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Disney Fairy Tale Weddings Resume at Walt Disney World!

We have more good news this week coming from Walt Disney World. Disney Fairy Tale Weddings resume this week. The first Disney Fairy Tale Wedding since the shutdown due to Covid-19 was held yesterday, October 1, 2020. Congratulations to the happy couple!

Happy News!

This is great news for all the Disney brides and grooms that have been holding their breath, waiting to hear if their scheduled weddings would be cancelled. Over the last few months, hundreds of scheduled weddings were postponed, cancelled or rescheduled. Many left in the lurch couples elected to get married at home or at their local courthouse, giving up their dreams of a Disney Fairy Tale wedding altogether.

Others postponed their big day, hoping to reschedule it for sometime next year. Still others did both–electing to get legally married at home, and planning to reschedule their Disney event for later this year or next year.

For all those couples, and for the newly engaged couples anxiously hoping to get started with their Disney Fairy Tale Wedding dreams, yesterday was an important milestone.

Disney Fairy Tale Weddings have been growing in popularity over the last few years, and returning to “business as usual” is good news for all Disney Brides and Grooms, past, present and future.

Disney Fairy Tale Weddings Department Hit by Layoffs

We have learned that the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings department has been impacted by the layoffs announced by Disney earlier this week. (Please check out this week’s news for more information.) It is our understanding that a number of planners and assistant planners have been given notice.

What does this mean for future Disney Fairy Tale Wedding couples? Most likely, it means one of three things

1. 1. Disney is planning to schedule fewer weddings per day and/or week in the coming months. Each planner will still manage the same number of weddings in the future as they have managed in the past.
  2. Disney is experiencing lower demand for Disney Fairy Tale Weddings due to concerns about Covid-19, and has determined that the department is currently overstaffed. Each planner will still manage the same number of weddings in the future as they have managed in the past.
  3. Disney has made these cuts based primarily on budget cuts and financial concerns. They are still expecting to manage the same number of weddings as before; but with fewer team members. Each planner will manage MORE weddings in the future than they have managed in the past.

I suspect both 2 and 3 are true. I also expect that we will be seeing price increases across the board for Disney Fairy Tale Wedding events over the next few months. Disney Fairy Tale Weddings has already increased pricing and changed minimums several times over the six years since our Disney Fairy Tale Wedding–I suspect that trend will continue.

The Bottom Line

While it’s not particularly romantic to think about, Disney is a business and a publicly traded one at that. With at least $4 billion in losses so far this calendar year, I think it is safe to assume that Disney will do everything in their power to improve their bottom line across the entire business. Weddings are a bit of a captive market. If you are a Disney fan, and you’ve been dreaming of getting married at Disney, you will do whatever you can to make that happen. The overall wedding industrial complex and wedding industry as a whole are already so expensive. It makes sense that Disney capitalizes on this aspect of their business.

IllumiNations Reflections Disney Fairy Tale Wedding of Earth Final Show Date Announced — Photo: David and Vicki Arndt Photography

As a Disney bride, the price increases and increased minimums make me sad. I’m not sure we would be able to have our wedding at Disney with the new structure. Our wedding day was AMAZING, and I loved absolutely everything about it. Our guests still talk about how much fun they had that weekend. The whole experience was magical, and I want that for every bride or groom that wants a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding.

Planning Your Disney Fairy Tale Wedding

If you are a prospective Disney bride or groom, congratulations. Hopefully your wedding will be as wonderful and magical as ours was (or even more so!)

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Here are a few suggestions to help minimize the madness:

The Disney Fairy Tale Wedding planners are very busy. They are managing dozens of weddings across the year. This situation may worsen after the layoffs. It’s not that your wedding is not important. It’s just not as constantly front of mind and URGENT with your planner as it will be with your during your planning process.

- - Manage your expectations. A DFTW planner is not a traditional wedding planner like you would have if you hired a local wedding planner to manage your wedding. You will not have 47,000 meetings or phone calls with this person, and they will not be there to review and chime in on every decision about every detail of your wedding.

- - The more you know, the better off you will be. Do your research. I’m a big fan of Carrie Hayward’s Fairytale Weddings Guide. It’s often referred to as the bible for Disney brides, and this is absolutely true! She updates it very frequently (a necessity as Disney pricing and rules change with almost alarming frequency!).

Social Media Can Help

- - Join a Disney brides/grooms group on Facebook. There are several. They are a great resource for questions, emotional support and advice. They can also sometimes get a little drama filled, but if you ignore that, you will find TONS of great information, inspirational pictures and other brides and grooms that have been through the process.

Destination Weddings

Planning a Disney wedding (or most other destination weddings) is very different from planning a regular/at home wedding. There is not as much to do. Once you make the big decisions (where, when, how much), the bulk of your planning–at least with Disney, is done.

If your type of wedding calls for it, you will have an onsite planning meeting with your planner. This is a real highlight of the planning process, and I recommend it highly if its feasible for you to do an onsite planning meeting. This will be a relatively short meeting in the grand scheme of things.

You will get to taste cake and filling samples so you can choose your cake flavors. You will meet with floral to discuss what you want, and you may visit some locations if you haven’t decided on your venue yet. We also did a menu tasting, which enabled us to taste some of the dishes we were considering including in our menu.

We did our planning meeting about six months prior to our wedding. Once that was over, most decisions were made. Other than getting our paperwork with pricing, which went back and forth a few times, that was kind of it from our planner’s perspective until the day of our rehearsal.

- Photo: David and Vicki Arndt Photography
  
  If you are someone who wants simple planning or easier planning, a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding is perfect for you. It can be a super easy process with very few decisions and voila! Your day is planned.

It’s All About the Projects

If you are someone who wants a lot more involvement, and wants to do a lot more “wedding stuff” through the process, understand that you will do that outside of the Disney process. For example, I got really invested in all our paper products. Our invitations were a work of art that I truly loved. I ended up making our table cards, various signs for the wedding and reception, our menus, etc. inspired by our invitations.

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We did welcome bags for our guests–that took a lot of planning and fulfillment energy. Sometimes as a bride (or groom), you need “projects” related to the wedding to feel like you are doing something. There are lots of things you can do–just know that Disney won’t really be that involved.

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Disney wedding planners have a checklist, and they follow it. Your wedding will be lovely, and in all likelihood, everything will go exactly as planned. Disney has done thousands of these–several per day, for many, many years. They are very, very good at what they do. Not much is left to chance.

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Keep a Healthy Perspective

- - While your wedding is the most special day ever for you and even for your guests, it’s important to remember that for your planner and the team, there are hundreds of other couples in the same process at the same time. You will have 100% of their focus on your day, and during your event. Just recognize that the rest of the time, they will be doing a lot of juggling.

If you manage your expectations, it won’t make you crazy, and you’ll enjoy the process a lot more!

Magic Memories

I’m so happy to see Disney Fairy Tale Weddings resume at Walt Disney World this week. I love seeing all the new pictures pop up every day, and I have missed them!

In looking for pictures to include in this post, I had so much fun going through our wedding pictures. Truly, we had the best day and Disney did a BEAUTIFUL job with our event.

If you are planning a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding and would like advice from a fellow Disney Bride (or her groom), please reach out. Brooke@disneycastledreaming.com.

I also have lots of experience coordinating group travel for weddings, reunions and other celebrations and can help your guests, too!

Happy Dreaming,

Brooke

The runDisney Experience

Last week, runDisney announced that the 2021 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and the 2021 Princess Half Marathon Weekend races are being transitioned to runDisney virtual races. These races have been sold out for months, and there are thousands of disappointed runners and walkers that will now have to miss out on the runDisney experience.

Check out our YouTube video below to see last week’s breaking news update.

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Before we get into the runDisney virtual race experience, let’s talk about the “regular” runDisney race experience.

The runDisney Experience

The first runDisney event I ever saw in person was the Walt Disney World Marathon back in 2011. My husband and I happened to be visiting Animal Kingdom the morning of the WDW Marathon that day, and we had no idea the race was going on. (What can I say…we were a little oblivious!)

As we approached Expedition Everest, cast members directed us to the side of the pathway to allow marathon racers to pass through. There were a few racers that “hopped out” of the race to grab a quick ride on Expedition Everest, which we thought was amazing and fun. We stood and watched marathon racers come through the park, literally paralyzed by fascination. I was stunned to see a blind runner, tethered to a guide runner by a bungee cord. There were runners and walkers of all shapes and sizes.

I hated running in school. My father was a runner, and I remember him frustratedly trying to “teach me” to run when I was in junior high, in hopes that I would learn to love it like he did. (Never happened!). I had NEVER aspired to be a runner, nor had I ever considered a long distance run of ANY kind. (Seriously, the one mile requirement in high school was WAY too long a distance for me!)

