This Crowd Calendar update is a bit of fine-tuning to the Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.

Walt Disney World

Most of the changes in this update are to EPCOT.  For the October update, we were seeing a strong pattern where weekdays had very low crowds and weekends had very high crowds. It appears that the secret is out and more people switched their EPCOT days to weekdays. Most of the 1s that EPCOT had, are now 2s and 3s. Weekdays still have lower crowds than the weekend at EPCOT.

Animal Kingdom is the only park with a plethora of 1s.

50th Anniversary

October 1, 2021, will be Disney World’s 50th anniversary. We expect that there will be a bump in crowds for this historic day. Disney will be celebrating their 50th anniversary for 12-18 months, so don’t feel left out if you avoid the first weekend of October 2021.

 

The post October – Mid-Month Crowd Calendar Updates appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Crowd Calendar, Walt Disney World (FL)

EPCOT is my favorite Walt Disney World theme park (shhh, don’t tell Magic Kingdom). It’s a gorgeous park with great food, educational opportunities, and loads of just plain fun. I’ve never once hesitated to recommend it to families with younger children, until now.

Before I get into why I might think twice about bringing young kids (about age seven and below) to EPCOT now, let me preface this by saying that I’d still recommend EPCOT if park hopping were available. If you could spend a few hours at EPCOT and then take your kids on a hop to the Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom, then you’d still be fine. But with the COVID restrictions currently in place, the entire family is committed to just one park per day. If you have younger kids, I’m not sure if there is currently enough at EPCOT to amuse them to justify burning a day of your vacation there.

Here’s why:

• Lack of attractions targeted to younger kids: The only attractions at EPCOT targeted to younger kids are Frozen Ever After (Norway pavilion), Gran Fiesta Tour (Mexico pavilion), The Seas with Nemo and Friends (Seas pavilion), Journey into Imagination (Imagination pavilion), and the Beauty and the Beast Singalong (France pavilion). The total time for those attractions is 37 minutes. Add a few minutes of fish-watching after the Seas ride, and you’re still only at about 40 minutes of time engaged in the park for a younger child.
• Water features are not currently operating: Kid-friendly water exploration areas such as splash pads and the jumping fountains have been turned off during the pandemic.
• The Kidcot Fun Stops are not currently operating: There are Kidcot tables at most of the World Showcase pavilions, but right now there is no coloring activity or international representatives to speak with. There are simply cards or stickers left on a table.
• There are no character greetings: Pre-pandemic, kids could meeting Mickey and Pals, most princesses, and characters from Wreck-It Ralph, Inside Out, Big Hero Six, and more. A hug from Goofy or Belle could go a long way toward boosting the mood of a cranky four year old, but today there are only brief drive-by “cavalcades.” Even the socially distant Winnie the Pooh appearance that debuted when the park reopened doesn’t seem to be an everyday occurrence.
• The interactive Agent P Adventure missions have ended: This attraction was discontinued in February, just prior to the pandemic. Still, it’s one less thing for young kids to do.
• Turtle Talk with Crush is not operating.
• The interactive play area in the Imagination pavilion is not operating.
• Most World Showcase entertainment is not operating: Mariachi Cobre and the Jammitors do have scheduled time on the America Gardens stage, but the diversionary jugglers and acrobats are no longer performing.
• The festival playground is not operating: Understandable, but this means there is no place for a child to stretch or run.

To be fair, the lack of rides for small kids was an issue pre-pandemic. However, when the character experiences, general entertainment, and interactive opportunities are removed, the sparse enticements for the youngest guests have become rare indeed.

With a slightly older/taller child, you could add in Living with the Land, Soarin, Test Track (minus the interactive car building), and Spaceship Earth, and perhaps some international food tasting, making a day at Epcot more in the realm of day’s entertainment. But bear in mind that, due to the lack of FastPass+ availability, depending on when you arrive and whether you use a touring plan, you can expect waits of 30-60 minutes (or more) for each of those attractions, with even longer waits on weekends.

The pandemic restrictions are justified and understandable, but given that there are just a handful of attractions of appeal to younger children, with possibly long wait times, if you have small kids, this may be the trip where you use your valuable park pass reservations to skip Epcot and book an additional day at Magic Kingdom.

The post Should You Take Your Young Child to EPCOT Right Now? appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Epcot, kids, Trip Planning, Walt Disney World (FL), Families, young children

The most wonderful retail season of the year has officially arrived to shopDisney. Yes, move over Halloween because shopDisney has gone all in on their 2020 Holiday Shop. So while you may still be getting your child’s Halloween costume together, shopDisney declared it is time for holiday cheer. Here’s some of the highlights of the 2020 shopDisney Holiday Shop.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse Home Decor Collection

You can order these items individually, or add the entire collection to your cart with one click. All ten items together add up to close to $400.00.

