Greetings fellow Rope Droppers,
Happy Hallows’ Eve Eve! With the final Not-So-Scary Halloween Party tomorrow, the first Christmas Party just eight days away, and overnight decor changes looming at Magic Kingdom, the holiday season is officially tiptoeing in.
With these changes just around the corner, we’re filling you in on all the latest details, plus a My Disney Experience app change, and a heads up reminder on upcoming attraction changes. It’s all in this week’s 4-minute read that started with 444 stories to boil down.
Gabe
First, though, a key change in the My Disney Experience app went live this week. It might be confusing at first, but we think it’s a major and helpful improvement! This change matters for how you’ll manage your day-to-day planning, or find upcoming plans.
Previously, you probably remember the My Day and Future Plans sections led you to different screens to see everything from your dining and hotel reservations to park reservations and Lightning Lane passes.
Here’s what’s new: Now, you’ll just see a My Plans item in the menu. That leads you to a screen with a scrollable date picker. We really like this because:
It’s much easier to get to a specific day, rather than just endlessly scrolling ahead.
Everything within a day is grouped by location, so it’s much easier to see the plans ahead.
Upcoming days now spell out exactly when you can purchase Lightning Lane passes without needing to go to an extra screen.
What do you think about this change?
Disney Parks Blog
There are a lot of holiday updates this week, and that’s because we’re coming up on this season’s reveals. (Don’t worry, outside of the Disney bubble there are still more than 55 days until Christmas!)
First up, food: Disney just gave us a first look at all of the treats that will be available both for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Jollywood Nights - you can check out the full foodie guides here and here.
These are worth checking out, even if you aren’t planning on going to these specially ticketed events this year. That’s because some of the items are available during regular park hours too… we’re eyeing the Gingerbread Milk Shake at Plaza Ice Cream!
Scheduling: Park hours are now live on the WDW website into New Year’s Eve, so if you are planning a visit during this peak time of year, you can start thinking about how to strategically plan your time. As Disney Food Blog noted, Disney has also now posted the times for NYE fireworks. And, remember that as of December 22, regular park guests can catch Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks, per WDWNT.
Reminder: Keep an eye on Disney socials over the next few days, as we’re likely to see the overnight transformation from Halloween to Christmas!
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Last-Minute Pumpkins: If you’re looking to do some carving with the family and need some inspiration, have no fear! These carving stencils are here to the rescue. (Disney Parks Blog)
Grim Grinning Vows: ’Til death do you part(y) at sea? The Haunted Mansion Parlor aboard Disney Destiny will soon be a Fairy Tale Weddings venue starting next May. If you want to tie the knot there, just know this: the venue only holds 25 guests (not 999), and it doesn’t sound like this offering will also be available on the Disney Treasure. (Disney Parks Blog)
Last Call: The Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic is coming up on Nov 14 to 15, with tastes from 17+ eateries and freshly dropped menus to plan your bites. Single-night tickets are $205 ($224.01 with fees) or go two nights for $369 ($403.30). (AllEars)
Santa Queue Returns: Ho-ho heads-up: meeting Santa at Disney Springs is virtual-queue only from Nov 13 to Dec 24. Join via My Disney Experience (no standby). Drops hit 9 AM, 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM, and 6 PM, and you must be physically at Disney Springs to join. (Disney Springs)
Boat Route Change: Magic Kingdom boats now run one loop to Wilderness Lodge first, then Fort Wilderness (no more direct to the Campground), so budget ~35 minutes instead of ~20. Cast Members say this setup is a test for now, but factor in if you’re going soon. (WDWNT)
Disney World
A bunch of operational changes are just ahead. Don’t forget that:
PhilharMagic will be closed starting Saturday, November 1. It’s expected to be back open before the end of the month.
Jungle makes the switch to Jingle Cruise come Monday, November 3. Keep an eye on wait times in the app, and remember this is a Tier 1 Lightning Lane.
“Zootopia: Better Zoogether!” opens next week, on Friday, November 7, taking up residence in what was the “It’s Tough to be a Bug!” theater at Animal Kingdom. Annual Passholders and DVC members have their chance at previews over the next few days.
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure takes a brief break from November 10 to 13. As we detailed last week, the attraction is going 2D.
Welcome foolish mortals… to Walt Disney Imagineering’s Sound Lab! We always like to end on something that makes you laugh or say wow. And this week’s feature is a bit of the latter. Dallas Taylor, who runs a great YouTube series called Inside the World of Sound, recently went behind the scenes at Imagineering HQ.
If you’ve ever wanted to see where the Epcot opening day dialogue was recorded, or how the Ghost Host floats around the room and into your head, you’ve got to check out this episode!
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