Around the Mouse: Walt Disney World News, October 8th, 2014

Around the Mouse: Walt Disney World News, October 2, 2014

Walt Disney World Theme Park News

Magic Kingdom Park

New! Some Nights Sold Out for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party: Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is officially sold out for October 30 and 31. Currently, tickets are still available for:  Oct 3, 5, 9, 10, 13, 17, 19, 21, 23, 24, 26, and 28.

Reminder! Monorail Service Hours Adjustment: Effective the night of Sept. 27, the Walt Disney World daily monorail service will run:

• on the Magic Kingdom Resort beam until 1 hour after park close and resume every morning beginning at 7 a.m.
• on the Epcot beam until 1 hour after Magic Kingdom Park closes or 11 p.m. (whichever is earlier) and resume every morning at 8 a.m.
• on the Magic Kingdom Express beam until 1 hour after park close and resume every morning at 8:30 a.m.

Epcot

New! ‘Frozen’ Actor Jonathan Groff and ‘Scandal’ Actor Joe Morton Coming to Candlelight Processional: Jonathan Groff has been added to the lineup of celebrity narrators for the 2014 Candlelight Processional at Epcot. Groff voiced Kristoff in Disney’s ‘Frozen’ and is also a Tony-nominated veteran of the Broadway stage (“Spring Awakening”) and TV (“Glee”). He will appear in Candlelight Processional Dec 3-4, 2014. This year’s event will also have a little “Scandal” with everyone’s favorite Gladiator Papa Pope Joe Morton, who plays Kerry Washington’s secret-agent-father on Scandal. Morton’s career has spanned more than 40 years with hits on Broadway, TV and in film. He will appear at Epcot 12/12 – 12/14. The Candlelight Processional is presented three times per night at the American Gardens Theater at Epcot. Show times are 5 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. (Narrators are subject to change without notice.)

 

 

 

New! Halloween Cupcake Now Available:  Sunshine Seasons at Epcot is brewing up a chocolate Witch Cupcake with a peanut butter filling. If you’re craving carrot cake, head to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for their tasty take on this cupcake.

 

Reminder! Frozen-themed Attraction and Character Meet Coming to Epcot: Construction will soon begin on a new “Frozen” attraction at the Norway Pavilion. Replacing Maelstrom, the attraction will immerse Guests in many of their favorite moments from the film. There will also be a royal greeting location where Anna and Elsa can meet our Guests. These “Frozen” elements will be great complements to the Norway Pavilion, which showcases the country and region that inspired the film. In order for work to begin on the attraction and character greeting area, Maelstrom will have its last day of operation on October 5. The Norway Pavilion will remain open through construction.

Reminder! Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Under Way: From now until November 10, taste your way around the world at 28 International Marketplaces. Remember to check out  the Eat to the Beat Concert Series at America Gardens Theatre at 5:30, 6:45 and 8 p.m.. There are also many special festival experiences at the Festival Welcome Center hosted by Transitions® adaptive lenses™ – open daily 9 a.m. – park close including: Culinary demonstrations – daily at 1, 3 and 5 p.m. ($15 per person); Wine and beverage seminars – daily at 12, 2 and 4 p.m. ($15 per person); Mixology seminars – daily at 6 p.m. ($15 per person); The Chocolate Experience: From Bean to the Bar- Hosted by Ghirardelli® Chocolate Company – daily from 9 a.m. – park close (Free); Back to Basics (new this year!) – Sundays at 12:15, 2:15, 4:15 and 6:15 p.m.; Book, bottle signings and meet and greets; Seasons of the Vine film; Intermissions Cafe – 9 a.m. – park close; The Festival Center Wine Shop and The Stockpot Shop – 9 a.m. – park close. Check out of photos of the Festival here.

