It’s been almost an entire year since Disney’s “Frozen 2” hit screens worldwide, which means you’ve had plenty of time to get ready for this year’s Frozen Fan Fest. Whether you’ve been preparing by re-watching the film a million and two times over, singing your favorite “Frozen 2” tunes, or showing off your “Frozen”-inspired looks, the time has come to join fans around the globe for this year’s ultimate celebration of all things “Frozen”!
On October 18th, you’re invited to tune-in on for the first-ever “Frozen” Virtual Playdate hosted by Ayesha Curry. The event will feature an entire day’s worth of new and curated content you can enjoy right from the comfort of your own home, complete with digital adventures and immersive activities featuring exciting new product offerings inspired by “Frozen 2.” Right when you thought it couldn’t get any better – you’ll also get an exclusive first-look at the trailer for “Once Upon a Snowman,” the new short from Walt Disney Animation Studios, coming to Disney+ on October 23.
Fans of all ages will also have the chance to participate in immersive activities including a sing-a-long, choreographed dance lesson, an American Sign Language tutorial of “Show Yourself,” and the unique opportunity to learn how to draw Olaf with Trent Correy and Dan Abraham, the directors of “Once Upon a Snowman.” Additionally, a special “Frozen Fashion Week” fashion show brought to you from the United Kingdom will also air as part of the Playdate, complete with imaginative vignettes and never-before-seen styles that lean into key elements of the story and its characters. Be sure to also keep an eye out throughout the duration of the Virtual Playdate for exciting guest appearances by social influencers and “Frozen” fans, as well as Radio Disney’s Cameron McLeod and Jason Maybaum from Disney Channel’s “Raven’s Home.”
ThePlaydate will also feature “Frozen” essentials including new apparel, fashion accessories, bedding, toys, party decor, and costumes from Hasbro, LEGO, Party City, Disguise, shopDisney and more. Check out some of the magical product that will make an appearance at the Virtual Playdate, so you can start planning how you’ll play!
Beginning today, fans can visit http://www.disney.com/FrozenFanFest for a full schedule of events, downloadable activities and more. The Virtual Playdate will be available from 9 a.m. PST on October 18th for one day only. Additionally, be sure to join the conversation by following #FrozenFanFest for updates and information!
If you are hoping to catch a good deal in November, I have some more good news for you. You can still find deals at the Dolphin or use a little bit of technique to squeeze some Yacht Club deals out of Priceline.
Even better news is that as of this weekend, some nice $139 Caribbean Beach deals dropped as well!
I have to say, I love Caribbean Beach and now that the Skyliner is there I’m especially looking forward to staying there again at some point.
If you are lucky, you may also find some Art of Animation deals on select days, but they seem to have gotten the Halloween spirit and ghosted away. These deals were mostly in the $197 to $233 range, which leads me to believe that they were for suite rooms. Since deals on Priceline Express sometimes ghost away only to reappear later, I’ll just mention them quickly here and include them on my calendar below in case they come back.
Back to the Caribbean Beach deals, you’ll be happy to hear they run through the entire month and offer a significant savings over all of the other rates I could find.
As you can see below, even with an additional fee tacked onto the area room taxes, the Priceline Express deal is rivaled only by the current Annual Pass discount (if you have one), and even there the Express Deal would save you $24.39 per night.
(Note: the cheapest Regular non-hidden Priceline deal available to book was for Water view, so that difference is likely higher than it would be for a standard room.)
Spotting these Caribbean Beach deals is fairly straightforward: it is currently the only 3.5-star 8-guest rated resort in Bonnet Creek with a review count in the 300s. (321 to be exact.) The other 3.5-star resorts in that area are Coronado Springs with 495 reviews and Wyndham Bonnet Creek with a mere 21 reviews. Below are examples of Caribbean Beach in both hidden and regular deals.
Before I post the full calendar of deals I’d like to add a few of the usual reminders: Priceline Express deals are non-refundable, so do your homework and take your time if you need to. Also, technically Express Deals only guarantee room for 2 people. However, because the vast majority of Disney resort rooms sleep 4, that is really not an issue. Once you book with 2 people you can try giving Priceline and/or Disney Wholesale a call to add more people to the room.
If you were able to book one of these rooms or just have a question about finding deals on Priceline Express, please let us know in the comments!
We added a little extra magic to the moment by lighting Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom Park in the team’s primary colors – purple and gold – immediately following Game 6 of the Finals.
In July, the NBA resumed its 2019-2020 season, bringing 22 teams to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex to compete for a spot in the NBA Playoffs. After three months and 205 total games, the 2019-2020 NBA Finals concluded with a Lakers victory over the Miami Heat.
Congratulations again to the Lakers for an incredible performance, capping off an amazing, unprecedented NBA season!
EPCOT and Animal Kingdom saw their highest average wait times of the past month today, part of a strong holiday weekend at Walt Disney World.
