Category — w. Most Recent Stuff
Next Week (November 14 Through November 22, 2015) at Walt Disney World
DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: NOVEMBER 14 TO NOVEMBER 22, 2015
The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.
The same stuff is in the graphic, but organized by park, not by topic. For more on November 2015 at Walt Disney World, click here.
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.
OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/14/-11/22/2015
The Magic Kingdom will be open 9a-12MN 11/14, 9a-7p 11/15, 9a-9p 11/16, 9a-7p 11/17, 9a-10p 11/18, 9a-7p 11/19 and 11/20, 9a-12MN 11/21, and 8a-12MN 11/22
Epcot will be open from 9a-10p 11/14, and 9a-9p 11/15 through 11/22
Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-8.30p 11/14, 9a-9p 11/15, 9a-8p 11/16, 8a–4p 11/17, 9a-8p 11/18 and 11/19, 9a-8.30p 11/20 and 11/21, and 8a-8.30p 11/22
Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 8a-6.30p 11/14 and 11/15, 9a-6.30p 11/16, 9a-5p 11/17 and 11/18, 9a-6p 11/19 and 11/20, 9a-7p 11/21, and 8a-8p 11/22
EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/14/-11/22/2015
Saturday 11/14 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none
Sunday 11/15 Morning: none Evening: Hollywood Studios
Monday 11/16 Morning: Magic Kingdom Evening: none
Tuesday 11/17 Morning: Epcot Evening: none
Wednesday 11/18 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: Magic Kingdom
Thursday 11/19 Morning: none Evening: Epcot
Friday 11/20 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none
Saturday 11/21 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none
Sunday 11/22 Morning: none Evening: Hollywood Studios
PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/14/-11/22/2015
The Magic Kingdom:
- Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day
- Evening Main Street Electrical Parade: 9 and 11p 11/14; 7 and 9p 11/16 and 11/18; 9 and 11p 11/21; 8 and 10p 11/22
FIREWORKS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/14-11/22/2015
Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p 11/14, 8p 11/16 and 11/18; 10p 11/21; 9p 11/22
Illuminations at Epcot: 10p 11/14; 9p 11/15 through 11/22
Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 7 and 8.30p 11/14 and 11/15; 7p 11/16 and 11/18 through 11/20; 7 and 8.30p 11/21 and 11/22
SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/14/-11/22/2015
See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.
LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/14/-11/22/2015
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:
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November 12, 2015 No Comments
Veterans Day 2015
On this Veterans Day, just a note to thank all of those who have put their lives at risk so that the rest of us can be free.
My favorite veteran is my dad, career Navy–that’s him above during the Korean War. He sponsored us at Shades of Green earlier this year, and is doing the same in December.
Next favorite is my wife’s dad–that’s him above, on the right, during World War II. That hand was wounded on Tarawa.
After him, my next favorite is my sister’s husband, who served with the riverine Navy in Vietnam.
And another favorite is Steve (above) from MilitaryDisneyTips.com, a retired Air Force First Shirt who does a great job keeping military families up to date on great Disney World deals and other important info. Steve is also the Military Moderator on this site.
There’s a number of great offers available at Disney World for service members, their families, and their friends. Most apply to active duty and reserves, and career retired folk, but some are also available to other classes of vets. The best way to understand these is through Steve’s site, or his new book.
With entire chapters devoted to the 2016 Armed Forces Salute, to Shades of Green, and to other deals and perks available to military families, I can’t recommend it enough!!
It’s available as a PDF–probably the most convenient format–here, and on Amazon.com here
.
And all the millions of the rest of you are my favorites too! Thank you for your service, and God bless! Wherever you are, and whatever you do, my gratitude goes with you.
LINKS FOR MILITARY FAMILIES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
- Military Families at Walt Disney World
- Deals and Discounts
- Shades of Green
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November 11, 2015 2 Comments
Review: The 2015 Edition of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (“MVMCP”)
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. For just how low, see Josh’s post here. 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 at the November 8, 2015 party that I attended.
Going to it guarantees seeing an evening parade and fireworks.
