Disney News

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  • 2019 Brings Exclusive V.I.PASSHOLDER Pop-Up Events to Disney World

    2019 Brings Exclusive V.I.PASSHOLDER Pop-Up Events to Disney World

    It’s a New Year and there is so much to celebrate at Disney Parks. Today, Disney announced that they are kicking off 2019 with new V.I.PASSHOLDER Pop-Up Events you won’t want to miss.

    The first Walt Disney World V.I.PASSHOLDER event of 2019 will be the Potion Purple Premiere Pop-Up Event in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom Park on Thursday, January 10 from 5-7 p.m. At this event, you can be among the first to purchase the new potion purple merchandise, including adult and youth spirit jerseys, “Vacation Mode” water bottle, Loungefly mini backpack, Loungefly wallet and a new women’s Mickey T-shirt; sip and savor the newest purple food and beverage offerings for purchase – and discover more surprises.

    Registration not required to attend this event, however a valid annual pass card and photo ID are required at check-in. Activities and offerings are subject to change without notice. Merchandise available while supplies last. The 20% Passholder merchandise discount is applicable for merchandise purchases during this event.

    Also, from Jan. 6-31, Passholders will receive a limited-time 20% discount at the following restaurants across Walt Disney World Resort for lunch and dinner:

    • Biergarten Restaurant at Epcot
    • Coral Reef Restaurant at Epcot
    • The Hollywood Brown Derby at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
    • Hollywood & Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
    • Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen at Magic Kingdom Park
    • Tiffins Restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
    • Tony’s Town Square Restaurant at Magic Kingdom Park
    • Ale & Compass Restaurant at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
    • Boatwright’s Dining Hall at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside (Dinner Only)
    • Citricos at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa (Dinner Only)
    • Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
    • Flying Fish at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort (Dinner Only)
    • Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort (8:30 p.m. show only)
    • Jiko – The Cooking Place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort (Dinner Only)
    • Sebastian’s Bistro at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort (Dinner Only)
    • The Wave… of American Flavors at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
    • Whispering Canyon Café at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort

    Discount applies to the regular price of food and non-alcoholic beverages (excluding applicable tax and gratuity) during available lunch and dinner meal periods. Valid for the Passholder and up to three (3) guests. Not valid for breakfast, special events and may not be combined with any other discount or offer.

    Last but not least, Passholders will not want to miss out on the excitement at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts. With “one little spark of inspiration,” we’ll soon debut the newest Passholder magnet in time for Epcot International Festival of the Arts, along with special offerings to help you experience the upcoming festival to its fullest. 

  • New Free Dining Plan Offer Released at Walt Disney World Resort and Available Now

    New Free Dining Plan Offer Released at Walt Disney World Resort and Available Now

    When you plan a Walt Disney World vacation, there are many choices to help you create a magical and lasting experience and one of them is the food! Today, Disney announced a new Free Dine offer starting today.

    To get the free dining offer all you have to do is book a non-discounted five-night/six-day Walt Disney Travel Co. package through Feb. 10, 2019, for arrivals most nights from July 5 to Sept. 30, 2019, you’ll receive a dining plan for free!

    The Disney Dining Plan provides flexibility and convenience, offering prepaid meals and snacks when you dine at Walt Disney World resort hotels, theme parks and select locations at Disney Springs.

    The package includes a room at a select Walt Disney World resort hotel and tickets with Park Hopper Option. Packages of other lengths of stay may also be available.

    Guests staying at select Value and Moderate Resorts receive the Disney Quick Service Plan, which includes two quick-service meals and two select snacks per night honored at more than 100 dining locations.

    Guests staying at select Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts receive the Disney Dining Plan, which includes one quick-service meal, one table-service meal and two select snacks per night. Meals are available at over 200 select Walt Disney World dining locations.

    If you’re still recovering from the holidays, make it easy and let me book it for you. If you need help booking your magical vacation, contact Enchanted Kingdom Vacations with Vikki for help. My services are completely free and I will always find you the lowest rates. Let me do all the work so you don’t have to!

  • Magic Kingdom Closed After Reaching Capacity with New Years Eve Crowds

    Magic Kingdom Closed After Reaching Capacity with New Years Eve Crowds

    New Years Eve is one of the busiest days of the year at Magic Kingdom. And as expected the park has temporarily closed after reaching capacity as crowds descend on the most magical place on earth to ring in the 2019.

    Magic Kingdom is currently at a Phase B capacity closure with the announcement coming at 11:35 a.m this morning.

    Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom all remained open to additional guests and those are always a great place to ring in the new year also, but they can reach capacity as well so you might want to get there quickly before they fill up too.

    “We are experiencing a very busy day at Walt Disney World. Magic Kingdom is not accepting new Guests at this time,” Disney said on its Twitter feed.

