​When the new nighttime experience “Rivers of Light” debuts in spring 2016 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, your Clients will enjoy one of the most memorable and emotionally stirring shows in the park’s history.
The show will take place on Discovery River between Discovery Island and Expedition Everest. During the show, a pair of mystical hosts come to the river bearing gifts of light and set out from the shore on elaborate lantern vessels for a dramatic dance of water and light to summon animal spirits. With the storytellers as guides, the wonders of “Rivers of Light” builds to a stunning crescendo. 
In addition to the show, your Clients will notice the park’s iconic Tree of Life undergo an amazing awakening as the animal spirits of the tree are brought to “light” by magical fireflies, revealing moments of wonder and enchantment.
To create “Rivers of Light,” Imagineers and Creative Entertainment partnered with the talents of master puppet designer Michael Curry, composer Mark Mancina and the filmmakers at Disneynature.

lissy@gomdv.com
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Back in 1989, Disney’s Hollywood Studios started out as an actual working studio.  Back then, it was called Disney-MGM Studios.  Mickey Mouse Club (MMC) was filmed here and animated features like Lilo& Stitch, Brother Bear & Mulan were drawn on premises.  In case you haven’t figured it out, the theme here is film-making.  As soon as you enter the park, you are transported back in time to when Hollywood started booming.  Disney cast members portray filmmakers, vaudevillians, famous and wannabe actors as they parade down Hollywood Boulevard, enveloping guests into the trip back in time.
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Turning on to Sunset Boulevard, you’ll see The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror as it looms high above the park.  Here, you enter a mysterious hotel with a supernatural history.  A television host, Rod Serling, prepares you for your trip into The Twilight Zone.  You grab a seat in an elevator and that’s when the fun starts!  You will encounter ghostly patrons of the hotel and journey into a strange dimension, not only of sight and sound, but of mind.  All this before your innocent little elevator turns into a freefall that sends you both rising and plunging into darkness.  At night time, be sure to catch the amazing character, light, water, and firework show: Fantasmic!

Taking the Echo Lake path (you’ll know its Echo Lake by the giant green brontosaurus/ ice cream stand on the edge of the lake) brings you to the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and one of my personal favorite places to eat; 50’s Prime Time Café.  The now-closed American Idol Experience still stands but will be changed during the huge renovations in the near future.  Continuing on, you’ll see a giant AT-AT from Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back / Return of the Jedi.  Here, you’ll get to take one of many 3D excursions into the worlds of Star Wars.  The random destinations insure that you will ride again and again to see different scenery.

Commissary Lane and Streets of America give you the backstage experience as if you were a celebrity on their lunch break.  Take a few minutes to check out the MuppetVision 3D or Honey I Shrunk the Audience.  Both have giant screens, 3 and 4D interactivity.  Watching a movie in a normal theater has never been this fun!  Lights, Motor, Action Extreme Stunt Show will have everyone sitting on the edge of their seat as speeding cars come within inches of crashing into each other.

Probably the most popular (and crowded) area is Pixar Place / Animation Courtyard.  The main attraction is Toy Story Midway Mania shooting gallery.  Because of its popularity (over 2 hour wait in line if you didn’t get a Fast Pass for it), construction has started on an additional track to this wonderful ride.  Put on your 3D glasses and prepare to sit and spin through a maze of shooting gallery screens where you collect points and try to get those bonus water-balloons (you’ll know when you hit ‘em!).  Voyage of the Little Mermaid is a very underrated attraction (but a great escape from the Florida sun / nice place to take a break) and retells the Little Mermaid story in a unique way.

Seeing as how the upcoming Pixar and Star Wars mega-expansion is close to starting, Disney’s Hollywood Studios are in for a major change. Some rides will be eliminated and the space reused, construction may make the park a little more congested (or maybe attendance will drop during this time and you’ll be able to walk on any ride with minimal wait).  It’s hard to know what the next year or two will be like in this park, but one thing I can guarantee is that it will be worth it!