Reminder: World Showcase Performers’ Final Shows Held Last Weekend: We bid a fond farewell to Mo’Rockin’, Off Kilter, Spirit of America Fife & Drum Corps last weekend as they all had their final performances Saturday, Sept 27. World Showcase Players had already given their final performance at the UK Pavilion. New experiences debuting over the next several months will contribute to the rich mix of entertainment at Epcot, and provide fresh experiences for our guests. In the near future, you can look forward to enjoying a traditional Berber music and dance troupe in Morocco, a corps of dynamic flag-waving performers in Italy, a thrilling lumberjack-inspired show in Canada, a Celtic folk music ensemble at the United Kingdom, and more.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

New! Frozen Holiday Premium Package Coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios: A new Frozen Holiday Premium Package was announced this week!  Offered November 7 – 19, November 21 – December 9 and December 11 – January 4, 2015, this package includes reserved seating for a performance of “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration” at the Premiere Theatre, and reserved Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights viewing and Frozen-themed dessert party (which will feature mini Anna cupcakes and mini Elsa cupcake, among other delicious treats) in the evening, and a holiday themed lithograph and “Frozen” pin. The package costs $89 per adult and $59 per child (ages 3 – 9), plus tax (gratuity is included). Valid theme park admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios is required and is not included in this package price.

 

 

New! Specialty Halloween Cupcake Now Available:  A Halloween specialty cupcake is now available at select quick service locations at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This Halloween carrot cupcake is anything but bad luck! Instead, it will charm your day! For just $5.19 each, this treat will be available at the following quick service locations: FairFax Fare, Pizza Planet, Starring Rolls, Backlot Express, ABC Commissary, Studio Catering Co., and Rosie’s All American Café. This treat is included in Disney Dining Plan and available through Nov. 2.

Reminder! Removal of Some Frozen Activities at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: “Frozen Summer Fun LIVE!” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios was a huge hit with Guests this summer and was recently extended through  September 28. Although some elements, including the royal procession, ice-skating, and “Frozen Fireworks,” melted away at the end of the month, two popular features are now set to continue. “For the First Time in Forever: A ‘Frozen’ Sing-Along Celebration,” a hilarious and interactive presentation of the “Frozen” story, is being extended indefinitely. The show is presented up to 10 times per day in the park’s Premiere Theater on Streets of America, and Disney Fastpass+ service is now available. Wandering Oaken’s will be moving on September 28 from Soundstage One to a new space, in Streets of America near the exit of the Studio Backlot Tour. The new Wandering Oaken’s, expected to operate through the holiday season, will feature a larger-than-ever play area with real snow, plenty of “Frozen” merchandise, character cupcakes, and other treats.

Reminder! The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend Oct. 3-4: runDisney will host the 2014 The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend Friday, Oct. 3, through Saturday, Oct. 4. This weekend includes Disney Happy Haunted 5K Trail Run on Saturday, Oct. 4, 7:30 a.m., runDisney Kids Races on Saturday, Oct. 4, 9:30 a.m., The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler on Saturday, Oct. 4, 10 p.m., Disney Villains Hollywood Bash on Saturday, Oct. 4-Sunday, Oct. 5, 10 p.m.-3:30 a.m. at Location: Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

New! Character Dining Times Extended at Tusker House: From Oct. 4 to Dec. 24, Tusker House will extend their character dining hours to 5 p.m. However, when park hours are until 7 p.m. or later, a dinner buffet without characters is offered from 6:15 p.m. to park close. During this time, the following character dining experiences will be offered: Breakfast: 8-10:55 a.m., Lunch: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., *Lunch extends to 5:30 p.m. if the park is open until 6 p.m.

New! Halloween Treats Now Available: Kusafiri Bakery and Isle of Java in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park are serving up creepy concoctions. There’s an adorable demitasse mug, which combines some of our favorite things—Minnie Mouse, pumpkins and chocolate mousse. If you’re in the mood for something more substantial, the chocolate brownie with spooky sprinkles is to die for, while a sweet pumpkin muffin is a perfect way to start a fall morning.  adore gummy candies, so I was especially excited about the Spooky Worms ‘n Dirt Sundae from Discovery Island Ice Cream. A scoop of your favorite flavor gets topped with crushed chocolate cookies, gummy worms, whipped cream and spooky sprinkles. You’ll also find the frightful Bat Cupcake—chocolate cake topped with white icing, sprinkles and a chocolate bat.

