Disney News Round Up: Angels Out, DAS In

MiceAge Update: DAS is the New GAC
Yesterday was the last day to use the Guest Assistance Card, a de facto Unlimited Front Of Line pass that Disneyland has been using since 2004. While Disney finally released some basic information about the new DAS Card that replaces it, in this update we’ll fill you in on all the secrets behind the new system and the huge amount of drama that’s been playing out in executive offices in Orlando and Anaheim. We’ll also discuss the latest changes to the plan to give Tomorrowland a heavy dose of Star Wars.

Disney Gridlock
The gridlock in Congress (still no budget, as of this writing) seems like a strange topic to bring up on a Disney fan site, but I think there are parallels to the online world of mouse-fandom. In both Congress and in the Disney fan community, we seem to have reached a point of speaking completely different languages. I think ultimately the problem is that we as a nation seem to have forgotten how to disagree with each other civilly… and I see echoes of that national problem right here in our own little pond of Disney fan sites.

Want a great view? Sit down!

Did you know that a few great restaurants in Epcot’s World Showcase offer views of Illuminations, Reflections of Earth? But, La Hacienda has one the best views, if you make a late reservation that are at least thirty minutes before the fireworks event and arrive early to view them.  You can request a window table. Take note you will also need to inform the server that you’re willing to wait 20 minutes for the window seat.

If it all works out, you will end up with fantastic viewing of illuminations, but your meal will end after the park closes, giving you a peaceful walk out of the park. Who doesn’t love that?

Has a new Dragon taken up residence in Fantasyland?!?!?  We also have trip reports about Dapper Days, Pirates Week and even some sidewalk chalk drawings that would make Mary Poppins smile.  We also have a couple more time lapse videos, this time done by the Disneyland Resort! ~ Aladdin

Epic Trip Report #2 – Dapper Days…and Nights!
TanyAnnette and her best friend have this Dapper Day report, and with help from her fairy semsatress, she arrives in stylish attire!

10/5/13 – Limited Time Magic Chalk Drawings
Ron W has photos of several new temporary additions to Downtown Disney – some Sidewalk Chalk Drawings! Take a look!

Limited Time Magic Pirate Week
disney lady has a couple photos from Pirate Week at Disneyland!

Ghost Galaxy
Puffin999 has just discovered the night time projections on Space Mountain, that are done during Halloweentime. Take a look here and learn what happens with Space Mountain at night!

Disneyland vs Walt Disney World…in an Epic Rap Battle
timbabcomedian returns, this time for a battle between Disneyland and Walt Disney World. See how it RAPS up!

Tilt-shift videos of DLand and DCA from YouTube
Disney has a couple new time lapse videos from around Disneyland and DCA. Watch here, for an escape to the resort, for a couple minutes!

Mickey’s Halloween Party ambiance/entertainment
Has a New Dragon taken up residence in Fantasyland?!?!?! Regions Beyond has video of some of the sights and sounds during one of the recent Disneyland Halloween Parties!

This is Halloweentime: DLR Halloweentime Expansion Ideas
Right Ear has a comprehensive plan to improve Halloweentime at the Disneyland Resort.

This week brings us a review about Magic Bands, as well as a question about lost children. Take a look in this week’s roundup! ~ YoYoFlamingo

Disney current and former cast members: Need your advice about lost children
Share your experiences and tips for lost children in this thread, which is from a writer for Parents magazine! Join the discussion here.

My MagicBand Review
CoasterNut shares an experience with MagicBands, the wave of the Walt Disney World future. Read about all the details and ask questions from someone who’s used them here.

Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea Parks Attendance Figures for the First Half of 2013
The Oriental Land Co. has release the attendance figures for the first half of 2013 and they are up 2 million visitors this year.

HKD prioritizes in Cantonese and 18 percent growth of attendance?
The interesting tactic to by Vice President Damian Lee to speak the Hong Kong native tongue of Cantonese instead of the mainland Mandarin has grown attendance.