To book a trip with me you can email me at lissy@mickeysdreamvacations.com or call me at 740-357-4101. Please visit and like my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/mickeysdreamvacationsbylissy Refer a friend and if they book with me, I’ll send you something as a token of my appreciation on their day of travel!

     One of my favorite things to do is  see the Disney parades! I was recently in Disneyland and was able to catch the Paint the Night Parade. I LOVED it! It is sort of a twist on the Main Street Electrical Parade. Disney characters parade down Main Street, USA and around the park to the popular song "When Can I See You Again" from Wreck It Ralph. 
     Tinkerbell starts the parade as her and her fairy friends "fly" by. You will also see popular Disney characters such as the Genie from Aladdin, Tigger and Lumiere.  The Pixar floats are so cute! You will see the doors from Monsters, Inc and Lightning McQueen and Mack drive by! There is also Slinky Dog escorting your favorite characters from Toy Story.
     What would a Disney parade be without the princesses? See Ariel, Cinderella, Belle, Rapunzel and of course Anna and Elsa! The parade ends with Goofy, Donald and Minnie leading the way for Sorcerer Mickey! Paint the Night is now one of my FAVORITE Disney parades. You can see it for a limited time in Disneyland Park for the 60th Anniversary!

     In Disney's California Adventure Park, the evening parade is the Pixar Play Parade. One of the cutest parades I have seen! Pixar characters from Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Cars, Incredibles, Finding Nemo and Monster's Inc. go by. We had a dinner reservation at Carthay Circle and had an amazing balcony view of the parade!

     I would love to help you plan your next Disney vacation and give you some tips and tricks to the parades at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland! Email me today to start planning. lisa@gomdv.com

     In it's 23rd year, the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival will be returning to the Walt Disney World Resort from March 2 to May 30, 2016. The Festival, normally 75 days, has extended to 90 days!

     Explore the beautiful flowers and topiaries of your favorite Disney characters. There are fun play gardens and live music, as well as Outdoor Kitchens.

     Donald Duck's nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie make their topiary debut with Donald and Daisy at Epcot's park entrance. Ranger Mickey Mouse also makes his first topiary appearance in celebration of the National Parks Service Centennial.
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     The festival's Outdoor Kitchen returns for its fourth year with some Guest favorites as well as some new treats. When you aren't enjoying the savory food, you can attend one of the many gardening seminars or sit back and relax while listening to some rockin' music.

     For more information or to book your Disney vacation for the International Food & Wine Festival, contact your Dream Maker or email info@mickeysdreamvacations.com.
 

 

Our series of Unforgettable Holiday live streams will continue this week with a live look at The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights on Wednesday, November 18, at 10:30 p.m. EST.


This year’s display, which runs through January 3, 2016, features millions of “dancing” lights, plus displays of angels, toy soldiers, a spinning globe, Santa, reindeer, and much more.
To join us for the live stream, visit the Disney Parks Blog main page on Wednesday, November 18, at 10:30 p.m. EST. The live stream will appear in a fresh blog post at the top of our site.
Don’t forget to join the conversation during the live stream on Twitter with the hashtag #DisneyHolidays.

​If you have kids, the main attraction of Walt Disney World is The Magic Kingdom.
This will probably be the main focal point of your whole vacation; a place where dreams come true and animated friends wander the streets.  No matter how old you are, one can’t help but revert back to a child as you pass beneath the railroad tracks and look up Main Street to see a real-life castle.  Yes, you’ve just stepped into a magical fairy tale! 
Do yourself a favor, if this is your child’s first visit, run ahead to the middle of Main Street and photograph his/her face as they see Cinderella’s Castle for the first time.

​Beyond Cinderella’s Castle is Fantasyland.  Here you’re favorite Disney cartoons come alive and invite you to experience their stories with them, such as Peter Pan’s Flight, the Mad Tea Party, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and the classic Dumbo Ride.  I always like to check out Mickey’s PhilharMagic (a 3D movie with 4D interactivity).  So many child-friendly rides that your child may never want to venture out of the area to see the rest of The Magic Kingdom!

