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Hello everyone,
Sorry this has taken me a bit longer than I had anticipated, but of course life gets in the way! Anyway, here we are at part two of my Christmas trip report!
You can check out part one here, which was all about Disneyland Park.
Before we move on to the hotels and Disney California Adventure, there are a few additional things that I wanted to mention for Disneyland.
We were sad that this year Disneyland had axed the reindeer that used to feature at the ranch. In the past they had featured at Santa's Reindeer Round-up, which this year became the Jingle Jangle Jamboree. Overall this was a positive move, as the characters were still on Main Street, and Santa was still at the ranch, but additionally there were more Christmas characters at the ranch too. Besides losing the reindeer, Santa used to also appear after Christmas in a "post-Christmas" outfit, since Christmas is over. This year though, they decided that Santa would not appear. Instead, what they did was change Mickey and Minnie's outfits for after Christmas. Before Christmas they wore traditional, almost Victorian wear, after Christmas they sported neat Santa and Mrs Claus outfits. So, overall not a bad change. No Santa, but some really cute outfits.
One really annoying thing we discovered also, is that Disneyland are REALLY fussy about the weather. We travel a lot to all the parks, especially Florida and Paris, and the rain, and even snow in DLP, doesn't seem to affect things too much unless it's really serious. At DL though, the second there was the slightest inkling of some small drops from the sky, that was it. Ranch closed, characters cancelled. I am all for safety, but honestly, if you had seen the way they over reacted, it was ridiculous.
Similarly on the Santa situation, Santa at DCA disappeared after Christmas too, and did not return like in the past (we'll come to him shortly though).
While we're still at Disneyland, although not Christmas related, we did get to meet Ralph and Vanellope from the new Wreck-It-Ralph movie, which was neat.
We also, for the first time, had dinner at the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. We had intended to eat here in the past, but for one reason or another, it had never happened.
I have to say that I really enjoyed it. The live entertainment were good, and while they normally have a band there, they were especially festive for the season. Oh, and make sure you order the dessert! (I think it was called a S'mores Bake, or something)...
Something randomly that I thought of also, regarding "snow". At Walt Disney World, during the Christmas parade when it is travelling down Main Street, it snows. At Disneyland Paris, during the Christmas Cavalcade, and at intervals throughout the day, everyday, it snows. So, I don't understand why Disneyland only snowed at night during the Castle Lighting or the Christmas fireworks. I realise this shouldn't bug me too much, but would it have killed them to have it snow when Santa was heading down Main Street atop his sleigh? Just a thought.
One last thing before we head to the hotels, Downtown Disney and finally DCA, is about some things we heard while in DL.
On many - far TOO many - occasions this trip we heard things like "because Florida say no", "because Florida don't allow it", and so on. It seems that gradually WDW are trying to somehow cripple everything that DL do. Every time we asked why something had changed, why something wasn't as nice or good any more, why something had to be cancelled - you name it - the answer was that Florida didn't like it. Maybe now that Meg Crofton is being inched out the door, things might change a little, but only time will tell.
The other thing we heard a few times is that to everyone's great sadness, it might appear that this would be the last real year for Christmas season as we know it in DL. Once again Florida want their way, and Christmas sounds like it might be ticketed, like it is at the Magic Kingdom. That would be a heavy loss indeed. I am glad we went this past year to experience it fully, before the magic is sold out to hard ticket events.
Ok, so that's enough about Disneyland, now we shall take a stroll through Downtown Disney and the resort hotels, before heading into DCA!
For the new Tinker Bell movie about the winter, and because it is winter, Downtown Disney featured an ice skating rink for the Christmas period. Other than that, and some regular decorations, there wasn't too much in the way of Christmas offerings at DTD, not that we saw at least.
At the resort hotels, before Christmas Day they had Santa greeting in the evenings in their main lobbies. We managed to meet Santa at the Grand Californian and DL Hotel, but not the Paradise Pier.
The hotels looked pretty with their large Christmas trees in their lobbies, and the restaurants had gingerbread houses made by the in-house chefs.
Ok, so we shall step in to Disney California Adventure now, and discover their festive line-up.
It was DCA's first Christmas with it's shiny new look. Buena Vista Street, Cars Land and all the other things that they had re-launched earlier in 2012 got another chance to shine with the decor and lights of Christmas.
The decorations on BVS and Cars Land were really nice, and felt appropriate and not too overdone. The rest of the park didn't have too many decorations, but here and there were some small things, that just added a nice touch.
