Welcome to March! Spring is in the air and the MiceChat round up is here to bring you all things Disney and Theme Park news! This week we have big news about a recent fire at It’s a Small World at Disneyland, Sleeping Beauty Castle comes out of the Tarps and Samland brings us some fantastic information about how Disneyland created its parking lots! Did you know that Paige O’Hara, the voice of Belle in beauty and the beast, is doing a enchanting dinner for Walt Disney Birth Place Restoration this weekend in Celebration, Fl? You can get tickets for the event HERE!

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MiceChat Disney News Roundup

Sleeping Beauty Castle emerges from refurbishment as Disneyland continues to prepare for its Diamond Celebration
Sleeping Beauty Castle emerged from refurbishment last week, revealing a refreshed paint scheme that toned down some of the more saturated tones leftover from Disneyland‘s 50th Anniversary overlay. The Castle’s new look will get sparkly diamond decorations in May as part of Disneyland’s big 60th Anniversary celebration. Meanwhile, work continues throughout both theme parks as they get ready for the Diamond Celebration, with new blue and silver paint for resort signage, a restored (and then slightly burnt) facade for “it’s a small world,” and the re-imagined Condor Flats area in Disney California Adventure.

MiceChat Disney News Roundup

Samland: Disneyland Parking
Parking. It seems that parking has always been an issue at Disneyland and having an adequate supply has been critical to the success of the park. Now, once again, parking has become an issue. Some say that the recent changes in the annual passholder prices and parking policies is one way Disney is battling a losing battle with its parking inventory.

Micechat Tickets

alaska2

Join us this summer – MiceChat 7 night Alaska Cruise on the Disney Wonder – June 1st, 2015: Join us as we sail toward the top of the world on the delightful Disney Wonder. We’ll hold all sorts of special MiceChat meet-ups on board, take group excursions, and dine together in the evenings to discuss our daily adventures. Highlights include Vancouver, Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, glorious glaciers, whales, and spectacular nature everywhere. Don’t miss this MiceChat adventure at sea!

Ask us for more details on any of our upcoming MiceTrips or for Disney adventures of your own by emailing us at [email protected]. It doesn’t cost you more to use our travel agent, it’s just more magical. Let us do the work, you enjoy the Disney fun!!!

Bonjour! It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you to this very special event with Disney Legend and beloved voice of Belle,

Paige O’Hara!

Paige will be joining us in beautiful Celebration, Fl, on March 7th for an Enchanting dinner and exciting Q & A session followed by an autograph opportunity and Silent Auction benefiting the Walt Disney Birthplace Restoration.

TICKETS AND INFORMATION HERE

Disney Parks News and Reports

We have some wonderful video of several Disneyland dark rides this week,   the tarps have been removed from the castle,  and a fire near Small World captures some attention this week! ~ Aladdin

MiceChat Disney News Roundup

Disneyland Memories from 2.23.15 Cell Phone Edition
DizneyPhotoGuy shows us that even a cell phone can create great pictures in the Happiest Place on Earth!

It’s a Small World façade on Fire
A night time fire near the front of Small World caught the attention of many.   Photos and videos are included in this topic.

Superb Low Light Ride Videos – Indy, Pirates, Haunted, Space …
SoCalbma found these terrific videos from some of Disneyland’s best dark rides!

The Castle is back
The tarps have been removed from the castle, revealing its paler paint job.  Tell us what you think!

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This week we have rumors surrounding Walt Disney World. ~ Trekkie Dad

MiceChat Disney News Roundup

5th Gate for WDW’s 50th?
There’s a rumor that a fifth theme park will be built at Walt Disney World before 2021.

PlutoHasFleas 5th Gate – Obstacle Two: Getting There
If the rumored fifth theme park were built north of the Epcot parking lot, what would be one way to get there?

Contemporary Capable of More Monorails?
Imagineer45 speculates about an additional Monorail line passing through the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World.

Snow White an Enchanting Musical: REVIVAL
DLRUpdates2015 claims hearing this from a Disneyland cast member.

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We have a fantastic trip report from Tokyo this week along with all kinds of interesting news on the budget and expansion in Hong Kong. – DLandFansAZ

MiceChat Disney News Roundup

My First trip to Tokyo Disneyland Resort (VERY photo heavy)
toddy took a trip this past October to Tokyo Disneyland and has shared a great trip report with a lot of pictures.

TIC of HK (Travel Industry Council) Says it is one of the best Annual Budget
HongKongDisneyland has shared an article about this year’s budget and how it the best annual budget for the Travel Industry

HK Gov plans to double the size of Disney Theme Park with Walt Disney Co. MarketWatch
We also have this report about the expansions of the Hong Kong theme park

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WDI shows off World of Avatar and Planet Hollywood is making a transformation.  Plus, some of the hub construction is complete and the hat is gone. – DLandFansAZ

MiceChat Disney News Roundup

WDI shows off some Avatar stuff coming to Animal Kingdom
brianpinsky shares all the information from Disney Parks Blog about the World of Avatar that is coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park.

Planet Hollywood To Become Planet Hollywood Observatory
PlutoHasFleas brings us information of the transformation of Planet Hollywood. What is your take on this redesign? Good? Bad? Discuss it here!

