Bob Sehlinger's Blog, page 1242

Off-site Guests Will Have Access to FastPass+ Starting March 31

By Rikki Niblett

©Disney

Beginning March 31, guests who are not staying at a Walt Disney World Resort will be able to make FastPass+ reservations up to 30 days in advance. Day guests will be able to accomplish this by logging in to their My Disney Experience account via the app or via the website.

In order to have the ability to schedule advance FastPass+ reservations, off-site guests must first link their single or multi-day tickets into their My Disney Experience account.  Off-site guests will no longer be forced to make reservations on the day of their visit via the in-park kiosks.

If off-site guests would like, they will eventually be able to purchase MagicBands. The cost is said to be $12.95, plus tax, per band. Keep in mind that MagicBands are not required; day guests will still have the ability to use their RFID-enabled ticket media, if they prefer.

Those guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel will still be able to make FastPass+ reservations up to 60 days out. This means that guests staying on-site will still have a bit of an advantage. Annual Passholders will also be able to make FastPass+ reservations up to 30 days in advance.

FastPass+ kiosks will still be available in the parks for guests who wish to use them.

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10 Reasons Every Disney Fan Should Try a Disney Cruise

By Tammy Whiting

A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post on why every Walt Disney World fan should visit Disneyland. Well, now it’s time for Disney fans to expand your vacation options again! If you haven’t yet, it’s a great time to try Disney Cruise Line.  The 2015 itineraries were just released, and there are some great options out there. The prices are high, but you may still want to consider it. Especially if you are a Disney fan! And here are 10 reasons why…

1. Disney Difference – Disney has always been known for their service. Their goal isn’t just to meet your expectations, it’s to exceed them. If you’re a Disney fan, you have probably been impressed by their customer service at some point during one of your park visits. Well, if you haven’t been on a Disney cruise, you ain’t seen nothing yet. I kid you not, the service will blow you away. You aren’t just ushered onboard the ship, you’re announced to an atrium full of guests and a cheering group of ship’s officers. And that’s just the beginning. When you walk down the halls, stateroom hosts who are not cleaning your room and will never see a gratuity from you, will greet you warmly and ask how you are. Maintenance men will stop working on their project to smile and say, “Hi,” when you pass. You’ll probably fall in love with your servers in the dining room and beg for them to come home with you after you disembark. Service on a Disney cruise is top notch. Truly.

2. Disney Details – Disney’s ships aren’t just beautiful. They have their own special touches that Disney is known for. The elevators have Mickey gloves on the hand. The staterooms have a picture of Walt and Lily. Cabanas on the Dream and Fantasy have the seagulls from “Finding Nemo” watching over the food. A crystal Remy watches over the diners in “Remy”, the fine French dining restaurant on the Dream and Fanstasy. Huey, Dewey, and Louie’s footprints lead the way up the stairs to the Aqua Dunk onboard the Magic. The details are all over and yet they strike a great balance. They’re there for the fans looking for them, but they’re not so in-your-face that those who could care less (gasp!) about Disney will be overwhelmed by them.

3. Animator’s Palate – All of the main dining rooms onboard are very well themed, but Animator’s Palate on all 4 ships is a uniquely Disney experience. On the Dream and Fantasy, our favorite sea turtle, Crush, makes an appearance on screens throughout the restaurant. He interacts with guests ala “Turtle Talk with Crush” and is a true delight. Onboard the Fantasy, on your second night inside the restaurant, you’ll be treated to an amazing dining experience. When you first sit down you will be given place mats to draw your own version of a character (and you get to pick the character, be it a Disney favorite, yourself, your mother-in-law, or a crazy alien/monster/teddy bear mash-up). After dinner, and a little Disney magic, your characters will come to life dancing on the screens with familiar Disney characters. I promise you, you’ll feel like a child when your character appears. Try not to squeal! On 7-night cruises on the newly reimagined Magic, there is a similar “drawings-brought-to-life” experience. On shorter cruises, guests will experience “Drawn to the Magic” where an animation story of sorts plays out on the screens while the restaurant is transformed from black and white to color. On the Wonder, the characters on the walls and screens are transformed as you eat from a black and white restaurant to one that’s alive with color. Even the server’s vests change! This is a do-not-miss experience on all four ships.

4. Excellent Character Experience – You’ve probably heard about the three to four hour waits to see Anna and Elsa in Epcot? That just doesn’t happen on a Disney cruise ship. There may not be quite as many characters as in the parks, but there’s a lot and even at peak times you won’t wait that long. Elsa was not onboard the Dream in November when “Frozen” premiered, but we met Anna after only about a twenty minute wait. Additionally, there’s usually a special meet and greet scheduled onboard with the Princesses. Yes, that Princess palooza line can be crazy, but it’s not 4 hours long. And you’re getting 4 princesses for the wait of one! The characters often dress for the ports they’re in as well. Wouldn’t you like to see Toga Mickey? There are tons of scheduled meet and greets as well as roaming characters that we like to call “characters in the wild”. If you want characters, you won’t have a hard time finding them.