The Fire is Lit

But something happened to both my husband and myself that day as we watched the runners and walkers traverse Animal Kingdom in what we would learn later was approximately mile 14 of the 26.2 mile course throughout Walt Disney World. A fire started in both of us to someday be able to participate in one of these massive events. We wanted to run (in my husband’s case) or walk (in my case) a long distance race! I’m still not exactly sure how it happened, but I can tell you that I got very emotional watching those racers, and it was like something clicked inside me.

The next year, we registered for the runDisney Half Marathon for WDW Marathon weekend. Unfortunately, during my training, I screwed up my knee and we were unable to race. Back in those days, Disney would still allow you to cancel or postpone a race registration, so we deferred to the following year. We still took our Disney vacation, and watched racers in both the Half Marathon and the full Marathon races. The fire grew even stronger, and we knew the next year we would for sure be there to race. And you know what? We were!

Our First runDisney Experience

My husband completed the full marathon in January 2013. The heat was stifling that day, with temperatures rising to over 93 degrees during the last few hours of his race. He walked most of it, since he had trained with me, and with my knee issues, running was out of the question. It took him almost 8 hours to finish but he did it. It was an amazing moment, and I was so incredibly proud of him!

runDisney trip planning vacation planning training tips — 2013 WDW Marathon FRANK IS A FINISHER!

I also walked in the marathon, but got pulled just after I left Animal Kingdom because I couldn’t maintain the required pace of 16 minutes/mile. I completed almost 15 miles and was very proud of myself, even though I was disappointed to have been pulled from the race.

the runDisney experience — runDisney WDW Marathon 2014 (Photo: MarathonPhoto)

We realized in the fall as we were training that with my knee issues, I would not be able to go the full marathon distance. When that happened, I had tried to change my registration to the half marathon, but Disney no longer allowed changes, refunds or deferments. So I participated in the marathon, but completed just over the half marathon distance.

runDisney experience — runDisney WDW Marathon, January 2013 (Photo: MarathonPhoto)

Frank and I stayed together until mile 11. I encouraged him to go on because I was starting to slow down, and wasn’t sure how far I’d make it before they pulled me from the course. I didn’t want his race jeopardized. As I was entering Animal Kingdom, I saw him on the path exiting Animal Kingdom…that was a pretty exciting moment.

Advantages of a runDisney Event

These events are HUGE. Each race has approximately 25,000 participants. The participants are divided into groups or “corrals” to determine when they will start the race. The faster runners start in the earlier corrals, while the slower runners and walkers get placed in corrals farther back. Participants are required to submit a time from another sanctioned event if they want to be placed in earlier corrals.

runDisney has been hosting these events at Walt Disney World for more than 25 years. They have them down to a science at this point. They have TONS (thousands, seriously) porta potties brought in and stationed at various intervals throughout each race. There are lots of water stations throughout the race.

the rundisney experience rundisney porta potties — runDisney Porta Potties (Photo: Brooke Hudson)

I’m a “back of the packer”, which means I am usually walking towards the back of the race crowd by the last half of the race. I’ve done other big races since that first runDisney event, and I’ve run into issues with water stations being out of water and closed down before I ever got to them. That would never happen with a runDisney event.

Welcoming to Walkers AND Runners

The best thing about the runDisney experience is that the required maximum pace (16 minutes per mile) makes these races doable for runners AND walkers. These events are terrific milestones for people trying to get off the couch and into a walking or running routine. There are thousands of examples of runDisney participants that have lost tons of weight in pursuit of runDisney dreams. These races are beginner friendly, as well as lots of fun for experienced racers as well.

There are some important things to keep in mind. runDisney welcomes EVERYONE, regardless of size, speed or talent. However, if you are unable to maintain a pace faster than 16 minutes per mile, you will be pulled from the course. While these events are beginner friendly, you DO need to train for these distances. Don’t think you can just show up and run 14 miles (or 26 miles!) without training, and be able to finish, let alone keep the pace. That is dangerous and inconsiderate of the other racers around you.

Courtesy and Race Ettiquette

Also, if you know you are moving slower than those around you, keep to one side, and don’t walk or run more than 2 people wide. Faster runners sometimes get frustrated with slower walkers or runners in front of them, especially in the beginning of the race when so many people are still congested together. Try not to let it intimidate you, but also be respectful of those around you. If you are slowing down or stopping, try to make sure you aren’t doing it directly in front of someone else. Try to get out of the way if you can.

Having said that, I personally think a runDisney event is a SUPER goal to shoot for if you are working on adding walking or running to your fitness routine, or if you are working on weight loss.

I’m planning to train for and complete the virtual Princess Fairy Tale Challenge in February, and will post periodic updates on the blog with my progress.

Weight Loss on Vacation?

Let’s face it, unless you are super good about making healthy choices, most Disney vacations are going to include a lot of treats. While you walk a lot on any Disney vacation, it’s usually NOT enough to burn off all the extra calories from those Mickey Bars and margaritas.

However, run 20 or 30 miles during your vacation? You’ll definitely come out ahead on the weight loss front. 😉

Entertainment and Photo Opps

By far, one of the best things about the runDisney experience is the entertainment sprinkled throughout the course. There are characters at various intervals of the race course. You might see parade floats. There is often music or a band playing. There are signs in some places, and each mile marker is colorful, large and encouraging.

the runDisney experience runDisney Castle Picture — runDisney Castle pic during the race (Photo: MarathonPhoto)

For the shorter races, the 10K and the Half Marathon distances, you race through Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. For the full Marathon, you race through all four theme parks. There is nothing like running up Main Street towards Cinderella Castle with 25,000 of your fellow Disney fans. I get emotional just thinking about it. It’s quite a moment!

It’s All About the Bling Baby

runDisney has beautiful medals! They are always of high quality and heavy. The really fun thing about the runDisney experience and runDisney races is that most racers wear their medals into the parks as they tour after the races. With most other (non Disney) races, you get the medal at the end of the race. You go home, hang it up (or shove it in a drawer, your mileage may vary) and that’s it.

With runDisney, you wear your medal for a couple of days around the parks. I get the impression that elite runners think this is a silly practice. And let’s face it, for the runners that barely break a sweat, complete the race in 2 hours or less, and have a room FULL of medals, it probably it. But for most of us regular joes? We worked really hard for that medal, and it’s really gratifying to be able to show it off for a bit. Cast members and even other park guests will often express congratulations and it’s very uplifting and gratifying.

DisAdvantages of a runDisney Event

The biggest disadvantage of runDisney events? The price. I’m not saying it’s not worth it, because they are amazingly well organized events. The race logistics (water stations, porta potties, race entertainment) are second to NONE. The medals are always beautiful, and the race shirts are always high quality with fun runDisney themed designs.

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But these are expensive events. In the early days, racers also got a one day theme park ticket as part of their race registrations; that is no longer the case and race prices are higher than ever. Race prices range from around $90 (for 5k races) to $225 (for Marathon). If you want to do a challenge that includes 2 or more races, challenge prices START at $340 and go up from there.

Vacation Expenses

And of course, unless you live in the Orlando area, you’ve got the added expenses of a Disney vacation. Not that I object to those expenses, because hey, Disney vacation. But this is definitely a more expensive race weekend that say, going to Chicago or St. Louis for a Rock n Roll Half Marathon, know what I mean?

Crowds

As I mentioned above, thousands of runners and walkers participate in these races. Even though the races are split into corrals, and each corral starts a few minutes later than the last, there are still hundreds of racers in each corral. During the first few miles of the race, the course is fairly congested, and serious runners often complain that they aren’t able to get to the speed they want to race at due to the congestion.

These events also welcome a lot of first time racers, who may not be familiar with race etiquette, and may not understand the need to move to one side to allow faster racers to pass them. They may not understand that they should not race in “packs” and block faster traffic behind them.

I tend to recommend that racers do these races for the fun, the experience and the camaraderie, rather than to pursue a fast time or a personal record time. As with anything else, your attitude determines your joy in anything, and if you allow yourself to get frustrated with slower racers or the congestion, you will not enjoy the runDisney experience nearly as much.

Wearing Out Your Legs

The challenge of a runDisney vacation, especially if you aren’t a hard core runner, is that you need to plan your trip so that you DON’T wear out your legs walking around the parks (or the race Expo) prior to your race (or races!) In 2014, we did both the 10K race on Friday and the half marathon on Saturday. We walked WAY too much on Thursday and Friday, so by Saturday night, I was DYING. (My husband never seems to wear out though. Not sure WHAT his secret is!)

It’s really hard to be at Disney World and NOT want to walk all over and visit your favorite attractions. If you can afford the time (and the hotel costs), I highly recommend you save park touring for AFTER your races (and maybe allow a day for recovery in there somewhere!).

The runDisney Experience

To summarize, the runDisney experience is so much fun, and honestly, can be life changing. I love every Disney vacation, but our runDisney trips have been among my favorites.

Now that you have a good understanding of the runDisney experience, it’s time to talk about runDisney’s virtual events. In the next post in this series, we will discuss how runDisney virtual events work, the costs, how to register, and what to expect if you decide to do a virtual runDisney event.

