Moonlight Magic Event and Booking Dates Announced for 2020

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Thanks to DVCNews, we now know the dates for the 2020 Moonlight Magic Events at Walt Disney World. This year, there will be one event at Disneyland, but the date for that event has yet to be announced at this time.

Moonlight Magic is exclusively for Disney Vacation Club members and allows guests to get free late-night entry into a designated park with complimentary refreshments, exclusive meet and greets with characters, and short wait times at attractions. Members can bring up to three guests to Moonlight Magic Events or their entire party if staying at a DVC resort.

Animal Kingdom

  • Event Dates
    • 1/21, 2/11, 2/25
  • Registration
    • 11/20/19 for those with hotel reservations, 12/4/19 for those without hotel reservations

EPCOT

  • Event Dates
    • 5/4, 6/29
  • Registration
    • 3/11 for those with hotel reservations, 3/18 for those without hotel reservations

Hollywood Studios

  • Event Dates
    • 9/15, 9/22, 10/6
  • Registration
    • 7/15 for those with hotel reservations, 7/22 for those without hotel reservations

Magic Kingdom

  • Event Dates
    • 3/3, 4/21, 4/28
  • Registration
    • 1/8 for those with hotel reservations, 1/15 for those without hotel reservations

Typhoon Lagoon

  • Event Dates
    • 7/27, 8/10
  • Registration
    • 6/17 for those with hotel reservations, 6/24 for those without hotel reservations

Click Here to Start Planning Your Disney Vacation!

Disney+ Testing Autoplay Function

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+

While we’re still out here twiddling our thumbs till the official launch of Disney+, testing for the streaming service and its app are well underway in the Netherlands. Resources like disneyplusser.nl have been posting on all the latest updates, most notably the addition of the Autoplay function in the latest app update.

The latest 1.1.0 update for the Disney Plus app brings the addition of a lower-half countdown screen during the credits of the end of an episode, featuring a thumbnail and details of the following episode (episode number, name, season.) The next episode then starts automatically after a few seconds. This feature was not available in the old 1.0.3 version of the app. However, it is unknown whether the autoplay function will work on all devices.

If you are lucky enough to be in the test group for Disney+ and have not been able to switch to the new version yet, this latest update is being rolled out in phases to keep from overloading local servers, and may take several days.

Police Release Images of Stolen Items in Theft Case By a Disney Cast Member

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

On May 17, 2019, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office released a tweet stating that Patrick Spikes, a former Walt Disney World Cast Member, had been arrested on charges of burglary, grand theft, and dealing in stolen property.

ARRESTED: Patrick Spikes, 24, sits behind bars and faces charges of burglary, grand theft, and dealing in stolen property. He entered a restricted area of Disney, stole over $7,000 in items and resold them. Special thanks to the tireless efforts of our Sector 6 detectives. pic.twitter.com/ih3SaewzsN

— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) May 17, 2019

The investigation, spearheaded by Sector 6 detectives, had been ongoing for months. Spikes had entered a restricted area of Disney, stolen over $7,000 in items from The Haunted Mansion attraction, and resold them. His arrest warrant also detailed facts behind the missing Buzzy animatronic,as well as the animatronic’s missing clothes, which were also sold off, reportedly for $8,000.

A new video by WKMG News 6 shows new images released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, including scenes from inside the police department when he was taken in for questioning:

While Spikes has not been charged as part of the Buzzy animatronic incident, while under investigation for the Magic Kingdom thefts, he attempted to snatch his cellphone––which was packed with photos of the stolen items––from the authorities, and was quickly tackled to the ground and subsequently arrested.

One series of photos shows a pink, two-piece costume, possibly taken from an audio animatronic character, labeled, A.A. Magic Kingdom Haunted Mansion. Other photos show a woman, identified as a friend of Spikes, wearing the costume.

Other images include various wigs and dresses from animatronics, plus a crown, as well as shots from backstage scenes. Sheriff’s officials said Spikes used his Disney employee ID to get into Magic Kingdom on July 31, 2018. He was then caught taking a photo in a restricted utility area.

Since the investigation, out of the numerous Haunted Mansion animatronic costumes stolen and subsequently sold, only the dress has since been recovered, but those who purchased the items are cooperating with the ongoing investigation, turning over even more illicitly obtained park props.

Patrick Spikes has pleaded not guilty on all charges and was bonded out of Orange County Jail after his arrest.

Star Tours to Add New Rise of Skywalker Scene to Ride

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Hollywood Studios

Since the launch of Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, Disney has had a great partnership with Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic to update the attraction with new and exciting destinations. Passengers who board the Starspeeder 1000 never know where in the galaxy their pilot C-3PO and navigator R2-D2 will take them. We recently wrote on “Rise of Skywalker” updates coming to Star Tours back in September, and Disney has just announced more details on the upcoming scene.

On the same December date of the movie release, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue will be adding new destinations inspired by the latest episode of the Star Wars saga at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disney Resort.

In the trailers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, passengers caught glimpses of the ocean moon Kef Bir. Starspeeders will be heading there soon!

It’s been two years since Star Tours received new sequences, with Crait and Batuu added back in 2017 and Jakku added before then in 2015. Disney will be sharing more details in the future.

Book a Trip Now!

Guest With Measles Visited Disneyland with Infectious

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Public health officials confirmed that a guest with measles visited Disneyland while infectious, according to the Los Angeles Times‘ Jaclyn Cosgrove.

The guest, a Los Angeles County resident, visited the park on October 16th. Officials say that the person may have infected others. Anybody who visited the park on that day between 9:15 AM and 8:35 PM is at risk of developing measles up to 21 days after being exposed, according to county health officials.

The guest also visited the Starbucks at 3006 S. Sepulveda Blvd. in West Los Angeles the same day, before heading to Disneyland. Anybody at that location between 7:50 AM and 10 AM is also at risk of developing measles.

Those who visited the park or the Starbucks on that day should review their vaccination and medical records to determine if they are protected against measles. If they are not vaccinated or have not had a previous measles infection, they should consult their healthcare provider about receiving the vaccination. Anyone who is at risk should contact their healthcare provider, especially if they are pregnant, have a weakened immune system, or are not vaccinated. Parents of infants should also contact their healthcare providers if their infant was at the park during the reported exposure times.

The news comes two months after a teenager from New Zealand visited the park while also infected with measles.

Los Angeles County health officer Dr. Muntu Davis said, “For those who are not protected, measles is a highly contagious and potentially severe disease that initially causes fever, cough, red, watery eyes, and, finally, a rash. Measles is spread by air and by direct contact even before you know have it. The MMR immunization is a very effective measure to protect yourself and to prevent the unintentional spread of this potentially serious infection to others.”