5. Disney Movies – All four ships show first-run Disney movies in their state of the art movie theaters. They can, because as the cruise directors like to remind us, they own those movies! There will be movies playing in the Buena Vista Theater throughout your sailing. If a big movie happens to premiere on land at the same time you are sailing, there will even be a “Premiere at Sea”. We were lucky enough to be onboard for both the premiere of Up and Frozen. Both were shown in the Walt Disney Theater at midnight on premiere night, and multiple times the rest of the sailing. For Up, one of the leading Pixar animators was onboard and introduced the movie, and he also gave a talk earlier in the sailing describing how the movie was made. And animated hits aren’t the only movies shown. We’ve seen Pirates of the Caribbean, Thor, The Avengers, way too many to list here. They even show the 3-D versions if you prefer!

6. Broadway Quality Shows – If you’re a Disney fan, you are going to love the nightly shows. Some are original stories, others are shows based on classic Disney movies, and still others are stories with segments of Disney movies and songs weaved in. The music, the sets, the costumes, the acting – I love them! You, and your children, will be enchanted. The shows are shown twice nightly and there are sometimes matinees as well. You’ll want to see all of them at least once. Some of them you’ll want to see over and over.

7. Disney TV – There’s not just Disney in the theaters, there’s Disney on the television! The stateroom TVs show Disney Channel shows all day every day. There are also classic Disney movies, and a good selection of free On Demand (family friendly) movies. You probably won’t be in your stateroom much, but if you just need something to occupy the kids while you get ready or want watch a little TV in bed? The stateroom TV is your friend.

8. Mickey Merchandise – There are at least two stores on every ship stocked with merchandise designed to separate Disney fans from their money. Princess dresses, Mickey polo shirts, collectible pins, stuffed animals, T-shirts, Dooney and Bourke purses, home décor, etc. etc. Just try to get in and out of one without seeing something you want. I dare ya.

9. Hidden Mickeys – Are you a hidden Mickey searcher? Not surprisingly, there are hidden Mickeys on the ships! There are even hidden Mickey’s on Disney’s private island – Castaway Cay! Official, unofficial, who cares? You can have a great time seeking them out.

10. MickeyBars! – Any regular reader of my blog posts knows of my love of the premium Mickey bar. What about on a Disney cruise? They’re free!! included in the price you’ve already paid for the cruise. And there’s no limit! Even though they aren’t listed, room service has them, as well as any of the main dining rooms! And because they are free!! included in the price of the cruise, that means the more you eat, the move value you’re getting for your cruise dollar! At least that’s what I tell myself as I am eating one (that I didn’t pay extra for!) every day of the cruise.

Are you a Disney fan? What reasons would you add?

Pre-order Our Disney Cruise Line Book Today!

The Unofficial Guide to the Disney Cruise Line by Len Testa, Erin Foster, and Laurel Stewart is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be released in April.





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Walt Disney World Resorts Newsworthy Notes – 3/27/14

By Rikki Niblett

There are a few small newsworthy items occurring at the Walt Disney World Resort hotels that I thought you should know:

A brand new experience will be testing at the Atlantic Dance Hall found on the boardwalk area at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn. Guests are invited to rock out at the “Tom Casey’s Let’s Get Rockin’” interactive band experience. The party gets started every Thursday night, starting at 9:00 p.m. Here, guests will have the opportunity to get up on stage and sing karaoke style or play an instrument, both with a live band. It’s like The American Idol Experience on steroids! Guests can choose from over 400 songs to play or sing, from all genres. There is a $5 cover charge per person. For more information, visit their website.
Over at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, guests are invited to enjoy the 3rd annual Easter egg display in the lobby of the hotel. These eggs are gorgeous works of art. Best of all, they are all edible. These enormous eggs are all created with modeling chocolate, fondant, sculpted sugar and royal icing. Each egg will depict a different Disney story, like Tangled or The Little Mermaid. Guests will be able to view all 18 eggs from April 4-22.

©Disney

Oh. the Disney’s Polynesian Resort refurbishment…it is so hard to talk about it because the ball keeps jumping around. Once you seemingly have one date nailed down, it changes on you. Here’s what I know as of today. It appears that the refurbishment date for Capt. Cook’s has changed again. It will now be closing on April 9. There will be a temporary dining location set up for guests. This refurbishment is slated to end in July. Also, the Great Ceremonial House refurbishment work has been pushed to early April. Its end date is said to be December 15. When work there is complete, it will be re-imagined to highlight the cultural elements of Polynesia. Other important dates in the Poly refurbishment include Trader Jack’s and Samosa Snacks, which will both be closed, one at a time, from late May until late August. Finally, the Polynesian’s Volcano pool will be closing, as well, for its refurbishment. Its dates, right now, are scheduled to be late July – early Spring 2015. During the closure, guests will be able to use the East pool at the Polynesian or the Beach Pool at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.

