Welcome to the re-designed Disney News Round Up, we hope you enjoy what we have been putting together for the past eight years! This week has been busy with Disney news. Starbucks has opened to mixed reviews in Walt Disney World after a six month refurbishment. The Disney fan Club, D23, now has a free option, and the masses are flocking to get access to the new web site which is only available to members. Finally, we have great detailed dive into the Disney Dining Plan and if it is worth signing up for on your upcoming vacation!

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Top Stories

MiceChat Newsletter

Starbucks opens to mixed reaction on Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom.
The changes are dramatic, on Tuesday, June 18th marks the official re-opening of the iconic Main Street Bakery at the Magic Kingdom.  This classic Magic Kingdom location for sweet treats and drinks has been closed for the last few months (January 13-June 16, 2013) for a major renovation.

D23 relaunches with new website, content and an all new free membership level.
With this ambitious re-launch, have they finally made the changes necessary to get you to sign up?

Is the Disney Dining Plan right for you?
Time and time again, whether I’m planning vacations for clients, friends, or family, as soon as we decide on a resort, the very next question is almost always “Is the Disney Dining Plan worth it?”  The answer to this question varies for every traveler, so here are a few things to consider when pondering the Disney Dining Plan at Walt Disney World.

 

Tip of the Week

Visiting Walt Disney World during the “Off Season”

Visiting WDW in the off season is a great way to save time and money! Most folks visit in the summer months because that is when the kids are out of school. While Disney ramps up extra entertainment and services for summer visitors, it is also VERY hot and humid and the extra crowds mean everything is more expensive and more stressful too!

If you can, visit in the off season, when the weather is nicer and the crowds are smaller.

The last two weeks of November to the first two weeks of December (Minus the week of Thanksgiving) are generally a great time to visit. The weather is usually cool but pleasant, the Christmas decorations are up or being put up, and the attendance is usually very manageable.

Second week of January through the first two weeks of February. This time of the year is much cooler and can even be cold! Don’t worry though, this can be the least busiest time of the year and hotel prices are lower. However, Disney does take advantage of lower crowd levels to pull rides offline for refurbishments after the busy holiday season.

The last week of April to the first three weeks of May is by far is my favorite time to go. The weather is warm in May, but usually not unbearably so. Crowds are moderate to low and hotels are priced to sell. The only time that could be busy is Memorial Day weekend, but often not as bad as you might expect.

 

Disney Parks News and Reports

MiceChat Newsletter

This week we celebrate one year since the historic makeover of DCA’s entry and the addition of Radiator Springs, 25 years since we were introduced to a certain rabbit named Roger, and a report from the first party celebrating 50 years of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room  ~ Aladdin

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room 50th Anniversary w/ Richard Sherman
Club 33 offered a special celebration of the Tiki Room’s 50th birthday with a special event, including Richard Sherman performing in the Tiki Room! fifthrider was fortunate to be invited to this exclusive event, and shares all the details with us!

Happy First Birthday Buena Vista Street and Radiator Springs!
Regions Beyond is celebrating the first anniversary of Buena Vista Street and Radiator Springs, with some photos and videos of the two areas that have done much to turn around DCA!

Magic Maps and Glowing Ears
The Forbidden Eye brings us his photo and video report from Mickey’s Magical Map and from World of Color!

Who Framed Roger Rabbit 25th Anniversary Screening & Panel
Roger Rabbit is celebrating his 25th birthday this year and on Tuesday, a special event and panel took place at the AMC Theater in Downtown Disney! Keep checking here for reports!

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Hong Kong Disneyland prepares for a Monstrous Summer, and a plea for advice becomes a mini-report. ~ Trekkie Dad

HKDL ‘Monstrous Summer’
Looks like Hong Kong’s Animation Academy will be hosting Monsters University, according to MickeyHKP. Care to enroll?

