Tires deflated, pumpkins are carved, and subs reopened. Yes, it’s the MiceChat Round up of Disney and Theme Park news and information.  It seems that Luigi’s Flying Tires attraction could very well be on its way out at Disney California Adventure. Was the new Fantasyland at Walt Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom worth the wait? We ask the question here on the forums.  Do you know what is coming to Tokyo Disney Seas next year?  That’s answered here too.  We have all of this plus the newest videos from MiceTube and the great podcasts from the MicePod.Don’t forget that this is your last chance to purchase tickets to the MiceChat Dark Harbor event!

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MiceAge Update – Enhancements for Disneyland, Tire Replacement for DCA
The first week in October begins the new fiscal year for the Walt Disney Company, and for Disneyland Resort that almost always means projects either kick off or wrap up in order to satisfy the sharp pencil boys who are always trying to defer the bills to the following fiscal year. Fiscal Year 2015 is no different for Anaheim, as lots of plans awaiting approval in Fiscal ’14 will now be getting underway in Fiscal ‘15. In this update we’ll fill you in on the previous rumors we’ve told you about that got approved, and a few long shot surprises that will be coming very soon to the Anaheim parks.

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Disneyland Subs, Safety and Heroes
Hello one and all!  It’s time for another Disneyland Resort update. Today we are on the verge of some pretty interesting things happening at the Happiest Place on Earth. To begin with, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage will be returning from its 9 month refurbishment. Will it sparkle and shine as it did on opening day? We also have news that the Big Hero 6 preview in the Magic Eye Theater is now welcoming guests. Moving on we see that procedures are evolving again at the turnstiles. Meanwhile, the Castle bridge is being bubble wrapped for your protection. Oh, and don’t forget the latest seasonal smoothie at Schmoozies. All of this plus updates on the Frozen items coming to Disney California Adventure’s Hollywood Pictures Backlot, and a special look at the amazing pumpkin carving happening at Big Thunder Ranch’s Halloween Carnival. Let’s get to it.

Micechat Tickets

MiceChat Queen Mary Dark Harbor VIP Event

MiceChat’s Nights of Horror continues with an terrifying event at The Queen Mary Dark Harbor. Once again this classic ocean liner will rise from the depths of a rich, haunted history to frighten those who dare to wander into her murky corridors. Join us for an exclusive trip through of 6 horrifying mazes including the new Soulmate, B340, and Voodoo Village that will include front of the line access, a private reception with the Dark Harbor creators and characters, and all night access to the RIP lounge including 4 drinks and delicious delectables.

Your VIP ticket price includes:

  • Early entry into the R.I.P. Lounge at The Queen Mary Dark Harbor (a private lounge where food and beverage are served)
  • Private MiceChat Reception from 6:30pm-7:00pm with the creators of Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor creators and the characters from the event, including the inimitable Ringmaster.
  • Front of the line access to all mazes including the new Soulmate, B340, and Voodoo Village, all night using Fast Fright passes.
  • All night access to the R.I.P. Lounge (includes four drinks and food)
  • We will also offer a discount code to ticket holders of our event to purchase an add-on to the all-new “Encounters Experience”.

The tickets for this event are going very fast. Grab yours right away!

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TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE NOW, READ BELOW AND SIGN UP TODAY!
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MiceChat Walt Disney World Invasion – October 22nd through 29th, 2014: We’ll visit the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley at Universal Orlando, offer an optional Halloween Horror Nights event, hold a Walt Disney World GUMBALL RALLY, travel the World Showcase in our wonderful Food and Wine Festival Sip and Nibble event, enjoy Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, PLUS La Nouba, meet-ups, meals and more. Don’t miss this fantastic week of Orlando fun!!!

Just look at the crazy itinerary of events we have lined up for this totally awesome trip:

Universal Orlando Resort – October 23th

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This year we kick off the fun with a trip to Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure. Here we will experience daytime thrills and nighttime chills. Contact Fairy Godmother Travel for discount Universal Studios theme park admission. Then, as the sun sets, the brave souls who remain will join us for the 24th annual Halloween Horror Nights.

Sip and Nibble – October 24th

Friday will be the always fun, often imitated, but never duplicated, Sip and Nibble at Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival. This is where we meet new and old friends, share food & drink, and try to make it through all the food and wine offerings. This year there are 25 separate kiosks featuring food and wine from continents and countries such as Africa, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Greece, Hawaii, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Patagonia, Poland, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea. There are also odd kiosks with really great food (the Cheese kiosk is really GOOD!), the most delicious vegetarian dishes and fantastic drinks (alcoholic and non) for you to enjoy. Lets take bets—will we make it past France this year? (Hint . . . we’ve never failed to finish yet!). It’s an absolutely amazing day of food, drink and friendship!!!