That’s it for my general randomness today. Thoughts?

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An Hour-by-Hour Look at Disney Park Crowd Levels

By Steve Bloom

When touring a Disney theme park, two good ideas are to arrive early and take a mid-day break outside of the theme parks. Even on crowded days, arriving early means that you’ll have relatively low waits for a couple of hours, because most people sleep in on vacation. And a mid-day break means you’ll miss the hottest, most crowded part of the day.

To make this point visually, we’ve created a set of sample charts showing how the crowds build during the day, for sample days at Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom.

If you move your mouse over each box, you will see the hourly crowd value. For reference, the daily park crowd level is listed on the right of the charts.

The April chart for Animal Kingdom show the expected crowd for Easter week:

Animal Kingdom April 2014

Here’s November at Hollywood Studios:

Hollywood Studios November 2014

When the Magic Kingdom closes early for parties, those days typically have lower crows levels. The adjacent days have higher crowds as guest see more value in their park ticket when the Magic Kingdom stays open later and has fireworks:

Magic Kingdom December 2014

 

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New York Disney Walk-and-Talk Events with Jim Hill Announced

By Len Testa

You live somewhere up north. You listen to our Unofficial Guide Disney Dish podcast with Jim Hill during your daily commute. And sometimes while you’re listening, on the subway, the bus, or all alone in your car, you find yourself talking back to Jim, as if he were there, while everyone around slowly inches away from you. Who hasn’t done that?

Now’s your chance to talk back in person, because our friend Jim Hill is doing two small-group, walk-and-talk events in and around New York City starting next month.

On Saturday, April 26, Jim will be talking about Disney at the 1964 World’s Fair. You’ll head out to Flushing Meadows the site of the fair, and hear Jim recount how Disney conceived, built, and delivered 4 attractions to the fair, including prototypes of “it’s a small world,” Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress, and the PeopleMover, among other topics. Start time is 11:30 AM, and the rain date is Sunday, April 27.

On Saturday, May 17, Jim takes to Manhattan to recount the history of Disney on Broadway and Disney in Times Square. The event starts in Times Square and ends at the Disney Store for some shopping, where Jim will also be talking about the store’s creation and design. Start time is still TBD, but will most likely be around 11:30 AM. Rain date is May 18.

The folks at ETC Custom Events are running these programs. Cost is around $50 per person for one, $95 for both. That covers subway transportation, specially-designed snacks, a small souvenir, and all-out access to Jim. So everyone has enough time to talk to Jim, tour space is extremely limited. Email ETC Custom Events for more information.

 


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Disney World Ticket Type Primer

By Erin Foster

First time visitors to Walt Disney World are often overwhelmed by the number and variety of ticket options. Here’s a run-down of what’s available so that you can make the best choice for your family’s needs.

One Day Admission: Magic Kingdom Park

What is this?: A one-day pass into the Magic Kingdom park. You can enter and leave the MK as often as you like during that day.

Why would I need this?: You want to visit just the Magic Kingdom and you’re only in the area for one day.

One Day Admission: Epcot, Animal Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios

What is this?: A one-day pass into either Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. You can enter and leave your one chosen park as often as you like during that day. This ticket is priced slightly lower than the Magic Kingdom one day admission.

Why would I need this?: You want to visit just one of Epcot, Animal Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios and you’re only in the area for one day.

Things to know: The pricing for a one day Epcot, Animal Kingdom, or DHS ticket is slightly lower than the pricing for a one day MK ticket.

Multi-Day “Magic Your Way” Base Ticket

What is this?: Multi-day admission to any of Disney’s four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios). You can visit only one of these four parks each day, but can enter and leave that park as often as you like.

Multi-day tickets are available for durations ranging from 2-10 days.
You may use the ticket to visit any combination of parks. For example, you could go to just the Magic Kingdom for ten days in a row. You could visit Epcot and Hollywood Studios several times, but not the Magic Kingdom, whatever works for you.
You have 14-days from the first use of this ticket to consume all the park admissions. These do not have to be consecutive days.

Why would I need this?: You’re interesting in visiting the Disney parks for more than one day in a 14-day period. You don’t need or want to visit multiple parks per day. You’re a good planner or want to economize on vacation spending.

Things to know: You can add days to a multi-day ticket and be charged just the incremental cost of the upgrade. Do this at any WDW ticket window or guest relations office.

Park Hopper Add-On

What is this?: An extra feature you can purchase as an add-on to any single-day or multi-day Disney theme park ticket. The Park Hopper feature allows to you enter more than one of Disney’s theme parks per day. You can read more about Park Hopper features on our Park Hopper FAQ.

Why would I need this?: You want to have visit more than one of Disney’s theme parks in a single day or you’d like to have the flexibility to do so. Possible reasons for this might include the desire to visit all four parks during a three-day or shorter trip or the desire to revisit just a few favorite attractions at one park many times over the course of a longer trip.