Last Minute Advice!
Bender Rodriguez got advice for a quick day in Hong Kong Disneyland and reported how it went

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Saving Mr. Banks to what you want to see at D23, we have two hot topics for you! ~ DLandFansAZ

‘Saving Mr. Banks’ – When Will the Trailer Arrive?
With a 2013 release date for ‘Saving Mr. Banks,’ themeparktrilogy is curious when the first trailer will arrive? Could it be released with the upcoming Monsters University or The Lone Ranger?

What do you selfishly want to get announced at the D23 expo for the Disneyland Resort?
With D23 being less than 2 months away, DCAfanatic has started a wish list of things that will hopefully be announced at the convention.

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A lot of news coming forth this week in the Walt Disney World universe. Rumblings about announcements coming for the D23 Expo a setting expectations high, a series of fascinating articles about the Country Bears, and some honeymoon suggestions are just a tip of the iceberg in the forum. Take some time to check out what is in there – I bet you’ll find something interesting! ~ yoyoflamingo

Help on upcoming trip to WDW
greenkai3000 and family are returning to Walt Disney World after a 3 year absence and have some specific questions about what’s new. Take a look and offer some suggestions and help!

Article: The Music of the Country Bear Jamboree
A fantastic Disney Blog, Passport 2 Dreams, has a fantastic history of the Country Bear Jamboree. If you’ve ever wondered why the songs that were chosen were included, and which songs were cut, this is a must read. Even if you’re a casual fan or want to know why people love this show so much, read this article. It’s wonderfully insightful. A must read.

Cars Land, Star Wars Land confirmed for DHS?
This is it: the rumor that seems to have burst the rumor mill for Walt Disney World. As reported on Theme Park Insider, it seems BOTH lands are coming to Walt Disney World’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Could this be the beginning of a major shift for the parks, if it happens? Read the info and see for yourself.

 

AV Room

Welcome to this week’s Communicore Weekly, where we talk about Timber Mountain Log Ride, WARP, Atlantis, Emperors New Groove, and Bud Hurlbut! DISNEY HISTORY! – Sometimes we branch out a bit to talk about other theme parks. This is one of those times! Learn all about Knott’s Log Ride, Timber Mountain, in this week’s History segment! BOOK OF THE WEEK! – George and Jeff travel through time with the first novel in Eoin Coifer’s latest series, WARP, for the Book of the Week! 60 SECOND REVIEW – Jeff and George review the Atlantis and Emperors New Groove Blu Rays in the 60 Second Review! FIVE LEGGED GOAT – And finally, the Timber Mountain Log Ride hides this week’s Five Legged Goat!

Here, also, is a brand new MiceChatter.

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Unofficial SeaWorld Podcast takes a dive into San Diego’s new Aquatica park and discusses the upcoming 50th anniversary celebration of SeaWorld parks.

Direct Link | iTunes Link

Coffee with Kurtti: Armchair Imagineering Tomorrowland – Jeff and Keith explore what’s wrong with Disneyland’s Tomorrowland and what they’d do to change it.

Direct Link

Unofficial Universal Orlando Podcast looks at the new Springfield expansion around the Simpson’s ride as well as other Orlando and Hollywood news.

Direct Link | iTunes Link

V24 Radio and MiceChat present live coverage of the grand opening of Transformers The Ride 3D at Universal Orlando!

Starting around 9am Eastern this Thursday, June 20, MiceChat’s Eric Davis will be doing cut-ins all throughout the morning of regular V24 Radio programming.

Hear guest reaction to the ride, join us for the ride-through, and hear the grand opening celebrations!

V24 Radio and MiceChat take you right to Universal Orlando for this special occasion. Autobots, roll out!

Other Theme Parks

MiceChat Newsletter

USH Backlot fire- 5 years later
Spacemountain1974 brings us a great link and review of the fire that happened at Universal Studios five years ago.

Orlando Aquatica to hold “World’s Largest Swimming Lesson”
KingEric brings us news that you can join in on the worlds largest swimming lesson? Find out more here!

Wet and Wild Las Vegas Newest Water Park- Pics & Videos – Review
Wet N Wild is now in Las Vegas, SoCalbma gives is a video and picture review of the entire park and more!