There was some new entertainment offerings for Christmas too, including the really talented Community Bell Ringers.
The other regular park bands played seasonal tunes, too, and the Phineas and Ferb mini-show had a small Christmas overlay.
Of course there were all the normal things that you would expect for the holidays, such as treats and merchandise. Some of the DCA Christmas merchandise was actually really nice.
Over at Hollywood Land, they had switched the Muppets 3D movie for the new Prep and Landing short film. We got to see it twice, which was good as we got to sit in the warm, and see a decent Disney movie in 3D for free!
One other main thing that they did, oddly though only on select days, was the Holiday Tree Lighting in Carthay Circle.
This little show in front of the large Christmas tree involved the characters, Citizens of Buena Vista Street and the Bell Ringers coming together and lighting the tree.
It was a pretty touch, but for some reason they didn't do it every night, and it ended on Christmas Eve, which is weird since they call the entire season Holiday Time (note the lack of actually being Christmas), and their "Holiday Time" runs until 6th January. The least they could have done is lit the tree on Christmas Day itself, but nope, it ended on Christmas Eve. Odd.
Now we come to characters at DCA for the Holidays.
On Buena Vista Street, Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale all had festive alterations to their BVS outfits. Milly/Molly the Messenger, Phi Phi the Photographer and Donna the Dog Lady got a few small additions too.
Over in Cars Land Tow Mater had a large Santa hat on (but not McQueen though), and at Paradise Pier Donald and Duffy had Christmas clothes too.
Of course no Christmas would be complete without Santa, and he was available up until Christmas Eve at Elias and Co, in a traditional America department store setting, along with some Elf helpers.
Lastly we come to New Year's Eve. We had decided that our best option would probably be to stay over at DCA because, honestly, we had experienced Disneyland on busy days, and that was bad enough. Add New Year into the equation and you get a whole other level of insanity! DCA provides larger open areas, wider walkways and generally less intensity of craziness than DL park (generally, not always!).
We actually ended up making the right decision, because really, honestly, compared to what DL Park had been the few days leading up to New Year, DCA was a BREEZE. We were pleasantly surprised how quiet it was. We wandered around and checked out the special New Year entertainment, which consisted of three bands. One country rock in Cars Land, and two jazz (one on BVS and the other in Paradise Pier). I'm not a fan of jazz and found them quite dull, especially the one on BVS, but that's just me.
I think that overall the bands and entertainment for New Year's Eve could have been a bit better, but the best was yet to come!
For the turn of the year there was a breathtaking spectacular on Paradise Bay, with lasers, fireworks, fountains, music and an energy that really brought the park to a roaring climax, before they followed it up with a full presentation of World of Color.
Over at Disneyland they would never been able to achieve what they did at DCA simply because of the setting, surroundings and size. DL wouldn't have the fountains, and probably no-where near as many lasers, if any (has anyone ever seen lasers used in DL for spectaculars? Let me know!).
If we are ever back at DLR for New Year we would definitely chose DCA again. I can't imagine at the end of the night how horrendous the crowds must have been. Getting out of DCA was relatively easy. DL was at capacity, and we know from previous experience - on a non-New Year's event - that even if it gets remotely crowded the park grinds to a miserable halt. We made the right choice for sure!
Well, that concludes this report. We really enjoyed Christmas ("Holiday Time") at Disneyland Resort, and definitely recommend it. We just hope that they continue to add things to the season, and they manage to stave off Florida's advances regarding the ticketed Christmas!
Dan. |
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Hello everyone,
Not really anything too exciting sadly this week, but just a few updates regarding Limited Time Magic,the new Fantasy Faire and Valentine's Day.
As Long Lost Friends Week at the Magic Kingdom draws to a close, we heard that it has been quite a success, and that WDW are now seriously considering more events for later this year, which would be really great! Once we hear more, we'll report it of course, but so far we heard it suggested that there could be a voting system like there was for Character Fan Days at DL last year.
This week's Lost Friends line-up consisted of the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, Scrooge McDuck, Ludwig von Drake, Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Prince John, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, Pinocchio, Geppetto and Jiminy Cricket (don't think I missed any!).
My only problem with an otherwise really neat week, is that some of those aren't so much "long lost" as they are just harder to find - especially the Pinocchio family. Long Lost to me would be characters that have not literally been seen in years. I guess we can't have everything! I hope that their next round - when ever they decide to do it - is just as well set up, and has even better characters!
