Month: November 2017

Disneyland Discontinues Southern California Annual Pass…For Now

The popular Southern California annual pass that allows visitors entrance to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on certain days year round will no longer be available for new customers, for the time being, a Disneyland spokesperson confirmed.

Starting Monday, Nov. 20, the $469 pass – one of Disneyland’s least expensive annual pass options – will go on hiatus. The Southern California annual pass option was removed from the Disneyland.com website this morning.

Current Southern California Passport annual pass holders will have the option to renew. Those who have passes that expired recently will receive a letter soon on how to renew the pass.

“Our annual passes are very popular with guests,” said Michele Himmelberg, a Disneyland spokeswoman. “We continuously seek the appropriate balance that helps manage demand for our product and allows us to deliver a world-class experience for all guests.”

The discontinuing of the popular Southern California Passport – even if it’s just for the time being – comes as no surprise.

With an estimated 1 million annual pass holders and Star Wars land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, opening in a couple of years and other attractions such as Pixar Pier coming in the near future, Disneyland officials appear to be taking another step to managing future crowds and spreading out the demand.

Last year, Disneyland introduced a tiered ticket pricing structure to spread out the crowds. Earlier this year, Disneyland increased the price for admission tickets and annual passes.

This is the second time the Southern California Passport was discontinued. In 2014, Disneyland officials removed the annual pass to better manage the crowds that come Sundays at the theme parks. Disney later reintroduced it in 2016.

Disneyland offered five types of annual passes, ranging in price from $339 to $1,049.

The Southern California Passport is one of two annual passes available for Southern Calfornia residents living in ZIP codes 90000 to 93599, from San Diego to north of San Luis Obispo.

The pass allows visitors to enjoy both Anaheim theme parks for about 215 days with block outs on Saturdays, holidays, and half of summer. Its affordability – about $31 monthly with no interest after a $97 deposit – has made it a popular choice for local residents.

The Southern California Select Passport, which allows visitors 170 days of access to both theme parks – mostly on weekdays – will still be available. It’s priced at $339.

From the Orange County Register

Walt Disney World to Celebrate Mickey’s Birthday Saturday

The Magic Kingdom will be celebrating Mickey Mouse’s birthday on Saturday November 18th with special entertainment, merchandise and desserts.

The day will kick off with a special Welcome Show birthday moment and rope-drop, followed by a Tomorrowland birthday-themed dance party, birthday celebration during Move it! Shake it! Dance & Play It! Street Party, and finally a Happily Ever After pre-show birthday moment.

Guests arriving at any of the Walt Disney World theme parks will also receive a birthday button.

If you’re celebrating Mickey tomorrow, be sure to pick up one of his tasty treats and wish him a happy birthday. All of these items will be available all weekend, November 17-19

Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Found at Trolley Car Café

  • Mickey’s Birthday Cupcake – Cookies and cream-flavored cupcake with cookies and cream frosting

Magic Kingdom
Found at Main Street Bakery, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café and Pinocchio Village Haus

  • Steamboat Willie Cookies ‘n Cream Cheesecake – Cookies and cream cheesecake with chocolate glaze, whipped cookies and cream panna cotta and Steamboat Willie garnish
  • Found at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Be Our Guest Restaurant and Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen
  • Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat Chocolate Cake – Layers of flourless chocolate cake with caramel mousse, milk chocolate pearls and a red glaze

Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Found at Contempo Café

  • Mickey’s Red Velvet Cake – with cream cheese filling and white chocolate glaze

Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts
Found at Beach Club Marketplace and Market at Ale & Compass

  • Mickey’s Birthday Celebration Cupcake – Large peanut butter cupcake

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Found at Narcoossee’s

  • Happy Birthday Mickey Dessert – Almond-crusted cheesecake

Disney Springs
Found at the Ganachery

  • Strawberry Ganache Lollipop
  • Mickey Mouse-themed Milk Chocolate Bar

Found at Amorette’s Patisserie

  • Mini Mickey Dome Cake – Chocolate chiffon, milk chocolate mousse and orange blossom pâte de fruit
  • Mini Pluto Dome Cake – Banana and peanut butter-flavored
  • Mickey-Shaped Chocolate Macaroon