• Mickey and Minnie Mouse Light-Up Holiday Tree Topper
• Mickey Mouse and Friends Holiday Tree Skirt – Personalizable
• Mickey and Minnie Mouse Glass Drop Sketchbook Ornament 2020
• Mickey Mouse and Friends Musical Holiday Figurine
• Mickey Mouse Holiday Stocking – Personalizable
• Mickey and Minnie Mouse Holiday Countdown Calendar Castle
• Mickey Mouse Icon Sequined Holiday Wreath
• Minnie Mouse Holiday Stocking – Personalizable
• Mickey Mouse Gingerbread Scented Holiday Candle
• Mickey Mouse Holiday Door Mat

Mickey Mouse and Friends Holiday Home Collection

You can order these items individually, or add the entire collection to your cart with one click. All ten items together add up to close to $400.00.

• Mickey Mouse and Friends Holiday Serving Dish
• Mickey Mouse Milk and Cookies for Santa Set
• Mickey Mouse and Friends Holiday Cookie Jar
• Mickey Mouse and Friends Holiday Train Bowl Set
• Mickey and Minnie Mouse Glass Drop Sketchbook Ornament 2020
• Mickey Mouse and Friends Reversible Holiday Table Runner
• Mickey and Minnie Mouse Holiday Salt & Pepper Set
• Mickey and Minnie Mouse Holiday Snowglobe 2020
• Mickey and Minnie Mouse Gingerbread Holiday Dish Towel Set
• Disney Animators’ Collection Littles Advent Calendar

 

Other highlights from shopDisney Holiday Shop:

• Mickey Mouse ”Holiday Cheer” Spirit Jersey for Adults – $74.99
• Disney Animators’ Collection Littles Advent Calendar $44.99
• Mickey Mouse and Friends Light-Up Holiday Display $39.99
• Mickey and Minnie Mouse Holiday Throw Pillow $34.99
• Mickey Mouse Holiday Gift Set for Baby – $39.99

New Disney Ugly Sweaters

• Disney Villains Light-Up Holiday Sweater for Adults – $49.99
• Stitch Holiday Sweatshirt for Adults – $42.99
• Jack Skellington as Sandy Claws Holiday Sweatshirt for Adults – $42.99

New Disney Holiday Ornaments

• Sebastian Sketchbook Ornament – $19.99
• Toy Story 25th Anniversary Legacy Sketchbook Ornament – $24.99
• Madame Leota Glow-in-the-Dark Ornament – $24.99
• Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Tree Topper and Ball Ornament Set – $39.99

And, well, the holiday season of 2020 means face masks in festive holiday patterns. shopDisney has two to choose from:

• Cloth Face Masks 2-Pack – Mickey and Minnie Mouse Joy – Limited Release $11.99
• Cloth Face Masks 2-Pack – Mickey Mouse and Friends Holiday – Limited Release $11.99

Currently there is no Annual Passholder discount available, but the 10% off for Disney Visa Reward Card holders is valid (DVRCMEMBER). And there is free shipping for orders over $75 (which is pretty easy to reach on this site) with code “SHIPMAGIC”. You can see all the new items from shopDisney as they come in by clicking here.

Have you started your holiday shopping yet? What do you think of this year’s collection?

This article may contain affiliate links.

The post The Holiday Season Has Arrived to shopDisney appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Christmas, Merchandise, disney christmas, disney christmas 2020, disney holiday merchandise

Anyone thinking about a Walt Disney World vacation in early 2021 will want to take another look today. Disney just released room discounts of up to 35% for stays from January 3 through April 17, 2021. The offer is available for booking through March 15 and excludes 3-bedroom villas, campsites, Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows.

As always, there are a limited number of rooms available at the discounted price, so you will want to act soon. The best way to deal with changes like this are to use a travel agent like the fabulous one we have here at TouringPlans. Simply visit our travel agency page to submit a quote and one of our experienced agents will get you all squared away and continue checking for a better price down the road. And all booking come with a FREE TouringPlans subscription so you can use our tools and our expertise.

Here is the full breakdown of discounts for early 2021:

Resort Category	Resort Savings	Resort Savings
Select Disney Deluxe Villas	Save Up to 35%	Save Up to 25%
	For stays most nights January 3 to April 17, 2021	For stays most Friday and Saturday nights January 15 to February 13, 2021
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village Disney’s BoardWalk Villas Disney’s Old Key West Resort Disney’s Riviera Resort Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa	35%	25%
Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Disney’s Beach Club Villas Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows	25%	15%
Select Disney Deluxe Resorts	Save Up to 35%	Save Up to 25%
	For stays most nights January 3 to April 17, 2021	For stays most Friday and Saturday nights January 15 to February 13, 2021
Disney’s Contemporary Resort Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Disney’s Yacht Club Resort	35%	25%
Select Disney Moderate Resorts	Save Up to 25%	Save Up to 15%
	For stays most nights January 3 to April 17, 2021	For stays most Friday and Saturday nights January 15 to February 13, 2021
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort	25%	15%
Select Disney Value Resorts	Save Up to 20%	Save Up to 10%
	For stays most nights January 3 to April 17, 2021	For stays most Friday and Saturday nights January 15 to February 13, 2021
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort – reopening February 9, 2021 Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – reopening November 1, 2020 Disney’s Pop Century Resort	20%	10%

 

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From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), discounts

Tuesday brought a break from some of the higher wait times we’ve seen in Walt Disney World, since its reopening.  Today’s waits at the Magic Kingdom, for example, ranked only as high as #21 out of the last 30 days, and Animal Kingdom and EPCOT ranked #16 and #19 respectively.  We received 154 actual wait times today across Walt Disney World.  Let’s do the numbers.