Over at Disneyland, their Limited stuff continues with the Horseshoe running until the start of February, and the Bayou Bash with the Princess and the Frog gang.
Sadly, the next offering for this coming week is nowhere near as exciting, and is instead a vote on next years merchandise logo. I try to stay positive overall normally, with balanced arguments and seeing both side, but I have to admit, I'm at a loss with this one. In the past they wouldn't have thought twice about just asking that sort of thing on Facebook or the Parks Blog anyway, so why now make it a "limited time opportunity?" Did I miss something?
Anyway, later this year we know that they plan to hold a Villains dance party event in WDW, and at Valentine's both US Resorts will feature a week long celebration with all the Princesses and their Princes.
Also, in WDW we know that the 4th July will be celebrated all week long with patriotic characters and the like, instead of just on the day, as in the past. So there are definitely some good things to come, but this week is certainly the lamest attempt so far!
Speaking of Valentine's, you may recall that earlier this week I revealed some details exclusively here on the blog about Disneyland Paris's happenings this year. Now, in addition I have discovered that the character meet 'n' greets (click the link to see details) will extend through the weekend, making Valentine's a four day event this year! The cavalcade will remain exclusively for the 14th though, sadly.
We will be there for the entire 4 days, so be rest assured we'll be updating live from the parks on Twitter and Facebook!
Jumping back to Disneyland, and someone on the DIS posted some new details about how the new Fantasy Faire will be set up. I can't guarantee the accuracy of the information of course, but it does sound like it will be quite good once finished! Nearly every Princess will be represented and new character based entertainment will be in the line up. We look forward to seeing it in May!
Finally for the parks, and actually not a Disney park for once! As you probably know, we aren't just Disney Character fans, and we do visit other parks, including the Universal ones (which we LOVE incidentally!). Technically this site is actually Character Central, meaning we cover all characters where possible, and we do have dedicated sections for non-Disney Parks. Anyway, my point was going to be that we have been adding a bunch of characters from other parks to the site increasingly often, and two we added recently were Bumblebee and Optimus Prime (Transformers) at Universal Studios Hollywood. We now know that just in the last few weeks Universal added Megatron to their line up! I thought this was really cool, and worth mentioning, as I know a lot of our fans out there also love similar things to us! We look forward to meeting him some time!
Some brief website updates now. I have been adding some new Disney Characters also, and the latest ones can be easily seen on the Recently Added list in the panel to the left of this article.
We are also working really hard to get all the character meeting information up to date across the site, though this is a massive task! I have also been updating location information, descriptions and guidebook information, as well as giving many pages brand new images. It's hard work, but we hope that you all appreciate our efforts.
We are really hoping that VERY Soon the new version of the website will be launched, and we can assure you, you will all LOVE it!
Finally, although we are now three weeks into the New Year, I thought if any of you had missed it, you might still want to check out my EPIC Year in Review for 2012. Be warned though, it is HUGE and you need some time to be able to read the whole thing! There are HUNDREDS of pictures, so you might want to make sure you're at a good computer before hitting the link!
Ok, I think that is all for now. You can discuss anything mentioned here by clicking the blue title bar above, and then scrolling down to Discuss, to leave comments on our forum.
Dan. |
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Hello everyone!
I know this is a little delayed, but of course since getting back, we have been ever busy!
Anyway, here we are at my Christmas 2012 Trip Report for Disneyland California!
We of course have visited DL a lot, and I have done reports before, so as not to repeat myself, this report is going to be solely about their Christmas offerings, as it was the first time I had been for to DLR for the holidays.
We were lucky enough to have a glorious 10 days in California this time around, and we certainly enjoyed every moment of it.
Since we were there for so long, we were also able to take a trip out to Universal Studios Hollywood, to experience their Christmas stuff, which you can read about in my recent report here.
Ok, so the easiest way to go about this is to just talk about each thing one by one.
First up, decorations, music and atmosphere! [ Read More... ] |
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Hello!
It has sadly been a long time since I really had chance to update the blog properly with any real updates. Actually, there hasn't really been any good character news for a long time, either, so that coupled with Jon and I always being mega busy makes for more sporadic posting than I would like!
Anyway, here we are with the first proper update of 2013, and it's shaping up to be quite the year so far - which of course is good news for us character fans!
