Vacation Kingdom Know How: New for Summer Pt.1

It’s Memorial Day and that means it’s officially summer! Last week we talked about dealing with the heat while spending those warm days in the parks but what is there to do when you visit?  Besides the good ole’ stand by attractions and lands, there are new things that have recently opened at Walt Disney World.

While I may not have all the hints and tips to hack your experience with these new experiences, I do know a big part of the game is to plan accordingly.  I do know there will be long lines and things could possibly change up at any minute, so keep an ear and eye out when you’re actually in the parks for any changes- and pack your patience!

Note: I’m not including times for the shows listed in this article- check when you arrive or on the official Disney site linked for the most updated times/days. 

 

Happily Ever After (Magic Kingdom)

Wishes has finally been replaced after a century long run (well, 14 years). I have yet to see it in person, but it looks pretty awesome from the Disney Parks Blog Livestream from opening night. The new show seems to be a combo of the fireworks and castle projection show.  Watching the live stream made me tear up just seeing it online and the fireworks didn’t seem to be skimped on, as I’d feared before the change.

As far as viewing locations, if you want to see the castle portion of the show, you’ll need to get a spot near the front/middle of the hub. I can only imagine spots will be difficult to find this summer unless you show up an atleast an hour early (that said, I’m not sure what the night parade situation will be all summer. There is a media even within the week that might give us some info. Keep tuned to Diskingdom and we’ll let you know what is going on with a parade as long as we find out!).

 

Disney Movie Magic (Hollywood Studios)

I won’t take a jab at the state of Hollywood Studios and the lack of things to do during construction of Star Wars and Toy Story Land, but let’s just say you can make a day of the park if you do everything there is to offer- and I mean everything.  Even if you don’t want to spend an entire day at the Studios, I do know the Star Wars fireworks are excellent.  This past week, Disney surprised folks by adding a preshow to that show, the Disney Movie Magic projection show.

This show is projected onto the Chinese Theater (Great Movie Ride building), just as the firework projections are shown.  This preshow includes clips of more so the live action Disney films, going all the way from Mary Poppins to Guardians of the Galaxy.  What I love about this is how it goes with the (atleast current) theming of the Studios. The parks tend to switch things up when it comes to the Studios but I have a feeling this show will be around through summer, if not much past it as well.

(Props to Ken & Rob at Orlando Tourism Report for the Disney Movie Magic photo…OTR is an amazing source for info on the Orlando tourism industry!)

 

The Music of Pixar Live! (Hollywood Studios)

This show looks amazing! Pixar Live is a 45 minute live orchestra show of the hits of Pixar. I can’t imagine how much money Disney is dropping on a live orchestra for multiple shows each evening (the website has general times listed as 5:00, 6:45 and 8:15) but it sounds like it is worth it! This show would be a great way to wrap up a day  in the park or to chill out for a little before grabbing a spot for Star Wars fireworks.  Not to bore the kiddos, the show also includes appearances of characters from the Pixar films, too, so that should keep the kids entertained.  I sincerely hope Disney keeps this show around for a while so we can make it back to the Studios and see it!

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week when we delve into Pandora the land of Avatar at Animal Kingdom!

Have you seen the new shows at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios? Share your thoughts in the comments and make me more antsy to see them!