MickeyBlog News for September 4th, 2023
Walt Disney World weathers the storm, Disney California Adventure says hello and goodbye, and the Haunted Mansion thinks bigger.
We’ve had quite an adventurous week as Disney fans. Let’s catch up in MickeyBlog News.
A Season of Change at Disneyland Resort Is Underway
I don’t know how much you’re paying attention, but a dramatic change is underway at Disneyland Resort this year.
We’ve already watched Disneyland Park open a new attraction, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and a freshly re-themed Mickey’s Toontown.
Within the next month, the Disneyland campus will open an entirely new hotel, The Villas at Disneyland Resort.
These enhancements represent just three of several improvements happening at The Happiest Place on Earth.
The timing isn’t coincidental here, either. Disneyland serves as the hub for The Walt Disney Company’s centennial birthday party.
Executives wanted everything to be perfect for this momentous occasion.
Since Disney’s birthday technically doesn’t arrive until October 16th, some new/popular stuff hadn’t happened until this week.
Specifically, San Fransokyo Square opened to the public for the first time.
This themed land is more of a hangout area than a traditional Disney locale.
You’ll find dining and character greetings here rather than attractions. Those amenities are exceptionally good, though.
Port of San Fransokyo Cerveceria, Aunt Cass Café, Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill, Rita’s Turbine Blenders, and Lucky Fortune Cookery are the headliners here.
However, you’ll also discover Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop and Cappucino Cart here.
You’re hungry and thirsty after reading that, aren’t you?
While you’re there, you can shop at Pan Pacific Pin Traders, Collectible Medallions, and San Fransokyo Maker’s Market.
You’ll find plentiful Big Hero 6 merchandise available here. And while you’re visiting, you should meet the film’s protagonists, Hiro and Baymax, too!
San Fransokyo is visually stunning and just a fun place to relax and enjoy a day at the park.
Every New Beginning Comes from Some Other Beginning’s End
Alas, a couple of things closed this past week, though.
The brief, wildly successful run of Rogers: The Musical ended, and Wondrous Journeys held its last performance.
Disney always connected Wondrous Journeys with the Disney100 event, which hasn’t ended yet for obvious reasons.
The show had to end for a reason we’ll discuss in just a moment, though.
I should add that Disneyland Park did add something “new,” though.
Yes, friends. Haunted Mansion Holiday has arrived for 2023! Here’s a look at this year’s version:
Speaking of Haunted Mansion, even bigger changes will materialize next year!
When the attraction closes in January for its annual refurbishment, park officials will expand the area.
Disney will add new amenities to Haunted Mansion’s attraction queue.
These will focus on the three characters: Master Gracey, Madame Leota, and a one-eyed cat.
Those of you familiar with the planning days of Haunted Mansion are probably gleeful about that cat, who was once intended as the ride’s antagonist.
As part of the upgrades, Disney will also open a new store described as a carriage house that Madame Leota owns.
These changes will dramatically improve Haunted Mansion.
Also, they will better connect New Orleans Square between the attraction and Tiana’s Palace, which opens this week.
By the way, the reason at Disneyland Resort is Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party. This after-hours event starts September 1st.
Hurricane Idalia Mostly Avoids Walt Disney World
Last weekend, we started tracking the latest inclement weather story.
This one came mere days after an unprecedented tropical storm in Southern California.
At the time, we all hoped nothing would come of the event known as Idalia. Alas, Florida hasn’t been that lucky lately.
Instead, Idalia escalated into a hurricane that at one point appeared likely to make landfall as a Cat-4.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, although Hurricane Idalia came close. It carried a wind speed of 125 miles per hour when it reached Florida shores.
A Cat-4 hurricane would require winds of at least 130 miles per hour. So, meteorologists overestimated Idalia’s strength by a small amount.
I think we’d all prefer that tactic, as the report prepared us for the worst. Instead, Idalia proved less destructive than Hurricane Ian.
Yes, the dramatic winds damaged parts of Florida, but the overall perception was that the state avoided the worst this time.
Still, plenty of tourist activities in the Sunshine State closed on Wednesday.
While Walt Disney World’s theme parks stayed open, they were ghost towns throughout the day.
Our courageous reporters braved some scary weather to capture pictures of the eerie day.
As you can see, few tourists chose to visit Disney. That’s partially because park officials had hinted that Idalia would have an impact of sorts.
Walt Disney World closed its two water parks and two mini-golf courses in anticipation of Idalia reaching land.
Beyond that, Walt Disney World ran smoothly. I say this because the weather quickly changed from hard rain to heat.
By Friday, the heat index in Orlando had reached 111 degrees. Meanwhile, Idalia’s wind velocity dropped dramatically throughout Wednesday.
Overall, this latest weather event could have been so much worse. We’re all grateful that it turned out like this instead.
Disney/Theme Park Miscellany
Obviously, we’re covering a lot of significant stories this week. One of them doesn’t involve Disney, though.
Those of you who are fans of all things Halloween should know that our sister site, Universal Parks Blog, has covered the opening of Halloween Horror Nights.
For fans of this event – and that’s most of us! – it’s definitely worth a read.
In Disney theme park news, the walls are down around Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana.
Disney is performing some private showings and live demonstrations as the attraction approaches its grand opening.
Also, I’ll warn you that Disney Jollywood Nights has started selling out. If you want to go, you should act quickly!
In more general park news, Walt Disney World is gradually replacing its old credit card/MagicBand readers with smaller, more efficient readers.
I agree with Justin Hermes that this change is welcome. Some of the old readers simply would not accept a certain portion of MagicBands.
At Disney Springs, Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse will add a new franchise soon.
In international news, Shanghai Disneyland has broken ground on its third official resort.
In non-Disney news, Brightline officials shamelessly used the hurricane as the justification for a long-rumored delay.
The certification process has apparently taken longer than anyone expected.
Finally, I want to point out a significant enhancement to the Disney Dining Plan.
Guests without theme park tickets can order the dining plan now!
You may wonder why, but Melissa Roden has the answer. It’s a sticking point for split stays! Disney has fixed a glaring loophole in the system.
Now, you can speak with a MickeyTravels agent and find the best possible deal on a dining plan, whether you have park tickets for that date or not!
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Feature Photo: Travel and Leisure