"Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!" Announced as New Holiday Show at Hollywood Studios; Princess Elena Coming to Fairytale Hall

"Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!" Announced as New Holiday Show at Hollywood Studios:

Since last year was the final year of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, many wondered what would be its replacement this year for the holidays. Today, we got that answer when Disney announced the new nighttime fireworks holiday spectacular called, "Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!" The new show starts November 14 at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It will come to life on, above, and around the Chinese Theater with state-of-the-art projections, special effects, fireworks, and a rousing seasonal musical score. 

The show will be led by elves Wayne and Lanny, the duo from ABC/Walt Disney Animation Studios' animated special in "Prep & Landing." The spirited yuletide adventure to the North Pole includes memorable holiday moments from favorite Disney films including: Mickey's Christmas Carol, Beauty and the Beast, Pluto's Christmas Tree, Bambi, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, and many more. This will all build to a festive finale that will just leave you "So tinsel." Let's not forget there will be SNOW!

There will also be the "Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!" Dessert Party which will include reserved viewing of the nighttime spectacular, desserts, specialty beverages, and more. Each of the dessert party-goers will receive a pair of 3D HoloSpex glasses to use while watching the show. The glasses will create spectacular holographic illusions of gingerbread men, candy canes, snowflakes, and ornaments on any bright point of light. 

This amazing new nighttime holiday spectacular will dazzle Hollywood Studios until December 31. The holidays are fast approaching at Disney World and we can't wait. 

Princess Elena of Avalor Coming to Princess Fairytale Hall:

Princess Elena of Avalor is coming to Princess Fairytale Hall at Magic Kingdom beginning November 24. Here are the complete details from the Disney Parks Blog:

Beginning November 24, Princess Elena of Avalor – the first Disney princess inspired by diverse Latin cultures – will begin to greet guests alongside other royal friends at Princess Fairytale Hall at Magic Kingdom Park. At Princess Fairytale Hall, guests can choose between a meeting with Elena and Cinderella or a visit with Rapunzel and Tiana. FastPass+ reservations for dates that include Elena appearances will become available today, October 14.

Princess Elena made her debut at Magic Kingdom back in August, when she was welcomed by Cinderella to the kingdom in, "The Princess Elena Royal Welcome," show. You will still be able to enjoy this wonderful show throughout the #WonderFALL season at Walt Disney World.

Is Rivers of Light Delayed Until May 2017?; DINOSAUR Refurbishment Extended a Month Longer

Is Rivers of Light Delayed Until May 2017?:

The Rivers of Light saga continues to be a mystery as today some revelation on the nighttime spectacular may have been leaked today. A discovery by several people on Disney World's website revealed that dining packages for the new show leaked  to show that they would begin May 1, 2017. 

In those details it revealed that three restaurants would be available in Tusker House and Flame Tree Barbecue, but the third option remained unnamed. One would think that option is Tiffins as that is Animal Kingdom's newest signature restaurant. However, the dining package page on the website was removed by late morning. 

Rumors have been swirling for weeks that Rivers of Light was just about ready to debut. Many were saying that it would be ready in the coming weeks if not by late Fall. Could Disney really be delaying the show for more than a year after it was originally slated to debut. Disney has yet to confirm any kind of official debut of Rivers of Light to this moment. In fact we are still waiting on an update about the nighttime show since it was delayed in April. 

If the May 1, 2017 date is really the official debut for Rivers of Light, it is kind of disappointing. The preview that Disney showed to the media looked really amazing. The anticipation for this nighttime spectacular is overwhelming and as always stay tuned for when we get official word on the debut of Rivers of Light at Animal Kingdom.

DINOSAUR Refurbishment Extended a Month Longer:

DINOSAUR at Disney's Animal Kingdom was supposed to reopen next week on October 17. However, several guests have reported of receiving emails that their FastPass+ reservations for the attraction have been cancelled for the next 30 days. The new re-opening date for the attraction is now extended to November 20, 2016.

Have you had a FastPass+ reservation cancelled for DINOSAUR?

Final "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" Trailer Released

This morning on Good Morning America, the final "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" trailer was released. The film, which is directed by Gareth Edwards, is the first stand-alone film in the Star Wars series. 'Rogue One' sets the path for the story line of Episode IV in "A New Hope." A group of rebels led by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) set on the journey to steal plans of the Death Star from the Galactic Empire. 

Here is the trailer:

A rebellion built on hope.#RogueOne: A Star Wars Story is in theaters December 16. pic.twitter.com/DOhjvMGnyK

— Star Wars (@starwars) October 13, 2016

A rebellion built on hope, oh my I can't wait to see this film.

