Yesterday I went to Magic Kingdom after work. The weather was warm and cloudy. I had 3 fast passes booked ahead of time. The Christmas tree was still up on Main Street, USA. I watched some of the Trolley Show on my way to Adventureland.
I stopped at Pecos Bill’s to get lunch. I got the veggie nachos and lemonade.
My first fast pass was for Jungle Cruise. After that, I had a fast pass for Pirates of the Caribbean. The line for Pirates was slightly backed up, but both lines were efficient at getting me on the ride.
Next, I rode the Liberty Belle riverboat. I could see the construction on Splash Mountain. I got some good pictures of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. After that, I had a fast pass for Peter Pan’s Flight.
I decided to book another fast pass, this time for The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. The ride only stopped once, at the beginning.
Before I left, I walked through the stores on Main Street, USA. I found some really cute teacups with Disney princesses on them. The picture above shows the Christmas-themed Belle teacup.
The time between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day is super busy in Orlando. The photo above was taken around noon, and Disney Springs was already packed.
City Works has a new sign out front. The restaurant should be opening in January 2020.
The AMC Theater is still decorated for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Stitch’s Holiday Gift Hunt is continuing until January 5, 2020. The booklets are free and can be picked up at several stores. I received a button just by walking through the Christmas Tree Trail. I’m guessing that they were handing them out to get rid of the extra buttons.
At Disney Style, I’m a fan of this retro t-shirt.
You can get your picture taken with a cute snowman wearing Mickey ears.
The new Redd ears and backpacks are available.
At UNIQLO, there is a Star Wars collection with a nice variety of t-shirts.
There are also shirts featuring Mickey and Donald, of course.
At World of Disney, there are several shirts available with Baby Yoda on them.
The only Baby Yoda spirit jersey I could find was size XS. Hopefully they’ve restocked them.
Marketplace Co-Op has this cute Aristocats dress.
There is also a purse featuring the three kittens Berlioz, Marie, and Toulouse.
A new cherry-themed Mickey and Minnie kitchen collection is also available.
That’s all from A Castle and a Wish for this year. See you in 2020!
2020 is going to be a busy year at Walt Disney World! EPCOT is under a multi-year transformation, and Disney Springs is continuing to evolve. Here’s what you can expect next year:
January
Sometime in January – City Works Eatery & Pour House will open in Disney Springs.
January 17 – Three new films are coming to EPCOT. Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along will open in the France Pavilion. Awesome Planet will open in The Land. Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360 will open in the Canada Pavilion.
Winter
Space 220 is a new restaurant opening next to Mission: Space in EPCOT. Guests will feel like they are dining 220 miles above the earth.
Regal Eagle Smokehouse will open in the American Adventure Pavilion at EPCOT.
March
Sometime in March – The Mickey Shorts Theater will open at Hollywood Studios. The theater will play its own original Mickey Mouse cartoon short.
March 4 – Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway will open at Hollywood Studios.
March 20 – The new Cirque du Soleil show “Drawn to Life” will begin previews at Disney Springs. The show tells the story of a girl named Julie, whose late father was a Disney animator.
Summer
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and La Crêperie de Paris will open in the France Pavilion at EPCOT.
Unknown Date
Wondrous China will open sometime next year in the China Pavilion at EPCOT.
HarmonioUS will debut next year at EPCOT.
Roundup Rodeo BBQ will open in Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios.
M&M’s Store will open in Disney Springs.
Ample Hills Creamery and Beatrix are expected to open sometime next year at Disney Springs.
Last week, I had the chance to walk around the new Riviera Resort. I rode the Skyliner in from Hollywood Studios. The Riviera Resort officially opened on December 16, 2019.
The main lobby is fairly small in size. It is decorated with a Christmas tree for the holidays.
The gift shop is called La Boutique. Most items for sale are related to the Riviera Resort and Disney Vacation Club.
These are the Riviera Resort Minnie ears.
Le Petit Cafe is next to the gift shop. It serves coffee and snacks like croissants and banana bread.
The Voyageurs’ Lounge is a nice area to relax and read. It was inspired by Walt Disney’s travels around Europe.
Across from the lounge, there are photos of Walt Disney on the wall.
Here is a standard look down the hallways. Artwork of the princesses and castles line the walls. The hallways still smell a bit like fresh paint.
The carpet near the elevators features hidden Disney characters.
Here’s a look at the back of the resort from the 9th floor.
The resort has two pools, the Beau Soleil Pool and the Riviera Pool.
This is the Beau Soleil Pool. Being a chilly December day, no guests were at the pool.