    UPDATE: All Walt Disney World Parks are currently open to all guests as of 5:45pm.  Keep checking back as they could easily reach capacity again.

    For details on closures, check out our complete list and breakdown of Walt Disney World’s Capacity Closing Procedures.

  • Disney Cruise Line Sued by Worker Claiming Female Boss Created Hostile Work Environment

    Disney Cruise Line Sued by Worker Claiming Female Boss Created Hostile Work Environment

    Disney Cruise Line is being sued by a former employee, who claims he worked in a hostile work environment and that the company discriminated against him because he’s a man and because of his age.

    51-year-old Anthony McHugh, who worked at the Disney Cruise Line office in Celebration, said he was repeatedly passed over for promotions in favor of younger women, according to a federal lawsuit.

    McHugh claims she referred to him as a “stuffy old fart.” He also said his female manager would tell him about her sexual exploits with married fellow employees.

    Disney released a statement Thursday afternoon saying the claims in the lawsuit are without merit and they will address them in court.

  • Disney Worker Accused of Voyeurism in Animal Kingdom Employee Restroom

    Disney Worker Accused of Voyeurism in Animal Kingdom Employee Restroom

    A Disney World employee is accused of video voyeurism in a men’s restroom for employees, according to a Orange County Sheriff’s Office report.

    Charges of video voyeurism against Eric King, 21, of Polk City, have been filed with the state attorney’s office for its consideration after he was caught using a cell phone in an employee-only bathroom at Animal Kingdom.

    The victim, also a Disney employee, alerted authorities that another worker had filmed him at a urinal with a cellphone from underneath an adjacent stall.

    The police report says the employee confronted King, who told him that he had dropped the phone and was picking it up from under the stall when the employee saw the phone pointed at him. 

    Authorities did not see any videos or photographs on King’s phone, although the report questioned whether he might have deleted them. Later, King confessed to video voyeurism, according to the report.

    The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 was confiscated and taken as evidence and a computer forensic analysis, the report said.

    A Disney spokeswoman says King is on unpaid leave pending the results of the investigation. 


  • Disney Reveals First Up Close Look at the Millennium Falcon at Hollywood Studios

    Disney Reveals First Up Close Look at the Millennium Falcon at Hollywood Studios

    Disney Parks has released a first close-up look at the Millennium Falcon in a behind-the-scenes look at development on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios.

    Guests can take the controls of the fastest ship of the galaxy in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, one of two signature attractions coming to Galaxy’s Edge. This attraction will put guests behind the controls of the most famous ship in the galaxy. There will be three unique flight crew roles guests will be able to take on.

    The second attraction is called Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Guests will be in the middle of an epic battle between the Resistance and the First Order in this attraction.

    This all-new land opens at Disneyland (summer 2019) and Walt Disney World (fall 2019).

  • Get Your First Sneak Peek of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Attraction

    Get Your First Sneak Peek of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Attraction

    Today Disney Parks shared a sneak peek at the new Beauty and the Beast ride and attraction coming to Tokyo Disneyland.

    The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast, as it will be called, is modeled after the original 1991 animated film and features animatronic figures of Belle, Beast, her horse Philippe and other characters. The attraction is being added to the park as part of a large-scale development plan bringing new attractions, entertainment, shopping and dining to the park.

    “We’re very excited to be creating the first ride through attraction of Beauty and the Beast anywhere in the world right here in Tokyo Disneyland,” said Disney Imagineering Senior Producer Jim Clark. Take a look at some of the details and amazing concept art below.

    Beauty and the Beast Tokyo Disneyland

    The ride is just part of a Fantasyland revamp. Beauty and the Beast Castle will be the centerpiece of a new area themed to “Beauty and the Beast” in Fantasyland and tower nearly 98 feet above the surrounding area and house the Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast, a new attraction inviting guests to step into the animated film aboard ride vehicles that dance in rhythm to the film’s music.

    Beauty and the Beast Tokyo Disneyland

    The nearby Village Shoppes and La Taverne de Gaston will further allow guests to explore the world of the film and enjoy the ambience of Belle’s village.

    Beauty and the Beast Tokyo Disneyland

    The ride will debut in spring in 2020 as part of the resort’s expansion plan. In addition to nearly doubling the size of Fantasyland at Tokyo Disneyland, Imagineers are hard at work on an eighth themed port at Tokyo DisneySea, celebrating the stories of Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan and connecting to a new deluxe hotel with a one-of-a-kind luxury wing.

  • New Purple Potion Minnie Ears are the Next Must Have at Disney Parks

    New Purple Potion Minnie Ears are the Next Must Have at Disney Parks

    Move over Rose Gold and Millennial Pink, because everyone’s going to want to make room in their wardrobe for the New Purple Potion Minnie Ears arriving at Disney Parks.

