“It’s kind of fun to do the Impossible” – Walt Disney.
Digital artist Chris Alcoran has taken Walt’s quote to a beautiful extreme by combining terrific photos of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure with amazing skyscapes and outerspace visions. The effect is awe-inspiring.
Annual Passholders who pre-ordered online are now receiving their MagicBands in the mail. I just received mine and you can watch my Instagram unboxing video below. All APs can now go through the My Disney Experience website to connect their admissions media with the My Disney Experience App and make Fastpass+ reservations as far as 30 days ahead. You may have any 7 days booked in that rolling 30 day window.
The latest rumor, although there’s no official word from Disney, is that beginning March 31st, just like Annual Passholders, off-site guests will be able to book their Fastpass+ 30 days ahead of time. Guests will be able to enter their ticket information via the My Disney Experience website and have access to the same booking window as APs.
Disney resort guests can book 60-days out. Which is Disney’s big incentive to get you to stay on property (although I always thought that being enveloped in the Magic was enough incentive).
As a local and an annual passholder, I never really know which park I’m going to be at until a few day ahead. If off-site guests and APs share the same booking window, it means I will have to plan at least 30 days ahead to make sure I’m not letting the 10’s of thousands of off-site guests ahead of me in line to reserve their Fastpass times. So far, with only resort guests having an earlier booking window, there have been good options to making FP just a few days out, but with everyone in the pool, it might get more difficult to secure that E-ticket FP+. Making plans 30 days ahead is definitely a change to how I do things now, but I guess I’ll get used to it or I just won’t get many FP+ for popular attractions.
Off-site guests will be able to use their RFID enabled tickets or upgrade to a MagicBand for an, as yet, unannounced price. If you plan to do this on your day of arrival, you might want to allow some extra time in the morning to configure your wristbands. A better strategy might be to head in and enjoy the park in the morning, then get your bands when the park is experiencing mid-day crowds.
Keep in mind that the system is still technically in testing (although as was pointed out to me, when everyone is forced to use it to the exclusion of the old system, it’s not really testing, it’s experimentation). So everything is subject to change.
More details on the MagicBand and Fastpass+ below the jump:
Read More »Online Fastpass+ Reservations To Roll Out To All Guests Very Soon
Trevor Hogg over at Flickering Myth is back with another insightful look at the inner workings of Walt Disney Animation Studios. Fans of Disney’s Frozen will want to read his interview with co-directory Chris Buck about the creation of the animated musical. I knew the… Read More »Frozen Co-Director Chris Buck on Bringing Movie to Life
What an ending last week. It took me a good five minutes to get over the shock of what happened. I feel like I should have seen it coming, but I didn’t. And yes, I’m being vague here in case you haven’t seen it. It… Read More »Once Upon a Time in Wonderland 1-12 Preview: To Catch a Thief
Disney, Marvel, and Netflix have announced they are collaborating on four new series and one mini-series based on the Defenders characters, which will shoot in New York City.
In a press conference, Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, joined NY Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada, in announcing the groundbreaking new deal, which will bring Marvel’s “flawed heroes of Hell’s Kitchen” characters to Netflix.
The project will focus on the four Defenders characters: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Each character will get 13 one-hour episodes, and then their stories will be merged together into a four-to-eight episode mini-series as The Defenders.
Casting hasn’t been announced, yet, but filming is set to begin in the Summer 2014, with Daredevil being the first to air in 2015. Since the series will air on Netflix, expect all 13 episodes to drop at once for binge-viewing.Read More »Marvel to Film Four New Netflix Shows Based on Defenders Characters in New York City
Disney Legend, former Walt Disney Imagineering President, Marty Sklar
I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough stories about the history of Disney’s most beloved attractions. This year’s D23 Destination D event is all about those classic attractions from yesteryear. On November 22 and 23 Disney fans can join D23: The Official Disney Fan Club as Disney archivists, Imagineers, Legends, and luminaries all come together to celebrate fan favorites such as Adventure Thru Inner Space, If You Had Wings, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with rarely seen concept art and images; vintage video clips; and hours of revealing stories. In addition, there will be a full day of presentations dedicated to the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair, which debuted beloved attractions like it’s a small world and Carousel of Progress.
Scheduled presenters and panelists include Disney Legends Marty Sklar, Bob Gurr, and Alice Davis; Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline; Disney and World’s Fair historians Bill Cotter, Stacia Martin, and Michael Kelley.
The weekend will end with an exciting evening event—Pleasure Island: Rewind. This celebration of the Downtown Disney nightlife district will include areas dedicated to the Adventurers Club, Comedy Warehouse, Mannequins, and 8 Trax. And of course there will be a “New Year’s Eve” celebration to cap the night.
Plus, for the first time, Mickey’s of Glendale, the famed Walt Disney Imagineering store, will set up a pop-up shop at the event for attendees, featuring a selection of exclusive Imagineering merchandise as well as limited-edition pins, T-shirts, and collectibles themed to the event. The shop will also carry a special line from H2O Plus, whose products are featured at Disney Resort Hotels.Read More »D23 Destination D: Attraction Rewind Event coming to Disney World this November
Give Kids The World is introducing a new event this year. The “O’Town Mac Down,” is a mac-and-cheese cook-off at the Orange County Convention Center on Saturday, August 23rd. It will be fun for the whole family and support a great cause – Give Kids… Read More »A Delicious Way to Support Give Kids The World – O-Town Mac Down
The Disney Cruise Line is a cruising experience unlike any other. Even if you’re not a diehard Disney fan, you’ll enjoy the famous Disney customer service, entertainment, and dining. With just four ships in the fleet, Disney has been relatively limited in its cruise destinations, only venturing out to far flung ports from time to time. One destination they’ve not yet visited is Norway, but in 2015 they’ll be able to cross the fjords of their list.
In summer 2015, three Disney Cruise Line adventures will explore the Norwegian fjords, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. Plus, Disney Cruise Line is returning to the Baltic for all-new itineraries, including sailings from Copenhagen, Denmark to St. Petersburg, Russia. Cruises to the Mediterranean, Alaska, Caribbean and Bahamas also are included in the 2015 summer lineup.
Bookings open to the public on March 27, 2014. More details on 2015 itineraries can be found on the Itineraries and Ports for 2015 section of disneycruise.com.
More details on the Norwegian cruises below the jump:
Read More »Disney Cruise Line Adds Norway Adventure To Itinerary