First Look At Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

So many changes have happened recently at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, it almost doesn’t feel like the same park anymore, and even more exciting offerings are on the way! On March 4, 2020, the highly anticipated Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will debut. This unique addition to the park will be the first ride-through attraction featuring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse at any Disney park.

Here’s what we can expect according to Disney as we “burst into Mickey and Minnie’s world”:

The darling duo are taking a leisurely drive to a picnic in their sporty roadster—with Engineer Goofy’s train following merrily along. Plot twist—you get to go, too! Climb aboard a runaway railway and embark on a whirlwind ride through a world where the rules of physics don’t apply. Prepare for unexpected twists, slapstick gags and mind-boggling transformations at every turn, as Mickey and Minnie try to save the day.

Also opening in Disney’s Hollywood Studios in March is the Mickey Shorts Theater. This location will show an original short film in the style of the popular Disney Channel animated series “Mickey Mouse,” and will feature photo-opportunity locations for guests.

For any Mickey and Minnie fans that are going to be at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this spring to check out the new Mickey Shorts Theater and to take a ride on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, I hope to see ya’ there real soon!

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Christmas

Festive Fun Facts About Walt Disney World

No place does Christmas quite like Walt Disney World, and this year the resort has plenty of festive fun in store for resort guests. I am eagerly counting the days until my visits in anticipation of all of the seasonal experiences and decorations. Here’s a brief run down of some festive fun facts to get you in the holiday spirit, courtesy of Disney:

Magical holiday experiences and beloved traditions await Walt Disney World Resort guests during the most wonderful time of the year. Starting today, theme parks, resort hotels and Disney Springs come to life with holiday charm and excitement as dazzling décor and a flurry of fun immerse guests in a festive fantasy.

Check out these holiday fun facts and discover how Walt Disney World Resort becomes a winter wonderland!

Disney Parks Frozen Christmas Celebration TV SpecialWalt Disney World Resort

  • The Walt Disney World Holiday Services team provides décor for 780 locations within 41 different properties, including Disney theme parks, resorts, Disney Springs and recreation and shopping areas. The team also decorates Disney Cruise Line ships and Disney Vacation Club resorts in Florida and South Carolina.
  • 41 cast members work year-round to make the holiday transformation a reality, with an additional 119 cast members added during the installation period.
  • Décor installation begins Halloween night and is finished by Thanksgiving.

Magic Kingdom Park           

  • During the holidays, Magic Kingdom is home to 40 trees, 147 wreaths and 590 garlands that measure a total of 5,188 feet.
  • Guests can celebrate the season at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on 23 select nights from November 8 to December 22. This year’s celebration welcomes the dazzling new nighttime spectacular, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks.”
  • Tomorrowland Speedway joins in the merriment of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party for the first time this year with a new holiday overlay that glimmers with thousands of lights and stylized décor. It’s one of Magic Kingdom attractions to feature holiday overlays.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom will celebrate the holidays in full for the first time in its history, with enchanting entertainment and décor in new locations.
  • 148 animal-inspired luminaries will cast a warm and festive glow throughout Discovery Island as a merry menagerie of 10 artisan-sculpted puppets resembling winter animals roam and interact with guests throughout the land.
  • 2,600 light bulbs will adorn the DinoLand U.S.A. water tower, giving the land a festive new look for the holidays.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

  • The Christmas tree on Echo Lake is 65 feet tall, with a 25-foot-wide base.
  • Sunset Seasons Greetings at Disney’s Hollywood Studios includes 12 high-definition projectors used to visually transform the façade of the Hollywood Tower Hotel with holiday scenes.
  • 21 palm trees along Sunset Boulevard illuminate with programmable, color-changing LED fixtures.
  • Dinosaur Gertie is dressed in her finest holiday attire. Her hat is so big, four people could stand inside it!

