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SOARIN’ AROUND THE WORLD

Soarin’ Around the World opened in June 2016 at Epcot, replacing the much-loved Soarin’ that used to occupy its infrastructure, and adding a third ride system, increasing capacity–when all three concourses are operating–by 50%.

The ride system is themed to replicate the swooping and soaring of a hang glider, and an enormous screen in front makes you feel as though you are in the sky.

The old Soarin’ film, much worn by the time of its replacement, depicted various California scenes (the film was made for the Soarin’ Over California ride at Disney California Adventure) that all brought back, for me, happy memories of spending my Cub Scout years in California as a Navy brat.

The new film takes the same hang glider tour concept and spreads it around the world, adding sharper scene transitions, and a more defined sense of being high in the sky and at times swooping quickly–creating more drama and, for those with even the slightest fear of heights, a definite frisson.

It also adds more artifice, with more animated (though highly realistic) bits added to the film, e.g. this polar bear…

…and is marred by distortion to many verticals.  The best seats are definitely in the center of apparatus, in “Hangar B,” which see the least distortion.

The Eiffel tower seen from Hangar B:

The Pyramids as seen from the far right of the right-most Hangar, Hangar C.

Regardless, I really did find this a terrific ride, and recommend it to everyone except those with acute fear of heights. The new world tour is fun, the added animations add drama and action, and the new sense of height and swoopiness adds thrills. (Kids must be at least 40 inches tall to ride).

Soarin’ Around the World is located in Epcot’s Land Pavilion…

…at its bottom, across from Sunshine Seasons, which with the ride’s opening now offers breakfast again.

You’ll be directed into Concourse A, B, or C (C is the new one, but is no different from A or B). Once you get to the next step, ask to be put into Hangar B.

The pre-show includes from the former ride both crowd-pleasing Patrick and the gratuitous dig at balding men.

Then it’s into the ride system, strapping in, and you are off!

Some scenes from the new Soarin’ Around the World:

Note the not-so-hidden Hidden Mickeys!

At Epcot, Soarin’ Around the World is available as a Tier One FastPass+. Unless you are among the first at rope drop, it’s best seen via FastPass+, as lines build quickly in the morning. Alternatively, see it near park close.  My co-author Josh has more on other times to see the ride here.

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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.

OLIVIA’S CAFE

By Jim Korkis

The very first Disney Vacation Club resort opened on December 20, 1991 and was known only as Disney’s Vacation Club Resort up until January 1996. It was then renamed Disney’s Old Key West Resort to distinguish it from the newer DVC resorts.

The resort’s restaurant is Olivia’s Café, and according to the Imagineers, the back story of the restaurant was that Olivia Farnsworth, who was sixty years old, (“going on twenty”) lived in a small cottage along Turtle Krawl. She loved cooking, but did not have the money to open a restaurant of her own. She was very friendly and very proud of her cooking. Almost daily she would invite curious passers-by who smelled her cooking to come in to her dining room and pull up a chair to enjoy what she had prepared.

Soon, these visits became more and more frequent, both for the locals and for visiting out-of-towners as well. Olivia quickly ran out of room and everything else. People began bringing their own tables and chairs and even silverware and then left them there for their next visit. That’s why the silverware and the chairs in the restaurant are mismatched and add to a homey, family-type atmosphere.

The Imagineers wrote: “Soon she began doubling recipes, then double doubling. Then triple doubling, until the math got ugly. She pulled up more chairs, added more tables, and sat people on the porch, until the floor plan got all cattywhumpus. Finally, to the town’s great relief, Olivia made it official, cinched up her apron and hung out her shingle.”

The Imagineers even included “A Little Note from Miss Olivia” herself on the original menu along with her photo:

“The long and short of it is, I never intended to be any kind of big-time restaurant owner. I just happened to have this cozy cottage I called home and my kitchen just happened to be on the leeward side where aromas could wander out along Turtle Krawl. Seems like every time I turned on the stove, ‘specially early in the morning, folks would drop by with a friendly smile and a healthy appetite. I didn’t mind. I’d just pull another chair up to the table. Then one more chair, and one more chair…

” ‘Course, I admit I’ve sure had my share of helping hands from more than a few friends along the way. Miss Vickey, for instance, is my kind of people. She may not exactly fit into any proper pigeonhole, but she’s been a true friend to me. In fact, I owe the whole look of Olivia’s to Miss V’s artistic eye for coordinated color combinations.

