Jan 25 2016

To Visit Or Not To Visit Hollywood Studios

If you’ve been following the Walt Disney World news lately, you know that Hollywood Studios is being largely reimagined to include Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land. So the big question is…Should you spend time and money visiting Hollywood Studios during this transitional period?

If this is your first visit to Walt Disney World or likely your “once-in-a-lifetime” visit, by all means spend a day at Hollywood Studios. Likewise if you are traveling with a group of people that all measure up to the height requirements and enjoy thrill rides, Hollywood Studios has a couple of the best attractions for adrenalin junkies – Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. Or if you are a diehard Star Wars fan, the Star Wars Launch Bay, Symphony in the Stars fireworks show, updated Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple, and new Star Wars: The Force Awakens scenes added to Star Tours should make the admission cost worth it.

However if your family does not fall into one of these categories, I would consider not visiting Hollywood Studios during the transition. If time or money is an issue, you can safely skip this park on your next trip and not worry about missing too much. Also if you have younger children that don’t measure up to the height requirements of most of the attractions and don’t like to sit still for shows, there will be little for them to do in Hollywood Studios right now.

With so many closures happening recently at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you might be wondering what is left to enjoy during the next two or three years of construction. Here’s a quick rundown for you:

Attractions

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (must be 48″ or taller to experience)
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (must be 40″ or taller to experience)
The Great Movie Ride
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (must be 40″ or taller to experience)
Toy Story Midway Mania!

Shows

Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage
Disney Junior – Live on Stage!
For the First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple
Muppet*Vision 3D
Voyage of the Little Mermaid

Characters

Club Disney
Meet Buzz & Woody in Pixar Place
Meet Disney Junior Pals in Animation Courtyard
Meet Disney Pals near Center Stage
Star Wars Launch Bay

Nighttime Spectaculars

Fantasmic!
Symphony in the Stars

Quick Service Dining

ABC Commissary
Anaheim Produce
Backlot Express
Catalina Eddie’s
Fairfax Fare
Hollywood Scoops
Min and Bill’s Dockside Diner
Oasis Canteen
Rosie’s All-American Café
Starring Rolls Café
Toluca Legs Turkey Co.
The Trolley Car Café

Table Service Dining

50’s Prime Time Café
The Hollywood Brown Derby
Hollywood & Vine
Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre

Lounges

The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge
Tune-In Lounge

If you decide to skip the park, but still want to experience attractions similar to what you will be missing, here are some easy swaps:

Instead of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster ride Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom. Both are indoor, dark coasters.
Instead of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue ride Mission: SPACE in Epcot for a different take on space travel.
Instead of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride Haunted Mansion in Magic Kingdom. Although the ride systems are completely different, both are dark, spooky attractions.
Instead of Toy Story Midway Mania ride Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin in Magic Kingdom. Both are Toy Story themed attractions that include a blaster game.
Instead of Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage visit Enchanted Tales with Belle in Magic Kingdom. Both include many of the same characters, and with Enchanted Tales your child has a chance to be one of the participants as an added bonus.
Instead of For the First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration visit Elsa and Anna in Magic Kingdom.
Instead of Voyage of the Little Mermaid ride Under The Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid in Magic Kingdom. Both include much of the same characters and music, but the Magic Kingdom version is a more entertaining ride-through attraction.

No matter what you ultimately decide, you’re in Disney World so you really can’t go wrong!

Heading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Check out my new book 501 Ways to Make the Most of Your Walt Disney World Vacation for secret insider tips and tricks that you won’t find anywhere else!
View the latest Disney World discounts currently available!
Guarantee the best vacation price by clicking here for more information!

To visit or not to visit – what do you think?
Please leave a comment; I would love to hear from you!

Jan 21 2016

Helpful Information For Your July 2016 Disney World Vacation

So you are planning a vacation to Disney World in July 2016?
July is a wonderful time to visit Walt Disney World!

Weather

The weather in Disney World during July is hot and rainy. The average high is about 92 degrees, the average low is about 73 degrees, and the average rainfall is about 7.05 inches. You can expect some rain most afternoons or evenings, so be sure to bring your poncho!

Crowds

The crowds in July are high throughout the month as families enjoy vacationing during summer break. Be sure to watch out for massive crowds on July 4 especially at Epcot and Magic Kingdom as people flock to the Parks to celebrate Independence Day.

July 1 – July 2
Average Crowd Level 7.5 out of 10
July 3 – July 9
Average Crowd Level 7.4 out of 10
July 10 – July 16
Average Crowd Level 7.4 out of 10
July 17 – July 23
Average Crowd Level 7.7 out of 10
July 24 – July 31
Average Crowd Level 7.6 out of 10

Park Hours

Magic Kingdom
Open most days from 9am – 10pm (plus Extra Magic Hours)
Epcot
Open most days from 9am – 9pm (plus Extra Magic Hours)
Hollywood Studios
Open most days from 9am – 8:30pm (plus Extra Magic Hours)
Animal Kingdom
Open most days from 9am – 5pm (plus Extra Magic Hours)

For specific hours on each day during July, please click this link. Remember that park hours are subject to change and are often adjusted two weeks prior.

