Magical Express Going Back to Picking Guests Up 3 Hours Before Flights

Back in November, Disney's Magical Express ahead of the busy holiday season began picking up guests 4 hours before their flights out of the Orlando International Airport instead of the usual 3 hours. This was due to heavy traffic in the airport security lines. Good news as now they will be returning to picking up guests 3 hours ahead of their flights home. 

This will begin on January 11 for Walt Disney World Resort guests. Good news as what guests call the 'Tragical Express' going home just got a little less tragical and a little more magical. This is according to Cast Members from Disney's Magical Express.

BREAKING: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Planet Called Batuu; Magical Express to Pick Up 4 Hours Ahead

BREAKING: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Planet Called Batuu:

We now know what planet we will be visiting when Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge opens at Disneyland and at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The planet will be called Batuu. 

The name of the planet was revealed this morning as guests visiting Star Tours with the updated scene to Crait from "The Last Jedi" got a surprise ending to the scene. The guests actually land on Batuu at the end of the ride. Stay tuned for more details from Batuu and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge which opens up in 2019.

UPDATE:

"This remote outpost on the galaxy’s edge was once a busy crossroads along the old sub-lightspeed trade routes, but its prominence was bypassed by the rise of hyperspace travel. Now home to those who prefer to stay out of the mainstream, it has become a thriving port for smugglers, rogue traders and adventurers traveling between the frontier and uncharted space. It’s also a convenient safe haven for those intent on avoiding the expanding reach of the First Order. While Batuu may be new to us, it is clearly already familiar to many characters from the Star Wars saga as a stepping off point for epic adventures." - Scott Trowbridge

Source: Disney Parks Blog

Magical Express to Pick Guests Up 4 Hours Ahead of Scheduled Flights:

Going into effect today, November 17, Disney's Magical Express will now pick up guests from their hotels 4 hours ahead of their scheduled flights at Orlando International Airport. Magical Express used to pick up 3 hours ahead of time but with changes to TSA security measures and the busy holiday season the change was made. 

Disney stated that the policy will be re-evaluated sometime in early 2018 after the holiday season calms down. So there is a chance it could change back. 

Source: WDW News Today

"Hakuna Matata, It Means No Worries." Trip Report Part 3

I can't believe we are coming to an end on this amazing trip that I took just one month ago. In this final part of my trip I am back in Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. Plus, I get my final viewing of the Main Street Electrical Parade which ended its run at Disney World just last week and my thoughts on Frozen Ever After. So without further ado here are amazing memories of the ending to my trip.

Thursday, September 22:

We were coming down to the end of our trip but there was still 2 days of amazing memories to create.  It was back to Epcot on Thursday for more Food & Wine and our return to Le Cellier for diner. We arrived in Epcot around 9:30 after breakfast and getting ready for the day at our resort. First up we headed over to Universe of Energy for Ellen's Energy Adventure. Yes, its not everyone's favorite attraction but rumors abound this could be the last time we got to see the original dinosaur ride.

After Ellen, we headed over to Test Track and in the single rider line. Here is a tip for you: The single rider line for Test Track is a great idea if you don't have a FastPass for it. You may not get to ride together but it saves time if you have a busy day ahead of you at the parks. I love Test Track it is one of my favorite attractions at Epcot so it is a must ride every time we go. It was then time for our FastPass at another of my favorites in Journey into Imagination with Figment.

It was then time for some lunch and to enjoy more of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. We switched it up where as we usually start in Mexico we started on the opposite side and started towards Canada. First though my parents headed to the Australia marketplace for the grilled lamb chop with mint pesto and potato crunchies. I headed over to Farm Fresh once again for the Loaded mac & cheese. They then shared the chicken gyro over at the Greece marketplace.

It was then time to head over to Canada for the Wild Mushroom Beef Filet with the Truffle Butter sauce. It was delicious and that was just the first steak of the day but that will come later. We then proceeded through the countries stopping at Brazil for the Cheese buns and Belgium for the Belgian Waffle with chocolate ganache and whipped cream. It was time to take a break from the food and cool down in the America pavilion.

I love America and the Voices of Liberty and I feel so patriotic afterwards. It is highly recommended for everyone to go see this. After the show it was almost time for our FastPass at Frozen Ever After but first we stopped at Hops & Barley for the carrot cake and on our way over to Norway I just had to stop in Poland for the kielbasa and the pierogi. These are staples in my household and Disney surprisingly has amazing kielbasa. 

