Category: Other

Keep your eyes open and ears out! In honor of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse’s birthday, we’re going on a global tour to share our favorite mouselebrity sightings at different destinations around the world. Let’s go!

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Disneyland Resort

Starting in sunny California, here’s Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse greeting the day from their homes in Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland Resort.

Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa

Across the sea, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse are vacation-ready at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa. In celebration of its recent reopening, we’re also inviting you to take a behind the magic journey and learn about the beloved resort’s creation.

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Tokyo Disney Resort

On the other side of the Pacific, the two are looking resplendently regal in front of Cinderella’s Castle at Tokyo Disneyland. Sweet and spiffy!

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

A soaring celebration is to be had at Hong Kong Disneyland where the two are riding high on Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

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Shanghai Disney Resort

A sighting at Shanghai Disney Resort where Minnie Mouse greets us in front of one of her favorite sweets shops: Sweethearts Confectionery and Mickey Mouse is looking dapper as always with a stunning sky backdrop!

Disney Cruise Line

The two have also been known to be spotted on the deck of Disney Magic before docking at their next destination. If you haven’t seen it yet, we recommend checking out a virtual viewing of the “Frozen, A Musical Spectacular,” Disney Cruise Line’s Broadway-style show.

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Disneyland Paris

At Disneyland Paris, Mickey Mouse greets us in his studio from the hit show “Mickey and the Magician,” while Minnie Mouse – ever the perfectly poised pirate – poses for a photo in front of the Pirate Galleon.

Disney’s Riviera Resort at Walt Disney World Resort

Back in Florida, Mickey Mouse puts paint to paper on the verdant lawns of Disney’s Rivera Resort with Minnie Mouse. Picture perfect if you ask me!

Walt Disney World Resort

All festively dressed in their holiday best, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse are looking forward to celebrating the season at Walt Disney World Resort! Take a look at what’s in store as the holidays arrive at Magic Kingdom Park. 

The fun doesn’t stop here! Today at 3 p.m. PST / 6 p.m. EST visit D23.com for a birthday celebration of everyone’s favorite pals, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse! Host Mark Daniel will be taking you on an inside look at the wild and zany world of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with one of the attraction’s lead Imagineers, Kevin Rafferty. Then get a special look at the new Disney+ series “The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse” and hear from Bret Iwan, official voice of Mickey Mouse!

(Some photos are achieved and do not reflect current social distancing guidelines.)

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com

Filed Under: Aulani, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disney Resort, Tokyo Disneyland, Walt Disney World Resort

Posted wait times were moderate across Walt Disney World today, and at some attractions the actual wait time was significantly lower than that.  We received 183 actual wait times today – thanks to everyone who uses our Lines app.  Let’s do the numbers!

Magic Kingdom Wait Times

Today’s Magic Kingdom coverage will focus entirely on the theme “rides with water.” “it’s a small world” had an average wait time today of 33 minutes. Its 7-day average is 39 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 36 minutes, so today ranks #17 for the past month.

Jungle Cruise had an average wait time today of 41 minutes. Its 7-day average is 44 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 41 minutes, so today ranks #16 for the past month.  We received 5 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 95% of the posted wait time.

Splash Mountain had an average wait time today of 42 minutes. Its 7-day average is 57 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 52 minutes, so today ranks #20 for the past month.

Pirates of the Caribbean had an average wait time today of 39 minutes. Its 7-day average is 44 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 42 minutes, so today ranks #19 for the past month. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 73% of the posted wait time.

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (has a camel that spits water) had an average wait time today of 11 minutes. Its 7-day average is 12 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 12 minutes, so today ranks #22 for the past month.

Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid had an average wait time today of 18 minutes. Its 7-day average is 20 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 22 minutes, so today ranks #20 for the past month. We received 7 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 40% of the posted wait time.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (has a rain scene) had an average wait time today of 23 minutes. Its 7-day average is 24 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 23 minutes, so today ranks #15 for the past month.

