Category: News

Disney Answer to Elf of the Shelf is Holiday Mischief with Stitch
Move over Elf on the Shelf and make way for everyone’s favorite mischievous experiment 626. This year Disney is bringing you a new holiday tradition called Holiday Mischief with Stitch.

Now you can bring in the holidays with a poseable Stitch wearing a Santa hat and letting everyone know if he’s decided to be naughty or nice as he hides throughout your home.

This loving but sometimes trouble maker will come home with you in a box set with his own story. Read the story with the hard covered book titled Holiday Mischief with Stitch and let your holiday traditions be filled with this new Disney adventure now sold at Shopdisney.com

Magic in the details
- Gift set includes book and plush
- Author: Elizabeth Schaefer
- Illustrated by the Disney Storybook Team
- 24 pages
- Hardcover
- Poseable Stitch plush
- Embroidered detailing
- Santa hat with aloha print and furry trims
- Embroidered ”Naughty” or Nice” pom pom
- Beans in bottom
- Comes in holiday gift box display packaging with ”To and From” label
With the holidays approaching fast, we have a feeling this famous Disney character will be flying off the store shelves and making his way onto yours.
October 20, 2018
FIRST LOOK: Brand New Merchandise Debuting at the New World of Disney

As we previously reported, World of Disney in Disney Spring has been undergoing a major remodel this year. It’s finally open and yesterday we got a Sneak Peek at all the new changes!

World owf Disney is the flagship retail destination featuring the world’s largest collection of Disney theme merchandise; and the remodel fits in perfectly with the 1930’s American Craftsman style in this section of Disney Springs.

The separate, disjointed room of the old store have all been opened up to create a better flow, with wide open walkways for guests. The new World of Disney now feels more like an upscale department store.

The new Mouseketeer Collection also debuted yesterday at World of Disney. This brand new collection has just the right amount of vintage nostalgia mixed with updated styles and fabrics. A Disney merchandise spokesman told me that this line will probably make its way to the parks in November 2018.

Christmas merchandise was also on display! Many of this years designs feature a ‘Nordic Christmas’ pattern, which is carried out on pajamas, apparel, pillows, and other family friendly items. The second holiday collection is ‘Turn of the Century’, which focuses on items like signs, ornaments, and some home goods like soup mugs, and plates.

I think this redesign is simply Magical and certainly worth checking out on your next trip to Disney Springs! Let us know in the comments what you think.

Stay tuned next week for another article detailing the official Grand Opening and ribbon cutting ceremony taking place soon, and more articles delving deeper into the Mouseketeer and Christmas lines!

Don’t forget to contact Merlin’s Cauldron for all your Disney Shopping needs.

October 19, 2018
CONFIRMED: Disney Opening New Resort on Abandoned River Country Site

As we previously reported Disney has been laying the ground work for a new resort near Bay Lake. Thursday, the company confirmed in a statement that they are indeed building a new hotel where the former River Country water park was once located.

A new nature-inspired, mixed-use Disney resort will welcome families in 2022 along the picturesque shoreline of Bay Lake. Located between Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, this resort project joins three others underway at Walt Disney World Resort, bringing a total of more than 1,700 new hotel rooms and proposed Disney Vacation Club villas online over the next four years.

The deluxe resort, which will be themed to complement its natural surroundings, will include more than 900 hotel rooms and proposed Disney Vacation Club villas spread across a variety of unique accommodation types.

“Walt Disney World is in the midst of our most significant expansion in the last two decades and the combined 1,700 new hotel rooms and proposed Disney Vacation Club villas we are building at four different resorts will create thousands of new construction and permanent jobs and will drive economic opportunity and incremental revenue for Central Florida,” said George A. Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort. “We continue to add new attractions, new lands — and these beautiful accommodations will be right in the heart of all that magic.”

The soon-to-be named resort is slated to be Disney’s 16th Disney Vacation Club property and it will continue to build on the value and flexibility of a Disney Vacation Club membership.

