Cinderella news takes center stage this week with a new cupcake, castle refurbishments and more in our latest edition of Around the Mouse. Join us as we take a look at what is happening in Walt Disney World this week.
Walt Disney World Theme Parks
Magic Kingdom Park
Reminder! Peter Pan’s Flight Receives New Queue: The new interactive queue has officially debut at Peter Pan’s Flight at Magic Kingdom Park. Guests are now able to watch Tinker Bell fly around and interact with Wendy, John and Michael’s toys. They’ll also see their own shadows come alive on the wall in the children’s nursery and get a sprinkle of pixie dust before they head off into Never Land with Peter Pan.Destinations in Florida‘s owners and their family were among the first the experience these new features during a recent photo shoot for the Disney Parks Blog.
Reminder! Monorail Refurbishments in February and March: The Walt Disney World® Resort Monorail System will undergo refurbishment that will impact the Resort and Express monorail beams on select days in February and March. The modified routes will be in effect on Feb. 3-5, Feb. 9-12, Feb. 23-26 and March 2-5, 2015from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. During these times, Monorails on the Resort beam will travel between Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Magic Kingdom® Park. Monorails on the Express beam will now make an additional stop at Disney’s Contemporary Resort as they travel between Magic Kingdom Park and the Transportation and Ticket Center. Resort Guests traveling to Epcot® can either board a Monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center and transfer to the Epcot line, or they can take a Walt Disney World Resort bus directly from their resorts to Epcot. Monorail service will continue to be available from all stations while this work takes place. Monorail operating hours will remain unchanged. Guests may note a difference in the way they board the Monorail and should allow for additional travel time to reach their destinations. Guests staying at impacted Resorts will receive in-room communication upon their arrival.
Reminder! Construction Crane Behind Cinderella Castle: There will be a construction crane behind Cinderella Castle from Jan. 11-Feb. 21 for the removal of the holiday lights. As a result, the walkway from Sir Mickey’s to Fairytale Garden will be closed. The smoking area next to Sir Mickey’s will be relocated behind Castle Couture.
Epcot
New! Additional Details Revealed about This Year’s Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival: New topiaries will be created for 2015 – All the way from Arendelle, Anna and Elsa topiaries will make their royal debut at this year’s Festival. Set in a garden vignette from the icy “Frozen” world, it’ll be a perfect selfie opportunity at World Showcase Plaza. The new Outdoor Kitchen between France and Morocco pavilions will showcase treats like Cachapas with Farmer’s Cheese, a sweet yellow corn pancake, and Seafood Ceviche with shrimp, scallops and grouper with mango and avocado. Wash it down with the fresh non-alcoholic punch, La Tizana. Add a splash of Santa Teresa RHUM Orange Liqueur for an adult twist. The new concert series, Garden Rocks, spans the decades. Pablo Cruise and The Little River Band will perform on the America Gardens Theatre stage for the first time, while Gin Blossoms (opening weekend!) En Vogue, John Secada and Taylor Dayne are Festival newbies.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
New! Two New Specialty Cupcakes Available: Beginning Feb. 2, you can enjoy a Lady and the Tramp Valentine’s Day red velvet cupcake with dark chocolate ganache or a Cinderella vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting for just $5.19 each. The Lady and The Tramp and Cinderella cupcakes both will be available at the following quick service locations: FairFax Fare, Pizza Planet, Starring Rolls, Backlot Express, ABC Commissary, Studio Catering Co., Rosie’s All American Café and The Trolley Car Café. These cupcakes are included in Disney Dining Plan, the Valentine’s Day cupcake is available through March 1 and the Cinderella cupcake is available through March. 29.
New! Cinderella’s Coach Arrives for Photo Opportunity: The exquisite golden carriage used in the production of Disney’s all-new, live-action “Cinderella” is on display atDisney’s Hollywood Studios! If you’re visiting the park between now and April 11, head down to the movie theater façade on Streets of America, where you’ll find the blue carpet rolled out for this special photo opportunity. It’s your chance to get a picture or snap a selfie with this stunning set piece from the upcoming film. When you do, be sure to share it with #Cinderella.
Reminder! Sorcerers Hat Now Closed for Removal: With the park’s central hub being reconfigured, the Sorcerer’s Hat will be removed and the pin merchandise location was relocated to Sunset Ranch located on Sunset Boulevard beginning Jan. 7. Each day more and more of the Hat is disappearing.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
New! Upcountry Landing Temporarily Closed: Upcountry Landing will be closed Feb 2-5 for refurbishment. You can still pick up a cocktail at Dawa Bar, including the African Margarita. Upcountry Landing will reopen Feb 6th.
New! Daisy Duck Gets New Greeting Location: Daisy Duck is now greeting Guests at the Creature Comforts character set location. The new meet and greet location is across from Creature Comforts on the path to Africa.
Her set times are 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. & 1:40 p.m.-4:40 p.m. daily for all park hours Daisy will no longer greet Guests at the Character Landing location. This location will not be used for meet and greet at this time
Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
New! Authentic Mask Artisan to Appear at Port Orleans: An authentic mask artisan will be available at Jackson Square Gifts and Desires at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter as part of an immersive merchandise program. These New Orleans treasures, including mask necklaces and earrings, will be sold on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.
New! Purple Martin Birdhouses Coming to Caribbean Beach Resort: Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort will welcome some very special Guests to the islands. We are so excited to announce that the resort has been chosen to be part of a company initiative to get families and kids into nature by installing a purple martin birdhouse near the Martinique Beach. The bird house is tentatively scheduled to be installed the week of Feb. 2, 2015, and hopefully the beautiful purple martin birds will begin to migrate.
