Side, will play Clary. Jamie Campbell-Bower, of Sweeney Todd and the Twilight series, will play Jace. So far, it sounds alright, although I wished they'd picked Alex Pettyfer for Jace because as soon as I saw him in Beastly, I realized that's who I'd pictured. If you like supernatural, teen, romance/adventure books, The Mortal Instruments may be the series for you.

Trip to the World

I just got back from a six day trip to Disney World and I have loads of new information to share.

Magic Kingdom:
The new Fantasyland expansion is in full swing. They have blocked off large sections of what used to be Pooh Corner and some backstage areas so that they can begin construction. There are several pictures on the walls hiding the construction that detail all of the changes. While I'm not sure how I feel about the new Princess-themed land, it should be amazing when it's finished. They haven't closed Toontown yet, which was great for us because we love Goofy's Barnstormer, but it should be closing in the next few months.

We ate at Tony's Town Square for the first time. We had a little trouble getting to the restaurant because we got stuck in Toontown in a torrential downpour and Tony's is near the front gate, but we threw on ponchos and made a mad dash for it. The food at Tony's was really good, both dinner and the desserts. However, the atmosphere was not what I had expected. It was rather dark and tried to be upscale rather than the family dining experience that they advertise. The seating was very crowded. However, our waitress was very attentive and nice.

EPCOT:
We had our first character meal this trip. We decided to go for the Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was wonderful. We were greeted by Belle when we came in. Bean got to spend several minutes talking with her before they took a photo, which was included in the price of the meal. Once we were seated, our very attentive server explained the Norwegian buffet to us and took our orders. My sister and I ordered the traditional Norwegian meatballs, but Bean ordered pizza. After everyone in our section had been served, the Princesses began to make their way through the dining hall. We saw Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, and Aurora. They spend about a minute with each child, sign autographs and pose for pictures. They were all wonderful. At the end of the meal, they brought out the dessert plate, a preset selection of three different desserts. They were fabulous! I would definitely consider returning to Akershus.

Hollywood Studios:
They have re-imagined the Tower of Terror, adding all new drop sequences. The last room before the elevator shaft has been altered to remain dark as you travel through it. The new drop sequences add a new thrill for long time riders and new riders alike.

We rode Star Tours several times as it is scheduled to close for renovations soon. It's Bean's favorite ride, so we couldn't pass up what may be our last chance to ride the old ride.

Lotso Huggin' Bear has been added to the characters that you can meet at the Magic of Disney Animation. He is huge and pink and really does smell like strawberries!

We ate at the 50s Prime Time Cafe for the second time. Again the meal and the service were fabulous. It's such a fun place to eat and totally reminds me of my paternal grandmother's house. We ordered Bean the Mickey's Bee Bop Drink with the glowing ice cubes. When the waiter first brought it out, it was pale pink. Bean said that it wasn't pink enough, so he took it back and added extra cherry syrup. She was thrilled. When she asked for a refill before we left, he even took her back to the kitchen and let her watch as he made it to make sure she had enough cherry in her drink!

Animal Kingdom:
At the Animal Kingdom, we decided to eat at the Yak and Yeti for the first time. Unfortunately, it wasn't the greatest experience. The ambiance was fantastic. The theme of the place was great. The drinks were wonderful; my sister ordered a Yak Attack which she loved, and I ordered a Glacier Water, which I also enjoyed. For the meal, I ordered the Maple Tamarind Chicken which I didn't really care for at all. My sister ordered the MalAsian Seafood Curry which she enjoyed but it didn't really agree with her. In all, I don't know that I would eat there again because the Yak and Yeti counter service was actually better and less expensive than eating in the restaurant.

All in all, it was a good trip. We got to experience several new dining choices and revisit some old favorites. As always, we truly enjoyed our latest trip to the World.

Updates

Well, I just got back from a spur of the moment trip to "the World." There are a lot of changes going on and a lot of new things coming soon. I'll be updating several posts, especially the ones about what characters are available and where. New characters have been added and you won't want to miss them. Stay tuned for the latest information regarding my favorite place!

