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disney things

5 Disney Things You Should Know This Week – April 1, 2016

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Each Friday, I provide 5 Disney things all Disney fans should know from this past week, just in case you missed them. Here are the super important Disney news items for this week:

New Disney Lego Minifigurines

Disney LEGO

While it has been very strange that this has not happened years ago, Disney and LEGO have finally announced they are producing a line of Disney themed LEGO minifigures starting in May, 2106. Prices should start at under $4 for each minifigure. They will be available for sale at World of Disney as well as the LEGO store in Disney Springs (and most likely Downtown Disney at Disneyland), as well as some other, yet to be announce, retailers. Hopefully they will be available online as well.

Disney LEGO Minifigures

Sounds Like Summer Concert Series

sounds like summer epcot

Each year, Epcot offers great concert series, including during the Flower and Garden and Food and Wine Festival. One of the best is the Sounds Like Summer concert series, which feature cover bands of your favorite rock groups. Three new acts have been added this year!

2016 Sounds Like Summer Concert Series

Tiffin Details

animal kingdom Tiffin

More details have been released about Tiffin, the new restaurant that will be opening this year in Animal Kingdom.

“Tiffins is the signature restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, celebrating the culture of design and research that went into creating this unique park,” said Emily O’Brien, Walt Disney Imagineering executive show producer for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The galleries, or dining rooms, focus on Asia [Trek Gallery with 74 seats] and Africa [Safari Gallery with 64 seats], and the third [Grand Gallery with 114 seats] pays homage to animal species that the Disney Conservation Fund works to protect.

It looks like more information on food and the opening date will be given soon.

Animal Kingdom’s Tiffin Restaurant 

Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival

california food wine festival

The Disney California Adventure Food and Wine festival opens today, and runs through May 1, 2016. While not the West Coast equivalent of Epcot’s festival, Disney still offers great food booths and events for Disney guests.

Aulani Free Transportation

Aulani

Thinking about going to Aulani this Summer? Who wouldn’t love that? If so, you can get free airport transfers plus a one day free car rental!

For a limited time, you can receive free round-trip transportation from the airport to Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, plus a free 1-day mid-size Alamo car rental, when they book your stay of 4 consecutive nights or longer at Aulani through Walt Disney Travel Company.

This special offer is available for select stays June 14 – August 15, 2016. Book now through June 2, 2016.

Did I miss any Disney news this week that should have been included?

Disney Fashionista Finds

Disney Fashionista Finds – March 31, 2015

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Disney is great at merchandising, and they have improved greatly from the days when it was hard to find much more than a Mickey t-shirt for sale in the parks. Not only have in park items improved, but Disney has also opened small, boutique stores that feature unique Disney inspired fashion , which are usually a step up from the theme park attire. These stores such as Vault 28 and D Street in Disneyland and Tren-D at Walt Disney World sell unique Disney items you really can’t buy anywhere else.

But of course, Disney can’t provide everything that a Disney fashionista needs. The good news is that there are other Disney fans out there that are also Disney fashion conscious that have come up with some amazing Disney themed items that you can buy directly from home. Check out a few options that I found this week:

Emporium on Main

disney princess bows
Anna and Ariel Disney Princess Ribbon Hair Bows

Do you have a little princess, or possible a big inner princess, that needs to express her Disney self on a daily basis? Emporium on Main have awesome hair bows, hair bands, magnets and really unique ribbon sculpture hair bows. You can wear any of these on a daily basis, or into the parks. There is a huge variety of bows, you could wear one a day for a good 6 months and never repeat. Check them out, you will love them.

Disney hair bows

FairyTale Midnight

Disney Shoes

Do you love Disney AND shoes? Check out Fairytale Midnight, they produce Disney themed shoes. Take a little Snow White with you to work, or maybe some Minnie Mouse to your wedding. FairtyTale Midnight has some awesome shoes. WARNING: These may not be the best shoes to wear around the Disney theme parks, but they would be awesome just about anywhere else.

Shoes are My Canvas

Disney Vans

Looking for some Disney shoes a little bit less formal than what FairyTale Midnight offers? Check out Shoes are my Canvas for hand painted, Disney themed Vans. There are a ton of Dinsey options, and I am sure you can even request some other Disney themes if you don’t see them available on their site.

