Happy Halloween!

Wishing you a spook-tacular Halloween! Mwah ha ha ha……

Disney Fairytale Designer Collection – Cinderella + Prince Charming

There is yet another addition to Disney Store’s Disney Fairytale Designer Collection – Cinderella and Prince Charming.

These gorgeous dolls have a global limited edition of 6000 and come with a certificate of authenticity. The set also includes a special Disney Fairytale Designer Collection gift bag. Purchases WERE limited to 1 per guest, however as of today, these are currently sold out.

So if you managed to snag one, good on you! If not, well, you can always check out the gorgeous pictures of the dolls on Disney Store’s website or check e-bay! 😉

Disney Fairytale Designer Collection: Pocohontas + John Smith

Disney Store has a new addition to their Fairytale Designer Collection – Pocohontas + John Smith!

As with other Fairytale Designer Collection doll sets, there is a global limited edition of 6000, and the dolls come with a certificate of authenticity. The set also includes a special Disney Fairytale Designer Collection gift bag as a special treat! Purchase of the dolls is limited to one per customer, or ‘guest’ as Disney puts it!

So head over to Disney Store and check out these beautiful dolls…..and who knows, maybe you’ll purchase one for your collection! 🙂

Toy Story Mania a Fastpass ONLY Ride This Week!

Interesting news coming from Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios this morning…..

Toy Story Mania, definitively one of Disney World’s most popular rides, is operating on a FASTPASS only system this week.

You heard that right. During this ‘test phase’, Disney is no longer holding a stand-by line for Toy Story Mania. Only those with Fastpass+ reservations will be able to enjoy the uber-popular ride. Disney will be issuing additional Fastpasses, depending on demand, but will not say how many they will be issuing per day.

Disney’s logic is that they want to see if this will cut down on wait times for this ride, which can sometimes get as high as 90-120 minutes. But good luck if you haven’t snagged a FASTPASS+ reservation 60 or even 30 days in advance. On previous trips, we’ve headed straight to the fastpass kiosk shortly after opening time (roughly 8:10) only to get fastpasses for 7-8pm that EVENING. This will surely make same day reservations obsolete.

This announcement comes on the heels of Disney’s decision to make the “Anna + Elsa Meet and Greet” a Fastpass+ only attraction in Magic Kingdom.

NEW Disney Fairytale Designer Collection Dolls – Tiana + Naveen!

Disney Store

Disney Store debuted a new set of Fairytale Designer Collection dolls recently, featuring the beautiful Princess Tiana and handsome Prince Naveen from the Disney film ‘Princess and the Frog’.

The dolls retail for $129.95, have a global limited edition of 6000 and include a Certificate of Authenticity. Purchase of the dolls is also limited to one per guest.

With the purchase, you will also receive a special Disney Fairytale Designer Collection Gift Bag (seen in the third photo to your left). Not that you would really be giving these dolls away as gifts! These are definitely keepers for any collector!

As of right now these beautiful dolls are STILL available on the Disney Store website. So hurry and grab them before they are gone! With many limited edition collectors items that Disney puts out, they will probably not last long. While Tiana doesn’t evoke the same craziness that Elsa or Anna is currently experiencing, these are still beautiful dolls that any collector will most definitely want!

And c’mon, with the free gift bag, it’s almost like they’re giving these things away……. ❤

Changes at Walt Disney World

All good things must come to an end…..

A few of Walt Disney World’s favorite attractions are closing…some for good.

At Hollywood Studios, the Studio Backlot Tour is closing permanently. The final day for this attraction is set for this Saturday, September 27, 2014. The AFI Showcase at the end of the tour will also be permanently closed. For those not familiar with the attraction, guests take part in a live effects demonstration of a “Harbor Attack” where a few guests actually get to ‘act’ (and subsequently get soaked!). This is followed by a tram tour of production houses, props and “Catastrophe Canyon”. As you make your way across a rickety bridge (would you expect anything less?) the ground begins to shake and a huge tanker filled with fuel comes storming towards you with fiery gusto as water splashes you from the mountain side. Sound fun? Then you’d better get there before Saturday! I’ve been on this attraction many times over the years and while it does get a little old after the umpteenth time going on it (whatever happened to the Golden Girls house?!?!), it was definitely a good attraction for first timers and will certainly be missed.