At the time of year the Basic Itinerary covers, the evening parade and 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 early November 2015 I had a chance to see it again, for the seventh time. The rest of this entry is the review of that visit. (Note that some of the photos are from my 2014 visit, as they turned out better that night…)
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 8.15 and 10.30p.
I strongly suggest you go on rides during the first parade, 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 solders.
Santa Claus is on the last float.
The fireworks, called Holiday Wishes, happen between the parades at 9.30, preceded by a special holiday version of Celebrate the Magic at 9.15p.
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.
Castle shows Celebrate the Season…
…and A Frozen Holiday Wish are the same as on regular MK evenings. The first is OK but not worth seeing at the mobbed 7.30 showing (the 10.05 or 11.20p show is the better choice), and the second skippable.
Only shown during the party are A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas in Tomorrowland…
…and a dance party in Cosmic Ray’s in Tomorrowland.
(The dance party formerly held at the Diamond Horseshoe in Frontierland was not on during my November 2015 visit.) The first of these is quite lame, the second a cute way for your kids to burn off energy if they need to.
New for 2015 is “Voiceplay,” showing on the same stage as A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas at 8.10, 9.05, 10.10 and 11.05p. This will please you in direct proportion to the joy you take in slightly thuggish boy band a Capella gestures towards Christmas songs.
There’s some fun other business: free cookies, free hot chocolate (locations on the map, and marked by candy canes), and snow!
There’s also character encounters, some 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…
I am a member of The Tuba Guy fan club, and am sorry I did not get a better shot…
Both sides of the 2015 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. 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 Anna and Elsa and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train see major waits. If you want to see these, 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 evening parade and 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 a little before 9, and then
- Position yourselves near the Castle for Celebrate the Magic, Holiday Wishes, and the second showing of the evening parade.
- After the parade, do more rides or see the shows!
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November 10, 2015 12 Comments
Meet the Authors Tomorrow 5.30p at the Magic Kingdom
Josh (of easyWDW.com) and I will be doing a meet-up, book signing, and giveaway at the Magic Kingdom tomorrow at the Tomorrowland Terrace at 5.30p.
The location is circled in red on the map:
This time allows us to meet both those in the park for a regular day and also those who have come early for the first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party later that evening.
We’ll sign any edition of the Disney World guide book we co-author, The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit–oh, honestly, we’ll sign anything. Plus we’ll have a few copies of The easy Guide to give away!!
The easy Guide is now also available in PDF format!
Come on by!
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November 7, 2015 No Comments
A Friday Visit With Jim Korkis: Why Did Jennings Osborne Have So Many Christmas Lights?
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.
JENNING OSBORNE’S LIGHTS
By Jim Korkis
Sadly, this holiday season is the last for the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney Hollywood Studios. There is always the hope that Disney might relocate the beloved lighting display somewhere else.
William Jennings Osborne, who preferred being called Jennings, was born in 1943. With his loving wife, Mitzi, they founded the Arkansas Research Medical Testing Center in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1968. With the success of the business, the couple bought a large estate in the middle of town.
In 1980, they had a daughter named Allison Brianne who went by the nickname Breezy from her middle name, even as she grew into adulthood. Her father, as might be imagined, was extremely busy with his business and so was not always around. When Breezy was six years old in 1986, he asked her what she wanted for Christmas expecting some type of popular toy on maybe even a pony.
Breezy replied that she wanted to spend time together with her often absent dad hanging lights on the outside of the house for the holidays. Jennings realized that he was missing the most important part of his life, spending time with his young daughter. That Christmas, Jennings extravagantly decorated the outside of the house with over a thousand Christmas lights to the joy of the entire family.
Every year after that, it became a tradition and Jennings kept adding more and more lights. However, Jennings home was located on one of the busiest streets in Little Rock and as the fame of this display spread, it resulted in severe traffic problems as visitors clogged the street to experience the illuminated spectacle.
When neighbors complained, Jennings bought the houses on either side of him and decorated them as well.
