This week in MickeyBlog News: Star Wars Land reveals more exciting news, MagicBands get plussed, Stinky Pete appears when you least expect him, Disney heads to Egypt, and the Eat to the Beat concert schedule is published. Friends, Galaxy’s Edge is only three weeks away! You need all the Disney news that you can get right now. So, let’s get you all caught up!
Let’s Eat Our Dessert First
You’re here for the Star Wars news, right? Don’t worry. I won’t make you wait until the end. Here are a few things we just learned this week.
The most important reveal involved Mobile Ordering. Three different establishments at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will participate in Mobile Ordering. This information is huge. The LAST thing you’ll want to do at Star Wars Land is stand in more lines. You can save yourself that aggravation by whipping out your phone and picking out your favorite intergalactic cuisine.
The participating restaurants are the Milk Stand, Ronto Roasters, and Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo. Noticeably absent from the list is Oga’s Cantina, which makes a certain amount of sense. It’s the first place at Disneyland to sell alcoholic beverages, not counting Club 33. Disney understandably doesn’t want grab-and-go drinks during the earliest days of Star Wars Land.
The other place that won’t have Mobile Ordering is Kat Saka’s Kettle. That, too, makes sense. There shouldn’t be a large line for Kettle popcorn, at least not after the first few weeks.
Disney wants all phases of your visit to be the best possible. They released a guide on parking during the first few weeks of Star Wars Land. Here’s a video you should watch. The aspect you should remember as you watch is that Galaxy’s Edge will have two different rush weeks. The first one happens when the land opens. The second will occur on June 24th, the time when guests without free reservations can enter Star Wars Land. Plan your parking strategies for both of these timeframes.
Also, please remember that MickeyBlog will broadcast live from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on May 29th. Yes, that’s two days before the official opening date. We’ll have a few sneak peeks from the world of Batuu.
Plus Your MagicBand!
I don’t know about you, but I can tell that my Disney vacation is near when I pick out the colors for my family’s MagicBands. The frustration I have is that I like splashy MagicBands, ones with logos of my favorite characters. Historically, you had to take one of the basic MagicBands, the plain wrist bands. Your only choice was the color of each one.
Thankfully, Disney’s recently changed that policy. In a few days, you’ll get to book one of the special MagicBands instead. Anyone with an official Walt Disney World resort reservation or an annual pass can choose an upgraded MagicBand. It’ll feature one of your favorite characters. Disney’s promised more than 30 designs to start.
The one catch is that you’ll pay $14.99 for this upgrade. Budget-conscious guests can save a bit of money by sticking with the standard MagicBands instead. For everyone else, you can pick Baymax, BB-8, Minnie Mouse, or other favorites to wear on your wrist. It’s that extra splash of magic that improves your trip…and gives you a feeling of joy on the fateful day when your MagicBand arrives for your next trip!
Stinky Pete Is Waiting in Line for You
Do you remember Stinky Pete from Toy Story 2? As far as Pixar villains go, that dude is high on the list. He tried to stop Woody from finding happiness and went so far as to frame Jessie to get his way. Sure, that happened 20 years ago, but the rascally varmint ain’t done with y’all yet.
Stinky Pete is now hiding in line at Toy Story Mania! To summon the jerk and give him what for, you’ll need your Play Disney Parks app. Guests can summon the grizzled prospector on Playset Party, the game where you attempt to assemble the Toy Story Mania! playset. Those who score high enough will see Stinky Pete show his face in the jail cell. Interactive elements like this are an integral aspect of Disney’s future plans for the Play Disney Parks app.
Visit Egypt in 2020!
I realize it’s not a Disney movie, but I’m sure you’ve seen Despicable Me. Remember the start of the film when a bunch of tourists visit one of the great pyramids in Egypt? Well, you could be one of those tourists next year. Adventures by Disney has a new vacation offering that they’ve promised will include “adventures by land, river and sea.”
