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Your Next Disney World Vacation Might Actually Be a Vacation

We finally have some news about when Walt Disney World will begin their theme park (starting July 11) and resort (starting June 22) reopening. Along with those critical dates, we also have a bit more information on what the initial phases of reopening will look like.

Exploring Fort Wilderness can be a great way to relax.

At least at the beginning, there will fewer activities that draw stagnant crowds. This means no parades or fireworks and limited character greetings. Guest capacity will be reduced (you’ll need a reservation to get into a theme park), meaning fewer lines and shorter wait times. It’s likely that you’ll be able to get through all the available park attractions, even multiple times, in a single day, or even part of a day.

Additionally, park hours are changing. Epcot is starting out opening the entire park at 11:00 a.m., rather than its usual 9:00 a.m. for the Future World attractions. Even with Extra Magic Hours, the Magic Kingdom will be closing at 9:00 p.m. at first, a contrast to the usual post-midnight closings during the summer.

All of this means that there will simply be fewer things to do in the theme parks and less time available to spend there.

It’s a truism that many guests complain about needing a vacation from their Disney World vacation. If you were in pre-COVID kamikaze theme park mode, you may have found yourself up for rope drop in the wee hours of the morning and then running straight through until the Kiss Goodnight. During a long trip to WDW in February 2020, I averaged over nine miles a day of walking, trying to work in all the available activities. With the new hours, required park reservations, and reduced number of attractions, that ride-or-die, I’ll-sleep-when-I’m-dead mode of WDW touring simply won’t be possible for a while.

And maybe, just maybe, that’s a good thing. A formerly hectic Disney World vacation will look a little more like a relaxing Disney Cruise Line vacation, where you have some structured activities, along with lots of time to just chill.

For example, on a Disney Cruise Line sea day, my family will typically go to some of the planned events like onboard classes or entertainment, but we also spend lots of time reading books on our stateroom verandah, playing board games, watching movies, napping, and generally being lazy. While we are more active with touring during shore days, we tend to leave DCL vacations relaxed and refreshed. This is not always the case with our Walt Disney World vacations.

If you are planning a Disney World vacation this summer, you will likely have more down time than previous trips. I encourage you to think of that time as a gift – a way to reset the former frenzied mode of touring. Consider ways to build more relaxation into your vacation: sit by the pool and read a novel, take a leisurely bike ride around Fort Wilderness, play card games with your family, or take a boat ride on Bay Lake.

The slow restart may be just be the vacation your vacation needs.

The post Your Next Disney World Vacation Might Actually Be a Vacation appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), coronavirus, walt disney world

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Disney Movies Disney+ Other

‘Mighty Ducks’ Trilogy Now Streaming on HBOMax

‘Mighty Ducks’ Trilogy Now Streaming on HBOMax. Disney has been working hard to get more content added to the Disney+ library, but it seems The Mighty Ducks franchise will be one of the later additions as the first film is contracted to stream through HBO until July 3rd and the sequels are contracted through the rest of 2020 and will not be available to stream on Disney+ until January 1, 2021. Likely, these dates are when we will see the films leave HBOMax and begin streaming on Disney+.

Disney+ is however working on a Mighty Ducks series for the streaming service that will star Emilio Estevez (Coach Gordan Bombay), Lauren Graham (Alex), and Brady Noon (Evan). Also joining the cast are Swayam Bhatia, Taegen Burns, Julee Cerda, Bella Higginbotham, Luke Islam, Kiefer O’Reilly, Maxwell Simkins and De’Jon Watts.

“In present day Minnesota, the Mighty Ducks have evolved from scrappy underdogs to an ultra-competitive, powerhouse youth hockey team. After 12-year-old Evan (Noon) is unceremoniously cut from the Ducks, he and his mom Alex (Graham) set out to build their own ragtag team of misfits to challenge the cutthroat, win-at-all-costs culture of competitive youth sports. With the help of Gordon Bombay (Estevez), they discover the joys of playing just for the love of the game.”