New "Rogue One" Poster Released, Final Trailer Out Tomorrow; 2017 Disney Parks & Resorts Calendar Returns

New "Rogue One" Poster Revealed, Final Trailer Out Tomorrow:

Today, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" director Gareth Edwards revealed on The Star Wars Show a brand new poster for the film and revealed that the final trailer for the film will be released tomorrow morning. Here is the poster:

The poster features a massive looming Death Star and the haunting visage of Darth Vader within. They are matched only by Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and her band of rebels below her, while TIE strikers, TIE fighters, U-wings, and X-wings take flight. At the bottom of the poster is the striking image of stormtroopers in the waters of Scarif, the principal construction facility for the vast Imperial war machine, with AT-ACT walkers following close behind.

Stay tuned right here on It All Started With a Mouse for the final trailer of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." The film flies into theaters December 16, 2016.

Disney Parks & Resorts Calendar Returns for 2017:

A favorite item will be returning this Fall to Disney Parks for 2017. The Disney Parks & Resorts Attraction Poster Calendar features favorite attractions posters from Disney Parks around the world. This year's calendar features posters from classic Disney attractions like the Carousel of Progress, or destinations like the Disneyland Hotel in Disneyland. Attractions from Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland are also included.

Each poster in this calendar is suitable for display in a standard 12-inch by 18-inch frame. There are perforations above and below each poster for easy removal after its calendar month. The posters are printed on acid-free and lignin-free paper.

This calendar will be released in select merchandise locations at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. Once available, guests may also find the calendar using the Shop Disney Parks mobile app. Will you be purchasing the 2017 Disney Parks & Resorts Attraction Poster Calendar?

Magic Kingdom After-Hours Wedding Experience Introduced; NFL Pro Bowl Announces Events Around Disney World

Magic Kingdom After-Hours Wedding Experience Introduced:

Today, Disney Weddings introduced the Magic Kingdom After-Hours Wedding for guests. Guests will now be able to have a fairytale wedding and say 'I do' in front of Cinderella Castle. Then the bride and groom will celebrate along with up to 300 guests with a reception in Fantasyland at night. This is available only currently as part of the Disney Weddings Wishes Collection.

The tailor-made fairytale wedding takes place after Magic Kingdom closes. Here are some more details that may help you choose this magical and wonderful once in a life time fairytale experience:

• This unique wedding experience is the perfect choice for couples searching for something truly magical and unforgettable. 
• Take in all the beauty and wonder of Magic Kingdom park without all the crowds. Experience an exclusive ceremony and reception in the heart of it all.
• Live out your fairy tale in true Disney style. Imagine riding in Cinderella's Coach down a beautifully lit Main Street, U.S.A. as the majestic Cinderella Castle awaits you in the distance.
• Enjoy a setting unlike any other as you celebrate your special day with friends and family.
• Contact your Disney Wedding Specialist to learn more about this enchanting experience.

This experience is unlike any other and is completely customizable of you and your wedding dreams. 

NFL Pro Bowl Announces Events Around Disney World:

Today, the NFL Pro Bowl announced that with the 2017 NFL Pro Bowl being held in Orlando for the first time ever, it will be holding several events around Walt Disney World. This will include a 5k run,  a celebratory parade with players at the Magic Kingdom, and practices for teams at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. Here are more details:

Pro Bowl 5K Run:

The race will take place the last weekend in January. Put on your favorite football jersey, grab the family, and go for the end zone that’s just 5,468 yards away! It’s football fun for the entire family as you run through the spectacular Walt Disney World Resort. And there will be plenty of entertainment and memory-making moments along the way!

NFL Action at ESPN Wide World of Sports:

The official practice site of the Pro Bowl will be the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Everyone is invited to come out and catch their favorite Pro Bowl players in practices on the field. Pro Bowlers will also be able to honor their former high school football or Pop Warner coach by inviting them to the game. Each member of the winning Pro Bowl team will earn a grant from the NFL Foundation to aid in the development of programs at their former high schools.

Pro Bowl Parade and More Football Activities:
It will be a magic-filled afternoon as everyone’s favorite Pro Bowlers join Mickey and his pals in a celebratory parade down Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom Park. Then, join the fun at Disney Springs, Disney’s newest entertainment, shopping and dining destination, for even more Pro Bowl excitement.

Mark your calendar now and get ready for some football, festivities, and plenty of family fun during the week-long celebration! Registration for the Pro Bowl 5K Run and tickets for the Pro Bowl will be available beginning October 25. Check out ProBowl.com for more information.