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

Disney Parks News Update 09.30.20

It’s time for another Disney Parks News Update. In this week’s report, we discuss Governor Ron DeSantis’ decision to move the State of Florida to Phase 3. This removes capacity restrictions on theme parks, restaurants and bars throughout Florida. We also discuss Disney’s announcement that they are laying off 28,000 employees from their theme parks division.

We also report on changes to entertainment at Walt Disney World in the coming weeks. In addition, there was fireworks testing going on after hours and the ongoing refurbishment at the Polynesian Villages Resort. Finally, we give you an update on runDisney’s virtual race registrations and report a parade sighting on this week’s Dancing With the Stars.

Please check out this weeks Disney Parks News Update below.

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For those of you that prefer reading, here’s the written version of this week’s Disney Parks News Update.

Disney Parks News Update

Florida moves to Phase 3

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially moved Florida to Phase 3, effectively lifting Covid-19 restrictions on theme parks, restaurants and bars. The state is no longer issuing fines for failure to comply with mask regulations, and is no longer restricting capacity.

Disney released a statement, essentially stating that they will continue to adhere to their reopening plans, and continue to exercise caution and above and beyond safety protocols. As we mentioned last week, Disney has been quietly increasing capacity in its theme parks; however I would not expect any drastic or sudden changes in response to the Governor’s actions.

Disney Lays Off 28,000 Employees

Yesterday, Disney announced upcoming layoffs of 28,000 employees from its theme parks division. While many Disney theme park employees were furloughed following the closure in April due to the Pandemic, this announcement is a major blow to theme park employees both hoping to be brought back to work soon, and those currently working in the parks.

Disney’s official statement cites California’s failure to allow Disneyland to reopen as a major factor; however, the travel industry as a whole has been VERY hard hit this year, and it may take years for it to fully recover. Sea World, Universal and other Florida theme parks have also been announcing layoffs, just not quite this large.

Our hearts go out to all the employees that will soon learn they are among the 28,000. This has been such a difficult year for so many, and this giant layoff by one of the worlds largest corporations is certainly an indicator that no one is immune from the pain, not even the happiest places on Earth.

Fireworks Testing

In the “good news” category, there was some after hours testing of Fireworks over at EPCOT a few nights ago. The testing went on for several hours. Most likely, this is Disney testing the new nighttime show for EPCOT, Harmonious. Harmonious was originally scheduled to be added to EPCOT this summer or fall; however, it is more likely that it will be added in the spring. This new show is supposed to be the biggest and most technical of any of the nighttime Epcot spectaculars, and it is likely that months of testing lie ahead before the show is released to guests.

Disney Epcot Updates Epcot 2020 Nighttime Show — Epcot Nighttime Show, Harmonious, Concept Art, Artist’s Rendering (Source: Disney Parks)

When fireworks DO return to Disney, I do think EPCOT is a great candidate for the first shows as it is more spread out and will allow for more disbursement of crowds and less congestion. However, fireworks shows like Disney does are very expensive and I highly doubt they will resume until the parks are returned to normal capacity and the hotels are all back open and full of guests.

Magic Kingdom Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom announced a couple attraction closures this week. The Liberty Square Riverboat and Tom Sawyer island will be closed from October 5 through at least Jan 21 2021 for refurbishment. This may mean that the Rivers of America will be drained during that period, although that is not confirmed.

Magic Kingdom Liberty Square Riverboat — Liberty Square Riverboat (Photo: Disney Parks)

Polynesian Villages Resort Refurbishment

Last week we discussed that the Polynesian Villages Resort will be closed until next year as it is getting refurbishment. At that time Disney had not released any concept art.

Disney has now released this concept art for the new entrance and Port Cochere for the Polynesian Villages Resort. Further, Disney stated the resort will reopen in Summer 2021. The Polynesian’s 50^th anniversary is October 1 2021, and it seems the refurbishment is designed to coincide with that anniversary as well as with Walt Disney World’s 50^th Anniversary, also October 2021.

Polynesian Villages Resort Refurbishment — Concept Art: Polynesian Villages Resort (Concept Art: Disney Parks and Resorts)

The statement released by Disney with the new art stated that the new entrance will feature a bold new facade that will complement the longhouses throughout the resort. Disney also stated that the gardens and fountains are getting refurbished as well, with new dramatic lighting elements, and new chandeliers, inspired by glass floats, fishing nets and bamboo. The new outdoor chandeliers will match the existing chandelier in the resort lobby and bridge the two spaces.

Disney World guests can still access the Grand Ceremonial House and its operating retail and dining venues during the refurbishment project.

I think this is preliminary art is a good sign. The Polynesian’s ground entrance has always been a little underwhelming, and it looks like Disney is finally fixing that, and making it more worth of this beautiful resort.

The Grand Floridian Orchestra

After 32 years, Disney has ended the run of the Grand Floridian Orchestra. This six piece orchestra has entertained guests at the Grand Floridian from high above the lobby for years, and is beloved by many.

While the Grand Floridian remained closed to guests when the parks reopened, the Grand Floridian Orchestra was performing several times per day over at Hollywood Studios in the Beauty and the Beast theater as the Disney Society Orchestra.

The Grand Floridian Orchestra announced a few days ago that their final Walt Disney World performance will be at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Saturday October 3, 2020. Disney’s official statement was pretty brief and vague, but seemed to indicate that it was time for a change at the Grand Floridian.

More likely, the cut is budget related, and is a troubling indicator of things to come. In March, many of the entertainment acts featured throughout EPCOT World Showcase found their contracts canceled. I am very concerned that we are losing, perhaps permanently, that “extra” entertainment that is part of what makes Disney parks so very special.

Entertainment Coming to Hollywood Studios

However, there is some good news on the entertainment front. At Hollywood Studios, we have some entertainment coming back very soon. For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing A Long Celebration is returning to Hollywood Studios on October 5, 2020.

Frozen Sing a Long Celebration — For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-a-long Celebration (Photo: Disney Parks)

Disney has stated that there are no changes to the show, other than minor staging and audience seating to allow for social distancing.

Also coming soon to the animation courtyard is Disney Junior Play and Dance. These dance parties will feature a DJ playing songs and encouraging kids to dance. Disney Junior stars like Mickey Mouse and Vampirina will appear on stage during the dance party.

Pop Up Motorcades at Hollywood Studios

Pop up motorcades are coming to Hollywood Studios. These motorcades will allow guests to see their favorite characters safely, and provide photo opportunities. Much like the character cavalcades we’ve been seeing at Magic Kingdom, these themed motorcades will not appear on the daily schedule. This will discourage crowds from gathering to see a motorcade. These motorcades will pop up throughout the day.

Disney Parks News Updates Pop Up Motorcade Incredibles — Pixar Pals Character Motorcade (Photo: Disney Parks)

There are three different motorcades, all featuring custom colorful convertibles, powered by Chevrolet. Gotta love those sponsorships. The Mickey and Friends motorcade will feature Minnie, Mickey, Pluto and Chip and Dale. The Pixar Pals Motorcade will feature the Incredibles, Woody, Buzz lightyear and others. The Disney junior stars motorcade will feature Fancy Nancy, Doc McStuffins and Vampirina.

Disney Parks Updates Pop Up Motorcade Vampirina — Disney Junior Character Motorcade (Photo: Disney Parks)

runDisney Virtual Race Registration Update

Last week we shared runDisney’s announcement that the 2021 Marathon Weekend and 2021 Princess Half Marathon weekend were both transitioning to virtual races, and that registration for the races was opening up for those races for a limited time.

Registration is currently still open for all the virtual races for both weekends, if you are interested. I don’t know how long registration will remain open, so I wouldn’t wait too long.

If you’re not familiar with a “virtual” race, basically you will run the race on the scheduled date, but you will run it in a location of your choosing, not on Disney property and without the porta-potties and water stations we rely on for major races. For marathon weekend, prices range from $40-79 for the 5K, $49-$99 for the 10k, $59-$118 for the half, and $65-$120 for the full marathon. The lower price includes a digital bib, digital race tool kit including mile markers, digital goody bag, virtual playlist. The higher price adds an event tech shirt.

The challenges are also available: Goofy (the half and full completed on consecutive days) is $129 – $275, and Dopey (all four races completed on consecutive days) is $225 – $480.

Pricing for the Princess half marathon weekend is very similar. We are posting a more detailed post about the runDisney virtual races tomorrow. Please check back to visit that post.

Disney and Dancing with the Stars

Finally, loosely tied to Parks news, it was Disney week on Dancing with the Stars. Host Tyra Banks sported Minnie ears and a Minnie inspired dress throughout the show, and every dance featured Disney songs.

Disney Parks News Updates Dancing with the Stars Tyra Banks — Disney Week on Dancing with the Stars. Host Tyra Banks (Screenshot: Hulu)

The highlight for me was the inclusion of elements from the Main Street Electrical Parade during the beginning segment of the show. The “floats” were displayed and the little snail even drove around the dance floor.

