Welcome to the MiceChat news Round-up!

This Holiday season has brought record crowds to both Disneyland resort and other local Theme Parks. But lucky for your day guests and Signature Plus ticket holders, now that all other passes have been bocked, the parks are blissfully uncrowded. Today’s Round Up has all the latest news & tips for this most festive time of the year! Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays as you celebrate with Family & Friends!

This Week’s Top Stories

MiceChat Disney News Roundup

Welcome back to chilly Southern California, where rain fell and temperatures dropped into sub-50 degrees this past week. With recent changes in Downtown Disney and theme park security, we’d like to take a closer look at the first act of the Disneyland Resort . . .

WIN TWO SEASON PASSES TO KNOTT’S BERRY FARM

Today is the last day for you to enter to win two free 2017 season passes to Knott’s Berry Farm. Why? Because we love you, and it’s the holidays. More info on how to enter in our latest Knott’s Update HERE.

Upcoming Events

MiceChat New Year’s Eve

Is your Disneyland pass blocked out for NYE this year? Come join us at Knott’s Berry Farm for an evening of fun, entertainment, rides, fried chicken, ice shows, fireworks and more. Enter your email HERE for more information about the event.

  • MiceChat Anniversary Weekend – Jan 27-29th, 2017 – SAVE THE DATE! MiceChat’s funnable anniversary weekend will be bigger and better than ever. DON’T miss it!!! Add your name to the waiting list HERE.
  • MiceChat Gumball Rally – May 6th, 2017 – SAVE THE DATE! MiceChat’s world-famous Gumball Rally is rolling your way the weekend before Mother’s Day. Two parks, one day, how many attractions can you ride?!!! Add your name to the waiting list HERE.
All things Disney!

Merry Christmas to everyone.  This week we have news on the behemoth of a pedestrian bridge that Disney is proposing, which would also create several issues for businesses along Harbor Blvd.. We also learn that the Remember Dreams Come True fireworks show might be returning in the off season ~ Aladdin

New Videos of Eastern Gateway
Video of the recent Anaheim Planning Commission meeting, regarding the proposed new parking garage on the old Pumba parking lot are available online. The entire meeting is worthwhile watching, to understand the concerns of the hotels and restaurants near the current Harbor Blvd crosswalk. Many long time businesses on Harbor do not like that Disney is proposing moving the security bubble right next to their hotels, at the same time, moving pedestrian business away from Harbor Blvd businesses.

Castle Heraldry Shoppe closing at Disneyland
Looks like this little shop in Disneyland will be closing soon, people discussed what could possibly be replaced with.

We hope some rumors are true, others, not so much. ~ Trekkie Dad

Remember…Dreams Come True returning in Early February 2017
Along with the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade (or at least the version with the surviving floats), Disneyland guest might also enjoy the return of the fireworks show that was designed for Disneyland’s 50th birthday. Check here for updates on whether this will come to pass.

Alcohol in the Magic Kingdom
From the recent column by our own Kevin Yee, the rumor has now started that this may be the end of a long tradition.

Podcasts & Videos

MiceChat Podcast – Ho, Ho Holiday Happenings: Christmas has become big business for the theme parks. What was once considered the “off season” is now the top draw of the year, with record crowds often recorded in the weeks leading up to New Years Eve. Dusty and Doug put on their elf shoes and take us on a virtual sleigh ride to parks across the country to see what’s going on for the holidays. Disneyland, Disney World, Knott’s, Universal, Six Flags, and beyond!

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Mousetalgia: It’s a Mousetalgia triple play this holiday week as we celebrate the opening of Lucasfilm’s “Rogue One – A Star Wars Story,” taste test Disneyland’s holiday offerings and chat about Verve’s new release “Jazz Loves Disney.” First, we offer our initial spoiler-free reactions to the latest film from the Star Wars galaxy far, far away. From Michael Giacchino’s new score to some dicey CGI, Rogue One offers a lot to digest, and we do our best to share some first impressions of this new format in the world of Star Wars films. Then, Kristen goes back to Disneyland once again to talk about tasting holiday treats, and shares more feedback about Storyteller Cafe, the Festival of Holidays, and the festive menu at Le Salon Nouveau. Finally, we speak with Boualem Lamhene, an executive director with Disney who founded the We Love Disney brand in France which is spreading around the world. We speak with Lamhene about the latest release in the series, “Jazz Loves Disney,” and we discuss the creative process behind the new album. Plus – Star Wars trivia, and a special feature: Drew Tablak performing Silent Night at Candlelight 2016.

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The Sweep Spot: In this episode we take a look at the latest Disneyland Resort Current Events, an interview with author Sam Gennawey as we talk about his new book JayBangs.  Lynn and his family went to Disneyland and he will talk with us all about it as well as all the great Christmas offerings at Disneyland. Enjoy this episode and check out our website for our book Cleaning the Kingdom.

Direct Link

Column Round-Up

Plus, don’t miss these other featured MiceChat columns!

Kevin Yee: Drinking Around the Magic Kingdom
It’s finally happened! The news has slipped out that the Magic Kingdom in Orlando (though not YET Disneyland in Anaheim) is following the other theme parks into the NeverNever Land of serving alcoholic beverages. In some ways, it’s been here in the Magic Kingdom for some time, but with a significant expansion this week, we are arguably at some kind of turning point. Maybe.

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The Round-Up crew Thanks you!

The MiceEars Crew puts a lot of time and effort into making the Disney News Round-Up happen. Our thanks to: Editor CakvalaSC and the MiceEars Crew: Aladdin, TrekkieDad, DLandFansAZ, RJH76 and Dustysage.

If you have questions for our Editor or our MiceEars Disney News crew they can be e-mailed at: [email protected] !

CakvalaSC
MiceChat.com's webmaster and occasional writer. Cakvala is senior graphic designer and photographer. Admirer of all things Disney and theme-parks !