Magic Kingdom Wait Times
Several attractions for the Magic Kingdom saw their highest waits of the week today: Astro Orbiter, Mad Tea Party, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, and Space Mountain had their highest waits of the month today, too. Splash Mountain had the highest average wait time of any attraction at 81 minutes. The actual wait in line was around 67% of the posted wait, so a posted wait time of 60 minutes at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train would’ve resulted in an actual wait of around 40 minutes.
Every attraction at EPCOT today experienced their highest average wait times of the past month: Soarin’ had an average posted wait of 63 minutes, while Test Track had an average posted wait of 95 minutes, and Frozen Ever After‘s average wasn’t far behind at 92 minutes. Your actual wait in line at EPCOT averages around 68% of the posted wait time, so a posted wait of 60 minutes at Spaceship Earth would’ve meant an actual wait of around 41 minutes.
Hollywood Studios Wait Times
It was a mixed bag over at Hollywood Studios. Some rides were busier than they’ve been:
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith had an average wait time today of 63 minutes. Its 7-day average is 52 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 48 minutes, so today ranks #1 for the past month.
Toy Story Mania! had an average wait time today of 38 minutes. Its 7-day average is 28 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 28 minutes, so today ranks #1 for the past month
Other attractions were not as busy as they’ve been lately:
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror had an average wait time today of 43 minutes. Its 7-day average is 49 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 49 minutes, so today ranks #21 for the past month.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway had an average wait time today of 80 minutes. Its 7-day average is 83 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 84 minutes, so today ranks #20 for the past month.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run had an average wait time today of 61 minutes. Its 7-day average is 60 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week. Its 30-day average is 60 minutes, so today ranks #14 for the past month.
Animal Kingdom Wait Times
Almost every attraction at Animal Kingdom had their highest average waits of the week and month today:
Avatar Flight of Passage had an average wait time today of 85 minutes. Its 7-day average is 52 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 46 minutes, so today ranks #1 for the past month.
DINOSAUR had an average wait time today of 52 minutes. Its 7-day average is 28 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 24 minutes, so today ranks #1 for the past month.
Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain had an average wait time today of 51 minutes. Its 7-day average is 30 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 26 minutes, so today ranks #1 for the past month.
Kali River Rapids had an average wait time today of 42 minutes. Its 7-day average is 26 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 20 minutes, so today ranks #1 for the past month.
It’s Tough to Be a Bug! had an average wait time today of 29 minutes. Its 7-day average is 14 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 12 minutes, so today ranks #1 for the past month.
Na’vi River Journey had an average wait time today of 53 minutes. Its 7-day average is 45 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 40 minutes, so today ranks #1 for the past month.
The actual wait in line at Animal Kingdom today was around 74% of the posted wait, so a posted wait of 60 minutes at Kilimanjaro Safaris would’ve meant an actual wait of around 45 minutes. And Animal Kingdom continues to have the most accurate posted wait times of any Walt Disney World theme park.
Whether you’re visiting Magic Kingdom for the first time, or an experienced Disney veteran, it can be tempting to just “wing it.” Going in without a plan is okay, but we want to show you how much time you can save with a plan, and how smooth your day can be. Two members of our field research team went into Magic Kingdom on Saturday, October 10, 2020 – one of the busiest days we’ve seen at Magic Kingdom since reopening. Our own Chrissy “Crispy” and Erin went head to head, Chrissy using a one day Magic Kingdom TouringPlan, and Erin going in without a plan.
Not only did Chrissy save lots of time, her experience was less frustrating. Erin approached her visit to Magic Kingdom much in the way a guest who had never been to Walt Disney World might approach their visit. Let’s take a look at their experiences and the lessons learned along the way.
Arriving to Magic Kingdom
Erin arrived at the Saratoga Springs Congress Park bus stop at 7:57 a.m. The TV monitor at the stop said that the Magic Kingdom buses started running at 8:30. A bus pulled up two minutes later at 7:59, and the bus arrived at Magic Kingdom at 8:21 a.m. She went through temperature check and security and was in the park at 8:27 a.m.
With Magic Kingdom published opening time being 9:00 a.m, Erin ordered a coffee at the Main Street Bakery Starbucks and sat to drink it. It is important to note that guests must be stationary while eating and drinking as part of the COVID-19 safety precautions.
Chrissy arrived at the Ticket and Transportation Center at 7:55 a.m. After parking and walking to the TTC, her temperature screening was at 8:07 a.m. She took the monorail and tapped into Magic Kingdom’s entrance at 8:19 a.m.
it’s a small world Extended Queue at Rapunzel-themed restroomUnder the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
How much time was saved by using a Touring Plan?
Chrissy and Erin spent all day in Magic Kingdom. The goal was to experience the same 18 attractions. Chrissy followed a one-day TouringPlan, with a focus on minimizing wait times. Erin approached the park as many new visitors do: starting in one side of the park and riding attractions in order of how they are physically located in the park. She started in Tomorrowland and worked her way around the entire park over to Adventureland.
