Disney News Round Up: Upswing in WDW and Starbucks Everwhere!

On the Upswing
By and large, things are looking up at Walt Disney World. Prices may continue rising every year, but the crowds keep coming back. Disney COULD look at the crowd levels and decide to leave well enough alone (it’s what they get accused of often, anyway), but there are still a number of initiatives floating around. They are spending some money.

IT’S BACK!!! Let’s find out who can ride the most attractions at Disneyland in a single day . . . it’s the MiceChat Gumball Rally.  This race through Disneyland has become the ultimate Disney fan event. Fun for all ages, compete in teams of 2-4 people as you attempt to ride the most attractions at Disneyland in a single day.  Click HERE for more information and to sign up!

Join Disney Legend Bob Gurr and the MiceChat Crew as we set sail on the Disney Magic for a once in a lifetime Mediterranean cruise (from Barcelona to Italy and back again).

Stay after the cruise and you can also join us for a journey to Disneyland Paris!
Ask us for more details by emailing us at [email protected]

Springtime is bursting out at the Disneyland Resort, and soon things will be “hoppin” in Big Thunder Ranch.  We also learn that DCA will have one less place to enjoy breakfast. ~ Aladdin

March Trip Report with Pictures!
Black Widow Bride and her husband visited the Disneyland Resort last week, and also met up with friends! Here’s their report, beginning with the departure from Phoenix!

Flo’s to cut breakfast beginning March 23!
If you want to eat breakfast at Flo’s in Radiator Springs, be sure to visit before March 23rd. More detail are here.

The Easter Bunny is coming but will it be with The Billys? Disney Parks Blog
Big Thunder Ranch will soon be invaded by an assortment of Disney Rabbits, for its Springtime celebration! More info here!

Mickey nearly lights himself on fire…TWICE
Every show has its issues, it’s always good though when no one gets hurt. Watch the video here of Mickey’s pyrotechnic problems.

AP Extra Hours Event
CassiefRN brings us a fun evening for an extra hours event for Annual Passholders, read the full review with pictures here!

Due to its popularity, the movie Frozen continues to generate rumors and proposals for new attractions. ~Trekkie Dad

What to do with Princess Meet & Greets
The Witches of Morva have heard that because the princesses from Frozen have been so successful at Epcot, they will soon appear at the Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Looks like Disney has confirmed this one.

Frozen Show in Fantasy Faire
AvidTurtleTalker thinks that Frozen should get a show in Disneyland’s Fantasy Faire.

Frozen to get a ride at Disneyland…
If Broadway’s Santino Fontana is to be believed, Disneyland will be getting a Frozen ride.

Transforming the Matterhorn into a Frozen Themed Thrill Ride?
While this rumor has been around for a while, Beatle_johnny fantasizes how this might happen if it were true.

This week brings us rumors (now news) about the future of Frozen at the parks, and some questions about bike trails at Walt Disney World, and when did the Magic Kingdom have the better Fantasyland attractions? See what’s new this week at Walt Disney World! ~yoyoflamingo

New Dessert Party for Illuminations
Due to the overwhelming success of the Wishes dessert buffet, EPCOT recently introduced its own, including sparkling wines. A cash grab or magical moments? Join in the discussion here!

Which Fantasyland has the better rides?
Simple, or not so simple: Which Fantasyland had/has the better rides, Old Fantasyland or new? Share your thoughts and see other people’s reasons in this thread.

What to do with Princess Meet and Greets
Due to the overwhelming success of Frozen, you might have noticed the insanity around EPCOT’s Norway pavilion. Since there are plenty of meet and greet locations in the World, what happens when the princesses move to Princess Fairytale Hall? Who gets bumped? Share the options here.

Favorite Bike Trail Places
Since Walt Disney World once used to be known as the Vacation Kingdom of the World, there are so many things besides the theme parks. Anyone know of some great bike trails to share?

MiceChat Podcast #15: A Spoonful of Sherman Our latest show was quite a while in the making. We think it was worth the wait. Aside from our usual round up of Disney and theme park news, we’ve got an outstanding interview with Robbie Sherman (son of Disney legend Robert Sherman of the Sherman Brothers). Robbie was quite candid. The interview was conducted at the Disneyana Fan Club show and sale, so there’s quite a bit of background noise, but it’s all in good fun. It’s a spoonful of Sherman and then some. Enjoy!

Direct Link | iTunes Link

 

Welcome to this weeks Kristen Bell Weekly, where we talk about everything all about Frozen! Well, we did it. We changed the name of the show. Welcome to Kristen Bell Weekly, where this week’s episode is Frozen themed! Learn about the 70 year history of the film in this week’s History segment! George looks at the Art of Frozen for the Book of the Week! Jeff and George review the Frozen Blu Ray for the 60 Second Review! And finally, find some other Disney characters in the film in this weeks Five Legged Goat!

Direct Link |  iTunes Link

The Haunted Mansion Show Episode 11: Where’s Hattie? It has been weeks now and one question plagues the mind of many a Happy Haunt: “Where has The Hatbox Ghost gone to now?” That question will now be answered, for he has left behind a convenient tape recorder behind with a special message. Join us, now, as we find out just what happened to Ol’ Hattie.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland
MiceChat brings us a full ride through, at both day and night, of the newly refurbished Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim California.