Peter Pan’s Flight (has multiple water-based scenes) had an average wait time today of 32 minutes. Its 7-day average is 33 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week. Its 30-day average is 31 minutes, so today ranks #13 for the past month. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 66% of the posted wait time.

Mickey’s PhilharMagic (has water effects) had an average wait time today of 25 minutes. Its 7-day average is 19 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 18 minutes, so today ranks #1 for the past month.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (has multiple water features) had an average wait time today of 42 minutes. Its 7-day average is 47 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 43 minutes, so today ranks #16 for the past month. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 34% of the posted wait time (wow!).

Dumbo the Flying Elephant (ride base is water feature) had an average wait time today of 11 minutes. Its 7-day average is 14 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 11 minutes, so today ranks #13 for the past month.

Mad Tea Party (tea requires water) had an average wait time today of 11 minutes. Its 7-day average is 13 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 12 minutes, so today ranks #17 for the past month.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (has outdoor waterfall) had an average wait time today of 63 minutes. Its 7-day average is 61 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week. Its 30-day average is 56 minutes, so today ranks #7 for the past month. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 49% of the posted wait time.

If you’re planning on visiting Walt Disney World this holiday season, you’ll need a special tool at your side. Subscribe today and get our Lines app too.

 

EPCOT Wait Times

Journey Into Imagination With Figment had an average wait time today of 14 minutes. Its 7-day average is 16 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week. Its 30-day average is 15 minutes, so today ranks #12 for the past month. We received 6 actual wait times today (y’all are the best!), and the actual wait averaged 73% of the posted wait time.

Living with the Land had an average wait time today of 10 minutes. Its 7-day average is 12 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 13 minutes, so today ranks #25 for the past month.

Mission: SPACE Orange had an average wait time today of 18 minutes. Its 7-day average is 26 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week. Its 30-day average is 23 minutes, so today ranks #17 for the past month. Mission: SPACE Green had an average wait time today of 5 minutes.

Soarin’ had an average wait time today of 34 minutes. Its 7-day average is 39 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week. Its 30-day average is 33 minutes, so today ranks #11 for the past month.We received 7 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 102% of the posted wait time (also wow!).

Spaceship Earth had an average wait time today of 12 minutes. Its 7-day average is 22 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 18 minutes, so today ranks #24 for the past month.

Test Track had an average wait time today of 45 minutes. Its 7-day average is 57 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 57 minutes, so today ranks #26 for the past month.  We received 8 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 49% of the posted wait time.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends had an average wait time today of 7 minutes. Its 7-day average is 12 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 11 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 70% of the posted wait time.

Frozen Ever After had an average wait time today of 63 minutes. Its 7-day average is 69 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 63 minutes, so today ranks #12 for the past month. We received 5 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 53% of the posted wait time.

Hollywood Studios Wait Times

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Hanson (just checking to see who’s read this far!) had an average wait time today of 47 minutes. Its 7-day average is 51 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 50 minutes, so today ranks #21 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 63 minutes, so today ranks #164 for the past year.

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue had an average wait time today of 26 minutes. Its 7-day average is 26 minutes, so today ranks #2 for this week. Its 30-day average is 27 minutes, so today ranks #16 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 27 minutes, so today ranks #114 for the past year.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror had an average wait time today of 44 minutes. Its 7-day average is 50 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 49 minutes, so today ranks #21 for the past month. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 67% of the posted wait time.

Toy Story Mania! had an average wait time today of 25 minutes. Its 7-day average is 29 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 28 minutes, so today ranks #21 for the past month. We received 10 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 40% of the posted wait time.

Slinky Dog Dash had an average wait time today of 70 minutes. Its 7-day average is 66 minutes, so today ranks #1 for this week. Its 30-day average is 66 minutes, so today ranks #5 for the past month.

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway had an average wait time today of 52 minutes. Its 7-day average is 80 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 79 minutes, so today ranks #29 for the past month. We received 7 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 57% of the posted wait time.

