Mouse Extra

Its almost the holiday season at Walt Disney World. The parks will be decorated for Christmas in short order. Santas from around the World will be gracing the World Showcase pavillons. The Osborn Family Lights will soon be dazzling Studio guests. And starting November 12th the “hard” ticket event Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will be packing them in at the Magic Kingdom. Tickets for this event are about $50 for adults and slightly less for kids. The question is, of course, is it worth it?

I must say yes. There are a number of holiday shows going on around the park. These include Celebrate the Season, Twas the Night Before Christmas, and a special version of Wishes. The big highlight is probably the holiday parade which runs twice. Another highlight is the imagineers have created a snowfall to set the mood down Main Street. There are also character dances and, of course, you can meet Santa Claus. An important note about the shows is that many of them play during the day starting in the middle of December just as the crowds really intensify and lines for attractions become virtually unbearable.

You also get holiday treats like hot chochlate, apple slices, and cookies. For real meals, there are unfortunately limited choices. Cosmic Ray’s and the Pecos Bill Cafe are open as are the sit-down Tony’s Townsquare and Liberty Tree Tavern. My suggestion would be to either eat at a Magic Kigdom resort just before the event as crowds can get tough or try Cosmic Ray’s.

For sure the event can get crowded. The number of tickets sold is about 20,000 and most nights sell out well in advance. Tickets go on sale around 6 months before the events begin. The party closes at midnight (give or take) but the crowds begin to thin after the holiday version of Wishes which starts at 9:30. It really drops after the second parade which sets off at 10:45. You want to be around after 11 o’clock as many of attractions are virtually empty. I would do the Mountains during the first parade. Just before and immediately after the second parade do many of the attractions that ordinarily get very busy. We enjoyed Big Thunder 4 times in a row without getting off as it was virtualy empty which is true for much of the park after 11 o’clock. During the early portion of the evening enjoy the shows you want to see. I would watch the second parade as it is much less crowded.

The event is not by any means cheap. Furthermore, the decorations are out for everyone to enjoy all day. Other events like the Osborn Lights are included in your park ticket. Plus, if you’re at the park for the few weeks prior to December 25th, most of the shows play during the day as well, except the fireworks and parade. Still, I think its well worth your time and money, and a fun way to kick off the holiday season.

Today’s article is from Mike, contributing writer to Mouse Extra.

Whenever anyone hears about changes coming to Walt Disney World’s beloved Cinderella Castle, most fans start to develop an involuntary nervous reaction.  The giant pink birthday cake of years past appears in the purist’s nightmares regularly.  So even though the announcement of adding holiday lights seemed to be a good idea, most still were cautious.  Well, this weekend they lit them for the first time and I for one am no longer nervous.  It looks stunning.

According to Disney, this project required 15 miles of cable, 32,000 feet of fish netting, 500 stobes, and over 200,000 twinkle lights.  Now these guys can truly say they have put Clark W. Griswold to shame with this project.

There will also be an appropriate lighting ceremony that guests can enjoy.  Here are some details from Disney’s press release…

Show times will be nightly at 5:45 p.m. Cinderella Castle aglow will also play a supporting role in other Magic Kingdom entertainment such as live stage shows, the nighttime fireworks extravaganza “Holiday Wishes,” and the after-hours Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, a specially-ticketed event featuring the new “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.”

Am I the only one who can’t believe how close we are to the holidays?  Where did 2007 go?

We here at Mouse Extra would like to wish a Happy Halloween to all of our readers.  For those of you who are among the extremely lucky few who get to attend tonight’s edition of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, let me just say that the rest of us are very, very jealous.

If you’ve never been to the Magic Kingdom in October, it is decorated almost as much as it is for the holidays.  Main Street is filled with pumpkins and the train station at the front entrance is covered with autumn colored banners.  It is really impressive.

So have a safe and fun Halloween, and don’t eat too much candy your kids bring home.  Yeah, I know how that works.  The little ones nod off and you start chomping on the Milky Ways.!

Do you ever get a bit frustrated when you hear one of your favorite attractions will be “closed for refurbishment” while you are at Walt Disney World?  There’s nothing you can do about it, but does that really help relieve any of the disappointment?  Yes it has to be done, and it will be better when it is, and yada yada yada!!  It just stinks.  There’s no two ways about it!

I will be in Walt Disney World very soon, and I just received word that Big Thunder Mountain will be closed for the next two-plus weeks for some minor work.  That means I am shut out of my favorite ride at the Magic Kingdom.  I’ll be honest, I’m not too happy about it.  I mean, couldn’t they shut down something I never ride for that week, like Snow White or Stitch? 

There is no better solution, I guess.  Things need to be fixed and late-October is probably as good a time as any to close an e-ticket.  But I can’t help thinking of those people who don’t get to go multiple times a year like I do.  For those who have not been able to ride their favorite runaway train for years may never get to ride it again.

Okay, that’s enough whining for today…

We reported a few weeks ago on a rumor that the Christmas version of the Country Bear Jamboree may be making its return this year.  To be honset, I felt this rumor was pretty sound.  But today, Screamscape is reporting that in fact the holiday version will not happen this year.

Screamscape has been informed that the management at the Magic Kingdom has decided once again to not run the Christmas version of the Country Bear Jamboree for the second year in the row. The lower level management protested of course, reminding them of all the complaints they had last year when the Christmas show was given the budget ax, but apparently this was shrugged off because those were just ‘verbal complaints’.

In all fairness, this is the first I have ever heard of this, and I have reached out to some people to see if I can get some confirmation.  So far, I have nothing new to report beyond what Screamscape is saying here.  I was pretty certain that it would return, but like all rumors things change.

Many, many people were terribly disappointed at the news of the cancellation of the holiday layover last year, and rightly so.  It is nice to see something special for the holidays and equally disappointing to see Disney World management behave so cheaply.  If I hear anything else, I will pass it along.

The Haunted Mansion has reopened, and to very good reviews.  Improvements have been made across the board and the Mansion restored to the type of overwhelming and immersive experience Walt Disney Imagineering has made their name on.

I have not yet been to the Mansion, and won’t until late October.  But perhaps the most fair and respected opinion on the internet is that of John Frost from the Disney Blog.  Take a look at his review.  Here is how he sums it up…

So here we are. The purse strings have been loosened just a bit at the Magic Kingdom. They didn’t have to do this upgrade, but they did and they have done some marvelous work. I think the new Haunted Mansion will be very warmly received by nearly everyone who rides it. If just for the wow factor.

Now I can’t say for certain until I see it myself, but if the new version of the Haunted Mansion is as good as being reported, this just continues a terrific Imagineering hot streak we are smack dab in the middle of, a streak that contains refurbs, new shows, and blockbuster e-tickets.

We urge you to discuss this more and leave your comment below, or feel free to come over to the Disney News Network Forums where we discuss this and many other topics in the Mouse Extra Forums.