Things to know: You can add the Park Hopper option at any point during your trip. However, this is a flat rate product regardless of whether you’re hopping for 2 days or 10. To get the maximum benefit, purchase early in your trip. Annual passes include park hopping as a standard feature. Depending on your circumstances, guests visiting Walt Disney World for more than 7 or 8 days may want to consider whether an annual pass is a better option than just adding the Park Hopper. Pricing varies depending on whether you also purchase the Water Park Fun & More add-on (below).

Water Park Single Day Admission

What is this?: A one-day admission to either Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach (but not both). You can leave and reenter the water park as often as you like during a single day.

Why would I need this?: You want to visit a water park during just one day. You are not going to also visit DisneyQuest during this vacation.

DisneyQuest Single Day Admission

What is this?: A one-day admission to the DisneyQuest indoor arcade at Downtown Disney. You can leave and reenter DisneyQuest as often as you like during a single day.

Why would I need this?: You want to visit DisneyQuest during just one day. You are not going to also visit a water park during this vacation.

Water Park Fun & More Add-On

What is this?: An extra feature you can purchase as an add-on to any single-day or multi-day Disney theme park ticket. The Water Park Fun & More option allows you to visit Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, DisneyQuest, the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, the Winter Summerland or Fantasia Gardens mini-golf courses (during select hours) or the 9-hole Oak Trail golf course. Admissions are allotted based on the number of days in the base ticket to which the Water Park Fun & More option is added. Learn more from our WPF&M FAQ.

Why would I need this?: You want to visit a water park or DisneyQuest more than once during your visit. You want to extend your vacation without spending more time or money to visit the four main theme parks.

Things to know: You can add the WPF&M option at any point during your trip. If you have concerns about the weather impacting your water park visits, it may make sense to hold off on adding this option until you’re at WDW and see the most updated forecasts. Pricing varies depending on whether you also purchase the Water Park Fun & More add-on (above).

No Expiration Add-On

What is this?: An extra feature you can purchase as an add-on to any multi-day Disney theme park ticket. The no-expire option allows unused park admissions to remain valid indefinitely.

Why would I need this?: You’ve purchased a multi-day theme park ticket and cannot use all the admissions during a single trip. You’re trying to acquire theme park admissions in advance of an anticipated theme park price hike.

Things to know: Unused tickets are good until first use. This means that all single-day theme park tickets are effectively no-expire. All Disney World theme park tickets sold prior to 2005 had the no-expire option automatically included; after 2005 this feature was available only for an extra fee. Beginning in 2013, the no-expire option became available for purchase at the WDW parks and resorts or through authorized WDW ticket wholesalers; you cannot purchase this via the DisneyWorld.com website. You can purchase the no-expire add-on at any point during your trip at a park ticket window or guest relations office. The price is dependent on your original ticket length, not the number of days remaining on the ticket. Do the math to math sure that buying this option actually makes sense.

Event Ticket (Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Night of Joy, Post RunDisney race party, etc.)

What is this?: A single admission to one of Disney’s evening special event parties.

Why would I need this?: You want to experience the special event.

Things to know: A regular single or multi-day Magic Your Way ticket will not get you into one of these “hard ticket” special events; they are completely independent of theme park purchases. If you have an event ticket, you do not also need to use a regular theme park admission to attend the event.

Annual Pass

What is this?: Admission to any of Disney’s four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios) for 365 days. Park hopping is allowed. In addition to theme park admission, annual pass holders are entitled to an array of other benefits including free parking at the theme parks, FastPass+ reservation ability, and select room/restaurant/merchandise discounts.

Why would I need this?: You’ll be visiting the Disney theme parks many times over the course of a year. Utilizing the annual pass discounts will bring down the overall cost of your trip.

Premium Annual Pass

What is this?: Basically, it’s an annual pass with the Water Park Fun & More add-on.

Why would I need this?: You want to spend lots of time visiting the water parks and DisneyQuest as well as the theme parks during the course of a year.

Premier Passport

What is this?: It’s a Disney World Premium Annual Pass plus a Disneyland Annual Pass.

Why would I need this?: You’re spending time at the Disney theme parks on both coasts.

Things to know: The Premier Passport allows access to the Disneyland Annual Passholder discounts. These include many discounts unavailable at Disney World. Financially, a Premier Passport purchase may make sense for a Disney World passholder who is only spending a few days at Disneyland.

Disney Quest Annual Pass

What is this?: Admission to DisneyQuest for 365 days.

Why would I need this?: You’re a big fan of DisneyQuest, but don’t want to do anything else at Disney World.

Things to know: If you’re going to visit DisneyQuest more than twice in a year, but not the theme parks, then a DQ annual pass may make sense.

Water Park Annual Pass

What is this?: Admission to Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach for 365 days.

Why would I need this?: You’re a big fan of the WaterParks, but don’t want to do anything else at Disney World.