 

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run had an average wait time today of 53 minutes. Its 7-day average is 51 minutes, so today ranks #3 for this week. Its 30-day average is 56 minutes, so today ranks #18 for the past month. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 88% of the posted wait time.

Rise of the Resistance ran pretty well today, except for one delay of almost an hour in calling boarding groups from noon to 1 p.m.

Animal Kingdom Wait Times

DINOSAUR had an average wait time today of 14 minutes. Its 7-day average is 35 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 29 minutes, so today ranks #27 for the past month. We received 4 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 85% of the posted wait time.

Expedition Everest had an average wait time today of 29 minutes. Its 7-day average is 34 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 31 minutes, so today ranks #15 for the past month.  We received 12 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 60% of the posted wait time.

Kali River Rapids had an average wait time today of 11 minutes. Its 7-day average is 22 minutes, so today ranks #6 for this week. Its 30-day average is 20 minutes, so today ranks #28 for the past month.

Kilimanjaro Safaris had an average wait time today of 16 minutes. Its 7-day average is 28 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 22 minutes, so today ranks #22 for the past month. We received 6 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 41% of the posted wait time.

Na’vi River Journey had an average wait time today of 48 minutes. Its 7-day average is 54 minutes, so today ranks #4 for this week. Its 30-day average is 47 minutes, so today ranks #9 for the past month. Its 365-day average is 59 minutes, so today ranks #135 for the past year. We received 7 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 66% of the posted wait time.

Avatar Flight of Passage had an average wait time today of 53 minutes. Its 7-day average is 60 minutes, so today ranks #5 for this week. Its 30-day average is 56 minutes, so today ranks #16 for the past month. We received 11 actual wait times today, and the actual wait averaged 71% of the posted wait time – that’s pretty consistent.

The post Average Crowds All Around – Disney World Wait Times for Tuesday, November 17, 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), wait times

Do you hear what I hear? The sound of POPping at Christmas?

Well, Hotwire is back at it again: You can find Hot Rate deals for Pop Century throughout December for $75 to $129, as well as Yacht Club running from $252 to as high as $346 heading into Christmas and New Year’s.

Before we get started, I want to mention that the Coronado Springs deals we mentioned last time are still available and the coupon code RMN8NOV20 will take another 8% off of any deals you book over $100.

Now let’s take a look at some rate comparisons to see how good these deals are. Below, I chose a random date in the middle of the month and calculated the all-in price versus Disney’s rates.

Looking at the Pop standard room, you can see the Hot Rate even beats the current Magic is Here rate by $76.18 per night! You’ll notice I included two tables for Yacht Club comparisons: Hotwire doesn’t offer any clues to what type of room these hidden deals are for. But over on Priceline Express, where it appears the same rooms are also showing up, there are clues that they are another batch of Water View rooms like the last set.

So, to be conservative here I compared rates for both room types – even if these Hot Rate Yacht Club deals turned out to be standard rooms you’d be saving $114.23 per night vs the Magic is  Here rate. But, if I’m correct and these are water view rooms, that nightly savings jumps up to $214.71!

Merry (Insert Holiday You Observe Here)!

Interlude: A Few Hidden Deal Warnings

Now, it can be easy to get stars in your eyes when looking at all the hidden deal savings. But, I want to remind you that it is always a good idea to run these comparisons. I won’t go into detail in this post, but if you slide your searches out to January you’ll probably see some Hot Rate hidden deals for Caribbean Beach and the much rarer Bay Lake Tower. Let’s take a look!

Well, $169 for a moderate room at Caribbean Beach seems like a fairly good deal! But, that rate is just high enough that the combination of Hotwire fees plus taxes brings the all-in price very close to Disney’s current Early 2021 deal. If I’m going to book hidden, non-refundable deal, I personally want the savings to be much greater than that. Otherwise, I’m going with Disney on this one.

