Category — w. Most Recent Stuff

Josh and I published earlier this week an updated version of The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2017, the latest edition of the best-reviewed Disney World guidebook series, ever.

We had kinda hoped that this update would also include a review of Rivers of Light, but that’s still not out…so the next update will cover it.

But even so, with this update The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit remains the most accurate, most up-to-date, and most usable guidebook to Walt Disney World that you can find!! Buy it now, or if you bought it already, get your email to us so we can send you the updated version (as a PDF)!

(Note that I expect to start sending out the updated PDF to those who have already signed up for the updates later this week).

Here’s some details of the changes we just published:

• Title, Introduction and Chapter 1 (“How to Use This Book”): minor changes—mostly typos and infelicities. At our August publication date, we dropped the word “First” from the title for the 2017 edition, added content more helpful to returning visitors, and added a free PDF update model. There’s more on these points here and here.
• Chapters 2 and 3 (“Why Age and Height Matter” and “How Long to Stay”): just minor changes to reflect ride closures since August.
• Chapter 4, “When to Go”: one of four core chapters of the book, this one also saw just minor changes that add more precision to reflect additional info that’s come out since early August. The basic changes for 2017 are covered here.
• Chapter 5, “Where to Stay”: another core chapter saw some updates to reflect resort refurb facts and rumors that have come out since August. We also cleaned up one minor floor plan error and one price error. The details of the 2017 changes are here.
• Chapter 6, “How to Spend Your Time”: the heart of the book, with theme park overviews, itineraries, ride reviews, and touring plans. This section saw the most updates, as there’s new attractions, closed attractions, and a result lots of new and updated material. Josh, who writes 99% of this chapter, also fully updated the touring plans, which may be the most valuable part of the book. The scoop on 2017 changes to this chapter is here.
• Chapter 7, “Where to Eat”: the astonishing transformation of Disney World dining continues, and here in this core chapter we update both the latest good news (e.g. Flying Fish) and bad news (Liberty Tree Tavern). The overview of 2017 changes to where to eat is here.
• Chapter 8 and 9 (“Which Tickets to Buy and How Much to Budget” and “How to Get Everything Done”) saw minor changes—e.g. a new four day, four park ticket model, and the renewal of the Armed Forces Salute.

As I noted, we had kinda hoped that this update would also include a review of Rivers of Light, and in fact timed this update, we thought, to include it.

But Rivers of Light is still not operating…so the next update will cover it. Even so, The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit remains the most accurate, most up-to-date, and most usable guidebook to Walt Disney World that you can find!

The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit … don’t plan a Disney World trip without it!

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OVERVIEW: JUNE 2017 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews June 2017 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours; adds a few other notes; and ends with week by week summaries.

If you must go to Disney World in the summer, the beginning of June is your best choice for a first visit.

Crowds, while not good, are lower then than most of the rest of the summer, prices are OK–except at the value resorts–and the full weight of summer weather is not yet in place.

(The end of August is the next best choice.  Prices and crowds are much better, but you are not only in peak summer then, but also the peak of the hurricane season.)

[Read more →]

As co-author Josh points out here, we have two bits of news:

• First, we just published a stem to stern update of The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit, and
• Second, if you use the Amazon code HOLIDAYBOOK, you’ll get $10 off for any order of $25 or more.  Buy two easy Guides, one to give away as a present and one for yourself, and you’ll pay just around $7 for the second one!

Find the full scoop in Josh’s post here. Or just buy it here. And those who have forwarded their Amazon confirmations to us will get their updated PDF copies starting late next week!!

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Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians and author of Jim’s Gems in The easy Guide, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

TREASURES OF THE WILDERNESS LODGE

By Jim Korkis

November is the month that the annual Blessing of the Four Directions by Native Americans takes place in the lobby of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge celebrates not only American craftsmanship and the beauty of nature but also the people who lived in the great outdoors.

The lobby is a tribute to Native Americans. Whispering Canyon showcases cowboys as depicted on the backs of the chairs. Territory Lounge is the home to the explorers. Artist’s Point celebrates the painters who captured the images of the wilderness.

The eight story atrium lobby is so overwhelming that some Disney guests fail to appreciate the smaller details scattered throughout the space at eye-level that enrich the story.

Located behind the Guest Services Desk is a large mounted gold key. In 1995, the resort was recognized with the grand prize for “Excellence in Hospitality Design” in the lobby/reception category at 14th annual Gold Key Awards by International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Association. The “Mickey head” on the key was meant to remind the cast members to always unlock the magic in their hearts for the guests.

Also behind the Front desk are a beautiful collection of cradleboards. A cradleboard was a wooden frame and a soft skin pouch used for the protection of a baby or “papoose”.

The Spirit of America Discovery statue in the show at The American Adventure pavilion at Epcot has a Native American woman with a cradleboard on her back. The statue is meant to suggest the sixteen year old Sacagawea, the Native American woman who helped guide the Lewis and Clark expedition, along with her newborn baby.

Within the first few weeks after a baby was born, the mother would begin to lace the baby into the cradleboard so that it could be carried on the woman’s back or hooked onto a saddle. Left to right, the cradleboards behind the Front Desk represent the North American Indian tribes of Crow, Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Ute, Kiowa, Navajo and Comanche.

A striking and unique garment is the Elk Tooth Dress located near the lobby elevators. It is made of red wool blanket or stroud cloth which was considered a desirable decorative fabric. This type of dress was typical of the Kiowa and Arapaho plains tribeswomen.

This particular dress was obviously the possession of a warrior’s wife since elk teeth are a great display of wealth. An elk only has two teeth and a dress might take hundreds of them. Most hunters saved the teeth as a memento of the hunt.

This rare dress, which has been determined to be from around 1875, was worn for special ceremonial occasions like a wedding.

Something that is easy to miss located to the right of the lobby side of the fireplace, is the elevated Library area of Whispering Canyon restaurant. It has both Gustav Stickley chairs and Frank Lloyd Wright tables and china cabinet. Stickley was a proponent of the Arts and Crafts Movement, traditional craftsmanship in simple forms.

The pottery and ceramics that adorn the cabinet are authentic Arts and Crafts pieces from the Arts and Crafts Movement. They are a hundred years old. Mass production by machines were becoming more common so the Arts and Crafts Movement emphasized the appreciation for hand-made glass and pottery because they expressed the unique individuality of the particular artist.

Located to the left of the Whispering Canyon Café on the wall near the restrooms is a painting that is a reproduction of the work of Thomas Moran, an important panoramic Western landscape painter and illustrator. Moran is well known for his paintings of Yellowstone that helped inspire the creation of the area as a National Park in 1872.

Other interesting artifacts bring a sense of reality and history to the lobby and are worthy of a moment’s appreciation.

*  *  *  *  *

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

In the meantime, check out his books, including Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, and The Vault of Walt: Volume 4, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: NOVEMBER 26 TO DECEMBER 4, 2016

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

For more on November 2016 at Disney World, see this, and for more on December 2016 at Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/26-12/4/2016

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-12MN 11/26, 9a-7p 11/27, 9a-11p 11/28, 9a-7p 11/29, 9a-11p 11/30, 9a-7p 12/1 and 12/2, 8a-12MN 12/3, and 9a-7p 12/4

Epcot will be open from 9a-9.30p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-11p 11/26, and 9a-7p 11/27 through 12/4

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-7.30p 11/26, and 9a-7p 11/27 through 12/4

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/26-12/4/2016

Saturday 11/26 Morning:  Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 11/27 Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: none

Monday 11/28 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Tuesday 11/29 Morning: none Evening:  Epcot

Wednesday 11/30 Morning: none  Evening:  Magic Kingdom

Thursday 12/1 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 12/2 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: Hollywood Studios

Saturday 12/3 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 12/4  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/26-12/4/2016

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

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/26-12/4/2016

Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p 11/26, 11/28, 11/30, and 12/3

IllumiNations at Epcot: 9.30p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 7 and 9.30p 11/26; 7p 11/27 through 12/4

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:  Replaced for the holidays with:

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9p 11/26; 6.45p 11/27 through 12/4

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/26-12/4/2016

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

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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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