MickeyBlog News for December 28, 2020
Welcome back! I hope that you had the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of Hanukkahs!
You may think that the holidays wouldn’t feature much Disney news, but the parks never take a week off!
Photo: MickeyTravels.com
I’ve got some theme park attraction, water park, and cookie news in the latest MickeyBlog News update! Let’s get started.
Snow White’s…Enchanted Wish?
Since 1955, Snow White’s Adventures has remained synonymous with Fantasyland at Disneyland.
This attraction has experienced a somewhat odd history, as guests famously didn’t understand it at first.
The ride confused guests as it revealed the story of Snow White from a first-person perspective.
People never saw Snow White during the Snow White ride, which upset them.
When Imagineers plussed the themed land into New Fantasyland, the ride evolved into Snow White’s Scary Adventures and has stayed that way ever since.
Early in 2020, even before the pandemic, Disney had closed the attraction to plus it again.
We have since learned details, and they should excite Disney fans. Those who love another Magic Kingdom attraction will be happy, too.
As part of the refurbishing of the ride, Disney will rename it Snow White’s Enchanted Wish.
The beloved Disney Princess will appear early, righting a mistake from 65 years ago. This “dancing” Snow White will spin around in place.
She’s joined by two of the Seven Dwarfs as she dances. However, the show stopping Dwarfs sequence will occur later.
Imagineers have built a gem mine for the Seven Dwarfs. This section will appear familiar to anyone who has ridden Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Credit: Disney
Many of the shiny baubles from that ride are on display, as is Dopey with his jewel glasses.
When you watch the video, you’ll notice that Legendary Imagineer Kim Irvine beams with pride as she discusses the changes coming to the ride.
We also know that the ride will climax with a Happily Ever After sequence starring Snow White. So, we can look forward to that, too.
Right now, the only thing we don’t know is the opening date of the attraction.
Disneyland obviously cannot announce that until the park can reopen.
A Disney Water Park Returns Soon!
A while ago, Disney announced that one of its Walt Disney World water parks would return in time for spring.
Park officials wouldn’t identify which waterpark would reopen first, though.
Photo Credit: MouseHacking.com
Well, Disney kindly filled in the blank for us this past week when it revealed that Blizzard Beach will come back soon.
Specifically, Disney will reopen the third-most-popular water park in the world on March 7th.
Photo Credit: UndercoverTourist.com
We’d suffered a bit of uncertainty about this situation, as Disney requires governmental approval for the reopening.
Also, the company must feel comfortable that it can reopen the water park safely. So, this update proves that Disney believes the worst is over.
Image Credit: Disney
Blizzard Beach hasn’t announced which attractions will reopen. Meanwhile, you may have questions about park admission tickets.
After all, Disney hasn’t enabled renewals for Premier Plus annual passes yet.
Your best bet is to contact an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner at MickeyTravels.
Photo: MickeyTravels.com
These pros will keep up with the information for you, and their service is free to you!
Gideon’s Bakehouse Is (Nearly) Here
Were you watching MickeyBlog’s Facebook feed the other day? If you didn’t, you messed up!
Why, MickeyBlog even got to meet the owner of Gideon’s Bakehouse, as you’ll see here.
This restaurant will serve delicious baked goods, which will keep you warm this winter.
The story here involves a baker in search of inspiration. During his investigation, he stumbles across a cookbook from 1898.
That’s when the magic happened, as Gideon’s Bakehouse opened a store in 2016 with only one employee.
From there, Gideon’s Bakehouse garnered shocking acclaim, being named as the best cookie bakery on the planet by places like the New York Times.
Disney asked for its own store, which will open early in 2021.
The recent soft opening provided Disney Springs guests with an opportunity to learn what the fuss is about.
People like our MickeyBloggers sampled the legendary “almost” half-pound cookies and confirmed their excellence.
You’re gonna want to visit this place at the first opportunity, my friends!
Disney/Park News
I’ve got plenty of quick-hitter news updates for you this week.
Let’s start with the bummer. Beginning in January, Magic Bands are no longer free for Walt Disney World guests.
You can still buy these wearables, and they’ve definitely had a great run. However, you can do most of the same stuff from your phone now.
So, Disney doesn’t need to give away Magic Bands since guests carry the equivalent of a smart wearable with them everywhere anyway.
In better park news, Disney+ just added a series that will help you wake up with the parks each morning.
Photo: AK Fasso
The Disney Parks Sunrise series is precisely what it sounds like.
These three episodes show daybreak at EPCOT, Magic Kingdom, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Each episode lasts an hour, starting with a pitch-black night. You’ll feel serenity now as the light eclipses the darkness. It’s quite soothing.
Hopefully, Disney will add its other American parks and maybe even some international ones in the coming weeks. This series is indescribably Zen.
Image Credit: Disney
Happier Disney News
Another lovely update hearkens back to the summer at the NBA Bubble.
Players relished their time at Walt Disney World as they completed the 2019-2020 season.
When they learned that the cast member food bank was in danger of closing. NBA athletes generously donated $50,000.
With that money, the food bank will remain open for at least another month. If you’d like to contribute, the UNITE HERE 737 crowdfund is still available.
Speaking of which, Disney recently increased maximum occupancy at its Orlando theme parks.
With a vaccine now in play, the company feels comfortable about its 2021. As such, Disney has recalled an undisclosed number of cast members!
Finally, Brightline added some clarity about the upcoming Disney Springs train station. It’ll apparently debut during the second half of 2023.
Photo: janshroder.com
So, we’re about 30 months away from an exciting new form of travel!
Have a terrific 2021, everyone!
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