Wine Bar George Opening in Disney Springs in Fall 2017; Guy Ritchie in Talks to Direct Live-Action 'Aladdin'

Wine Bar George Opening in Disney Springs in Fall 2017:

Fans of California Grill should be excited about this wine bar opening in Disney Springs in Fall 2017.  Many will remember Master Sommelier George Miliotes who was part of the opening team at the restaurant when it opened in 1995. Miliotes has started a new venture that will be opening in Disney Springs next fall called, Wine Bar George. Miliotes is one of 230 master sommeliers in the world.

The wine bar will seat 210 guests and will be reminiscent of a winemaker's home estate that will feature oak wood, warm lighting, and a welcoming, comfortable atmosphere. It will also include a food menu featuring small plates that will be designed to compliment the wine list. Miliotes said, "Offerings will feature local artisans and seasonal flavors - bringing guests ideal food and wine pairings and culinary explorations."

Here is more from the Disney Parks Blog release:

"Wine Bar George will offer more than 100 selections both by the bottle and the glass in a range of varietals, vintages and prices. Guests will be able to experience sips from acclaimed wineries as well as up-and-coming growing regions and wineries. Wine education will be served up in an approachable and fun manner, says Miliotes, and he is planning special events and visits from renowned winemakers."

Follow George @WineBarGeorge on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest and join the #WineBarGeorge conversation. Visit WineBarGeorge.com for news and updates.

Guy Ritchie in Talks to Direct Live-Action 'Aladdin':

In recent weeks, Disney has announced live-action re-makes of "The Lion King" and "Mulan" and today according to several reports "Aladdin" will be the live-action film Disney makes. According to reports director Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes) is in talks to direct the film. The script will be written by John August who performed the same role for the stop-motion film in Disney's Frankenweenie.

Previously, it was reported that a prequel to "Aladdin' was in development and that it would be centered around Genies. However, now it has seemed to transition into the more familiar animated classic from 1992. It is expected that the film will keep some of the musical elements, however the take on Robin Williams' Genie has yet to be determined. 

"Hakuna Matata, It means No Worries." Trip Report Part 2

I left you last week finishing up the first two days of my trip. Despite some struggles and some rain, they were quite amazing. After beginning my trip in Epcot and our first full day in the parks at Hollywood Studios, it was time to head to Magic Kingdom on Tuesday and Animal Kingdom on Wednesday. Oh yeah, also the amazing fireworks in, Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular, at Hollywood on Tuesday night. The adventures continue now. 

Tuesday: 

Is there anything like walking into the Magic Kingdom and walking down Main Street, USA? I finally got to do that on Tuesday morning of my trip. While Hollywood Studios and Epcot are up there as my favorite parks, Magic Kingdom just has the nostalgic feeling. I mean it is the park that started it all for Disney World. 

Although the famous WDW Crane was in the background, Cinderella Castle was as beautiful as ever. It was time to head over to Fantasyland for our first FastPass in Peter Pan's Flight. The park wasn't all to busy but it seemed everyone had a FastPass the same time as ours. It was our longest wait of the day literally. After Peter Pan's Flight we headed straight over to 'it's a small world' and walked right on. It had been down for refurbishment up until the day before so it was nice to enjoy the classic attraction. Although I was disappointed that the personal message screens weren't working, so no goodbye message for me. 

I noticed that Haunted Mansion didn't have much of a wait so we headed over there for one of my favorite rides in the park.  The interactive queue was down and blocked off so both the FastPass lines and the Stand-by lines were combined. Disney World needs more rides like Haunted Mansion, Imagineering did an amazing job creating this 45 years ago.

After riding three rides in a matter of an hour, it was time for lunch already as we arrived to the park later in the morning. We headed over to Columbia Harbor House for some lunch. This is easily one of the best quick service restaurants in the Magic Kingdom. I'm not a fish person, but I did enjoy my chicken breast nuggets. We finished lunch and it was time for our next FastPass over at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. 

I am still amazed how amazing this ride is with the advancement of the animatronics. Although it is a short ride, it is still quite the amazing attraction. Generally everything we rode we walked on but we decided to take a break and head over to Mickey's Philharmagic. While I miss The Lion King show that was housed here years ago, I love singing along with all the classic Disney songs in this show. It is one of those attractions that I enjoy every trip.