By then we were stuffed and still had to make room for our dinner at Le Cellier but first it was over to Norway for our first ever ride on Frozen Ever After. Here is my review, the attraction was very well done and my absolute favorite of the animatronics was Olaf. Is it my favorite attraction no but I will definitely ride it again. Here are some shots from inside the ride. 

By this time it was time to begin heading back over to Canada for our reservation at Le Cellier. It was awesome because since it had become a 2 dining credit restaurant we hadn't been there. It was a wonderful return and the meal was absolutely delicious. I had the "Le Cellier" Filet Mignon with the mushroom risotto. One of the best steaks I have ever had on property, it reminded me why this was one of my favorite restaurants to eat at. 

After dinner it was time to head back to the resort to recover from dinner before we headed over to Magic Kingdom for our last ever viewing of the Main Street Electrical Parade. First, though here some shots leaving Epcot.

As we made it back to our resort for a quick break and I mean quick, we made our way over to the Magic Kingdom. We made it there with 20 minutes to spare before the parade started and we still had a great spot. We were just across from the Main Street Train Station. I was so happy to be seeing the parade one last time but I was also sad. I am really going to miss the Main Street Electrical Parade and last week watching it online as it paraded through the Magic Kingdom one last time really had my emotions going.

It was a great run for the Main Street Electrical Parade and I like many am going to miss this parade. After the parade, we headed over to the busses to take us back to Caribbean Beach for the evening. I had to prepare myself for the final day in the parks.

Friday, September 23:

The week had flown by and it was already Friday meaning sadly it was our last day in the parks. Of course the trip had to end in Magic Kingdom. My family loves ending the trip in Magic Kingdom so usually that is where we always head on our last day. It was already going to be a short day due to there being a Halloween party that night so we arrived early to the park just after 9:00. Again that is early for us we never make it to rope drop although we have done it when I was younger.

It seemed like it was a busy day but in reality the crowds weren't to bad at all. We headed over to the Jungle Cruise and Adventureland for our first FastPass. I love the Jungle Cruise and the jokes never get old. I would like to give a shout out to Skipper Kelsey who was absolutely amazing on our boat. 

It was another amazing ride through the jungle, it was then time to head over to the Enchanted Tiki Room and the amazing sounds of those awesome birds. We then went over to Pirates of the Caribbean where I got to see one of my favorite characters Disney has created in Captain Jack Sparrow. This is one of my favorite rides, I know I say this about all the rides, but really its a classic and a favorite. 

The day was going by quick and it was already time for lunch. We headed over to Pinocchio's Village Haus and while I had the chicken breast nuggets instead of getting a dessert I got a side of breadsticks. The breadsticks were actually quite amazing. After lunch, for the purpose of saving time we went straight over to Splash Mountain early and wait in the standby line. This meant we were skipping our FastPass to save time. It was only a 30 minute wait so it wasn't bad at all.

If you heard my story on the MouseLife last week, you know Splash Mountain wasn't always my favorite attraction. In fact, I was deathly afraid of it when I was younger, now I ride it every time I go. 

Once we rode Splash Mountain, we decide to take a stroll through New Fantasyland where we stopped at Gaston's Tavern. My mother wanted a LeFou's Brew so we stopped there and then proceeded over to Dumbo where I took a ride in the sky in everyone's favorite elephant.

It is always a nice relaxing ride on Dumbo where you can just enjoy the views of the Magic Kingdom. We then proceeded over to Tomorrowland where we finished up with Carousel of Progress, Buzz, and Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor again. I couldn't finish my trip at the Magic Kingdom without riding my absolute favorite ride in Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Although my score was less than stellar its was just over 100,000, it was still amazing. 

Here are some views of Tomorrowland as well as the new paint job at Carousel of Progress and those beautiful new purple rocks. 

Exiting Tomorrowland it was starting to get surreal that the trip was over but first however heading over to the castle, Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire was just beginning on the stage. I don't know I'm sure people miss Dream Along with Mickey, but this new show is quite impressive and I love the story that it tells. It is a great new addition to the park.

