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Ears the News with Richard



Soft openings for the general public have finally begun for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train coaster. For those of you not familiar with what a “soft opening” is, here is a quick breakdown of what is going on:
A soft opening is the final stage of test and adjust where regular guests are allowed to ride an attraction. The hours of operation can vary wildly and absolutely nothing is guaranteed. The attraction might open at 11:00 AM and the close at 11:06. It could run all day or it might not open at all.
Currently, the attraction has been open for mere minutes at a time, but we can expect those time to start increasing until it runs from open to close just like the other attractions. You will need to be prepared for sudden closures…even if you have been in line for an hour. They are just all a part of soft openings
The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will most likely stay in soft opening status until the official opening on May 28th.

Disney has also started running a new commercial for the attraction. Check it out here.

Sales of MagicBands are set to begin soon in locations outside of the Walt Disney World parks and resorts. The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, all of the hotels along Hotel Plaza Blvd near Downtown Disney, the Character Warehouse stores at the Outlet malls, Disney's Earport and The Magic of Disney at Orlando International Airport will all soon be selling MagicBands.
Pricing will be the same as in the parks and resorts at $12.95 plus tax.


The 24 hour event, Rock Your Disney Side, begins on May 23rd and a ton of information has been released on the event.

Although not confirmed by Disney, WDWMagic has put together a list of all the unique character appearances that are planned to take place overnight at the Magic Kingdom in addition to the regular daytime meet and greets. These times will not appear on the times guide, and as always are subject to change. Appearances will likely be intermittent during the times listed.

Bowler Hat Guy near Space Mountain - 1:45am to 5:45am

Cruella De Vil roaming Town Square - 2:15am to 5:45am

Captain Hook near Peter Pan’s Flight - 1:45am to 5:45am

Captain Jack Sparrow near Pirates of the Caribbean - 11pm to 5am

Dr Facillier at the Glade in Liberty Square - 2:15am to 5:45am

Frontierland Dance Party - Minnie, Chip n Dale wearing PJs 2:15am to 5:15am

Hades and Meg, Pain and Panic near Story Book Circus entrance - 2:15am to 5:45am

Jafar Adventureland Agrabah - 1:45am to 5:45am

Lotso and Big Bad Wolf at the Town Square flag pole - 1:45am to 5:45am

Queen of Hearts near Teacups - 1:45am to 5:45am

"Scary Tale Hall" Malificent and Snow Queen - 11pm to 5am

"Scary Tale Hall" Anna and Elsa, Rapunzel and Flynn - 11pm to 5am

Snow White near the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - 11pm to 5:30am

Stromboli near Pinocchio Village Haus - 1:45 to 5:45am


Some attractions are operating for the full 24 hours, others are operating on a reduced schedule, some with maintenance windows between their opening and close times.

As always, plans are subject to change, so check in the park on the day for any last minute changes.

Adventureland

Jungle Cruise - 6am to 6am
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin - 6am to 6am
Pirates Adventure - 6am to 5am
Pirates of the Caribbean - 6am to 5am
Swiss Family Treehouse - 6am to 6am
Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room - 6am to 6am

Frontierland

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - 6am to 6am
Country Bear Jamboree - 6am to 6am
Splash Mountain - 6am to 5:30am
Tom Sawyer Island - 8am to approx 7pm

Fantasyland

Ariel’s Grotto - 6am to 6am
Casey Jr Splash n Soak Station - 6am to 6am
Dumbo - 6am to 2:30am and 4:30am to 6am
Enchanted Tales with Belle - 6am to 6am
“it’s a small world” - 6am to 4am
Mad Tea Party - 6am to 11:45pm and 3am to 6am
Mickey’s PhilharMagic - 6am to 6am
Pete’s Silly Sideshow - 8am to 11pm
Peter Pan’s Flight - 6am to 5:30am
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel - 6am to 6am
Princess Fairytale Hall - 6am to 6am
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - ????? Will it, or Won't it
The Barnstormer - 6am to 11:30pm and 2:30am to 6am
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - 6am to 6am
Under the Sea - Journey of The Little Mermaid - 6am to 5am

