Disney Halloween Coming Soon

I know the calendar is just getting ready to turn to September, but nonetheless it’s officially Halloween time at Walt Disney World.  Starting in mid September, the Magic Kingdom becomes the host of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

 

Of course the park totally transforms into a fall festival atmosphere with jack-o-lanterns and scarecrows being placed all over the park.

 

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party is exactly as it sounds, a family friendly party where Disney closes down the Magic Kingdom to all regular guests during the evening and only lets in those people who have purchased tickets to the party.  As a tip from me, I recommend going as early in September as you can because the crowds are much, much smaller!  With the park closed down and the rides open, this party will become the absolute best time to get on and off all of your favorite rides time after time with little to no waiting!

 

The party includes the Boo To You parade where all of the great Disney villians come out to party with the guests, and it is quite a hoot with very catchy theme music.  There are grave diggers who scrape their shovels against the concrete and it creates eerie sparks that light up the dark night!  

 

Of course what would a Halloween party be without trick or treating right?  Disney takes care of you here as well.  You will be given a trick or treat bag and at various areas all around the park, Disney has set up Goofys Candy Company stations where they grab two handfuls of candy and fill your bags with it.  The great things is you can go back through the lines to get candy as much as you want!  Disney doesn’t just hand out junky candy either.  There are Reeses Cups, Snickers Bars, suckers, and chocolate candies of all kinds.  This is the good stuff and you should make sure you leave with a full bag or else you are missing out.

 

There are several dance parties throughout the different lands of the Magic Kingdom, with the best parties being in Tomorrowland.  You get to get an apple cider anytime you want, as well as candy, caramel apples and cookies.  There is also a costume contest for those who brought along a costume to wear.  On this front, please remember that even in September and October in central Florida it is still very hot out, so keep that in mind before you want to wear a hot, bulky costume.  Sweating all night and feeling uncomfortable is a sure fire way to ruin your night and party.

 

As I mentioned, the best thing for me about these parties is the fact that the park is closed to regular guests, meaning I get to ride all the rides I want!  We were at a party once and we got to ride Space Mountain 6 times in a row without even having to get out of our car!  There is just no feeling better than knowing that usually you wait about 50 minutes to ride Space Mountain and you just got to ride it 6 times in a row!  All of the big rides remain open for the entire length of the party so feel free to take your time and ride everything you want to ride.  Another tip form me is this: if you know you are going to Mickey’s Not So Scary party during the evening, stay away from the Magic Kingdom during the day and go to another park.  This way you don’t waste time waiting in lines to ride stuff at the Magic Kingdom when later on in the evening you will basically walk right on all of your favorite rides.

 

Finally make sure you stop by the Haunted Mansion during the night.  They have it really decorated up for the party and you are guaranteed to see many a ghost roaming the grounds during the evening and they love to have their pictures taken with you.

I know that Halloween is a couple of months away, but when you are on Disney time like I am, it is Halloween already!

My family will be taking a Disney cruise this upcoming October and Disney is going to be having Halloween parties and costume parties about the ship, and we simply cannot wait.  We are thinking about dressing up as the Duck Dynasty family to try to win the costume party!  Wish us luck, and Happy Early Halloween!

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you back here again real soon!  Have an incredibly magical day and a very spooky Halloween!  Boo to You!

More Infinity – And Beyond

Well after having spent that past week with the new Disney Infinity video game, I have to say that I could not be more in love with any video game!  The levels of creativity that are included in this game are off the charts!

So far I have been able to create a Pac Man game that uses Captain Hook, Smee, Jafar, and Gaston as the ghosts for the game, and small Mickey heads for the power pellets!  I also created a Space Invaders like game using the Little Green Men from Toy Story as the aliens of course!

The 3 main worlds that come with the game are unfortunately very easy to beat.  I would say that it took me about 3 hours to beat each of the three included worlds – Monsters University, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Incredibles.  Luckily as you play these worlds you are constantly unlocking new toys to use in the Toy Box mode.

I highly recommend buying the Video Game Guide for this game as it has some very easy to follow instructions for creating your own types of games with the included toys that you can unlock.