Disney Parks News Updates Dancing with the Stars Main Street Electrical Parade — The Main Street Electrical Parade Visits Disney Week on Dancing with the Stars (Screenshot: Hulu)

I’ve always loved this little parade, and was happy to see the floats and elements still exist. Hopefully we will all get a chance to see this beloved nighttime parade at a Disney park sometime soon!

Tune in Next Week for More Disney Parks News Updates!

We hope you have enjoyed this week’s Disney Parks News Update. Please join us next Wednesday for next week’s news!

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

P.S. Looking for last week’s Disney Parks News Updates? Please visit our YouTube video here.

Should I Cancel My Disney Vacation in 2020?

Today, we have launched our YouTube Channel with a new video that answers a common question. Should I cancel my Disney vacation? In this video, I give you my honest opinion on whether you should cancel a planned Disney World vacation for later this year. I also talk about reasons why you might choose to go ahead and schedule a Disney vacation for this year.

Please review today’s video. Also, please take a moment to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don’t miss any of our new videos as we post them.

If you’d prefer to read about the things to consider when deciding whether you should cancel your Disney vacation this year, please check out this post. Today’s video is an updated discussion of the points we discussed back in July, just after the parks reopened.

Happy Dreaming,

Brooke

Halloween Fun at Disney World

Now that we are “officially” in the Halloween season (which apparently begins in August these days), Disney is working hard to get guests excited about visiting Walt Disney World during Halloween. It sounds like we can count on more Halloween fun at Disney World this fall. Previously, we talked about Minnie’s Seasonal Dining bringing Halloween Festivities to Hollywood & Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We also shared Disney’s announcement that adults will be able to wear costumes this year when they visit the Magic Kingdom between September 15 and October 31. Read more about that announcement and other related news in this post.

The Cadaver Dans

Good news! The beloved Dapper Dans are returning to Walt Disney World this Halloween season. Beginning September 20, 2020, guests will be able to see the Dapper Dans appearing as their Halloween alter egos, the Cadaver Dans.

The Cadaver Dans will emerge from their Tomb several times each day to thrill (or is that chill?) guests with their acappella performances. Personally, I’m hoping that the Dapper Dans are back for good. These wonderful performers have been missed. Hopefully this news means MORE of the streetmosphere performers all over the parks will soon be returning.

Here’s a video from a few years ago of the Cadaver Dans in action at Disneyland.

Halloween Character Cavalcades

As you may (or may not) already be aware, Disney’s response to Covid-19 has included a lot of restrictions to help ensure social distancing. Among these restrictions are no character greetings and no parades. In lieu of both, Disney has been sending out Character Cavalcades several times each day. The Character Cavalcades are essentially mini “spontaneous” parades that give guests an opportunity to wave at their favorite characters and take pictures of them. The guiding principal is that these cavalcades aren’t scheduled. This way, guests don’t congregate and create crowds lining up for a parade.

Halloween Fun at Disney World Character Cavalcades — Halloween Character Cavalcades coming this Halloween Season (Photo: Disney Parks)

From September 15 – October 31, the Character Cavalcades will be Halloween themed, featuring characters in costume. Several times each day, Character Cavalcades will pop up on the parade route and journey down Main Street.

In addition, Disney promises that guests may get an opportunity on some days to see a cavalcade of their favorite villains! Other than the Halloween season, most villains are rarely seen by guests. Getting a chance to see Maleficent, the Queen of Hears or Jafar will be exciting for many! Disney says we may also get to see a Cavalcade led by the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington. Dare we hope to see Sally at his side? (unconfirmed, I’m just hopeful.)

Halloween Fun at Disney World

I’m glad to see Disney injecting a little more “Halloween” into this Halloween season. So many guests have been disappointed by the cancellation of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween parties this year. It will be fun for guests to be able to get little snippets of the party fun in their regular park day. And who can resist the Cadaver Dans? Creepy but SO fun.

Fans of Disney villains will have fun hunting for sightings of their favorite villains, as well.

Are you planning to enjoy some Halloween fun at Disney World this season? Or will you be adding some Disney magic to your home Halloween celebrations? Please like this post and comment below.

Happy Dreaming,

Brooke

P.S. I was at Costco earlier today and they have their CHRISTMAS stuff on display. September 11, people. That is WAY too early. I love Christmas, but come on! Halloween in August and Christmas in September. We need to slow down and enjoy this tail end of Summer while we can. I know fall is coming, but I refuse to accept winter is on the way!

P.P.S. Looking for Disney themed Halloween merchandise to bring some Disney to your home Halloween celebrations? Check out this post. (and yes Disney is also selling Christmas merchandise but I’m going to tell you about that until the proper time!)

More Disney Restaurants Reopening

Walt Disney World is taking one more step back towards normal. This week, more Disney restaurants are reopening.

Cinderella’s Royal Table

One of the most popular Disney restaurants reopening is Cinderella’s Royal Table. This restaurant, “hidden” inside Cinderella Castle, is reopening September 24, 2020. Reservations will open up on September 11, 2020.

A couple of things to keep in mind: the Princesses will NOT be visiting every table as they have in the past. In addition, you will not take a picture with Cinderella before your meal like you used to. The official release says “the princesses will be taking a break from their royal duties greeting guests”, so at least initially, there will be no royal visitors during your meal. Perhaps in the future, the Princesses may come through the dining area so you can take pictures from a distance, (this is how Beast sightings are handled at Be Our Guest) but this is not confirmed.

Disney Restaurants Beast Be Our Guest — Be Our Guest: The Beast Does a Walk Through (Photo: Brooke Hudson)

At this time, it appears that Cinderella’s Royal Table is opening for lunch and dinner. It doesn’t appear that it will open for breakfast, at least not initially.

No pricing information has been released, but the cynic in me suspects it will be the same as it was before, despite the lack of character interaction and photo opportunities.

If you haven’t been to Cinderella’s Royal Table, it is a beautiful dining room. The food is fairly good, but it is a very pricey meal. In the past, Disney also required full payment at the time the reservation was made. I don’t know if that will still be the case; we will find out once reservations open on September 11.

Update: Reservations are Open

**Update: September 11, 2020: Reservations officially opened today for Cinderella’s Royal Table. In the interest of research, I tested booking a reservation for two adults for both lunch and dinner. The price has NOT been reduced; it is $62.00 per adult plus tax. In addition, Cinderella’s Royal Table is one of the few table service restaurants that requires full payment in advance in order to make a reservation.

Full Payment Required at the Time of Reservation

So book a table for two adults at Cinderella’s Royal Table for either lunch or dinner, the total cost that you must pay AT THE TIME YOU MAKE THE RESERVATION is $154.38 (including tax). This is not a new thing; CRT has required full payment in advance for at least the last 10 years, probably longer. I think this policy is due to the popularity of this dining location. Disney wants to be sure you aren’t making a “maybe” reservation that might be canceled; you are DEFINITELY planning on keeping this reservation. (Note: As with any other reservation, you ARE able to cancel a Cinderella’s Royal Table reservation and get your money back; however, your money is tied up from the moment you make the reservation until you either a) use the reservation or b) cancel the reservation.

My husband and I have eaten at Cinderella’s Royal Table a few times in the past. One of my favorites was the morning after we got engaged. All the princesses made a very big deal out of my ring (and my handsome prince!). It was a lot of fun.

Disney Restaurants Reopening Cinderella's Royal Table Sleeping Beauty — Sleeping Beauty Greeting, January 2013

Is it worth it?

The quality of the food does not really warrant the $62/person price tag–it’s the added value of the experience that gives Cinderella’s Royal Table a boost. Being inside the Castle, entering where you are not allowed to enter UNLESS you have a reservation–that’s pretty cool. The dining room itself is nice, if rather loud. They pack every table in the room (Most likely that is different right now due to Covid), and with the high ceilings, the sound really builds. This is not a quiet, elegant dining experience. It’s FUN, but not so much with the elegance.

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Honestly, it’s the combination of being in the Castle and the Princess interactions that have always made Cinderella’s Royal Table so special for us. I don’t think the experience is worth $62/person without the character interactions. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Gaston’s Tavern

Gaston’s Tavern in New Fantasyland returned to operations on September 4, 2020. Guests have been enjoying the unique quick service menu at Gaston’s for a few days now.

Disney Restaurants Reopening Gaston's — Gaston’s (Photo: Brooke Hudson)

If you’ve never visited Gaston’s, the menu includes roasted pork shank, cinnamon rolls, mixed vegetable cups, mixed fruit cups, apple slices with caramel, and chocolate croissants, as well as some unique beverages and souvenir mugs.

It’s a fun place to visit, and in the past, was made more so by visits from Gaston himself. I’m not sure if those are still common, but I promise to check it out when we visit in November!

ABC Commissary

Over at Hollywood Studios, the ABC Commissary is reopening on October 8, 2020. Disney calls the ABC Commissary “Fast Casual”, but it’s a pretty decent quick service restaurant with LOTS of indoor seating. (Great when you need a break in the air conditioning!)

