Dolls for dis de los Muertos

At the Mexican pavilion at EPCOT

Dior de Muertos

Exhibit in the Nexican pavilion at EPCOT.

Quiz for the day

Where in WDW is this?

Gifts from the D23 event at DHS

A blanket, lanyard and tag, ornament and chocolate bar. For attendees at the Holidays at Hollywood Studios event.

The Christmas tree at DHS

The tree is on Echo Lake with lighted ornaments on the water. Gertie the dinosaur is in the background.

Donald at DHS for Christmas

Donald looks out over Echo Lake where the Christmas tree is located this year.

The Tower Hotel at Christmas

There are 4 different stories that use the Tower to project holiday themed images

D23 holiday event.

A scene from the dinner party. Later we all went to Sunset Blvd to watch the holiday projections on the "Tower Hotel ". This was followed by a dessert party at Grauman's theater.

D23 holiday event at DHS

The beginning of the D23 Holidays in Hollywood Studios. The event started with a dinner party and presentations about this year's Christmas shows revolving around the Hollywood Tower Hotel, renamed from Tower of Terror for the Christmas season.

Kermit and Donald

The frog and the duck talk about- what? A CM tries to help.

George and Don

George has made a famous friend

Donald at the Christmas party

Don watches the official start of MVMCP, he
Was having a cookie at Star Traders when the sign went on

Donald’s lunch

Decision made. Most ducks don't like spaghetti but Don is not ordinary.

Donald’s lunch

Don is studying the menu at Tony's Town Square. What will I have? Soon a CM will ask the same question,

Don and the castle at Christmas

Don likes the wreath that gives the castle a Christmas feel

Donald in ToylLand

Don is checking out a toy soldier in Town Square. during the Christmas celebration.

Friends from Festival of Fantasy parade, at Moonlight Magic.

Horace and Clarabell at the DVC Moonlight Magic. Rare to see these two together for photo ops.

2017 DVC Moonlight Magic

This sign marks the various events and character photo ops at the EPCOT DVC Moonlight Magic. Extra magic hours for DVC members.

Disney To Remove "Frozen" Short From "Coco" Screenings

Considering that they should have had an inkling that this would happen after the earlier screenings in Mexico, Disney is kinda slow to react. Still, they have instructed movie theaters to remove the LONG 22-minute "Olaf's Frozen Adventure" before the screening of "Coco".

The Frozen short has been especially problematic for a number of reasons. Length is the biggest issue, of course, since the actual movie doesn't start until 40 minutes after the advertised time, between trailers, ads, and Olaf. That's a lot of extra sitting around for an audience comprised primarily of kids expecting a story about music and family, set against the backdrop of Mexico's Dia de los Muertos.

Hopefully, Disney won't try this again anytime soon, especially considering that this could easily ruin the masterpiece that is "Coco".

Zz.

DVC Moonlight Magic 2018

I'm posting this here more for my own benefit, so that I don't have to hunt around for the info or trying to find the DVC e-mail containing this.

DVC has announced the dates and location of the Moonlight Magic for 2018. They are;

	•	Jan. 11 and 28, and Feb. 6 at Magic Kingdom Park (Booking begins for Members with Resort reservations on the event dates Dec 7. Pending availability, booking opens for all Members on Dec 21.)
	•	March 21, April 17 and May 16 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park (Booking begins for Members with Resort reservations on the event dates Feb 8. Pending availability, booking opens for all Members on Feb 22.)
	•	May 30 and June 11 at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park (Booking begins for Members with Resort reservations on the event dates April 19. Pending availability, booking opens for all Members on May 3.)
	•	July 16 and Aug. 13 at Epcot (Booking begins for Members with Resort reservations on the event dates June 6. Pending availability, booking opens for all Members on June 20.)
	•	Sept. 19 and 26, and Oct. 3 at Disney's Hollywood Studios (Booking begins for Members with Resort reservations on the event dates Aug 30. Pending availability, booking opens for all Members on Sept. 13.)
	•	Nov. 15 at Disney California Adventure Park (Booking begins for all Members on Oct. 4.)

Coco

If you have not gone out and see "Coco", you need to smack yourself on the back of your head and buy a ticket immediately. It is a MASTERPIECE!

Outside of the opening sequence of "Up" and the ending to "Toy Story 3", no other Disney/Pixar movie has caused adults to sob or shed tears in the movie theater.

Go see it now before someone spoiled the story for you.

Zz.

Review of Paddlefish at Disney Springs

What was formerly Fulton Crab House, Paddlefish at Disney Springs seems to offer a larger range of menu beyond just seafood. Hey, what's wrong with seafood-centric menu?

I wonder if they still have those crabcakes that Fulton had? I must say that I was a fan of the old Fulton. It definitely needed an update, but we'll see if Paddlefish is any good. I hope they still have the 20% discount for DVC members for lunch! :)

Zz.

Epcot's 35th Anniversary Illuminations Tag

Epcot's 35th Anniversary tag at the end of Illuminations.



Zz.

Fluorescence explained

The Light Lab at EPCOT explains the Glownut

Still life with balloon at Disney Springs

EPCOT 35th anniversary

The number 35 as red lettuce at The Lamd.