Welcome to this week’s Communicore Weekly,  where we talk about Knott’s Scary Farm, Disney Mountains, Little Mermaid, and the Firehouse! TRIP REPORT! — Do you like being scared? Jeff does! Listen as he talks about his trip to Knotts Scary Farm! BOOK OF THE WEEK! – George scales some Disney Mountains for his Book of the Week! 60 SECOND REVIEW! – We need more than 60 seconds to review The Little Mermaid Blu Ray in the 60 Second Review! FIVE LEGGED GOAT! – And finally, the Main Street Firehouse is weeks Five Legged Goat!

HowlOScream
MiceChat brings you a brief tour of Death Water Bayou at Howl-O-Screams in Busch Gardens Tampa.

Starbucks at Disneyland
We look at the Starbucks at Disneyland on Main Street!

Wakefield Report, covers the latest in theme park news! find full notes on this podcast at WakefieldReport.com.

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Disafterdark Disney Podcast,
In their first MicePod episode, the gents introduce themselves to the MiceChat audience to let them know who they are, then they cover some of the more obvious news from Disney. Then they give the new listeners an idea of each of their favorite three attractions and eateries in parks around the world.

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Unofficial Universal Orlando Podcast, is giving you the run down on Lee and Tracey’s trip to Orlando in August. They are joined by Darren and Eric to discuss their opinions of all the new experiences and all the classic favourites that Universal Orlando has to offer. Included in the report, we have some “live” reports from the parks too!

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Unofficial SeaWorld Podcast, Eric & Mike are back with a new episode of the Unofficial Seaworld Podcast, where they interview the creative mind behind Seaworld San Antonio’s Howl-O-Scream event Brian Knowlton.  Along with news, rumors and stories from all 3 SeaWorld parks.

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Mousetalgia Episode 257: Halloween Time, Anaheim Halloween Parade: Halloween Time has come to Disneyland, and Team Mousetalgia reports on the arrival of this popular villainous season. But first, we welcome Kevin Kidney back to the show to give some history of the upcoming Anaheim Halloween Parade, and explain what guests can expect at this year’s event and the intriguing Disney ties to this special hometown celebration.

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Window to the Magic: ALSO COVERS WALT DISNEY WORLD! Jeremiah takes you along as he enters The Magic Kingdom for the very first time as a Florida resident and shares his thoughts and feelings as he surveys his new domain

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The Season Pass, Doug and Brent interview the President and Creative Executive for The Hettema Group, Phil Hettema!  Phil discusses his beginnings with Disneyland and Disney parks, then creating for Universal Studios including the creation of Islands of Adventure, to beginning his own company.

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V24 Radio’s Fall 2013 Survey is now online!

Answer six simple questions about our Disney Parks & Universal Studios music programming to shape the future of V24 as we slowly head towards a magical 2014 season.

Need a little incentive? Just for answering the survey, you have the chance to win a Disney Park prize!

What are you waiting for? Fill out the survey here!

Thanks for your ongoing support of V24 Radio, where Your Vacation Continues!

 

My Review for HHN 2013
JerrodDRagon brings us a first hand review of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios California.

Best house at Halloween Horror Nights 23 Orlando?
Have you gone to Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando? Which house was the best? Share your tales and see what others think.

Which SeaWorld Park is the best and why
Having only been to the Orlando SeaWorld, Coasterjunkie is curious how the others stack up.

We invite you to join us on a very special MiceChat voyage to the Eastern Caribbean on the newest ship of the Disney Cruise Line, the Disney Fantasy.

Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights Event on October 17th. Join MiceChat for a night of fun at Universal Orlando as we survive the zombies in our own rag tag group. You’ll need to purchase Halloween Horror Night tickets with Express access (it will be too crowded to see all the houses without it). For more details please email [email protected]

Universal Orlando Update – Hogwarts Express Trains and Resort Update
It’s a big news week at Universal Orlando. Trains have arrived for the Hogwart’s Express, which will transport guests between the Studios and Islands of Adventure, and they are now being stored in plain sight.