“Then there’s Captain Wahoo. He often doesn’t have a nickel to his name, but his fish tales have kept me laughing through some lean times, and he’s always made sure I get first choice of the bounty his boat brings home to the Flats.

“There are lots of others who made Olivia’s what it is — like Frenchie, who’s sometimes a pest but always a pal, and Hank, and… well, I could go on, but I’ve a kitchen to keep up with and a passel of people to feed. So let me let you get on with your life with this closing thought — you’re always welcome at Olivia’s Cafe, where the food’s always good and the atmosphere’s always 100% Conch Flats.”

The Gurgling Suitcase Bar next door has a story behind it as well.

During Prohibition, people would come down to Key West to purchase illegal alcohol. They would pack it using their clothes to cushion the bottles so the bottles wouldn’t break in their suitcases. Law enforcement officers soon caught on to this practice and when they stopped people, they would pick up the luggage and shake it to see if it “gurgled”, indicating that there was liquid inside.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for even 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 First Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JULY 23 TO JULY 31, 2016

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

Note that typos happen, and schedules change! If something seems odd, or if you want to double check, use the calendar links near the bottom to get the latest official Disney World scoop.

For more on July 2016 at Walt Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/23-7/31/2016

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-10p 7/23, 9a-11p 7/24, 8a-11p 7/25, 9a-12MN 7/26, 8a-11p 7/27 and 7/28, 9a-11p 7/29, 8a-11p 7/30, and 9a-11p 7/31

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

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-9.30p 7/23 and 7/24, 9a-10p 7/25, 9a-9.30p 7/26, 9a-10p 7/27 to 7/29, 9a-9.30p 7/20, and 9a-10p 7/31

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-11p every day

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/23-7/31/2016

Saturday 7/23 Morning:  Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 7/24 Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: none

Monday 7/25 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Tuesday 7/26 Morning: none Evening:  Epcot

Wednesday 7/27 Morning: none  Evening:  Magic Kingdom

Thursday 7/28 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 7/29 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: Hollywood Studios

Saturday 7/30 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 7/31  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/23-7/31/2016

The Magic Kingdom:

• Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p  every day
• Evening Main Street Electrical Parade: 10p 7/23; 9 and 11p 7/24 and 7/25; 9p 7/26; 9 and 11p 7/27 through 7/31

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/23-7/31/2016

Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p every night

IllumiNations at Epcot: 9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9p 7/23 and 7/24; 9 and 10.30p 7/25; 9p 7/26; 9 and 10.30p 7/27 through 7/29; 9p 7/30; 9 and 10.30p 7/31

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9.30p every night

Jungle Book Evening Show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9 and 10.30p every night

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/23-7/31/2016

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

LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/23-7/31/2016

See this for forecasts.

DISCLAIMER

Everything is subject to change and typos! Check the Disney Calendars for updates and official schedules. These calendars can be found by clicking the following links:

• Magic Kingdom Calendar
• Hollywood Studios Calendar
• Animal Kingdom Calendar
• Epcot Calendar

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I got back last Wednesday from a whirlwind visit to Walt Disney World that covered almost all the new stuff that’s opened this summer, plus some older new stuff that I had not gotten around to in my January or April visits, plus some revisits to various resorts.

It’ll take me a while to write everything up in detail, so I thought I’d give you capsule overviews of the most salient things I did. As I expand these into full posts, or update old posts, I’ll add links on this page to the more detailed discussions.

(My co-author Josh of easyWDW.com and I did some of these together, so where it makes more sense I will link to his posts instead.)

SARATOGA SPRINGS (STUDIO)

I hadn’t stayed in Saratoga Springs since 2013–a while by the standards of this site–so the first thing I did was check in and take new photos of my room, a studio.

