Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort both take any excuse to throw a party, such as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party hosted in Magic Kingdom or the Disneyland After Dark events in Disneyland Park. But Disney doesn’t just throw parties in the United States.
In fact, each Disney Park overseas has an event or two to offer Guests. As for Disneyland Paris, there will be two fewer events being offered than usual this year:
⚠️ Breaking: the 2023 Disneyland Paris Halloween Parties and the New Year’s Eve Party have been canceled. Instead, the Resort will offer an enhanced experience and extended hours with regular admission on October 31 and December 31. pic.twitter.com/r7kgbuOo72
Reportedly, the Disneyland Paris Halloween Parties and the New Year’s Eve Party have both been canceled, leaving many Guests confused and disappointed.
Each of these Disney Park events had regular attendance and proved themselves popular among Guests, so why are they being canceled?
According to the official Disneyland Paris website, two new celebrations are in place of the Disneyland Paris Halloween Parties events. The first of which has been described as “an enhanced guest experience” taking place on Halloween night. This event is categorized by “extended opening hours and special moments, rather than standalone tickets.”
The second new event is Disney’s Halloween Festival, which will take place beginning on October 1 through November 5. Disneyland Paris states that this event will have a “thrilling Halloween atmosphere” for Guests.
In place of Disneyland Paris’s New Year’s Eve Party will be a similar “enhanced experience” taking place on December 31, but little detail has been released about this event so far.
The Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland at Walt Disney World is getting ready to undergo some massive transformations as the Park makes room for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. While the Splash Mountain re-theme was undoubtedly one of the biggest controversies seen in the Parks in recent years, Disney might be getting ready for a double whammy.
As developments toward the Princess and the Frog re-theme continue spreading throughout Frontierland, a recent post suggests another timeless attraction for the chopping block. Splash Mountain wasn’t the only vintage attraction with a cult following at risk, as the Country Bear Jamboree could be getting a massive overhaul very soon.
WHAT THE! Based on information provided to Mickey Views, we believe Disney is debating retheming Frontierland at Walt Disney World into a New Orleans Square-style street, featuring a Tiana Restaurant and a completely reimagined Country Bears attraction! pic.twitter.com/3aRp0KtMhs
The current incarnation of the Country Bear Jamboree is one of the few remaining attractions from Disney World’s golden age, taking it apart and revamping it is essentially messing with a Disney historical landmark. Naturally, it didn’t take long for supporters and Guests to notice.
Magic Kingdom Mayhem
The tweet was shared on r/WaltDisneyWorld, and fans wasted no time in sharing their hopes and fears for the supposed upcoming changes. Some are mildly curious about a “completely reimagined” Country bears, but others are downright trembling, stating how they hate the idea of losing them.
“A new Bears show could be good or bad depending on the material they give them. I will say that of the old-timey animatronic shows, it’s the one that seems to engage modern audiences the most. People still genuinely laugh at the jokes in a way that they don’t in the Tiki Room or the Carousel.”
“I think technology has progressed to a point where the Country Bear Jamboree isn’t at all impressive to audiences anymore, especially younger audiences. It looks old and dated, and the humour just doesn’t land with kids…”
But comments from users like u/ITrCool come with an ominous warning.
“If this was true, that means Thunder Mountain’s days are numbered too, because it’d essentially be isolated and essentially a weird rando “wild west miner” style coaster sitting between “New-Orleans” theming and Adventureland’s “1700s” theming.”
Granted, nothing is set in stone at this point, and this is all mostly speculation. However, as Disney continues to grow and adapt (as it was designed to do), how long will it be before it comes for our favorite classic attractions?
The worst part of visiting Walt Disney World is having to leave the Disney bubble and return to reality at the end of your trip. Even though most Disney trips are action-packed and exhausting, it is still so hard to leave the theme Park and go back to normal life. Some Disney Guests love the Parks so much that they even move to Anaheim or Central Florida so they can be close to Disney at all times. Still, there is nothing that compares to an on-property Disney vacation. This brings up an interesting question, if money was no object, how long could you really vacation at Walt Disney World Resort? For one woman, her Disney vacation lasted over twenty years.