Autographs - An Adventure in Collecting, Part 3 Hollywood Studios

There are many opportunities to collect autographs at Disney's Hollywood Studios. For some characters, this is the only park where you can meet them for photos and autographs. The lines in this park are generally shorter than at the Magic Kingdom. At Hollywood Studios, I would recommend seeing Prince Caspian, the Incredibles, Playhouse Disney characters if you have little kids who enjoy the shows, Lightning McQueen & Mater, Mike & Sully, and the characters from UP. I haven't been to the Star Wars weekends yet, but I've heard that there are a lot of great characters to meet at these special events, as well as some of the actors who performed the roles in the movies. Most of the characters at Hollywood Studios are in special, themed areas specific to the character and are available throughout the day. Then there are rotating characters at the Magic of Animation building. These characters vary and may change multiple times throughout the day. As a result, you never know who you're going to get, but that can be fun if you have the time.

Characters that can be seen on normal days:
Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Sorceror Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto
Chip & Dale
Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Green Army Man*
Prince Caspian*
Power Rangers Green*, Yellow*, Pink*, and more*
Elastigirl*, Mr. Incredible*, Frozone*
Genie
Playhouse Disney: Handy Manny*, Jojo & Goliath*, Annie*, Quincy*, Leo* & June*
Indiana Jones* & Marion* (after the stunt show)
Lightning McQueen* & Mater* (they can't sign autographs because they don't have hands!)
Mike Wazowski* & Sully* (they can't sign autographs because Roz won't allow extra paperwork!)
Russell*, Mr. Fredrickson (Carl)*, and Dug* from UP

Characters that are sometimes available:
Belle
Mulan
Mary Poppins & Bert, Penguin
Villains: Captain Hook & Mr. Smee, Cruella DeVille, Frollo, Governor Radcliffe, Jafar, Prince John, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Queen of Hearts, the Snow Queen, Evil Queen
Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee, the White Rabbit
Rafiki
Snow White & Dopey
Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore
Pinocchio, Gepetto
Lilo & Stitch
Max
Pocahontas & Meeko
Suzy & Perla (the Mice from Cinderella)
Marie

Characters that are only found during Star Wars Weekends:
Chewbacca*, Ewoks*, R2-D2*, Jawas*
Darth Vader*, Boba Fett*, Stormtroopers*, Darth Maul*, Clone Troopers*
Jedi Mickey*, Stormtrooper Donald*, Vader Goofy*, Leia Minnie*

* = only available at this park
Tomorrow, on to Animal Kingdom.

Autographs - An Adventure in Collecting, Part 2 - Magic Kingdom

When collecting autographs at Disney World, there are several ways to go about it. The first time I went to Disney World, I got the autograph of every character that had a fairly short line. That worked fairly well, but the next time I went, I wanted to try for different autographs. I would like to eventually collect one from every character, but that takes a bit of planning and a lot of time spent waiting in line.

When starting your autograph collection, it's a good idea to hit some of the spots where characters are always available. At the Magic Kingdom, I would recommend Mickey in the Judges Tent in Toontown and the Princesses in the Toontown Hall of Fame. The Fairies are also in the Toontown Hall of Fame, but often have a wait of up to 1 hour. However, with Toontown closing sometime this year to make way for the new Fantasyland expansion, these locations will probably change.

As you walk around the park, you will probably see lines for characters at what seem to be random locations. Many of the characters are available at the front of the park, just after walking under the railroad station. Sometimes, you will be able to meet unexpected characters here, such as mice from Cinderella, Pinocchio & Gepetto, Mary Poppins & Penguins, and others.