It was then time to start heading towards Tony's for dinner but first we made our way into the Emporium for some last minute souvenirs. It is here where we picked up some 45th Anniversary merchandise that came out the day before. I picked up one of the shirts and 3 pins. Now it was time for dinner at Tony's Town Square. 

Here I had the New York Strip Steak (yes, more steak) with au gratin potatoes and asparagus. It was delicious and I know people have put this restaurant down but this is the second time I've been here and the meal was great. For dessert, I had the chocolate cake with chocolate hazelnut filling which was also quite good. 

Dinner was finished and so was our time inside the parks, it was time for us to go back to our resort to begin packing. Here is one last shot of the castle that I took before I left Magic Kingdom.

This ended a magnificent trip and so many memories were made, but we still had to get packed and endure the last few hours we had.

Saturday, September 24:

Saturday is always a bittersweet day filled with emotions. We woke up and went to breakfast where I had my last Mickey waffles of the trip. My mother and I then had to take our luggage so we could check it in. When we got done with that it was back to the room to pick up our remaining stuff along with my father to head to the food court area before the Magical Express picked us up at 2.

We had lunch at the food court and this is where I picked up all my Mickey Rice Krispie treats to take home. There was seven in all and they lasted a week while I was home. The trip was ending and the Magical Express (Tragical Express) came and picked us up. It is always sad when you are leaving Disney World and this time was no different. As always the trip had so many magical moments. I can't wait to return. 

It's not goodbye when you leave Disney, its always, "See Ya Real Soon."

"Don't Know Where I'm Going, Only Know Where I've Been." Trip Report Part 1

Well, it's been a week since I got back from Walt Disney World, yet it seems like its been too long that I have been away. There is not a day that goes by that I don't miss the place. Today, though I begin my trip report of what I did while I was down there. Last weekend, I reported about my stay at Disney's Art of Animation now its times to dive into what went on at the parks.

This trip you may notice we didn't go to Animal Kingdom, so it will not be included in this trip report and we saved Hollywood Studios until our last day due to Star Wars Weekends. It was a well planned out trip except for our first day when we arrived. You will see why it wasn't so planned out. Enough of me rambling on, let's get on with what's going on in the parks.

Waking up at 4 a.m. is never easy except when you are waking up to go to Walt Disney World. That is the time I was up and by the car was packed, had a small breakfast, my family and I were on our way to the airport by 6 a.m. Our flight to Orlando was at 8 a.m. and we were through security by 6:30. By 7:30 we were boarding our flight and we got off early for our 2 hour and change flight to sunny Orlando. We arrived just after 10 and quickly went to the bathroom and boarded the tram over to Terminal B to make our way to Disney's Magical Express and our hotel Disney's Art of Animation. It's about a 45-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport to the resort area but it went by quick. Just before noon we had finally arrived at Disney's Art of Animation.

What a beautiful sight isn't it? We arrived into the massive lobby and went to the online check-in area. Our room and home away from home was ready but first we stopped for a quick bite at Landscape of Flavors. I had a bacon cheeseburger with fries and I literally devoured it in anticipation of getting to the parks. After lunch we went to our room, we were staying in the Lion King suites. My sister and I stopped by bell services to pick up my dad's motorized wheel chair and our Garden Groceries (a great service by the way). We arrived back at the room and we were finally ready to make our way to the parks.

Now earlier I said that we had no plans for Sunday besides of course our dinner reservation at 5:30 at the Grand Floridian Cafe. We made the decision that whatever bus arrived first at the resort that is the park we would go to. That bus turned out to be Epcot and after just a short 10-minute drive we had finally arrived.

It really is a beautiful sight, isn't it?

We had no fastpass reservations so we decided that we would just stroll through the countries around the world before we had to leave for our reservation. We started in Mexico and made our away around the world. My whole family love the countries and love how Disney incorporated them into Epcot. World Showcase is a wonderful sight. We made our way through Norway, China, Germany, Italy, and finally at America we stopped to see the American Adventure. What a true American experience and an emotional one at that. My father cries every time he sees it. Here are some photos as we reached America.

The show of course was wonderful and we made our way around the rest of the countries. It was so relaxing not having to rush to anything on that Sunday afternoon. We got out of the show at around 3:30 so that gave us an hour to get to the front of the park so we could get to the Grand Floridian for our reservation. 

