"Adventure is Out There" Trip Report Part 2

After 17 plus hours in Animal Kingdom the previous day, there really was no rush to get to Magic Kingdom for when it opened. We somehow without any intention though got to Magic Kingdom right at 9 a.m.

I must say moving the security to right after the busses was a great idea and really does leave a much cleaner look when entering the parks. Of course is there any better view of entering the parks then when you first see Cinderella Castle walking down Main Street, USA.

After a quick stop at First Aid to drop my insulin off, it was time to really start our day. We headed over to Adventureland and began our day with a ride on one my favorites in the Jungle Cruise. Lines weren't horrible through out the day, we waited about 20 minutes to get on.

Rhino was still missing, replaced by hyenas on 6/10/17

Now I won't bore you with each ride we went on, but it was easy picking with getting on the rides that day with the exception of Big Thunder Mountain which was down for most of the day. In the morning we rode besides Jungle Cruise were 'its a small world', Mine Train, Little Mermaid, and Splash Mountain (not in this order). We then headed to lunch at Be Our Guest.

I have now been to Be Our Guest at lunch twice and both times were spectacular. My mother and I both had the Croque Monsieur (Ham & Cheese Sandwich). I had the Master's Cupcake (my favorite) and my mother had the Chocolate Cream Puff. Both meals were delicious and the meals were brought to us rather quickly. 

After lunch it was much of the same with getting on rides as it was in the morning. Although, we did get caught in two quick moving thunderstorms (normal June Florida weather), but they didn't stop us. We saw Mickey's Philharmagic, then headed to Haunted Mansion where we got caught in the first rain storm while in line. It helped that we were in line as even it was still pouring after the fact it did slow down a few minutes later to allow us to get our FastPass at Peter Pan. 

I then had to head over to the Big Circus Tent to switch out my FuelRod which had died. While in the tent another storm had started up so we just waited it out. It was about 10-15 minutes and it stopped and we headed to Tomorrowland. Here we hit Buzz, Peoplemover, Carousel of Progress, and the Laugh Floor pretty quickly. Since, we used up all our FastPasses, I was able to grab a FastPass for Pirates.

Not my best but I'll take it. 

We headed over to Pirates of the Caribbean but since it was still a bit early for the FastPass. So my mother gladly went and got a Dole Whip and we enjoyed the Enchanted Tiki Room. It was then time for our Pirates FastPass and one of my favorite attractions. 

It was a pretty successful day at that point, it was time for dinner. We decided on a whim to eat at the Plaza Restaurant on Main Street. We sure enough got in and had a great quick meal while sitting down and relaxing. I had the Grilled Reuben Sandwich while my mother really enjoyed the Strawberry Chicken Salad. Really, I've never had a bad meal at the Plaza.

After dinner, we headed to the Emporium to do some shopping and then headed to the Confectionary for some snacks before Happily Ever After. We grabbed a spot on Main Street and waited for Happily Ever After. 

Even after watching the live stream of Happily Ever After, nothing could of prepared me for seeing it live in person. It really is the best nighttime spectacular that I've ever seen. The emotions really do get to you with the music and classic Disney films that make an appearance during the show. It was the perfect ending to our trip and another 12 plus hours at the park.

The next morning we were up at the butt crack of dawn to be back at the airport for our 7 a.m. flight. I was back in Pennsylvania and home by the middle of the morning. The trip was so worth it that I can't believe all things that I was able to see in just two days.

It was an amazing and successful trip and I would do it 10 times over if I had the chance to do it again. Being able to see Pandora just shortly after it opened, being able to experience Flight of Passage and the Caring for Giants Tour (seeing Baby Stella will be a lasting memory), and of course seeing Happily Ever After live were some of the amazing highlights of this trip. 

I can't wait for my next trip and its looking like April 2018 can't come soon enough and I already know its going be one my most memorable trips yet. See you all real soon.