I have also purchased 2 additional worlds to play in – The Lone Ranger and Cars.  It will be around Christmas of this year when Disney release the Toy Story world to play in as well.

As I mentioned before you just cannot go wrong with this game.  There are literally hundreds of hours of fun in this game right off the shelf, and many more hours once you begin to build your own games and download others peoples games as well.

I’ll see ya back here real soon, and thanks for dropping by.  Now I’m off to Infinity and Beyond!

Disney Infinity – And Beyond!

Tomorrow is going to be an awesome day!  I am going to jump in a time machine and be 9 years old all over again!  How you ask?  Well ti is all thanks to a new amazing video game from Disney called “Disney Infinity”

 

This is just about the most awesome game that was ever invented for anyone who loves to play with toys and be really creative!  I remember when I was little I used to enjoy playing with all kinds of action figures.  Star Wars, Transformers, WWF Wrestlers, Army Men.  You name it, I played with it.  But some of the most fun when when I let my imagination run away with me.

I would take a WWF action figure like Hulk Hogan and I would let Darth Vader beat the crap out of him, even though Darth Vader was like 6 inches tall and Hulk Hogan was like a foot tall!  You see, it didn’t matter!  In my mind, and my world, it was just a blur of action and noises and colors!

The amazing folks at Disney have managed to capture this in a bottle with this new video game.  With Disney Infinity, you buy action figures, then you place them on a power base.  When you do this, the characters magically appear in the video game!  The game comes with Jack Sparrow, Sully from Monsters Inc., and Mr. Incredible from the Incredible.  Each included figure will allow you to play games with them in their own worlds.  For example, place Jack Sparrow on the power base and you will be taken to the world of Pirates of the Caribbean where you will play pirate style games with Jack.  Then replace Jack with Sully and you are then whisked away to Monsters University where you get to play scare games with Sully.

 

You can even place Jack and Sully on the base at the same time and Jack will run in to help Sully or vice versa!  Now this by itself would be enough to ensure that this game sells millions of copies, but this is Disney after all, so they made it even more awesome.

Get this!  There is a mode called Toy Box mode.  In this mode, you are given a bunch of extra props and toys to use and you get to make up your own games, or have your figures act out scenes from your favorite Disney Movies, or if you are really amazing, make your own version of Angry Birds using all of your favorite toys from Disney!  Literally anything you can think of you can make it Toy Box mode.

 

I have seen people make soccer games, I have seen a version of Space Invaders made with Disney figures, I have seen a game like Super Mario Cart made using Cinderella’s Pumpkin carriage and Buzz Lightyears space ship.  The possibilities are endless with this video game!

Even better, you can buy Power Disks that allow you to have even more props, toys, equipment, and vehicles to put into the game.  

 

Disney promises even more playsets to come soon, such as Cars, The Lone Ranger, and even Star Wars and Marvel Super Heroes will follow.  I simply cannot wait to have Darth Vader fight Spiderman on top of Slepping Beauty Castle!

If you have a child, then you NEED to pick up this game.  They will love it, will love you for buying it, and you will both get endless nights of enjoyment as you play together and make endless memories playing with all your favorite toys.

I will continue to blog more about this game as I get further into it and unlock all of the cool stuff that is hidden in the game.

 

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see ya back here real soon!  Have a magical day!

Things to Do This Weekend – Disney Style!

The weekend is upon us and its time to start thinking about awesome ways to spend the weekend.  Here are some tips I will pass on to you to for some fun things to do to while away the weekend in style!

Idea #1 – How about going boating with the family?

 

Idea #2 – Or how about going biking with the entire family (nephews included!):

 

Idea #3 – Or maybe a cookout with friends is in order while the weather is great:

 

Idea #4 – Sometimes going dancing with that special partner makes for the perfect day:

 

Idea #5 – Of course a casual drive around town is always a great way to spend the day with loved ones:

 

Well however you choose to spend your weekend, I hope it is a truly magical weekend filled with fun, laughter, and lots of love!  From me to all of you, have an amazing weekend, and I’ll see ya all back here real soon!

