News and Views around Walt Disney World-first week of June, 2014

If you have a Memory Maker Package, but not a MagicBand, you can both purchase a MagicBand,link it to your MyDisneyExperience account to get the photos automatically, or you can go to the photo station at the end of the attraction and scan your card. The attractions that include this service is Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, and Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom. In Disney’s Hollywood Studios you will find this service at Tower of Terror and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Epcot has one attraction offering this, Test Track. Disney’s Animal Kingdom offers the service at Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. If this becomes popular we may be getting more photo ops on other attractions. This is the first experience that you must be wearing a MagicBand in order to use it. Up until now guests have been able to do the same things, such as using the FastPass+ feature, with their RFID plastic tickets. It looks like Magic Band purchases may be on the up rise then. This will certainly lead to other long range services offered through the Magic Bands. What would you like to see it do?

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride opened in Fantasyland to all guests on May 28, 2014. Yes, we are happy that the ride is open, it is a fun ride. This is the first Walt Disney World ride to open in recent years without any Annual Passholder previews, so I am disappointed in that. Annual Passholders make a large investment in the parks and early previews of new attractions is one of the selling points for slapping down that much cash for an AP.   The Magic Kingdom Park Guide made a change in appearance on May 28^th, a Wednesday, putting a photo of guests enjoying Seven Dwarfs Mine Train on the cover, adding it to the map area where previously it showed a grassy island, and of course in the “Fantasyland” section of the guide a description of the ride and its restrictions. You can see a scan of the Park Guide Map below showing these additions. I was just in there today and the wait time in late afternoon is about 2 hours. There was rain off and on today so on dry days that would probably tick up a bit. Hearing peoples’ responses as they watch it go by is so much fun. Every age is excited to ride and after watching dozens of trains go by I can tell you that every face looked happy.

I attended an opening day performance of “Festival of the Lion King” in the new Harambe Theatre. I had a FastPass+ with the time of 3:30PM. I arrived at 3:30PM and the queue was already quite full so if you want first choice of seating I guess you need to come much earlier that your FastPass+ time. I had visited the area earlier in the day and asked the Cast Member how this worked if it was like the regular FastPass+ and you were admitted into the FP+ line precisely at that time. She told me yes. I was disappointed to find that this was not the case when I went back for the show. It was raining pretty hard and the people who entered the FP+ line just ahead of me did not want to move forward because there was no ceiling to the queue in the area directly ahead of them and we would have all been standing there in the pouring rain. A Cast Member came through and moved everyone in the dry part of the queue up closer together allowing more of us into the dry area. The building was a former fort, according to the signage on the outside. As you walk through the entrance it is laden with rugs, baskets, etc., above your head to add some color and a bit of what you may see in “Harambe”. As we came into the theatre we were told to choose from any of the four seating areas, and I noticed that the Standby line had been admitted to the other side entrance at the same time as the FP+ line I was in. We had to take a seat in the bleachers as a result of that, but they were not horrible seats. I just though with FP+ you should be able to sit further down toward the front. I don’t think if you use one of your FP+ times you should not have to scramble for a seat. The show is the same as the original show in the old theater. This show has an amazing energy to it that I always found very enjoyable and it did not disappoint. The singers, the acrobats, the dancers, actors were very good and you won’t be sorry that you came to see this show. I don’t think you should use a FP+ time for it, unless they have either reserved seats for FP+ people or they give you the time to get a seat before letting in the Stand By Line. Children, especially if you are down front, will enjoy being asked to join in the dancing with the Cast Members. One person from each section has a brief interactive experience with one of the main performers at the very beginning of the show too. The costumes were great and the music from The Lion King is so beautiful and you will find yourself singing along at some point. I am glad this show is back! Nearby are restrooms and a merchandise kiosk that holds Lion King items. The Harambe Theatre is just behind Tusker House Restaurant.

While in Fantasyland tonight I came across some Cast Members taking glasses of cold water to those in line at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, or anyone else who asked for one along the way. How nice is that! Notice the next time you are in Fantasyland all the new castle details that have been built, new paint, and gold accents as well. Oh my gosh, I wish you had been in the park with me today, because guess who else was there? Lana Parilla, who plays Regina in Once Upon A Time!