    The new set of sequined lavender Minnie ears comes with a purple and blue iridescent padded bow atop a sequin-covered headband.

    Modern Family‘s Sarah Hyland and Disney star Jordan Fisher snapped a fun picture of themselves wearing the new Purple Potion ears while filming The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration which aired last week as you can see in the Instagram post below.

    If you missed them on last weeks Holiday Special then catch them again on the Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade airing Christmas morning (10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. EST, 9:00-11:00 a.m. CST/MST/PST).

    Disney hasn’t released how much these beauties will cost, but they will probably set you back about $28 as other Minnie ears are usually similarly priced.

  • Google Announces Major Ad Partnership With Disney

    Google Announces Major Ad Partnership With Disney

    The Walt Disney Co. is moving all of its digital brands and properties worldwide — including Disney, ABC, ESPN, Freeform, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars — to Google’s advertising platform.

    Under the multiyear pact, Disney will bring its entire global digital video and display business onto Google Ad Manager, which will serve as its core ad-technology platform. The deal cuts across multiple channels, including live streaming and direct-to-consumer content offerings.

    Disney has previously used Google for some of its ad-serving business. With the companies’ new all-encompassing deal, Google will replace Comcast’s FreeWheel, which has been the ad-tech vendor used by ESPN and the Disney-ABC Television Group.

    The companies said it’s a “multiyear” deal, but declined to say how long it will run or provide financial details. With the agreement, Disney Advertising Sales will be able to offer advertisers “optimized cross-platform delivery and performance measurement” of digital video and display ads, the companies said. The deal spans advertising for multiple content types, including long-form VOD, live-streaming video, short-form video, news content (both video and text), and fantasy games.

    Disney had been in discussions with Google about a year about the Mouse House making a wholesale cutover to Google’s Ad Manager, according to Aaron LaBerge, CTO of the Disney Direct-To-Consumer and International segment. Disney had considered building or buying its own advertising-technology stack, LaBerge said, but concluded that given Google’s ongoing investment in the space “it was better for us to explore a partnership than trying to reinvent the wheel at the scale we are talking about.”

    Disney formed the DTCI business, led by chairman Kevin Mayer, in a March 2018 reorg. The group encompasses Disney’s media and direct-to-consumer businesses globally, including all Disney networks outside of the U.S.; ESPN+; the Disney+ streaming service slated for 2019 launch; and the company’s ownership stake in Hulu. The creation of the Direct-To-Consumer and International unit “gave us an opportunity to take a step back and reevaluate some of our technical partners,” said LaBerge, who previously was ESPN’s CTO.

    As part of the Disney-Google deal, Google will power the ads served in ESPN+, the subscription-sports service that debuted earlier this year. As for Disney+, there are not currently plans for the service to have advertising, but if that were ever to change it would be included under the Google pact, LaBerge said.

    The new deal does not include Hulu, which has its own ad-tech platform. Disney owns 30% of Hulu and is poised to gain majority control under its deal to purchase 20th Century Fox assets including Fox’s 30% ownership stake in Hulu.

    In aggregate, Disney’s digital properties reach about 230 million users worldwide, who spend more than 14 billion minutes of time per month visiting them, according to comScore data for September 2018.

  • Remembering President George H.W. Bush Through Disney History

    Remembering President George H.W. Bush Through Disney History

    President George Herbert Walker Bush died Friday at the age of 94. Disney has always honored presidential history and like so many presidents before and after him, he made appearances at Disney Parks.

    In September 1988, President George H.W. Bush joined Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and California Gov. George Deukmejian during a special Olympic Salute event at Disneyland.

    Still serving as Vice President, he was there bidding good luck to the Seoul-bound U.S. Olympic team where he and his wife Barbra Bush marched in the theme park’s parade with Mickey and Minnie.

    George Bush Disneyland

    President George H.W. Bush also visited Epcot, where he presided over the first gathering of his Daily Points of Light award recipients—outstanding community volunteers from across the nation—at the America Gardens Theatre at Epcot on September 30, 1991 (pictured below).

    George Bush Epcot

    The event was part of the huge 20th-anniversary celebration of Walt Disney World Resort. (Later, Bush’s son, President George W. Bush, would honor The Walt Disney Company itself as a Daily Point of Light in 2004.)

    Born into a tradition of service, Bush was a son of a senator, celebrated World War II combat pilot, student athlete, Texas oilman, Republican congressman, national party chairman, pioneering diplomat and the director of the CIA. After his own 1980 presidential campaign came up short, he served two terms as Ronald Reagan’s vice president before reaching the highest office by winning the 1988 presidential election, soundly defeating Democrat Michael Dukakis.

    George H.W. Bush is forever immortalized in The Hall of Presidents at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.  He was added after he entered office in 1989.