DisWorldGuide

The eerie season is a favorite at Disney World, with Halloween decorations, unique snacks, and the much-anticipated Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. If you’ve been contemplating attending a Halloween Party this year, we have exciting news — the initial dates have been announced!

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary is a family-oriented event that occurs on chosen nights throughout the season. Attendees who buy tickets for this after-hours event can look forward to exclusive goodies, reduced attraction wait times, special Halloween entertainment, and more!

Disney has just unveiled the dates for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! The inaugural Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party will commence on Friday, August 9th, 2024. Additional parties will be held on select nights through October 31st, 2024, offering exclusive food, merchandise, entertainment, and more.

Here are the 2024 dates:

August – 9th, 13th, 16th, 20th, 23rd, 27th, and 30th
September – 2nd, 6th, 8th, 10th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 20th, 22nd, 24th, 26th, 27th, and 29th
October – 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 11th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 18th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 25th, 27th, 29th, and 31st

Disney has announced that tickets for the event will be available for purchase on May 15th. Guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels can purchase these special event tickets starting May 8th, 2024!

Disney has confirmed that some of the popular entertainment from previous years will be returning. Mickey and Minnie will be sporting new costumes for the occasion. A new DescenDANCE Party, inspired by the upcoming Disney+ movie “Descendants: The Rise of Red,” is also confirmed. The party is known for its rare character meet-and-greets, and this year, Mirabel and Bruno will be joining the lineup in the Fantasy Garden.

A must-see at the Halloween festivity is Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade! This procession is a spectacle of villains, Haunted Mansion inhabitants such as the gravediggers, hitchhiking phantoms, and the ghostly Bride, and even Minnie Mouse, Clarabelle Cow, and Daisy Duck appearing as the Sanderson Sisters! The parade is initiated by the Headless Horseman, a sight that is truly a marvel at the event.

This year, the Boo-To-You procession will be held every party night at 8:15PM and again at 11:15PM.

Disney has also revealed the schedule for the Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks display! This show, hosted by Jack Skellington from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, includes pyrotechnics, lasers, and more. The fireworks will light up the sky each night at 10PM.

Another crowd-pleaser at the party is the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, taking place on the Cinderella Castle Stage and hosted by the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus. This year, villains such as Dr. Facilier, Oogie Boogie, and Maleficent will be making an appearance!

From August 9th through September 28th, the show will be performed each event night at 9:05PM, 10:40PM, and 12AM. From September 29th through October 31st, an additional show will be added at 7:40PM.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a specially ticketed event, so you must have a separate Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party ticket to enter the Magic Kingdom. The party will occur on these select nights, beginning at 7PM and ending at midnight, with party guests permitted to enter the park as early as 4PM. Remember that the party does not occur every night—only select nights between August 9th and October 31st.

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A distinctive experience has arrived at Magic Kingdom. The new attraction, known as “Smellephants on Parade,” is an interactive experience that takes visitors on a sensory journey through Storybook Circus.

Rather than a traditional attraction, Smellephants on Parade is an experience more akin to Journey of Water in EPCOT. The new attraction is a walkthrough in Storybook Circus, where you can experience a variety of scents reminiscent of a classic circus carnival.

Each elephant figure is uniquely designed and emits a distinct scent that visitors can enjoy. From sweet to salty and spicy aromas, each elephant provides a unique sensory experience. Although the concept may seem a bit unusual, it has piqued the curiosity of many visitors.

The attraction had a soft opening on May 2nd, and visitors were invited to explore and experience the different scents. In addition, an entertaining scavenger hunt was organized where visitors could match stickers with the corresponding elephants.

The scents are released in small “puffs,” and to truly experience each scent, you may need to linger a bit longer at each elephant. The scents are strong, but they disperse in the air, so if you’re not catching the sweet scent of cotton candy, you may need to follow the wind.

The elephants are scattered around the Storybook Circus area, and it’s easy to find them all. While you’re there, you might also notice some new details added to match the attraction. So keep your eyes open.

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Disney World has started an event for Annual Passholders called V.I.Passholder Days. The event runs from May 1st to June 26th and offers several benefits.

What’s New?

A new magnet featuring Stitch from Lilo and Stitch is available for passholders at the Creations Shop in EPCOT.

Passholder Lounge

A lounge for passholders is open at Restaurant Marrakesh in EPCOT’s Morocco Pavilion. It offers a cool place to rest with free snacks and water.

Special Treat

A special Stitch-themed treat is available at Sunshine Seasons in EPCOT.

Photo Opportunities

Passholders can get special photos taken at the World Celebration Gardens, near Dreamers Point.

Online Discount

From May 5th to May 24th, passholders get a 20% discount on purchases from the Disney Store online. To get the discount, passholders need to link their Annual Pass to their My Disney Experience account and use the promo code WDW20 at checkout.