Epcot

  • Epcot International Festival of the Holidays takes place November 29 through December 30 and celebrates holiday traditions from around the world through storytelling and music presented throughout World Showcase.
  • Holiday treats are also part of the festival, which includes 13 Holiday Kitchens serving more than 50 bites from around the world and 60-plus specialty
  • The Candlelight Processional will be performed 96 times at Epcot this holiday season with a 50-piece orchestra, mass choir and 12 different celebrity narrators.
  • The Candlelight Processional stage at America Gardens Theatre features Christmas trees that are each 18 feet tall.

Resorts

  • Guests will find a life-size holiday gingerbread house in the lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. This elaborate 10-foot-wide,15-foot-long and 14-foot-tall structure is covered with more than 10,000 pieces of gingerbread and is the perfect place to pick up holiday sweets and treats.
  • Disney’s Contemporary Resort is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its iconic gingerbread Cinderella Castle. This 18-foot-tall display is crafted from more than 5,000 gingerbread shingles, 47 pounds of rolled fondant, 38 pounds of modeling chocolate and much more!
  • This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the Holiday Carousel gingerbread display at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. This life-size spinning carousel features 20 “Hidden Mickeys,” Peter Pan-themed horses and handcrafted gingerbread shingles.
  • Disney’s Contemporary Resort is home to the tallest Christmas tree at Walt Disney World. This 70-foot-tall tree is adorned with 16,000 lights and more than 200 custom ornaments.
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is home to a 45-foot-tall tree featuring authentic African décor and reproductions of traditional African masks.

Disney Springs

  • Disney Springs is the epicenter of holiday shopping at Walt Disney World. It’s also the largest of all of the decorated Disney locations, with more than 2,000 pieces of individual décor, including a 45-foot-tall tree.
  • Each piece of décor was custom designed to fit the classic Florida town theme that carries throughout the entirety of Disney Springs.
  • Disney Springs is also home to the Christmas Tree Trail, a walk through wonderland featuring 23 unique Disney-themed trees.

Merry Christmas, and I hope to see you there!

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Exciting Updates Coming To Star Tours – The Adventure Continues

Calling all Star Wars fans…exciting news! On December 20, 2019, Disney will be adding destinations inspired by the new movie Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Over the last few years, Disney has added flights to Jakku, Crait, Batuu, and with the release of the new film, the ocean moon Kef Bir will join the mix. So prepare to board your Starspeeder this holiday season as the adventure continues!

Excited for the additions to Star Tours? Be sure to check out the trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, where you can catch a glimpse of the ocean moon Kef Bir!

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2019 Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Holiday Dessert Party Reservations Now Available

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is getting into the holiday spirit again this year with the return of the nighttime spectacular Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! from November 8 through January 5, 2020. And of course, no evening extravaganza would be complete without a dessert party to go along with it. This year Disney is offering a Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Holiday Dessert Party as part of the fun. Here’s everything you need to know about the premium event courtesy of Disney:


Experience dazzling new heights of festive joy at this yummy, yuletide celebration!

Delight in holiday-inspired snacks, delicious desserts, wine, beer, and specialty alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Menu favorites include the classic Yule log, cheese fondue with pretzel bread, and Gingerbread martinis. Enjoy our new location along Echo Lake, offering a beautiful view of the Christmas Tree while you eat!

While you sip and savor, you can mingle with Chip and Dale!

Then, wrap up your merry evening in a reserved viewing area for 2 shows — Wonderful World of Animation and Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!, a holiday spectacular hosted by elves Wayne and Lanny from ABC’s animated special Prep & Landing. This larger-than-life extravaganza features iconic music, fireworks, special effects and state-of-the-art projections that display heartwarming moments from some of your favorite Disney films including Bambi, Cinderella and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas—and build to a mesmerizing finale you won’t soon forget!

Pricing

November 8 to December 21, 2019: $89 per adult; $53 per child ages 3 to 9 (tax and gratuity included)
December 22 to January 1, 2020: $99 per adult; $59 per child ages 3 to 9 (tax and gratuity included)
January 2 to January 5, 2020: $89 per adult; $53 per child ages 3 to 9 (tax and gratuity included)

Reservations

A separate ticket for admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios is required and is not included in the dessert party price. Book online by clicking here or by calling 407-WDW-DINE. 