The announcement specifically mentions the Commissary reopening for lunch and does not mention dinner, so dinner service may not open for a while yet. However, the ABC Commissary does support mobile ordering for your quick service meal, and is another option for burgers, sandwiches and salads.

Hollywood & Vine

Another Disney restaurant reopening at Hollywood Studios is the Hollywood & Vine family-style table service restaurant. I have eaten at Hollywood & Vine TWICE in the last 10 years, and vowed never to return (found the food quality very poor, and the experience WAY overpriced). However, our last visit was several years ago, so we may give this one another shot…eventually. However, any additional Disney restaurants reopening are a good thing, so we’ll view this positively.

Minnie’s Seasonal Dining is scheduled to return to Hollywood & Vine starting Friday, September 25, 2020. In seasons past, this was a character meal where the characters would come to your table. Of course in this era of Covid and no character greetings, things will be different this year. Hollywood & Vine will be decked out in Halloween glory. Your party will be served a “monster” feast at your table. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and their friends will make appearances so you can wave and snap photos. Unfortunately, there will be no table side character interactions, but you will be able to see the characters in their Halloween finery, at least.

Disney Restaurants Reopening Hollywood & Vine — Minnie Mouse Hollywood & Vine (Photo: Disney Parks)

The official release states there were be Halloween decor and music, as well as “scary” good food. The jury will remain out on how “good” until the first guests start to report back to us.

Update: Reservations are Open

**Update: September 11, 2020. Reservations officially opened today for Minnie’s Seasonal Dining at Hollywood & Vine. I tested booking reservations over a few different days. Surprisingly, several of the days I tried were already completely booked up. This really isn’t too strange; with Covid-19 precautions in place, this restaurant is probably only reserving about 20-25% of it’s normal capacity. It’s not a huge space, so it makes sense there weren’t that many reservations available to begin with.

Is it worth it?

The good news: this is NOT a dining experience that requires full payment in advance. The bad news: This is still a fairly pricey dining experience, reflecting pricing that you’d expect with most character meals. $35.99 – $59.99 (kids and adults), except you have no character interactions. My bad dining experiences pre-date these Minnie Seasonal Dining events, and the updated menu sounds good, so perhaps the food had gotten better? I will have to investigate and get back to you on that. These meals include a salad (choose from two options for the table), an entree (choose from six entree options), and a dessert (choose from five dessert options).

What does this mean?

The good news is that Disney is trying to return to more normalcy, and they obviously believe they have enough business to support these additional restaurant locations opening up.

Gaston's — Mom at Gaston’s (Photo: Brooke Hudson)

I don’t think things are returning to normal as quickly as any of us, especially Disney, had hoped. However, even small baby steps in the right directions are positive.

If you are planning to visit the parks this fall, will you be visiting any of these Disney restaurants reopening soon? Please like this post and comment below.

Happy Dreaming,

Brooke

P.S. Want more information about the reopening of Disney theme parks? Check out this post.

It’s Time for Halloween at Disney World!

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but fall is fast approaching. Halloween candy is suddenly out at all the grocery stores. Those “Spirit of Halloween” temporary shops filled with costumes and decorations for Halloween are starting to pop up around every corner. It’s true. Autumn is coming, and with it, Halloween. Halloween at Disney World has been an extremely popular time for many years. Usually, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties (a separate, ticketed event) start in late August and run through Halloween weekend. This year, Halloween at Disney World will look a bit different.

No MNSSHP Events–Cancelled

All the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Parties (MNSSHP) originally scheduled for this late summer and fall have been cancelled and refunded. While this is disappointing, it is also extremely easy to understand. With tickets for this event approaching $100 per person, attendee expectations are high. Many of the cornerstones of a MNSSHP would be impossible under the current restrictions due to Covid-19.

Halloween at Disney World Halloween Fireworks — Hallowishes fireworks Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (Photo: Disney Parks)

The Boo-to-You Parade, a staple of the MNSSHP, and my personal FAVORITE Disney parade, can’t happen in this era of social distancing. Nighttime fireworks displays are NOT happening at the moment, again due to the gathering of crowds. The special Halloween themed fireworks extravaganza is another vital component of MNSSHP.

One of the big highlights of the annual MNSSHP is that you can see characters you don’t often see, and most characters are in Halloween costumes of their own. That’s very fun, but again, character greetings are not possible right now due to social distancing needs due to the pandemic. Even the various shows and dance parties that are part of any MNSSHP can’t happen right now due to social distancing requirements. Finally, you can’t trick or treat at the candy sessions in our current climate, because the social distancing lines would be EVERYWHERE, and it would be a mess. So the parties are not happening this year.

Halloween Decorations at Magic Kingdom

There may be no Halloween parties this year, but Halloween is still coming to Disney World. Disney will decorate the Magic Kingdom for the fall season, with lots of pumpkins and grinning jack o’lanterns. Traditionally, most of the Halloween and fall decor is mainly on Main Street. Some years, there’s been a little overflow into Frontierland.

It’s time for Halloween at Disney — It’s Time for Halloween at Disney World! (Photo: Disney Parks)

Main Street USA will be decked out for Halloween from September 15 through October 31.

Halloween merchandise, however, is another story. That will be (and already is, in many cases!) EVERYWHERE throughout the Magic Kingdom. For more information on what Halloween merchandise has been released this year on ShopDisney.com, please visit this post. Most of the Halloween merchandise featured at ShopDisney.com is also available in the park. Disney has a short window of opportunity to sell their Halloween merchandise, so they will make it very easy for us to find!

Cavalcade of Characters

Since the parks reopened in July, character greetings have been off limits due to social distancing requirements. Disney’s solution has been periodic “character cavalcades” where the characters come out on floats and interact with guests from a distance. These happen a few times each day, and are vaguely reminiscent of the Move it, Shake it “mini parades” that they were doing the last couple of years.

For this Halloween at Disney World, Disney plans to jazz up the character cavalcades. The characters will be dressed in their Halloween costumes! I love this idea, and am happy that guests will be able to see the characters in their Halloween costumes without purchasing a pricey Halloween party ticket.

Halloween at Disney World Donald and Daisy — Characters in Costume Photo: Disney Parks

The really cute thing is that it seemed that each character had at least a couple of different costumes, so if you went every year to the party, the characters would be in different costumes.

Keep in mind these pictures are from MNSSHP from a few years ago, so we have no way of know which characters you might see this year in a character cavalcade, or what costume they might be wearing.

Halloween at Disney World, Mickey and Daisy — Mickey and Daisy in costume. (Photo Brooke Hudson)

Halloween at Disney World Mickey and Minnie — Mickey and Minnie at Halloween (Photo: Brooke Hudson)

Adult Guests can Dress Up, TOO!

For the first time, Disney is letting adult guests wear costumes into the Magic Kingdom during regular business hours. Previously, the only time adult guests (and children over 14) could wear costumes was to the separate ticketed event, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Costume masks are NOT allowed, however, for adults or kids. Approved face coverings are still required, however.

Disney Face Masks Disney Princess — Maria loves her new Disney Princess themed face mask. (Photo: Brooke Hudson)

All guests may wear their Halloween costumes or favorite Disney themed (or inspired) costumes into the Magic Kingdom this year, during regular park hours. The Halloween season at Disney World this year is from September 15 and October 31. It will be a TON of fun to see what everyone wears.

Just leave the costume weapons at home. Consider the heat, and think about safety. As Edna Mode would say “No Capes!”. They get caught, stepped on, ripped, dirty AND they’re heavy. Capes are technically allowed, but we recommend against them! Do YOU want to argue with Edna?

Disney Hollywood Studios vacation planning reasons to visit Disney trip planning meet Edna Mode — Edna Mode at Hollywood Studios

ShopDisney.comhas a lot of fun options for all ages (see last week’s blog post for more examples).

Halloween at Disney World Halloween Costumes

Halloween at Disney World: Snacks!

Let’s face it, when we start talking Halloween, most of us immediately start thinking of CANDY. Sweets and treats, right?

Halloween at Disney World means LOTS of sweet treats, all themed to the season.

Halloween snacks at Disney World — Halloween goodies at Disney World (Photo: Disney Parks)

There are Halloween themed cupcakes and cookies and candy treats all over the Magic Kingdom during the Halloween season. You’ll find Halloween themed drinks, special Halloween ice cream flavors, even Halloween themed popcorn buckets! If you have the budget (and the sugar tolerance), you could quite happily indulge in different Halloween sweet treats for DAYS.

PhotoPass Halloween Surprises!

If you’ve read many of my other posts, you’ve probably recognized that I am a BIG fan of Disney PhotoPass. I love that there are so many opportunities throughout the parks where you can get pictures of your family or group without one of you having to NOT be in the picture in order to take the picture.