So we made our way to the highway in the sky to make our way to the Grand Floridian. Of course we had to stop at the Ticket & Transportation Center before we could get to the final destination. I can't tell you how much I love riding the monorail. It is a Disney must do for every trip. When we arrived at the Grand Floridian we still had about a half hour before our reservation. We had a little time to just sit down and relax before our meal. 

After the little rest we made our way over to the Grand Floridian Cafe for dinner. This is the second time we have been to this restaurant and it seems like its a not-so-hidden gem in this grand resort. For dinner I had the char-crusted New York strip steak. Let met tell you one of the best steaks I have ever had. I have no pictures of course because I ate it all before I remembered to take one. That seems to be a regular occurrence on this trip as the food always looked to good to eat before I remembered to take a picture. So after dinner we made our way back to the monorail to get to the busses at Magic Kingdom. 

We made it to the Magic Kingdom made it to Art of Animation bus and made our way back to the hotel to end our first day of our wonderful vacation.

Monday:

After an uneventful first day of our trip, it was time to really begin our vacation and celebrate Memorial Day at the Magic Kingdom. The most magical place on earth. 

We entered the park to the most magical place on earth and my sister went to go meet Tinkerbell it was only a 20-minute wait while we stopped at first aid with my medication and Starbucks for quick mid-morning snack. After that we made our way through Main Street, USA and onto Tomorrowland to start our day. Our first stop was my favorite ride in Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. It was a 30 minute wait but really it turned out to be 50 minutes. Boy, the park was busy. It was well worth it though as my competitiveness with my mother and sister won out once again. After we got out it was already time to head over to Liberty Tree Tavern for our lunch. 

For lunch on this Memorial Day, I had the Angus Chuck Cheeseburger with Mushrooms and Swiss. Another delicious meal. It rained while we were at lunch but once we got out everything seemed dried out already. That's those Florida rain showers for you though. That Florida sun was sure shining as we made our way over  Peter Pan for our first fastpass of the day. My mom's favorite movie and it is always such an enjoyable classic ride. We then made our way over for our first ride ever on the Seven Dwarves Mine Train. I really enjoyed this new coaster and the imagineers did a great job on the whole attraction altogether. 

We had a while before our last fastpass on Splash Mountain so we took in the Hall of Presidents another must do at Disney especially on Memorial Day. After the Hall of Presidents we took in another new thing in the Festival of Fantasy parade. While the parade had debuted last year we hadn't been in Disney World since December of 2013. It was quite enjoyable and in my opinion is way better than the previous Celebrate a Dream Come True parade. 

After the parade we made our way over to Adventureland and took a visit to the Enchanted Tiki Room before our last fastpass of Splash Mountain. This is another Disney classic attraction and quite welcome to cool down from the hot Florida sun. How often can you still be singing the song hours after you see the show (besides It's A Small World of course). My sister and I made our way over to Splash Mountain where we were sure to get soaked. As they say, "It's Actual, It's Factual, You're going to get wet!" Well, me and my sister were in the first row and we were soaked. It was cool and refreshing so we didn't mind being wet at all. 

We headed over to the fastpass+ kiosk to see if we could schedule any more fastpasses for the day. A friendly cast member helped us schedule a fastpass for the Jungle Cruise in about 45 minutes. So we walked around and went and picked up my medication at First Aid. We came back and after strolling around we went over to the Jungle Cruise to enjoy the funniest cruise through the jungle. This is easily one of my other favorite rides at Magic Kingdom. After that we headed to Pecos Bill's for dinner where I enjoyed the deluxe chicken sandwich. My father had the Karubi Style short ribs and they were fall off the bone good. 

The dinner was delicious so we decided to head back towards Fantasyland and get on It's A Small World. It was only a 15 minute wait so it went by quick. We then headed over to Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid. This is another one of those great attractions that was built with new Fantasyland. We then headed over to Tomorrowland to check out Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor for one last final attraction on the day. I love the Laugh Floor as Monsters Inc. is one of my favorite Pixar movies behind Toy Story. 

After a long day at the park we decided not to stay for the Electrical Parade and head back to the hotel. It was an enjoyable day at the park and very eventful Memorial Day. It was time to say goodnight to the Magic Kingdom. 

Goodnight, Magic Kingdom.

This ends the first part of my trip part, next weekend I will dive into the rest of the trip. Tomorrow it's back to our news from around the world.