On Wednesday, HBO launched their new streaming service, HBOMax. HBO Max is a direct-to-consumer experience features 10,000 hours of premium content including the entire HBO service; motion picture and TV series from Warner Bros.’ 100-year content collection; highlights from New Line; catalog titles from DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth and Looney Tunes Cartoons; a selection of classic films curated in partnership with TCM; along with a monthly offering of new Max Originals, guaranteeing something for everyone in the household. HBOMax is now available for $14.99/month from WarnerMedia.

“Today we are proud to introduce HBOMax – a dream that was created and nurtured by an incredible team of talented executives who dedicated the last year-and-a-half to making it a reality for consumers nationwide,” shared Bob Greenblatt, Chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer in a press release regarding the new service.

“However, this is just the beginning of our journey. We will continue to innovate and evolve this one-of-a-kind platform that brings together beloved programming from across the WarnerMedia family and around the world, while also paving the way for the creative voices of tomorrow.”

You can start your one-week free trial and begin a subscription by CLICKING HERE or visit HBOMax.com.

Be sure to check back here at Chip and Co. for all things Disney!

Featured Photo Credit: Disney/HBO

Source: ComicBook

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: News, Movies, HBO Max, Mighty Ducks

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NEW! The Official Disney Maleficent Dress Has Appeared Online!

Halloween may be five months away, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the perfect thing to wear to the parks for the spookiest season of the year.

Maleficent Dress for Women ©Disney

Luckily, Disney has you covered with a wickedly evil new outfit available online: a Maleficent Dress! We’ve previously spotted Hocus Pocus dresses and Darth Vader dresses around the parks, so it’s about time another one of our favorite Disney villains gets her own dress.

The Maleficent Dress features the Sleeping Beauty antagonist’s signature purple shade. Maleficent herself appears on the front of the skirt, engulfed in green flames and briars.

Maleficent Dress for Women – Back ©Disney

Her super fierce dragon form appears on the back of the skirt as well as an embroidered raven because it’s all about the details!

©Disney

You don’t need an invitation to rock this dress. It’s available online for $128.00.

Click here to check out the Maleficent Dress online!

Disneybounding as Maleficent has never been so easy!

Will you be adding this wicked dress to your collection? Let us know in the comments!

Related posts:

  1. NEW! Disney Pixar Luxo Dress Rolls Into Disney Springs!
  2. SHE’S BACK!! The Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Trailer Flies In TODAY!
  3. You HAVE to See This Behind-The-Scenes Look at “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” Coming Soon!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, Featured, News, Disney, Disney dress, disney style, Disney Villains, dress, dress shop, fashion, Maleficent, maleficent dress, sleeping beauty

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Disney Movies Disney+ Other Star Wars

Lucasfilm Reveals Freaky Original Concept Art for “Baby Yoda” in The Mandalorian

Lucasfilm Reveals Freaky Original Concept Art for “Baby Yoda” in The Mandalorian. In the latest episode of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian Lucasfilm and Disney revealed some of the original concept art for the internet sensation, The Child, aka Baby Yoda. The team received a ton of drawings and renderings for the character but ultimately chose a design based off Chris Alzmann’s now iconic character design.

The production team also knew they wanted to use the tried and true method at Lucasfilm of using puppetry and mechanics for realism rather than a CGI version of the character. One of the series stars, Werner Herzog was adamant the production team should ditch the idea of a contingency plan revolving around a CGI rendering of “The Child” for the series.

“It was a phenomenal achievement of sculpting mechanically. When I saw this, it was so convincing, it was so unique,” Herzog shared with The New York Times. “And then the producers talked about, ‘Shouldn’t we have a fallback version with green screen and have it be completely digitally created?’ I said to them: It would be cowardly. You are the trailblazers. Show the world what you can do.”