Liberty Square

Liberty Square Riverboat - 10am to 8pm and 10pm to 4am
The Haunted Mansion - 6am to 5am
The Hall of Presidents - 6am to 6am

Main Street U.S.A.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom - 6am to 5am
Town Square Theater - 24 hours
Walt Disney World Railroad - 6am to 8pm and 10pm to 6am

Tomorrowland

Astro Orbiter - 6am to 6am
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin - 6am to 5:30am
Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor - 9am to 6am
Space Mountain - 6am to 4am
Stitch’s Great Escape! - 6am to 6am
Tomorrowland Speedway - 6am to 6am
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover - 6am to 6am
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress - 6am to 6am

'It’s Good to Be Bad' cavalcade to feature rare Disney Villains as part of the 24 hour Rock Your Disney Side event

A cast of Disney Villains will have a special place in the Magic Kingdom 24-hour celebration, including Maleficent, Cruella De Vil and such rarely spotted miscreants as the Big Bad Wolf, Stromboli from “Pinocchio,” and Bowler Hat Guy from “Meet the Robinsons.” They will appear in locations throughout the park and also join in the “It’s Good to Be Bad” cavalcade preceding Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade.

Guests at the Magic Kingdom will enjoy nighttime dancing around Cinderella Castle and in Frontierland. The “#IncrediblesSuperDanceParty,” a nightly feature throughout the summer, will be followed during the All-Nighter by special screenings of “The Incredibles” at the Rockettower Plaza Stage in Tomorrowland.

The event takes place From 6 a.m. Friday, May 23, to 6 a.m. Saturday, May 24, 2014 at the Magic Kingdom with regular park admission.

Transportation will be as follows.

From Walt Disney World Resort hotels, bus transportation is set to begin at 5:15am on Friday May 23 2014, continuing through the entire 24 hour event. Resort launches will start at 5:15am.

If you are arriving by car, the Transportation and Ticket Center parking lot will be opening at 4:30am on May 23 2014. The ferry boat and monorail service from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom will begin at 5:15am.

The Resort monorail will be operating from 5:15am on May 23 to 3:30am on May 24, then from 5:30am on May 24 to 1am on May 25.

The Express monorail will be operating from 5:15am on May 23 to 7am on May 24.

The Epcot monorail will be operating from 8am on May 23 to 1am on May 24, then from 3:30am on May 24 to 11pm on May 24.

Here is the entertainment line-up for the Magic Kingdom's 24 hour Rock Your Disney Side event taking place on Friday May 23 from 6am to Saturday May 24 6am.

Welcome Show
Friday: 5:50am, Main Entrance

Disney's Up All Night Dance Party
Saturday: 2am - 5:45am, Cinderella Castle hub

It's Good to Be Bad! Main Street Electrical pre-parade
A cast of Disney Villains will have a special place in the Magic Kingdom 24-hour celebration, including Maleficent, Cruella De Vil and such rarely spotted miscreants as the Big Bad Wolf, Stromboli from “Pinocchio,” and Bowler Hat Guy from “Meet the Robinsons.”
Friday: 10:45pm and Saturday: 12:45am

Frontierland Dance Party
Saturday: 2am - 5:15am, Frontierland

#INCREDIBLESuperDanceParty
Friday: 4:30pm to 10pm, Tomorrowland

Incredibles Super Movie Night
Friday: 11pm - 5am, Tomorrowland

Special Character Greetings
Begins Friday throughout the park

Move It Shake It Celebrate It
Friday: 10am featuring Disney heroes, 1:30pm featuring Disney villains, 5:45pm featuring voters favorites, Main Street, U.S.A.

Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
Friday: 12pm and 3:30pm, Parade Route

Celebrate the Magic
Friday: 8:45pm, 9:45pm, 11:45pm, Main Street, U.S.A.

Wishes
Friday: 9pm

Main Street Electrical Parade
Friday: 11pm
Saturday: 1am

Kiss Goodnight
Saturday: 5:50am Railroad Station Main Street, U.S.A.

And finally…what is a Disney event without food.

