Review of Stay at Disney's Art of Animation May 24-30, 2015

Over the last week, my family and I were in Walt Disney World where we got the chance to stay at Disney's Art of Animation for the second time since it opened just a few years ago. Previously, we had stayed in the Nemo family suites, this time we had a room in the Lion King section of the hotel. We really enjoy staying there considering all the space in the family suites even though there is only 4 of us it works out great for us. My father is handicapped so that does help the situation of all the space so here it goes for the review of our stay.

On Sunday, we arrived at Disney's Art of Animation just a little after 11 in the morning. I had previously used the online check-in, so when we got there our room was already ready despite us being there early. We had a quick lunch at the quick service restaurant Landscape of Flavors and headed to our room in building number 6 in the Lion King section, our room number was 6517. In Disney's Art of Animation family suites consist of 3 rooms, 2 bathrooms, and a kitchenette. Here are some views of inside the room.

It definitely felt like we were in the pride lands, the Disney Imagineers really did a great job with this resort. My parents took the main room with the walk-in shower, my sister took the murphy bed, and finally I took the couch that turns into a double-size bed. 

The stay in the room was quite wonderful except for one thing. On Thursday night while my father was taking a shower, the shower backed up and flooded the bathroom and part of the main room with water. We called the front desk where they sent two wonderful cast members from room cleaning stepped in one brought a shop vac and got rid of the water almost 2 gallons and the other discovered hair clogging the drainer. The only complaint I had was if we couldn't stay in the room there were no other rooms available that would be accessible to my dad. We only had 2 nights left so it would have been pointless to switch hotels and hard to move everything with my father. Anyways, the cast member, Richard, who had vacuumed up all the water brought a fan to dry out the rest of the dampness in the room. He said we should have no problem staying the room for the remaining two nights of our stay.

There are three pools at Disney's Art of Animation: the main pool "The Big Blue Pool" in the Nemo section, The Cozy Cone Pool in the Cars section, and the Flippin' Fins Pool in the Mermaid section. There is no pool in the Lion King section of the resort. The "Big Blue Pool" is the largest hotel pool on Walt Disney World Resort property. It contains over 308,527 gallons of water. We went to the pool twice on our stay and it is one of my favorite pools on property and ranks right up there with the pool at the Polynesian. This pool is a zero-entry pool that when you go underwater you hear music from your favorite Disney classics. Here are some views of the pools at Disney's Art of Animation:

Now to finish up the review here are some of my favorite photos from around the resort. It was a great week overall and went by so fast. Tune in the week and next week where I will review what went on in the parks during my stay. I sure hope I can get back to Disney World real soon.

Disney's Art of Animation Resort is a beautiful Value Resort at Walt Disney World with all the feels of a deluxe resort. That's it for today, back to normal tomorrow with news from around Disney.

Big Changes Coming to Disney Dining Plan?; New Show for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Could Big Changes Coming to Disney Dining Plan Soon:

The Disney Dining Plan could soon be changing with big changes as rumors are swirling reported by the Inquisitr. Here are some of the rumored changes that may be coming as of reportedly to begin May 31, 2015:

All single-serve non-alcoholic beverages that are not in a souvenir container (single serve is equal to or less than one liter and excluding beverages sold at recreation counters);

All ice cream novelties;

All hand-scooped ice cream offerings, including sundaes that do not exceed two (2) scoops or are not served in souvenir container;

Additional items considered single-serve previously excluded are now included, such as Caramel or Candy Apple (with or without peanuts, excludes character-inspired apples),

large Mickey Cookie,

Tin Mints (1.5 oz), fresh-popped, scooped popcorn (only applies to Big Top Souvenir and Karamell-Kuchelocations).

Note: Pre-bagged popcorn of any kind is no longer included in the Dining Plan.

Other changes include meal entitlement conversions where guests may substitute one meal entitlement for up to 3 eligible snack entitlements all within the same transaction. For example guests could use one quick service entitlement for an apple, a bottle of soda, and a bag of chips. The list of meal entitlement restaurants can be viewed in the article here. 

New Show to Debut During Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party:

This morning the Disney Parks Blog revealed a new show is set to debut exclusively during this year's Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. The "Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular" will debut with hosts Winifred, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson the famous sisters from Disney's "Hocus Pocus."

With the help of Disney villains, the three mischievous sisters gather together sinister shadows, nefarious nightmares, and the power of their frightful friends to conjure the Hocus Pocus Party Potion and cast a spell on Magic Kingdom. Villain appearances will include: Dr. Facilier, Oogie Boogie, Maleficent, and other Disney villain greats. Dancers, projections, and other special effects will combine for a can't miss Halloween treat. The "Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular will be seen exclusively during Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party which will be held select nights from September 15, 2015 to November 1, 2015.