The same scenario occurs with the Bay Lake Tower deals – and notice also on both that if you used an annual pass discount, the non-refundable Hot Rate would cost you more!

The second warning I have has to do with resort amenities: Don’t count on ’em. Yes, for Disney resorts on Hotwire looking to see if Airport Shuttle is listed is a strong indicator it is a Disney resort. (Swan and Dolphin also have it listed, by the way.) But, hidden deals on both Priceline and Hotwire regularly have amenities that are just flat-out wrong.

For a few months in 2018 Port Orleans Riverside had Room Service as an amenity. (NARRATOR: There is no room service at Riverside.) Right now on the Yacht Club Hot Rate deals you’ll see both Free Parking and Beachfront Hotel listed.

You may be aware that Disney resorts charge for parking these days. Also….

 

And We’re Back: How to Spot These Deals

To find these deals, you’ll want to enter Orlando in the location search box of course, and then I suggest you make the results easier to scan through by sorting by price and selecting just 3 and 4-star rated resorts in the filter box.

Then limit the results even further by selecting just the Bonnet Creek area in the map.

 

Pop Century will be a 3-star, 4.4-guest rated resort and is the only resort with that combination of Hotwire ratings in Bonnet Creek at this time. It will look like this in results:

Yacht Club will be a 4-star 4.5-guest rated resort in Bonnet Creek. For some reason it is listed as a “New to Hotwire Hotel”. *shrugs*

You may notice that the sub-ratings on these Yacht Club deals are all 0.0 – that’s a bug that has been occurring on several Disney Hot Rate resort deals lately. Annoying, as they can help identify a deal where there are several resorts with the same main ratings. In this case, there are three other resorts with a 4-star, 4.5-guest rating in Bonnet Creek: Animal Kingdom Kidani, Beach Club Villas, and Boardwalk Inn. Because of the pricing and their rarity, I believe it is a pretty safe bet that this deal is not for the first two resorts.

While technically, Boardwalk would still be in the running here based on ratings alone, it has rarely shown up on Hotwire, if at all. Also, there have been a LOT of Yacht Club deals on both Priceline and Hotwire this Fall, which is a strong lean towards that resort. But, more definitively: Boardwalk is not open for business at this time. (While there was an announcement that it would open at some point, Disney reversed that plan.)

OK, I can see some eyes glazing over out there now, so let’s cut to the chase: here is the Calendar of Deals for the month. Happy Hunting!

If you’ve booked any of these deals or have any questions, let us know in the comments…

The post Hotwire Deals: Some Christmas POPpers appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: discounts, Resorts, Saving Money, Walt Disney World (FL), hotwire

On December 25, Disney and Pixar’s “Soul” will introduce the world to Joe Gardner. In celebration of the release of the film, Disney and Pixar collaborated with multicultural powerhouse HUE Unlimited to bring Joe and company to life through a curated collection of wearable art pieces inspired by the film.

From its community incubator of cultural creatives and leaders, TONL, HUE Unlimited tapped four emerging Black artists and led their creative direction in crafting original inspired-by artwork. The collection features artwork designed by cultural creatives Bee Harris, Bianca Pastel, Arrington Porter and Cory Van Lew. Each artist took to the canvas to capture the soul of the film and its heartfelt story of music, family, friendship and self-discovery through their own unique lens, life story and experience as diverse creatives. 

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“We’re proud to work on this meaningful collection inspired by “Soul” and to be able to have each artist’s unique vision shine through,” says Michael Watson II of HUE Unlimited. “As a part of the next generation of creatives, we deeply understand that authenticity is incredibly important to audiences — so being able to curate a collection of products that represents Black voices overall is a dream come true.”

Get to know each artist featured in the new collection!

Bee Harris, a visual artist and activist focused on reflecting the multi-faceted aspects of the Black Diaspora, social movements and community through art, shares the inspiration behind her piece “The Village:” 

“Working on this collection was a dream come true! It was an honor to highlight the four Black women in Joe’s village. These women represent the strong-willed, supportive women in my life who have helped me discover and walk in my purpose. I walked away with a deeper understanding of myself and my capabilities as an artist. It was both challenging and inspiring to create something so unique to things I’ve done in the past.”