Photo Credit: Lucasfilm

We got lots and lots of drawings,” shared show runner and creator Jon Favreau in the latest episode of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian. “Some of them were too cute, some of them were too ugly, some of them were the wrong proportions.”

Photo Credit: Lucasfilm

“It was finally that one image that Chris Alzmann did that had him wrapped up in what looked like a piece of a flight jacket or something,” the creator confessed. “And his eyes were a little weird, and he looked a little out of it, there was something a little off with it. But we found it charming, and that became the rallying image that we said, ‘This is good.’”

Photo Credit: Lucasfilm

It did not take long after the premiere of the first episode of The Mandalorian in November 2019 for the world to fall in love with Baby Yoda. Favreau previously credited Disney and Lucasfilm with the success of the series after they refrained from spoiling the characters appearance with the release of themed merchandise until after the series premiere, a very uncommon practice now a days.

Do you agree keeping “Baby Yoda” secret was a good idea? Were you surprised by the reveal at the end of Episode 1? Have you been enjoying The Mandalorian on Disney+? What do you think of the original concept art? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Be sure to check back here at Chip and Co. for all things Star Wars!

Featured Photo Credit: Lucasfilm

Source: ComicBook

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Star Wars, Disney+, News, TV, Baby Yoda, disney, The Child, the mandalorian

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Is The Star Wars Hotel Closer to Blasting Off in Disney World? Check Out Some Fun New Details!

Even as the Disney parks remain closed with construction halted, we’re still seeing some building permits from Disney World.

Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Atmosphere

Sometimes, there’s work that just HAS to get done! Recently we spotted some permits for Epcot’s Play Pavilion and more, but we’ve got even more interesting documents today.

With everything from MAJOR Disney projects, to third-party construction, to some EMERGENCY work; we’re taking a look at the building permits that Disney has had to file over the past few weeks!

Galactic Starcruiser

We’re starting with the permit that made us the MOST excited! Ready your blasters, we’ve got a permit on Galactic Starcruiser! You might remember when we spotted a permit for the guard shack going up at the upcoming Star Wars hotel, but this time the permit is for the hotel itself!

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Concept Art

The new permit, filed May 13th, is for “fabrication and installation of sets” for “Project H.” Now we’re not sure what that H stands for (probably “Halcyon” — the name of the starcruiser) but we DO know that the permit is for the address where the Starcruiser construction is located!

Does this mean it’s starting to look spacey in there??? After all, the hotel is supposed to be themed as if it was a ship flying lightyears away in space.

Galactic Starcruiser Building Permit

We can’t wait to get into Galactic Starcruiser in 2021 — that’s why we’re waiting not-so-patiently for reservations to open this year. After all, with the immersion of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we’re sure that Starcruiser will be a trip to remember. This unique experience will allow the Star Wars story to unfold all around you. How cool is that?

Click here to learn EVERYTHING we know about Galactic Starcruiser!

Starbucks at Disney Springs

Next up, it looks like the Starbucks in Disney Springs might be getting a little bit of a makeover. You might remember that we recently saw a permit for a new Lovepop Store, so things are movin’ and shakin’ in Disney World’s retail and dining complex.

Disney Springs West Side Starbucks

The Starbucks permit, filed May 12th, calls for a “tenant remodel” of the existing Starbucks on the West Side of Disney Springs. Oooooh! We love to stop in at the Starbucks of Disney World to get our caffeine fix, so we’re curious if this means this spot will be getting a new look.

Disney Springs Starbucks Permit

Both Starbucks locations in Disney Springs have reopened (with new a new tasty drink to mark the occasion)! So we’ll be keeping our eyes on the West Side location to see any changes!

Click here to learn more about Starbuck’s reopening drink!

Disney Springs Restaurant Updates

But Starbucks isn’t the ONLY dining location in Disney Springs that’s getting a little bit of an update. Jaleo and City Works Eatery and Pour House are making some updates as well. Since Disney Springs is open, hopefully we’ll get to see these changes pretty soon.