Things to know: If you’re going to visit a water park more than twice in a year, but not the theme parks, then a water park annual pass may make sense. The water park annual pass allows park hopping between Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.

UK Resident Tickets

What is this?: UK residents have access to special ticket offers such as 14 and 21 day tickets that are unavailable to residents of other countries.

Why would I need this?: You’re a Brit interested in staying at Walt Disney World for an extended period of time.

Things to know: UK offers are only available for purchase by guests with UK identification.

Florida Resident Tickets

What is this?: Florida residents have access to special ticket offers such as pricing discounts or seasonal annual passes that are unavailable to residents of other states/countries.

Why would I need this?: You’re a local who enjoys visiting the parks and doesn’t want to spend a lot of money doing so.

Things to know?: Many versions of Florida resident tickets include blackout dates and times. Florida offers are only available for purchase by guests with Florida identification.

Military Tickets

What is this?: Active and retired US military personnel have access to special ticket offers such as reduced pricing that are unavailable to non-military guests.

Why would I need this?: You’re a military family and you’d like to take advantage of a discount offer.

Things to know?: Tickets may need to be purchased through a military base or other designed special location. Military ID is required and restrictions may apply.

Convention Tickets

What is this?: Guests visiting Walt Disney World as part of an on-site convention may be eligible for a reduced cost partial-day ticket for theme park entry.

Why would I need this?: You’re a conventioneer without much free time, but you do want to enjoy the parks for an evening or two.

Things to know?: Convention ID will be required for purchase. Convention tickets may only be purchased at the convention site or through the convention administrator.

Are you a first time Disney World visitor? Do you find ticket selection confusing? Do you think you made a ticket purchase mistake during a Disney visit? Let us know in the comments below.

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Star Wars Character Meals to Take Place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios During Star Wars Weekends

By Rikki Niblett

©Disney

Are you a fan of Star Wars and character meals? Well, if you are, for the first time ever, select Star Wars characters will take part in not one, but two, different character meal opportunities at Disney’s Hollywood Studios from May 4 to June 15.

Guests will be able to partake in either a breakfast option that will be available at Sci-Fi Dine In Theater or a dinner option that will be available at Hollywood & Vine.

The best news is that these character meals won’t just take place during Star Wars Weekends. Instead, they are scheduled to occur throughout the whole week!

Here’s a look at your options:

The Jedi Mickey’s Star Wars Dine

Takes place at Hollywood and Vine for dinner. This meal will have guests meeting Disney characters dressed as their favorite Star Wars character. Guests will get to meet Jedi Mickey, Princess Leia Minnie, Darth Goofy, Stormtrooper Donald, and Ewoks Chip & Dale. Dinner starts at 4:15pm and lasts until park close. The prices are $55.99 for adults ages 10 and up (or $59.99 with Fantasmic! Dinner Package), and $33.99 for children ages 3-9 (or $36.99 with Fantasmic! Dinner Package). Guests will receive a digital download copy of their photograph with Chip and Dale.

Star Wars Galactic Dine-In Breakfast

This meal will take place at the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to noon. At this meal guests may meet Stormtroopers, Jawa, Greedo, Boba Fett, and Darth Vader. Best of all, it appears that instead of showing classic sci-fi movie clips, the theater will show Star Wars clips! Pricing is $47.99 for adults ages 10 and up and $29.99 for children ages 3-9. This meal also includes a digital photo of your party.

To make reservations for either of these meals, I suggest you call (407) WDW-DINE.

This is going to be an extremely popular experience. so make your reservations as soon as possible.

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Epcot Observations: March 23, 2014

By Daisy Lauren

Despite the overcast skies, Sunday, March 23, was a beautiful day to visit Epcot. But it wasn’t the first park I tried that day. At 8:30am I was rolling up to the parking plaza for Magic Kingdom, but it looked more like a parking lot. The crowds were unreal, with bumper to bumper traffic several lanes deep. I chose to stay in the left lane and head straight for the exit with my fingers crossed crowds would be more manageable at Epcot. Luckily, they were, and I have lots of fun to share! For starters, check out these flower beds!

But, I’m getting ahead of myself! I took several photos of the deep lines at bag check and entrance gates. I’m guessing those aren’t as fun to look at as the topiaries at the park entrance. Sorry for the odd angle, but this was just mobbed with folks taking photos! (Don’t worry – there are lots more coming!)

Here is a quick video of walking into the park. You can see it wasn’t too busy, but it certainly wasn’t a slow day, either! Of course, this seems like a good time to mention that my YouTube “channel” is just for posting videos here, but you can subscribe to the TouringPlans Youtube channel for all the latest new videos! All the cool kids are doing it!

Stepping just past Spaceship Earth you’ll find this group of topiaries. Aren’t they pretty? I love that they kept Mickey and Minnie together. Even in the dreary weather, the flowers in the bed were so bright and pretty!

