Category — p. News and Changes

After Toy Story Land opens on June 30, 2018, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be profoundly shifting its FastPass+ tiering, and, at least through August 25, its operating calendar as well.

Because of this, for the two days in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I’ve revised both the pre-booked FastPass+ and the daily touring plans for this period. These changes affect both the To-Do List and the Daily Itineraries.

The changes are exactly same for both the Higher Crowd Itinerary, which covers most of this period, and the Lower Crowd Itinerary, which covers the last week, so I present them just once.

I’ll cover To-Do List changes first, and then lay out the two daily plans. Images of both interaries are also in this post, where the only changes are to the two Hollywood Studios days.

I’ll develop revised itineraries for arrivals 8/25 and later after the operating schedules for those dates firm up a bit, but regardless before June 26, which is when the 60 day FastPass+ date hits for 8/25.

TO-DO LIST CHANGES

To-Do List Section D; changes are in red

1. Go to your MyDisneyExperience account at 7am and set up the following hard-to-get FastPass+, booking them in the order noted

• Second Sunday at the Animal Kingdom: Avatar: Flight of Passage for 9.30 to 10.30a
• Wednesday at Hollywood Studios: Slinky Dog Dash for 8-9a
• Thursday at the Magic Kingdom: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for 1-2p
• Monday at Hollywood Studios: Toy Story Mania for 8-9a
• First Saturday afternoon and evening at Epcot: Tier One: Frozen Ever After. Set the time for when your travel plans permit you to be in the park.

2. Second, continue with the rest (I’ve kept the ones above in this list so you can see the various times, and am only showing the changes):

• Monday at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Tier One: Toy Story Mania. Tier Two: Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Set Toy Story Mania for 8-9a, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster for 9-10a, and Tower of Terror for 10a-11a
• Wednesday at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Tier One: Slinky Dog Dash; Tier Two: Star Tours and the Frozen Sing-Along. Set Slinky Dog Dash for 8-9a, Star Tours for 9-10a, and Frozen for the 10.30a show

TOURING HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS THE SUMMER AFTER TOY STORY LAND OPENS, DAY ONE MONDAY

Pre-book FastPass+ for Toy Story Mania (8-9a), Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (9-10a) and Tower of Terror (10-11a)

• Arrive at the park by opening time
• Ride Toy Story Mania (FP+)
• See Muppet Vision 3D
• Ride Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (FP+)
• See Voyage of the Little Mermaid (9.30a show)
• Ride Tower of Terror (FP+). As soon as you tap in for this FastPass+, look for additional FastPass+ later this morning or early this afternoon, especially for the noon Indiana Jones. After those, or if none are available, look for an additional set of FastPass+ for tonight’s first Fantasmic.
• See Beauty and the Beast (11a show)
• See the noon Indiana Jones if you got a FastPass+ for it. If you did get FastPass+, check as soon as you tap in for FastPass+ for Fantasmic tonight
• See Disney Junior Live on Stage
• Head back to your hotel
• Return it the park, arriving at the Fantasmic queue no later than 60 minutes before showtime (if you don’t have FastPass+ for it) or 30 minutes if you have FastPass+
• See Fantasmic
• Head to Toy Story Land and see Alien Swirling Saucers; after, see another Toy Story ride if the lines are acceptable

TOURING HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS THE SUMMER AFTER TOY STORY LAND OPENS,  DAY TWO WEDENSDAY

Pre-book FastPass+ for Slinky Dog Dash (8-9a), Star Tours (9-10a) and the 10.30a show of For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along

• Arrive at the park by half an hour after regular opening time (i.e. by 8.30a for an 8a open)
• Ride Slinky Dog Dash (FastPass+)
• Ride Star Tours (FastPass+)
• See the 10.30a For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along (FastPass+). As soon as you tap in for this FastPass+, look for additional FastPass+ for later this morning or early this afternoon, to return to favorites or to see the noon Indiana Jones if you did not see it yesterday
• See Walt Disney Presents
• If you did not see it yesterday, see the noon Indiana Jones
• See Star Wars Launch Bay
• See March of the First Order
• See Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away
• Head back to your hotel, but before leaving look for additional FastPass+ to use before the evening Star Wars show
• Return it the park, arriving in time for your FastPass+ if you got an additional set, and be in the center area no later than 45 minutes before Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular
• See Disney Movie Magic
• See Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular
• If you can move quickly (you’ll have about ten minutes), as soon as the Star Wars show ends head to Toy Story Land and get in line for a favorite

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DISNEY WORLD DEALS FOR LATE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL 2018

Today a Disney World room rate deal covering most nights from August 2 through October 7, 2018 came out.

Some hotels and room types are excluded.  For those that are in, overall savings range from 10% to 25%, with the most popular hotels seeing lower savings rates.

VALUE RESORT SAVINGS

At the Disney World values resorts, Little Mermaid Rooms at Art of Animation are excluded. The other value resort options are 20% off.

MODERATE RESORT SAVINGS

At the moderates, Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside offer only 10% off.  Other moderate options offer savings of 25%.

