Did you know that Splash Mountain in the Magic Kingdom in Orlando will be closing as of January 23, 2023 for a complete retheming based on Tiana? Be sure to ride by the 22nd if this is one of your favorites.
Splash Mountain Closing
Category: Travel Places
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it!
Happy Holidays to those who celebrate any of the holidays!
Besides watching the yule log on TV, you can also tune into the Disney parks Magical Christmas Day Parade at 10am EST on ABC and Hulu.
Making the Disney Wish
Check out this documentary on the making of the Disney Wish, Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, at 9pm EST on December 24, 2022 on the National Geographic Channel.
Hopefully, it will be available on Disney+ soon thereafter as well. We sailed on the Wish this past August and it is gorgeous!
Disney Cruise Line Early 2024 Itineraries
Need a last minute holiday present idea?
Disney Cruise Line has announced new itineraries into early 2024. Booking is open now for all guests!
Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about these cruises.
Holidays at Universal
The holidays have started at Universal Orlando! Join the Grinch, Manheim Steamroller, and our friends in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter for all sorts of fun!
See the Grinchmas Wholiday Spectacular for a live retelling of the classic holiday tale starring the Grinch. You can also meet the Grinch himself and Earl the Squirrel, Universal’s mini celebrity, at various times of the day.
Listen to joyous holiday tunes by Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees, the Frog Choir, and the iconic holiday sensation, Manheim Steamroller. Manheim Steamroller will play live performances on the Music Plaza Stage at 7pm on Dec 3, 4, 10, & 11. Admission included with your park ticket.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will join in the festivities with holiday decor and the gorgeous projection show against the Hogwarts Castle on most nights from dusk to park close.
Don’t miss the fun holiday parade featuring the gigantic Macy’s parade balloons, popular Universal characters, and of course, Santa Claus!
Of course, there will be plenty of holiday themed food for your belly and merchandise for your shopping list.
Special events include The Grinch™ & Friends Character Breakfast. Join the mean green one himself and the Whos too for a morning feast. Start your day with a tasty buffet with food and fun for everyone. Additional ticket purchase required.
You can also join in the celebration with the Universal Holiday Tour on this 4.5 hour evening event. Experience special meet and greets, foods, shows, and more during a special walking tour around the parks. Additional ticket purchase required.
We plan to join in the holiday fun at Universal this year. Stay tuned for trip reports. Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about a Universal trip.
Pics © Universal
Mickey’s Toontown reopens March 8, 2023
In honor of Mickey’s and Minnie’s birthdays today, Disneyland Resort has announced the official reopening date of Mickey’s Toontown in Disneyland Park in California. It will reopen on March 8, 2023!
Mickey’s Toontown is undergoing an ambitious reimagining, and will reopen with some all-new experiences for families and young children to have more opportunities to play together inside Disneyland Park.
The reimagined Mickey’s Toontown will provide open, grassy play spaces and interactive play areas for everyone to unwind, starting with CenTOONial Park, the first space guests will see when they enter the land.
In addition, you can step inside Mickey’s, Minnie’s, Goofy’s, and Donald’s houses for additional interactive fun.
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin will return, where Guests can board Lenny the Cab and spin through the streets and alleys of Toontown as they follow the adventures of Roger Rabbit.
Climb aboard Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster, where Mickey’s Toontown’s favorite tinkerer, Gadget Hackwrench, has created a one-of-a-kind, fun-sized coaster for the town’s tiniest citizens.
Two new places will satisfy your appetites in the land: Café Daisy, where acclaimed culinary expert, Daisy Duck, serves up diner classics at her sidewalk table eatery; and the Toontown Farmers Market at Good Boy! Grocers, a friendly roadside stand, offering grab and go drinks and treats.
It will also be home to the new attraction, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway! Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway will open sooner, on Jan 27th, when the Disney 100 Years of Wonder Celebration comes to life at Disneyland Resort!
Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about planning a Disney trip.
©Disney
Disney Cruise Line Purchased a Ship
Exciting news!
Disney Cruise Line announced today that they have bought a ship that is already three quarters completed and will be able to launch in 2025!
Its previous owner declared bankruptcy and DCL was able to buy it in order to expand its cruise services.
This ship is slated to port outside the United States. The rumor is that it’ll be based in Asia, so that could be really neat, especially if it ports near the Disney parks there.
They will still apply the iconic Disney ship colors and red funnels on the exterior, but no word yet on details for the interior. Can’t wait to hear more! I’ll keep you posted.
Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about Disney cruises. We love them! I still have to catch up and post about our last cruise in October. Any guesses where we went? My pic above is from that sailing.
Holidays at Disney World
The holidays have arrived at Disney World in Orlando! All of the parks and resorts are decked out in their holiday finest.
Cinderella Castle is providing a gorgeous backdrop for holiday projections. Huge Christmas trees and gingerbread houses have sprung up everywhere! Christmas music is pumping thru the speakers. The smell of holiday treats is wafting thru the air. Can you picture it now?
The Magic Kingdom is hosting the Very Merry Christmas Party on select nights. I did a post on it awhile back so I won’t rehash everything here. Check out the party post.
EPCOT will be hosting the Festival of the Holidays and the Candlelight Processional with tons of fun foods and new narrators, respectively. Check out my festival post about this also.
There will also be new entertainment and holiday storytellers around the World Showcase, including Canadian Holiday Voyageurs, Las Posadas with Mariachi Cobre, the Chinese Lion Dance and more.
The exciting new ride, Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, will even have a new seasonal playlist! Have you ridden that yet? It’s such a cool ride!
Make sure to catch the Santa Claus Merry Motorcade, where old St. Nick will travel up Hollywood Blvd at Hollywood Studios.
At Animal Kingdom, see the Tree of Life Awakenings – Holiday Edition, where the iconic tree shimmers each evening to holiday music. The flotillas will also have holiday touches and the Merry Menagerie puppets will again roam Discovery Island. They’re really amazing!
Many resorts will also have holiday decor, treats, and gorgeous trees or gingerbread houses. Be sure to go resort hopping. You don’t need to be staying there to visit them.
Disney Springs is also joining in the festivities with many shops and restaurants offering holiday specials. You can also partake in a Christmas tree scavenger hunt with the Christmas Tree Stroll.
The PhotoPass service will also have special holiday themed shots. Don’t forget to ask for them.
As you can see, there are so many ways to celebrate the holidays at Disney World. I haven’t even mentioned all of them. For more details, visit the Disney World Holidays page.
Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about your Disney trip. We’re in the process of planning our own holiday Disney trip. We love the holidays at Disney! So excited!
Pics ©Disney
Holidays Begin at Disneyland
The holidays begin today at Disney! Let’s see what Disneyland in California has to do offer. The celebration runs from November 11, 2022 – January 8, 2023.
The Christmas Fantasy Parade will take place at Disneyland Park each day, usually at 3:30pm and 6:30pm, though check your app for the latest showtimes. Your favorite Disney characters will join Santa Claus for a merry musical celebration down Main Street, U.S.A. Gotta love those toy soldiers too!
Some rides, including the Haunted Mansion, “it’s a small world”, Mater’s Jamboree, and Luigi’s Rollicki’ Roadsters, will have holiday overlays.
Of course, there will be holiday decorations all over the parks and resorts too. Sleeping Beauty’s castle will be extra shimmery!
Don’t miss the nighttime shows! Disneyland Park will have the “Believe…In Holiday Magic” fireworks and California Adventure Park will have the “World of Color – Season of Light” spectacular.
California Adventure Park will host the Festival of Holidays, a celebration of diverse cultural festivities with music, food and fun from the traditions of Christmas, Navidad, Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa and Three King’s Day.
Of course, there will be plenty of other holiday foods and seasonal merchandise around both parks.
For more details, visit the Disneyland Holidays page.
If you want to chat about planning a Disney trip, feel free to contact me. We’re in the midst of planning a trip ourselves for the holidays! Hope to see you there!
Happy Holidays!
Pics ©Disney
Honoring Veterans
Today is Veterans Day in the United States. We honor and thank all military personnel and their families.
Many places are offering ways to honor the military. One of them is the US National Park Service. Many national parks have direct connections to the American military—there are dozens of battlefields, military parks, and historic sites that commemorate and honor the service of American veterans.
The National Park Service invites all visitors to remember our veterans by visiting any National Park Service site for free on Veterans Day (November 11).
In addition, they offer a free Military Pass as a way to thank current US military members and their dependents, Gold Star Families, and US military veterans for their support of our country and to encourage them to explore recreational opportunities on their public lands and waters.
For more information, visit the National Park Service Veterans Day page.
Feel free to contact me if you’d like to chat more about a national parks trip.
© National Park Service
Adventures By Anne 