Epcot
Found at Sunshine Seasons

  • Mickey’s Cookies ‘n Cream Cheesecake

Found at Rose & Crown Dining Room

  • Kid’s Bangers and Mash with Mickey-Shaped Potatoes
  • Scotch Egg with Mickey-Shaped Puff Pastry
  • Mickey-Shaped Cheese in Cheese Plate
  • Mickey Banoffee Tart – Banana, Jameson Irish Whiskey-Caramel, sweet cream and chocolate

Found at The Garden Grill

  • Mickey-Shaped Cucumber Salad

Found at Fountain View and Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe

  • Mickey’s Celebration Cupcake – Vanilla cupcake with white chocolate mousse and vanilla buttercream

Found at Le Cellier Steakhouse

  • Mickey Nanaimo – Chocolate cake with peanut butter cream covered in red glaze with graham cracker-coconut streusel and toasted coconut ice cream

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Found at Kona Café

  • Mickey’s Hau’oli lā Hānau – Coconut mousse, crispy vanilla pearls, tropical fresh fruits and dragon fruit sorbet

Found at Capt. Cook’s

  • Mickey’s Chocolate Celebration Birthday Cupcake – Chocolate cupcake filled with strawberry guava ganache and topped with white chocolate mousse

Disney’s All-Star Resorts
Found at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort

  • Mickey’s Pumpkin Mousse Marshmallow Tart – Pumpkin mousse with spiced marshmallow dipped in chocolate

Found at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort

  • Steamboat Mickey’s Cupcake – Chocolate cupcake with Oreo buttercream

Found at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort

  • Mickey’s Pumpkin Whoopie Pie – Pumpkin whoopie pie with cream cheese buttercream

Disney’s BoardWalk
Found at BoardWalk Bakery

  • Heritage Mickey Dessert – Black and white tart with white chocolate mousse and topped with a dark chocolate Mickey dome adorned with chocolate ears, tail and buttons

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Found at Roaring Fork

  • Mickey’s Mischievous Rice Krispy Treat – Mickey-themed crispy treats

Found at Whispering Canyon

  • Mickey’s Birthday Dark Chocolate Dome – Dark chocolate Mickey dome with raspberry sauce and Chambord cream

Found at Geyser Point

  • Mickey’s Birthday Celebration Brownie – Mickey brownie with dark chocolate mousse and white chocolate face

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Found at The Mara

  • Mickey’s Charm – Lemon rose cremeux, caramelized milk chocolate mousse tart

Found at Jiko – The Cooking Place

  • Fantasmic Entremet – Spiced chocolate and cherry entremets

Found at Boma – Flavors of Africa

  • Steamboat Willie Cheesecake – Oreo cheesecake tartlets

Found at Sanaa

  • Tropical Mickey Tart – Coconut lime cremeux, passion fruit mousse tart

Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Found at Creature Comforts, Kusafiri Coffee Shop & Bakery and Isle of Java

  • Safari Mickey Cupcake – Yellow cake filled with banana pastry cream, dipped in chocolate ganache and topped with buttercream and fondant and red chocolate balloon

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
Found at Leaning Palms and Happy Landings Ice Cream

  • Mickey’s Birthday Cupcake – Vanilla cupcake with white buttercream icing and Happy Birthday Mickey chocolate topper

Found at Typoon Tilly’s and Snack Shack

  • Mickey’s Birthday Cupcake – Chocolate cupcake with buttercream icing and red chocolate Mickey glove

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Found at Trail’s End Restaurant

  • Mickey’s Birthday Celebration Cupcake – Yellow cake with strawberry filling, buttercream icing, sugar cookie Mickey Ears, chocolate buttons and tail

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
Found at ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill

  • Mini Mickey Dome Cake – Chocolate chiffon, milk chocolate mousse and orange blossom pâte de fruit

Disney’s Pop Century Resort
Found at Everything POP Shopping & Dining

  • Mickey Cupcake – Vanilla cupcake covered with buttercream frosting and topped with Oreo cookies and crumbles

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Found at Landscape of Flavors

  • Mickey Cupcake – Vanilla cupcake with buttercream icing, Oreos and white chocolate buttons

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Found at Artist Palette

  • Happy Birthday Mickey! – Funfetti cake with vanilla buttercream

Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Found at Good’s Food to Go

  • Mickey Funfetti Mini Cake – Yellow cake with vanilla bean filling

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Found at Centertown

  • Mickey’s Birthday Celebration Cupcake – Red velvet cupcake filled with chocolate mousse and fondant Mickey topping

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and French Quarter
Found at Riverside Mill Food Court and Sassagoula Float Works and Food Factory

  • Mickey’s Birthday Celebration Cupcake – Red velvet cupcake filled with chocolate mousse and fondant Mickey topping

Disney Announces More Details for ABC Primetime Special ‘The Wonderful World of Disney Magical Holiday Celebration’

Merry holiday moments from Disney theme parks around the world and a star-studded cast of entertainers will launch a “25 Days of Christmas” countdown when “The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration” airs Thursday, November 30th, from 9:00–11:00 p.m. EST on The ABC Television Network.