“This resort experience will be a celebration of Walt Disney’s lifelong love and respect for nature, with some fun and even surprising accommodation types that families will find irresistible,” said Terri Schultz, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Vacation Club. “It will give our members and guests yet another opportunity to stay in close proximity to all the newest attractions and experiences in our theme parks, and with the flexibility, value and world-class service families expect from Disney.”

The new resort projects join a flurry of expansion at Walt Disney World Resort, including the highly successful Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the recent debut of Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In early 2019, Walt Disney World will unveil a collection of shows, parties, Disney character interactions and more that will allow guests to cherish time with family and friends. And later in the year, guests will be able to travel to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where they can live out their own adventures in a galaxy far, far away. Guests will realize now more than ever is the perfect time to experience all of the fun and magic of a Walt Disney World vacation.

October 19, 2018
Tennessee Couple Visits 6 Disney Parks on 2 Coasts in 1 Day

Have you ever wished you could visit all 6 Disney Parks in the U.S. in one day? Well, one couple from Tennessee Did just that as they visited Disney World’s four theme parks in Florida, then hopped a cross-country plane and ended the night at Disney’s two California parks.

The mission… Visit every Disney theme park in the United States in less than 24 hours. The couple embarked on the Disney adventure of a lifetime on Wednesday and they did just that.

Heather and Clark Ensminger arrived in Orlando Tuesday night and spent the evening at Disney Springs relaxing before their grand endeavor. Their carefully planned agenda included at least one attraction and a bite to eat at each park, so they started their magical day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as the sun rose over Toy Story Land. From there, they hopped to Epcot for a trip back through history on Spaceship Earth, then skipped over to Magic Kingdom Park to meet Mickey Mouse. Their visit to Walt Disney World Resort concluded with lunch and some fun at Disney’s Animal Kingdom before racing off to the airport.

After a cross-country flight to Los Angeles, the Ensmingers slid into Disney California Adventure park before it closed to experience Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! They then jaunted across the Esplanade to conclude their own version of a Disney marathon at Disneyland park.

The couple knew this day could bring some logistical challenges, but they went into it with a lot of experience. The parents of four children all under 10 are Disney park veterans; they made the 10-hour drive from eastern Tennessee to Walt Disney World six different times over a 12-month span from 2017-2018. “In that year, we calculated we spent over a month at Walt Disney World!” Clark said with a laugh. (The kids stayed home with family on this trip.)

While stepping foot inside every Disney park on the continent was a joy unto itself, the Ensmingers said this trip meant a great deal to them in a very personal way. Heather’s father passed away unexpectedly last October, just days before the family was due to visit Walt Disney World together. “As the anniversary of his passing got a little closer, I was sort of having a hard time,” Heather said. “Unbeknownst to me, my husband started planning this special trip to surprise me.” The surprise was accidentally spoiled about a month ago by a random e-mail, but Heather said “it turned out OK” because she had fun helping make the final arrangements.

So what is it about Disney parks that enticed this husband-and-wife duo to attempt a trip like this? “It’s the magic,” Heather said. “We’ve experienced tons of pixie dust over the years – the cast members always go out of their way to make things special.”

And that was true yet again over the course of this 24-hour sprint, Clark added: “It’s just been a dream come true.”

October 18, 2018
Keira Knightley Bans Her Daughter From Seeing These Disney Movies

Keira Knightley, best known for her role as Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean, is a Disney regular at this point. She is also starring in Disney’s upcoming “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” but that doesn’t mean she agrees with the messages in every Disney movie the studio has released.

The 33-year-old British actress was recently on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and she says her 3-year-old daughter, Edie Knightley Righton, is “banned” from watching certain Disney movies.

On the list is the 1950 animated classic “Cinderella.” “Banned,” Knightley said, “because she waits around for a rich guy to rescue her. Don’t! Rescue yourself, obviously!” Take a look at the interview below.