New! Details Released about Trader Sam’s at Disney’s Polynesian Village: Here is a sneak peek of some of the new beverages coming to Trader Sam‘s Grog Grotto.Trader Sam has a few new tricks up his sleeve—and no, it’s not two of his heads for one of yours—his “head” beverage crafter is concocting new handcrafted cocktails made with authentic premium ingredients in souvenir drink vessels. You’ll feel like beach-combin’ royalty sipping on a Castaway Crush—the tastiest drink this side of wicky-wacky Waikiki. Indulge in the hidden treasures of the Polynesian Pearl or, for a whale-of-a-tale, be sure to try the Nautilus. Other new libations include the Dark & Tropical Stormy (no need to batten down the hatches) and the Tahitian Torch. Be sure to keep a seafaring eye out for favorites imported from Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland Resort such as the Shrunken Zombie Head, Uh-Oa!, Krakatoa Punch, and many more. Sam’s No-Booze Brews will also be available, including the Skipper Sipper, Schweitzer Falls, and Polynesian Punch served in a souvenir sipper.
Reminder! Grand Floridian Cafe to Stay Open Later: The Grand Floridian Cafe is testing new hours between now and Feb 14, 2015. During this time, the restaurant will remain open until 10 pm for dinner.
Reminder! Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows Update: As we’ve previously shared, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort at the Walt Disney World Resort is currently undergoing an exciting transformation. The resort will include the largest Deluxe Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort. The 360 Deluxe Studios will sleep up to five Guests each and have the ability to connect to another Deluxe Studio. These rooms will feature a kitchenette, enhanced storage space, two separate bathroom areas – one a full bathroom with a tub/shower and one with a shower and sink. Plus, a pull-down armoire bed showcases painted artwork from the popular Disney film, “Lilo and Stitch.” The new Disney Vacation Club bungalows are the first of their kind on any Disney property. The 20 bungalows will sleep up to eight Guests each in a home-like setting reminiscent of the South Pacific. Beginning Feb. 11, 2015, you can book Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows as rentals when they are not in use by Disney Vacation Club Members. Please note there will be limited availability for the bungalows.
Walt Disney World Resort – General
New! New Shops Open at Downtown Disney: As Downtown Disney continues to transform into Disney Springs, the first retail locations celebrated their grand openings recently in the area that will be known as The Landing. The first is APEX by Sunglass Hut, which offers the latest in sports and activewear sunglasses. Guests can enjoy immersive displays, including a lens simulator that allows shoppers to test lenses in a variety of environments ranging from the beach, dawn, open water, snow and roadway. The store is located across from Paradiso 37. The second new store is Chapel Hats, which specializes in fashion hats and headwear for all ages. The store carries a variety of hats including fedoras, floppy hats, fascinators and more. The shop is located between Raglan Road and Portobello.
New! Village Causeway Opens Soon: The new Village Causeway, the structure over the water in the Marketplace between Rainforest Café and T-REX, opens to Guests on Friday, Feb. 13.
New! Disney Dollars and Postage Stamps Sale Locations Change: The locations for Disney Dollars and Postage stamps have recently changed: Postage stamps can now be found at Downtown Disney Marketplace at the Stroller and Wheelchair Rental location. Stamps are also available at Walt Disney World Resort front desks and all four theme parks. Disney Dollars can be found at Downtown Disney Marketplace and West Side at Guest Relations. Disney Dollars may also be purchased at Guest Relations in all four theme parks.
New! Shark Reef Operating Hours Change at Typhoon Lagoon: Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park is adjusting the operating hours for the Shark Reef attraction Beginning Feb. 1, Shark Reef will open two hours after park open and close one hour before park close or 5 p.m., whichever is earlier.
New! New Disney Cookbook Debuts at Disney Parks: Disney Parks Blog author Pam Brandon worked with the Disney chefs to create Kitchen Magic With Mickey, a cookbook featuring 100 oft-requested recipes. Included are items such as an elegant Colette Champagne Cocktail from Remy on the Disney Cruise Line, smoked buffalo from Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Boo-Ya Chili at ESPN Club and cheesy enchilada soup from Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café at Disney’s California Adventure park. From high-end to family favorites, this cookbook includes a little bit of everything.
Merchandise Events
February 5 – 23: Meet representatives from Precious Moments Dolls at Once Upon A Toy in Downtown Disney Marketplace as we celebrate the release of the Valentine’s themed collection. Or make a special stop February 20 – 22 and meet creator and designer Linda Rick.
February 9 – 15: Artist Greg McCullough returns this month with special appearances and signings at Art of Disney in Epcot. Be sure to stop by and see what’s ‘in store’ for you!
February 12 – 16: Meet renowned international artist Larry Dotson this month at The Art of Disney, Downtown Disney Marketplace and add a new piece to your collection.
February 13: Drop in if you dare, as we celebrate Friday, the 13th with a special artist showcase featuring Brian Blackmore, Tyler Dumas, Quynh Kimball and Richard Terpstra from 4 – 6 p.m. at Tower Hotel Gifts at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as we celebrate the release of some of their new pieces in the Hollywood Tower Hotel authentic collection.
February 19 – 22: Beloved artist David E. Doss will appear at Art of Disney in Downtown Disney Marketplace February 19 – 22 and again February 26 – March 1. Be sure to stop in and say hello!
Written by Lori Wall: Lori is a lifelong fan and visitor of Walt Disney World! Her love of Disney World has grown through visits with her own family as well as through planning magical vacations for others! Lori is an expert in maximizing vacations while sticking to a travel budget. Contact her about saving an extra 5% off your Disney vacation with an insider tip! Book your vacation with Lori at (845) 698- 0102 or request a price online.