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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JANUARY 20 TO JANUARY 28, 2018

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more on January 2018 at Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/20-1/28/18

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-12MN 1/20, 9a-9p 1/21, 9a-9p 1/22 through 1/26, 8a-12MN 1/27, and 9a-8p 1/28

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-8p 1/20 to 1.26, 9a-9p 1/27, and 9a-8p 1/28

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-8p every day

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/20-1/28/18

Saturday 1/20 Morning: Animal Kingdom   Evening: none

Sunday 1/21  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Monday 1/22 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 1/23 Morning: none Evening:  Epcot

Wednesday 1/24 Morning:  none  Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 1/25 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 1/26 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 1/27 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 1/28  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening:  none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/20–1/28/18

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/20-1/28/18

Happily Every After at Magic Kingdom: 8p every night

IllumiNations at Epcot:  9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:  7p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8p every night

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom 6.30 and 7.45 p 1/20; 7.15 and 8.30p 1/21; 7.15p 1/22 through 1/26; 7.15 and 8.30p 1/27 and 1/28

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/20-1/28/18

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

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OVERVIEW: JULY 2018 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews July 2018 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours; adds a few other notes; and ends with week by week summaries.

Because pretty much every US schoolkid is on break in July, while shorter periods the rest of the year are more crowded, July overall has traditionally been the most crowded month at Disney World.

Note, however, that the last two summers have been unusually good at Disney World in terms of crowds. If this trend continues, then July will be better than I’ve noted!

Prices begin the month lower at the deluxes, moderate at the moderates, and high at the values.  On July 6, they drop even more at the deluxes.

[Read more →]

Josh of easyWDW and I, co-authors of The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit and sometimes stars of Hoop-Dee-Doo, will be meeting and greeting and signing copies of our books (or someone else’s book, or your back, we’re easy) Saturday January 27.

We’ll be at Epcot, on and outside of the Mexico pyramid to the right, Saturday 1/27/2018 from roughly 4p to 5p.

Our book combines…

• the un-matched insights of Josh into the parks and dining (he’s in the parks several days a week) with
• my un-matched insights into the Disney hotels (by the time of our meet-up, I’ll have stayed in 154 different Disney World-owned rooms, suites, studios, villas, cabins and campsites)

…into the best-rated Disney World guidebook series ever published (our Disney World guidebooks have had almost 300 reviews on Amazon, of which 91% have been 5 stars).

There’s not a better way to spend an afternoon hour on Saturday than reading our book. But if you are at Epcot instead, come on by–we’d love to meet you and thank you!

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Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

THE DUCKS OF DISNEY WORLD

By Jim Korkis

Donald Duck is not the only duck that delights visitors to Walt Disney World. Since its opening in 1971, guests have been enthralled by the many wild ducks that inhabit the waterways of the park and who are bold enough to waddle down the walkways with baby ducklings following obediently after their mothers.

These fowl fellows are so popular that there is even an Instagram account devoted to them so that guests can document their appearances in different locations in the parks. The ducks sometimes patiently pose in hopes that their patience will be rewarded with an edible treat.

The Complete Guide to Disneyland published by Disney in 1956 stated, “Wild life of North America have ‘discovered’ Disneyland. Flocks of wild geese, mallards, and other birds have found Frontierland’s river a safe retreat in their pilgrimages south. The birds pause to rest here, and in some cases stay on for several months.”

According to the cast magazine Backstage Disneyland Summer 1966, “Shortly after the Rivers of America area of Frontierland was completed, wild ducks flocked in to make it their home. These ducks soon came to be a big part of the show. One day, the duck population started to thin out dramatically and it wasn’t long before a memo appeared dated sometime in 1956.

“It was directed to all maintenance and construction workers and read: ‘Any employee caught leaving Disneyland with a duck in his lunch pail will be immediately dismissed’. Needless to say, the duck population was soon on the increase again.”

The opening of Walt Disney World in 1971 proved to be even a more enticing location for migrating flocks and every spring, the air is filled with the quacking sounds of newborn ducklings.

With a fearlessness not found in the wild, these offspring, accompanying their parents, wander the park especially through the chairs and tables of the outdoor food areas in hopes of scavenging a special treat of popcorn.

Some guests specifically buy a bag of popcorn to feed to the ducks and the ducks know it and will waddle up dangerously close while quacking away in hopes of getting a handout.

However, life is dangerous for these feathered friends. Feral cats patrol the park at night looking for baby duck or duck eggs. In addition, local alligators find them a tasty and easily obtainable snack as well. Often, bigger birds like herons or hawks will sit patiently and then swoop down to grab a baby duckling that has strayed a little bit too far from its flock either for itself or to feed its offspring.

Disney does try to discourage guests from feeding the wild animals including not just ducks but squirrels, rabbits and other wildlife that are not an official part of the park population. As an accredited member of the AZA, Disney realizes that some foods are not always good for these creatures and can actually cause digestive problems or disease that can prove fatal.

Even the guests themselves can pose a threat as they gather too closely around the baby ducklings and can trample them which is why cast members often try to wrangle the ducks off of congested walkways or accompany them back to the water.

However, since the ducks eat free at Walt Disney World, are surrounded by so many others of their kind and enjoy the many advantages that Disney takes with keeping the water clean, it seems that the perks far outweigh the disadvantages and that it is a bit safer than some of the other environments they might visit.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, Call Me Walt, and his Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, all published by Theme Park Press.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JANUARY 13 TO JANUARY 21, 2018

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more on January 2018 at Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/13-1/21/18

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-12MN 1/13 and 1/14, 9a-10p 1/15, 9a-8p 1/16 through 1/19, 8a-12MN 1/20, amd 9a-9p 1/21

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-8p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 8a-8p 1/13 through 1/15, and 9a-8p 1/16 through 1/21

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/13-1/21/18

Saturday 1/13 Morning: Animal Kingdom   Evening: none

Sunday 1/14  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Monday 1/15 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 1/16 Morning: none Evening:  Epcot

Wednesday 1/17 Morning:  none  Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 1/18 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 1/19 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 1/20 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 1/21  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening:  none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/13-1/21/18

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/13-1/21/18

Happily Every After at Magic Kingdom: 8p every night

IllumiNations at Epcot:  9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:  7p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8p every night

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom 6.30 and 7.45p 1/13 through 1/15; 6.30p 1/16 through 1/19; 6.30 and 7.45 p 1/20; and 7.15 and 8.30p 1/21

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/13-1/21/18

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

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THE 4th OF JULY IN 2018 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Disney World celebrates the 4th of July at several parks–and on July 3rd as well!

Hours may change a bit later, but here’s the current scoop:

On Tuesday, July 3, 2018, the Magic Kingdom has a special fireworks show “Fantasy in the Sky” at 9.15p.

On Wednesday, July 4, 2018

• The Magic Kingdom has the same show at the same time–“Fantasy in the Sky” at 9.15p
• Epcot’s IllumiNations will likely have a special holiday ending added, and likely will be shifted from its normal 9p time to 10p, and

Moreover, the normal Wednesday evening Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom will happen Tuesday the 3rd instead.

Those following this site’s Higher Crowd Itinerary for Walt Disney World will be at Magic Kingdom the 3rd, and Hollywood Studios the 4th. If you want to see the fireworks, see them on the 3rd but change your Hoop-Dee-Doo reservations from Tuesday night to Thursday night. If you want to avoid the fireworks crowds entirely, swap First Sunday and Tuesday.

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