Bianca Pastel, a pop artist known for recreating nostalgic moments and leaders in Black culture through over-expressive imagery and pastel elements, speaks to how Joe and company inspired her piece “Joe & His Fro:” 

“Throughout the film, Joe learns some very valuable lessons on his journey, so I wanted to express the connection between colors, characters and stories in every detail. My favorite part of this process was choosing color palettes because, for me, it’s like picking a feeling. How I want a piece to feel depends on the colors I create with. Throughout the process, I realized I could create authentically, be myself with my process and have fun with my art – which is exactly what I did.”

Arrington Porter, an eclectic musician and painter visualizing the richness of Black culture, music, film and people with celestial exaggeration, created “Joe’s World:” 

“Creating artwork for this collection was an awesome experience! As an artist, I found myself connected to the film, relating back to a familiar place within my own love for music and being in constant pursuit of my dreams. Outside of being a visual artist, I too am a pianist – so I related to Joe’s character on a more personal level.”

Corey Van Lew, a new-age artist known to reimagine real-world elements of the Black experience into unique multi-dimensional art, took to the canvas for “The Great Gardner:”  

“This was an amazing opportunity for us as artists to tap into our version of “The Zone” and create a visual representation of what this moment means to us! The parallel worlds in the movie go hand-in-hand with the parallel universe I depict in my paintings. Down to the digitally-made background paired with the hand-painted characters, I aimed to immerse people in an alternate realm of my own.” 

Starting today, kids, families and the next generation of artists and creatives can shop the entire collection featured on the Pixar “Soul” Shop on Amazon. Fans can also stretch their own creativity by designing personalized products from t-shirts and hoodies to accessories and home goods using their favorite piece of artwork from the collection.

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From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized

With every major holiday we get excited to visit Amorette’s Patisserie because there are always so many delightful seasonal items. The winter holiday season brings with it so many decadent flavors. It is hard to decide which we like better, the autumn flavors, or the winter ones. Our team had the daunting task of ordering some of the highlights of the holiday treats available at Amorette’s.

Here’s how the holiday desserts ranked among our team, in order of preference:

1. Chocolate Peppermint Creme Brûlée $9.00
2. Poinsettia Petit Cake $18.00
3. Holiday Mickey Mousse $9.00
4. Black Forest Parfait $8.00

The Chocolate Peppermint Creme Brûlée is one of the best desserts our team has enjoyed in a long time. It’s slightly minty and has such a wonderful mix of textures–the meringue and sugar are crunchy and the custard is creamy and fantastic. The Poinsettia Petit cake has most of the makings of the usual petit cake that Amorette’s offers, but the Cherry Jam and Frangelico Syrup really elevate this for those with a sophisticated palate.

If you want a dessert that is festive without the traditional holiday flavors, the Holiday Mickey Mousse is a great option. It has delicious chocolate flavors with chocolate chiffon cake, and both white chocolate and dark chocolate mousse. The one disappointing dessert our team tried was the Black Forest Parfait. The flavors were very light and left our team wishing there was more to this treat.

You can view listings and ratings for all Walt Disney World restaurants on our site and our Lines app. Our readers give Amorette’s a 94% thumbs up rating and rank it 15 out of 41 similar options at Walt Disney World. Besides a lovely interior there are tables and chairs, with umbrellas just outside. Mobile ordering is not available at this location, and sometimes the line can get a little long as patrons often have a hard time deciding among all the beautiful creations.

Have you visited Amorette’s Patisserie before? Which of these holiday desserts sound the best to you?

 

The post REVIEW – Delightful Holiday Treats at Amorette’s Including One of the BEST Desserts We’ve Had in a Long Time appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Christmas, Disney Springs, Holidays, disney christmas, disney desserts, disney dining