I also tell you all the time to take LOTS of Disney PhotoPass pictures when you are in the parks, because the quality of the photographers vary, as do the lighting conditions and the surrounding crowds. You just don’t know what you’ll get, so play the odds!

One favorite Disney PhotoPass treat are the “Magic Shots”. These are the pictures where the photographer “magically” adds something to your picture that will show up later, when you see the picture.

For example, you might see Tinkerbell sitting on your hand, or you might see a character sitting next to you on a bench.

Epcot Magic Shot Minnie Mouse — Minnie Mouse Magic Shot (Photo: Disney PhotoPass)

Halloween Magic Shots

For Halloween, Disney has had a few Magic Shots in their arsenal, but USUALLY those were reserved for MNSSHP guests. This year, some special Halloween themed Magic Shots will be available in some areas of the Magic Kingdom throughout the day between September 15 and October 31. Keep in mind that not all PhotoPass photographers will have access to all Magic Shots. If the line is long, and the photographer is busy, they may not have time to set up a Magic Shot. These are special “extras”, not automatic or to be expected.

Here are a few sample Halloween Magic Shots that have been available in the past. We don’t know yet what Magic Shots will be available this year. I’ll keep you posted as I learn more.

Disney Halloween Parties cancelled for 2020

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (Photo: Disney Parks)

Halloween at Disney World Magic Ghost Shot

Are you ready for Halloween?

It still feels a bit early for me, but looking at all this stuff is starting to get me in the Halloween mood. We won’t make it Disney World this year for the Halloween fun; our trip is in November this year. But next year’s big family trip is in October, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the Magic Kingdom all decked out for Halloween. I’m hopeful that at least some of these changes for day guests to the park will stay in place for next year, even if they have the ticketed parties next year.

Costume silliness from a couple years ago. I was a witch (too easy!) and my husband went as Iron Man. (Photo: Linda Harkness)

Are you ready for Halloween at Disney World, or even in your neck of the woods? Do you add any Disney touches to your at home celebrations? Please comment below.

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

Authorized Disney Vacation Planner — Ready to Plan Your Disney Vacation!

P.S. If you are thinking about a Disney vacation in 2021, now is the time! Vacation packages are available for most of the year. Please email brooke@disneycastledreaming.com for a free, no obligation quote.

Disney Halloween Merchandise 2020

Disneyland and Walt Disney World may have cancelled this year’s ticketed Halloween parties, but there is a LOT of fun Disney Halloween merchandise available for 2020!! Earlier this year, Disney made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s scheduled Mickey’s Very Scary Halloween Parties. A fairly large fall revenue source for Disney, these popular Halloween themed special events require a separate ticket for admission, and featured activities, entertainment and merchandise exclusive to the parties. (For more on this annual event, please see our posts here or here.)

Disney’s decision made sense to us. With social distancing requirements already impacting so much Disney entertainment, fireworks and parades, there was just no way to provide guests with the value they expect for the price of the party ticket. The decision was disappointing, but certainly the correct decision on Disney’s part. Guests that had already purchased tickets are being refunded.

Disney may be losing out on party ticket revenue but they are NOT going to let that merchandise revenue slip through their hands. Halloween is an extremely popular holiday in the United States, and Disney Halloween themed merchandise is second only to Disney Christmas/Holiday themed merchandise.

ShopDisney.com Halloween Shop

If you are unable to visit either of the Disney parks this year, don’t worry. ShopDisney.com has got you covered. This year’s shopDisney Halloween shop is filled with fun Disney Halloween merchandise. If you are a Disney Halloween merchandise fan, read on with caution. I take no responsibility for your credit card melting. 😉

*The fine print:  There are some links provided on our site and in this article.  If you follow one of these links and ultimately make a purchase, we receive a small commission.  This does not affect the price you pay in anyway.  We provide information about Disney related products that we believe you will enjoy.  Thank you.

Halloween Costumes

One of my favorite departments in the Halloween Shop at shopDisney.com this year is the Halloween costumes section.

I mean look at some of these…couldn’t you just die from the cute?

Baby Costumes

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When I was little, my mom made our costumes, and they were the BEST. But these days, most parents don’t have time to go the homemade route. If you can’t go do homemade, I think these Disney costumes look like a great alternative. (And if you ARE going the homemade route, I think you can find some terrific inspiration looking at all the Disney costumes!)

Kids Costumes

The kids costumes have the widest variety of options. If your kid loves Disney or Marvel or Star Wars, you are likely to find something they will love. Looks at some of these adorable options.

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The pricing on the kids costumes covers a wide range. The lowest price I found was $29.99, and the highest was a whopping $500!!!

Disney has even included a couple of costumes for kids that have a wheelchair that also needs a costume. Check these out!

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Finally, we have the “not a costume” costume. I love this idea for the kids in colder climates who always have to put a coat on over their cute costumes. These are hoodies, themed to various characters. Your kid can warm and cozy AND be channeling their inner Monster (or Princess). There are a bunch of these, here are just a couple.

Adult Costumes

Of course, the adults can’t be left out of the mix, right? A word for my fellow plus size Disney fans—these costumes are not for us. Most adult costumes come in S,M and L. A few offer size XXL, but not many. And based on my experience with Disney sizing, I predict these probably run small. No plus size options at all.

There aren’t a lot of options in the Adult Costume category. And like most Halloween stores, you’ll notice most of the women’s costumes walk the “sexy” line and most of the men’s are “heroes” costumes.

Here are some of the costumes I found:

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The Sanderson Sisters would be fun if you were going to a party in a group, and all loved Hocus Pocus!

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Pet Costumes

I didn’t even think this was a real thing. Over the years, I have seen some animals in costumes, but those were generally pretty simple and handmade. I had no idea that Disney pet costumes were a real thing. But they are!!

These pet costumes are pretty intricate and detailed. Would your pet actually be willing to wear one of these?

Disney Halloween Merchandise Halloween Pet Costumes

My favorite is the Ewok. So darn cute. But what dog would actually wear it and not chew on it? If you dress your pet up for Halloween and they enjoy it, please send me a picture for the blog! I’d love to post your pictures and show off your pet costumes. They do not need to be Disney themed!

Home Decor

Well, it’s pretty hard to beat the costumes, but Disney does try in the home decor section.

If you are a fan of the Haunted Mansion, the Nightmare Before Christmas or Hocus Pocus, Disney has a home decor item for you to help get you home in the Halloween spirit.

Check out this cute collectible featuring the Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus. (Did you hear Hocus Pocus is getting a reboot? More on that in a future post!)

The Nightmare Before Christmas stuff is really cute. It also includes some party decorations (balloons, photo booth props,etc.) if you are planning a Nightmare Before Christmas Halloween party!

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There is so much stuff! I love the Minnie themed Halloween kitchen towels. There are several Mickey head pumpkin designs as well. Take a look at just a few of the items below.

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Haunted Mansion

And of course, there’s the Haunted Mansion merchandise. Disney’s line of Haunted Mansion themed merchandise is actually available all year round, but it seems particularly popular and appropriate around Halloween, doesn’t it? There are TONS of items in the Haunted Mansion “shop”, but here are a few that could add to your spooky theme for Halloween.

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Wearables

If you want to add a little Halloween into your every day wardrobe, this department is for you. Lots of Disney Halloween themed backpacks, T-shirts, sweatshirts, face masks and socks. There are pins and “ear hats” and even light up pumpkin Mickey head necklaces. Here’s just a sample of all the goodies up for grabs at shopDisney.com.

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Will Your Halloween Be Disney-Themed?

I don’t usually dress up for Halloween. However, I have been known to throw on a pair of Mickey or Minnie ears for the occasion. This year, I’m really thinking the Minnie Witch Hat ears and the light up Mickey head pumpkin necklace might just be my go-to.

Disney Halloween Merchandise 2020 Minnie Witch Ears

What about all of you? Do you decorate for Halloween? Do you take your kids trick or treating? Do you wear a costume or go to any Halloween parties?

Please like this post and share below. I would love to know how you all celebrate Halloween, and whether any of you include Disney in your celebrations!

Happy Dreaming,

Brooke

Disney Face Masks: Our Review

A few weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Disney Store released pre-orders for a line of Disney face masks. Initially, the masks were available in four different themes, in packs of four masks for each theme. Each four pack was available for pre-order for $19.99. The available sizes (at that time) were small, medium and large.

Because we were planning a big family trip for October at that time, we placed an order for several packages. At that point, we were still optimistic that we’d be able to take our October trip, but we assumed we’d probably be wearing face masks when we went. (For more on our decision to postpone our big family vacation, click here.)

Disney Face Mask Themes

Disney face masks are currently available in six different themes.

Star Wars Themed

The Star Wars themed face masks include four designs. These designs include:

- - The Child (Baby Yoda)
  - R2D2
  - Episode IV:A New Hope
  - Star Wars Logos and Symbols

shopDisney.com new Star Wars themed face masks — Star Wars themed face masks! Click the image above!