This Egyptian vacation will last for nine nights. On three of those days, you’ll enjoy a luxurious cruise down the Nile River. On other days, you’ll visit the Great Pyramid of Giza, the temples of Luxor, the Valley of the Kings, and the Sphinx. Disney will host 11 different trips to Egypt during 2020; five of them are adults-only, too.
You should speak to a MickeyTravels agent to book one of these dates. It’s a dream vacation, one that WILL sell out. Plus, those of you who book early can save up to $750 per person.
Are You Ready to Eat to the Beat?
The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is only a few months away. Disney’s helping guests to finalize their vacation plans for the fall. They recently released the schedule for the upcoming Eat to the Beat concert series, one of the most popular parts of the festival.
During Eat to the Beat, Epcot guests with admission tickets can watch their favorite bands and solo artists play. Each act performs three nightly concerts, usually sets that last about 45 minutes. You’re not going to watch Bruce Springsteen here or anything, but all of the acts have had at least a few hit records.
The concerts have grown so popular over the years that Disney now sells dinner packages at the World Showcase. You may book a meal at many Table Service restaurants in this part of the park. The dinner will include guaranteed seats for the concert. It’s a lovely way to savor a good meal while hearing some of your favorite music. Here is this year’s Eat to the Beat schedule copied from the official website:
“Plain White T’s
August 29 through 31
Sawyer Brown – NEW!
September 1 through 2
MercyMe
September 3 through 4
Grace Kelly – NEW!
September 5 through 6
Zach Williams – NEW!
September 7 through 8
Lauren Daigle – NEW!
September 9 through 10
Jimmie Allen – NEW!
September 11 through 12
TBD
September 13 through 15
The Allman Betts Band
September 16 through 17
Everclear
September 18 through 19
STARSHIP featuring Mickey Thomas
September 20 through 22
Post Modern Jukebox
September 23 through 24
Blue October
September 25 through 26
Mark Wills
September 27 through 29
Sugar Ray
September 30 through October 2
TBD
October 3 through 9
Boyce Avenue – NEW!
October 10 through 11
Southern Avenue – NEW!
October 12 through 13
TBD
October 14 through 15
38 Special
October 16 through 17
Baha Men
October 18 through 20
Billy Ocean
October 21 through 22
Sheila E
October 23 through 25
High Valley
October 26 through 27
Hanson
October 28 through 30
Sheena Easton
October 31 through November 1
Kris Allen – NEW!
November 2 through 3
Boyz II Men
November 4 through 6
The Hooters
November 7 through 8
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
November 9 through 11
TBD
November 12 through 18
D’Capella – NEW!
November 19”
A Few Park-Related Tidbits
Let’s end this week’s MickeyBlog News update with a few miscellaneous news items. First of all, anyone who is a fan of Bongo’s Cuban Café should visit soon. Musician and entrepreneur Gloria Estefan just confirmed that the Disney Springs eatery will close in August.
At almost the same time, the NBA Experience at Disney Springs will open. Disney has revealed its opening date as August 12th. Single-day tickets for this unprecedented new offering are $34 for guests aged 10 and above or $29 for children between three and nine. As a reminder, this entertainment center replaces the former DisneyQuest gaming facility.
At some point during the fall, hopefully before I get there on Halloween, Disney will open its highly-anticipated new space restaurant at Epcot. Located beside Mission: SPACE, this eatery will offer a themed dining experience unlike any that you’ve had before. Park officials have been cagey with the details, but we know that a 250-foot digital display will wrap around the restaurant. It’ll provide otherworldly views of planet Earth.
Finally, a record-setting number of people visited the greater Orlando area in 2018. City officials indicate that 75 million tourists flocked to Central Florida last year. Out of that total, six million were international tourists. The remaining 69 million were Americans who love all things Disney. Orlando’s tourism board bragged that it’s the most visited destination in the United States right now, although the criteria they use for that determination is somewhat suspect.I
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Platinum level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!
Share
Get a FREE Quote!
Interested in booking a Disney Vacation? Look no further! The award winning agents at MickeyTravels are ready to help you book a truly magical vacation!