Category — q. Reviews

In October 2016 a new show kicked off in Liberty Square.

Called The Muppets Present …. Great Moments in American History, the show is delivered from the top of the Hall of Presidents…

…and from the building on the right side of the Hall of Presidents:

There’s actually several different shows–two right now, on the Declaration of Independence and the ride of Paul Revere–in which the Muppets retell colonial history in a muppetristic way that’s cute and funny but still appropriate to the formal setting and purpose of this part of Liberty Square.

Here’s the review from the just-updated The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit:

I saw the Declaration of Independence show during my mid-November visit.

The Town Crier kicks it off…

…then Sam Eagle takes over.

Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and Gonzo soon appear.

They shift to period dress, and take on roles related to the Declaration of Independence, with Miss Piggy as both King George and George Washington (who had nothing to do with with Declaration, and was in fact New York checking out Hamilton while it was being written and signed).

Because it’s the Muppets, chickens are soon involved…

…but all is well, the Declaration is signed…

…and celebrations fill the air.

Check My Disney Experience for times.  On early-to-dark November and December dates through the 22nd, it has 8 shows, but only one show after the parade.

If you are a Muppets fan, this is a don’t miss show.  Disney puppeteers move the Muppets to a pre-recorded audio track featuring Muppet performers Steve Whitmore, Eric Jacobson, and Dave Goelz, and the writing is pitch-perfect to the characters.

If you are not a Muppets fan, it’s more skippable.  But if as you walk by you see a rope on the ground (marking how close the audience come come), a show will be starting soon, so stick around and watch it!

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ONCE UPON A TIME

In November 2016 Disney World replaced the castle projection show at Magic Kingdom with a new show, Once Upon a Time.

The new show is framed as a bedtime story between Mrs. Potts and Chip.

It presents snippets from across the canon of Disney tales, with settings, animated scenes, and punctuating fireworks on or around the Cinderella’s Castle.

It’s typically scheduled for about 45 minutes after Happily Ever After, and is not on on nights Wishes is not on (it’s also not shown during the Christmas parties).

It’s visible only from the Main Street side of the Castle, and good views can be had from pretty much anywhere from near the castle to back by Casey’s Corner.

Some images from my visit (as always click to enlarge):

Peter Pan

Alice in Wonderland

Winnie the Pooh

Frozen

Beauty and the Beast

More, including some fireworks:

These projections shows have been cool since they launched a few years ago, and Once Upon A Time fits nicely into the tradition.  While not, I think, a must-see, it’s pretty close to being one!

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MICKEY’S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS PARTY: A REVIEW

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (“MVMCP”) is a special event that takes place during the Christmas season at Walt Disney World.

It requires its own ticket, which is entirely separate from regular Disney World tickets, and is only shown on certain nights from early November through mid-December.

(For more on MVMCP tickets and show nights, see this.)

Even though it is expensive (tickets for a family of four will cost over $200) it’s been part of this site’s Basic December Itinerary since the site opened, for a couple of reasons:

Going to it lets people save a lot of time. 

Disney limits the amount of tickets it sells to each show of MVMCP.  As a result, waits for the rides are low–most typically 10 minutes, although you’ll find longer waits at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan, and Jingle Cruise.  Going to it and seeing some really popular rides with hardly a wait saves a ton of time that can instead be spent sleeping in or at the pool.

For example, above is the Space Mountain wait at a little after 9p.

Going to it guarantees seeing an evening parade and fireworks. 

The regular evening parade at the Magic Kingdom is now gone, and at the time of year the Basic Itinerary covers, the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom may happen just a couple of times a week on non-MVMCP nights.  Sending people to MVMCP guarantees your family will have the opportunity to see an evening parade and fireworks.

Moreover, the parade and fireworks are unique. The fireworks are tied with those of the Halloween party as best of the year, and the parade has a fun Christmas theme!

I recommend people go to Walt Disney World in the early part of the Christmas season…so how can I not send them to this show?

It’s silly and fun!

In mid-November 2016 I had a chance to see it again on Tuesday the 15th and Friday the 18th, my ninth and tenth visits to this party. The rest of this entry is the review of that visit. (Note that some of the photos are from my earlier visits, where they turned out better those nights…)

MICKEY’S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS PARTY

There’s a couple of components to MVMCP.