LOS ANGELES: Where to visit beyond the berm of Disneyland
CaliforniaAdventurer brings us a great list of places you can do and see beyond the Disneyland resort, do you have any great tips on what is a “must see” in Los Angeles?

Other Theme Parks

D23 Expo

August 9th through 11th at the Anaheim Convention Center . We’ll have a magical booth in the Collector’s Forum area. Meet MiceChat staff, special guests and Disney legends whom we have scheduled throughout the three day Expo. We will also be giving away lots of great prizes, including hotel stays and an iPad Mini.

Disney Cruise

We invite you to join us on a very special MiceChat voyage to the Eastern Caribbean on the newest ship of the Disney Cruise Line, the Disney Fantasy.

Nights of Horror

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Featured Columns
MiceChat Newsletter

 

Universal Orlando Resort Update: The Mad Dash to the Transformers Grand Opening
Transformers the Ride: 3-D officially opens this Thursday, June 20th.  While all the focus will be on the newest addition to the Universal Orlando Resort, last minute projects are being completed elsewhere in the resort.

Magic Kingdom Starbucks Main Street Bakery Opens Today
Tuesday, June 18th marks the official re-opening of the iconic Main Street Bakery at the Magic Kingdom.  This classic Magic Kingdom location for sweet treats and drinks has been closed for the last few months.

Coffee with Kurtti: Armchair Imagineering Tomorrowland
This time Jeff and I endeavor to solve the mystery that is “how do you fix Disneyland’s Tomorrowland?” In our first attempt at ”armchair imagineering,” we focus on the problems with Tomorrowland, and offer up what.

Long-time Disneyland traditions return as California Adventure celebrates first anniversaries
A couple great long-time Disneyland traditions returned over the weekend for the busy summer season. For music fans, the big news was the triumphant return of the evening swing parties at what is now the.

SeaWorld San Diego Welcomes Summer
Welcome to this week’s SeaWorld San Diego update! We’ve got quite a lengthy update this week, covering the new entrance, Cirque ’13, and much more! Let’s dive right into it! New Entrance / Explorer’s Reef.

Knotts Your Typical Summer Fun
Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, is a park in transition. Since the Knott family sold the park to Cedar Fair in 1997, the focus had moved steadily from family attractions to high thrills.

MiceChat Newsletter

Spring Blooms at Disneyland Paris
Here’s a spring update from Disneyland Paris brought to us by Alain Littaye of the Disney and more blog. Alain tells the story of how the Big Thunder Mountain trains almost lost their locomotives during.

Disney Blu-ray Bonanza
George: Disney has released four Blu-ray sets this past week. We reviewed Oz the Great and Powerful last week so that leaves us three films to cover this week! Disney has released combo packs for.

Disneyland Summer Swarm
The Disneyland Resort is in the middle of an average summer season. The crowds are swelling, schools are shuttering for the season, and the parks are becoming packed with locals and visitors alike. There is.

Ben Hair & Dial M for Muscle
Walk up to the window at Ben Hair, an Epic Salon. The artwork on the glass shows a Roman soldier with the most amazing pompadour…

A Look Back At Six Flags Full Throttle Construction at Magic Mountain
As we approach opening day for Full Throttle at Magic Mountain (June 22, 2013), we wanted to take a look back at the last 20 months, starting with the Log Jammer closure all the way.

Jeff Continues To Dish On Disneyland’s Skyway
In today’s From The Mouth Of The Mouse, we finish up our conversation with Jeff, who worked on the Skyway at Disneyland in the late 1980s.

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The MiceEars Crew and MiceChat Disney News Club put a lot of time and effort into making these Round-Ups happen. Here are the members:Your Editor: CakvalaSC and the MiceEars Crew: Demigod, Aladdin, elly, Yoyoflamingo, Trekkie Dad, DLandFansAZ, RegionsBeyond, Disney Wrassler, Fishbulb & Dustysage.

We hope to see you online again soon, Dusty and the amazing MiceChat crew!

The MiceEars Crew can be e-mailed at: [email protected] if you have questions for Anthony our Editor he can be e-mailed at: [email protected]

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