Sweet Spells to Close Next Week; Meet & Greet Cuts Coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom

Sweet Spells to Close Next Week for Good:

A few months ago it was rumored that Sweet Spells and its sweet and delicious treats at Disney's Hollywood Studios would close and a Toy Story Land merchandise shop would take its place. The major renovation on the site will begin on April 16 which means the last day of operation for Sweet Spells will be April 15. 

Reel Vogue will remain open while the renovation takes place. Once the work is complete on the new store, Beverly Sunset will be the go to location for Toy Story Land merchandise as the land itself will not have a storefront that sells merchandise besides carts that will carry themed-items from the land. 

The good news is select treats from Sweet Spells will be available at other locations within Disney's Hollywood Studios. Beverly Sunset once it opens will also sell some pre-packaged snacks. 

Source: WDW News Today

Meet & Greet Cuts Coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom:

Several fan favorite meet & greets at Disney's Animal Kingdom will be ending within the next few weeks. The first in Baloo and King Louie who meet with guests in the Upcountry Landing in Asia will stop meeting with guests after April 14. 

Over at Discovery Trails West near the Tree of Life, guests will be seeing the end of the meet & greet with Flik from "A Bug's Life." This meet & greet will end after Flik meet with guests for the final time on April 22. 

Source: WDW News Today

Black Panther Meet & Greet Coming to Disney California Adventure in 2018

Marvel's "Black Panther" hits theaters February 16, 2018 but guests visiting Disney California Adventure in 2018 will get to meet the king of Wakanda himself. Black Panther will meet with guests for a limited time. More details on the meet & greet will be released in the future.

“Black Panther” follows T’Challa who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king — and Black Panther — is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life.

 "Black Panther" swings into theaters this coming February. Check out the trailer below:

Destination D & More on D23's Slate of Events for 2018; Rumor: Stitch's Great Escape to Become Meet & Greet

Destination D & More on D23's Slate of Events for 2018:

Today, we all celebrated Epcot's anniversary as it opened on this day 35 years ago on October 1, 1982. One of the events was the D23 Epcot Fanniversary and during this event D23 just named some of the events they would be having in 2018 for its members. They later announced the full slate of events for next year.

Next year, 2018 will be Disney's Animal Kingdom's 20th Anniversary and D23 will be hosting an event at the park sometime in April. Also next year, during the Summer D23 members will be getting a sneak peak of Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios and the new Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure. Also returning for 2018 will be the Sip & Stroll and holiday events at Walt Disney World. 

Just last year, members had a blast during D23's Destination D: Amazing Adventures the event will return to Walt Disney World next November with the theme of Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse. This will celebrate the main man himself and his 90th Birthday and his debut in Steamboat Willie. The event will include panels, presentations, an all-new exhibit from the Walt Disney Archives, a pop-up store from Walt Disney Imagineering’s Mickey’s of Glendale, and so much more. Additional details, including special hotel rates and ticketing information, will be announced in the coming months.

Here is the full schedule of events:

January 12 - Lunch With a Disney Legend - TBA  in Burbank, CA

January 13 - The Official Walt Disney Studios Tour in Burbank, CA

February 2 - D23 Night at Disney’s Aladdin in Hollywood, CA

Feb 3 D23’s Magical Screening Series: Peter Pan Burbank, CA

Feb 10 D23’s Magical Screening Series: Peter Pan Orlando, FL

March 24 - D23 Night at Disney’s Frozen New York City, NY

April D23 Celebrates 20 Years of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Apr 7 The Official Walt Disney Studios Tour — Presented by D23 Burbank, CA

May 25 D23’s Return to Marceline Marceline, MO

Summer D23 Members Visit Toy Story Land Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Summer D23 Members Visit Pixar Pier Disney California Adventure

June 23 D23’s Magical Screening Series: Robin Hood Burbank, CA

Jun 29 Lunch with a Disney Legend: TBA Orlando, FL

Jun 30 D23’s Magical Screening Series: Robin Hood Orlando, FL

July 20 D23 Member Mixer San Diego, CA

August 10 Lunch with a Disney Legend: TBA Burbank, CA

Aug 11 D23’s Saturday Morning on the Lot Burbank, CA

September 8 The Official Walt Disney Studios Tour—Presented by D23 Burbank, CA

Sep 8 D23’s Magical Screening Series: Mary Poppins Orlando, FL

Sep 15 D23’s Magical Screening Series: Mary Poppins Burbank, CA

October D23’s Spell-tacular Disney Fanniversary Burbank, CA

Oct 3 Sip & Stroll Epcot, WDW

Oct 5 Lunch with a Disney Legend: TBA Orlando, FL

November 16-18 D23 Destination D: Happy Birthday Mickey Orlando, FL

December D23 Holiday Event at Walt Disney World Resort Orlando, FL

Dec Light Up the Season with D23 Burbank, CA

Dec 1 The Official Walt Disney Studios Tour—Presented by D23 Burbank, CA

Source: D23 and Disney Parks Blog

Rumor: Stitch's Great Escape to Become Alien Encounter Meet & Greet:

Stitch's Great Escape seems to be going away for good with a new sign where the seasonal operating attraction has appeared. Thanks to @1ben_laurence on Twitter where the sign now says Stitch's Alien Encounter Character Greeting. 