Bar Riva serves cocktails and wine. They also have sandwiches and burgers.
The pool area has a water slide and kids’ play area. There are plenty of outdoor chairs and an area for corn hole.
There is also a small hot tub.
This outdoor fire pit would be good for a s’mores night.
There is a sign showing a running trail around the resort.
The landscaping currently has pink flowers.
This archway on the way to the Skyliner has two beautiful murals.
One of the murals includes the tower, lanterns, and castle from Tangled.
The other includes Neverland, Peter Pan and the Darlings flying, and London.
Here is a map of the resort.
The Skyliner station can take guests directly to Epcot or Caribbean Beach.
Note: I did not get pictures of some of the restaurants. Topolino’s Terrace is on the 10th floor. I hope you enjoyed this look at the Riviera Resort!
Yesterday I watched Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Some critics have torn this movies to shreds with cynicism, and I just want to say that I did enjoy watching the movie. After seeing it once, I would rate it a 6/10. Star Wars is a franchise that people shouldn’t take too seriously, but seriously means a lot to fans. As a fan myself, I am willing to overlook some of the issues with the movie’s pace. It was a mess, but a fun ride. Please do not read on unless you have watched the movie! After this paragraph, there will be spoilers.
From the very beginning of this trilogy, I’ve been hoping that Rey would not be directly related to the Skywalkers. I hoped she could be related to a character we’ve seen before in the television shows or comics. Making her the granddaughter of Palpatine was a safe move that many people have theorized. I didn’t hate that decision, but it reversed The Last Jedi’s attempt to break the cycle of power held by only a few families in the galaxy.
With Kylo Ren in the spotlight, the rest of the First Order took a backseat. Richard E. Grant was great as Allegiant General Pryde. Remember the jet troopers, sith troopers, and Knights of Ren, who were hyped up and slapped onto merchandise? They weren’t important to the film at all. Luckily for Lucasfilm, plot holes and character backstories can be explained in comics, novels, and television shows. Not every film has that luxury.
Babu Frik was really cute. His scene with C-3P0 was one of my favorites. I liked D-0 more than I thought I would. Zorri Bliss and Jannah were cool, but we still don’t know a lot about them. Klaud and Boolio were barely in the movie. At least some actors got paid to provide their voices.
Poe Dameron is back in the middle of the action as a pilot for the Resistance. Learning that he used to be a smuggler didn’t really take me by surprise or sway my opinion of him. After the events of this film, I wonder what Poe will do, since the fight against the First Order has come to a conclusion.
As far as Rose Tico: Rose seemed a bit boring to me in The Last Jedi, but I thought in the new film, she could at least be established as a Resistance leader. Maybe not a pilot like her sister, but someone who could lead a group on ground missions. Instead, she was pushed to the background, and I was a bit disappointed. Also, I wasn’t sure what happened between Rose and Finn. Finn’s big secret was that he was force-sensitive, and I hope that future Star Wars media will expand on his abilities.
There were many literal ghosts of characters past/passed. Han comes back as a memory, Luke and Leia return as force ghosts, and Rey heard the voices of many Jedi before her. They weren’t all necessary scenes, but I enjoyed them. I don’t know how Luke’s X-wing still works after being underwater for a while, but seeing Rey wear his helmet was a nice tribute.
Kylo’s death was satisfying. None of the Skywalkers before him had exactly what you would call a happy ending. It took Palpatine coming back from the dead for Ben to return to the light side. Then he died for the thing he believed in the most, which was Rey. I’ve never shipped them as a couple, but it was obvious from The Last Jedi that he had feelings for her. Ben’s death parallels the death of his own grandfather, Anakin Skywalker. And remember, in the Star Wars galaxy, “no one’s ever really gone.”
The end of the film shows Rey burying Luke and Leia’s lightsabers on Tatooine. She wields a new yellow lightsaber, takes on the name Rey Skywalker, and stares into the distance at two suns. It’s not subtle, but it’s a tolerable conclusion for the end of the Skywalker Saga. Leia, even while knowing Rey’s lineage, told her, “never be afraid of who you are.” And now, Rey doesn’t have to be.
On Sunday, I went to Universal Orlando with my roommate. Our first stop was Toon Extra, the gift shop in Toon Lagoon. I got my December passholder button with a squirrel on it. I wasn’t sure why it had a squirrel, but I was about to find out later in the day.
At the Mulberry Street Store in Seuss Landing, I picked up a map for the Holiday Tree Hunt. It’s a free scavenger hunt where you collect stamps from both parks and City Walk. We walked around Islands of Adventure and City Walk first.