I requested and got my favorite section, The Paddock (my favorite because it combines a quiet and laid back feel with a great pool and pool grill–though each is small). The Springs area, however, is a better choice for most–an even better pool and bar, closer to the main shops and dining.

I’ll post updated room photos and floor plans soon.  The changes since 2013 are minor, though, mostly bed linen.

PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER

Then it was off to visit Port Orleans French Quarter, where my photos aren’t so hot. I’ve been updating them on various drop-bys, and noted before this trip lousy pool shots, so I took a bunch.

POFQ frankly needs a fresh stay, which I can’t fit into my late August/early September visit, so will do in my November visit.

FORT WILDERNESS LOOP 2100

Next, it was off to Fort Wilderness, where I found active construction in Loop 2100 (which had its Cabins removed in April), even though it was a Saturday.

Fences with dark fabric make it hard to tell exactly what is going on, but from lifting my camera above them, these sure do look like Premium loops.

WILDERNESS LODGE REFURB UPDATE

The Wilderness Lodge refurb continues.  The most interesting new thing was that interior walls have been removed from the closed southeastern wing.

It’s hard to tell from the photos (the left is from the Villas side, the right from the Courtyard side), but the red circles indicate where you can see windows on the far side from windows on the near side–that is, the hallway walls between them are gone.

This may answer the question of how Disney is fitting DVC rooms into the small footprints of the old Wilderness Lodge rooms–I am guessing that they aren’t, but rather are using old hallway space to add around 60 square feet to each bay on one side.  What will be going on on the other side I can’t tell you, but do have some guesses, which I’ll publish later.

Rumor is that all Villa types will be available in this wing.

SOARIN AROUND THE WORLD AT EPCOT

I was fully prepared to hate the new film Soarin’ Around the World, with my public reasons being the strange curvatures (the left-curving image of the Eiffel Tower above is from one of the more central seats–it’s even more comic from side seats) and the degree of artificiality in many of the scenes.

My private reason would be that I spent my Cub Scout years as a Navy brat in California, so every bit of the old film called out my inner eight year old boy, never very far from the surface…

In fact I loved the new show, and consider it a must see.

The sights are well-chosen, the scene transitions are bang-bang, the added animated (but fairly realistic except for their unlikelihood) bits are great, and the ride has an added sense of urgency, speed, and even danger (from feeling like you are so high) that makes it veer a bit towards a thrill ride, especially for those with even the slightest fear of heights.

There’s a full review of Soarin’ Around the World here.

TURTLE TALK WITH CRUSH AT EPCOT

Bits of Finding Dory have been added to Turtle Talk with Crush–Hank is in, as well as Destiny (above).

The additions work great in what was already a wonderful show.

FROZEN EVER AFTER AT EPCOT

Frozen Ever After replaced the Maelstrom ride in Norway, using the same track but showing characters from Frozen and Frozen shorts in a variety of settings.

There’s no real story here, and not much happening other than very well-done animatronics and a nice integration of the old ride system to “Let it Go.”  For Frozen fans it’s a must see, but not worth a long wait for those not fans of the movie.

A meet and greet has also opened next door. I’ll do it on my August visit, trying not to tremble from my huge crush on Anna.

There’s a full review of Frozen Ever After here.

DISNEY & PIXAR SHORT FILM FESTIVAL AT EPCOT

The Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival opened in the 4D theater in the Imagination Pavilion in December 2015, replacing, thank God, Captain EO.

It combines three great short films (Get a Horse, For the Birds, and La Luna) with theater effects that work especially well in the Mickey Mouse-featuring Get a Horse.

Both in the pre-show and during the show itself there’s commentary on the history of Disney and Pixar animation, and overall this is a nice, light entertainment, and is the best thing in the Animation Pavilion for years.

STAR WARS: A GALACTIC SPECTACULAR AT DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

The new Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular replaced the prior Star Wars fireworks show in late June 2016.

The key to this show is that while it does indeed have fireworks…

… it is best thought of as a projection show. The fireworks add emphasis and punctuation to the projections, rather than being of great merit on their own.

This is important, as you can’t see the projections well unless you are near where they are displayed, the replica of Grauman’s Chinese Theater that contains The Great Movie Ride.