Walt – 50 Years Ago

I absolutely love this picture:

Can you believe that this picture was taken over 50 years ago?  Walt certainly looked like he was in the height of his glory surrounded by many of the amazing characters that he brought to life.  I kind of like the “old school” Mickey costume as well.  Nowadays, Disney has created a new Mickey costume where the eyes open and shut and he can now talk and his mouth even moves while he is talking.

Of course, Cinderella Castle is in the background.  When I first saw this castle, I could not believe how small it actually is!  I know this was the first castle Disney ever created, and it certainly shows when you get up very close to it.  Sleeping Beauty Castle is so much larger and just looks more like a castle to me, but then again, I am a Disney World kind of guy since that is where we have been going for most of our lives.

Everyone always loves to talk about “What would Walt Do?” if he were still alive today, and I too love to join in those conversations.  Walt said many times that he always wanted things in the park to be kept fresh and new.  Many people interpret that to mean that Walt wanted everything kept very clean, but in truth, Walt felt that when an attraction began to get stale, it would be time to put something new in its place.

This thought process does not sit very well with people who have been going to the theme parks for many years.  They get used to the park being a certain way and they get attached to certain attractions, and they want everything to stay the same.  I am not one of those people.  Sure I miss Mr. Toads Wild Ride, but I have to admit that I like Pooh’s ride much more.  I miss 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, but I am sure that when I get a chance to see the new Fantasyland in October that I will love it more than 20,000 Leagues.

Change does not sit well with everyone, I understand that, but if things never changed, we wouldn’t have all the great rides and shows that we have today.  I have heard people say that if Disney ever took out the Carousel of Progress that they would stop buying Annual Passes and stop going to the parks totally.  Well, I would certainly miss that ride, especially since Walt played a major role in its creation, but I am sure that they would replace it with something very cool, and we will always have video of the ride to watch, just like we do of Mr. Toads Wild Ride and 20,000 Leagues (thank you YouTube!).

What do you think?  Do you prefer that the parks never change, or are you like me and you roll with the changes and like all of the new things that come to the parks?  Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see ya here again real soon!  I hope you have a Zippedy-Do-Da day!

D23 Expo News

 

All this weekend, something called the D23 Expo is taking place out in Disneyland.  D23 is a very special club for Disney Fanatics and it allows them to take part in seminars, shows, and panels where information about all aspects of new things happening all over Disney is shared.  This year, lots of very cool news has been given out about many of the new projects that Disney has coming out over the next few years, so I thought tonight I would share what I have learned so far with you.

“The Good Dinosaur” Movie – Disney has a new movie coming out called “The Good Dinosaur”.  The premise is what if the asteroid that hit Earth and destroyed all of the dinosaurs actually missed the Earth all together?  Sounds interesting and the premise is very unique for the dinosaur genre of film.

Pixar’s “Inside Out” Film –  Here the premise is that we will actually spend the larger part of the movie inside a young girls mind and witness the interplay of her emotions as things happen to her in the real world.  You know, with every Pixar film I say “No way is that movie going to be good or make any money.”  Then I go see the film, love it, and eat my words.  So I am sure that “Inside Out” will be the same way, but I have to say that at the outset, this film just doesn’t sound all that appealing to me.  We will have to wait to see the film to know for sure, but Pixar always finds a way to make great films out of the weirdest ideas.

 

 

Pixars “Finding Dory” – This sequel to Finding Nemo is sure to be a huge hit as Dory was a fan favorite in the first film and many of its memorable lines were credited to Dory and her ability to forget anything within a moments notice.  This time Dory is on a search for her own family.  Marlin returns from the original movie.  I have to say that Finding Nemo was probably the most beautiful of all of the Pixar films to me, with the ocean looking almost lifelike in high definition.  If this film looks anything like the original, and Dory has many funny lines again, this will also be another huge hit for the story tellers at Pixar.

“Toy Story of Terror” – I do not know much of anything about this movie other than the original cast of Toy Story go on an adventure during a stormy night at an old thrill ride at an old motel.  I’m sure we will be hearing tons more about this movie as the Halloween season closes in on us.