Noted already are the parade and fireworks, both in special Christmas versions.

The parade, called Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, happens twice each night, at 8.30 and 11p (both later than last year).

I strongly suggest you go on rides from the beginning of the party through the first parade and until about 3o minutes before the fireworks, and watch the second parade–crowds for the second parade will be much lower, and you won’t have to save a spot like the little guy above.

The parade begins with a bunch of characters…

…then Minnie and Mickey.

Frozen comes next with three floats, beginning with Anna and Elsa…

…then Olaf…

…and then Kristoff.

Next is Wreck-It Ralph…

…then Clarabelle Cow and Christmas cookies–I wonder why no resort is themed to Clarabelle?…

…then Goofy and Christmas candy.

Next up is a sequence of princess-themed floats.

Snow White and Cinderella get their own floats.

A closer shot of Cinderella.

One large float is fronted by the Beast and holds a passel of princesses.

The parade then shifts to a toy theme, including Woody and Jess…

…and toy soldiers.

Santa Claus is on the last float.

The fireworks, called Holiday Wishes, happen between the parades at 10p.

More fireworks:

Also noted already are the rides.

• Not all rides are open, but all of the most popular ones are (there’s a list of what’s open on the brochure below).
• Because of the limit on tickets sold, the rides are pretty easy to get on to without major waits. The park will feel very crowded on Main Street and near the Castle, but this is because of all the people lining for the castle shows and the parade route.  Away from Main Street and Frontierland the park opens up and ride waits are quite short.

There’s some shows, some unique to this event.

A Frozen Holiday Wish is the same as on regular MK evenings. It’s OK but the 8.15 show will be mobbed and cut into your ride time.

Only shown during the party are the skippable A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas in Tomorrowland…

…a skippable dance party in Cosmic Ray’s in Tomorrowland.

Also available is “Voiceplay,” showing on the same stage as A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas at 8.05, 8.55, 10.15 and 11.35p.  This will please you in direct proportion to the joy you take in slightly thuggish boy band a Capella gestures towards Christmas songs.

New for 2016 is the Castle stage show “Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration.” Showing at 7.40, 9.25, and 10.30p, and 12MN, this utterly skippable show includes dancing and character appearances to (mostly) second rate Christmas standards and (mostly) third rate original songs (all powerfully sung, however).

Oddities include a song about texting and keeping your phone charged which also features Daisy’s rarely expressed longing for Donald, and a torch song by Clarabelle that will chill any potential target of her affections. But wait, there’s less, as the Three Amigos also are a focal point.

Some photos from this new show:

There’s some fun other business: free cookies, free hot chocolate or other drinks (locations on the map), and snow!

There’s also character encounters, some very rare. My first reaction to the bear was “that scarf must be warm.” Yes, my first reactions are often stupid.

You can spend a lot of time waiting in lines for characters–go for it if that’s your thing, but for most there’s much better ways to spend your time given the cost of this party…

New for 2016 are Judy and Nick:

…and the Seven Dwarfs have moved into Storybook Circus:

More characters:

My co-author Josh has  a lot more on the MVMCP characters–locations, scheduled, strategy, much better pix–here.

Both sides of the 2016 MVMCP brochure are below–as always, click them to enlarge them.

Even though the party starts at 7p, Disney traditionally lets people holding tickets for it through the turnstiles beginning at 4p or 3.45p. Show up early, see some of the lower wait rides, and have dinner.  If you show up around party time, Main Street will be mobbed.  If the train is still running–the last run will be 6.45p or so–take the train to Frontierland or Fantasyland to avoid the crowds on Main Street and in front of the Castle.

FastPass+ is not available during the party–but it’s also not needed, as only Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan and the Jingle Cruise see major waits. If you want to see these at the party, do them as late as you can stay up.

WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE NOT FOLLOWING THE BASIC ITINERARY?

As noted, this show is expensive, but worth considering if one or more of the following apply to you:

• You otherwise won’t see the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom
• Your plans otherwise leave you short on Magic Kingdom time, and/or
• You are really a fan of Christmas

With kids old enough to be focused on rides, the right plan for MVMCP is to

• Show up early, and eat before the party
• Do rides until around 9.30p, and then
• Position yourselves near the Castle for Holiday Wishes, and the second showing of the evening parade.
• After the parade, do more rides or see the shows!

