By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist
Now it's time to say goodbye to.... Soarin' Over California. The revamp of Soarin' Over California, entitled Soarin' Around the World, makes its debut at the grand opening of Shanghai Disneyland on June 16, 2016. The very next day, it will debut at both Disney California Adventure® Park and Epcot®. FastPass+ reservations are available now for the Epcot version. This is going to be a big change-- while I'm certainly going to miss soaring over Yosemite, the Pacific Coast, and the Golden Gate Bridge, the new experience promises to be an excellent replacement. While Disney is holding some of its cards close to the vest until the debut, they've promised we'll soon fly over the Sydney Opera House, the Great Wall of China, and the (real) Matterhorn. When brainstorming which world locations the new version might include, I've got to confess that last one never entered my mind, but it makes perfect sense! Now, not only can we ride Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland® Park, but we can also hop over to Disney California Adventure Park and soar over the real thing! While I'm sad that I may not get to experience Soarin' Over California again, I certainly had a nice send-off for my last ride: my daughter and I rode it as part of our California Story guided tour at Disney California Adventure Park. Not only did we get to skip the line, but we also got a ton of interesting trivia from our tour guide as we waited to board our top row center seats. For instance, did you know that several components of Soarin' Over California are CGI? I had no idea! What world landmarks are you hoping to fly over when Soarin' Around the World makes its American debut on June 17?
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Yet another delay for Rivers of Light nighttime spectacular at Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park4/7/2016 By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist
Rivers of Light, the new nighttime spectacular at Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, was set to debut on April 22. Disney Parks Blog recently announced, though, that the debut will be delayed, with no further announcements regarding a revised debut date until mid- to late May. The delay is disappointing for sure, particularly for guests who've already booked trips based on the previously-announced debut date. But I'm certain it will be worth the wait and the frustration-- Disney seems to have spared no expense in their efforts to turn Disney's Animal Kingdom into a full-day park (finally!). Gone will be the days of the park closing at 6:00, leaving guests scrambling to hop to another park to get their nighttime entertainment fix. Once Rivers of Light debuts, guests will be able to choose from nighttime offerings at all four Walt Disney World® Resort parks, which could alleviate nighttime crowding resort-wide. For more information on the delay, please visit Disney Parks Blog. By David Platt, your Mouse Master specialist
Lots of clients have asked me over the past few months “is it worth going to Disneyland right now with all of the construction going on?” I didn’t really have a good answer for them because I hadn’t seen the construction for myself, but now I have. First, a little background: what construction is going on? Recently, the Disneyland® Resort announced one of the largest land expansions in its history: the building of the upcoming 'Star Wars Land' project. This unprecedented expansion is going to be amazing when complete, transporting guests to worlds only seen before in the movies we all love. But the expansion comes with a price— parts of Disneyland® Park are shut down indefinitely in preparation for construction. At the present time, Rivers of America, Fantasmic!, the Mark Twain Riverboat, Pirate Lair on Tom Sawyer Island, the Sailing Ship Columbia, and the Disneyland® Railroad are closed. “Wow, that’s a lot,” might be your first reaction. Yes, it is. But Disneyland® Park is doing everything in its power to reduce the impact of the closures. The Rivers of America might be closed, but apart from the Mark Twain Riverboat being docked, you’d never know it from walking around New Orleans Square. They’ve ingeniously dammed the river out of sight of guests so that it does not need to be fully drained. There are no unsightly walls up around the river like during similar closures in years past. There are a few discreet walls visible back in the Critter Country area near the Hungry Bear Restaurant, but New Orleans Square itself remains unsullied. While the Mark Twain Riverboat may be docked, you can still board and explore the boat, and sometimes you may even encounter characters that call the New Orleans area home like Princess Tiana and her alligator friend Louis. While the Disneyland® Railroad is closed, trains are parked at the Main Street train station and the New Orleans Square train station. While you can’t board the trains, you can get a good close-up look at them, and there are conductors available to answer questions and give guests a little history on the trains. At the Main Street Station, you can view the legendary Lilly Belle train car that Walt’s wife Lillian had a hand in designing. For Disneyland history buffs like me, this is a rare chance to see this piece of Disney history up close and personally. At the New Orleans Square station, you can even cross the tracks to explore the buildings on the other side. Let’s circle back to that original question: is it worth going right now? I’d say the answer is a qualified yes. While you won’t be able to run around Pirate Lair on Tom Sawyer Island or ride the Disneyland® Railroad, you can explore the Mark Twain Riverboat and the trains like never before, and the ambiance of New Orleans Square remains unsullied. The biggest negative right now in my opinion is the closure of Fantasmic!, which is a big drawback for guests that are fans of that nighttime spectacular. If Fantasmic! being closed is not a dealbreaker for you, right now is a fantastic time to visit the Disneyland® Resort. I'm delighted to bring you the debut of my new site, The Mouse Master. When you come here, you'll not only find the latest news about Disney Destinations, but you'll also find a great resource for planning your own vacations. Stay tuned for the latest news, specials, promotions, and commentary on Disney Destinations!
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AuthorI'm David Platt, your Mouse Master Disney Destination specialist. I'm delighted to bring you the latest news on Disney Destinations. Archives
May 2021
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Telephone412-654-5869
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david@themousemaster.com
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