Another film to make the banned list is “The Little Mermaid.” This one has her “quite annoyed,” says Knightley, “because I really like the film.”

“I mean, the songs are great, but do not give your voice up for a man. Hello!” she told host Ellen DeGeneres. “But the problem with ‘The Little Mermaid’ is I love ‘The Little Mermaid!’ That one’s a little tricky — but I’m keeping to it.”

Knightley’s passionate take on the feminist issues surrounding princess plots is no surprise, as she recently contributed an essay about giving birth to the book Feminists Don’t Wear Pink and Other Lies.

October 18, 2018
New Date-Based Tickets Now Available at Disney World Resort

As we previously announced, Disney World is implementing a new system that allows you to purchase tickets priced by the date of visit on. As of Oct. 16, guests can now access a new online vacation-planning destination where they can now purchase date-based tickets.

Like before, tickets may be purchased on DisneyWorld.com, in the My Disney Experience app, over the phone, upon arrival at any of the four parks or through authorized travel professionals and ticket sellers. Guests can now access several new online planning tools including park offering overviews, travel tips from Disney Parks Moms Panelists and customized suggestions based on each guest’s personal preferences – helping them make more informed decisions on DisneyWorld.com.

Guests are also able to purchase tickets using an interactive online calendar, which displays different ticket prices based on the dates they choose to visit. Check out the video below for a quick overview on how this works – it’s easy and simple.

Compared to previous pricing*, some tickets have decreased, increased or stayed the same, depending on the start date and length of the ticket. For example, a guest purchasing a 3-day ticket with a start date of Feb. 10, 2019 will now actually pay $4 less per day than they would have before. A Guest purchasing a 6-day ticket with a start date of this Thanksgiving will now pay a little more – an average of $5 per day – since it’s one of the most popular times of year to visit.

As our parks continue to increase in popularity, this new pricing model is part of our broader efforts to better spread attendance throughout the year, and is intended to help us improve and deliver a great experience for our guests. We continue to grow with industry-leading immersive lands like Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Toy Story Land and the upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and we’re also looking forward to opening even more attractions that take creative storytelling to the next level.

Once your ticket is purchased, you are able to continue planning your visit with the newly-refreshed My Disney Experience, the one-stop shop for your Walt Disney World Resort vacation, where you can view or change your tickets, book dining reservations, make FastPass+ selections and more.

October 17, 2018
Holiday Fun Coming to Toy Story Land This November

Toy Story Land will be joining in the Holiday fun this year with decorations, holiday music, and special outfits for your favorite characters!

Starting November 8th, 2018 guests will greeted with new holiday decor, including oversized cranberry-and-popcorn garland, the chance to take a holiday card “selfie” of “Toy Story” pals, an oversized Hamm sugar cookie, Green Alien ornaments and more. There will also be holiday music to really spruce up this new land! Guests will hear sleigh bells ringing on Slinky Dog Dash, while Alien Swirling Saucers will offer two holiday tracks, and holiday themed lighting.

Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear don’t want to be left out of the fun, so they’ll be joining in the festivities with new holiday accessories. Woody’s trading in his cow print vest for a red holiday version, featuring a Christmas tree, and a present. He’s also adding an oversized candy cane to his holster, which looks like a perfect photo prop to me! Jessie will be wearing a green vest with peppermints adorning it, and Buzz is celebrating with a sparkly Santa hat.

Make sure you don’t miss any of the Holiday fun this year at Hollywood Studios Toy Story Land. Contact Kimberly at Enchanted Kingdom Vacations with Kimberly to start planning your Magical Vacation now!

October 17, 2018
Disneyland Paris Brings Mickey, Marvel and More in 2019

If you haven’t had an opportunity to visit Disneyland Paris then 2019 is your chance! Disneyland Paris announced this week an incredible series of exclusive new and returning experiences, starting this holiday season into 2019.