Along with all the operating hours, we've got details of where you can get breakfast, and details of all the specialty snacks and treats that will be available.

Quick Service Restaurants

Be Our Guest Restaurant - 10:30am to 2:30pm
Casey’s Corner - 6am to 6am
Columbia Harbor House - 10:30am to 5:30am
Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe - 9:30am to 5:30am
Diamond Horseshoe - 11am to 3pm
Tortuga Tavern - 11am to 3am
Pinocchio Village Haus - 10:30am to 5:30am
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe - 10:30am to 5:30am

Table Service Restaurants

Be Our Guest Restaurant - 4pm to 10:30pm
Cinderella’s Royal Table - 8am to 11pm
The Crystal Palace - 8am to 10pm
Liberty Tree Tavern - 11:30am to 9:30pm
Plaza Restaurant - 11am to 3am
Tony’s Town Square Restaurant - 11:30am to 9pm

Snacks

Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies - 11am to 4am
Aloha Isle - 10am to 5:30am
Cheshire Cafe - 6am to 5am
Egg Roll Cart - 11am to 12am
Friar's Nook - 11am to 4am
Gaston's Tavern - 6am to 5:30am
Golden Oak Outpost - 10:30am to 3am
The Lunching Pad - 6am to 5:30am
Main Street Bakery - 6am to 6am
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor - 11am to 6am
Prince Eric's Village Market - 9am to 9pm
Sleepy Hollow - 6am to 5:30am
Storybook Treats - 11am to 6am
Sunshine Tree Terrace - 6am to 4am
Westward Ho - 6am to 6am

Breakfast Locations

From 6am May 23

Main Street Bakery
Casey's Corner
Sunshine Tree Terrace
Sleepy Hollow - Breakfast waffle sandwich
Liberty Square Market
Westward Ho
Lunching Pad - Breakfast dog

From 2am May 24

Main Street Bakery
Casey's Corner
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor
Aloha Isle
Pinocchio Village Haus - Breakfast flatbread pizza
Storybook Treats
Cheshire Cafe
Gaston's Tavern
Pecos Bill - Hot breakfast sandwich
Westward Ho
Columbia Harbor House - French toast sticks and bacon
Cosmic Ray's - Hot breakfast sandwich
Friar's Nook
Lunching Pad - Breakfast dog
Sleepy Hollow - Breakfast waffle sandwich

Specialty Items
 
Sleepy Hollow - Poisoned Apple Waffle Sundae
The Lunching Pad - Olaf Souvenir Cup with Specialty Beverage
Friar's Nook - Olaf Souvenir Cup with Specialty Beverage
Gaston's Tavern - Princess Themed Cupcake
Main Street Bakery - Maleficent Cupcake, Frozen-themed Cupcake, Olaf Carrot Cupcake
Plaza Ice Cream & Plaza Restaurant - Mickey’s Kitchen Sink Sundae
Storybook Treats - Poisoned Apple Shortcake Sundae
Outdoor Kiosks - Villains and Heroes themed cotton candy



Photos courtesy WDWMagic.com



The first of the 2014 Star Wars Weekends is in the books and the crew at WDWMagic has provided video of the, fireworks, scans week one maps and photos of the parade.





Disney's Polynesian Resort looks to be closing in on the dates for the refurbishment closures of the Nanea Volcano Pool area, Barefoot Pool Bar, and Trader Jack's Gift Shop.

The Nanea Volcano Pool and area, including Barefoot Pool Bar will be closing on July 26 2014 through to March 31 2015. Trader Jacks Gift Shop in the Grand Ceremonial House will close on June 16 2014 through to December 31 2014.

During the Nanea Pool refurbishment, the deck area will be significantly expanded to accommodate more guests, and a 12 person hot-tub will be installed. The resort will be offering a complimentary day at Blizzard Beach for guests affected by the closure of the main pool. The resort's quiet pool will continue to be available as normal.

As always, the dates are subject to change, particularly the reopening dates.

Mickey's PhilharMagic at the Magic Kingdom is scheduled to close for a brief refurbishment in mid September 2014.

The refurbishment runs from September 8 to September 19, reopening to guests on September 20 2014.






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