Kickoff of Diamond Celebration and 'Coolest Summer Ever' and Tinkerbell Live-Action Movie in the Works

Well, today is the day starting this morning on both coasts, Disneyland's 60th Diamond Celebration and Disney World's 'Coolest Summer Ever' kicked off with 24-hour parties that will last until 6 a.m. tomorrow morning. While I am not at either of the parks (although I wish I was), many people are enjoying the festivities. Here is what it looks like on both coasts with pictures from guests on the inside.

Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf kickoff the 'Coolest Summer Ever' at WDW.

Kickoff of Diamond Celebration at Disneyland

Decorated Entrance at Disneyland for 60th Anniversary

Commemorative Shirts for 'Coolest Summer Ever' 24-Hour Party

Guests Celebrating Disneyland's Diamond Celebration

One of the many photo spots at Disneyland for Diamond Celebration 24-hour party.

Walt's Apartment Decorated for Diamond Celebration.

Disney Channel Stars were the Grand Marshal for Festival of the Fantasy parade
today to kickoff the 'Coolest Summer Ever.'

The day continues on both coasts the Diamond Celebration and 'Coolest Summer Ever' are just beginning. I can't wait to get to Walt Disney World on Sunday.

Tinkerbell Live-Action Film in the Works with Reese Witherspoon Starring:

Not all of today's news about the exciting events inside the theme parks continue. Today, it was announce that a Tinkerbell live-action film is in the works with actress set star in the film as well as co-producer. The film set to be called "Tink" will be co-produced by Witherspoon and here producing partner, Bruna Papandrea. Victoria Strouse will be writing the script. 

The plot of the film is unknown at this point however it will be based around the classic "Peter Pan" novel with Tinkerbell as the focus. No known date of when the film will go into production. Disney has already watched live-action films such as "Alice in Wonderland," " Maleficent," and most recently "Cinderella" this year have been huge and successful hits at the box office. Disney has previously announce live-action films for more of its classic films including "Beauty and the Beast" and "Dumbo." 

Breaking News: Disneyland to Start Testing Fastpass+ in August; Hong Kong Disneyland in 2016

While everyone is preparing for tomorrow's big kickoff to the Diamond Celebration at Disneyland to celebrate its 60th anniversary, there appears to be some breaking news out of California. For just over a year now, Disney World has successfully brought out the Fastpass+ system. Now announced today over several outlets out there, Disneyland will begin testing the system this year in August and Hong Kong Disneyland in 2016.

Now that the bugs and kinks have been worked out in Florida at Disney World, Disney Parks and Resorts is ready to take Fastpass+ and MyMagic+ globally. Hong Kong Disneyland will officially begin testing the system with the opening of the new Iron Man Experience in 2016. 

Fastpass+ is taking the Fastpass ticketing system into the digital age by removing the paper fastpass distribution systems at attractions. Like guests in Disney World, guests will be able to book fastpass+ attractions online, in the My Disney Experience app, or at designated kiosks throughout the park. The fastpasses will then be linked to magic bands (pictured above). Nothing has been said so far from Disney to confirm this or when the old Fastpass ticket distribution points will be removed. Tune into It All Started With a Mouse as more information about Fastpass+ coming to Disneyland and around the globe at Disney Parks and Resorts.

Entertainment Will be Dazzling for Disneyland's 24-Hour Party

Entertainment Will be Dazzling for Disneyland's 24-Hour Party:

We are only two days away from the big kickoff for Disneyland's Diamond Celebration with it 24-hour "Up All Night" party. Today, the Disney Parks Blog just what will be going on inside the park during the 24 hours and guests should be prepared to be dazzled.

Here is what guests can expect:

• The parks will open at 6 a.m. with countdown moments featuring some of your favorite Disney characters including Mickey and the gang in their new sparkly Diamond Celebration outfits
• Photo spots will let guests mark the hours through out the park
• Beginning at 6 p.m., guests will be able to join in at the Main Street Opera House for a sing-along screening of the Walt Disney classic, "Mary Poppins." If guests miss that opportunity the sing-along will appear again with screening at 10 p.m., 12:45 a.m., and 3:30 a.m.
• At the Tomorrowland Theater guests can catch a sneak peek of scenes from Disney's "Tomorrowland" during the day. At 10 p.m. or 3 a.m. guests can come back for a full-leghth screening of "Guardians of the Galaxy." "The Avengers" will be shown at 12:15 a.m. in the Tomorrowland Theater.
• For live music guests can head to the Tomorrowland Terrace for a band playing retro hits starting at 7 p.m. and the Royal Swing Big Band Ball in Fantasy Faire will have four sets starting at 10:30 p.m.
• The "Paint the Night" parade will be presented twice on its opening night at 8:50 p.m. and 1 a.m. while the "Disneyland Forever" fireworks will be presented at 9:30 p.m.
• After all that, you can hit the dance floor to the DJ mix at TLT Dance CLUB in Tomorrowland from 12:30 a.m. – 5 a.m., or head over to Mickey’s Toontown for a Pajama Party with your pals, starting at midnight and continuing into the wee hours of the morning.
• At Disney's California Adventure, the all new "World of Color - Celebrate!" will have 3 showings at 9 p.m., 10:15 p.m., and 3 a.m.
• At Pacific Wharf, a DJ will spice things up with a Latin dance party from 10:45 p.m. - 5 a.m.
• Guests can join the Mad T Party Band for the new Diamond Mad T Party in Hollywood Land from 8:30 p.m. - 1 a.m., and stick around as the White Rabbit DJ will keep things hopping until the morning

Tune in on Friday on both coasts as the 24-hour parties will kick off the summer in Disney Parks.

Finding Nemo Attraction Coming to Tokyo DisneySea in 2017; Dream Store Returning to D23 Expo

New Finding Nemo Attraction Coming to Tokyo DisneySea in 2017:

Today, the Oriental Land Co. Ltd., owners of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea announced a new Finding Nemo attraction is coming to Tokyo DisneySea in the Spring of 2017. The attraction will open in the Port Discovery area of Tokyo DisneySea. The attraction will be in the place of the current attraction of Storm Rider, which will permanently close Mid-May of 2016.

The attraction will last 5 minutes and will immerse guests in an underwater adventure that will feature the stories of "Finding Nemo" and the upcoming sequel to the film in, "Finding Dory." The indoor attraction will immerse guests into the stories with a ride system that will seamlessly blend visuals from the films with a motion system. The ride will "shrink" you to the size of fish as you board this 2-cabin submarine. Guests will be able to have the same viewpoint as Nemo and Dory while meeting characters and making new discoveries while they ride.

The Dream Store is Returning to D23 Expo 2015 with New and Unique Collectibles:

The Dream Store is making its return to the 2015 D23 Expo in August. Specialty merchandise and collectibles, both new and unique, will be on hand for guests to purchase. Merchandise will include official D23 Expo merchandise, Disney Theme Park Merchandise, Alex and Ani, Disney Dream Collection and D23 Expo-exclusive jewelry, Harveys, and Dream Store Autograph Sessions.

Here is what D23 released about the merchandise coming:

Official D23 EXPO Merchandise—Disney fans can take home a piece of the magic from this year’s Expo, with an assortment of official D23 EXPO 2015 merchandise including tees, fleece, baseball caps, novelty headwear, D-Tech, jewelry, drinkware, souvenirs, accessories, pins, and Vinylmation™. And for the first time, guests can bring home a selfie party-pack inspired by a few of our favorite Disney characters, as well as an “R4-D23″ droid and Princess Kneesaa the Ewok plush.

Disney Theme Park Merchandise: Showcasing some of its newest releases and exclusive offerings from ACME Archives Limited, ALEX AND ANI, Steve Adams, Dave Avanzino, Jasmine Becket-Griffith, David Bird, Britni Brault, Stephen Cargile, Bob Elias, Collector’s Choice, Disney Design Group, Disney Dream Collection, Disney Fine Art by Collectors Editions, Disney Parks│PANDORA, Dooney & Bourke, HARVEYS, Ink & Paint Artists, Rob Kaz, Jerrod Maruyama, Bridget McCarty, Miss Mindy, James Mulligan, Rick O’Brien, Robert Olszewski, Maggie Parr, Mike Peraza, Larry Nikolai, Precious Moments, Linda Rick, Tim Rogerson, Javier Soto, George Scribner, Sketch Artists, Michelle St.Laurent, Yakovetic, and more.

ALEX AND ANI will debut several new styles at D23 EXPO 2015. Fans can expect a variety of jewelry designs featuring everyone’s favorite, Mickey Mouse, and a very special “Celebrate” wrap.

Disney Dream Collection and D23 EXPO-Exclusive Jewelry: Guests can enjoy a sparkling selection of fine jewelry created for the Disneyland Resort Celebration.

HARVEYS—Created especially for D23 EXPO 2015, this new collection features historical “A, B, and C Ticket Media” on some of their most popular silhouettes.