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JINGLE BELL, JINGLE BAM! AT DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! is a holiday show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that debuted in 2016 and has returned each year since. It’s return for 2019 is confirmed–but not yet the dates.

A fun combination of projections of Disney characters, lasers, pyrotechnics, Christmas songs, and fireworks, I’d rate it as a don’t miss if not for the fact that most nights (except the busy weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years) you can see it or Fantasmic, but not both.

Fantasmic is both a little better and has much more capacity (you need to get close to where BAM is projected, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, to get much value from the projections), so on nights when you can see only one, for most Fantasmic will the better choice. On nights where you could see either—or of you have more than one evening in the Studios–see both.

The show begins with snow…

…that gradually accumulates.

Soon the crew from “Prep and Landing” show up. (If you know nothing about “Prep and Landing,” don’t worry—it matters not. But for more on Prep and Landing, see this.)

They can’t find Santa at his desk, and thus a search for him begins, accompanied by Christmas songs and multiple character vignettes (on all the projection areas, and they go by very quickly, so keep your eyes peeled)…

…and lasers:

The final battle for Santa is with some folk from A Nightmare Before Christmas:

Yet somehow Santa is saved.

Santa saved, the show ends with a pile of fireworks (other fireworks punctuate earlier moments):

Like the Star Wars show, this is more “projections with fireworks” than “fireworks with projections,” so a spot close to the theater (and center or left) really pays off. But—frankly—the projections are so, umm, random, and brief, and scattered, that with the music and fireworks you can enjoy it from Hollywood Boulevard much more than you can the Star Wars show.

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My review of Disney’s Beach Club Villas is now fully updated based on stays in a refurbed Studio and a refurbed One Bedroom Villa in August 2016.

The review begins here, and includes the following pages:

• An overview of Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Theming and accommodations at Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Photo tour of a Studio at Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Photo tour of the living/dining/kitchen space in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Photo tour of the bath and master bedroom in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Disney’s Beach Club Villas

Details of the revised spaces are in each of the “photo tour” pages, but here’s some summary comments from the first page of the updated review:

Studios now sleep five–the fifth on a fold-down bed.

Studios have also lost drawer space.

One and Two Bedroom Villas have had much carpet replaced with wooden flooring.

The master bath in One and Two Bedroom Villas is simplified, with the whirlpool tub being replaced with a soaking tub, and the window between the bath and the master bedroom now gone.

In all villas and studios, the refurbed spaces have a more austere and less playful color palette than the former decor.

Compare the above from an old Studio…

…with this from a new one.

The new review begins here, with all new room photos and floor plans. Check it out!

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Yesterday I published updated materiel on Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort based on my July visit–our seventh here.

The review begins here and includes the following pages

• An overview of Saratoga Springs
• Theming and accommodations at Saratoga Springs
• A three page photo tour of a Studio and a One Bedroom Villa (the two combined being a Two Bedroom Villa):
  • Photo tour of a Studio at Sratoga Springs
  • Photo tour of the Living/Dining/Kitchen Space in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Saratoga Springs
  • Photo tour of the Bath and Master Bedroom in One and Two Bedroom Villas at Saratoga Springs
• Amenities at Saratoga Springs
• Dining at Saratoga Springs
• The Pools at Saratoga Springs

There have been only minor changes here since my last review–i.e. very light changes to the rooms, mostly bed linen.

All the room photos are new…

…and I’ve also updated all the floor plans.

The order of the material also now matches how I’ve been restructuring these reviews lately, with the overview of the accommodation options here preceding, rather than following, the photo tours.

All the great new restaurants opening at Disney Springs (detailed in Chapter 7 of the book I co-author) have made Saratoga Spring’s location within walking distance of Disney Springs a feature rather than a bug. This should make the resort much more appealing to returning visitors.

For first-timers, however, I’m still not keen on it–Saratoga Springs still has weaker kid appeal and lower convenience than Disney Vacation Club alternatives.

Moreover, the rooms, though in quite good repair, are now a generation behind many other DVC spaces, which have added larger flat screen TVs, a fifth sleeping spot to their Studios, and more power points.

Check out the updated review–it beings here.

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