In Tomorrowland, the future comes alive.  Have you ever wanted to pilot a spaceship (AstroOrbiter)?  Shoot aliens (Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin)?  Travel like you live in the age of The Jetsons (Tomorrowland’s Transit Authority Peoplemover)? Joke around with a bunch of monsters (Monsters Inc Laugh Floor) or take a look back at how life has evolved since your grandparents were young (Carousel of Progress)?  We can only wonder how much the new Star Wars movies influence will be inserted into this area in the future!

When you step into Liberty Square, you will be transported to the early days of America.  See how peaceful and quaint our country used to be.  Be sure to make a dining reservation at the Liberty Tree Tavern for their year-round, all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving Dinner (be sure to save room for desert!).  Travel back to the era of steam-transportation with a relaxing Riverboat ride on calm waters.  A trip through Liberty Square would not be complete without a visit to The Haunted Mansion.  Here, 999 friendly ghosts await your visit.  Fun for all ages!

Over in Frontierland, journey back in time to the 1800’s and experience the simplicities of life as America grew beyond the original 13 colonies.   Start off by taking a raft over to Tom Sawyer’s Island.  Let the kids run around and play in the fort or wander through caves.  
Be sure to check out Old Scratch’s Mine and discover the hidden treasure that may very well mess with your head! 
Also, if you get there early in the day and find a white paint brush, turn it in to a Disney worker and receive a free fast pass!
Splash Mountain combines the thrills of a water-coaster with animatronic animals acting out tales of ‘Brer Rabbit.  It is one of the longer rides in the park clocking in at almost 10 minutes. Then for the thrill-seekers, be sure to take a ride on Big Thunder Railroad.  This is a runaway train that venture in and out of rocky formations of the old west.

Our last ‘land’ is Adventureland.  Journey to once-mysterious parts of the world with a cruise through the jungle (Jungle Cruise), get serenaded by birds (Enchanted Tiki Room), climb into a house high above ground (Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse), and go on a wild adventure with pirates as they storm an unsuspecting town (Pirates of the Caribbean).  While in this area, be sure to pick yourself up a Dole Whip Float.  The hotter the weather, the better it tastes!


In my next article, I’ll focus on another park in Walt Disney World. 
If you would like more information on booking a trip, please contact me lissy@gomdv.com or call me at 740-357-4101

        I am sure by now you have heard the news that Disney is cancelling Star Wars Weekends. With the release of the new movie next month and the excitement about Star Wars Land being built at both the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disney has decided to do away with the themed weekends that were started in 1997. Hollywood Studios will be getting a lot of new and fun additions to the park as Star Wars fans await the release of the new movie!
        Star Wars Launch Bay will take Guest into the Star Wars saga and the upcoming film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with special exhibits and peeks behind-the scenes, special merchandise and opportunities to encounter Chewbacca and Darth Vader.
         Star Tours – The Adventures Continue will be home to a brand new adventure inspired by the upcoming film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. During the opening months, Disney will make sure that everyone who rides Star Tours will experience the new adventure. After that, it will be up to the will of the Force.
          Disney also has new information about “Star Wars: Path of the Jedi.” It will feature scenes from the complete Star Wars saga, also giving anyone new to the Star Wars galaxy an opportunity to get acquainted with the films.
          Last, but certainly not least, is Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple, which will open in early December. This reimagined Jedi Training experience will take younglings to the secret site of an ancient Jedi temple where they will face Darth Vader along with the Seventh Sister – a new villain from the Disney XD series “Star Wars Rebels.”
          Work will also begin next year on the 14 acre Star Wars themed land at Disney's Hollywood Studios. With that being said, Star Wars won't be celebrated on select weekend in May and June anymore, but it will be celebrated all year round!

         Want more information or want to book your Disney vacation and experience the force? Email Mickey's Dream Vacations for more info! info@mickeysdreamvacations.com