DELUXE RESORT SAVINGS

At the deluxes, the Contemporary, Polynesian Village, and Wilderness Lodge have lower savings than the rest.

DISNEY VACATION CLUB RESORT SAVINGS

At the DVC resorts, Bay Lake Tower, the Villas at the Grand Floridian, Bungalows at the Polynesian, and Cascade Cabins at Copper Creek are excluded. Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, the Animal Kingdom Villas, the Beach Club Villas, and the BoardWalk Villas are 25% off. The other DVC resorts are 15% off.

The deal needs to be booked by September 7. Reviews of all these resorts are linked to on this page.

Disney’s page on this deal is here, and you can reach Kelly at KellyB@DestinationsInFlorida.com or 980-429-4499, or by using the quote form below.

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2018 DISNEY WORLD FREE DINING DEAL RELEASED

This morning Disney World’s fall 2018 free dining deal came out.

For 2018, Disney World Free Dining covers arrival dates of

• 8/20* to 9/29/2018
• 11/24 to 11/27/2018
• 12/7 to 12/23/2018

*Disney visa cardholders can also book arrival dates of 8/2 to 8/19/2018

Book by August 1. A four night stay is required, and four days of tickets, with one of the extra cost Park Hopper or Park Hopper Plus ticket add-on options.

Eligible value and moderate resorts offer the Quick-Service plan for free, and deluxe resorts and DVC spaces offer the Regular Dining Plan for free.

Excluded resorts:

• Value resorts excluded: Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation and All Star Movies
• Moderate resorts excluded:  Port Orleans French Quarter and Port Orleans Riverside
• Deluxe resorts excluded: Polynesian Village, Contemporary, Grand Floridian
• DVC resorts excluded: Copper Creek and Boulder Ridge at the Wilderness Lodge, Bay Lake Tower, Polynesian Villas and Bungalows, and Grand Floridian Villas

In addition, campsites (but not Cabins) at Fort Wilderness are excluded.

The Disney page on Free Dining is here; the Visa offer is here.

For more on Free Dining, see this, and to have Kelly, my travel agent partner, try to book the deal for you (depending on availability), contact her using the form below:

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After Toy Story Land opens on June 30, 2018, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be profoundly shifting its FastPass+ tiering, and, at least through August 25, its operating calendar as well.

Image (c) Disney

• Each of the Toy Story Land rides–the new Slinky Dog Dash and Alien Swirling Saucers, and the old Toy Story Midway Mania–will be in Tier One, and will be the only rides in Tier One. This means you can only pre-book one of these rides per day.
• Regular park hours at the Studios from 6/30 through 8/25 will be from 8a to 10.30p, with daily morning Extra Magic Hours offered from 7a-8a. This means that for those not using or not eligible for Extra Magic Hours, the new rides will be crowded at regular park open. So, too, might be the next level of priorities, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours, as guests who arrived for Extra Magic Hours make their way to these rides after some time in Toy Story Land. So don’t count on low waits at “rope drop”–that is, at regular park open.
• During this June 30 to August 25 period, Fantasmic will be showing twice every night.  Most of the period it’s on at 9 and 10.30p, but after August 18 it shifts to 8.30 and 10.30p. The evening Star Wars show is on at 10p every night. This suggests that you might find good luck in Toy Story Land after the first Fantasmic, as others in the park either leave, make their way to Star Wars, or make their way to the second Fantasmic. You might find even better luck if you can get into the land right after the Star Wars show–you’ll have about ten minutes to walk less than a quarter of a mile.

Based on these factors, I’ve developed a second draft (the first one won’t work so I’ve redirected it to here) of touring plans to replace those in my current itineraries to see Hollywood Studios between June 30 and August 25 (I’ll build another version for visits after then). The main challenge in creating these are the start times and show schedules of the various shows, which does lead to a bit of dead time after some of the steps.

TOURING HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS THE SUMMER AFTER TOY STORY LAND OPENS, SECOND DRAFT PLAN, DAY ONE

Pre-book FastPass+ for Toy Story Mania (8-9a), Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (9-10a) and Tower of Terror (10-11a)

• Arrive at the park by opening time
• Ride Toy Story Mania (FP+)
• See Muppet Vision 3D
• Ride Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (FP+)
• See Voyage of the Little Mermaid (9.30a show)
• Ride Tower of Terror (FP+). As soon as you tap in for this FastPass+, look for additional FastPass+ later this morning or early this afternoon, especially for the noon Indiana Jones. After those, or if none are available, look for an additional set of FastPass+ for tonight’s first Fantasmic.
• See Beauty and the Beast (11a show)
• See the noon Indiana Jones if you got a FastPass+ for it. If you did get FastPass+, check as soon as you tap in for FastPass+ for Fantasmic tonight
• See Disney Junior Live on Stage
• Head back to your hotel
• Return it the park, arriving at the Fantasmic queue no later than 60 minutes before showtime (if you don’t have FastPass+ for it) or 30 minutes if you have FastPass+
• See Fantasmic
• Head to Toy Story Land and see Alien Swirling Saucers; after, see another Toy Story ride if the lines are acceptable