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Excited for the holidays at Walt Disney World? Will you be booking
the holiday dessert party? Please leave a comment!

Out Of This World Merchandise In Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

In August the highly anticipated Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios finally opened at Walt Disney World. There are so many things to love about this new land including Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, the unique dining and drinking options, and the ability to become a part of the Star Wars story like never before just to name a few. Of course, no new land in Walt Disney World would be complete without some themed merchandise, and in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Disney has really outdone themselves. On my recent visit, I spent quite a bit time wandering the marketplace checking out what they had to offer, and there was plenty for Star Wars fans of all ages. Here’s some background and more details about all of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge merchandise courtesy of Disney:

Merchandise available in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge plays a vital role in the overall storytelling within the land. The Disney Parks product development team was integrated with the overall project team throughout the creation of the land to ensure the retail program delivers an immersive, authentic and connected Star Wars experience.

Unique merchandise expands the fun of playing in this land, allowing guests to live their own Star Wars adventures through new story-driven retail experiences, role-play products and environments. Retail comes to life for guests as they construct a lightsaber or build a droid in authentic spaces. The products deliver a level of authenticity, realism and storytelling that can only be achieved at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Merchandise available in this groundbreaking new land includes:

Savi’s Workshop – Handbuilt Lightsabers

  • Guests can customize their own legendary lightsabers as they choose their paths in this immersive retail experience.
  • A group known as the Gatherers ushers guests into a covert workshop packed with unusual parts and whimsical pieces collected from the far reaches of the galaxy. Under the Gatherers’ guidance, guests construct one-of-a-kind lightsabers and bring them to life through the power of kyber crystals.
  • Guests select from the following lightsaber themes:
    • Peace and Justice – Utilize salvaged scraps of fallen Jedi temples and crashed starships in Republic-era lightsaber designs that honor the galaxy’s former guardians.
    • Power and Control – Originally forged by warriors from the dark side, objects used in this lightsaber style are rumored remnants from the Sith home world and abandoned temples.
    • Elemental Nature – Craft a lightsaber from special components born from the Force, such as Brylark trees, Cartusion whale bones or Rancor teeth.
    • Protection and Defense – Incorporate hilt materials bearing mysterious motifs and inscriptions that reconnect a lightsaber’s wielder with the ancient wellspring of the Force.

Droid Depot

  • Building a droid is a guest experience offered at the Droid Depot. For this custom astromech adventure, guests enter a workshop stocked with stacks of parts, chips and manuals to construct their own droids, some of the galaxy’s most indispensable sidekicks.
  • In this immersive retail experience, guests construct either the BB-series or R-series astromech.
  • Droid parts come and go on conveyor belts as guests make choices to construct their own units.
  • Once built, guests place their droids in an activation station to bring them to life, allowing the droids to be operated via remote control.*
  • Droids can be further customized with personality-affiliation chips, color panels and other accessories.
  • Once activated, droids may interact with other astromech droids and with certain other Bluetooth-enabled elements and devices throughout Black Spire Outpost.*
  • In addition, Droid Depot offers prebuilt droids, housewares and apparel, all inspired by the design, engineering and building of droids:
    • Premium Droid Action Figures – Featuring R2-D2, BB-8, DJ R-3X and C-3PO, these hero-scale droids are loaded with interactive functionality. DJ R-3X is both a fully functional remote-control droid and Bluetooth-enabled speaker, with classic DJ sound effects.
    • Color Changing Droids Figure Packs and Play Set – Built to classic 3 ¾ scale, these droids are ready for an undercover mission in Black Spire Outpost.
    • Droid Light-Up R2-D2 or BB-8 Headbands – No droid part goes unused, as these motion-activated dome headbands inspired by favorite Star Wars characters respond with lights and sound.
    • Droid Depot Work Shirts and Apparel – Available for droid fans of all ages.

Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities

  • Guests can shop for mysterious and unique galactic artifacts collected by Dok-Ondar, a legendary antiquities dealer who is as mysterious as many of the objects he collects. The Ithorian’s den is packed with racks and crates of items with their own stories to tell:
    • Legacy Lightsabers – This elegant weapon from a more civilized age is most commonly associated with the Jedi and Sith. Dok-Ondar has collected replicas of some of the most famous – or infamous – warriors in the galaxy’s history, including Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul.
    • Lightsaber Accessories – Lightsaber clips, carrier bags and display stands are used to carry or display a lightsaber when not in use.
    • Kyber Crystals – At the heart of every lightsaber is a kyber crystal. This crystal is attuned to the Force. Colors include blue, green, purple, red, yellow and white.
    • Holocrons – The Jedi and Sith have curated enormous amounts of information about the galaxy and the Force. Holocrons store this valuable data, which when paired with kyber crystals can be unlocked and accessed by the owner of these rare artifacts.

Creature Stall

  • At this exotic marketplace stall, guests will discover creatures and critters from across the galaxy. While Bina, the stall’s proprietor, is out traversing the galaxy for more exotic creatures to bring into her stall, her assistants keep this storefront stocked with unique companions for customers who may want to take one home, including:
    • Kowakian Monkey-Lizard – This cackling, rambunctious creature comes in multiple colors and can sit on a shoulder.
    • Porg – This small, flat-muzzled, naturally inquisitive avian creature hails from the cliffs of secluded Ahch-To. Watch as it chirps and flaps its wings.
    • Loth-cat – A member of the tooka family and native to Lothal, this feline is a small, temperamental creature. While at times friendly, it is still a capable hunter with sharp teeth.

Black Spire Outfitters

  • At this colorful apparel shop, guests can find outfits for a galactic adventure, selecting from stylish, functional clothing suitable for many occasions and worlds:
    • Robes – Inspired by those worn by Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, these are available in both brown and black, and are sized for all.
    • Tunics – Often worn under robes, these are available in both neutral and black, sized for all.
    • Belts – Available in a variety of styles and colors and sized from youth through adult, these are the perfect accessories for wearing a lightsaber hilt.

Toydarian Toymaker

  • In this whimsical shop, guests may browse for handcrafted toys and collectibles from the busy toymaker, Zabaka the Toydarian:
    • Artisan Plush Characters – Famous icons of the galaxy are brought to life through stylized plush, including Yoda, Chewbacca, Ewoks and many more.
    • Games – With fun for all ages, shoppers can choose from Cards of Sabacc, Dejarik, Chance Cubes and more.
    • Vehicles – Famous vessels of the galaxy are crafted in materials such as wood and metal.

Jewels of Bith

  • A must-stop destination for local goods and tiny treasures, this shop offers a wide variety of souvenirs and gifts for tourists wishing to commemorate a visit to Batuu:
    • Batuuan Cooling Fan – Stay cool on hot days with this hand-held fan inspired by the moisture vaporators of Tatooine.
    • Gifts of Batuu and Black Spire Outpost – Apparel and drinkware featuring the sights and graphics of this remote planet and its most heavily populated village.

First Order Cargo

  • The First Order recently arrived in Black Spire Outpost and established a post to win the hearts and minds of locals and visitors alike. Guests can show their support by purchasing clothing and more:
    • Accessories – First Order-branded caps, pins, patches and other gear.
    • Toys and Vehicles – Models and metal replicas of the First Order.

Resistance Supply

  • Members of the Resistance set up a secret makeshift post where guests can join the cause to defeat the First Order by stocking up on essential gear and supplies to prepare for their next mission:
    • Accessories – Resistance-branded caps, pins, patches and other gear.
    • Toys and Vehicles – Models and metal replicas of the Resistance fleet.
    • Resistance MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) – On-the-go snacks for Resistance fighters.

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