MickeyBlog Disney News for August 21, 2018
You can buy tickets for D23 2019 this week! Also, a previously announced Disneyland resort may never get built. Yeah, it’s a big week for MickeyBlog News. You should read to the bottom today.
D23 Ticket Info
“Mark your calendars! On Thursday, August 23, D23: The Official Disney Fan Club will begin selling tickets for the next D23 Expo, which will take place August 23–25, 2019, at the Anaheim Convention Center.”
With these words, Disney provided its loyal fan-base with reason to salivate. The 2017 D23 event was arguably the most historic Disney spectacle since the Epcot announcement in 1966. It was the fifth iteration of the expo, and park planners used it as the platform to announce roughly 20 changes coming to Disney’s North American theme parks.
The sixth edition of D23 Expo is unlikely to have the same number of shocking announcements. It will, however, provide much-needed details about the revelations from the prior event. Disney fanatics will pack the auditoriums for all of the events. Anyone who plans to go should book their reservations at the first opportunity.
Here’s what we just learned about ticket sales. On August 23rd, 2018, tickets will go on sale, and their pricing will favor D23 members. Regular prices for single-day tickets are $89 for adults and $69 for children. Three-day tickets cost $249 for adults and $185 for children.
You may find yourself priced into D23 membership if you haven’t already joined. Gold members who purchase tickets before November 20th pay only $67 for single-day admission or $177 for the three-day event. Kids cost $49 and $125, respectively. After November 20th, the prices increase to $79/$59 and $219/$164.
Early buyers save $72 by being D23 Gold members. This seems like a good time to mention that D23 Gold membership costs $79.99 on ShopDisney. I generally avoid telling people how to spend their money, but if you plan to go to D23 next year, you really ought to buy a D23 Gold membership. It’s effectively free.
This News Is Soooo Tinsel
The above header only makes sense to those fortunate enough to have watched Disney’s Prep & Landing, the adorable pair of Disney television specials that air each holiday season. Last year, Disney’s Hollywood Studios smartly decided to get into the business of Prep & Landing.
The park introduced the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! holiday event. It’s a nighttime spectacular that employs state-of-the-art digital projection to light up Hollywood Studios with festive holiday imagery. You can read about the event here. This 4k YouTube video is also worth a look.
You may know that a dessert party package is available for Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! The Parks Blog has confirmed its return for 2018. Here are the dates and prices if you’re interested:
- “Nov 6-Dec 22; Jan 2-6: Pricing is $79 per adult and $45 per child (ages 3-9) (tax and gratuity included)
- Dec 23-Jan 1: Pricing is $89 per adult and $49 per child (ages 3-9) (tax and gratuity included)”
Don’t Check Your Calendar
You may think that there’s still a month to go in summer. As you learned from Olaf in Frozen, however, Disney doesn’t play by the seasonal rules of your calendar. It’s fall when they say it’s fall, and it’s Halloween when they say it’s Halloween.
To wit, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has already begun. August 17th was the first date for the event. Its success hints at the most popular version to date for the seasonal tradition, as it sold out. Yes, Disney can sell out a Halloween event in mid-August. Disney could sell air conditioners to Canadians during winter.
Anyway, MickeyBlog will have more on the event in coming days. Should you want tickets – and you should – here are the dates:
- “August 17, 24, 28, 31
- September 3, 7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30
- October 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 26, 28, 30, 31”
That’s right! Some of these Halloween parties are even held in the fall!
Mobile Ordering Comes to Disney Resorts!
Okay, technically, Mobile Ordering has only come to one Disney resort thus far. It’s a start, though. After more than a year of clamoring for this option, Disney has finally introduced Mobile Ordering at one of their hotels.
The resort in question is Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.
With Mobile Ordering available, you’ll have a different vacation option, too. Everyone knows what it’s like to be tired after a full day at the park. You may not feel like going to dinner, but you don’t want to leave someone else responsible for your counter service order. They might mess it up. With this new option, you can order from your room, and only one person becomes the runner, the person responsible for picking up the meal.
expansion process. In the interim, if you purchase a Spyglass Grill meal via Mobile Ordering, please let me know what you think of it!
Disneyland Resort Expansion Stopped
Some topics are so expansive in nature that they’re difficult to encapsulate in a few words. Later this week, I plan to have more on this subject, but there’s a critical story coming out of Disneyland Resort this week. Here’s the gist.
The corporation has already demolished operational businesses in anticipation of constructing the new resort. As of last week, they have stopped all progress on the new Disneyland hotel, effectively daring the city of Anaheim to withhold the tax credit. Unless the city council changes their mind, Disney will never receive the quarter-billion in savings for their project, dramatically reducing the chances that the hotel ever gets built.
The entire situation feels like posturing on both sides. As such, it could blow over in a matter of days. Alternately, this situation could drag on for months, possibly even years. It’s a mind-boggling turn of events.
Plenty of Beats to Eat to
Are you attending the 2018 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival this year? If so, there’s some useful news this week. Disney has finalized their lineup for the Eat to the Beat concert series. Here are the applicable bands and dates, which will inform you on whether you’re interested in a show while you’re at Epcot:
- August 30 to 31: Blue October
- September 1 to 3: Tiffany
- September 4 to 5: NEW! MercyMe
- September 6 to 7: NEW! Glass Tiger
- September 8 to 9: NEW! Tauren Wells
- September 10 to 11: Postmodern Jukebox
- September 12 to 13: NEW! Vertical Horizon
- September 14 to 16: Baha Men
- September 17 to 19: Plain White T’s
- September 20 to 21: Living Colour
- September 22 to 23: NEW! Sheila E
- September 24 to 26: Sugar Ray
- September 27 to 28: David Cook
- September 29 to 30: Jeffrey Osborne
- October 1 to 2: NEW! Jim Belushi & The Sacred Hearts
- October 3 to 4: Everclear
- October 5 to 7: Mark Wills
- October 8 to 10: Air Supply
- October 11 to 12: NEW! Anderson East
- October 13 to 14: Smash Mouth
- October 15 to 16: NEW! 98 Degrees
- October 17 to 18: 38 Special
- October 19 to 21: The Devon Allman Project
- October 22 to 23: Kenny G
- October 24 to 25: Billy Ocean
- October 26 to 28: Starship featuring Mickey Thomas
- October 29 to 31: Hanson
- November 1 to 2: NEW! High Valley
- November 3 to 4: Taylor Dayne
- November 5 to 7: Boyz II Men
- November 8 to 9: The Hooters
- November 10 to 12: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
What’s the Sitch?
Finally, Disney Channel fans will love this…