- John

Shanghai Disneyland Grand Opening to be Telecasted, Celebrated at DCA; Experience a Brand New Adventure in the Enchanted Tiki Room Comic

Shanghai Disneyland Grand Opening to be Telecasted, Celebrated at DCA:

We are just one week away from the grand opening of Shanghai Disneyland, Disney's first theme park to open on the main land of China. Today, we found out that the grand opening of the brand new theme park will be simultaneously presented on the Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and Disney XD from 8:00 - 8:30 p.m. in a music-filled television celebration called, "Grand Opening Celebration of Shanghai Disney Resort." The show will air without commercial interruption. On Friday, June 17 it will air again on Freeform from 10 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

The show will be narrated by Sofia Carson with Disney CEO Bob Iger who will be joined by nearly 3000 distinguished guests, celebrities, and government officials in front of the world's largest, tallest, and most interactive castle at the heart of any Disney Park, The Enchanted Storybook Castle. Mickey Mouse will also join in on the fun of the grand opening. 

World-renowned pianist Lang Lang will perform a custom arrangement of the musical sensation “Let It Go” (Disney’s “Frozen”) and China’s television and movie superstar Sun Li will take center stage. Each is a Shanghai Disney Resort Honorary Ambassador. The historic event includes the debut of an original song, “Ignite the Dreamer Within,” written especially for the grand opening of Shanghai Disneyland. Acclaimed composer and conductor Tan Dun, widely known for his stirring scores for the films “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Hero,” will lead the Shanghai Symphony with an original composition of the new song, celebrating the occasion’s poetic message. Additional featured music includes “Once Upon a Dream,” “Heigh Ho” and “Some Day My Prince will Come.”  - The Laughing Place

The show will be produced by Disney Parks in partnership with IMG, the special will be directed by the award-winning Hamish Hamilton.

That's not all as Disney California Adventure will join in the celebration of the grand opening as from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. in Hollywood Land guests will enjoy special entertainment and photo opportunities. The festivities will include colorful performances by local community groups, along with character appearances by Mulan and Mushu. Some of the best Asian food and beverage options  will be available to purchase including pork bao, almond cookies, and pot stickers.

The park will also be giving out a commemorative button to celebrate the grand opening of Shanghai Disney Resort to all Disneyland Resort guests, while supplies last. Join the fun in just 7 days on June 16, 2016.

Experience a Brand New Adventure in the Enchanted Tiki Room Comics This Fall:

A brand new 5-part comic series of the Disney Kingdoms comics will feature the Enchanted Tike Room debuting this fall. It will be released inside Disney Parks. The series will be written by Jon Adams. Artwork will be penned by Horacio Domingues with cover artwork by Brian Kesinger.

Recently Steven Miller of the Disney Parks Blog did an interview writer Jon Adams, Brian Crosby with Disney Kingdoms, and Walt Disney Imagineers Tom Morris, Executive Creative Director; Andy DiGenova, Associate Producer; and Josh Shipley, Creative Services Specialist. Check it out below:

Steven: What makes the Disney Kingdoms series unique?

Tom: “The Disney Kingdoms series gave us an opportunity to build on stories from our classic Disney Parks attractions that guests love. We’re hoping the books inspire readers to revisit favorite attractions with a new perspective. For this series, we’re taking guests to a tropical island filled with everything loved from the original attraction and introducing some new characters, stories and places to discover.”

Steven: How is the storytelling in this series different from previous series?

Jon: “The Enchanted Tiki Room is a place of legend, fantasy and mystery. I grew up watching shows where new characters were introduced each week into a familiar setting that had previously established characters. I wanted to apply that vignette storytelling concept to this new series. In each issue, new visitors will arrive by boat to an isolated island populated by singing birds, plants, and ancient Tiki gods.”

Andy: “We loved Jon’s fresh approach to storytelling. It was different than our previous [Disney Kingdoms] comics that had more linear stories.”

Brian: “There’s a sense of mystery about the island and Jon’s idea had us asking questions: Why is the island enchanted? How does it connect the people who visit the island? There will be a nice connection for guests who read all five issues in this series.”

Steven: I love collecting all things Tiki-related including artwork. What will readers see when they pick up an issue?

Josh: “The illustrations will be extremely colorful and the images will pop off the page. They will make readers feel like they are on that mysterious island. We pulled reference images from the Walt Disney Imagineering Resource Library to really connect the comic illustrations to the Disney Parks experience. We’ll also feature variant covers by other artists such as a cover with José by Walt Disney Imagineer Jason Grandt.”