From looking at the topiary above, you’d never guess what madness was directly behind me. This is one of the first FastPass+ stations that guests come across in the park, and it’s always PACKED! I don’t know if you can tell from the photo below that the line just wraps and wraps. I would guess the line is a minimum of 30 minutes long. If you need help first thing in the morning, be sure to head to a different FastPass+ station.

From here I back tracked a tiny bit and did some touring through Innoventions. I’ll save that for another blog, but next I checked out The Art of Disney. I walk through this shop just about every time I visit Epcot. This time I decided to stop by early so I could take you with me! Do you see anything you want to add to your collection?

By now it was 9:40am,and the lines were starting to grow. I took a video of the times board so you can see for yourself. At this hour things were still reasonable as long as you didn’t want to ride Test Track or Soarin’.

I was impressed by the short line over at Mission: SPACE, so I headed that way for a quick rid (orange, of course!) It isn’t really a camera friendly ride, so I thought I’d share a photo of Buzz out front. Seems sad he’s so far away from Woody!

Next I walked over to Test Track, but the single rider line was already up to 20 minutes. I decided to save it for another day and check out the topiaries in the area instead. Lightning was ready for his closeup, KA-CHOW!

Of course, no trip to the Flower & Garden Festival is complete without visiting Mater!

After visiting the guys from Radiator Springs, it was time for more shopping! Anyone want to take a look around MouseGear? Now this gift shop is huge, so this doesn’t even cover half of it. If you have any specific requests, let me know in the comments, and I can focus on that next time. I’m always looking to bring you the things you want to see!

Below is one of my favorite sections of MouseGear, the Duffy wall! I know I’m in the minority, but I really do like Duffy, and I’m dreaming of going to Tokyo to claim a Shellie May. Below you can see the new outfits they’ve released and even the new Steam Boat Willie Duffy Bear.

Stepping away from shopping and looking back towards the World Showcase, you can see the topiary beside the Fountain of Nations this year. Is it just me, or does it look like Disney has created a topiary for our friends from Brazil? These same topiaries were ice skating in December… but they have been repurposed well.

It was still a bit early to head toward the World Showcase, so I stopped by Tinkerbell’s Butterfly Garden. While the location is beautiful, the butterflies didn’t really show up for me. I might just be spoiled by the Jacksonville Zoo, where there are just butterflies everywhere! 

Walking back towards Future World, I finally found some butterflies! I feel like the photo doesn’t do them justice. These are huge! I bet they are 6+ feet tall. This would be a great spot for a family photo.

Next, I wondered over to Journey Into Imagination With Figment. Just like everyone else on the Internet, this ride makes me crazy because I remember how amazing it used to be before they changed it. But I don’t hate this version, and with all the rumors that it might be going away, I thought it was time to add some HD video of the attraction!

When I left the ride I stopped by one of my favorite spots in the park. This will sound strange, but it’s the stroller parking area outside The Land pavilion. Everyone is in such a hurry to get to Soarin’ in the morning that they just chuck their strollers in this parking lot and run. The squirrels are very aware of this and show up for the “buffet” every morning. They unzip bags and rifle through the contents. I often think about the parents who come out later in the day and are horrified to find their bags unzipped, and then are confused to find only goldfish crackers missing. The lesson here is to not leave your bags unattended in your strollers!

Moving on this way, The Seas with Nemo & Friends was next. You can see from the photo below that it was still pretty grey out, but the temperature had shot up to 80°F, making it pretty humid out. It wasn’t our best day for weather!

I’ve been working on my camera settings, and I think I finally nailed my dark ride configuration. So for your enjoyment here is the complete attraction ride through! Are there any other videos you’d like to see? Let me know in the comments below – I’d love to get them for you.

After this, I came across a big line around a planter. It didn’t seem to be near anything, and I was curious what was going on, so I asked the cast member. It was another FastPass+ help location! Wow, if you can make your FastPass+ reservations in advance, you really should. These help stations in the parks seems to be a nightmare.

By now it was around 10:40am, so I stopped back by the wait times board again. You guys can see what a difference an hour makes on wait times! (Sorry – it was sunny you’ll have to squint a little.)

I noticed that the Character Spot still had a really short line, so I stopped over for some stock photos. Normally, this isn’t something I would even mention since I was just grabbing images for later use, but something special happened. Whenever I’m photographing characters I explain that I’m going to take a closeup and a full body shot so they understand what type of poses makes sense. Well, Goofy decided to get REALLY closeup! It cracked me up and resulted in the below photo that’s too good not to share!

After playing with the characters, I took a quick trip through Club Cool for a sugar rush. As an added bonus I got to see a family take their first shot of Beverly! That just never gets old!

From here I started my tour around the World Showcase, taking photos of all the different topiaries along the way, starting with Phineas and Ferb.

Next were the enormous and beautiful Fantasia topiaries marking the entrance to the World Showcase this year. Remember, you can always click on the below images to see larger sizes.