“Saving Mr. Banks” – As I have posted on my blog before, “Saving Mr. Banks” is the story of how Walt Disney struggled with, and eventually won over, P.L. Travers and got her to let Walt make the Mary Poppins Movie.  This is my most anticipated movie of the year and December can’t get here soon enough for me because I want very badly to see this movie.  I love Mary Poppins and I can’t wait to get a glimpse of Walt in action.

The last thing I will mention here tonight is that there was a little tease for what Disney is currently working on in the Star Wars Universe.  Take a look at this picture and tell me if anything you see tells you anything about what they may be working on:

Do you see the box that has “Orange Harvest” painted on it?  Well if you are a true die hard Star Wars fan like me, you know that Return of the Jedi was referred to as “Blue Harvest” when George Lucas was making the film so that anyone who saw them working on it would think that were making a movie called Blue Harvest and not actually working on Return of the Jedi.  So Orange Harvest could possibly be the pseudonym for the next working Star Wars movie!  We all know that Disney is working on a bunch of new Star Wars movies, so I would if this has anything to do with a new Star Wars land at the theme parks?  We can only hope right?  Sign me up for anything new that is Star Wars themed at any of the Disney parks.  I have heard that the first new Star Wars thing we would see in the parks will be a Star Wars themed restaurant over at Disney Hollywood Studios park.  Not exactly Star Wars land mind you, but I will take it anyway.

Well as always, thank you for coming by and spending a little magical time with me.  Disney has so many new and exciting things going on that it is impossible to list them all here in a single post, so I will spread out more information in future posts to come.

I hope you have a very magical day and I’ll see ya back here again real soon for some more Disney News coming out of the D23 Expo.

 

Rock N Rollercoaster Starring Aerosmith

 

If your looking for an amazing thrill ride, some awesome music, and a chance to turn upside down several times in a row, than look no further than Disney’s Hollywood Studios and turn your attention towards “Rock N Rollercoaster Starring Aerosmith”.

 

Even before you get inside the building where the actual ride is, this attraction just drips with coolness.  Check out the upside-down car that hangs over the entryway:

 

Once you enter the queue line, you will soon be inside “G-Force” records (get the joke there?) in the hopes of getting a chance to see Aerosmith, who are inside laying down some tracks for their latest album.

 

You are then ushered in to see the band who graciously offer to take you with them to their next concert, but of course your going to be needing a massive stretch limo since there are so many people.  So the doors to the studio open and you find yourself behind the studio in an alley where right before your eyes you see a massive limo take off, going from 0-65 in less than 2 seconds!!!

 

Yes that blur is the limo taking off!  You better not blink or you will miss it entirely.  Once you get inside your own limo, the music starts and it is in your face literally!  You see you have huge speakers that are inside the headrest of the limo so you are going to be hearing Aerosmith like you have never heard them before.

 

After the extremely quick take off, you will be thrown all around downtown Los Angeles on your way to the Aerosmith concert.  This ride is a steel rollercoaster and take it from me when I say that it is probably the smoothest ride you will ever take on a steel coaster.  There is no jerking around or smashing your head against the headrests here.  Disney did an amazing job making this ride of the funnest, and most thrilling rides ever created.

It helps if you love Aerosmiths music like I do because here you will be serenaded with a new version of “Love In An Elevator” titled “Love In A Rollercoaster”!  Unfortunately the ride is a little short in less than 2 minutes you will be at the concert venue where you will exit the limo and then rush out to get back in line all over again!

Rock N Rollercoaster is definitely a ride that you will want to get FastPasses for early in the morning.  It is the second most popular ride at the Disney Hollywood Studios, behind only Tower of Terror.  I always urge people to get to this ride early, get your FastPass, then get in the regular line and ride it right away.  Luckily it is located right next to the Tower of Terror so after your first ride on Rock N Rollercoaster, you can rush over to the Tower and get a ride in there as well.

 

Rock N Rollercoaster in a “Must Ride” for anyone who loves thrills, loves Aerosmiths music, and who loves to scream a lot!  It will take up upside down 4 times and travels at a high rate of speed as it travels through the loops and curves of Downtown LA.  Do not miss this trip!

Thanks for coming by for a ride on the Rock n Rollercoaster this evening!  It was a blast!  I’ll see ya back here real soon!