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As the 2024 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival concludes on May 27th, Disney is already gearing up for the next grand event in the park – the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival! This festival, featuring open-air culinary stations, the rhythm-filled Eat to the Beat Concert Series, and a plethora of other attractions, is arguably one of Disney World’s most anticipated annual events. We now have the official dates for this gastronomic adventure!

The 2024 EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival is set to kick off on August 29th and will continue until November 23rd, 2024! Here’s a sneak peek at what you can expect:

Global Marketplaces: A smorgasbord of mouth-watering dishes awaits you. Look forward to indulging in Belgian waffles topped with berry sauce and whipped cream at the Belgium Global Marketplace, or savor an apple strudel served with vanilla sauce in Germany. Additionally, The Alps will be offering a dark chocolate fondue accompanied by berries, pound cake, and meringue.

Emile’s Fromage Montage: This fun-filled cheese crawl encourages guests to sample a variety of delicious cheeses served in innovative ways. Purchase five cheese dishes from the official Global Marketplaces list in the Festival Passport and collect a stamp for each dish. Once you’ve collected all five stamps, present your passport at a designated location for a special prize!

Merchandise: Bring a piece of the magic home with you with fantastic merchandise featuring beloved characters like Remy from “Ratatouille” and Mickey Mouse.

CommuniCore Hall: This new space, opening on June 10th in the heart of World Celebration, will add exciting fresh elements to the festival once the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival commences.

Eat to the Beat Concert Series: As night falls, top-rated musical acts and local talents will take the stage as part of the Eat to the Beat Concert Series.

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Magic Kingdom at Disney World is a place filled with magic and adventure, but there’s a part of this magic that most visitors are unaware of – the tunnels beneath the park. These tunnels, known as “Utilidors” (a contraction of “utility” and “corridors”), are a fascinating underground network that extends under large parts of Magic Kingdom. Let’s dive into the history and secrets behind these mysterious tunnels.

When Walt Disney planned Magic Kingdom, he knew he wanted to create a world full of magic and fantasy. But he also wanted this world to be flawless, with as few visible signs as possible of what was going on “backstage.” The Utilidors were designed to keep the magical illusion intact. On the surface of the park, it’s important for guests to see Disney World without being disturbed by cars, renovation work, or other background activities. The Utilidors allow Cast Members to move around the park efficiently without disrupting the magical atmosphere. Additionally, the tunnels provide a place for storage, cooking, dressing rooms, and other necessary operations that keep the park running.

The Utilidors in Magic Kingdom are actually quite a unique construction phenomenon. The largest system of utilidors is located under Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, but there are also some underground tunnels at Epcot. Due to the high groundwater level in Florida, most of these tunnels were actually built at ground level, and Magic Kingdom was built over it. So what guests see in the park are streets that are elevated by one story. Parts of Fantasyland, including Cinderella Castle, are actually on a third-story level. The ground level changes so gradually that guests tend not to realize they are ascending to the second and third stories. Magic Kingdom is built on soil that was removed from what is now Seven Seas Lagoon, the lake that lies between the parking lot and the park itself. So, although it may seem like the utilidors are a basement, they are actually at ground level, and the rest of the park is built over them.

Utilidors house a variety of facilities and activities that are crucial for the park’s operation. Many of the restaurants in Magic Kingdom have their kitchens in the Utilidors, which makes it easier to deliver food to different areas of the park without disturbing the guests. With so many characters walking around the park, there’s a need for a place to store and distribute costumes. Utilidors provide a convenient location for this. When maintenance or repair of facilities is needed, much of this work can be done without disturbing the guests, thanks to access from the tunnels. Utilidors include conveyor belts and vehicles that help staff move quickly and efficiently under the park. The waste systems in Magic Kingdom are an integral part of the park’s unique infrastructure. A key component of the utilidor system is AVAC, the Automated Vacuum-Assisted Collection system. At 17 key locations throughout Magic Kingdom, custodians can discreetly empty the park’s many trash cans, and an underground system of vacuum tubes sucks the trash at a speed of 60 miles per hour to a compactor.

Although a large part of the Utilidors is closed to guests, there is actually a way to see this off-limits area, namely “The Keys to the Kingdom tour.” During this comprehensive guided tour of Walt Disney World, guests are taken backstage, among other things, to see a bit of how it all happens. This includes seeing parts of the Utilidors! However, no filming or photography is allowed backstage.

Despite the fact that the Utilidors are part of the hidden backstage of Disney magic, it’s fascinating to think about the extensive infrastructure needed to maintain the flawless illusion of a magical world. So when you walk around Magic Kingdom, you can now glance “underground” and think about the fact that you’re actually on the second or third floor, and about the busy corridors and secrets that lie beneath your feet.

EPCOT is on the brink of a transformation! Late in 2023, Disney announced a series of updates and changes coming to Disney World, including a revamp of Dinoland USA and an expansion of Magic Kingdom, to name a few. For EPCOT, the final phase of the major renovation will conclude with the grand opening of CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza on June 10, 2024! But just a week later, another change is set to take place.