First Phase Of Magic Kingdom Hub Expansion Now Open
On a pleasant note, the area north of Main Street has opened up after a very lengthy construction. Most of the feedback has been positive, what do you think?

DHS Sorcerers Hat Is Completely Gone!
For many to rejoice, the infamous DHS Sorcerers Hat is finally gone and PlutoHasFleas displays the picture!

Other Theme Parks & Resorts

Gringott’s closed? Oh no!. ~ Trekkie Dad

Harry Potter Multiple Day Outage
Erik Olson found this article in the Orlando Sentinel, which has had Gringotts closed for over three days!

 

Profits from the sale of every bottle of refreshing O-Zell soda supports the restoration of the Walt Disney Birthplace in Chicago. Pick up some delicious Victorian-style natural soda AND help a great cause at the same time: O-Zell Soda

AV Room

MiceChat Podcast: Disney Bling Bling and Other Things – The MiceChat crew is BACK after a long delay, and they’ve got some surprises for you. The Hat Box Ghost isn’t the only thing returning, we’ve got news of the return of the Fabulous Disney Babe! There’s all sorts of news about the things which will be keeping us busy in the theme parks in 2015, not the least of which is Disneyland’s Diamond Anniversary. Let’s chat . . .

 

The Haunted Mansion Show Extra: Making of “Call in the Spirit”
It’s been a while since we’ve crept behind the curtain of “The Haunted Mansion Show,” hasn’t it? This week, we delve into how the ninth episode of the show, “Call in the Spirit,” was made! See how the characters of Goyle and the Rude Guest were created and how future episodes will be filmed and edited! But beware, a few sinister secrets may be revealed to mortal eyes, so watch with caution…

The Haunted Mansion Show Episode 27: Venomous VooDoo
New Orleans. The original home of Gracey Manor before it was brought to Disneyland. Home of swinging jazz and steamboats roll’n down the river. But it has also become a home for a strange and unusual type of custom: voodoo. Throughout history, New Orleans-voodoo has become a custom of many a believer of the dead. The Haunted Mansion is obviously no exception. Learn about the art of voodoo with an electrifying lecture from your Ghost Host and a call from the Shadow Man himself, Dr. Facilier.

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The Sweep Spot: In this episode we welcome author Sam Gennawey to discuss his new book Universal VS. Disney. This is a great discussion on the Universal Studios of the past, current state and future.

Window to the Magic: Enjoy the sounds of the park on our weekly journeys into the wonderful world of the Disney sound experience!

Disafterdark: Disafterdark Series 3, Episode 9 – Jim’ll (no, I can’t use that title can I?) Welcome back to the Mouses Head and thank you for the download. Jim Hill is back, and answering some of your questions you posed for him. Thats it really… Enjoy, we did.

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The Season Pass: The Essential Theme Park Podcast: Wew Unveil Trapped: Lock & Key from Knott’s Scary Farm 2014. Creators Jeff Tucker and Gus Krueger break-down the creative process of Trapped along with conversation and dissection of every room. This podcast also contains two full stereo walk-throughs of the VIP experience.  This is the biggest TSPP ever released…4 terrifying hours…be prepared.

Direct Link | iTunes Link

Disney Avenue Podcast: Brings you a fantastic interview with Disney Legend, Walt Disney Archives founder and former chief archivist David Smith! Dusty Sage, of MiceChat.com, teams up with host Keith Michael Mahne for another amazing show. It was a wonderful conversation and a whole lot of fun. Walt Disney Archives founder and former chief archivist David Smith officially joined The Walt Disney Company on June 22, 1970, but his Disney roots are even deeper.

Direct Link | iTunes Link

Mousetalgia! – An Unofficial Disneyland Podcast:  Mousetalgia 3-day Disneyland trip: our own methods, secrets, and ideas for making the most of the standard 3-day trip to Disneyland Resort. When is it better to spend a little more, and where can you save a little? How should you approach meals during a day at the park? We offer our opinions on attractions, fastpasses, drinks, breaks, and a general plan of attack for enjoying the resort during the busy summer season. Plus, Kristen treats herself to a 24-hour trip to Southern California and offers her own advice for making the most of quick jaunts to the park.

Unofficial Universal Orlando Podcast: Welcome everyone to The Big Fat Universal Quiz of the Year. We tackle the news at Universal Orlando Resort for 2014, but in a quiz style show. Team UUOP (Darren and Hunter) take on Team Listener (Chris and Chris). Can you answer them all?

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MiceChat Disney News Roundup

Swing Into Spring at Disneyland Paris

On Tuesday, February 24th, Disneyland Paris invited the blogging community to witness the results of a full year of planning for this season’s Swing into Spring that begins today, March 1st and continues through May 31, 2015.

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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, Yoyoflamingo, Trekkie Dad, DLandFansAZ, RegionsBeyond, Fishbulb & Dustysage.

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

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If you have questions for Anthony our Editor or our MiceEars Disney News crew they can be e-mailed at: [email protected] or Follow him on Twitter @CakvalaSC | Flickr: flickr.com/photos/cakvalasc/ | Instagram: instagram.com/cakvala

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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 !