Vacationing at Walt Disney World Resort is not cheap. Park tickets, food, merchandise, and accommodations all cost a lot of Disney property. Walt Disney World Resort has lots of different hotels to choose from when planning a trip. There are three tiers of Disney Resort Hotel at Walt Disney World; Value, Moderate, and Deluxe. Even at the Value Disney Resort, the rooms are not cheap and will run you hundreds of dollars a night.
If you were trying to stay at Walt Disney World Resort for an extended amount of time, you might be interested in staying at the cheapest accommodation on the property, Fort Wilderness. Here, you can rent a tent campsite for $76-$105 or an RV site for around $150-$250. While these prices are still expensive, some Disney fans do pay the premium to stay on property for an extended amount of time.
Technically, the longest you can book a room or campsite for is 30 continuous days. However, one woman has continued to extend her camping “vacation” and lived at Walt Disney World Resort full-time. A Reddit user shared the story of this woman.
According to the commenter, the woman has lived at the Fort Wilderness Campground on Disney World Property for nearly 20 years. She even went as far as to try and sue the Walt Disney Company when they wanted to kick her out during the Covid pandemic. Another commenter followed up this wild story with an update that the woman has been evicted from Fort Wilderness Resort and is also no longer a travel agent.
It should go without saying, but: If you’re visiting Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort with a young one, please make sure to keep up with them.
Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Park is enveloped in golden accents and pixie dust as though it has been magically enchanted. Here, guests can explore winding passageways where the epic tale of Princess Aurora is told through spellbinding dioramas. Inspired by the film’s original Eyvind Earle artwork, this iconic attraction features 3-dimensional displays, sound and stunning special effects. The climactic final scene features Maleficent’s transformation into a fire-breathing dragon. (Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort)
When Disneyland was built, legendary founder Walt Disney talked about how the theme park was “for the young, and the young at heart.” Children from around the world are given magical opportunities to meet their favorite characters, experience many iconic attractions, and take in entertainment offerings when they visit Disneyland or Disney World, especially for the first time.
Parents who visit a Disney Park with children know that the days aren’t necessarily easy tasks. At Disneyland, walking around Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park all day with a stroller and many other essential items can become tiring rather quickly. But, it’s all worth it when you see your child’s face and their reaction to some of the most magical offerings that can only be experienced at “The Happiest Place on Earth.”
For some reason, there are some parents who have decided it’s okay to leave their children while at the Park. Disney Dining recently covered a story of parents who left their newborn in a stroller and they were approached by Disney Cast Members.
Now, another video has gone viral of a child being left in their stroller. The TikTok, shared by @xoxcandace, has already received more than 34,000 views on the streaming platform.
It is never advised to leave your children for any amount of time while at a Disney Park, or any theme park. At Disneyland, To board an attraction, children under age seven must be accompanied by a person aged 14 years or older. All persons under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. at the Downtown Disney District.
While some may think going to the bathroom for just a couple of minutes is acceptable to leave a child, it’s not a safe choice and is one that could result in expulsion from the Park.
It is always better to take the child with you or to have adults or members of the family wait with a child rather than leave them for any amount of time.
The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District will have a busy meeting on April 19, during which they will discuss their resolution for “Superior Authority” and meet with legal counsel regarding Disney and Reedy Creek Improvement District’s last-minute agreements.
The meeting agenda includes a report from the board’s general counsel and a presentation by the litigation counsel. The board has hired lawyers Cooper & Kirk, whose proposed costs were $795/hour, and Lawson, who was $495/hour. There will also be a presentation by the Public Resources Advisory Group (PRAG) and a presentation regarding state oversight.