DisAfterDark & V24 Radio Team up!
V24 Radio is proud to announce Dis After Dark as its official late-night show!
Every Friday and Saturday at 11pm Eastern, with a REAL late replay at 4am Eastern, The Mouse’s Head Pub opens its doors for Disney discussions with the ‘adult’ park fans in mind! The first episode of Dis After Dark will air this Friday, March 8. If you’re an adult Disney fan, you won’t want to miss this late-night feature show!

Direct Link | iTunes Link

Unofficial Universal Orlando Podcast #82 – Universal Studios Singapore
Join us this week for the latest news in the UUOP News Update and Paul Boniface joins us to talk about his recent trip to Universal Studios Singapore. Thanks for listening and enjoy the show.

Direct Link | iTunes Link

SeaWorld Podcast Ep 20 – Interviews with Bindi Irwin Julie Scardina and Tim Morrow
The Unofficial Seaworld Podcast team is back with an amazing episode with 3 incredible interviews!  In this episode we talk to SeaWorld’s new Youth Ambassador Bindi Irwin about her new along with what kids will be able to do with Generation Nature, and SeaWorld Kids.

Direct Link | iTunes Link

Window to the Magic Enjoy the sounds of the park on our weekly journeys into the wonderful world of the Disney sound experience!

Direct Link | iTunes Link

The Seasonpass Podcast is at Orlando’s Fun Spot America to hear how this FEC transformed into an amusement park with John Arie Sr (Owner), John Arie Jr (COO), and Patrick Tuten (Creative Director).

Direct Link | iTunes Link

Mousetalgia Episode 282: Mary Blair exhibit, women in animation!
This week, Team Mousetalgia takes you behind the scenes at the world premiere of Magic, Color, Flair: The World of Mary Blair – an exhibit that opened March 13 at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, CA.

Direct Link | iTunes Link

DoomBuggies Spook Show #7: Fear on film; camera operator Craig Fikse
As the start of an intermittent series on the nature of fear, this episode of the DoomBuggies Spook Show deals with the nature of fear, and how and why we, as human beings, enjoy and/or abhor being scared. We interview camera operator Craig Fikse, who has experience filming series like American Horror Story and films like Van Helsing, The Invasion, and The Ring 2. – and more.

Direct Link

The world famous MiceChat Gumball Rally will be rolling your way the first Saturday in May. Lots of fun and surprises are in store. Join the info list now so you won’t miss out on early discounted registration (just after the first of the year). Last year’s event sold out in record time with over 100 names on the waiting list. Don’t end out shut out of the best fan event of the year, add your name to the list HERE and we’ll notify you when tickets go on sale.

Universal Orlando Update – Hogwarts Express details and Stabucks Opens at CityWalk
It’s a big update from Universal Orlando Resort this week as details have been released about the upcoming Hogwarts Express attraction. Plus, Starbucks has opened at CityWalk and other venues are getting closer as construction.

News of the Weird: Aquarium Bursts at Downtown Disney’s T-Rex Restaurant
A large aquarium suddenly burst yesterday at the popular Downtown Disney Orlando restaurant, T-Rex. It was a wet mess. Those poor fish!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad explodes from refurbishment as Starbucks opens in Downtown Disney
Disneyland‘s classic Big Thunder Mountain Railroad emerged from its extended 14-month refurbishment project over the weekend with Annual Passholder and Disney Vacation Club previews that showed off the ride’s impressively smooth new track and explosive ending.

Magic Kingdom Storybook Circus Five Legged Goats
Fans of Communicore Weekly (the Greatest Online Show™) are familiar with the term Five Legged Goat. We do a weekly segment dedicated to the hidden details of Disney parks.

Wait for Ratatouille Attraction is Almost Over
Favorable weather is smiling upon the contractors for Disneyland Paris’ new Ratatouille attraction. Record temperatures in Paris will help Disney deliver this new ride in mid-July.

Don’t Let It Go: Frozen on Blu-ray
Jeff and George take a look at the blockbuster Disney film Frozen, now on Blue-Ray. George: Reviewing one of the most popular films of 2013 sounds like an easy task, right?

Starbucks Perks Up Downtown Disney, Big Thunder Previews and More at the Disneyland Resort
Welcome to a fully caffeinated edition of In the Parks!  The big news this week is the opening of the new Starbucks in Downtown Disney Anaheim.

Festival of Fantasy Parade Debuts at the Magic Kingdom
Something new has rolled into the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, the delightful new Festival of Fantasy parade!  We’ve got over 100 photos to share with you today.

Mary Blair Tile Murals, Tomorrowland
Walt Disney personally chose to have Mary Blair’s art bring optimism and joy to the New Tomorrowland of 1967. Yesterland takes another look.

What Shoes Should You Wear to Disney World?
Nothing can make or break a long day in the parks faster than your chosen pair of kicks. After all, Cinderella is proof that the right pair of shoes makes all the difference.

Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo and Jungle Book 2
Hippity hoppity Roo, we’ve got a blu-ray review for you. Two reviews in fact. Join Jeff Heimbuch as he tells us what to expect from the recent Winnie the Pooh Springtime With Roo and Jungle.