Festival of Fantasy Parade

When Buzz came to visit me a couple of weeks ago, we of course had to make a stop at our favorite place on earth! Now it turns out that we planned our trip to the Magic Kingdom and found out that the new Festival of Fantasy parade would start two days after we left. We were upset that we wouldn’t be able to see the parade but glad that we were avoiding the crowds that the parade would bring. So instead of being in the park for Festival of Fantasy we did the next best thing, we watched a live stream!

Unfortunately, Buzz’s vacation ended and she had to head back home. However, I was lucky enough to head back to the Magic Kingdom to see the new parade! I will be the first to admit that I was never the person who would wait on the sidewalk for a parade at Walt Disney World. Why wait when I could experience everything else the park has to offer?! This parade was a different story though. We saved a spot in Frontierland an hour before it started; my family and I were uninterested in waiting 2+ hours on Main Street so Frontierland was the best spot for us. It definitely got crowded and people kept trying to maneuver through the already tight space to see the parade or get out of the area, but once the parade started I was glad we waited for the parade.

The music accompanying the floats was fantastic, and the vibrant colors of each costume and prop gave a feeling of joy and whimsy to the overall production. The characters were expressive and fun; they had great interactions with guests and other characters as well. The order of the floats made sense and gave proper identification to each film that was utilized in the parade. Overall, this is a parade that the imagineers who have been working on it should be proud of for years to come.

Have you seen the Festival of Fantasy Parade? What did you think of it? Is there anything you wish was or wasn’t in the parade?

-Woody

And of course I can’t leave y’all without any photos!

Disney College Program: Welcome!

Hi guys! So a few of y’all said you wanted to hear a little bit more about the Disney College Program, what it entails, what we liked about, you get the point! Well I decided that I would make a blog quickly discussing my history with the DCP!

If y’all enjoy the video let us know, and maybe we can get Buzz, Mickey, Mike, and Perry to post a few blogs and blogs to!

Enjoy 😀

– Woody

The Latest on MyMagic+

By now you’ve probably all heard and read about Disney’s “new” MyMagic+ system that has taken over the parks and resorts, right?  Well, for just about the past year, the Walt Disney World Resort has been drastically changing and modernizing.  Resort guests and cast members have been testing this whole system for, well, a really long time now.  The whole process has taken way longer than the company originally anticipated.

While we were all working as Disney Cast Members, we all went through special trainings on MyMagic+, with the anticipation that it would be in full swing last spring, possibly early summer.  That deadline came and went and now, hopefully, by the end of this year (yes, I’m giving them a whole year just in case) all the kinks should be worked out and the current technology will be a thing in the past.

(Photo courtesy of dailyfinance.com)

This week marked a large milestone in the MyMagic+ testing, however.  FastPass+ has been incorporated in the parks for guests staying at the Disney resorts.  You can reserve your passes using the My Disney Experience app and website up to 60 days in advanced.  If your plans change once you get there, you can change them as well.  To do this, you have some different options.  You can change reservations from the app and website just like booking them, or you can visit your hotel concierge, or one of the new FastPass+ kiosks located in each of the parks.  Currently, FastPass+ is available to all guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and now, Magic Kingdom.

As far as the traditional, paper FastPass tickets go, sadly, they are no longer found in DAK, and Magic Kingdom.  Eventually they will also be obsolete in Epcot and Hollywood Studios as well.  Luckily, I spent my entire College Program collecting them from the rides and can say I have at least one from the majority of the attractions that had offered them.

As for MyMagic+, during January 2014, testing will begin for all aspects of MyMagic+ for non-Disney hotel guests.  Selected offsite guests will be testing My Disney Experience, FastPass+, and MagicBands.  This will take place throughout the four parks.

Now, a MagicBand is your key to total happiness.  This band that you wear as a bracelet, becomes your room key (if staying at a Disney resort), your park ticket, your FastPass+ tickets, you can even use it to make purchases across property.  All you have to do is touch and go.  They are even water proof so you don’t have to take them off while taking a dip in the pool.

(Photo courtesy of jimhillmedia.com)

The MagicBand is customizable.  When you book your trip, every member of your party will get to design their own MagicBand.  Choose from a selection of colors like blue, green, orange, pink, yellow, red, and gray and then have your name (or nickname) printed on it.  These are all included in your stay.  Disney will ship them to your house as your vacation approaches so be sure to pack them all in your carry-on if flying.  Disney offers even more ways to customize your MagicBands once you arrive.  You can purchase little charms and bobbles that attach to your MagicBand at various locations across property.

So, there you have it.  You’re all updated on MyMagic+.  If any new developments arise, we will let you know as soon as we can.

-Buzz

What are your thoughts or feelings on the whole MyMagic+ system?  When going through the Cast Member trainings for it, I was kind of against it.  A year later and I’m still a little if-y.  Woody and I will be using MagicBands in March during our stay and we’ve already customized ours so that’s exciting at least.  Have you used MagicBands yet?  We would love to hear from you! 

 

On the 6th Day of Christmas Walt Disney Gave to Me…

6 Disney Theme Parks from around the globe!

Shanghai Disney Resort

 

photo courtesy of disneyparks.disney.com

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

 

photo courtesy of http://www.discoverhongkong.com

Tokyo Disney Resort

 

photo courtesy of disneyparks.disney.go.com

Disneyland Resort Paris

 

photo courtesy of www.orientaltoursegypt.com

Disneyland Resort

 

photo courtesy of america.vacationxtravel.com

Walt Disney World Resort

 

 

-Woody

Photos From The Very Beginning

It’s Throwback Thursday!!

So, we’re throwing it back to the early days of Disneyland.  Check out these photos from the early days of Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

The beloved attraction, Dumbo, has been in the park since 1955.

This banner used to hang over Main Street in 1959.

This photo was before Space Mountain existed.