While no details on this have been announced or available at this time it does seem that the new Stitch Meet & Greet will take the place of an attraction that just never gained popularity. Will this character encounter stay forever. I don't think so as the attraction has long been rumored to be replaced with a Wreck-It-Ralph attraction. 

Stay tuned for more details on the new Stitch's Alien Encounter Greeting when they are announced.

Source: WDW News Today

Frozen Ever After Fireworks Dessert Party Coming to Epcot; Cruz Ramirez Meet & Greet Begins Friday

The Illuminations Sparkling Dessert Party will end July 14 and a new fireworks dessert party will take its place. The Frozen Ever After Dessert Party will begin in July and focus on both Illuminations and the Frozen Ever After attraction in Norway.

The dessert party portion of the event will take place just steps away from the current FastPass+ viewing area for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. After guests enjoy a spread of delectable desserts, drinks, and the nightly fireworks show, they will then head over to Frozen Ever After where they will enjoy a ride on the attraction with little-to-no-wait after Epcot closes.

The Frozen Ever After Fireworks Dessert Party will take place Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The price for the party will be $79 for adults and $47 for children ages 3-9. Booking for the event should open once Disney makes an official announcement.

Source: WDW News Today

Cruz Ramirez Meet & Greet Begins Friday at Disney's Hollywood Studios:

A Cruz Ramirez Meet & Greet that was announced during the Pandora: The World of Avatar media event a few weeks ago will begin this Friday, June 16. Guests will be able to meet & greet with Cruz Ramirez at the end of Pixar Place near the exit of Toy Story Midway Mania. 

"Cars 3" races into theaters this Friday, June 16. 

BB-8 Meet & Greet Coming to Star Wars Launch Bay

Yes, I am writing a blog just to announce this news because my obsession and a dream is finally coming true. A BB-8 meet and greet is coming to Star Wars Launch Bay at Disney's Hollywood Studios this Spring. 

BB-8 will appear in addition to Kylo Ren and Chewbacca, two characters from the Star Wars galaxy who guests regularly encounter at Star Wars Launch Bay. In addition to character greetings, the location also offers guests the chance to explore galleries full of treasured memorabilia and authentic replicas of large-scale Star Wars artifacts, including some from the latest film in the franchise, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

I couldn't be more excited to finally be able to meet BB-8 although I am also heartbroken as I won't see him until next year as no visit is planned this year. Stay tuned as BB-8 will be making his debut in the coming weeks.

First Video of Rivers of Light Hits the Internet; Doc McStuffins to Greet at Animal Kingdom

First Video of Rivers of Light Hits the Internet:

Guests of the Disney Social Media Moms last night got a special showing of Rivers of Light at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The long-awaited new nighttime spectacular seems to be complete being drastically cut down from the previews shown late last year to Cast Members. The show is just over 15 minutes.

The video which was posted my one of the guests, in the Jones Family Travels on YouTube. The video is 26 minutes long but the actual show doesn't start until about 7 minutes in the video, the videographer does talk at the beginning and at the end of the video. Check it out below:

Rivers of Light seems to be complete, and should debut either in the next coming days or most likely next week at some point. After watching the video, I did enjoy the show much but did feel that the finale was lacking. The music for the show however is on point and projections were beautiful. I will withhold final judgement however until I see it live.

Doc McStuffins Meet & Greet Coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom:

Later this month, Doc McStuffins will be meeting with guests at Disney's Animal Kingdom in addition to her meet & greet at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Here are the details from the Disney Parks Blog:

The popular toy doctor will make daily visits to Disney’s Animal Kingdom to meet with guests and sign autographs. With her handy stethoscope in hand, she’ll stop by every day just outside the veterinarian clinic at Rafiki’s Planet Watch. While there, wee ones can also learn a little about conservation and how the vets care for the animals that live at the park. And while preschoolers love the train ride to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, it also gives us parents a few minutes to relax before the next adventure.

Source: Disney Parks Blog