Also closed at Hollywood Studios is the American Idol Experience which closed permanently as of August 30. Having never been to this attraction, I can’t comment as to whether or not it was any good. With the popularity of American Idol dwindling as the years go on, it’s no surprise this attraction got the ol’ heave-ho!

Most surprising to people, and upsetting to some (depending on who you ask), is the closure and redesign of Maelstrom in Epcot. Set for its final run on October 6, 2014, Maelstrom and The Spirit of Norway will close to make way for a new attraction based on the uber-popular film FROZEN. While most of the details are still under lock and key, you can bet the new Frozen attraction will most definitely take guests to Arendelle where Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven will be featured. Try getting “Let it Go” out of your head after that ride! 😉

There is also talk that Anna + Elsa will be back to Epcot with a new meet and greet location in Norway. This should hopefully ease up the craziness currently being experienced at Magic Kingdom, where Anna + Elsa currently meet guests.

So how do you feel about the new changes announced at Disney World? Any surprises?

Did You Miss Us?

We’re baaaack!

After a brief hiatus, Disney Fairytale Files is back with all new content, reviews and fun!

Stay tuned! 😉

May the Fourth Be With You

Dig out those Chewbacca costumes, grab a lightsaber and cue the Cantina Band. It’s Star Wars Day!

Fans all over the world celebrate the Star Wars franchise today with parties, viewings and organized celebrations. At various Disney Stores, fans will be in the thick of it, with in-store activities, giveaways and promotions.

This year is especially exciting as it coincides with the recent announcement of the new Star Wars Episode VII film and cast including originals Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker).

Star Wars Day has become so popular that the following day (May 5) has been referred to as Revenge of the Fifth. Fans let their evil sides come out by celebrating the villains from the Star Wars series.

How will YOU celebrate Star Wars Day?

Happy 25th Anniversary Hollywood Studios!

Disney Parks Blog

Back on May 1, 1989, Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM Studios) opened at Walt Disney World in Florida.

Originally, the park only had 9 attractions – Backstage Studio Tour, Catastrophe Canyon, Disney Classics Theatre, The Great Movie Ride (I think the water is still the same as 25 years ago!), Hollywood Hollywood, Magic of Disney Animation, Monster Sound Show, Superstar Television and Residential Street.

My, how things have changed.

Now, the park has tons of rides and attractions for all to enjoy – Fantasmic, Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, and Rock n’ Roller Coaster, to name a few. One special treat we got to experience on our last trip was the Jedi Academy Training. Both of my kids signed up (BIG Star Wars fans) and had so much fun!! Darth is huge close up!

The one thing I definitely miss from the old MGM Studios days is Residential Street. I loved seeing the Golden Girls house, one of my favorite shows growing up. It was just such a treat to see these props as you rode by, making you feel like you were somehow part of the ‘magic’ of television.

So Happy Anniversary Hollywood Studios! Here’s to the next 25! 😉

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – Full Ride Through!

Disney Parks Blog just posted a video capturing a full ride through of the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride at Magic Kingdom. So awesome.

The ride opens this spring (could you BE move vague Disney?). Height requirement for this ride is 38 inches, which is great for little ones to experience their first “rollercoaster”.

I wonder if Snow White will take a ride on this every once in a while, similar to Aladdin + Jasmine do on the Magic Carpets? Hmmmm….she might not want to mess her hair up though.

Having watched the video a few times, I cannot wait until our next trip to Disney World to ride it firsthand.

Let me know what you think once you’ve watched the video yourself!