New business includes “Direction to District staff and PRAG to cooperate with Inspector General’s investigation.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered Melinda Miguel, Chief Inspector General of the State of Florida, to investigate potential civil and criminal violations of Walt Disney World and the previous Reedy Creek Improvement District Board of Supervisors.
Resolutions No. 638 and No. 639 are on the public hearings portion of the agenda. Resolution No. 630 creates “rules and procedures for the Board of Supervisors and governing procedures, conduct and decorum for meetings of the board; providing for severability, conflicts and an effective date.”
Resolution No. 639 is the one previously reported on that would amend article 6, chapter 6-90 and article 7, chapters 7-20 and 7-30 of the RCID Land Development Regulations. These amendments ensure the new board has authority over the “reviewing, processing, evaluating, commenting on and approving, approving with conditions or denying applications for development orders throughout the District, including within the jurisdictional limits of City of Lake Buena Vista and the City of Bay Lake.”
A second reading and public hearing are set for April 26, 2023. Experts say this resolution may not be effective in taking control from Disney.
Also as previously reported, the Board of Supervisors is planning to replace the current Planning Board. “Remove from office and terminate all Planning and Zoning Board members and appoint the Board of Supervisors to serve as the local planning agency” is on the agenda, assuming Resolution No. 639 will pass. This means the Board of Supervisors would be “the final decision-making authority for the District” and that “no further administrative appeal is available” after the board has made a decision. The members of the Planning Board have term limits of three years, but the Board of Supervisors plans to remove term limits.
Following that agenda item is “Discussion and potential action regarding the selection of an urban planning firm to assist the District in the review and evaluation required by the District’s enabling act.”
Business also includes adding a Fourth Amendment to the Tide Bay Solar Facility PPA and “Board discussion and potential action regarding direction to District staff and legal counsel and priorities of the Board for future agendas.”
Other business is an executive session on union negotiations, which is a closed meeting.
DeSantis v. Disney
While tensions cooled between Governor DeSantis and Disney as last year came to a close, the spark reignited once again earlier this year when Disney passed several laws which restricted the power of his newly-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board, designed to replace the Reedy Creek Improvement District. The new board was designed as retaliation for Disney’s outspoken response to a bill last year which restricted educators from teaching any LGBTQ+-related concepts to students.
Though they were publicly available, Reedy Creek and Disney’s final agreements shocked DeSantis and his board, who expressed disbelief at Disney’s actions and retained multiple law firms to fight the agreement in court. DeSantis later ordered a criminal investigation into Disney and the old board.
At the time, the Executive Office of the Governor reached out to WDWNT with this statement from Communications Director Taryn Fenske:
“The Executive Office of the Governor is aware of Disney’s last-ditch efforts to execute contracts just before ratifying the new law that transfers rights and authorities from the former Reedy Creek Improvement District to Disney. An initial review suggests these agreements may have significant legal infirmities that would render the contracts void as a matter of law. We are pleased the new Governor-appointed board retained multiple financial and legal firms to conduct audits and investigate Disney’s past behavior.”
Disney responded with their own statement:
“All agreements signed between Disney and the District were appropriate, and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida Government in the Sunshine law.”
At Disney’s annual shareholder meeting, CEO Bob Iger accused Gov. DeSantis of punishing Disney for exercising their right to free speech. “We love the state of Florida,” he said, citing the company’s various investments in the community over the years and saying he respected and appreciated what the state has done for Disney in the past. “Any action that thwarts these efforts simply to retaliate is anti-business and anti-Florida.”
DeSantis also promised to double down on his efforts to punish Disney through methods both in the Legislature and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight Board. Notably, he promised to hike Disney’s hotel taxes and institute tolls on the roads around Walt Disney World Resort property now administered by the CFTOB.
In an interview with Time, Iger said, “If the governor of Florida wants to meet with me to discuss all of this, of course, I would be glad to do that.”