You need to be between the projection towers on the right side of the photo and the theater, and ideally on the left side (while facing the theater) as some of the fireworks are only on the right.

The thousands of people further down on Hollywood Boulevard won’t have nearly as good an experience.

The latest schedules make it impossible to both see the first Fantasmic and then wander over and see this show too.  That’s just fine, as there aren’t adequate good spots for the 10,000 people that Fantasmic will hold.  I need to revise my itineraries to divide these shows over two nights.

There’s a full review of Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular here.

STAR WARS: A GALACTIC SPECTACULAR DESSERT PARTY

I don’t normally recommend the various Disney World dessert parties, but if you have shorter Star Wars fan-children, a need for some drinks and snacks, and some money to burn, you might want to consider this one.

Your $69 for those ten and over and $39 for those 3-9 gets you a lot of fun desserts, some savory snacks, and as many alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) drinks as you’d like.

More importantly, the reserved viewing area is behind a roped-off walkway, and has an area for those using wheelchairs or scooters at the front.

If there’s room–and there almost always will be–kids are welcomed into this scooter/chair area, and with no adults in front of them until across the walkway, they will get better views of the show than from any other place in the Studios.

Josh has much more on this party here, including my curious encounter with a bartender…(I saw it with Josh and Tom Corless of WDW News Today. Not like it was a date or anything.)

SARATOGA SPRINGS (ONE BEDROOM)

Then it was out of my Studio and into a One-Bedroom Villa at Saratoga Springs, for the same reason–I hadn’t stayed in one since 2013, and there are some minor decorating changes that I need to document.

This was in the Congress Park area, most convenient to Disney Springs, where I had planned to visit this night, but later decided to go to the dessert party instead.

SANAA AT KIDANI VILLAGE AND SPOKESKITTIES

Monday Josh and I had a long lunch at the great Sanaa with a reporter who would probably rather remain anonymous and almost certainly is wishing for a bit of amnesia too.

So instead of Sanaa shots here’s a selfie of us in my Polynesian Village room, with leis.

My lei ended up on my MagicBand lamp in my home office, which is also the nursery of the site’s new SpokesKitties. Above, calico Henry is grabbing at it, with gray tubby tabby Edward about to pounce.

Here’s the SpokesKitties in a rare moment of repose.

But I digress.

KILIMANJARO SUNSET SAFARI AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM

Three evening attractions have recently opened at the Animal Kingdom, which is open two to three hours later than it used to be to accommodate them–until 11p (rather than 8p) in the summer, then til 8 or 7.30p in September after Labor Day, rather than 5p. (Sunset in Orlando in September starts at 7.46p and makes its way to  7.12p.)

One is that Kilimanjaro Safaris now runs after dark. Various lighting effects–including a “sunset savanna” effect that lights my weak photo above–let you see how the animals behave after dark.

It’s interesting to those who find animals interesting (I loved it), but not a substitute for seeing the same ride in daylight.

There’s a full review of Sunset Kilimanjaro Safaris here.

TREE OF LIFE AWAKENINGS AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM

Another new night feature is projections on the Tree of Life. Animated interludes (whose start is signaled by music) are separated by longer periods with brief moments of motion, easy to miss but fun to catch.

I spent an hour delighted by this, but most people likely will spend less time.

There’s a full review of Tree of Life Awakenings here.

THE JUNGLE BOOK: ALIVE WITH MAGIC AT DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM

The third new offering at Animal Kingdom is the Jungle Book show, a (hopefully) temporary replacement for Rivers of Light, the major show expected in this spot in April which has not yet opened.

The show occurs in a wonderful new setting in the park’s Asia area.

I can’t think of a major new Disney World offering that has been savaged more than this Jungle Book show. I found it sort of OK (Josh tells me that it is much improved–especially the projections–since its opening week). But it certainly needs some salt, hot sauce, and bacon.

The three new elements don’t offer enough either singly or collectively for you to bend your trip around to be able to see them.  But if you can easily fit them into your Disney Word plans, do so.