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Our Sip and Nibble event has a small fee to cover the cost of lanyards, pens and shot glasses for attendees. if you can’t afford the fee, please come anyway. The more the merrier.

Magic Kingdom and La Nouba – October 25th

We’ll spend the day at the Magic Kingdom with a noon meet at Tomorrowland Terrace. We’ll meet for about 15 minutes or so to allow folks to gather and then head off for lunch together (Lunch will be upstairs at Columbia Harbor House at 12:30). Then we’ll explore some of the wonderful attractions of this great Disney park.

If you book your MiceChat Orlando Invasion vacation with Fairy Godmother Travel you will get to attend Tuesday’s Cirque du Soleil show for free! This is a $100 savings per person and can only be obtained by booking through Fairy Godmother Travel – Contact Fairy Godmother Travel HERE

Walt Disney World Gumball Rally – Sunday October 26th

One great day, two huge parks, a world of maniacal fun, how many attractions can YOU ride?

The MiceChat Walt Disney World Gumball Rally returns October 26th in the “Walt Disney World Monorail Rally.” Teams of 2, 3, or 4, will race to see who can ride the most attractions in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot in one day. Players who have competed in the Disneyland version have raved, “It’s the most fun I have EVER had in the park!”

To win, you’ll need a good strategy, but even the most prepared teams will have to deal with with varied operating hours, closures, ride breakdowns, parades, and weather to visit a set of specific attractions in each of the two parks in this year’s event.

!!! This time around, the event includes a dinner buffet while you await the scores !!!

1st place for the WDW 08' Gumball Rally went to . . .THE DISNEY DIVAS!!!!! - Teresa Cory and Lisa Schneider

What amazing adventures are in store for the players this year? Sign up to find out . . . it really is the most fun you’ll have in the parks all year.

Adventure Day – October 27th

MiceChat will be having a lunch meet-up at Animal Kingdom on this day at 11:30 am, followed by a trek into the jungles of Disney.

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We are having a lunch meet up at 11:30 at the Flame Tree BBQ. Get your food and head down to the first covered hut near the lagoon.

From the Movies to Mickey – October 28th

Join us for a quick bite at 10:30am at “Starring Rolls” in the Disney Studios park. We’ll ride Tower of Terror, see the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, pick up some of the stage shows. Then, as the hours begin to fade to darkness, we’ll join Mickey and pals in the Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party!

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Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party – October 28th

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Halloween isn’t just about scares. At Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party you can become a kid again and spend the night trick or treating with all of your MiceChat pals! You’ll be treated with the special Halloween Fireworks at Cinderella’s Castle, the amazing Boo to You Parade, bags filled with candy and endless character interactions. Not to mention the rides! When was the last time you got to yell “trick or treat” (and get candy)?!

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Meet at on the train platform on Main Street-Just in case of rain we’ll have cover while we wait for our Mice Pals to assemble. We will shut down the Magic Kingdom in true MiceChat style!

These parties sell out (Oct 31st is already sold out!) so we recommend getting your tickets HERE ASAP. The party tickets are running $71.36 per adult.

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So what do you think? See any events here you’d like to attend? Book a week with Fairy Godmother Travel and save – Or add your name to the list below and we’ll let you know when and where you can sign up for each of the events. It’s a pretty impressive line up of amazing fun and events. We will see 6 different theme parks, two halloween parties, meals at outstanding restaurants, and the nicest people you can ever travel with. Yes, the MiceChat WDW Invasion will be a magical not-to-be-missed week!

Join the MiceChat WDW Invasion and Gumball Rally Info List
for updates and information on the MiceChat WDW Invasion 2014.

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Even more upcoming MiceChat Events – Don’t Miss Out!

Contact [email protected] to book travel to Orlando. Sign up for our email list to be sent sign up information for the Gumball Rally, Sip and Nibble and other MiceChat Invasion events!

REQUEST ADDITIONAL INFORMATION HERE

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MiceChat 7 night Alaska Cruise on the Disney Wonder – June 1st, 2015: Join us as we sail toward the top of the world on the delightful Disney Wonder. We’ll hold all sorts of special MiceChat meet-ups on board. Suggest group excursions you might want to join us on. Dine as a group to discuss our adventures and more.

Day Port Guest Ashore Guest Onboard
1 Vancouver, Canada 4:00 p.m.
2 At Sea
3 Tracy Arm, Alaska Cruising Cruising
4 Skagway, Alaska 7:15 a.m. 7:45 p.m.
5 Juneau, Alaska 6:15 a.m. 4:45 p.m.
6 Ketchikan, Alaska 11:15 a.m. 7:45 p.m.
7 At Sea
8 Vancouver, Canada 8:00 a.m.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? SIGN UP NOW!