With a little planning, kids should be able to narrow down a list of which characters they absolutely have to see. I would suggest only visiting characters at Magic Kingdom which can't be found at other parks. If you plan to visit all four parks during your stay, there's no reason to try to meet all of the characters at the Magic Kingdom as the lines for characters are usually shorter at the other parks. For the Magic Kingdom, I would recommend the Princesses, Buzz Lightyear, Stitch (although he can also be found at Animal Kingdom), and Mickey. If you can catch them, try to see Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee, the Mad Hatter, and Alice near the Teacups.

At certain times of the year, additional characters can be spotted at the Magic Kingdom. During Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, in addition to Mickey and the gang sporting Halloween costumes, you can meet the Queen of Hearts, White Rabbit, Playing Cards, and more from Alice in Wonderland. Sometimes, you can even meet all 7 Dwarfs at the same time, a real rarity. At Christmas, Scrooge McDuck can often be found near his nephew Donald's Tree Lot and Mickey and the gang often sport winter garb, which is fun to photograph.

Characters that can be seen at the Magic Kingdom on normal days:
Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Donald & Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto
Chip & Dale
Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, Darby* (from the new Tigger & Pooh Super Sleuths)
Lilo & Stitch
Buzz Lightyear, Jessie*, Woody
Cinderella, the Mice Suzy & Perla, the Fairy Godmother*, Lady Tremaine*, Drisella*, Anastasia*
Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)
Tinker Bell*, Iridessa*, Rosetta*, Fawn*, Silver Mist*
Captain Hook and Mr. Smee
Ariel*
Aladdin, Jasmine
Baloo, King Louie
Peter Pan* & Wendy*
Tiana* & Prince Naveen*

Characters that are sometimes available:
Alice, Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, the Mad Hatter*, the White Rabbit*, the Queen of Hearts
Brer Bear, Brer Rabbit
Mary Poppins & the Penguins
Merlin*
Marie (from Aristocats)
Max
Meeko
Prince John, the Sheriff of Nottingham
Terk
Rafiki, Timon

Characters that can be seen only during Halloween or Christmas:
Scrooge McDuck*
Snow White, Dopey, Doc*, Sleepy*, Sneezy*, Grumpy*, Happy*, Bashful*
Bullseye*
Villains: Cruella DeVille, Frollo, Jafar, Maleficent, the Evil Queen from Snow White
Tarzan*, Jane*
Prince Charming*
John Smith*

* = only available at this park

The list is ever-changing, but this is a good starting point to help you plan out your autograph hunting. Tomorrow, Disney's Hollywood Studios.


**UPDATE**
There are two new characters to see at the Magic Kingdom: Tiana and Prince Naveen from the Princess and the Frog. They can be found behind the Christmas shop on Liberty Square. For now, they can be difficult to catch, we had to try three times before we could finally meet them. However, they may be moving to a more permanent location in a few months.

Free at EPCOT

Last but not least, my favorite park for freebies: EPCOT. EPCOT has the same basic free stuff: stickers, buttons, maps, times guides, and a whole lot more. The best freebies at EPCOT are from their kids activities, and there are several. The biggest kids activity, which will take you around the entire park, is the Kidcot Fun Stops. (Although these stops are intended for kids, I have participated in them as well, saving the charms to use in my scrapbook.) There are 17 fun stops; one in each of the 11 countries and one in each pavilion in Future World. The Kidcot Fun Stops are sponsored by Sharpie and have markers to color the charms or masks at each station. The charms each come in several colors so that kids can personalize their collection. Starting with the Innoventions Pavilions, you can get a Kidcot Fun Stop lanyard to attach paper charms to at each station throughout the park. At Innoventions West, the charm is an ID with a mobile phone from Kim Possible. At Innoventions East, the charm is a 3-D food pyramid with Rufus inside and kids learn about the food pyramid. At the Living Seas pavilion, you can get a shark or dolphin charm and learn about ocean creatures. At the Land pavilion, they have ladybug and Venus Flytrap charms. Kids learn about plants and insects. At the Test Track shop, kids can get two charms: a race car and a caution cone. After completing the 5 stops in Future World, head over to the World Showcase. 