And most of the rest of the park is now open late as well.  The Animal Kingdom has always been special after dark, but with no evening extra magic hours here the past few years, that has been hard to see. Not anymore.

There’s a full review of Jungle Book: Alive With Magic here.

POLYNESIAN RESORT CLUB ROOM

I stayed in one of the new Studios at the Polynesian Village last year when they opened, but had not stayed in a regular room since all the construction here was completed in April.

I had meant to book two nights in a standard view room, but none was available for two nights by the time I got to booking, so I ended up with a theme park view booked for one night and a club theme park view room the second.  Expensive, but this is the Value 2 price season, and I got a good passholder discount too.

When I got my “room ready” text, I discovered that the Poly had upgraded me into a club room for both nights, which was cool–it’s always nice to not be homeless between check out and check-in times, especially as hot as July can be (and was).

“Club rooms” are what Disney calls what others call “concierge rooms.” There’s an area with staff to help you with plans (they also email you before the trip to see if they can help) and also a lounge that offers a light Continental breakfast, snacks around lunch and dinner, and drinks and dessert in the evening.

Many swear by these. I’ve never seen the value for money, but if you are stuck booking one, it’s certainly not a bad thing!

THE OASIS POOL AT DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN RESORT

New since I’d stayed here last is the Oasis Pool, which replaces the old East Pool and opened in April 2016. It’s a better pool on almost any measure than the old pool…

…and it also adds a bar and grill, as a much-needed alternative to the offerings available in the Great Ceremonial House and by the main pool.

The grill has narrow hours–9 to 5 on my visit–but has an interesting menu (click it to enlarge it), and the bar stays open longer.

Also open part of the day is a refillable mug station. This was closed by mid-afternoon, but I did not note exactly when.

MICKEY’S ROYAL FRIENDSHIP FAIRE AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM

Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire is a new show staged in front of Cinderella’s Castle multiple times a day.

Featuring Mickey’s crew and the lead couples from The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, and Frozen, it’s a fun confection of song and dance, with some ruffians from Tangled tempting Mickey to club them.

It’s not worth an intentional visit, but if it is starting while you are in the area, it’s worth checking out.

THE BUNGALOWS AT THE POLYNESIAN

Those staying in Club rooms were offered the opportunity to tour the new Bungalows at the Polynesian.  I’ll never set foot in one otherwise, so Josh and I took the tour.

Ignoring the around $2000 a night price, these are fine spaces for eight. Factor the price in and I don’t get it.

Nice view from the deck, though…

WISHES FROM A THEME PARK VIEW ROOM AT DISNEY’S POLYNESIAN RESORT

Theme park view rooms at the Polynesian Village let you watch Wishes from your balcony.

While not a replacement for seeing this fireworks show from within the Magic Kingdom…it’s certainly fun!

OK, that’s it for my update on my short trip.  I’ll be filling out many of these observations in more detail soon!

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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.

THE CANADA PAVILION AT EPCOT

By Jim Korkis

There were three fiberglass totem poles in the Canada Pavilion at Epcot when it opened in 1982, but they were merely decorative and intended to broadly represent the art work of the Indian tribes of the Northwest.

Two of the poles were located in the landscaping opposite the main merchandise shop. The Northwest Mercantile was meant to represent the frontiersmen, trappers, prospectors, loggers and traders who inhabited the area during the earliest years of the country. These individuals were both French and English.

The outside of the building is decorated with authentic tools and snowshoes from the Canadian wilderness that were found by the Imagineers during their explorations. Part of the same building is the Trading Post meant to reference the Canadian Indian culture.

The Maritime Provinces of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are represented by the stone work on the level with shops above the trading post. On the left hand side, the architecture references the British influence (and was intended to house the never installed Canadian Tourism Center offices) and on the right hand side, the French influence.

The Hotel du Canada is patterned after the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa and the Hotel du Frontenac in Quebec. This French gothic design is reminiscent of the hotels that were built during the expansion of the Canadian railroad system.

The hotel building may look six to seven stories tall but is only three stories tall due to the use of forced perspective, with the bricks and windows (appropriately decorated with scaled down items) growing progressively smaller as the building rises.