Ask us for more details on any of our upcoming MiceTrips or for Disney adventures of your own by emailing us at [email protected]. It doesn’t cost you more to use our travel agent, it’s just more magical. Let us do the work, you enjoy the Disney fun!!!

MiceChat Podcast

AN ALL NEW MICECHAT PODCAST IS HERE!  The MiceChat crew returns to Disneyland to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Haunted Mansion and ponder the upcoming enhancements to the Fantasyland dark rides. As Disneyland prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary, there’s lots for us to talk and speculate about. So, join Doug, David and Dusty as we take you for a walk in the park. It’s an amazing audio adventure. Then, we’ll transport you to Scare LA, where Disney Legends Bob Gurr and Alice Davis have a few things to say about the amazing Haunted Mansion.  Be sure to stick through for the very end of the show for a special surprise!

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Profits from the sale of every bottle of refreshing O-Zell soda supports the restoration of theWalt Disney Birthplace in Chicago. Pick up some delicious Victorian style natural soda AND help a great cause at the same time: O-Zell Soda  For a special treat, listen to the O-Zell jingle here: O-Zell Soda Song

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Disney Parks News and Reports

Finding Nemo has now reopened, although we are still waiting for the seagulls to return to the lagoon. Current Disneyland management has changed some of the iconic features of Disneyland’s most iconic feature, the Castle itself!  ~ Aladdin

MiceChat Newsletter

The Castle drawbridge can no longer be raised , railings going up
After nearly 60 years, current Disneyland management has decided that THE iconic symbol at Disneyland is not safe enough for guests. Seating has been removed and the drawbridge is now permanently affixed, and soon additional safety railings will be added to the castle bridge. Will the next step involve bubble wrapping the entire castle?

Finding Nemo’s Submarine Voyage has resurfaced – Video included
Nemo can be found again, now that Finding Nemo Subs are open again! If you are unable to visit Disneyland, you can still see a video of the refurbished attraction, here!

MiceChat Newsletter

My First Trip Report – Three Days at the Happiest Place on Earth and a ’33’ Surprise!
The Lanky Mermaid
 and family spend a few days at the Grand Californian and the Disneyland Resort to celebrate a couple of birthdays!

Nail art any one?
Who doesn’t love Nail Art? Boisemice has posted some amazing photos of their artwork inspired by Disney!

Another Capt. Hook Trip Report for Sept. 28th, 2014 plus a surprise friend
Capt Hook has another great trip report but this time has a few surprises on his journey!

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Loss of the backlot tour, to mission that failed. What will move in to that large area? Or will it be shuttered forever? ~ DisneylandFanAZ 

MiceChat Newsletter

Restored Film: Swan Boats and Adventureland Steel Drum Band in ’75 Style
Love Disney vintage anything? Well, wdwms brings us another restored fantastic WDW film from 1975 including a ride on the Swan Boats!

Mickeys not so scary Halloween party!
Can you believe October is just around the corner? We can’t, but figge411 brings us a look at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Was It Worth the Wait
It took 20 years to utilize the space in Fantasyland with new attractions and Imagineer45 is wondering if it was worth the wait.

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MiceChat Newsletter

Lego Ratatouille!
Cedric Di Piero
has reproduced the central plaza and the Parisian façades (from Ratatoiulle) with Lego Digital Designer.

New TDR Podcast
DreamSweetsLove
and some other Tokyo Disney Resort fans have put together a podcast for the resort.

King Triton’s Concert Will Reopen the Mermaid Lagoon Theater on April 24 Next Year
Fukai
brings us information about a new show at Tokyo DisneySea, King Triton’s Concert.

Disney News, Disney News Round Up: Out With The Old, In With The New

It’s the season for spooks and zombies, and we have trip reports from three different theme parks. ~ Trekkie Dad

MiceChat Newsletter

Knott’s Scary Farm – Impressive Maze from Voodoo and Special Ops Infected etc.
First up is a series of videos from Knott’s Scary Farm posted by SoCallbma.

DTH’s Horror Nights Reign Till Dawn vs. An American In the Flesh in 3-Peat-D (Review)
No pictures, but a very detailed trip report of Universal Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights from dth316.

HHN Trip Report 9/26 & 9/27
explodingboy
also has a trip report from Universal Hollywood.

California’s Great America Halloween Haunt opening night.
RegionsBeyond
has a report from California’s Great America in Santa Clara.