Mickey & Minnie Mouse Themed

One of the most popular Disney face mask themes is Mickey and Minnie Mouse. As with the other collections, there are four different designs in this package. The designs include:

- All over Mickey Mouse figure
- All over Minnie Mouse figure in black and white
- Minnie Mouse face with dots
- Mickey Mouse icon all over

Disney has really cute face masks for sale — Disney themed face masks? Let’s go! Click the picture above.

Pixar Themed

The Disney face mask line that features Pixar is pretty cute. There are four different designs featuring Pixar icons. The four designs include:

- Forky
- All over print of Pixar characters on blue background
- Mike Wazowski
- All over print of Pixar characters on white background

Toy Story themed face masks at shopdisney.com. Please click the picture above!

Marvel Themed

One of the latest additions to the Disney face mask options is the Marvel themed collection. Like the other themed collections, the Marvel collection includes four different designs. The four designs include:

- Hulk
- All over Black Panther symbols
- All over Marvel logo
- All over grid with Marvel characters and symbols

Disney Face Masks Marvel — Marvel themed Disney face masks

Princess and Frozen Themed

If you are a Disney Princess, or just love them a lot, the Disney face masks featuring Disney Princesses might be your favorite. This collection also features four distinct designs. The four designs include:

- Frozen
- The Little Mermaid
- All over Disney Princess figures
- Disney Princess names, all over

Disney face masks Disney Princess and Frozen Face Masks — Disney Princess and Frozen Face Masks

Disney “Faces” Themed

Disney face masks’ newest collection features the lower half of famous Disney character faces. The four faces in this collection include:

- Winnie the Pooh
- Stitch
- Mickey Mouse
- Marie (the Aristocats)

Disney Face Masks Mickey Mouse Winnie-the-Pooh Aristocats Marie Stitch — Disney Face Masks

Disney Face Masks: The Good

The good news is that the Disney face masks are even cuter in person than they look on the shopdisney.com website. They’re made of a very soft knit fabric. They are not heavy weight, and they are fairly comfortable to wear and breathe in.

The colors are strong, and after several washings, the masks that are getting worn are holding their colors very well.

While there have been “fit” issues (see The Bad, below), the masks are comfortable to wear and fairly easy to breathe in. They are not as lightweight as disposable masks or all cotton masks, but they are not heavy.

Disney Face masks Minnie Mouse — Katelyn, age 6. (Photo: Brooke Hudson)

Maintenance

You can machine wash the masks, using cold water and gentle cycle. Do NOT bleach. You can tumble dry them on low heat. I’ve also hand washed them and laid flat to dry. They don’t feel quite as soft that way, but it does the job.

Disney recommends you wash your masks between wearings. The masks dry fairly quickly, but you’d probably want at least two if they were the only masks you were wearing (on vacation for example). That way you could wash at night and alternate days for each mask.

Disney Face masks — Top: Youth Medium. Bottom: Adult Large (Photo: Brooke Hudson)

Supporting a Good Cause

Disney is donating one million cloth face masks for children and families in underserved and vulnerable communities across the United States. Disney’s donated masks will be distributed by MedShare (www.medshare.org). In addition, Disney is donating $1 million in profits from the sale of Disney face masks. This donation is also going to MedShare to support the medical community’s ongoing efforts to provide care to those in need.

Disney Face Masks: The Bad

Sizing Issues

These masks run SMALL. When we placed our order, there were three sizes available, small, medium and large.

This has changed. There are now four sizes available: Youth Small, Youth Medium, Adult Large and Adult Extra Large. The three smaller sizes are the sizes that were previously labeled small, medium, and large.

For our review, we ordered some masks in each size. The small size masks were too small for our six and seven year old family members, but worked well for cousins that are two and three. Disney has since renamed this size “Youth Small”. This is obviously in response to complaints from buyers unhappy with the small sizing.

Medium

The size medium masks we ordered we thought would be perfect for our teenaged family members, but we have found they are way too small for the older kids. The medium (now called “Youth Medium”) fit a small six year old perfectly, but was too small for her seven year old cousin.

He’s a little big for his age, probably closer to your average nine year old. Unfortunately the size large (now Adult Large) is way too big for him, so we are making some modifications to his medium mask so he can wear it.

Disney Face Mask Sizing — DeMarco, age 7. Youth Medium, ear loops too short and pull on his ears. (Photo: Brooke Hudson)

Disney Face Mask Mickey Mouse — DeMarco, age 7. The mask itself is a perfect fit for his face, but the ear loops are too short. Youth Medium. (Photo: Brooke Hudson)

Based on the kids we have asked to model the masks so far, we are predicting the Youth Medium mask will work for kids of average size, age 4-8 (maybe 7).

Large

The size large masks we had planned for all the adult family members.

We were successful with two people. Both found the size large masks (now called “Adult Large”) very comfortable.

Disney Face mask Disney Princess — Maria, side view Disney Princess face mask, size Adult Large (Photo: Brooke Hudson)

We were less successful with our teenager, Vinny. Vinny is 5’10” tall, and pretty lean. We’d originally thought a size medium would work for Vinny, but once we realized that the medium wouldn’t fit his little brother, we knew Vinny would need a large.

Disney Face Mask — Vinny, age 16. He’s wearing an Adult Large Star Wars themed mask. It’s slightly large for his face, but the ear loops are pulling on his ears. (Photo: Brooke Hudson)

Unfortunately, Vinny’s experience proved to be common. The rest of the “adults” in the family all found the masks to be too small. The loops for the ears just are not long enough.

Functionality

There is no where to put a filter in these masks. That isn’t necessarily a big deal; they are two layers and provide basic protection. If you wanted to add a filter, you could cut a slot in the back layer and insert a filter between the layers.

Disney Face Masks: The Ugly

Ok, so there isn’t really any UGLY. I just had this fun The Good, The Bad and The Ugly film analogy going, and couldn’t let it go!

Seriously though, lots of buyers have been very frustrated by the Disney face masks, no matter how cute they are. If you spend $19.99 on a four mask package for your kids, you expect to be able to use them for your kids. When they are too small, it’s annoying.

Similarily, if you had your heart set on wearing that Forky mask to work next week and it’s way too small, you might be disappointed.

Modify?

Some folks have been able to successfully modify the masks to make them fit. Some workable options that we have seen include:

- Cutting the ear loops and extending them
- Removing the ear loops completely and replacing them
- Looping elastic or ribbon through the loops and tying the mask behind your head (not using the ear loops for your ears at all)

However, most of us don’t expect to have to modify our Disney Store purchases to “make it work”.

I will also say that I did find some inconsistency in this initial group of masks. Some were slightly uneven, slightly larger on one end than the other. I suspect that because we ordered almost as soon as they were available for pre-order, we received some of the first masks shipped out. Most likely, inconsistencies and quality issues have been worked out by now.

The Disney Store does accept returns, and the fact that they have renamed the sizes does seem to indicate they recognize they may not have provided enough sizing information initially.

Sizing

More good news. ShopDisney.com now provides very detailed sizing information including measurements for all the Disney face masks. This should help you avoid some of the frustration that other buyers have experienced.

Youth Small

- Mask Width: 5”
- Mask Height (Pleats Closed): 2 1/2”
- Mask Height (Pleats Opened): 4 1/2”
- Ear Loop Strap Length Per Side, Joint to Joint: 5 1/2”

Youth Medium

- Mask Width: 6”
- Mask Height (Pleats Closed): 3 1/4”
- Mask Height (Pleats Opened): 5 1/2”
- Ear Loop Strap Length Per Side, Joint to Joint: 6 1/2”

Adult Large

- Mask Width: 7”
- Mask Height (Pleats Closed): 3 3/4”
- Mask Height (Pleats Opened): 6”
- Ear Loop Strap Length Per Side, Joint to Joint: 6 1/2”

Adult Extra Large

- Mask Width: 7 1/2”
- Mask Height (Pleats Closed): 4”
- Mask Height (Pleats Opened): 6 1/4”
- Ear Loop Strap Length Per Side, Joint to Joint: 7 1/2”

Sizing Guide

Measure from the bridge of the nose to the bottom of the chin. Use the guidelines below to help identify the correct size mask to order. Disney suggest you choose the LARGEST size your measurement falls into. However, also take a look at the ear loop strap length per side, joint to joint, provided above. You want to be sure that the straps are going to be long enough, unless you are comfortable modifying the loops.

- Youth Small: 2 1/2” – 3 1/2”
- Youth Medium: 3 1/4” – 4 1/2”
- Adult Large: 3 3/4” – 5 3/4”
- Adult Extra Large: 4” – 6”

Overall Grade: B+

We’d give these masks an A+ for cuteness, absolutely. An A- for comfort, mainly because the ear loops are a little thicker than needed, in our opinion. Where the masks take a hit is on FIT. That’s a C, based on what we’ve tried so far.

However, Disney DOES appear to have rectified the size issue by renaming the sizes and adding a fourth, larger size. We have an order of the new Adult Extra Large masks on the way, and will update you once we’ve had a chance to try them out.

