MickeyBlog News for December 11th, 2023
This past week, Future World became a part of Disney’s past as several new experiences debuted.
We’ll talk about all the ways that EPCOT just improved in the latest MickeyBlog News.
World Celebration Gardens Debuts
Credit: Disney
Please think about some of your favorite memories at Magic Kingdom.
Many of them happened while you strolled around the castle and possibly sat down in the surrounding area, right?
For all the splendor of EPCOT, that’s something the park had always lacked…until now.
EPCOT
EPCOT has nearly completed a four-year makeover that signifies the end of Future World and the beginning of its new phase.
MickeyBlog was among the lucky few to experience the opening of World Celebration Gardens, the new Neighborhood.
EPCOT World Celebration
Longtime EPCOT guests had a distinct out-of-body sensation when we entered EPCOT this particular morning because we quickly remembered something.
A stroll through EPCOT changed a few years ago. Once the construction walls went up, we suddenly had to choose whether we were going left or right.
Walt the Dreamer statue
Before then, nobody ever had to decide. Instead, people could walk right past Spaceship Earth and enjoy the view from EPCOT’s center spine.
During the renovations, that hadn’t been possible. I’m happy to report that EPCOT feels open again, a sensation we’d all missed.
Photo: Disney
As the new EPCOT map shows, Disney has added a central hub in a familiar location. Remember where we used to walk past the Fountain of Nations?
That area now comprises World Celebration Gardens, an area that includes Dreamers Point.
Seating
That’s the Walt Disney statue that has instantly become a wildly popular photo op.
In fact, guests have stood in line for so long that Disney had to come up with a solution to avoid overcrowding.
Park officials doubled the number of PhotoPass photographers to hasten the process for taking a picture with Golden Walt.
World Celebration Gardens Lights the Night
Disney has designed the new Neighborhood as a hangout area akin to the Cinderella Castle courtyard.
You’ll find ample seating here, thereby addressing one of the most frequent criticisms of EPCOT.
While you can find some places to sit down at the World Showcase, the front of the park had previously lacked such comfort.
Imagineers designed the parks to keep people moving at the front of the park. Nowadays, this notion seems quaint and limiting.
The new EPCOT addresses it directly. World Celebration Gardens doesn’t merely host sitting areas. You’ll find USB chargers here as well!
Disney is suddenly encouraging people to hang out in the area near Connections Café and Creations Shop.
In fact, this spot is now THE place to hang out during the evening, as it provides a stunning backdrop.
Disney has illuminated the ground itself here. So, the entire area lights up in tandem with Spaceship Earth.
This is quite possibly the most visually stunning thing Disney has ever offered at a park.
Some of us remember the Glow with the Show Mouse Ears and other merchandise that aligned with the fireworks.
World Celebration Gardens does that every night! You can’t help but notice it on the walking paths and the overhead light posts. It’s indescribably magical.
Luminous Debuts
Change occurred yet again at World Showcase Lagoon. MickeyBlog attended the final performance of EPCOT Forever on Monday.
As a reminder, Disney brought back that show after it decided to dump Harmonious unceremoniously.
That move was always a temporary one, as Disney plotted a more permanent replacement.
That nighttime presentation debuted on Tuesday, December 5th. MickeyBlog was again among the first to witness Luminous The Symphony of Us.
You can watch it for yourself here:
Presuming you do, you’ll probably notice the same thing that others have.
Disney has kept some of the best ideas from Harmonious, including the multilingual soundtrack.
The difference between this show and most of Disney’s fireworks presentations is that it tugs at the heartstrings more.
Disney has chosen more emotionally impactful songs rather than toe-tappers. Fans are decidedly split over the choice.
Here’s the track listing:
- Heartbeat Symphony (a new song)
- You’ll Be in My Heart
- Proud Corazón
- You’ve Got a Friend in Me
- Friend Like Me
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight
- So Close
- When She Loved Me
- Remember Me
- Into the Unknown
- I See the Light
- Beating of Our Hearts (a new song)
Something else to know is that many of the musical renditions aren’t the ones you know but instead remixes and covers.
I quite like that Disney continues to be ambitious with its World Showcase Lagoon presentations, but early Luminous reviews are decidedly mixed.
I think USA Today said it best with the headline, “EPCOT’s new Luminous show is trying to make us all cry.”
Apparently, some fans don’t want that as their final park memory before they leave.
I’d warmly encourage you to watch the show and decide for yourself.
At a minimum, skip to the end to watch the unprecedented 360-degree fireworks display.
Miscellaneous Disney News
I didn’t even mention that character greetings have become a part of World Celebration Gardens visits.
Our ace reporters found Daisy Duck and Pluto meeting guests in the new Neighborhood!
Since Disney has so much open space here, it’s a brilliant location to rotate character greetings.
BTW, you can find Hanukkah photo ops at various locations during the holiday.
Photo: Disney PhotoPass
At Magic Kingdom, characters changed in a different way. Some of the Fab50 statues have received their permanent updates.
Annual passholders should go on a different kind of search. Two passholder magnets are currently available for free!
Oswald & Figment Magnets
In Walt Disney World resort news, management updated the logo concept art for the Disney Vacation Club inventory coming to Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground.
Oh, there’s a new refillable resort mug, too. And it’s phenomenal!
Also, in news that puts a song in my heart, H2O+ products will remain at Disney resorts!
On the West Coast, Beast’s Library at Disney California Adventure has closed permanently.
Also, Disneyland Resort suffered a near-total, albeit temporary, shutdown due to an earthquake the other night.
That’s the bad news. Everything else involving Disneyland is wildly positive this week, though.
For starters, we’ve got two different hotel discounts available for a limited time. Speak with a MickeyTravels agent to set up your dream vacation!
Photo: Disney
You’ll find plenty to do at Disneyland in 2024, as this newly revealed schedule shows.
Disney has also announced the 2024 lineup of Disneyland After Dark events. The three magic words are Disney Channel Nite!!! We’re there, dude.
Happy Hanukkah, my many loves!
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Feature Photo: Disney