Disneyland gets ready to launch new Disability Access Service as Gay Days comes to Anaheim
Disneyland will implement its new Disability Access Service this week, bringing an end to the popular but highly abused Guest Assistance Card program. The new system will function similarly to the Disney’s FASTPASS service, issuing.

Magic Kingdom Main Street USA 1972
Piecing together a full look at the Magic Kingdom is one of my obsessions. Unlike the prodigious amount of information about Disneyland from the early days, there isn’t much about 1970s Walt Disney World.

Welcome Dis After Dark to the MicePod
One small step for man, one giant leap for a podcast with three Disdiots drinking beer and talking Disney. It’s Dis After Dark, a podcast with a unique look at the Disney parks worldwide.

Dark Harbor Returns to Port for Scares and Fun
The spectacular Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor returns this Halloween season to scare up more fun by the sea.   Last year, Dark Harbor introduced characters inspired by actual hauntings that have occurred on the ship.

Getting to Know Imagineer Steve Davison
Imagineers do the things that we, the fans, can only dream of.  They are paid to devise immersive new shows and attractions designed to delight us. They travel the world on research trips to far.

Mousetalgia: The Haunted Mansion, the Art of Bambi
Jeff dons his “Chef” hat and offers a synopsis of a recent Haunted Mansion presentation he delivered at the fall gathering of the Golden Gate Disneyana Club on this week’s episode of Mousetalgia.

The Disney Review: Nashville and The Neighbors
Nashville: The Complete First Season isn’t the type of show I’d usually watch. In fact, I would stay far, far away from it if a review copy hadn’t shown up at my house a few.

Little Mermaid Blu-ray Review – This Little Fish Still Makes A Big Splash
George: The Little Mermaid is a very special movie for me. I’d been out of Disney for a few years (you know, teen angst) and this film brought me back into the fold.

Disneyland Paris’ Indiana Jones Attraction to be Rebuilt in Stone
It looks like the styrofoam and concrete construction methods used to balance the budget at Disneyland Paris may have caused some problems twenty years later.
In The Parks: Surprise Behind Disneyland’s Door Number Two
Halloween Time is in the air at the Disneyland Resort. This week we’ll look at the renovation of the Candy Palace on Main Street and the continued reaction to the new Starbucks.

Dateline Disney World: Jungle Cruise Reopens and Magic Kingdom Construction
Hello, and welcome to Dateline Disney World! This week, we have a ton of photos and items to show you from the Magic Kingdom, including the reopening of the world famous Jungle Cruise after its.

The Vault of Walt: Volume 2
President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Audio-Animatronic twin plays the lute on Spaceship Earth. That’s just one of the many, many amazing details in this new book. Volume 2 offers 28 stories, evenly spread across four categories.

Knott’s Scary Farm 2013 Maze review
Knott’s Scary Farm opened its 41st Halloween Haunt season this past weekend with a full line-up of shows and mazes to firghten and delight. The have unveiled 5 new mazes this year which really helps.

Disney Park Hopping: Do or Don’t?
Both coasts offer the Park Hopper upgrade to their base tickets.  For an additional cost, you’ll have the flexibility to visit more than one park in a single day, but is it right for you.

Samland: Thoughts on Starbucks on Main Street at Disneyland
It seems that everybody has an opinion on the inclusion of a Starbucks on Main Street at Disneyland. I went to the park this week and was inspired to toss my two cents into the.

Van France – How a Disney Legend Changed a Life – Disneylander Jerry’s story
October 2, 2013 marks the last day of Van France’s 100th year. Van was an icon – a genius in sharing Walt’s vision of training and hiring “The Disney Way.” There are countless impactful quotes by Walt.

DESIGN: Those Were The Times No.19 – 1954 Cars, Clubs and Concours
Today’s Wheel of Years stopped at 1954, so here we go. Starting in 1951 I wrote and illustrated a few books with Dan Post, a close friend of Walt Disney’s zany animator Ward Kimball. Both were antique.

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