 | Walt Disney World February 2016 Trip Report |
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| DisneyDan
Tuesday, March 22, 2016 1:59:50 PM |
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Hello everyone,
Last month we made a very brief trip down to Walt Disney World to check out some new offerings that were not going to be around for very long. We spent Valentine's weekend there, staying at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort, and managed to visit all four theme parks in two days.
Let's jump straight in, starting with Animal Kingdom, where it was Sweetheart Weekend (for Valentine's).
Tarzan was out as usual, but Jane joined him for the weekend.
Flik is also an Animal Kingdom regular, but for Valentine's Princess Atta appeared too, which was really neat because she very rarely greets guests.
Pocahontas was at her regular spot, but for the weekend, John Smith joined her. John Smith, like Princess Atta, does not come to the parks very often, and in all our years of going to Disney we have only ever met him at a regular guest greeting once!
At Disney's Hollywood Studios we tried to catch the characters attending the Adventure Happens Here dance party (which has now ended). We managed to see Rescue Ranger Chip 'n' Dale, Bolt, Baloo, Stitch, White Rabbit, Robin Hood, Sebastian and Genie.
We also stopped by to meet Doc McStuffins and Jake in Animation Courtyard, since their lines were short.
Inside the Star Wars Launch Bay we met Kylo Ren for the first time, since he replaced Darth Vader very recently, and of course Chewbacca (who was there during our Christmas visit).
For the period after Christmas and before spring, Hollywood and Vine's seasonal dinner was themed to the "Silver Screen". In attendance were Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Daisy, all dressed in their Hollywood finest.
At Epcot we met Baymax at his new location at the new addition to the Character Spot, and bumped into J. Worthington Foulfellow and Max Goof over by the Imagination building.
We hadn't yet seen the recently updated animatronic Three Caballeros inside the Mexico pavilion, so we checked those out. I have to say, given that they were restored from an old attraction many years ago, I was very impressed with how they looked. Disney did a good job of bringing to life again a piece of Disney history, and making it look so fresh and new.
At Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort we had heard that there would be a special rare appearance of Belle and Beast together, so hopped over there on one of our afternoons, and sure enough, there they were!
At the Magic Kingdom we met Marie in Town Square, and Tiana and Naveen at the Enchanted Glade in Liberty Square.
The Tsums had some fun at the fountain in Fantasyland, of which I took this cute photo.
We watched Disney Festival of Fantasy in Town Square, which is always a delight to see.
Seeing as we wouldn't be back before its end date next week, we watched Dream Along with Mickey one final time this trip. We will be very sad to see it close, but are also excited for the new show.
We were extremely lucky to be invited to say a final farewell to the characters in a special greeting after the show, which really made our trip truly magical.
Finally, we caught the Frontierland Hoedown one afternoon, which on this occasion featured Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, Big Al, Liver Lips and Br'er Bear.
And that's a wrap for that trip! We'll be back in Walt Disney World very soon, and can't wait to see even more new and magical things!
Have a great week everyone,
Dan. |