Seven Dwarfs Mine Train opens May 28th

News, Walt Disney World

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was finally unveiled to the press yesterday, and now WDW has announced the official opening date – May 28th. Fastpass+ is already available for it (hurry!)

Here is a good video of the ride to give you an idea…it’s not a long roller coaster (in fact, I wouldn’t term it one – it’s a mine train), or a fast one…but it’s more about the special features. WDW has introduced very advanced animatronics for this one with the dwarfs. Not only do they move, but they move quite smoothly, and their faces are animated! They dig and sing as your car slows down and passes the scenes inside, before heading outside for another wild ride in the swinging cars. Then just before the end you slow down again for an outdoor scene of Snow White and the dwarfs dancing in the cottage…with a guest waiting outside…

Additional FastPass+ selections, limited park hopping available starting Monday April 28th

News, Walt Disney World

It’s official…you will now be able to get more than three FastPass+ selections a day. But there is a catch…you can only make an additional selection after you have already used up your first three. That means if you are choosing late FastPass+ experiences, especially things like Wishes and the Main Street Electrical Parade, you won’t be able to get more until very late – and whenever you do use up your three, you will only be able to choose from what is still available at that point – so don’t plan on Soarin’ or Toy Story Mania for a fourth choice.

After you’ve used your fourth choice, you can make a fifth, and so on, one at a time.

You will also be able to park hop with those additional selections – but it seems that the first three must be in the same park still.

Another point is that both prior rumors and the official news said that the additional choices are made at the FastPass+ kiosks around the parks – and don’t mention the web site or mobile app at all. I believe this is because neither currently have the flexibility to add that feature right now and it will take some development time – but I expect they will add it in the future as they really don’t need longer lines at some of those kiosks locations 🙂 Making additional selections for a particular park will appear to be limited to the kiosks at that park, it appears, so if you want to park hop you’ll have to wait until you get to the next park to make selections.

Guest slate for Star Wars Weekends finally announced

News, Walt Disney World,

We finally have details for the upcoming Star Wars Weekends!

Aside from the previously announced returning host of all five weekends, James Arnold Taylor (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Mark Hamill, Ashley Eckstein will return for all weekends to host “Behind The Force” show which provides a behind the scenes look, this year focusing on the upcoming Star Wars Rebels, and will feature a member of the voice cast each week.

The guest stars include (subject to change):

Weekend I: May 16-18

Ahmed Best: Jar Jar Binks (Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace; Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones; Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith; Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Peter Mayhew: Chewbacca (Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith; Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope; Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi; Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Vanessa Marshall: Hera Syndulla (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend II: May 23-25

Warwick Davis: Wicket W. Warrick (Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi); Wald (Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)

Jeremy Bulloch: Boba Fett (Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi); Capt. Jeremoch Colton (Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith)

Tiya Sircar: Sabine Wren (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend III: May 30-June 1

Ray Park: Darth Maul (Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)

John Ratzenberger: Major Bren Derlin (Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back)

Taylor Gray: Ezra Bridger (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend IV: June 6-8

Mark Hamill: Luke Skywalker (Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope; Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi); Darth Bane (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) (Note: Mark will apparently not be signing autographs)

Ray Park: Darth Maul (Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace)

Billy Dee Williams: Lando Calrissian (Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back; Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi)

Taylor Gray: Ezra Bridger (Star Wars Rebels)

Weekend V: June 13-15

Dee Bradley Baker: Captain Rex/the Clones, Bossk and several additional characters (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Cat Taber: Padmé Amidala and several additional characters (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Tom Kane: Yoda, the series’ narrator and several additional characters (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Matt Lanter: Anakin Skywalker and several additional characters (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Steve Blum: Zeb Orrelios (Star Wars Rebels)

FastPass+ and MagicBands to be available to off-site guests starting March 31st

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The endgame of the MyMagic+ rollout is here…according to WDW Magic (and checked with a few of our own spies), off-site guests will get full access to MyMagic+ including advanced FastPass+ reservations starting March 31st, 2014.

Guests who have created their My Disney Experience account and registered their tickets in the profile will be able to make up to seven days of advanced FastPass+ reservations within a 30 day period from the current date. They will no longer have to wait until they enter the park and use the kiosks, which have had long lines since off-site guests were given same-day access. The 7/30 day limit matches what Annual Passholders are able to do since they were all activated a couple weeks ago. Guests booked at a Walt Disney World resort will still have a 60 day window.

A ticket MUST be registered in the guest’s profile to be able to book FastPass+ experiences. This means that tickets must be purchased in advance.

Also, off-site guests will have the option to purchase a MagicBand to use in place of the regular ticket media. The price is not yet confirmed but we are hearing $12.95. It is also not certain what color choices will be available, as currently the resorts only stock “Iconic Gray” for guests who have not pre-customized their bands before arrival. To start with, guests with off-site bands will be able to use the bands for park entry and FastPass+ redemption, which can be done with their regular RFID-enabled tickets. But the bands will also allow some behind-the-scenes magic some of which is still being developed, but one current feature is being able to associate some ride photos automatically to your account by detecting the band when the photo is taken. More such magical features will be forthcoming.

