MickeyBlog News for September 13th, 2021
This week, we’ve got news that will make you shout, “Yehaa!” There’s also the case of the missing alien rock star and the return of two shops you may have missed.
I’ll explain it all in the latest MickeyBlog News.
The Very Merriest Season at the Happiest Place
Last year, Disney’s theme parks moved away from limited engagement and after-hours events due to the pandemic.
In 2021, park officials have embraced the concept as much as possible now that everyone’s vaccinated.
To wit, Disneyland Resort just announced a Christmas party for the ages! On six November and December nights, Disneyland Park will host Disney Merriest Nites.
The official site describes this event as “six parties at once.” The premise is that Disney characters host various parties.
Lilo, Stitch, Tiana, Miguel, Buzz Lightyear, and Mickey Mouse are hosts and hostesses.
They will host the following parties:
- Feliz Navidad Party Frontierland
- Frozen-Themed Party in Fantasyland
- New Orleans Holiday in New Orleans Square
- Tomorrowland Party in Tomorrowland
- Tropical Party in Adventureland
- Victorian-Themed Party on Main Street, U.S.A.
Each event will also include A Christmas Fantasy Parade plus snowfall on Main Street, U.S.A.
Like other holiday after-hours events, it’ll come with some free food and drinks, too.
Disney promises live bands, dance parties, and the opportunities to save all your memories forever via PhotoPass.
Guests will also get to ride many attractions, including the holiday specialties. Yes, that means Haunted Mansion Holiday and It’s a Small World Holiday!
Tickets for this event will go on sale on Tuesday, September 14th. Admission on the first night, November 11th, will cost $175 plus tax.
All other nights will be $165 plus tax. Those other dates are November 16th, November 30th, December 7th, and December 9th.
Don’t Call It a Comeback
“Yehaa” Bob Jackson delighted his fans on social media with an announcement.
The beloved Disney entertainer will return to his old gig on October 14th, 2021.
Yes, Yehaa Bob is back at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside! Jackson performed regularly at this hotel for 23 years before pandemic-related layoffs.
Yehaa Bob indicated that he will be singing from 8:30 p.m. through midnight in a recurring gig at the resort.
Jackson later mentioned that he won’t play on the 16th. We’re still waiting on clarity about how frequently he’ll perform.
Until we learn more, enjoy this TikTok of his announcement:
@disneyrecordguy Its official! #YehaaBob has been invited to return to #PortOreans when it reopens on October 14th. #DisneyWorld #BobJackson #PortOrleansRiverside
Fans know that the pianist has performed many livestreams during the pandemic. Their reception demonstrates just how popular Jackson remains.
To many Port Orleans regulars, a hotel stay wouldn’t be the same without him. Welcome, back, Yehaa Bob!
Creations Shop and Club Cool Open This Week!
Two other beloved Disney activities are either opening or reopening, depending on your perspective.
The former Mouse Gear is no more. However, its replacement, Creations Shop, will debut on September 15th. Yes, that’s this week!
Disney had promised that the new building would feature dazzling architectural design and stylish aesthetics.
We cannot confirm this until Wednesday, but the artist’s renderings support this notion.
Also, Creations Shop will sell exclusive merchandise, some of which will feature a Spaceship Earth design. So, I’m there!
Fans of Disney pranks will love the other news. Club Cool, home of The Beverly, debuts in its new location.
Disney tore down the old Club Cool and started from scratch. In fact, Club Cool now connects with Creations Shop.
So, you can kill two birds with one stone by visiting here! And yes, Disney has indicated that The Beverly will return.
In case you don’t know what this is, The Coca-Cola Company sells different beverage products around the world.
The Beverly is a vile concoction that was once popular in Italy. Whenever an American sips it for the first time, they tend to look ridiculous…and often spit into a napkin.
Disney Park Changes of Note
Some cast members recently received one of the worst job assignments of their lives. Their bosses place them in charge of handing out leaflets.
What did this paperwork say? Unfortunately, it informed guests that FastPass+ is no longer available.
The pamphlets don’t even mention Disney Genie+ or Lightning Lane. They merely let guests know that they cannot order free FastPass+ for attractions.
Obviously, the reception to these leaflets…isn’t great. Still, I commend Disney for making sure that everyone’s aware, even if it rankles the public.
At Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, the IT team has made a modest change to Boarding Groups.
You can now add everyone to your traveling party an hour before the Boarding Group window opens.
This step should help you avoid the various snafus that can lead to issues. Of course, I’m talking about the ones that keep you from booking a Boarding Group.
To avoid such problems, pull up My Disney Experience or the Disneyland app 10 minutes before Boarding Groups become available.
Look for the menu option to confirm your party. It’s the screen that says Your Party on it.
Notably, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure uses the same process now. For this reason, I speculate that Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will as well.
At Walt Disney Presents…, Disney has also updated one of the areas. The Star Wars Land section is no longer there since it’s, you know, open.
That’s a larger space. So, I’m genuinely curious to see what comes next.
Other Disney News to Know
I’ve got good news for fans of ‘Ohana. The POG Juice is back! We feared its yummy goodness was lost forever, but we were wrong!
Speaking of Disney restaurants, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café underwent something of a mystery last week.
Sonny Eclipse, the delightful audio-animatronic musician here, briefly disappeared.
Thankfully, he must have been on an interstellar walkabout, as he’s since returned.
That was a frightening couple of days, though! Never leave us again, Sonny!
In Disneyland Resort news, some character greetings have popped up lately.
You must visit Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party to see three of them, though.
Those goodies are Agatha Harkness, Cruella de Vil, and Sid from the Toy Story franchise.
At Disney California Adventure, Shang-Chi is appearing alongside his mortal enemy, Death Dealer.
In less happy news, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland has started its scheduled renovation. So, unfortunately, it’ll be offline for several weeks.
Meanwhile, Walt Disney World has started selling its new annual passes again. So, if you’ve been waiting, the time is now!
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Kali River Rapids will start its annual winter renovations on November 1st. So naturally, you’ll want to ride it while you can!
Expedition Everest has also scheduled a refurbishment. As a result, this thrilling roller coaster will close on January 4th, 2022, and stay offline until sometime in April.
Okay, that’s everything for this week! I hope you’re all enjoying the start of football season.