In the World Showcase, the Kidcot cast members are native citizens of their respective countries. As such, they can tell you quite a bit about their country and will often teach kids to say "Hello" and "Goodbye" in their native language. At the first country, pick up a mask for more collecting fun. There are several different types of masks available, including some special seasonal ones. The three masks that are available anytime are an African style mask, an Asian style mask, and a European style mask. Each mask has a paint stir stick handle that will be stamped at each country. At Christmas, you can get a Santa mask and during the Food and Wine Festival, you can get a special mask with a chef's hat on. We usually start with Mexico and work our way around. In Mexico, kids can get a Jaguar charm and the first stamp on the handle of their mask. In Norway, the charm is a Viking Ship. In China, the charm is a Kite with a butterfly punched out. In China, they will also stamp your Chinese zodiac sign on the back of your mask as well as writing your name in Chinese. In Germany, the charm is usually a Teddy Bear, although the last charm I got was a Gingerbread boy. In Italy, the charm is a Half Mask. At the American Experience, the charm is a Rocking Horse. In Japan, the charm is an origami style Butterfly, although a Frog has been available in the past. In Morocco, the charm is a Khamsa, or Hand of Fatima. The Morocco charm used to be plastic, but has since been changed to paper. In Morocco, you can also ask to have your name written on your mask in Arabic. In France, the charm is a Hot Air Balloon with a fleur de lis punched out. In the United Kingdom, the charm is a Dragon. In Canada, the charm is a Dream Catcher, although a Maple Leaf was available in the past. At times, kids are offered a small gift such as a poster or certificate upon completion of the World Showcase masks. While they are not always available, it's worth making sure to visit each country on your way around the lagoon. 

In addition to the masks, you can purchase an "EPCOT Passport" to have stamped as you travel around the world. The cast members will stamp each passport and write something about their country or a message of welcome in their native language. I have not used the purchased passports, but there are a few free ones on the internet that can be downloaded and printed before you go. The first one I used was from a Disboards Dis-Signer. I've also created my own special passport to use at Christmas, incorporating the various holiday greetings from each of the 11 countries. 

Another fun freebie at EPCOT, although one that is only available to Disney Visa cardholders, is a free photo. To get the free 5x7 photo, part of the Visa Meet'n'Greet, you have to go to the Innoventions West pavilion sometime between 1:30PM-4:30PM. You show your card to the cast members and they will give you a certificate for the free photo. You can get one free photo per day, per unique card number. The wait to get in to see the characters can vary, but usually is around 20-30 minutes. While there are usually 2-3 characters in the room, sometimes there are as many as four. The last time we went, we saw Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. It was great to spend a few minutes with the characters as the only family in the room and my niece loved the one on one interaction without all the distractions of other families waiting to see the characters. If you have a Disney Visa, I would highly recommend it. 

Another fun free thing in Innoventions West is the velcro frogs. These are often overlooked and can be a ton of fun. The frogs are available near the Slapstick Studios show. After picking a frog, which come in several colors, you can dress your frog in a wide variety of clothing. They have everything from sunglasses, to capes, to shorts and shoes, to Mickey ears or crowns. There are different accessories and different colors available every time we go. We love to play with the frogs while walking to the different areas of the park, and with EPCOT, there is a lot of walking. When you finish your frog, a cast member will give you a soft velcro bracelet so that you can wear your new creation. The frogs are a blast! 

And don't forget to visit Club Cool in Future World. Sponsored by Coca Cola, Club Cool gives you a chance to try Coke products from around the world for free. There are 8 different flavors to try, ranging from the delicious to the unique. Our family loves the watermelon soda available in China, although we didn't like the bitter Beverly soda from Italy. It's a great chance to try unexpected flavors and also very refreshing on a hot day, although it can get very busy. And there you have it, freebies at Disney World.


**UPDATE**
The Kidcot stations that were located in Future World have all been removed. Whether this is temporary or permanent remains to be seen. I'll update this if the stations are returned.