Events

If you are visiting for the 4th of July, Disney always has additional offerings to celebrate the holiday. You can count on themed merchandise and foods, extended park hours, and enhanced fireworks displays at Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios to celebrate the occasion.

Refurbishments

Periodically throughout the year, Disney closes attractions for refurbishments and enhancements. Here are the currently scheduled closures during July (subject to change without notice):

Magic Kingdom
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: April 4 – July 15, 2016
Swiss Family Treehouse: July 7 – September 24, 2016

Epcot
No Scheduled Refurbishments At This Time

Hollywood Studios
Pizza Planet: January 11 – November 2016
Star Wars Land: Opening in 2018
Toy Story Land: Opening in 2018

Animal Kingdom
Pandora – The World of AVATAR: Opening in 2017

Water Parks
No Scheduled Refurbishments At This Time

Disney Springs
Fulton’s Crab House: May 1 – December 31, 2016

Resort Hotels
Boardwalk Inn: Flying Fish Café February 1, 2016 – September 30, 2016
Walt Disney World Dolphin: Guest Room Refurbishments To Be Completed In 2017
Wilderness Lodge: Hidden Springs Quiet Pool, Resort Beach, Playground and Fire Pit To Be Completed In 2017

Planning Tips

If you are traveling to Disney World in July 2016, your planning is probably well under way at this point. Here’s a checklist to make sure you are on track:

Make sure you have created your My Disney Experience account. If you haven’t, click here to sign up now.
If you haven’t already made your dining reservations, be sure to make them now by clicking here.
If you are staying on site, be sure to customize your MagicBand on your My Disney Experience account by picking the color and adding your name. And if you really want to make your MagicBand special, personalize it with your own custom designed MagicBand Skin from Magic YOUR Band. Click here to get started!
Now is a great time to research what attractions you and your family would like to see at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Because Walt Disney World is so large, it is very difficult to see everything during one trip, so be sure to get everyone’s top priorities. This is also a great time to begin looking at menus for counter service restaurants so that you have an idea of which locations serve foods that your entire family will enjoy.
Whether you are staying on site or off-property, be sure to purchase your admission tickets and link them to your My Disney Experience account.
Once your tickets are linked and at exactly 60 days in advance of your check in date (midnight EST time) if you are staying on site or 30 days in advance for all other guests, login to your My Disney Experience account and book your Fastpass+ reservations.
If you are staying on site, be sure to check in online at 60 days out from your arrival date.
Double check your flight times and if you will be using Disney’s Magical Express for your airport transportation make your reservation at least 60 days in advance by clicking here.
It’s never too early to start creating a packing list so that you don’t forget anything.
Need more help planning? Please check out my new book 501 Ways to Make the Most of Your Walt Disney World Vacation, for hundreds of insider tips and secrets for having the most magical Disney World vacation possible!

Special Offers

If you haven’t already made your July 2016 reservations, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save money:

View the latest Disney World discounts currently available!
Guarantee the best vacation price by clicking here for more information!

Join The Fun

Disney Vacation Planner Jennifer Hardy and I have teamed up to create a new Facebook Group called Next Disney Vacation! It is the perfect place to talk about your next Disney vacation, ask your questions, get them answered, and share the magic. Everyday you’ll find posts, photos, trivia, tips, and more that we find all throughout the Disney Universe. If you’re counting the days until your next Disney vacation or just dreaming of one, we would love to have you join in the fun! Please click here to be a part of our group!

Have a magical vacation!

Jan 20 2016

Closures At Disney’s Hollywood Studios

With the new Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land coming our way in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I’m sure it is no surprise to you that several closures have been announced ahead of the massive construction project.

Confirmed Closures

Big headlines were made last year when Disney declared that 2015 would be the final holiday season with the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Earlier this month, Disney announced the closing of the Phineas and Ferb and the Lightning McQueen and Mater meet-and-greets, the Pizza Planet arcade permanently closed, and the restaurant itself went down for a lengthy refurbishment until at least the end of 2016. Then last week Disney shared that the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show would end its run on April 2, 2016.

Probable Closures

Several reputable sources have reported that on April 2, 2016 we can also expect the closing of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure, a Monsters Inc. meet-and-greet, the Studio Catering Co., Watto’s Grotto, and The Writers Stop. Though there is no official word from Disney yet on whether or not any of these will survive. Also making news is the possibility that the “Earful Tower” will be moving from Hollywood Studios to Disney Springs some time this year.

Possible Closures

And if you are a fan of Disney gossip, Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream may also be in line for the wrecking ball. Have a listen to Monday’s episode of Behind The Magic Podcast where Zeek, Rachel, and I discuss this and the rumored solution at length!