Disney has officially released the closure date for the current version of Test Track! It seems the construction fences won’t be disappearing anytime soon. However, anticipation is high to see what this renovation will entail and how it will transform the attraction. While Disney has yet to release many details about the final look of the attraction, they have revealed that it will draw inspiration from World of Motion, the original attraction housed in the same building when the park opened in 1982!

Guests will have until June 17, 2024, to experience this attraction, create their own SIM vehicles, and ride the fastest attraction in Disney World. The attraction will continue to be sponsored by Chevrolet.

Disney World’s Disability Access Service (DAS), designed for guests who find it challenging to wait in long queues due to a disability, is undergoing some changes. Disney announced stricter qualification criteria, mandatory pre-registration via video call, and limitations on group size that can benefit from DAS. Starting May 20, Disney is partnering with Inspire Health Alliance to enhance the service quality and ensure that only those who genuinely need accommodation have access to it. We now have a hint of what these changes will look like.

Starting May 20, the group size will be reduced from six to “immediate family” or a maximum of four people. The new rule also limits the ability to select a queue for a new attraction with DAS until ten minutes have passed since the last use. The rules for DAS Advance, which allowed pre-selection of two attractions, will be limited to those who genuinely need it. However, the validity period for DAS will be extended from 60 to 120 days, and there will be a new process for rejoining the queue for those who temporarily leave it. These changes aim to improve the efficiency and fairness of the DAS system.

The change for DAS will apply to both Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California. Disneyland has now updated the wording on its website regarding how to use the “Rider Switch” service. Rider Switch is a service that allows a group or family to take turns riding an attraction without having to queue twice if one or more in the group cannot or do not want to ride. The first part of the group waits in the regular queue, and when they are done, the next group can use the fast queue (Lightning Lane) to ride.

The update suggests that Disney may want more of those who currently use DAS to instead use Rider Switch. The Rider Switch service will thus be expanded so that more guests will be able to use the service. It is unclear whether guests must apply for this, or if all guests will be able to use it.

The following can be read on Disneyland’s website, and it is natural to believe that Disney World will also change the wording accordingly over time:

Rider Switch will be available to a guest who:

• Does not meet the requirements to board
• Has a service dog that cannot board the attraction or does not want to use an offered dog kennel
• Cannot wait for the duration of the queue and needs another member of the party to wait for them
• Cannot wait outside the queue alone and chooses not to ride
• Needs access to the toilet for frequent or unexpected use
• Elements in the regular queue can trigger anxiety or feelings of claustrophobia or similar
• Prefers to sit and wait outside the queue due to mobility concerns and prefers not to use a mobility aid

This appears to be offered as a solution instead of DAS to handle conditions that require frequent toilet use, anxiety, or similar. The other guests in the party will wait in the queue, be issued a Rider Switch pass, and then the guest with disabilities can go through Lightning Lane.

The new text especially highlights guests who may struggle with anxiety, claustrophobia, and frequent toilet use, suggesting that these probably will no longer qualify for DAS, as they have done previously. Possibly these are some of the conditions that may have overloaded the current system.

This may possibly be a good alternative for many guests, but perhaps not for everyone and it can also become complicated with smaller groups or guests traveling alone.

The long-awaited transformation of EPCOT is nearing its completion! We’ve known for a while that this extensive construction project was close to its end, but the exact timeline remained uncertain. As part of the project, “Moana – Journey of Water” opened earlier this year. Now, we finally have an update on when everything will be ready!

CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza are set to open on June 10, 2024, in EPCOT. They will be located in EPCOT’s World Celebration, behind Spaceship Earth. According to Disney, these new additions will bring EPCOT’s festivals “to the heart of Walt Disney World.” We’ve been tracking the construction process for quite some time, and we knew it was planned to be completed this year — and now we officially know when.

CommuniCore Plaza is an outdoor area where guests can relax and enjoy all the festivals have to offer. It’s also a space that can host large concerts or smaller performances.

On the other hand, CommuniCore Hall will primarily be dedicated to the festivals and designed with flexibility in mind, to adapt to the various festivals throughout the year. Here, guests will be able to experience food, art, live music, and much more. Disney has stated that this area will be open year-round — not just during festivals — and that it will also be a place to enjoy some air conditioning while relaxing.

We also know that CommuniCore Hall will include an area where guests can meet and greet Mickey Mouse and his friends. There will also be several green spaces and relaxing spots, along with food and drink, and more entertainment. There will also be a demonstration kitchen, a mixology bar, and an exhibition gallery here. The hall is designed to help extend the festival experience, and as part of the opening, a new Encanto performance will debut on the newly opened CommuniCore Plaza stage. “Celebración Encanto!” will feature the iconic songs and stories from the film.