We'll start with the US Parks, and first up is California.
As you may recall, the old Fantasyland Theater in Disneyland has for the longest time been used for a Princess meet 'n' greet, which just about everybody agreed was a massive waste of time and space. Last year Disneyland closed it and finally started making preparations for a brand new show to debut there.
Since then we have all waited anxiously to find out what new show would appear at the theatre.
Well, our questions were answered this week, finally, when the Disney Parks Blog announced that 'Mickey and the Magical Map' would start in "summer 2013". I am hopeful that this will become a well loved show, as it looks quite neat, and that we get to see it when we visit in August (providing it has started by then!).
Since the show is taking over Fantasy Faire, you may also recall that Disneyland are relocating their Princess meet 'n' greet to what was the beloved Carnation Plaza Gardens area, next to Sleeping Beauty Castle. They are of course making some massive upgrades, and this week, again, the Parks Blog announced that we would see the opening of the new location in "spring 2013" - which could mean as early as say, the end of March (that's what I've heard, but who knows!).
Disney never like to give much away, but we are still anticipating - though it hasn't been re-confirmed properly for quite some time. They keep missing that detail out... - that the former stage area from Carnation Plaza Gardens will remain, and there will be some sort of mini show or live entertainment there, also.
Staying with Disneyland, and last weekend saw the return of their popular Day of the Three Kings event, which featured entertainment, and of course characters! Mickey and Minnie were out in special Mexican clothing, and Donald appeared with none other than Panchito and Jose! I believe though, that this was being billed as "special" for the new Limited Time Magic promotion, despite not really being new at all!
Which then brings me to Limited Time Magic itself. Loren informs me that he has been told by Cast Members in Disneyland that their Chinese New Year entertainment will also return this year, but will be advertised as one of the Limited Time Magic events, and also something similar to last years Character Fan Weekends will reappear as a Limited event, too.
I am of course very happy that these things are returning, but it makes me a little sad that they cannot think of something new and special, instead of re-branding something existing.
Of course, Disneyland are also getting their Horseshoe Revue Back for a very limited run, which I know has proven to be a very popular move.
That brings me to Florida, and their Limited Time Magic.
So far, as far as I am aware, they have had a Tomorrowland dance party, and limited edition ear hats as their first two "special" events. The problem with both of these is that they are, well, not new! Anyone who has been to Florida in the last two years will have seen Stitch and the gang rock it out in Tomorrowland almost constantly! The only real difference is that Stitch is wearing his Elvis outfit.
Incidentally, before we move on, it was Elvis's birthday yesterday, and the little blue guy we all love wanted to just pay a small tribute...
Going back to Limited Time Magic, and although we don't know much else right now, we do know that for Valentine's the parks are planning some special things (though I don't think we can expect too much), and in September in Florida a Villains dance party for Friday the 13th.
You can check out the official Limited Time Magic website here, but be warned, you might die of boredom before anything exciting is put on there! (It's a pretty dire page!)
Over at Disneyland Paris, although I am not yet allowed to reveal any details, I would say that if you were thinking about planning a trip over any time soon, especially around Valentine's Day, then you most certainly should... I have heard there will be something really extra special and magical this year! (That will be additional to their regular Valentine's offerings, which usually consist of a character brunch, special character meets and a special Magical Moment at the Disneyland Hotel).
When I am allowed to say more, trust me, I will let you all know!
Speaking of brunches, a friend informs us that there is a Chinese New Year brunch at Inventions (with characters of course) on Sunday 10th February. I thought I would point that out, as that is pretty unique. As well as Mulan and Mushu, I wonder if Li Shang will appear?...
Also, I have heard that DLP's long running Tarzan show will once again return this summer to Frontierland.
I just want to take the opportunity to direct you to my recent New Year post, which has a special message from us here at Character Central.
You might also want to check out my now (finally!) completed Hong Kong Trip Report here, my Tokyo Trip Report here, and my latest report which is from our day trip to Universal Studios Hollywood at Christmas, here.
Ok, I think that is everything for now.
Happy New Year everyone!
Dan. |
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Hi all,
This is a very brief news update, as we are on our way to Hong Kong Disneyland later today!
I saw a couple of character related things around the internet this week that were worth mentioning.
First off, and maybe the biggest news was that the US Parks and Resorts, next year (2013), will be dubbed "Limited Time Magic", and will feature a year full of new and interesting events on both coasts.
