Hey there!

We're halfway through August and this last week had some big Disney parks news! Before we catch up on what we learned this week, the biggest news was about the holiday season. We've been waiting to hear news on what Disney would decide to do for the Christmas parties this year. Would we get the full party back or would it be like Halloween with a hybrid version of After Hours? Well we got our answer and it's better than I expected with some nice surprises but also it may be more pricey than people will want to pay. 

So let's dive in to what we learned about the holidays, plus this week's other big news releases!
 

We will be getting an After Hours version of the Christmas Party this year at Magic Kingdom. But unlike Halloween, the Christmas version will include holiday fireworks and a parade!  “Disney Very Merriest After Hours” party will run select nights starting November 8th and will include the nighttime spectacular “Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks” and the special holiday-themed parade “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.” This is the parade and fireworks show that used to be featured in Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party. It's super exciting to see the return of a large scale parade like this as it'll be a first since the parks reopening last summer. 

Similar to other After Hours parties it will start when the parks close for day guests, all though this one will be a little longer at 4 hours from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. with guests being able to enter the park at 7pm with their party ticket.

This means they will get to see two fireworks shows as well. Since the 50th Celebration will be going, the park will show the new Disney Enchantment show to everyone, and then later it will show the holiday show, Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks" just for party guests. 

Holiday attraction overlays are also making a comeback as well.  The Jungle Cruise transforms into the Jingle Cruise, and Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor will get new jokes for the  holidays. 

Snow will fall on Main Street which is honestly one of my favorite things ever. 

Complimentary snacks will be served around the park like the other After Hours parties. Like Ice Cream bars and popcorn. 

And of course, low wait times on most all attractions at Magic Kingdom. 

Guests of select Disney Resort hotels, Swan and Dolphin Hotels, as well as Shades of Green at Walt Disney World Resort can book their tickets as early as August 17. Everyone else can book August 20th.

Tickets range from $169 to $229 plus tax for select November-December nights and $249, plus tax on December 19 & 21.  Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members can take advantage of a $10 discount on select event dates in November.

Now, let's talk about pros and cons of this as far as what we know at this point for those deciding whether to attend. After Hours events are kept much smaller than the past holiday parties we used to have. So if you're picturing what we used to have for Very Merry Christmas party- it will be much smaller crowds than that. It's rare to have a small crowd event with exclusive fireworks shows. And being able to enjoy a show without people packed together on Main Street, plus a parade without saving a spot way early- those are great perks. Plus of course you'll be able to ride pretty much anything you want without very short lines. 

The cons: this isn't a holiday party where there is entertainment and characters everywhere. You'll have the fireworks show and the parade, and then it's mostly rides. There will be characters here and there at a distance but those are almost a bonus and not something to count on for interactions. And the time period is shorter than the parties used to be, at four hours of actual low crowd party time. (plus the 2 bonus hours you can enter early while the day guests are still there). For that the price is pretty steep. For a family of four or more that's a lot to pay for a short time window. 

In the end, the party gives you a guarantee of being able to enjoy the park, the attractions and the "festive" feel of all the lights, décor, music and snow, without a huge crowd of people.  If that's important to you, or you just really want to focus on the holiday aspects of your trip, then it may be a great for you. If you have more time to visit, not too stressed about crowds, and have very young ones who would be sleepy late at night, then it may not be a good fit. You'll still be able to enjoy the festive atmosphere in all the parks without attending the party. 

Now, one other thing we don't know yet is whether they will continue the holiday entertainment during Christmas week. In years past, the always ended the parties 3 or 4 days before Christmas and then all the special entertainment, like the fireworks and the parade, would be done during regular park hours for everyone. We haven't gotten scheduled for that far out to know if this will happen again this year, but I would guess it's likely especially since the last Very Merry After Hours is on the 21st. But we will have to see, and I'll let you guys know about that when I know. Here's Disney's article on all this so you can read through and get links to purchase tickets. 

• Epcot's Space Restaurant Opens Soon: Space 220 will be opening sometime in Mid-September. Yes, as in a month away! This most anticipated restaurant will be located near Mission Space and looks super cool. Still waiting to hear when reservations will be opening but it should be soon. Check out my video here for details and first looks.

• Halloween Merchandise: It's out on ShopDisney now and you'll see some items from the new 50th Anniversary collection too. These will coming in phases as they release new ones. 

• Boma Reopening: Boma Flavors of Africa, the super popular restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge will be reopening August 20th with reservations opening on the 18th which is Wednesday so if this is a place you want to eat set an alarm now for 5:45am on the 18th and get ready to grab the next 60 days as they will go quickly. Also this will be apparently be the first buffet returning in it's original form which is pretty cool. Personally I love the breakfast here the best, but many rave about the dinner as well. Both are great and you won't be leaving hungry.  

• New Song for the 50th: here's sneak peek on this from Disney here. Plus some of the music for Harmonious here. 

• Candlelight Processional Rumor: This is totally not confirmed but from a reliable source over at WDW Magic that I decided to share with you guys. Rumor is that Disney is in the process of casting for the Candlelight Processional to return to Epcot for the holidays. You can read their article here, and if we hear confirmation making it official I'll let you guys know. But keep in mind it might not pan out so don't get your heart set on it just yet. 





In case you missed it:

• Park Hours Increased: Hours have been expanded at pretty much all parks so if you're planning a trip make sure you check the current hours for the days you'll be visiting here. 

• Happily Ever After to End: We knew that we would be getting two new fireworks shows at Epcot and Magic Kingdom beginning Oct. 1st, but we didn't know if Happily Ever After might return after the anniversary show ran for the 18-month celebration. Well, now Disney has confirmed that HEA will not be coming back.  “EPCOT Forever” will conclude its limited-time run on September 28, and you have until September 29 to take in the spectacle of “Happily Ever After” at Magic Kingdom Park. Here's the full article. 

• Halloween & Fall Foodie Guide: The fall season is underway, and Disney has their master list of all the special seasonal food options throughout the parks and resorts. Note the dates on these as many don't come out until September 1st. Of course, the exclusive ones to the Boo Bash Halloween party will be available for all the party nights starting this week on August 10th. See the full list here. 

• Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser: We finally got some real concrete details on the experience we used to call the "Star Wars Hotel" which we've since learned is far more than that.  I made a whole video explaining all about the experience . Here's Disney's article on it as well with a new video preview. 

July 15th- November 20th: Food & Wine Festival at Epcot  July 19th: Polynesian Resort reopens August 10th- October 31st: (select evenings) Boo Bash After Hours Party at Magic Kingdom August 26th- Animal Kingdom Lodge reopens Sept. 28th: Final showing of Epcot Forever Sept. 29th: Final Showing of Happily Ever After Oct. 1st, 2021: Disney World's official 50th Anniversary begins

That'll do it for this week folks! Had a great giveaway that's wrapped up on my Instagram this week, showed off the latest 50th merchandise there, and attended Megacon last weekend and showed lot of cool stuff from that. I have quite a bit of content on my TikTok that I don't always post on my Instagram, If you're not over there yet, what are you waiting for? If the debates and opinions drag you down on Facebook, and the fakeness and repetition of Instagram starts getting old, then it's time for you to try TikTok. There's far more creative content there than any other platform right now. And it's not just for kids- trust me! Lots of great info - cooking, travel, DIYs, comedy, slice of life, and of course Disney stuff too. Start scrolling for a few minutes a day and after a week I predict your video feed will become so entertaining to you that you'll like it. 

Thanks for reading, until next week!

Serena  ✨🏰✨ PS: If you've missed any of my past emails or want to go back and reference something you can go here.