Dream Store Autograph Sessions—Disney fans will get the chance to meet some of their favorite authors, artists, Disney Legends, and other notable celebrities inside the Dream Store. Autograph sessions will be posted daily via the D23 EXPO Mobile App (available later this summer) and daily at the D23 EXPO Dream Store.

The D23 Expo will take place August 14-16, 2015 at the Anaheim Convention Center. For more details and updates on the Dream Store, guests can visit www.D23Expo.com, www.DisneyParksBlog.com, and www.DisneyParksMerchandise.com.

Special Food and Drink at Magic Kingdom's 24-Hour Party and DCL Announces New Sailings for Fall 2016

Special and Food and Drink for 'Coolest Summer Ever' Kickoff at Magic Kingdom:

We are just days away from the kickoff of the 'Coolest Summer Ever' at the Magic Kingdom. Today, on the Disney Parks Blog they announced the special food and drink offering in the park during the 24-Hour Party. Here is the list:

• Frozen Cupcakes (pictured above): Main Street Bakery and Gaston's Tavern
• Frozen Sundae - Plaza Ice Cream Parlor
• Specialty Cotton Candy: Outdoor Food Carts, Casey's Corner (with light stick Outdoor Food Carts only)
• Olaf Souvenir Cup - at all Quick Service locations

• Lemonade in Olaf Cup - Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe, Columbia Harbour House, Pecos Bill's, Pinocchio Village Haus, Stands East, Outdoor Food Carts
• Watermelon Shaved Ice - Space Dog Cart
• BBQ Slaw Hot Dog - Lunching Pad
• Bacon, Egg, and Potatoes Breakfast Platter - Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe
• Flip Flog Treat - Lunching Pad and Outdoor Food Carts

Disney Cruise Line Announces New Sailing for Fall 2016:

Today, Disney Cruise Line and the Disney Parks Blog were glad to share their new sailings for the Fall of 2016. They announced that the Disney Magic will be returning to New York in the fall of 2016 with new sailings to both the Bahamas and Canada. They also announced sailings from Galveston and Miami. 

The Disney Magic is returning to New York.

Here is what the new sailings look like for Fall 2016 from Disney Cruise Line:

New York

• Sailings from New York to the Bahamas include a visit to Walt Disney World Resort, plus a Park Hopper ticket and round-trip transportation between the ship and the resort. All New York to Bahamas voyages also include a stop at Castaway Cay.
• One five-night voyage from New York to Canada stops in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Saint John, New Brunswick. Check out Arny’s post, A Glimpse of a Disney Cruise to Atlantic Canada, which includes a video from our first visit to these charming ports.

Miami

• For the first time, we’re offering seven-night voyages from Miami to the Eastern and Western Caribbean, in addition to shorter options. All sailings from Miami include a stop at Castaway Cay.

Galveston

• A variety of seven-night cruises are departing from Galveston, including Bahamian sailings and Western Caribbean sailings. Plus, for a quick getaway, we’re offering two four-night sailings to Cozumel.

Also available for Fall of 2016 will be the usual ports of call from Port Canaveral, Florida. Guests may begin bookings for the Fall 2016 sailing on DCL beginning this Wednesday May 20, 2015. You can find more details about the itineraries on disneycruise.com. 

'Coolest Summer Ever' Shirt for Magic Kingdom's 24-Hour Party and Tonight's AFV Season Finale Live from Disneyland

'Coolest Summer Ever' Shirt for Magic Kingdom's 24-Hour Party:

The other day we showed off some of the merchandise that the Disney Parks Blog wrote about that was coming to Disneyland for their 24-hour party this coming weekend. Yesterday, the blog showed off the 'Coolest Summer Ever' commemorative shirt that is coming to the Magic Kingdom for its party this Friday. The shirt will feature this year's host Olaf, from Disney's "Frozen." The front of the shirt features Olaf with it saying 'Imagine How Much Cooler I'll be in 24 Hours' and the dates of the party May 22-23, 2015. The back of the shirt says 24 Hours Coolest Summer Ever, Magic Kingdom, and again the dates. This year's shirt also changes color with the sun. Here it is:

The Front

The Back

The shirt can be found at The Emporium on Main Street, USA and the shirt will also be offered online from May 22-31 at DisneyStore.com/ParkEvents.

Tonight's AFV Season Finale will be Live from Disneyland:

Tonight's America's Funniest Home Videos Season Finale will be airing live tonight from Disneyland. The finale of AFV will be a farewell to the show's host Tom Bergeron (pictured above). The show will also crown the winner of the shows two $100,000 winners as they battle out to see who will win the grand prize of vacation of 60 people to the Disneyland Resort in honor of its 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration. It will include a visit to both of Disneyland Resort theme parks in Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure. Tonight's show airs at 7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CST on ABC.