TOURING HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS THE SUMMER AFTER TOY STORY LAND OPENS, SECOND DRAFT PLAN, DAY TWO

Pre-book FastPass+ for Slinky Dog Dash (8-9a), Star Tours (9-10a) and the 10.30a show of For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along

• Arrive at the park by half an hour after regular opening time (i.e. by 8.30a for an 8a open)
• Ride Slinky Dog Dash (FastPass+)
• Ride Star Tours (FastPass+)
• See the 10.30a For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along (FastPass+). As soon as you tap in for this FastPass+, look for additional FastPass+ for later this morning or early this afternoon, to return to favorites or to see the noon Indiana Jones if you did not see it yesterday
• See Walt Disney Presents
• If you did not see it yesterday, see the noon Indiana Jones
• See Star Wars Launch Bay
• See March of the First Order
• See Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away
• Head back to your hotel, but before leaving look for additional FastPass+ to use before the evening Star Wars show
• Return it the park, arriving in time for your FastPass+ if you got an additional set, and be in the center area no later than 45 minutes before Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular
• See Disney Movie Magic
• See Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular
• If you can move quickly (you’ll have about ten minutes), as soon as the Star Wars show ends head to Toy Story Land and get in line for a favorite

I’d love to hear any thoughts or feedback! Use the comment form below.

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Yesterday, Disney World confirmed that each of the three Toy Story Land rides—Toy Story Mania and the new rides Slinky Dog Dash and Alien Swirling Saucers—will all be in FastPass+ Tier One, and be the only rides in Tier One, after Toy Story Land opens June 30.

(c) Disney

At the same time, it made a couple of points about the summer schedule at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

• From June 30 through August 25, regular park hours will be from 8a to 10.30p
• Over that same period, there will be morning Extra Magic Hours from 7a-8a every morning, and evening Extra Magic hours every Friday from 10.30p to 12.30a

A couple of other things I gleaned from the post-Toy Story Land 6/30 to 8/25 schedule:

• Fantasmic is on twice every night, at 9 and 10.30p until 8/18, and then 8.30 and 10.30p 8/19 through 8/25.
• Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular is on every night at 10p
• Many Hollywood Studios shows have added schedules compared to say today—for example, Indiana Jones has its first show at 10.45a rather than noon, Beauty and the Beast adds a 6p show, the Frozen Sing-Along shows at various times from 9.30a to 8.30p rather than 10.30a to 7.30p, Disney Jr. Live on Stage goes to 6.40p instead of 5.40p, etc.

I’ve revised based on this my draft touring plans for summer visits to Hollywood Studios for those using my itineraries–you can see the new draft Hollywood Studios Touring plans here.

Some other observations:

• The added shows are welcome, but are probably not commensurate with the number of extra people who will be in the park. Just one more Indiana Jones and two more Frozen Sing-alongs seems not enough. This will make stacking your pre-booked FastPass+ earlier in the day, so that you have an earlier opportunity to refresh and look for more, more valuable.
• With the first Fantasmic at 9p or 8.30p, and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular at 10p, through 8/25 guests will be able to see both shows on a single night—although the first Fantasmic will be mobbed
• There should be a pretty good opportunity to get in line for some priority attractions between 10 and 10.30p, with many of those who arrived for EMH long gone, others leaving after the first Fantasmic, and a large proportion of who’s left busy either seeing Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular or in line for the 10.30p Fantasmic.

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2018 FREE DINING RUMOR FOR DISNEY WORLD

Update 4/23: No free dining today. Many rumors that it will come out tomorrow! Rumors also that the first eligible check in date for the general public will be 8/20.

Update 4/19: The most common rumor now is that 2018 free dining will become available April 23 or 24.

One of my buddies was kind enough to translate a post from a South American travel agent today for me about Disney World free dining.

While all the specifics largely match what I’d expect except the early August start, treat this more as a rumor than as a leak until other confirmatory (or not!) material comes out.

Free Dining Booking dates: 4/27/18 to 7/7/18 (other rumors suggest it will start April 23 or 24)

Free Dining Eligible arrival dates:

• 8/2 to 9/29/18 (8/2 seems awfully early to me, and may be for just the Brazilian market; other rumors suggest a start much later in August)
• 11/24 to 11/27/18
• 12/7 to 12/23/18

Value and Moderate Resorts Eligible for Free Quick Service Dining Plans:

• Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
• The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort

Deluxe and DVC Resorts Eligible for Free Regular Dining Plans:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas Jambo House
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas Kidani Village
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows (Studios)
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

Tickets must Park Hopper or Park Hopper Plus.

For more on Free Dining, see this.

If you book your vacation through my travel agent partner Kelly, she will automatically get it moved into Free Dining* if you end up being eligible and rooms are available ! Contact her via the form on this page.

*and if it’s the best deal for you–others might save you more!

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