Mark Hamill to appear at Star Wars Weekends

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Just announced today, and I believe the first celebrity announcement aside from James Arnold Taylor returning as host, is a big one…for the first time ever, Star Wars‘ own Luke Skywalker will appear at Disney’s Hollywood Studios during Star Wars Weekends.

He will be there for one particular weekend – Weekend IV, which is June 6-8. He will take part in the daily “Legends of the Force” motorcade and “talk show”, and presumably (but not confirmed) he will be signing autographs at a few points during the day. If you’re hoping to snag an autograph, though, beware – Disney uses it’s FASTPASS system for celebrity autographs, giving them out just before the park opens for the day – and the lines can form very, very early in the morning for top guests…people reportedly lined up close to midnight for the next day for Billy Dee Williams last year.

WDW Ticket Price increases as of February 23rd, 2014

News, Walt Disney World

OK, we have what appears to be the complete price increases, and we’ve already updated the Magic Your Way Ticket Calculator. Prices below are for adult tickets – Children 3-9 pay slightly less for Magic Your Way tickets but the same for Annual Passes.

As expected, the single park, single day (a.k.a. 1-Day Base) Magic Your Way tickets have gone up $5. This applies to both the Magic Kingdom-specific price ($99) and the price for the other parks ($94). The “Magic Kingdom Surcharge” does not apply to a 1-Day Park Hopper, which went up a total of six dollars ($134).

For the multi-day tickets, the 2-day went up $4, 3-day went up $12, and the reset $15.

The Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More options each went up a $1 to $60 each, and the combo went up $2 but keep in mind the combo price is only $86.

The No Expiration prices also increased but by varying amounts. Check the calculator for those prices.

Both Standard and Premium Annual Passes also increased. Florida Resident and Disney Vacation Club prices went up $21 each, while the Tourist (everyone else) went up $25.

One day single-park ticket prices going up tomorrow (Feb. 23) by $4

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Reports spread like wildfire, and I’ve confirmed through a few channels, that the price of single day, single park tickets will go up $4 starting tomorrow, February 23rd. This will bring the Magic Kingdom single-day ticket up to $99, and the single-day ticket for other parks up to $94.

At this time we are not hearing about any other ticket prices going up at this time, but all will be revealed tomorrow.

Update: It look like there was an across-the-board increase on Magic Your Way tickets and Annual Passes. We are still looking at the increases, but for example the cost of a MYW ticket 4 days or longer went up $15, and the Park Hopper and Water Parks Fun and More prices went up $1 each.

Star Wars Weekends extended an extra weekend, fireworks added, but no Hoopla?

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Walt Disney World has announced that Star Wars Weekends will be extended for an extra weekend this year, with the first weekend on May 16-18, and the final one on June 13-15. Also, via a cryptic message reportedly from the emperor himself, a nightly fireworks show will be added. It also mentions a new evening experience on Hollywood Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Hollywood Boulevard is the main street that leads from the entrance to the central stage where the Hyperspace Hoopla has taken place the past couple years.

But what does that mean for the Hoopla itself? Word is spreading fast that the Hoopla is gone this year, being replaced by the fireworks, as cast members have internally been told that Hoopla has been retired – but we’re still wondering what is meant by the “new evening experience”. In the mean time fans are livid – The Hyperspace Hoopla was HUGELY popular as the nightcap for each day, generating such a large crowd over the years that it had to move from the small Jedi Training Academy stage to the much more accommodating (and now semi-permanent) central stage at the crossroads of the park. Having seen the crowd last year, I find it crazy that Disney would consider ending this show – unless the plan is for something even bigger.

Also announced will be the return of James Arnold Taylor has the host of the weekends – he was the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and has hosted for several years. He does an amazing one man-many voices show that is not to be missed. And the theme this year is “Join The Rebellion” – perhaps a tie in to the upcoming Star Wars Rebels show?

Oh, and if you heard that there were some unfinished episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it was true – and they are finished now, and will be released on Netflix next month.

Animal Kingdom parade to close in June

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Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park will be ending sometime in June, according to a Disney spokesperson. The parade route takes it past the area that is now being developed into the Avatar-themed land, and would be impeded by the construction. The parade will have been almost 13 years old when it closes.

A replacement was not mentioned or immediately planned, but other entertainment including a nighttime light show had been previously announced. Affected parade workers will be reassigned.

Disney finally breaks ground on Avatar-themed land

News, Walt Disney World,

avatar-ground-breakingWhile details of what is exactly going to be in it, Walt Disney World finally broke ground at its Animal Kingdom park to add the new land based on James Cameron’s Avatar – more than two years after it was announced.

And not only was Mickey Mouse present, but a Na’vi as well – as well as (pictured, l to r) George Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort; Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Operations, United States and France; Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts; Jon Landau, producer of Avatar; Bruce Vaughn, chief creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering; and Joe Rhode, creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering.

Check out the video as well for what they said about Avatar.