City Works Outdoor Bar in Disney Springs

Both of these new permits were filed on May 14th. Neither of them is for a full remodel, but they do mean that both restaurants are looking for some fun updates.

The Jaleo permit was filed with a design firm to “install new wall-mounted graphics.” Ooh! We can’t wait to see what those look like.

Jaleo Building Permit

Over at City Works Eatery and Pour House, a still very NEW spot in Disney Springs, they’ve filed a permit to install a canopy. Hmm, maybe this spot is looking to expand on outdoor seating in response to the Florida government’s health regulations?

We noticed a to-go drink window under construction on our recent walks around Disney Springs, so it’s possible this canopy could be related to that.

City Works Building Permit

Whatever the case, we’re excited to see the updates to these two spots whenever they get them finished!

Never been to City Works? Click here to learn about the new restaurant!

The Hollywood Brown Derby

WHAT? Construction coming to The Hollywood Brown Derby in Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Not exactly. Remember how we mentioned some emergency construction? Well, it looks like the Derby had a little bit of an incident at some point during the closure.

Hollywood Brown Derby

On April 21st, Disney filed a permit for a “kitchen gas leak repair” at the famous Disney dining spot. Yikes!

Hollywood Brown Derby Building Permit

Luckily, it seems that everything is a-ok as we haven’t heard anything from Disney on it. Maybe it’s a good thing that the restaurant was closed when that happened!

Thinking about a meal at the Brown Derby? Click here for our latest review! 

Flamingo Crossing

Now we’re taking a look at the retail district Flamingo Crossing. This is a developing project coming to the west side of the property. So far, we know we can expect a Walgreens, a Speedway Gas Station, and A TARGET!!

Flamingo Crossing Building Permit

We’ve already seen a pretty clear plan for the area through a different permit, but it appears that construction teams are set to get started on “new shell buildings” for the property. Shell buildings, like the name says, will act as a shell for the different third-party stores in the complex —  yes, like Target. It’s pretty awesome to see some movement on this massive project!

Click here to learn more about Flamingo Crossing

Four Seasons Orlando

Last but certainly not least, we’ve actually spotted THREE permits for the massive renovations going on at Four Seasons Orlando. Though the Disney Springs area hotel is currently closed with the rest of Disney World, we have seen some movement. For instance, they’ve opened their on-site restaurant, Plancha!

Four Seasons Resort Orlando

And apparently, the teams at Four Seasons are also working hard getting permission for all of the work they’re doing on the pool area and beyond. We spotted a permit with the South Florida Water Management District to permit the relocation of some natural resources — we only see these for BIG projects!

Four Seasons Orlando Building Permit

We also saw two more specific permits. One was to remove cabanas and do some paving work on the concrete surfaces at the hotel. The other was filed a few days later to continue work on the concrete slab pathways — most likely around the pool area.

Click here to learn about the reopened restaurant at the Four Seasons!

And there you have it! Things have definitely slowed down in Disney but there’s still some interesting stuff going on! As always, we’ll keep an eye on those Disney permits and report in whenever we find some good ones. Until then!

Click here to check out what ELSE Disney is working on!

Which of these Disney projects are you most interested in? Tell us in the comments!

Related posts:

  1. Epcot Fireworks? Star Wars Hotel? Roundup BBQ? We Found MORE Details On Some Upcoming Disney World Projects!
  2. A New Store Coming To Disney Springs and More Epcot Updates! Check Out These SECRET Disney World Projects!
  3. Ride in Style with These Fun NEW Magnets in Disney Springs!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney News, disney parks, Disney Springs, Featured, Walt Disney World, Building Permits, Disney Permits, disney springs, disney springs starbucks, disney world construction, flamingo crossing, Four Seasons Orlando, galactic starcruiser, Hollywood Brown Derby, Star Wars hotel