The Light Lab at EPCOT

A place to get various fluorescent drinks, themed around an explanation of human taste

La Frontera at Disney Springs

The inside of Cucina La Frontera at WDW Disney Springs.

More Food and Wine

This is a sweet olive oil cake from Spain

Waxing poetic

Kawaiii bathroom accessories

As the sign says- even here

Kawaiii design

Examples of Kawaiii figures showing their exaggerated proportions

EPCOT Food and Wine

Tuna Tataki from Hawaii

Muppets Mobile Lab

Dr. B Honeydew and faithful lab assistant.

The classic Dole Whip

From Pineapple Lanai(Polynesian Resort)

Donald's nap

Happy dreams Donald?

Changes to WDW security

Some changes to security at Disney World have been noticed. At the Transportation and Ticket Center, you must go through security before going to the ferry to MK or the Monorails. At MK the security line has been moved forward so that people exiting the Monorail or ferry can go directly to the entrance. Bus passengers must still go through security at MK.

Guests taking the Monorail at the Polynesian must go through security first. This is probably the case at the Grand Floridian and Contemporary although not observed first hand yet. So, guests arriving at MK by Monorail or ferry have already been checked at the starting point.

Security at the other parks is still setup to require everyone to go through security regardless of the transportation used.

Sent from my iPhone

Chocolate Wreck-it Ralph

Another all chocolate exhibit at Epcot Food and Wine

Chocolate Beauty and the Beast

One of the all chocolate exhibits at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, in Ghiradelli's Chocolate Experience.

Mayor of Halloweentown

Found this cute thing at Walgreens, just in time for Halloween this year.



They don't have many (as is the typical SOP at Walgreens). So I had to buy one right away before they are gone.

Zz.

Donald's Mexican dinner

Don is about to tear into a Red Snapper with peppers and spicy corn. A feast for a duck.

Donald's lunch

Donald likes the Loaded Mac and Cheese from Active Eats, at the Food and Wine festival. It's mac & cheese with 3 cheeses, bacon and green onions.

Donald's day

Don ducked into his favorite attraction at Epcot to get breakfast. He found a spot to eat in the cool "blue room" to escape the already hot day.

Donald's day

Donald enjoys the view from his balcony in the morning before heading to Epcot.

Donald at Food and Wine 2017

On a hot, humid day Don is ready to enjoy a cauliflower risotto with pulled chicken and a banana almond sundae. Don checked into the almond booth for these treats.

Star Wars at DHS

Scene from "In a Galaxy Far Far Away"

Star Wars at DHS

Scene from "In a Galaxy Far Far Away".

Star Wars at DHS

Scene from the show "In a Galaxy Far Far Away.

Zombie night at Trader Sam's

The family tree lights up when someone orders the Zombie drink. Lots of fun for each kind of drink.

The Uh-Oa drink at Trader Sam's

At the Polynesian's popular Tiki bar. The Uh-Oa has two kinds of rum and various flavors such as ginger and cinnamon.

Replacing the Movie Ride

Mickey's Runaway Railway will replace the Great Movie Ride,

Planned Toy Story Land at DHS

A mock up of the new land at Hollywood Studios.

Food and Wine 2017

Mickey's theory of good cooking.

Food and Wine 2017

A lump crab cake along with scallops and succotash.

Food and Wine 2017

A sweet pancake with Chorizo and onion jam, along with a chocolate picante mousse with chili pepper.

EPCOT Food and Wine 2017

Here's Chef Figment welcoming everyone to good eats.

Pre-Broadway "Frozen" Receiving Rave Reviews

OK, so now we have another must-see Disney on Broadway show.

The out-of-town preview of Disney's stage production of "Frozen" in Denver is getting quite a positive reception, judging from this Variety review of the musical.

The din during the intermission of a recent performance of the Broadway-bound musical “Frozen” might have broken decibel records at Denver Center’s Buell Theater. No doubt the house’s hum was amped by the higher-pitched voices of the booster-seat crowd, but if Disney Theatrical Productions’ aim was to age up the demographic of the animated blockbuster’s stage adaptation, they’ve succeeded. In its live rendition of “Let It Go,” the signature tune from the 2014 Oscar winner, the musical wows adults as much as kids with a brilliant spectacle — as poignant as it is jaw-dropping — that should ensure the production a hearty run in New York, where the show begins Broadway previews in February.

Maybe I'll have to start thinking about flying to NY sometime next year.

Zz.

You Don't Want To Be A "Treasured Guest" At A Disney Theme Park

... unless you are a jackass.

The behavior of some visitors is so high-maintenance that staff has a special name for them.

If a visitor is particularly rude or disruptive, staff will refer to them as a “treasured guest.”

I'm sure there are plenty other "code names" being given to many other situations (a few of which are described in the article). I remember a long time ago, the annual "Gay Days" at the Magic Kingdom was known as "Red Shirt Day". Not sure if it is an official code name, or if it is still being used today.

Zz.

Hurricane Comes, Construction Walls Down

As Hurricane Irma approaches Florida, WDW makes preparation for the possible storm hitting the theme park. This includes removing things that might fly off and cause damage or injury, and that means the construction wall around Star Wars land have been removed.

This website shows what the construction of Star Wars land looks like right now without the construction walls blocking the view. This is one of the few times we get to see the progress being made so far for this part of DHS, so don't miss it.

Zz.