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

Disclaimer

All the Disney face masks used in this review were bought and paid for. We did not receive any free or sample masks in exchange for this review. There are some links on our site that lead you to products or services we recommend that we think you will like. If you follow those links and make a purchase, we earn a small commission on your purchase. This does NOT affect the price you pay. Thank you.

Disney Attraction Closures

Disney World parks have now been reopened for two weeks. How it’s going seems to depend a lot on who you talk to. Now that the dust has settled a little bit on the reopening, we wanted to update you on a few announcements Disney has made since the parks reopened. Disney has announced Disney attraction closures, both temporary and permanent. There are also several highly anticipated upcoming attractions that have been put on the back burner, modified or cancelled altogether.

Resort Opening Changes

Disney has decided NOT to reopen Disney’s Beach Club Resort and Disney’s Boardwalk Inn until further notice. Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter and Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resorts will both remain closed until further notice. In addition, the three All Star value resorts and Pop Century resorts remain closed at this time.

Disney has pushed back the reopening of both Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.

Here is the new schedule of the resorts that are scheduled to reopen this year.

- - July 29:Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
  - August 24: Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
  - September 21: Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
  - October 4: Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
  - October 14: Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
  - November 1: Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

It is important to remember that all these dates are still subject to change. Disney continues to evaluate the health situation and what is happening in the state of Florida.

Spaceship Earth Refurbishment

Previously, Disney had planned to close Spaceship Earth in May 2020 for a two to three year refurbishment. Read about that here.

When the parks reopened, fans were happy to see that Spaceship Earth reopened, right along with the rest of EPCOT attractions. Shortly after reopening, Disney announced that plans to refurbish/reimagine Spaceship Earth had been paused indefinitely.

At this time, no additional information has been released. If you’ve ridden Spaceship Earth anytime over the last year or two, you’ve probably noticed that it needs refurbishment. Some areas of the ride, and many of the ride vehicles look worn.

Why the pause? In short: Money. Disney lost more than $1 billion during the first month the parks were closed, and when the next quarter’s results are released, that loss will no doubt be mind boggling large. As a result, it is likely that Disney will be scaling back on planned projects, or even canceling projects to control spending until the parks start to recover financially. This, unfortunately, is likely to take YEARS.

We suspect that Spaceship Earth will close at some point either in 2021 or 2022 for a few months for cleaning and refurbishment, but it is doubtful that the substantial refurbishment originally planned will happen at all. This is not official, this is just our opinion. On the upside, if you are planning to visit the parks over the next 18 months, most likely Spaceship Earth will be open.

Mary Poppins Attraction

For as long as Disney has been building attractions, there have been rumors that a Mary Poppins themed attraction would be built. For many, the very brief Mary Poppins scene in the now-gone Great Movie Ride was a favorite scene. When Mary Poppins Returns was released in 2018, a resurgence of interest in Mary Poppins was born. When Disney announced that at long last, a Mary Poppins themed attraction was going to land in the UK Pavilion at EPCOT, many fans were THRILLED. While very few details were ever released about the planned attraction, it was officially announced. The attraction was included in the presentation at the Epcot Experience in the Odyssey Events Pavilion. The attraction has now been removed from that presentation.

Disney officially announced that the planned Mary Poppins attraction has been “postponed”. In this case, it is likely that the attraction will never materialize. It doesn’t appear that the attraction had gotten very far down the imagineering road, and given the financial losses Disney sustained this year? It doesn’t look good for our girl Mary. Hopefully, we are wrong, and we will eventually see this attraction move ahead. It is unlikely to happen for several years, however, and we suspect other properties will be higher priorities by then.

Disney Attraction Closures

Along with announcing postponements, Disney also announced some attraction closures. For the most part, these were not surprising.

Stitch’s Great Escape

Disney has permanently closed Stitch’s Great Escape. This controversial ride was (in our opinion) a ham fisted overlay of the failed scary attraction, Alien Adventure. After many guest complained, Alien Adventure was closed and a new “story” was created to make the attraction less scary and more funny, using the same basic attraction features. Stitch was stuck into the “story”, assumably to attract younger children and families to try the new version of the attraction.

The attraction was never very popular. In our opinion, it didn’t really work. The story was neither fun nor funny, and including Stitch didn’t really make much sense. The ride wasn’t as scary, it was more gross—and while that can be both fun and funny, in this case…it really wasn’t.

For the last couple of years, Stitch’s Great Escape has been closed more than it’s been opening. The attraction has opened a few times a year when crowds are particularly high to try and give people another attraction to visit. Disney’s decision to permanently close the attraction and no longer use it for overflow suggests it wasn’t really working in that capacity either. We suspect even the most loyal Stitch fan will not be sorry to see this attraction go.

We hope this space will be used for a really terrific Tomorrowland attraction at some point in the future. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen any time in the next 2-5 years.

Primeval Whirl

Primeval Whirl is another not-very-popular attraction that is now officially closed, per Disney’s recent announcement. Located in Dinoland at Animal Kingdom, Primeval Whirl is part of the “carnival” section of Dinoland. It’s very much an “off the shelf” attraction, similar to basic attractions you’d find at an actual carnival or very basic theme park. It certainly lacked any “Disney Magic”.

Much like Stitch’s Great Escape, Primeval Whirl has been mostly closed for the last couple of years. Disney opened Primeval Whirl occasionally, when crowds were especially high. We doubt there is a plan to replace Primeval Whirl. Likely, Disney just decided to close it permanently to reduce training and operating costs for a rarely used, unpopular attraction.

Rivers of Light

The announcement that Animal Kingdom’s nighttime show, Rivers of Light, would NOT be returning permanently was a surprise and a disappointment. Part of the Animal Kingdom expansion when Disney decided the park needed to be a full day “experience”, Rivers of Light was a unique nighttime show unlike anything else on Disney property.

Disney built a gorgeous waterside theater near the Finding Nemo the Musical theater to house Rivers of Light when it was designed. Because of the animals, nighttime entertainment at Animal Kingdom cannot include fireworks, explosions or loud pyrotechnics like we are used to seeing at most Disney nighttime shows.

Rivers of Light Disney Attraction Closures — Animal Kingdom’s Rivers of Light (Photo:Disney Parks)

Rivers of Light uses hauntingly beautiful music, stained glass floats, dancing waters and water projections to entertain. It’s a slower, quieter show, but very beautiful to look at and a nice way to unwind at the end of a busy day.

We are disappointed that Disney will not be bringing the show back, but we hope those beautiful floats and that theater will be used for SOMETHING in the future. Again, due to financial constraints, it is unlikely we will see anything for a few years. (SIGH).

Projects in Process

There are quite a few projects in process around Walt Disney World. Unfortunately, we don’t know the current status on most of these projects. We are assuming work is progressing, but we’ve had no announcements.

For example, the Ratatouille themed attraction originally slated to open in “Summer 2020” has not opened. The signs outside the attraction building that used to say “Summer 2020” have been removed. The attraction was in fairly good shape prior to the parks closing in March. We would have thought the attraction would be opening perhaps late summer or early fall at the latest, based on construction delays caused by Covid-19. However, Disney has not made any announcements or been talking about this attraction at all. We suspect that with the parks opened with limited capacity and the health crisis still looming, Disney has decided to save this attraction for when the parks are welcoming more guests, and they can generate positive buzz for the attraction. Just speculation on our part, but we think they may want a bigger “good news” announcement than they would likely get right now.

Epcot’s new space themed restaurant Space 220 — Space 220 Concept Art, Disney Parks

Similarly, Space 220 is a new table service restaurant, originally planned to open late 2019 and pushed back to Summer 2020. There has been no news on this restaurant for months, so we suspect it will not open this year. We hope to be wrong as we are very anxious to check this one out. Unfortunately, we doubt we are wrong.

Big Coming Attractions

The Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster and the Tron Lightcycle coaster ride are both projects scheduled for completion sometime in 2021. We’ve had no information on these, but hopefully they are still on track.

Disney TRON Attraction Billboard — Tron Billboard, visible from Storybook Circus

We’ve also had no significant updates on the reconfiguring of EPCOT’s main entrance and future world. This is another project not expected to finish until sometime next year. This is a project that we think will be scaled WAY back from the original plans. It will be interesting to see what happens with this fairly massive project over the next 12 months.

Disney Attraction Closures: What About the PARKS???

The big question, of course, is will Walt Disney World close the parks again. We just don’t know the answer to that one. It is possible, especially considering how fast new cases are emerging in Florida every day. While we are confident that Disney will do everything in its power to keep from closing down, they also don’t want to jeopardize public health, their image or their bottom line. There are a lot of things that could (and should) factor into a decision to close the parks again. Hopefully, it will not become necessary. We will keep you posted as we learn more in the days ahead!

Are you upset or worried by any of the closures or postponements mentioned above? Please like this post and comment below.

Happy Dreaming!

Brooke

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