The display grew to millions of lights and in 1994 six neighbors filed a lawsuit with the county court that they won which Jennings appealed to the state Supreme Court and lost as well. Finally, Jennings appealed to the United States Supreme Court that was denied and he was ordered to no longer operate the magnificent display.
“I do this to make people happy,” Jennings told the New York Times newspaper in December 1994 to try to rally support. “It just makes me so sad that a few people could ruin something that so many enjoy. Every day is Christmas to me and I want to take everybody along.”
Walt Disney World Executive Vice President Bruce Laval saw the report on CNN and assigned Show Director John Phelan to contact Jennings in the hopes of having an annual Christmas event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to match the ones offered at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
Jennings and his family were huge Disney fans and an arrangement was made. Jennings never received any money for the use of his lights. His family would usually come down to Walt Disney World for about a week during the end of December and be put up as Disney’s treat at the Grand Floridian to visit the parks. The family would come over one night to Disney MGM Studios where a special ceremony was held for Jennings and his daughter Breezy to turn on the lights that evening.
Jennings passed away from complications of heart surgery at the age of 67 in July 2011.
Even though Jennings was ordered to remove his massive light display on his home, he did continue to decorate the outside of his houses in a more modest fashion until his death. He and Breezy still hung some of the decorations themselves.
* * * * *
Thanks, Jim. There’s more on the Osborne Lights here. I’m hoping to see them this weekend, then agian on our December visit. The end of an era…
Come back next Friday for even more from Jim Korkis!
In the meantime, check out his books, including The Vault of Walt
, Who’s Afraid of the Song of the South?, and The Book of Mouse
, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.
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November 6, 2015 1 Comment
Next Week (November 7 Through November 15, 2015) at Walt Disney World
DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: NOVEMBER 7 TO NOVEMBER 15, 2015
The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.
The same stuff is in the graphic, but organized by park, not by topic. For more on November 2015 at Walt Disney World, click here.
Note that Josh and I will be doing a meet up and book signing November 8 at the Magic Kingdom!
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.
OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/7/-11/15/2015
The Magic Kingdom will be open 9a-11p 11/7, 8a-7p 11/8, 9a-11p 11/9, 9a-7p 11/10, 9a-11p 11/11, 9a-7p 11/12, 8a-7p 11/13, 9a-12MN 11/14, and 9a-7p 11/15
Epcot will be open from 9a-9p 11/7 through 11/12, 9a-10p 11/13 and 11/14, and 9a-9p 11/15
Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-8.30p 11/7 and 11/8, 9a-8p 11/9 and 11/10, 9a-8.30p 11/11, 9a-8p 11/12, and 9a-8.30p 11/13 through 11/15
Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-8p 11/7 and 11/8, 9a-7p 11/9 and 11/10, 9a-6p 11/11, 9a-6.30p 11/12, 9a-6p 11/13, and 8a-6.30p 11/14 and 11/15
EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/7/-11/15/2015
Saturday 11/7 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none
Sunday 11/8 Morning: none Evening: Hollywood Studios
Monday 11/9 Morning: Magic Kingdom Evening: none
Tuesday 11/10 Morning: Epcot Evening: none
Wednesday 11/11 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: Magic Kingdom
Thursday 11/12 Morning: none Evening: Epcot
Friday 11/13 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none
Saturday 11/14 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none
Sunday 11/15 Morning: none Evening: Hollywood Studios
PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/7/-11/15/2015
The Magic Kingdom:
- Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p 11/7 through 11/11/9; 5p 1/10 through 11/13; 3p 11/14 and 11/15
- Evening Main Street Electrical Parade: 9 and 11p 11/7, 11/9, 11/11, and 11/14
FIREWORKS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/7-11/15/2015
Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p 11/7, 11/9, 11/11, and 11/14
Illuminations at Epcot: 9p 11/7 through 11/12; 10p 11/13 and 11/14; 9p 11/15
Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 7 and 8.30p 11/7 through 11/9; 7p 11/10 through 11/13; 7 and 8.30p 11/14 and 11/15
SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/7/-11/15/2015
See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.
LONG RANGE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/7/-11/15/2015
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:
Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Google+ or Twitter or Pinterest
November 5, 2015 No Comments