Of course there are some oddball ones, such as the Dapper Dans singing pop songs (!), but there are also some for us character fans, including "Long Lost Friends Week", which is due to feature, to quote, "lesser known" Disney characters.
There will also be themed weeks, such as the week of 4th July, that will feature Mickey and Friends in their patriotic clothes, and Pirate Week, which, as you can imagine, features them in their pirate gear.
We look forward to hearing more about these events, and the full line-up for the year. We only hope that they release dates for each specific week in advance enough so that everyone can plan the week they want to attend.
You can check out our member's forum post about it here, which also has a link to the Parks Blog post.
In WDW, EPCOT is due to close the Character spot for a lengthy - and long overdue - overhaul.
The new version is due to reopen in February. In the meantime Mickey and Friends are being moved around the park. Though nothing official has been announced yet regarding the future of it, it is expected that they are going to take a leaf out of their own books, and their recent efforts at the brand new Silly Sideshow at the Magic Kingdom. Hopefully EPCOT will finally get an appropriately themed character location, with Mickey and Friends wearing some neat new Future World outfits.
Again, you can check out our forum post about it here.
Over in DL, although this is not official, Miceage king Al Lutz has reported that the West Coast park is due to cut their Christmas offering s from 2013, and instead host ticketed Christmas Parties, like the Magic Kingdom. I won't get into the whole thing here, as I am on limited time (our flight to HKDL awaits! LOL!), but you can read his article here. I for one would be sad if DL went down this route. DL's seasonal offerings are one of the many great things that often sets them apart from WDW, and is another anil in the coffin towards the US Parks becoming standardised, much to the fans disappointment.
With the announcement in NY earlier this week regarding the Limited Time Magic, it was also made apparent that the Disney Princesses would be getting a makeover. Cinderella was there, and if you check that Parks Blog post I mentioned above, you'll see a picture of her in her new dress and hairstyle. I have also heard that the other core Princesses will also be receiving makeovers. As yet, as far as I know, there is no date for their official relaunch. If anyone knows otherwise, just let me know!
Ok, I think that's all for now then.
Like I said, we're off to Hong Kong Disneyland tonight, and later next week Tokyo Disney Resort!
We'll try to update our Facebook page regularly, as well as our Twitter account, with pictures from our adventures at the parks, so be sure to follow us there!
Dan. |
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Hi all,
Not really a news update per se, but more just some updates regarding some things that have been going on at the Parks over the last week or so.
Halloween has of course started now at DL and DLP.
DLP has seen a massive overhaul of it's Halloween Season this year, with some FANTASTIC new decorations, lots of new entertainment (at least 3 new bands!), as well as the return of the Trick or Treat stage show starring Mickey and Friends.
The Villains have all returned, and meet daily in Fantasyland, and Jack and Sally are back at Phantom Manor. Villains I have confirmation of this year are: Maleficent, The Witch, Dr Facilier, The Tremaines, Frollo, Gaston, Cruella, Gideon, Ratcliffe, Jafar, the Queen of Hearts, Shan Yu and Hook.
Goofy also has a new location on Main Street, as well as brand new outfit. Pooh has returned once again in his Bumblebee costume, too.
In California, the bulk of their Halloween offerings have moved to the Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland.
The Villains and Mickey and Friends are all there in their Halloween finest. There are also some other small Halloween offerings, activities and games that take place there.
Of course, the park is decked out for the season too.
Much to the fans sadness, and although it was almost expected, Buena Vista Street was not decorated this year for its first Halloween.
This year we'll be visiting FOUR of the Resorts (9 of 11 parks!) for Halloween! We've already done WDW two weeks back, next up is Hong Kong, followed by Tokyo, the finally Paris! 17 days and counting until that craziness begins!
Speaking of Halloween and Florida, they had one of their many marathons that they hold, just last week, and it was a special Halloween themed one. More accurately, it was Villains, and there were some really neat characters there. Most notable were the Hyenas and the Haunted Mansion Gravediggers! We would LOVE to meet the Hyenas!
Jumping back to Paris, you may have noticed that Duffy was missing from the list of characters for Halloween. It was originally expected that he would appear in the same outfit as the US Parks, but in fact, he has been recently dropped from the park altogether (namely due to lack of interest from Guests).
We have heard that he will probably not return for Christmas, either.
Over in Florida, we have heard that at Disney's Hollywood Studios, the long running Beauty and the Beast show will be leaving, as will the Little Mermaid show. No word yet as to when, or what their replacements will be.
Florida has also mixed up some characters this autumn. Marie has moved from EPCOT to Magic Kingdom, Beast has left altogether (to get ready for his debut in the winter at MK presumably) and Chip 'n' Dale have moved from Camp Minnie-Mickey to Rafiki's Planet Watch.
I think there may have been some other minor changes too, but I don't recall what they were right now!
Back to DLP now, and today saw something quite unusual. The Three Good Fairies - Flora, Fauna and Merryweather - made a surprise appearance in Fantasyland! Apparently DLP is considering having them out regularly, and so they asked the Fairies to appear for Guests today to test their popularity! Amazing!
We had heard previously (and I have mentioned this before I think), that DLP want to start having more and more rare characters appear (something that they have always been good at anyway!), and so maybe this is the start of that? A very good start I would say!
Recently there was a promotion in France by Disney for the new Cinderella DVD release, and something quite odd happened. Disney France gave Prince Charming a name for the very first time! Disney has always insisted that the Prince's name was indeed Charming, but now I guess they have decided otherwise! The name was Henri (French of course for Henry)!
So next time you see Prince Charming in the Parks, call him Prince Henri, and see what he says!
And now to Christmas at DLP. I have to say that when I saw the release for the Holiday information this year, it made me REALLY sad that we won't be in DLP for Christmas, as we'll be in DL instead (which I'm still really excited about, of course!).
Here's a list of EVERYTHING that has been confirmed for DLP Christmas thus far, including some really neat BRAND NEW character related items!
Both DL Parc and WDS are getting brand new Christmas Trees and decorations! The DL Parc Tree will feature all new lights and decorations on it.
DL Parc is also getting brand new decorations and garlands all up Main Street, as well as brand new "snow scenes" around Central Plaza featuring character snowmen!
Brand new 3 times per day Christmas Cavalcade in DL Parc featuring Mickey and Friends, Toy Story, Santa and other Holiday friends. FOUR floats - 2 of which are brand new!!
NO MORE PRINCESS LAMP POSTS!! HOORAY!!
Christmas lights ("ice") on the rooftops of the Castle.
Tree Lighting Ceremony with Mickey and Friends
Brand new outfit and Christmas photolocation on Main Street for Minnie!
Brand new Christmas photolocation for Mickey in the Studios that is a "Christmas Tree Forest"
Santa Goofy in Town Square
Santa Claus at the Cottonwood Creek Ranch
Snowfall on Main Street
"it's a small world" Celebration
NEW Christmas photolocation at the Old Mill for Belle! (replaces Belle's Christmas Village)
Jack and Sally at Phantom Manor - they will be staying after Halloween Season to meet throughout Christmas, for the first time ever!
How amazing does all that sound?!
Ok, so I think that is all for now! It was quite a DLP-heavy article today, but then, I guess that is because they have the most news to share!
As always, you can share your own thoughts and discuss with others on our Forums.
Dan. |
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Hi all,
Sorry that it has been a while since we had a proper blog update, but we have been super busy! We were of course on our long trip to Florida, which I'm sure you all followed on Facebook, and then I moved house! So yes, it has all been a bit crazy!
First up, speaking of our trip to Florida, you can check out my trip report/review of our 2 day side-trip to Universal Orlando Resort. If any of you have ever considered going over there, or have been but not for many years, you may find it useful to find out what is going on over there, and what we thought of everything - including all the awesome characters they have!
While we're on the subject of our Florida trip, Tinker Bell's "long lost sister" (yes, I know...) started making appearances last week while we were there. Of course she now has her own dedicated page on this site (albeit with not many pics yet, but in time!), so check it out!
Staying with Florida, while we were there they were also doing previews for the brand new Enchanted Tales with Belle situated in the New Fantasyland! The official opening date for a lot of the new stuff is December 6th, with previews expected shortly beforehand for those lucky ones! The fact that we got in to it in mid-September, and it doesn't open until December is quite amazing, I think!
Overall it was great to preview something so far in advance, but we were left feeling a bit disappointed that as amazing as the new area looks, and all the effort and money they have put into it, the actual Enchanted Tales experience is, well, disappointing - and we weren't the only ones who thought this. The line is likely to be really long once it opens (and as of present there is no AC nor fans under the cramped canopy outside that traps that intense Florida heat...), and when you get inside it is just a 10 minute re-telling of Belle's story, that members of the audience can participate in. There really is nothing special about it, sadly. The worst part is that you don't even get to meet Belle! This is something that could well change by Dec 6th, as I think there will be a lot of complaints from parents of young girls who thought they were waiting for an hour to meet Belle!