We got out of the show and the clouds had begun rolling in. I was hoping the rain that was coming wouldn't last long like the previous two days. We headed over to Tomorrowland for our next FastPass in Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, my favorite ride. As we were heading over it did begin raining and it was early so I actually rode it twice once without our FastPass and another with our FastPass. Luckily between riding it twice the rain had stopped. Here are my scores the first ride was horrible and the second ride through was much better.

While the rain had stopped it was still cloudy but it was as hot as ever. We headed into Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor for a break from the sun. Interesting enough it was one of the shows where the jokes were new and of course I love Mike Wazowski and Roz. We decided to head back to Liberty Square and check out Hall of Presidents. Before Hall of Presidents though we caught with my favorite parades in the Festival of Fantasy parade. 

After cooling down in Hall of Presidents, the sun made it feel like it was over 100 that day. I ran to try my very first churro. I know weird that all the times I've been at the parks I've never had one. It was good but they won't top my favorite snack at Disney in the Mickey Rice Krispie Treat. We didn't have any table service reservations so before we headed to Hollywood Studios for the fireworks we headed to our resort for dinner.

Dinner like I said in my resort review wasn't actually pretty good and it was almost like eating a big meal for dinner. After resting in the room for a while after dinner my mother and I headed over to Hollywood Studios for Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular. Bus service was spectacular on this trip and we made it to the Studios by 7:30. I ran over to Star Wars Launch Bay to buy a pin (I have quite the collection of pins) while my mother sat waiting for the fireworks to the show. I got back with 15 minutes to spare. Here are some of the shots I captured:

I have said this plenty of times over the last two weeks since I've returned, "Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular" is hands down the best nighttime fireworks show in Disney World. It lived up to my expectations and then some. The day was complete and we headed back to our resort after another amazing day to our trip.

Wednesday: 

Today, was our late day as we had lunch reservations at the Kona Cafe at noon and then we would head over to Animal Kingdom. It was also the day where remember when I said my story on my father's motorized wheelchair wasn't over, well this was the day the nightmare would finally end. After breakfast and getting ready we decided to head over the Poly early to enjoy our favorite resort. On our way over though after the wheelchair was charging all night, it was already down to a low battery. Be in mind this is the second chair that was giving us issues.

Sure enough my mother got on the phone with the rental place and they said they would bring a new one to the Polynesian. I am glad to say that this was a completely different chair from the other two and worked wonders the rest of the trip. Lunch at the Kona was absolutely delicious, I had the Pan-Asian Noodles with chicken. Again it was amazing and I just love the Polynesian and even though they took away my water fountain, the beauty of the resort is still amazing.

Visiting the Polynesian is always amazing, but it was time to head over to Animal Kingdom for the rest of the day. We got there later than I thought we would but we did it make it with plenty of time before our FastPass for Festival of the Lion King. It had been quite a few years since we had seen the show, also the first time we had seen it since it had moved. The show was amazing and we were in the Lion section of the theater.

The Festival of the Lion King was great, but after that it was time for my favorite ride in Animal Kingdom in Expedition Everest. The thrills that this ride gives me is like no other and the best part is mother loves it too. Before heading back towards the front of the park I got the chance to take some pictures of the Rivers of Light area and the Tree of Life. While Rivers of Light isn't yet ready to debut the stadium where it will be held is ready. A note of significance none of the lotus floats or animal floats were out when I was there.

Before dinner, we decided to go into the Tree of Life for the Bug's Life show. Let me tell you I don't remember the show very well, but seeing my mother's reaction to the bugs crawling her or coming at her was quite priceless. We then headed over to Flame Tree Barbecue for dinner. My mother and I shared the Chicken and Ribs combo and my father had the half rack of ribs. For a quick service, the meal was quite exceptional and this was my first time there. I would definitely return for a meal there.

After dinner, we headed over to Africa as my FastPass for my nighttime safari on Kilimanjaro Safari was coming up. I couldn't be more excited to see some of the nighttime experiences at Animal Kingdom. Now the safari was absolutely amazing but unfortunately taking pictures in a moving vehicle is not easy. Here are some of the pictures from my safari. 

As I was saying the safari was amazing, and the lions were out and roaring. It was a crazy experience that I can't wait to do again. We then headed to the front of the park to see the Tree of Life lit up at night before we headed back to the resort for the night.

Animal Kingdom at night is absolutely breathtaking and will get even better with Rivers of Light and once Pandora - The World of Avatar opens. I could say this what Disney has done to this park is great and once the new stuff is complete it will no longer be a half day park and will finally be a full-day park. 

This ends part 2 of my trip report, next week I will finish up this amazing trip. I hope you enjoyed this part of my trip as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you.