The magical two-hour event will be hosted by Emmy® Award-winner Julianne Hough, multiplatinum recording artist and television personality Nick Lachey, and sports star, broadcast correspondent and commentator Jesse Palmer. The show will give viewers a front-row seat to a Disney Christmas party like no other – a family holiday tradition brimming with colorful lights, snow flurries, memorable music and more. From the Cinderella Castle stage at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Hough and Lachey will perform a spectacular opening number named for the primetime special.

Tony Award-winning actress Idina Menzel will join fellow “Frozen” star Kristen Bell to perform together for the first time on primetime television. The pair, who voiced the characters of Elsa and Anna in the animated blockbuster, will perform in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Park in California accompanied by a 30-voice choir. The two stars of stage and screen will sing “When We’re Together” from the brand-new Walt Disney Animation Studios featurette, “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure.”

The holiday special’s other unforgettable, wish-come-true moments will include an extraordinary castle lighting extravaganza from Disney theme parks around the world – traveling the globe from California and Florida to Paris, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

A Sneak Peek at New Star Wars– and Toy Story-Themed Lands

The force will be with all who tune in for a sneak peek at Disney’s new Star Wars-themed lands, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, opening at both Disneyland Park in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida in 2019. The new lands promise adventure on a galactic scale when guests steer the Millennium Falcon on a customized secret mission in one attraction and engage in a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance in another.

From the edge of the galaxy “to infinity and beyond,” viewers will discover Andy’s world in the new Toy Story Land to open next year at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The new family-friendly Slinky Dog Dash roller coaster and the Alien Swirling Saucers attraction will join the original Toy Story Midway Mania! attraction to give Woody, Buzz and Andy’s entire toy collection a backyard play land scaled to render park guests seemingly toy-sized.

Musical performances in the primetime special will include:

  • Ciara will perform a joyful Christmas medley, including “Jingle Bells” and “Jingle Bell Rock” from a sparkling Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort.
  • Grammy Award-winning country artist Darius Rucker will sing “Winter Wonderland.”
  • Emmy-nominated actress and singer Lea Michele will be joined by special guest Joey McIntyre to sing the classic holiday duet, “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”
  • Multiplatinum-selling group Fifth Harmony will sing “Can You See,” from The Star soundtrack, plus “The Christmas Song.”
  • Fitz and the Tantrums will perform their platinum-certified hit, “HandClap,” and their original Christmas song, “Santa Stole My Lady.”
  • Multi-Grammy-nominated trio Hanson will light up the night singing “Finally It’s Christmas,” from their recently released Christmas album.
  • Boy band In Real Life will sing “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
  • Multiplatinum powerhouse Jason Derulo will perform “This Christmas.”

Viewers at Home Will Be Able to “Glow with the Show”

For the first time, viewers will be able to “Glow at Home” during select performances in the holiday special, thanks to the brand new “Made with Magic® 3.0: Connected Ear Hat” and the Shop Disney Parks app. Leveraging Bluetooth® technology, the Shop Disney Parks app enables viewers wearing the new 3.0 edition ear hats at home to sync with the ABC holiday special playing on the viewers’ TVs or other devices. Viewers will feel like they are part of the show.

The app also has a remote-control feature to adjust the ear colors and speed of the strobe – a brand-new feature for the Made with Magic® Ear Hats. If viewers at home don’t have the special edition ear hats, not to worry. The Shop Disney Parks app will allow them to enjoy a second screen experience as their mobile phone comes alive, mirroring the spectacle on-screen during select performances. The Made with Magic® 3.0: Connected Ear Hat and the interactive ear hat remote control feature on the Shop Disney Parks app will both be available November 17th.