Magic Kingdom Wait Times

Starting in Fantasyland, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train had an average wait time today of 58 minutes. Its 7-day average is 67 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 59 minutes, so today ranks #17 for the past month.  The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh had an average wait time today of 21 minutes (#6 week / #25 month), and Peter Pan’s Flight had an average wait time today of 30 minutes  (#5 week / #22 month); Peter Pan’s actual wait averaged 87% of the posted wait time, which is good accuracy.

Space Mountain had an average wait time today of 33 minutes, good for #6 this week and #20 for the month (and #169 for the year). We received 9 actual wait times at Space Mountain today, and the actual wait averaged 67% of the posted wait time.

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin had an average wait time today of 27 minutes (#6 for the week / #19 month / #155 year).

Pirates of the Caribbean had an average wait time today of 43 minutes. Its 7-day average is 51 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 51 minutes, so today ranks #27 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 41 minutes, so today ranks #129 for the past year. We received 7 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 84% of the posted wait time.

Over in Liberty Square, Haunted Mansion had an average wait time of 42 minutes. Its 7-day average is 50 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 45 minutes, so today ranks #20 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 45 minutes, so today ranks #144 for the past year. We received 5 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 75% of the posted wait time.

Actual wait times in the Magic Kingdom today averaged 73% of the posted wait, so a posted wait of 60 minutes at Splash Mountain would’ve been an actual wait of around 44 minutes.

Actual waits in line average under 20 minutes with our Walt Disney World touring plans.  Subscribe today and get our Lines app too.

Hollywood Studios Wait Times

The fabulous Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway had an average wait time today of 88 minutes. Its 7-day average is 83 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 84 minutes, so today ranks #8 for the past month.

In Toy Story Land, Toy Story Mania! had an average posted wait time today of 30 minutes, #3 for the week, #12 for the month, and #160 for the year. We received 16 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 42% of the posted wait time.  That’s a really large difference between posted and actual waits, and it’s happened a couple of times recently at TSM.

Slinky Dog Dash had an average wait time today of 71 minutes, #3 for the week, #10 for the past month and #139 for the year. We received 6 actual wait times at Slinky today, and the actual wait averaged 74% of the posted wait time. And Alien Swirling Saucers had an average wait time today of 26 minutes (#7 / #16 / #162).

 

Boarding groups at Rise of the Resistance got started a little later today than the past few days – around 10:30 a.m. – but ran well most of the rest of the day,  There appears to be a scheduled pause around 3 p.m. today, possibly for cleaning. Other than that, it was a much better day than yesterday.

Animal Kingdom Wait Times

Expedition Everest had an average wait time today of 25 minutes. Its 7-day average is 38 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 30 minutes, so today ranks #17 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 47 minutes, so today ranks #174 for the past year. We received 11 actual wait times today at Everest, and the actual wait averaged 62% of the posted wait time.

Kilimanjaro Safaris had an average wait time today of 21 minutes, #5 for the week, #15 for the month, and #166 for the past year. We received 15 actual wait times today for the Safaris, and the actual wait averaged 53% of the posted wait time.

Avatar Flight of Passage had an average wait time today of 74 minutes. Its 7-day average is 86 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 57 minutes, so today ranks #5 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 104 minutes, so today ranks #153 for the past year. We received 7 actual wait times today, and the actual wait to ride a dragon averaged 89% of the posted wait time.

We got 43 actual wait times at Animal Kingdom today, and they averaged 74% of the posted wait times. So a posted wait time of 40 minutes at Na’Vi River Journey would’ve meant an actual wait of 30 minutes.

EPCOT Wait Times

Test Track’s average wait time today of 52 minutes was 21 minutes below its 7-day average. Its 30-day average is 61 minutes, so today ranks #18 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 58 minutes, so today ranks #115 for the past year.

Every day is a great day to go on Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, but today was especially great because it had an average wait time today of 5 minutes. That’s the lowest average wait for the past week and past month.  Its 365-day average is 10 minutes, so today ranks #205 for the past year.

Frozen Ever After had an average wait time today of 56 minutes. Its 7-day average is 73 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 61 minutes, so today ranks #17 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 58 minutes, so today ranks #147 for the past year.

And the always fun Living with the Land had an average wait time today of 13 minutes. Its 7-day average is 15 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 12 minutes, so today ranks #13 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 15 minutes, so today ranks #141 for the past year. We received 5 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 53% of the posted wait time. Quinoa for everyone!

Actual wait times at EPCOT averaged 57% of the posted wait today, which is low by historical standards (it’s typically around 70-80%).  That means that a posted wait of 15 minutes at Spaceship Earth was a 9-minute actual wait.

The post A Midweek Break From The Crowds – Walt Disney World Wait Times for Tuesday, October 20, 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Attractions, Walt Disney World (FL), disney crowds, disney reopening, disney wait times