New Disney Loungefly backpacks are now available to buy on shopDisney including Santa Mickey and Star Wars! The new range of merchandise is available now on shopDisney.
Much like the popular Darth Vader meet and greet in Star Wars Launch Bay at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which recently implemented automated cameras, a new automated PhotoPass “photographer” has been installed at the Mickey and Minnie meet and greet in the Magic Kingdom.
Over in Rehearsal Room 4, which is known as Mickey’s dressing room, a set of bookshelves nestled with two stacked, embedded cameras now take the place of actual human PhotoPass photographers.
Character Attendants are still present during your experience as they help guide the meet and greet and direct guests to stare and smile at the PhotoPass box.
If you ask, they can still take photos with your phone.
Voice actor and Disney Legend Russi Taylor has passed away in Glendale, California. She was 75 years old and passed away on July 26th, 2019. Russi is best known in her career as being the official voice of Minnie Mouse. She took over the role over 30 years ago and has been the voice of Minnie Mouse for hundreds of different Disney projects.
“Minnie Mouse lost her voice with the passing of Russi Taylor,” said Bob Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “For more than 30 years, Minnie and Russi worked together to entertain millions around the world—a partnership that made Minnie a global icon and Russi a Disney Legend beloved by fans everywhere. We’re so grateful for Russi’s talent as well as the tremendous spirit and great joy she brought to everything she did. It was a privilege to have known her and an honor to have worked with her, and we take comfort in the knowledge that her work will continue to entertain and inspire for generations to come. Russi will be sorely missed and our hearts go out to her family and friends, along with our deepest condolences.”
Russi was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 4, 1944, Russi had a desire to work for Disney since childhood. “When I was a little girl, I was with my mom and my brother, and it was late at night at Disneyland. We had just come off the Mark Twain Riverboat and were getting some popcorn. I looked over and saw Walt sitting on a bench, so we introduced ourselves and shared our popcorn with him. At one point during our chat, he asked me what I wanted to do when I grow up, and I said, ‘I want to work for you!’ So he said, ‘Okay!’—and now I do!”
According to Disney Parks Blog, “There were some very big yellow heels to fill when she beat out 200 other hopefuls during a 1986 audition to win the coveted role of Minnie Mouse. She would go on to voice Minnie in the films Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Runaway Brain, Get a Horse!, and Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers, as well as several television series, including Mickey MouseWorks, House of Mouse, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Mickey and the Roadster Racers, and the award-winning Mickey Mouseshorts series for Disney Channel from Disney Television Animation that debuted in 2013.”
“Russi was as close as family; as wonderful, funny, and sweet as Minnie Mouse, and as talented yet humble as you would expect,” said Bill Farmer, the voice of Goofy and a longtime friend of Russi. “I will deeply and dearly miss her.”
“You have to bring yourself to a character,” Russi once observed. “But because of this particular character, she actually enhances who I am, she really does. In a sense Minnie makes me better than I was before ’cause there’s a lot to live up to.”
Russi was also the voice of other Disney characters, including Nurse Mouse in The Rescuers Down Under, as well as Donald’s mischievous nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and their friend Webbigail Vanderquack in the original DuckTales animated series. She also had roles on other classic TV animated series like TaleSpin, The Little Mermaid, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and Kim Possible; as well as modern favorites that include Sofia the First, The Lion Guard, and Tangled: The Series.
“I never wanted to be famous,” she once said. “The characters I do are famous, and that’s fine for me.”
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is without a doubt one reason to visit the Magic Kingdom over the Christmas holiday. With Magic Kingdom decked out, cookies and cocoa, and some great holiday entertainment, it is an incredibly special experience that is not to be missed. Now, party guests have something new to start counting down to, a brand new Christmas fireworks show.
From a current Disney cast member;
“Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks show, hosted by the one-and-only Minnie Mouse, will celebrate the magic of Christmas with medleys of beloved holiday songs, from “Joy to the World” and “Deck the Halls” to “Up on the House Top” and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” The holiday music will evoke heartfelt moments of home and family, as well as the festive fun of the season before an incredible finale you won’t want to miss.
You’ll be able to see the fireworks show during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on select nights November 8 – December 22, 2019. And if you are looking for an extra magical way to celebrate the brand new show in its first year, our fireworks dessert parties are the perfect option! You can add on this experience to enjoy treats, including chocolate-dipped strawberries, cupcakes, ice cream, seasonal fruits, cheeses and other festive favorites while taking advantage of dedicated, dazzling views of the show.
Along with our new show, each of this year’s 23 nights of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will feature performances of Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas and Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration stage show. And during A Frozen Holiday Wish stage show, Queen Elsa will magically transform Cinderella Castle with glistening ice.
During Party nights, you can also experience select rides and attractions (including the “Jingle Cruise”), savor complimentary treats, discover event-exclusive merchandise, delight to a magical “snowfall” on Main Street, U.S.A., and more.”