I decided to head toward Mexico, where I couldn’t find anything special for Flower & Garden Festival. I decided to pop in for a quick ride on Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros. Of course, here is ride-through video for you guys!

Next was Norway! You’d never guess from looking at this photo that there was a massive line of people just in front. Those folks were kind enough to sit on the ground for all of us taking photos. What were they waiting for, you ask? They were in line to meet Anna and Elsa! There was a massive line in front of the actual meet and greet location, with a secondary line wrapping all the way from Norway to China! When I asked, I was told the wait was 4 hours! Unreal! I can’t wait for them to move to Magic Kingdom next month.

Next were the standard panda bears in China. I wonder how many years they have been using this same display? (Seems like forever!) 

Next were the characters from The Lion King in the Adventure Outpost. These looked great! I think it’s because they really look like they are in the jungle.

In front of Germany you’ll find the prettiest princess this year. For some reason Snow White is the only princess topiary with a face! All the others are just flat and blank. You’ll see what I’m talking about in later photos, but Snow White is the big winner for sure this year!

Next is the new topiary for 2014: The Muppets featuring Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. Not only is it pretty, but they also play awesome Muppets music in this area. I found myself lingering because I wanted to listen to the music!

In Italy you’ll find Lady and the Tramp and this lush garden! The only thing missing is one really long strand of spaghetti!

Moving onto America, you’ll find Woody very, very far away from Buzz back at Mission: SPACE. He’s just in front of the The Smokehouse stand, which is one of the new food booths this year. Would you guys like to see some food photos next time? Goodness knows we’ve tried most of it! The Piggylicious Bacon Cupcake (with maple frosting!) is one of the best things at this stand! 

I mentioned back when we were touring the World Showcase that the zen garden in Japan would host bonsai trees during the festival. Sure enough, here they are! This spot is so much prettier with the trees! I wish they would leave them year-round. But you can check out the link and see what you think. 

Next on the tour is France and its lovely Beauty and the Beast topiaries. If you click on the photo of Belle, you can see that she has no face! Like I mentioned earlier, she could use a Snow White makeover!

Again, Cinderella and Aurora didn’t get faces, but they look lovely twirling along the bridge that connects France to the United Kingdom. I was also lucky enough to catch the tree blooming this year. Even on a dreary day, these are beautiful!

Speaking of the United Kingdom, that pavilion has quite a few topiaries to finish off our tour. The first features most of the Winnie the Pooh characters. I keep hoping one of these years they will add more of them. Owl, Kanga, Roo, Gopher, and who else am I missing?

Lastly, and a quite fitting finale, are characters from Peter Pan! Once again, this year Peter is perched high on the building. Remember, you can always click on the images to see a larger size.

That’s everything I have for you today. I hope you enjoyed this trip around Epcot. Did I miss any topiaries? Is there something you’d like to see next time? Please let me know in the comments below. I’d love to bring it to you next time! Thanks so much for reading!

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Epcot Observations: March 23, 2014 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Disney Cruise Line Releases Summer 2015 Itineraries

By Erin Foster

Sound the horns! Disney Cruise Line has released itinerary information through August 2015. There are some exciting additions to the usual repertoire of DCL sailings – here’s what you need to know.

Disney Magic

Every part of Disney is Frozen.

The Frozen juggernaut has now made its way into Disney Cruise Line. For the first time in forever, Disney Cruise will be visiting the fjord region of Norway, with additional stops in Iceland and the Faroe Islands. These stops are part of 7, 9, and 11 night sailings departing from Copenhagen, Denmark.

Additional Northern European ports including Tallinn, Estonia; St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; and Stockholm, Sweden are part of a 7-night sailing from Copenhagen. A 12-night sailing from Dover, England adds Warnemunde (Berlin), Germany to the port itinerary.

At the beginning of the summer, the Magic will make a long 15-night Eastbound Transatlantic (EBTA) journey from Port Canaveral to Copenhagen, with stops in New York City, St. John’s Newfoundland, and Reykjavik, Iceland along the way. Personally, I had been hoping for a New York/Canada loop as had happened in 2013, but this is only part of the EBTA.

Toward the middle of the summer, the Magic changes course for usual Southern European home. This starts with a 7-night repositioning sailing leaving from Dover and stopping in Gibraltar, Lisbon, and Vigo, Spain on the way to her traditional summer home in Barcelona.

August will see the Magic sailing familiar routes from Barcelona, with a 5 night voyage stopping in Villefranche, France; La Spezia (Florence) and Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy; and three 7-night voyages which add a stop in Naples, Italy.

Disney Wonder

During the summer of 2015, the Wonder will travel back to the West Coast to sail familiar Alaskan routes.

The Wonder kicks off her summer with a 14-Night Westbound Panama Canal crossing with stops in Cozumel, Mexico; Cartagena, Colombia; Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; and ending up in San Diego California. There’s a brief stopover in San Diego with the offering of 2-night “cruise to nowhere” and a 3-night “getaway” cruise with a single stop in Ensenada, Mexico.