Just beyond the hotel is some of the last work done by legendary Imagineer Fred Joerger to re-create a sense of the Canadian Rockies. Imagineers flew over the Canadian mountains and took pictures to develop a topographical map. They then created a Styrofoam model and used a computer to draw a three-dimensional picture showing horizontal and vertical features as well as depth.

An enlarged version was adapted and used as the master blueprint for the steel structure which was then covered with Gunite, the same cement used in swimming pool construction. Joerger and his crew then textured it all by hand including the thirty foot tall waterfall.

The challenge was having live trees in an artificial environment which was solved by using a containerized plant system where trees were planted in five foot deep planters with built-in irrigation and drainage systems. This also proved useful when the trees started to grow too large for the appropriate forced perspective and could be easily replaced.

In 1998, the Disney Company employed Tsimshian artist David Boxley from Alaska, noted for his decades-long creation of totem poles, to carve an authentic 30-foot totem pole to replace the one near the trading post.

During the carving process, the seven hundred pound red cedar log was laid on its side on a raised platform in front of the pavilion. Boxley laboriously worked on it and interacted with the guests until it was erected next to the Trading Post on April 1998.

This beautiful totem pole tells the tale from the Pacific Northwest Indians of Raven and Sky Chief. When the Trickster Raven came to earth, the people lived in the dark without shadows and without the sun, moon, or stars. Raven began a search for light. He noticed Sky Chief kept a bright light in his home hidden away in a box.

Raven transformed himself into a pine needle that floats into a stream just as the Sky Chief’s daughter is taking a drink. She unsuspectingly swallows that needle and Raven becomes a baby in her stomach and is born to the delight of Sky Chief.

Sky Chief brings out the box to show his “grandson” the golden ball of light. Raven grabs the shiny ball, turns back into his true form and flies up into the sky where he tosses the light so all people can enjoy the sun, the moon and the stars.

This is a variation of the same Raven story told on the totem pole in the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge. Like the story of Snow White or Cinderella, it was a popular story with many different versions.

Boxley placed two small green Hidden Mickeys under each of the bending elbows near the top of the pole.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for even 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 First Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Google+ or Twitter or Pinterest!!

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JULY 16 TO JULY 24, 2016

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

Note that typos happen, and schedules change! If something seems odd, or if you want to double check, use the calendar links near the bottom to get the latest official Disney World scoop.

For more on July 2016 at Walt Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/16-7/24/2016

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-11p 7/16, 9a-10p 7/17, 8a-11p 7/18, 9a-12MN 7/19, 8a-11p 7/20, 8a-10p 7/21, 9a-11p 7/22, 9a-10p 7/23, and 9a-11p 7/24

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

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-9.30p 7/16, 9a-10p 7/17 through 7/22 and 9a-9.30p 7/23 and 7/24

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-11p every day

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/16-7/24/2016

Saturday 7/16 Morning:  Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 7/17 Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: none

Monday 7/18 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Tuesday 7/19 Morning: none Evening:  Epcot

Wednesday 7/20 Morning: none  Evening:  Magic Kingdom

Thursday 7/21 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 7/22 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: Hollywood Studios

Saturday 7/23 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 7/24  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/16-7/24/2016

The Magic Kingdom:

• Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p  every day
• Evening Main Street Electrical Parade: 9 and 11p 7/16; 10p 7/17 through 7/23; 9 and 11p 7/24

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWSAT WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/16-7/24/2016

Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p 7/16; 9p 7/17 through 7/23; 10p 7/24

IllumiNations at Epcot: 9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9p 7/16; 9 and 10.30p 7/17 through 7/22; 9p 7/23 and 7/24

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9.30p every night

Jungle Book Evening Show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9 and 10.30p every night

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/16-7/24/2016

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

LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/6-7/24/2016

See this for forecasts.

DISCLAIMER

Everything is subject to change and typos! Check the Disney Calendars for updates and official schedules. These calendars can be found by clicking the following links:

• Magic Kingdom Calendar
• Hollywood Studios Calendar
• Animal Kingdom Calendar
• Epcot Calendar

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