From WDWMagic

Star Tours Gives Guests First Peek at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Planet

Scott Trowbridge, Portfolio Creative Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering, released a statement in the Disney Parks Blog regarding the new Star Tours sequence that is debuting today at both Walt Disney’s World and Disneyland….

“This morning, guests on Star Tours – The Adventures Continue boarded Starspeeders at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland park to discover a thrilling new journey to the farthest reaches of space and found themselves landing unexpectedly on a planet in the outer rim of the Star Wars galaxy – a planet known to C-3PO, and now to us, as Batuu.

This remote outpost on the galaxy’s edge was once a busy crossroads along the old sub-lightspeed trade routes, but its prominence was bypassed by the rise of hyperspace travel. Now home to those who prefer to stay out of the mainstream, it has become a thriving port for smugglers, rogue traders and adventurers traveling between the frontier and uncharted space. It’s also a convenient safe haven for those intent on avoiding the expanding reach of the First Order. While Batuu may be new to us, it is clearly already familiar to many characters from the Star Wars saga as a stepping off point for epic adventures.

As the Creative Executive on these projects working alongside so many talented Imagineers and Lucasfilm partners, I look forward to sharing more updates from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge as we further explore the stories and adventures you’ll be invited to discover when our new lands open in 2019.”

Disney’s Magical Express Changes Pickup to 4 Hours Before Flight Departure

Effective November 17th, Disney’s Magical Express will begin picking up guests four hours prior to their flight departures.

Due to enhanced Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security measures, Orlando Airport is now advising travelers to arrive at least 3 hours before their departure time.

Disney’s Magical Express is making the change for both domestic and international flights to accommodate the TSA change.

Resort airline check-in desks at resort hotels will operate from 4am to noon daily, and guests using the resort airline check-in service must now check in for the flight at least four hours prior to departure.

Orlando International Airpot expects to be operating the enhanced security through early January 2018.

Disney Cruise Line Gives First Look at Marvel Day at Sea on the Disney Magic

The time has arrived when the mightiest Marvel Super Heroes and menacing foes assemble on the Disney Magic to make the action-packed Marvel Day at Sea a reality! Now, enjoy your first official look at some of the exciting day-long entertainment and adventures that will transport you to a new realm of heroic possibilities…

“Marvel Heroes Unite”

For the first time ever, Marvel Super Heroes and Villains face off in an incredible battle at sea! The super-charged nighttime show fills the upper decks with special effects, stunts and pyrotechnics and music. The epic finale culminates in the largest collection of Marvel Super Heroes and Super Villains ever assembled on a cruise ship.

“Doctor Strange: Journey into the Mystic Arts”

In a brand-new interactive show, sorcerer supreme Doctor Strange invites guests to join him on a journey of discovery into the world of the Mystic Arts.

Black Panther’s Debut

Making his very first appearance as part of a Disney vacation experience, Black Panther shares his secrets of super reflexes and extraordinary intellect during up-close encounters.

Heroic Encounters

Around the ship, you may happen upon your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, who is always quick with a word of encouragement and helping guests hone their Spider-senses. Other Marvel Super Heroes you may encounter onboard include Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Black Widow, to name just a few.

“Mickey and Friends Super Hero Celebration”
Even Disney characters are getting in on the action! Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale dress up to honor their favorite Marvel Super Heroes.

Marvel Day at Sea is on select 7- and 8-night Disney Cruise Line sailings from New York this fall, and returns on select 5-night Western Caribbean cruises from Miami in early 2018.

From Disney Parks Blog

Disney’s ‘Prince Charming’ Movie Lands Writer-Director Stephen Chbosky

Stephen Chbosky, whose drama Wonder opens this weekend, has signed on to tackle a Disney fairy tale.

The writer-director will pen, with an eye to helm, Prince Charming, the studio’s reimagined take on the fairy and folk tale trope.

The movie reunites Chbosky with David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman of Mandeville Films/TV, who produced Wonder. Hoberman and Lieberman are producing Prince Charming along with Tripp Vinson.

Matt Fogel wrote the initial script for the project, which is a revisionist take on the character popularized in Disney’s own fairy tale movies such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. The story takes a look at the iconic prince from the point of view of his brother, who never quite lived up to the family name.

Chbosky wrote the book and then subsequently penned and directed the film adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the acclaimed 2012 teen drama the starred Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller. He also worked on Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast (which also was produced by Mandeville) as a writer.

