This month at Walt Disney World, an effect which was temporarily removed from the Festival of Fantasy parade has now returned, Disney completes the removal of 50th-anniversary decorations, a new photo op is available for guests, patriotic Minnie ears are back and sadly a special touch is removed from the recently opened Roundup Rodeo BBQ.
1. New Moana photo op comes to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Guests now have the opportunity to get a photo with the wooden oar inspired by Moana which is located in a planter at the entrance to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The oar is complete with an etching of a heart as well as Maui’s fish hook.
2. Return of American Flag Minnie Mouse Ears At Disney’s Animal Kingdom
The patriotic American Flag Minnie Mouse ears that were sold last year have returned to Discovery Trading Company at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This heavily sequined Minnie ears are currently priced at $34.99.
3. Giant Pencils Removed From Roundup Rodeo BBQ
One of the lovely touches when Roundup Rodeo BBQ opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in March was the giant pencils that certain guests were given at the end of their meals to sign their receipts.
The restaurant has made the decision to retire these fun pencils due to a number of them being stolen by guests. This is really disappointing and shows how the actions of a minority of people can ruin things for everyone.
4. Maleficent breathes fire again during the Festival of Fantasy parade
Following the incident on April 22 at Disneyland Park when the Maleficent dragon caught fire during Fantasmic! As a precaution, Walt Disney World announced that they were temporarily suspending the fire effects of the Maleficent dragon float in the Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom.
On May 17, we heard the news that the fire-breathing effect of the Maleficent dragon in the Festival of Fantasy Parade float at Magic Kingdom has now returned.
Interestingly, there were no changes to the version of Fantasmic! that plays nightly at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as this show has a different type of dragon from its Disneyland counterpart, and the fire effects are not achieved the same way.
5. New lighting effect debuts inside graveyard scene at the Haunted Mansion ahead of the Hatbox Ghost debut later this year
Disney has been doing some behind-the-scenes work at The Haunted Mansion over the past few days, potentially in preparation for the Hatbox Ghost to make his big Walt Disney World debut later this year. As part of these preparations, riders may notice a new lighting effect the next time they’re on the attraction. The hearse in the graveyard scene is now lit from the interior, with a red flickering glow helping to illuminate the rest of the scene. Perhaps we will see more small upgrades like this in the future as we get closer to the much-anticipated debut of the Hatbox Ghost at this attraction
6. Tron Lightcycle/Run boarding groups are now available for longer periods of time, especially in the afternoon
When Tron Lightcycle/Run first opened last month, the attraction was extremely hard to get on, with boarding groups selling out mere seconds after they were made available at both 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. However, now that excitement has cooled a little bit for this new attraction, boarding groups have become a lot easier to come by, especially in the afternoon.
According to Thrill-Data, while the morning boarding group drop is still selling out in less than a minute, the afternoon boarding group availability has been a lot better in recent weeks, allowing guests to book boarding groups for up to two hours or more, depending on the day.
7. 50th-anniversary banners and decorations continue to be removed from Cinderella Castle, but pink-tinged color should remain
The 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World came to an end several weeks ago, and the removal of the decorations at the Magic Kingdom has been slow going. Several weeks ago, the moat surrounding Cinderella Castle was drained so that the decorations could be removed more easily, and after we had already seen the removal of several celebration bunting decorations as well as the Mary Blair-inspired banners that were on the castle turrets. It now appears that the last golden ribbon turret topper was finally removed from Cinderella Castle, returning this iconic structure to its pre-Anniversary state. The signage and banners have been removed but leave the new pink-tinged hue of the castle in-tact.
8. New Disney100 Celebration photo opportunity added to the front of the park
Disney is now moving on to the Disney100 celebration at the Magic Kingdom by adding a big sign to the front of the park that guests can use as a photo backdrop to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Walt Disney studio.
Though they haven’t made their in-park debut yet, characters like Pluto, Goofy and Donald have been wearing special blue Disney100 outfits when visiting Walt Disney World’s resort hotels, and hopefully, once the 50th-anniversary celebration is fully in the rear-view mirror, we’ll see these limited-time character outfits make their way to the park, along with more entertainment related to this newest yearlong event.
9. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party tickets now on sale for resort guests
We’re halfway to Halloween and that means that tickets are now on sale for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party for resort guests. The general public will be able to purchase tickets soon from May 2 onwards. This year’s event will take place on the following select nights from August 11 through November 1, 2023:
August: 11, 15, 18, 22, 25, 29
September: 1, 4, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29
October: 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27, 29, 31
November: 1
This year’s entertainment lineup once again features the standard players, including special character appearances in various locations around the park, Mickey’s Boo To You Halloween Parade, Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, and Disney’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks.
In addition, party-exclusive Halloween overlays will return to Space Mountain, Mad Tea Party, Pirates of the Caribbean and Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. It has also been confirmed that party guests will have access to TRON Lightcycle/Run, which will still be using boarding groups during the event. And of course, guests who attend the party can enjoy most Magic Kingdom attractions with lower waits, special sweet and savory food items, and trick-or-treating around the park, as in years past.
Ticket prices this year run from $109 – $199 for adults and from $99 – $189 for kids. Annual Passholders and DVC members can once again get a $10 discount on tickets. More information on this year’s event is available here, and guests who are able to purchase tickets can do so while logged in to their Disney account.