The resort has announced several “mouse”-do events celebrating Mickey’s 90th, including Mickey and his PhilharMagique Orchestra at the Discoveryland Theatre. The Big Cheese also appears in a ghoulish new float, Mickey’s Illusion Manor, during the park’s Halloween parade, and in the new “A Surprise For Mickey!” interactive show at Walt Disney Studios Parks during the Christmas season.

Over the holidays, get ready to deck the halls for an Enchanted Christmas from November 10th through January 6th. Savor the most wonderful time of the year in Town Square where a giant Christmas tree will stand stately as a daily, gentle snowfall completes the postcard-perfect winter wonderland on Main Street, U.S.A.

You can bet Mickey and his friends will put on their jolly holiday best to bring glad tidings to each guest, whether they watch Mickey drum in Mickey’s Big Band Christmas or catch everyone’s favorite goofball in Goofy’s Incredible Christmas.

The new year will ring in the return of the Pirates and Princesses Festival from January 19th through March 17, 2019. In tandem with the swashbuckling and sovereignty, Legends of the Force: A Celebration of Star Wars will make the jump to lightspeed from January 12th through March 17th. Have you ever wanted to hug Chewbacca in person? This year you’ll be able to fulfill that dream and more whether you pledge allegiance to the Light Side or Dark Side of the Force.

Avengers, assemble! The Marvel Super Heroes will once again protect and take over Walt Disney Studios Park in 2019, and this time a new hero will join them. Can you guess who? If you answered, “I am Groot,” you’re correct! Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America and more of your favorite Avengers will also appear in thrilling shows and experiences.

In addition to the return of seasonal favorites, the new Festival of the Lion King and Jungle will go wild from July through September 2019. Immerse yourself in the circle of life and the bear necessities for a vibrant, exotic journey featuring Simba, Timon, Pumbaa and Baloo.

Another year memories await at Disneyland Paris, and all that’s missing is you! Allez-y!

October 15, 2018
Disney Debuts First Live-Action Aladdin Teaser Trailer

This genie cannot go back in the bottle! Disney has released the first teaser trailer for the live-action remake of Aladdin and it is stunningly magical.

The 1992 animated hit that earned more than $500 million worldwide doesn’t give much away, but we do get a glimpse of Aladdin himself going through the magical cave and laying his hands on the Genie’s lamp.

We hear a familiar voice posing a warning to Aladdin before he goes inside: “Only one may enter here. One whose worth lies far within. The diamond in the rough.” Take a look at the entire teaser below.

Based on a tale from The Arabian Nights, the film is a live-action adaptation of Disney’s animated classic. The Guy Ritchie film stars Egypt-born Canadian actor Mena Massoud as Aladdin, alongside Will Smith as the Genie. It hits theaters on May 24, 2019.

October 12, 2018
Disney Cancels Plans For Luxury Hotel in Anaheim After Feud With City

Walt Disney Co. has canceled its plans to create a four-diamond luxury hotel in the Disneyland Resort’s shopping district after tax incentives promised by Anaheim were taken off the table.

On Wednesday, the company officially pulled the plug on the planned 700-room hotel. Construction on the project was supposed to start this summer and Disney had already cleared out many long time tenants of Downtown Disney to make room for the proposed resort.

The project had been in limbo since August when the city told Disney that a shift in the location of the project meant it could no longer receive a promised $267 million tax incentive, according to the OC Register.

“We’ve taken the time to review the economics of our proposed four-diamond hotel for Anaheim and have made the final decision to cancel the project,” spokeswoman Lisa Haines said in a statement.

“While this is disappointing for many,” she said, “the conditions and agreements that stimulated this investment in Anaheim no longer exist and we must therefore adjust our long-term investment strategy.”

Disney says it will instead focus on bringing back food and entertainment venues to the shuttered storefronts of that part of Downtown Disney.

Anaheim Councilwoman Kris Murray says redeveloping Downtown Disney will be good for Anaheim’s economy, but the hotel would have been far better.

October 11, 2018