Wonder is the adaptation of the R.J. Palacio young adult novel that tells the story of a boy born with a facial deformity who enters fifth grade. The movie, which stars Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay, has been receiving strong reviews.

From The Hollywood Reporter

Disney Shuts Down Marvel Heroes

Disney and Marvel are shutting down free-to-play action RPG Marvel Heroes.

In part with this decision, Disney has ended its relationship with Marvel Heroes publisher, Gazillion Entertainment, according to a statement IGN received from Marvel Entertainment.

“We regret to inform our Marvel Heroes fans that we have ended our relationship with Gazillion Entertainment, and that the Marvel Heroes games will be shut down. We would like to sincerely thank the players who joined the Marvel Heroes community, and will provide any further updates as they become available,” a representative for Marvel Entertainment confirmed.

As noted by Kotaku, some signs of trouble at Gazillion arose when the developer missed several weekly community updates.

Players have been able to enjoy the PC version for years, with Marvel Heroes: Omega launching on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June of this year. The game has featured heroes from every corner of the Marvel Universe, recently adding Black Bolt and Loki to consoles. It has also seen multiple tie-ins to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including releases for films this year like Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Originally released in June of 2013, the free-to-play game initially received mixed reviews, but over time Gazillion has consistently improved the game, also adding many fan-favorite characters

From IGN

Frozen’s Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel to Perform Together During ABC Holiday Special

It’s a holiday miracle! For the first time on television, Frozen’s Elsa and Anna — aka Tony Award winner Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell — will reunite for ABC’s holiday special, The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration.

The duo will sing “When We’re Together,” a song from the Disney featurette Olaf’s Frozen Adventure. Menzel and Bell will be accompanied by a 30-piece choir during their performance from the steps of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland Resort in California.

“This performance will combine two of my very favorite things: the holidays and singing alongside my Frozen sister, Idina Menzel,” Bell said in a statement. “I’m excited to sing a song with Idina that I feel has the potential to become a new holiday classic.”

Menzel also shared her excitement for the upcoming reunion and performance: “I think I can speak for her when I say we are both so proud of this story we get to tell and these sisters we get to portray,” she said.

Other performers involved in the holiday special include Joey McIntyre (New Kids on the Block) who will take on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” alongside Lea Michele and Disney Channel stars Sofia Carson (Descendants 2) and Olivia Rodrigo (Bizaardvark). The cast of the new Club Mickey Mouse will kick off the holiday program with a performance from the resort’s Main Street.

Sean Giambrone (The Goldbergs), Ciara, Darius Rucker, Fifth Harmony, Fitz and the Tantrums, Hanson, In Real Life, Jason Derulo, 98 Degrees, and Broadway’s Telly Leung and Arielle Jacobs of Aladdin will also perform during the two-hour televised event.

Catch Menzel and Bell’s performance during The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration Thursday, Nov. 30 starting at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

Also during 25 Days of Christmas, Menzel will perform the classic “When You Wish Upon a Star” as part of Disney Parks Magical Christmas Celebration, which will air on Christmas Day at 10 a.m. ET on ABC.

From Entertainment Weekly

Mark Hamill Surprises Star Wars Fans at Disneyland

Mark Hamill gave Star Wars fans the thrill of a lifetime.

In celebration of the upcoming movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi (in theaters Dec. 15), Hamill visited Disneyland Tuesday to surprise some unsuspecting guests. The actor’s destination: Star Tours in Tomorrowland. “The Captain did mention something about a special passenger,” a Disneyland cast member began. “Oh, and the Force is strong with this one. So, let me go and…”

Enter Hamill, who simply walked in and said, “Hello, everyone!”

As fans cheered and pulled out their iPhones to capture the moment, Hamill mimed an applause meter. “Now, wait a minute!” he said. “There’s no Star Wars fans here, are there?”

Hamill didn’t come dressed in Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Robes, similar to when Johnny Depp dressed up as Jack Sparrow to surprise fans on the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in April. And unlike the cast of Descendants 2, he didn’t attempt to go incognito inside the park, either.

Instead, Hamill came as he was—and that was more than enough. “I am so happy to be here at Disneyland with you today,” he said. “The first time I came here, I was a little kid, and I used to daydream about someday working at Disney—so, thank you for making my dream come true.”

Here’s a link to the video.

Hamill took a selfie with the group before joining them for the ride.

From ENews

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