Get your tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and enjoy this fireworks show this upcoming holiday season.
Food and Characters – whats better?
Since going to Disney with our daughter who was 2 at the time, we have always enjoyed going to Character Dining experiences. There is nothing I maybe have enjoyed more than watching my kids get their autograph books out and wait for the next character to come by.
Most of these dining experiences are buffets, so it is important to understand what foods you and your family will enjoy better when making a decision on what experiences to reserve and what meal to attend.
Because of this, most of character experiences that we do attend are breakfast meals. I am not sure I have ever had a bad breakfast at WDW.
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When deciding that you are going to reserve a spot at some of these places, having a Disney dining plan is beneficial as some of these meals are a little pricey due to most of them being buffets and the extra benefit of seeing the characters.
There are 15 total character dining destinations that you can chose from. We have experienced 8 of the 15.
For all of these dining experiences, one thing is clear…Bring Your Autograph Books!
Here are our Top Five, in no particular order;
Crystal Palace
Located at the Magic Kingdom just off of Main Street USA, The Crystal Palace resembles England’s Crystal Palace, which was erected in Hyde Park. The restaurant’s white steel supports, arched ceilings, and glass roof (especially the atrium) are tributes to its namesake, built to house London’s 1851 Great Exhibition—the first world’s fair—and among the first structures to use plate glass in large quantities.
Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Crystal Palace offers some of the best buffet food on property. It’s a great place to start your day in the Magic Kingdom or close out a wonderful day of rides and fun. While we normally eat here for Breakfast, the dinner here is also really good.
The food is consistently good, but eating seems secondary to the desire to get lots of photos with Pooh and his pals. If you time dinner right and can snag a table away from like-minded diners, there is a great view of Main Street parades in the conservatory.
Breakfast prices are average for WDW standards, breakfast is cheaper to visit if you do not have a Disney Dining Plan (DDP).
Who to Meet:
Tusker House
Tusker House is located in Animal Kingdom inside the Harambe Village square— is plainer than Disney’s promotional photos would indicate, especially after dark. The food is surprisingly good, with spices and taste combinations you won’t find at other spots.
This buffet style meal is inspired by African and Indian dishes with the classic American dishes as well.
One of the highlights of the meal is the Jungle Juice that is served. It is a mixture of orange juice, guava juice, and passionfruit juice. It is one of those things that you either love it of hate it, I think it’s really good.
The food is priced very reasonable for the quality
Who to Meet: (all dressed in expedition gear)
Chef Mickey’s
Chef Mickey’s is located at the Contemporary Resort in an open air restaurant. The food take a back seat to the atmosphere that is created by the characters and the resort. Before you are even seated, a picture with the Chef Mickey statue is a must.
In all of our experiences at Chef Mickey’s, the place has been a zoo, but that’s absolutely to be expected of a restaurant like this. Kids get excited, parents let them run around…it happens. Don’t eat here if you’re not keen on the idea of someone else’s rugrat jumping around your table.
The food is pricier than most on this list but the experience is well worth it.
The food is all American comfort food. While this is not the most exciting, the food tastes really good too. Anyone can find something to eat on this buffet.
The layout of the restaurant and the whole resort level creates a loud, busy experience. The monorail can be heard whirring into the resort overhead.
This is a must visit for every WDW trip.
Who to Meet: (all in chef attire)
1900 Park Fare
This restaurant, located at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa that has 2 separate character meals. The Supercalifragilistic Breakfast and the Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner gives you a chance to meet some characters that it is tough to find elsewhere.
This is another one of those dining experiences where the atmosphere overshadows the food and decor. The characters play their part fantastically from the Mad Hatter to Cinderella’s Stepsisters. The interaction that you can have with the characters is much more personal due to them actually being allowed to talk to you.
The food is much better at breakfast than dinner but still a solid buffet. It is also reasonably priced for being in an extravagant hotel like the Grand Floridian.
Who to Meet:
Breakfast
Dinner
Cinderella’s Royal Table
The only character dining experience on this list that is not a buffet, this is located in Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom.
Although the food is decent, this experience is all about the nostalgia.
The atmosphere is all castle and royalty. When you are allowed in, the initial picture with Cinderella feels like you are in a real life castle. Once the photo session is complete, you are called upstairs to your table.
If you don’t take the elevator, the winding staircase up to the dining hall just adds to the castle like feel.
Once at your table, all “princes” are given swords and all “princesses” are given fairy wands
Music introduces each Princess and they begin to make their rounds to each table. One of my favorite Disney memories was when our daughter was 2 and we experienced this for the first time on Christmas morning. All of the Disney Princesses took time with our daughter and you could tell she loved the experience.
This meal is probably pricey but it is so worth it if you have little kids or simply love nostalgia.
Who to Meet: