 | 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). [ Read More... ] |
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Hello everyone,
I have a few pieces of news for you today.
The Disneyland Paris Spring event (being dubbed "Spring Fling") that I previously told you about seems to really have taken momentum, and although still not officially confirmed by Disneyland Paris, two pieces of concept art have been leaked (one of Main Street Station, the other of Town Square), and even Vasile Sirli, the Resort's famed resident composer, posted about it on his Facebook page. We now know that as well as the really neat flowers and decorations, that there will be a show at the Videopolis, likely to be a short musical show with a character or two (similar to how the Jingle Bell Boys with Mickey worked at Christmas), as well as a small cavalcade that will feature two cars (thought to be former Stars 'n' Cars vehicles that are being repurposed). I have to say, this all sounds really awesome, and Jon and I will be there at the end of April for Easter, so we definitely cannot wait to see how it all finally comes together on the projected opening date of 3rd April!
Staying with Disneyland Paris, and it is being reported today from various fan groups at the parks that DLP have finally taken the initiative to set up organised lines for randomly appearing characters throughout the parks! This is a double edged sword for me, but one I think I am willing to accept. Anyone who has ever visited Disneyland Paris will know two things; one, that there are some really awesome characters out and about, including some rare ones that cannot be met usually elsewhere, and two, that queuing up has never seemed to been a concept they entirely grasped. The problem is though that it wasn't just that people would not queue, but that they would push and shove, and basically make the entire experience unbearable. I asked Philippe Gas (CEO of EuroDisney, S.A.S) about this personally in April last year at a small meeting in London, and he basically told me that they try to avoid confrontation. My argument has always been, well it's private property, if someone doesn't like to follow the rules, then have them removed! You might wonder why I am going on about this so much, but trust me, this is a huge deal for Disneyland Paris. For them to make this step is quite exceptional. The reason though I think it is a double edged sword, is that sadly I do think this will take away slightly from some of the randomness, and some of the fun interactive experiences you can get by following characters around, playing games with them, chasing them, etc. But, if it means I won't get bruised and in an argument with someone about who was next, then I am more than happy to compromise!
I just have a few other things I wanted to mention this evening.
In my last news post I forgot to mention that Princess Aurora has decided for now to return to the parks wearing her former dress that she has had for many years. Apparently Disney made the decision for her as they were not happy with the new one, launched last year, for one reason or another (many fans weren't either). So, if you got to see Aurora in her former new dress, you got to meet her in what will now be a retired outfit, and if you liked her old-old dress better, you have a chance to meet her in it again!
Finally, over at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom, again, as I had said previously, Camp Minnie-Mickey closed this week to make way for the new Avatar Land, but right after I posted that article, I discovered that since there is no Festival of the Lion King show right now, that a dance party will be taking place daily in Dinoland, featuring some random and very rare characters! Earlier this week Gypsy and Slim were seen, and various fan pages have reported seeing numerous other characters that haven't been seen in a while out, too!
You can check out all the other news I posted earlier in the week here.
I made a tribute to the now retired Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade earlier this week, if you missed that you can see it here.
Finally, if you want to see my tribute to Camp Minnie-Mickey, you can find that here.
Have a great day everyone,
Dan.
Check out what an awesome year Character Central had in 2013, in our massive '2013 - A Character Filled Year in Review!'
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Hi all,
This week various sources are reporting that Tinker Bell's newest Fairy friend from Pixie Hollow, Perrywinkle, will start appearing this autumn at the US Parks.
When we hear more we'll of course post here on the blog.
Over in Hong Kong, they are just about 4 weeks away from the second of the three new lands to open there, Grizzly Gulch. The official HK Disneyland Facebook page and the website both confirm that Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale will appear in the new land in Western themed outfits, as well as Koda and Kenai from Brother Bear (the link being here that Grizzly Gulch is named after the famed bear shaped mountain that casts a shadow over the small mining town).
We are going to be in HKDL on two trips this year, so we REALLY look forward to seeing that when we go!
Over in California Loren reports that Donald is replacing Mickey at Paradise Pier. The reason, apparently is because Mickey will now be appearing down in Buena Vista Street in his new 1920s outfit.
The flaw in that logic is that Donald also will be meeting down there in a new 1920s outfit too. But either way, it means Donald is getting a new outfit for Paradise Pier, as well as the 1920s one!
Finally, and also in DCA, Loren also reports that an inside source has told him that the new Dance Party over in the Backlot will feature random and possibly rare characters this summer!
As always, we'll keep you up to date with any changes!
One last thing to mention - Happy 18th Birthday The Lion King! Check out my special tribute here on the blog!
Dan. |
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