 

 

New! Food and Beverage Now Available at Out of the Wild: Out of the Wild, the merchandise location at Rafiki’s Planet Watch, will begin offering food and beverage items starting Sept. 30. Guests can purchase snacks, such as fresh fruit cups, hummus and apples with caramel, bottled sodas and ice cream treats.

New! Trilo-Bites to Reopen: Trilo-Bites, located in DinoLand U.S.A., will reopen Oct. 5. Stop by and try one of the specialty waffle desserts or ice cream offerings.

Walt Disney World Hotel News

New! Regular Operating Hours Resumed at Senses – a Disney Spa: As of Sunday, Sept. 28, Senses – A Disney Spa locations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort returned to regular operating hours, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

New! African Wood-carver Andrew Mutiso at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge welcomed Andrew Mutiso, an African wood-carver, who will be selling his crafts at Zawadi Marketplace throughout October. Disney received an overwhelming number requests regarding authentic carved African animals, so in order to enhance our Guests’ experience, Andrew will do wood carving in the merchandise shop. His carvings will then go on sale. Andrew will be at Zawadi Marketplace on from 7-10 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays throughout October. Although the live wood-carving experience only occurs from 7-10 p.m. on select nights, the finished wood carvings will be available for purchase throughout the day. Pricing will range from $20 to $700.

Walt Disney World Updates and Mousecellaneous News

New! Incredible New Animated Wedding Cake Available for Disney Weddings: Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings unveiled new technology this past Saturday- A wedding cake that’s a living piece of art! With imagery that scrolls over icing like a mini movie, Walt Disney World Resort wedding cakes can now be transformed with fully customizable image mapping projection technology. Whether you want to showcase a photo slideshow, home video or your favorite quote, fondant is refashioned into an enchanted canvas.

New! Walt Disney World Park Rules Updated: In an effort to make park rules clearer and more consistent at Disney Parks worldwide, Disney has made some updates to existing rules. They have also made them easier to find on their websites and they have added some of the rules to new signs at the theme park entries. To review of Disney Parks Rules, visit www.disneyland.com/parkrules and www.disneyworld.com/parkrules.

New! La Nouba “Dinner & A Show” package: On sale now, with shows starting on Tuesday, September 30, guests can purchase a special “Dinner & A Show” package that include a ticket to the 6:00 p.m. “La Nouba” show plus dinner – an entrée, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage – at one of three Downtown Disney West Side restaurants: Wolfgang Puck Café, Planet Hollywood or Splitsville Luxury Lanes. With an option to dine by 4:30 p.m. before the show, or make it a later evening with a post-performance dinner after 8:00 p.m., there’s an option for everyone.

New! Haunted Mansion Attraction T-shirts Available Online: The Disney Parks online store continues its attraction poster T-shirt series this month with a salute to the Haunted Mansion. The Haunted Mansion shirt is a Hanes Beefy-T shirt and will be sold online from October 6-12, 2014.  To order the shirts, visit http://www.DisneyStore.com/ParkEvents starting October 6. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. There will also be a special promotion offering two shirts for $40.00 (plus tax). The shirts are normally $24.95 each.

 

New! Castaway Cay Challenge Medal Revealed: Runners love the runDisney race bling!  Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend runners who registered for the Disney Cruise Line Castaway Cay Challenge will not be disappointed as Disney has revealed the treasure waiting for them at Disney’s private island in the Bahamas. The inaugural Castaway Cay Challenge takes place in January 2015. Hundreds of runners are combining the excitement of participating in a marathon weekend event with a four-night cruise aboard the Disney Dream. After running their event at Walt Disney World Resort, challenge participants set sail on a four-night cruise and run the Castaway Cay 5K to earn the inaugural Castaway Cay Challenge finisher medal. They will also enjoy exclusive runDisney activities throughout the cruise, including featured menu items, guest speaker session and special merchandise. Now some of you might be wondering how can I get one of these amazing medals? If you are registered for the 2015 Disney Princess Half Marathon you still have the opportunity to claim your treasure. Registered runners can book the four-night cruise aboard the Disney Dream departing Feb. 23 from Port Canaveral, and participate in the Castaway Cay Challenge.

Closures and Refurbishments

Click here to view the latest renovations and closures at Walt Disney World Resort.