Next, we went to Universal Studios. Most of the stamps were near the front. The other two were by The Mummy and Men in Black rides. After I collected the stamps I needed, I went to the Park Plaza Holiday Shop in the New York area.
They had two minion ornaments to choose from as a redemption prize. I picked the minion with two eyes. My roommate and I found a spot on the sidewalk to watch the parade.
While we were waiting, some people sitting next to us told us about an animatronic squirrel in the Christmas tree. It is a tradition at Universal Studios to hide the squirrel in a new spot every year. So that’s why the passholder button had a squirrel on it!
After the parade, we got a spot for the Mannheim Steamroller concert. The opening act was an a cappella group called The Mistletones. At 7 PM, Mannheim Steamroller took the stage. This is their thirteenth consecutive year performing at Universal Studios.
The concert ended with a performance featuring some of the Grinchmas cast. The concert ended around 8 PM.
Warning: This post contains details and photos from Rise of the Resistance that may be considered spoilers!
Yesterday I went to Hollywood Studios for the opening day of Rise of the Resistance, a new ride in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. I knew the reviews for the ride were very positive, but I avoided watching videos from the media beforehand.
I woke up around 4:30 AM. I arrived at Hollywood Studios around 5:50 AM. There were already guests in the park, and the rides were beginning to open. To go on Rise of the Resistance, you had to reserve a boarding pass for a virtual queue on the My Disney Experience app. I got boarding group 31.
Walking down Sunset Boulevard, I watched the Sunset Seasons Greetings projection show. I got in line to buy Rise of the Resistance merchandise. I bought the passholder MagicBand and a pin.
I went on Rockin Roller Coaster first. When I went on Tower of Terror, I had the whole elevator to myself! Next, I rode Star Tours. Then I rode all three rides in Toy Story Land and ate breakfast at Woody’s Lunch Box.
At 8:30 AM, there were signs out that said all the boarding groups for the day were full. Good thing I got there early!
I went over to Galaxy’s Edge to wait near the entrance of the ride. At 10:15 AM, they finally called my group to get in line.
The line started outside and went inside. The queue was full of details and references to the recent Star Wars films. There was a room with BB-8 and a holographic message from Rey. After that, we went outside again.
To our right was Poe Dameron’s X-Wing with BB-8. We were directed into a Resistance ship and greeted by Lieutenant Bek. But our ship was captured by the First Order!
We stepped into a large room with rows of stormtroopers and a tie fighter parked on the wall. Then we went into a hallway where we were divided into groups. There were First Order officers asking us questions and trying to intimidate us. They said that they were trying to find out the location of the Resistance base.
We were found by two Resistance fighters that said they were there to rescue us. We were seated on the ride vehicles in two rows of four.
The ride takes you through different rooms in the First Order Star Destroyer. You run into Kylo Ren several times. You move around the feet of AT-ATs and get caught underneath blaster fire. At the end of the ride, you escape and return to Batuu. When I got off the ride I wished I could immediately go on it again!
I think everyone who likes thrill rides should ride Rise of the Resistance if they are visiting Hollywood Studios. I recommend getting to the parks very early (before the posted opening time). The virtual line makes it possible to spend your time in other areas of the park while you wait. And it was worth the wait!
The Christmas Season has officially arrived at the Universal Orlando resort. I visited Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios to see the decorations and seasonal entertainment. Holidays at Universal Orlando will run until January 5, 2020.
First I went to Islands of Adventure. Over in Seuss Landing, there are plenty of Christmas decorations. The Lorax statue is even wearing a bow.
Grinchmas is a seasonal musical at Universal that tells the story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The show is about 30 minutes long.
The set is cute and the performers did a great job (including Max the dog).
Next, I headed over to Universal Studios. The Christmas tree in the New York area is so cool! They light it up during the parade.
I watched Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s. The parade opens with wintry elves and snowflakes.
This minion tree was actually singing. Instead of candy canes on the tree, the minions had bananas.
I love the Penguins of Madagascar, and seeing them on their own float was amazing.
This giant nutcracker soldier was probably my favorite balloon.
To end the parade, Santa was in his sleigh, followed by some gold Macy’s stars.
Back in Islands of Adventure, The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle is a nighttime projection show. Each scene has music, and fireworks shoot off at the end. This is my favorite projection show that runs on the Hogwarts Castle.
The holidays are a great time to visit Universal. I’ll be back in December to grab my annual passholder button of the month.
A Castle and a Wish 