Space Mountain Extended Queue 10-10-20Splash Mountain afternoon of 10-10-20
Although the published opening time was 9:00 a.m., the “rope drop” occurred around 8:40 a.m. Chrissy headed to her first attraction straight away, whereas “first timer” Erin was not aware this would happen and enjoyed her coffee at Starbucks. We recommend having breakfast before you get to the park if your objective is to get in as many rides as possible. The challenge with this is that Disney does not always “drop the rope” before official park opening. Generally if the park is forecasted to have higher attendance, as was the case yesterday, then they often do open a few areas like Fantasyland and Tomorrowland a little early. Our Lines app will show you the estimated crowd levels.
Another factor that can impact wait times are the extra cleaning procedures of certain attractions. All ride vehicles are given a sanitizing regularly throughout the day. For omni-moving rides like Peter Pan’s Flight and it’s a small world, the ride loading is temporarily stopped so all ride vehicles can be empty and cleaned. This can cause an addition 5 minutes or so in waiting, but certainly worth the extra safety.
Time
Attraction
Wait Time with Touring Plan
Time
Attraction
Wait Time Without a Plan
8:42 am
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
17 min.
9:07 am
Space Mountain
8 min.
8:52 am
Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
3 min.
9:20 am
Break
—-
9:02 am
It’s a small world
2 min.
9:32 am
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
10 min.
9:28 am
Big Thunder Mountain
20 min.
9:47 am
Carousel of Progress (ride delayed at last scene)
No wait
10:00 am
Pirates of the Caribbean
32 min.
10:20 am
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
66 min.
11:12 am
The Haunted Mansion
12 min.
11:29 am
Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
16 min.
11:29 am
Hall of Presidents
Less than 5
11:50 am
Peter Pan’s Flight
37 min.
11:50 am
Lunch at Pecos Bill
—-
12:50 pm
Lunch at Pinocchio
—-
12:40 pm
Splash Mountain
58 min.
1:22 pm
Mickey’s Philharmagic
26 min.
1:45 pm
Country Bear Jamboree
10 min.
1:55 pm
Break
—-
2:20 pm
The Enchanted Tiki Room
26 min.
2:20 pm
It’s a small world
38 min.
3:05 pm
Swiss Family Treehouse
Less than 5
3:06 pm
The Haunted Mansion
44 min.
3:28 pm
The Jungle Cruise
36 min.
4:01 pm
Hall of Presidents
10 min.
4:05 pm
Carousel of Progress
9 min.
4:50 pm
Big Thunder Mountain
15 min.
4:20 pm
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger
26 min
5:12 pm
Splash Mountain
41 min.
4:55 pm
Mickey’s Philharmagic
22 min.
6:13pm
Pirates of the Caribbean
55 min.
5:30 pm
Break
—-
7:20 pm
The Jungle Cruise
9 min.
6:14 pm
Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
12 min.
7:41 pm
Exited The Jungle Cruise
6:45 pm
Peter Pan’s Flight
23 min.
7:00 pm
Space Mountain
19 min.
Pirates of the Caribbean entrance afternoon of 10-10-20Pirates of the Caribbean Extended Queue
It is important to remember that with the reduction in snack options and counter service dining locations in Magic Kingdom, that all dining options are busier than normal. Make use of the ratings and rankings we have for all Walt Disney World restaurants in our Lines app, that way you can view the best places to eat. (Hint, Pinocchio’s Village Haus is one of the lowest rated options in all of Walt Disney World–sorry Erin!) Once you’ve selected where you want to eat, use mobile ordering in the MyDisneyExperience app to place your order while waiting in line to save time.
Fantasyland Bottleneck near Peter Pan’s Flight afternoon of 10-10-20
Key Differences in Using a TouringPlan Versus Not Using a Plan
Chrissy was able to complete all 18 attractions on the Touring Plan. Erin completed 14 attractions.
Erin’s missed attractions were Country Bear Jamboree, Swiss Family Treehouse, The Enchanted Tiki Room, and Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid. She finished her last attraction with only 15 minutes left before Magic Kingdom closed. Chrissy finished her last attraction, Space Mountain, with nearly 40 minutes left in park operation.
These missed attractions would have added about an additional hour and a half of wait time to Erin’s visit, which was already an 11-hour day.
Being on a Touring Plan allowed Chrissy to take a dinner break. Erin did not.
Neither team member spent any time browsing in shops, getting snacks, or any other diversions.
Touring Plans can be customized. You can build your own plan with only the attractions you want to visit. And you can balance minimizing wait times with minimizing how much walking you will do.
Using a TouringPlan gave Chrissy the ability to ride 4 additional attractions, have an additional 40-minute break, and finish her evening with 40 minutes left before park closing That means she got to experience more rides with nearly two hours to spare!
If you’re curious about yesterday’s actual wait times, we have them on our website. We’re in the parks daily so we can provide accurate data. Become a TouringPlans Subscriber so you can maximize your time in the parks just like Chrissy did.
From our friends at touringplans.com Filed Under: Dining, Dos and Don’ts, In the Parks, Magic Kingdom, Trip Planning, disney magic kingdom, Magic Kingdom Attractions, magic kingdom tips, magic kingdom wait times