Well, there you go. I hope to add to this Disney Fashionista series every few weeks, when I find awesome stores selling awesome Disney stuff. Feel free to let me know of any places you love.

 

 

Disney MagicBands

MagicBands

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In early 2013, Walt Disney World introduced MyMagic+, a complete overhaul of their entire system, which covered everything from hotel and dining reservations to fast passes. As part of this new system, Walt Disney World introduced MagicBands, which would be the central point of guest interaction with everything at Disney World.

MagicBands, are just that, Magic. They are a simple wrist band that you wear during your stay at Disney World. The wrist bands feature RFID technology, which allows Disney to interact with you in new and unique ways, many of which we have yet to see several years after this project rolled out.

What do MagicBands do?

Check out all the current and rumored things that MagicBands do:

  • MagicBands are your room key for all Walt Disney World Resort rooms. Just tap your MagicBand on the pad on your door and it opens.
  • MagicBands are your park passes for all four Walt Disney World theme parks, as well as the water parks and any other areas of Walt Disney World that require admission.
  • MagicBands are your fast passes for all rides and attractions. Fast passes reservations are now made online in advance of your vacation, or from kiosks in the theme parks, which are then stored on your MagicBands.
  • For Walt Disney World Resort guests who have added a credit card to their reservation, MagicBands are your charge card while in the theme parks and resorts, as well as at most Disney Springs shops and restaurants. Just tap your band and your charge is added to your room charges.
  • MagicBands keep track of you Disney photos in the parks. Not only when you stop to have a Disney photographer take your photo, but also in-ride photos are attached to your account, many automatically are added as you ride the rides.
  • While not currently in place, the next stop for MagicBands will be proximity usage. Imagine walking up to see Anna and Elsa, and they already know your daughter’s name because of her MagicBand, and they greet her by name. Magic!

Who gets MagicBands?

  • All Walt Disney Resorts guests who have booked a Magic Your Way Package that includes your Walt Disney World Resort and theme park passes receive one MagicBand per person for free.
  • Walt Disney World annual passholders receive a MagicBand for free, you just need to link your annual pass to your Disney profile online and customize your MagicBand.
  • Any Walt Disney World Guest can purchase a MagicBand either online or in the theme parks and have your current and future Disney passes linked to the MagicBand. More on this option below.

MagicBands

What are my MagicBand options?

  • If you book a Magic Your Way package or are an annual passholder, you customize your MagicBands online. You are limited to the solid colors they currently offer: Gray, Purple, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue or Pink. You can pick a different color for each person in your family, plus you will be able to customize it with your preferred name, which will be printed on the back of the band.
  • If you happen to book a package for this Summer with the current Awaken Summer discount, you will be given the option to choose a special BB-8 Star Wars themed MagicBand too in addition the solid color ones.
  • Please note, if you book a Magic Your Way Package and DO NOT customize your MagicBands online, you will be given a Gray MagicBand for each person in your party at check in. BORING! Do not forget to customize your bands.
  • Anyone can purchase a MagicBand online, at a Disney Store or in the Walt Disney Worth theme parks. Disney sells the boring solid colors ones online and in the parks for about $13. They also sell many themed MagicBands, which run about $23, though there are a few that are $28 for some reason. These themed ones feature just about everything from Mickey and other Disney characters to Star Wars and Zootopia characters. My favorite is the Orange Bird MagicBand, I wear it every trip! Once purchased, you can link your existing ticket to this new MagicBand, whether it is linked to one already or not.
  • Disney also sells little sets of “pins” called MagicBandits. Just pop them into the holes on your MagicBands to add some class. You can choose from a bunch of different Disney characters or jeweled Mickey heads. Also, Disney sells themed “sliders” that go on your bands to change them a bit too.
  • Of course, if you have a boring colored one, and don’t feel like spending an additional $23 on each person in your family, you can always customize your MagicBands for just a few dollars. Just search Pinterest or other sites for idea. I have personally purchased MagicBand stickers from My Fantasy Bands online, they work great, are cheap, and everyone in my family got a unique MagicBand for a fraction of the price.
  • Currently, MagicBands are only used at Walt Disney World, and do not work anywhere at Disneyland. Rumor has it that MagicBand will be launched at Disneyland at some point in the near future.

It will be interesting as time goes one to see what Disney adds to the MagicBand capabilities.