AV Room

Welcome to this week’s Communicore Weekly, where we talk about Universal Hollywood Horror Night, Contemporary Fact, Hook’s Revenge, and Dinosaur! TRIP REPORT! – Jeff talks about his recent trip to Universal Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights in the Trip Report! ONE LITTLE FACT! – George knows you about the Contemporary Resort in One Little Fact! BOOK OF THE WEEK! – George and Jeff travel to Neverland in Hook’s Revenge for the Book of the Week! FIVE LEGGED GOAT! – And finally, the Dino Institute is this week’s Five Legged Goat!

Direct Link | iTunes

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

Dead Man’s DIEgest:
On this episode of the Dead Man’s DIEgest we bring you ALL the announcements for the Houses and Scarezones for Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood.

Direct Link

The Season Pass: The Essential Theme Park Podcast: The Season Pass is celebrating the 45th anniversary of the beloved Disneyland classic, The Haunted Mansion. Doug Barnes, Brent Young, Robert Coker, and Theme Park Adventure’s Rick West sits with Disney Legend Alice Davis to discuss her career in Walt Disney Imagineering, stories of Walt and Roy Disney, creating the Haunted Mansion & Pirates of the Caribbean, the difficulties of working as a strong woman in the industry, and of course, many beautiful stories of her late husband, Disney Legend Mark Davis.

Direct Link | iTunes Link

Disney Avenue Podcast: On this episode of the Disney Avenue Podcast, host Keith Michael Mahne has a wonderful conversation with famous author, Disney historian and the “go to” guy on Walt and all things Disney for that matter, Mr. Jim Korkis. Jim has one of the best personalities around and is full of fantastic stories and insights on Walt and the company.

Mousetalgia! – An Unofficial Disneyland Podcast Marc Davis: Walt’s Renaissance Man: Animators Andreas Deja and Bob Kurtz recently visited the Walt Disney Family Museum to host a presentation about Marc’s technique, work, and influence – as well as his fine art and Papua New Guinnea studies (and we even have a special exclusive guest appearance by Alice Davis!) Next, Kristen attends the D23 Fanniversary event in Seattle, Washington, and offers her own review of the event, the attendees, and the moments that stood out to her.

Direct Link | iTunes Link

DoomBuggies Spook Show: Disney Legend Alice Davis joins the DoomBuggies Spook Show this week to talk about her late legendary husband Marc Davis, who was one of Walt Disney’s original Nine Old Men and was largely responsible for the majority of the scenes and gags in the Haunted Mansion. Alice talks about Marc’s childhood and early art, and explains why Walt selected him to become an Imagineer, and some of Marc’s artistic aspirations. Also, Jeff’s new book has been published – “The Unauthorized Story of Walt Disney’s Haunted Mansion,” from Theme Park Press and now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle versions.

Direct Link

The Sweet Spot: In this Episode we welcome former Disneyland cast member Vern Hoiland. Vern was hired into Disneyland in 1969 and retired in 2006. Vern saw a lot fo changes over the years from managment, park changes, his own changes in roles, and much more. This is a great interview if you want to learn about how it was working in Disneyland as far back as 1969. Plus, we’ll look at the latest in the Disneyland Resort news with Tommy. Enjoy and please visit our new website www.thesweepspot.com

Unofficial Universal Orlando Podcast: On this show we answer Allison from North Carolina’s question about visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we then bring you the latest news and rumours. After taking a quick break, Darren and Hunter talk to us about their trip to Lombards at Universal Studios Florida, we share a live trip report from listener Craig Lucas and wrap up by letting you know about Micechat.com’s “invasion of Orlando”.

Direct Link

Featured Columns
MiceChat Newsletter

Explore the Watery World at Marineland Florida
If you’ve ever driven along A1A between Daytona Beach and St. Augustine, you’ve probably gone through the small town of Marineland. It is in this sleepy Florida town where the world of modern aquariums, dolphin research, and indeed the entire field of oceanography began.

MiceChat Newsletter

Disney’s Legendary Frontier
MiceChat reader, Nick Tierce, sent us the following article in honor of the last day of Disneyland’s Legends of Frontierland game. If you’ve got a bit of time to spare today (September 27, 2014), stop by Frontierland and check out the festivities.

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The MiceEars Crew puts a lot of time and effort into making these Round-Ups happen.Our thanks to:Editor CakvalaSC and the MiceEars Crew: Aladdin, Yoyoflamingo, Trekkie Dad, DLandFansAZ, RegionsBeyond, Fishbulb & Dustysage.

We hope to see you online again soon, Dusty and the amazing MiceChat crew!

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If you have questions for Anthony our Editor or our MiceEars Grew they can be e-mailed at: [email protected] or Follow him on Twitter @CakvalaSC | Flickr: flickr.com/photos/cakvalasc/ | Instagram: instagram.com/cakvala

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CakvalaSC
MiceChat.com's webmaster and occasional writer. Cakvala is senior graphic designer and photographer. Admirer of all things Disney and theme-parks !