Last year, Walt Disney World rolled out a lot of special events to its special event lineup. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas are the tent-poles of the Walt Disney World Special Events. Magic Kingdom and Disneyland Park open for 24 straight hours during Memorial Day weekend is quickly becoming a third tent-pole for these special events. The 24-hour park day is a great promotion for the guests because it does not require an extra ticket to attend like the Halloween and Christmas Party. The other events, on this list, are also “hard/extra ticket” events.
Disclaimer: Everything in this article in regard to what events will be coming to Walt Disney World is pure speculation. None of these events, for this year, has been confirmed or denied by Walt Disney World.
It was a light week on the Dad For Disney blog. This coming week, I should be back to a full slate of blog articles. Also, starting on Monday, the first Dad For Disney Facebook Group giveaway will be taking place. More details to come.
After spending a refreshing afternoon along Stormalong Bay, my wife and I returned to our room and got ready for the Villains Unleashed party at Hollywood Studios. This was the centerpiece and reason we made this trip. My wife loves the Disney villains and we missed out on last year’s event. So when we found out about this year’s event, we jumped on the opportunity.
Our original plan was to take the boat over to Hollywood Studios and eat at the Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge before the party. However, mother nature got in the way. A strong, late August afternoon thunderstorm was on its way. It shut down the boat traffic between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. We made the quick decision to walk toward Hollywood Studios. If we could beat the storm to Hollywood Studios, great, if not Plan B was to stop at Big River Grille and Brewhouse for dinner.
There was some big news released, this morning, from the World Showcase at EPCOT. Many popular acts, according to WDW Magic, have been told that their final performances will be at the end of September.
Mo’Rockin at the Morocco Pavilion, Off Kilter in the Canada Pavilion, and Spirit of America at The American Adventure will be making their final appearances on September 27.
The World Showcase Players have been told that their final performance will be on September 25.
There are unconfirmed reports that British Revolution will have their final performance on September 27.
Spirit of America (photo courtesy of wdw info)
No official reason has been issued as to why these groups are being retired. That has left nothing but speculation which I won’t get into here. However, Disney has announced some new groups and shows which will be taking their place.
A lumberjack show in Canada
Flag-waving performers in Italy
A Berber music and dance troupe in Morocco
Celtic folk music group in the United Kingdom
We will have to wait and see if these groups will put a breath of fresh air into the stage performances at the World Showcase.
Disney’s Villains Unleashed hard-ticket event came and went on Saturday night. The reviews of the event were not good. There were long character lines. There was only one place to get event-specific merchandise and it was sold out around 10 pm. There were long lines, up to 45 minutes, for event specific food and beverage. Those also sold out. All of this left some people disappointed. They weren’t able to see and do everything that they paid for with their hard ticket. They felt for $70 that Disney should not run out of merchandise and food or be forced to choose which characters they want to meet. I agree with them to an extent. I think this event can work for Disney, in the future, they just need to improve upon some things. Some of things are easy while others are more difficult and will involve some tough choices on Disney’s behalf.
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