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Hey guys!

The big news this week is all about Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration. We've been waiting for this and we got some exciting new details. Here's what you need to know:

“The World’s Most Magical Celebration” will be starting Oct. 1st, 2021. This is great news as pushing it back as far as possible (starting it on the actual anniversary as opposed to months earlier as is historically done) gives the most time for things to return to pre-Covid park conditions. 

The celebration will last 18 months long. More great news as this gives people lots of time to be able to visit. It also means that if we haven't been able to fully reopen everything by the beginning of the celebration on Oct. 1st, then we've got some time for Disney to be able to add in more things as they're able to. I know plans for the 50th have been in the works for a long time, and I can only imagine the disappointment of those working on it if they won't be able to bring all their plans to life. With an 18 month-long celebration there's more time for them, even if some of the elements have to start later. 

The focus of the celebration is on the four park icons. This would be Cinderella's Castle, Spaceship Earth, Tower of Terror, and The Tree of Life. Each of these icons will be given special projections Disney is calling "Beacons of Magic". They have a video clip showing concept art for these you can see here on my post, or here in Disney's article

The theme of the decor is “EARidescence”. Disney teams are creating all sorts of new decorations that will shimmer and sparkle all day and into the night.

Cinderella Castle will add to its royal makeover from last year. As you can see in this new artist rendering above, the castle will feature golden bunting (see how it's swirled around the tops of the blue towers) and a 50th-anniversary crest as part of its festive new look.

Epcot's projections will be permanent. The star-like projections coming to Spaceship Earth will stay after the celebration is done to be a permanent display at Epcot. Imagineer Zach Riddley shared more details about this permanent programmable light system on his Instagram. He says the Imagineers have created custom lighting features that literally emerge from Spaceship Earth's unique architecture. These features will shine across the silver panels and "connect" with one another, resembling shimmering stars in a nighttime sky. I can only imagine how gorgeous this will be, and I love that he says they are keeping the classic lighting colors they've been using and just enhancing them. 

Mickey and Minnie will be getting new outfits for the celebration with those "Earidescence" colors and gold accents. And the sneak peek videos also hint at new Castmember outfits too.



All in all, this is super exciting news! I think we are all ready to put the recent events behind us and look forward to new exciting events ahead. The anniversary could be just the right timing to bring people back to Disney World this fall and into 2022, helping them bounce back and recover. (And helping us as guests to have some happy vacation time after a year of not being able to travel much!)  

Dates are filling up fast for early October. If you're considering visiting then, you may want to book soon. Keep in mind that you only have to put down $200 when you book and can pay off the rest over time leading up to your trip.

And with Disney opening up booking dates through July of 2022, you can now book for next year knowing you'll get to see the anniversary celebration events too. Plus during October you'll have the Halloween season as well, and in November and December you'll get the holiday season along with the anniversary events. So fall and winter are looking up for Disney World for sure! I'm hopeful that things will really be able to bounce back by then. 

If you're interested in booking through my preferred agency, About the Memories Travel, you can go here to fill out the quote form. I've heard great feedback from many of you who have booked with them already. It doesn't cost you anything extra, and it's a huge time saver. 

This Week's News 

 

Return of Character Meal at Studios: Hollywood & Vine will be hosting the Disney Junior character breakfast again starting Mar. 22nd. Since it says you can wave and snap photos of the characters I'm assuming this will be like the other modified character meals and they will stay away and interact from a distance without visiting each table. Reservations open up on Feb. 26th. Details here

New Foodie Guide: Disney released this guide showing some of the new offerings around Walt Disney World. Highlights include several new treats at Animal Kingdom inspired by the new movie Raya and the Last Dragon. Check out the full list here

Studios Live Shows Return? Rumor: Permits were filed to do some updating to the show areas and backstage areas for the Fantasmic theater as well as the Indiana Jones theater and the Theater of the Stars where the Beauty and the Beast show is held. Speculation is that these are to make some updates that will allow them to bring back these shows. There are also rumors that Fantasmic is already planning a return that could be very soon. This is all unofficial of course, and we will wait to see what happens with it, but seeing the permits filed does show that updates are being done which gives more credence to the rumors. 

Disney Cruise Line: 2022 cruise itineraries were released with the return of Star Wars and Marvel themed cruises. Article with details here, Disney's official DCL site here, and if you're interested in getting quotes on cruises you can submit your info here
 



In case you missed it:

Dates for Flower & Garden Festival: The annual Spring festival will be back at Epcot this year with a longer run time than ever before. Starting March 3 and continuing through July 5 you'll be able to enjoy the gorgeous topiaries and plantings that are Epcot at its most beautiful, and of course, try all the yummy new food and drink options. All the details are in this article, but the highlights include 20 food kitchens for this year, lots of fun topiaries and gardens, as well as the continued performances from Voices of Liberty in America, and the return of Spike the Bee's scavenger hunt.

 

Upcoming Events 


Mar. 3rd- July 5th: Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival

Mar. 7th: Blizzard Beach Reopens

Mar. 22nd:: All Star Movies Resort reopens

May 30th: Beach Club Resort reopens

June 6th: Wilderness Lodge reopens

Oct. 1st, 2021: Disney World's official 50th Anniversary

 
Thanks as always for reading! Have a great week friends. 

Serena 

✨🏰✨

PS: Archive of past emails is here

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