After making her way up the California coast, there will be a typical run of more than a dozen 7-night sailings from Vancouver with a trip through the fjords at Tracy Arm, along with port stops in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan.

Rumors continue to swirl about Hawaiian sailings in the fall of 2015, but these have not yet been confirmed.

Disney Dream

The Dream will continue to make Port Canaveral her base and will focus on 3 and 4 night Bahamian cruises with stops in Castaway Cay and Nassau. There will also be a few 5-night Bahamian cruises in July which make two stops at Castaway Cay, giving guests more time for snorkel and sunburn.

Disney Fantasy

The Fantasy will also be making Port Canaveral her home through summer 2015. There will be an uptick in the Eastern Caribbean itineraries in the spring and more alternating Eastern/Western runs during the summer. There are a few port changes in the Fantasy’s route with St Thomas replacing San Juan on Eastern Caribbean sailings and Falmouth, Jamaica replacing Costa Maya, Mexico on the Western routes.

When to Book

Booking opens tomorrow (Wednesday, March 26) for Gold and Platinum Castaway Club members (those who have sailed more than 5 times); everyone else can book on Thursday.

So what are you excited about? Is a trip to Scandanavia on your Disney Cruise Line to-do list? Let us know in the comments below.

Pre-order Our DCL Book Today

The Unofficial Guide to the Disney Cruise Line by Len Testa, Erin Foster, and Laurel Stewart is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be released in April.

Also contributing to this post: TouringPlans’ own Tammy Whiting, and Scott Sanders from DisneyCruiseLineBlog.com

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FastPass+ Tips for Annual Pass Vouchers and Frozen Meet and Greet

By Seth Kubersky

As I’ve detailed in my recent blog posts, navigating Walt Disney World now that FastPass+ has fully rolled out for Annual Passholders is a whole new adventure that seems to evolve on a daily basis. Here are some updated FastPass+ tips on two of the hottest topics among users of My Disney Experience and the associated MyMagic+ programs: Annual Pass vouchers and the new Frozen meet and greet.

FastPass+ Tips for Annual Pass Vouchers

New FastPass+ tips for Annual Pass vouchers and Frozen meet and greet (photos by Seth Kubersky)

One of the most frequently asked questions in the comments to my recent blog posts has been if Annual Pass vouchers that have not yet been activated can be tied to a My Disney Experience account for FastPass+ access. This is important to guests who wish to purchase an annual pass in advance of their visit to make FastPass+ reservations without having the 365-day timer on their ticket start ticking until their arrival. Multiple readers have reported inputing their voucher number as a linked admission pass in My Disney Experience, and being unsuccessful in attempts to then make FastPass+ reservations.

When I inquired about this exact situation at the Magic Kingdom over the weekend, I was emphatically told by a senior cast member in Guest Relations that this could not be done at the current time. I was advised that a guest’s best option would be to book an onsite hotel with a standard ticket, then upgrade to an annual pass during their vist. However, according to Touring Plans reader, that isn’t necessarily so.

Reader K L Fredricks posted on March 24:

I just spent 30 minutes on the phone with Disney World Internet Support (407) 939-7765 and they were able to link my vouchers to MyDisneyExperience account allowing me to make Fastpass+ reservations even though I have not activated them at a park yet. I double checked and it appears that I can make Fastpass+ reservations for up to 30 days out now. Keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well when making my Fastpass+ reservations in a couple weeks for my trip in June that includes a resort reservation!

We offer the preceeding comment with the caution that this may not yet be official policy, and your mileage may vary; we can’t be held responisble if you purchase an annual pass voucher and are unable to use this method to properly link it. If you try, please share your experiences in the comments below.

FastPass+ Tips for Frozen Meet and Greet

Since it was announced that Anna and Elsa were moving on April 20 from Epcot’s Norway pavilion to Magic Kingdom’s Princess Fairytale Hall, FastPass+ reservations for the new Frozen meet and greet have been a hot commodity. But it turns out they might not be quite as scarce as it seems.

Here is the FastPass+ availability for April 23 as of mid-day on March 24, according to the MyDisneyExperience iOS app. Note that “Meet Anna And Elsa” does not appear as an option.

 

Here is the exact same info simultaneously displayed on the MyDisneyExperience.com website. Anna and Elsa are available!

 

Success! My date with the Frozen sisters is secured. (I didn’t intend that to sound as creepy as it did…)

 

The app is also now showing my reservation correctly.

 

I even have the option now of choosing from several different time slots through the app.

I’m assuming that this issue is a temporary bug, and not an attempt to artificially limit access to FastPass+ for Anna and Elsa’s meet and greet, which is certain to be in strong demand for some time to come. For now, be sure to book through the website and not the app if you are looking for face time with the Frozen ladies.

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FastPass+ Tips for Annual Pass Vouchers and Frozen Meet and Greet is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.