Like I said though, the area looks really neat, and also the animatronic Lumiere and Mme Wardrobe are pretty cool. I look forward to seeing the Be Our Guest Restaurant and all the other things that will open later this year!
We have added an Enchanted Tales with Belle page on the site already, so click on it to see all our pictures from this not-yet-open area!
We also attended the first Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party of the year while we were there, and you can check out the new, updated list of where to find all the characters this year, here.
There aren't too many changes this year. Phineas and Ferb are now in Town Square; Duffy has moved to the Boat Dock in Liberty Square; but anyway, do check out the list so that you can plan your evening! It should be note that I have since heard that when it rains, the Villains who meet in Central Plaza appear inside the Tomorrowland Terrace.
The Disney Parks Blog this week announced that the Wreck-It-Ralph characters, Ralph and Vanellope, would make their debut starting in November (no actual date given yet). In WDW they will appear where all new characters usually appear - in the Magic of Animation building in Hollywood Studios. At Disneyland they will make appearances inside the Starcade in Tomorrowland.
We'll be in DL in December and hope they are still there!
At the end of this month on the 28th, 29th and 30th September, there is a special Frankenweenie event in Downtown Disney in Florida, where they will be special screenings of other Tim Burton Disney movies, and - wait for it!- the first EVER appearances by Jack Skellington and Sally Stitches at the Walt Disney World Resort!
It is odd how they have never appeared before, especially since they already appear in DL, DLP and HKDL at Halloween.
It is expected that Jack and Sally will appear between 6 and 11pm each evening, near the Harley-Davidson store.
Along the Halloween lines, Disneyland has started it's Halloween Season, and there aren't too many changes this year, except they have decided (I guess after the success of other events there) to move the bulk of the special characters and characters in Halloween costumes over to the Big Thunder Ranch area of Frontierland. Other than that, expect Disneyland's usual fun Halloween line-up!
Finally, at Disneyland Paris, as we know they have undergone a lot of changes in recent months, and their debt was restructured again just this week.
This does mean that money is sometimes tight for the Resort, and so this year, sadly, Fantillusion and Mickey's Winter Wonderland will not be returning. However, although not really an amazing replacement for a full parade and full show, they will be running a brand new Christmas Cavalcade. A smaller production than the two that were cut, for sure, but a nice change nonetheless, and something to add to the magic of the Holiday Season.
it is expected that the popular Tree Lighting Ceremony will return, as will Santa Goofy, Santa himself and all the Holiday decorations and other goodness that comes with it!!
I think that's everything for now!
We have lots of discussions going on over on the Character Central Forums, so be sure to check those out and join the fun!
Dan. |
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 | Disneyland July 2012 Photo Trip Report Part 2 | |
| PeterPanFan
Sunday, September 2, 2012 8:21:32 AM |
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| Sorry for the delay in posting part 2 of my Disneyland Photo Trip Report; however, I have been busy working on enhancements for the next version of the website as well as some other things... but without further ado here is part 2 :) [ Read More... ] |
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 | Disneyland July 2012 Photo Trip Report Part 1 | |
| PeterPanFan
Monday, August 20, 2012 11:08:30 AM |
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Hi all, Dan is much more of a writer than I am so I don't normally do trip reports; however, in the past I have done "Photo Trip Reports" that are 95% pictures with some comments mixed in. I thought I would do one for our Disneyland Trip since there was a lot of new stuff. This will probably be the longest part as I have a lot more pictures from the 1st day (even though we didn't arrive until 1pm) than the other days. The "Magic Kingdom" park at a resort is almost always our first stop on a trip unless there is a really good reason for it not to be. This trip with all the new stuff in DCA there definitely was a reason to go to DCA first and that is what we did! I never hated Sunshine Plaza and I was sad to see some of its elements go away; however, after seeing Buena Vista Street all I can say is "WOW! What an improvement". I really love the look and feel of Buena Vista Street and think they did an excellent job. I saw pictures of many aspects of Buena Vista Street before we arrived and I had thought some of them (Carthay Circle Theatre) didn't look that impressive; however, everything makes a MUCH better impression in person. [ Read More... ] |
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