The Announcement

1. A new “Frozen” attraction will be replacing Maelstrom in Epcot. Maelstrom closes October 5, 2014 the new attraction is scheduled to open early in 2016.
2. A meet and greet area for Anna and Elsa will be added to the Norway Pavilion.
3. Queen Elsa will be using her magical powers to turn Cinderella Castle into an ice palace this holiday season.
4. Queen Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf will join the “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Parade” at the Magic Kingdom.
5. The “For the First Time in Forever: A “Frozen” Sing-Along Celebration” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will continue indefinitely.
6. Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post & Frozen Funland is being relocated to a larger, yet unnamed area, and will be open at least through the holiday season.

Mom Maven’s Thoughts

Whenever an attraction is closed or changed, there is an uproar in the Disney community. Walt told us that, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” Change happens and nothing in the parks is sacred, look what happened to Cinderella Castle for the park’s 25th anniversary…blech! Anyway, Maelstrom holds a special place in the hearts of many but the ride and film are outdated. Rumor is that Norway wouldn’t step up and upgrade their pavilion so Disney stepped in. Whatever the reason, I am looking forward to the change and I am proud of Disney for giving us an attraction with in 5 years of the movie’s release. Remember, we had to wait 20+ years for a “Little Mermaid” ride.

I have no problem with a fairy tale being in World Showcase because they are already there. Many characters have meet and greets in the country of their story’s origin. Donald Duck already has a home in the Mexico Pavilion so why can’t the fictitious Nordic town of Arendelle be placed in Norway? I am happy that a meet and greet area will be added to the Norway Pavilion too. Hopefully having two locations to meet the Queen and the Princess will help cut down on wait times.

There is a lot more I could say on this issue, but I won’t. I do hope to be at Epcot on opening day of this attraction, yes, I’m that excited.

Having Queen Elsa use her powers to turn Cinderella Castle into an ice palace seems very appropriate to me. Who conjures up a better winter wonderland than Queen Elsa? No one! The “Frozen” characters are a natural fit for “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Parade” and they will be a well-received new addition.

Back in July I told you that I thought the sing-along would stay around for a while and I guess I was right! This makes me so happy! This is a truly magical attraction, which I have seen 3 times so far! Now more guests will get to have fun singing along to their favorite “Frozen” tunes. I’m also glad the Oaken’s will be around for a while longer. Seeing the joy on kid’s faces while they play with snow…in Florida is wonderful. I’m also glad that the new location will have an expanded “Do You Wanna Build a Snowman Snow Ground”. I wanna build a snowman, but the lines have been soooo long, I haven’t done it yet.

I know this post is long but I wanted you to know what is going on at Walt Disney World. While I understand the people who are upset at losing Maelstrom, change is constant and as Walt said, we need to “Keep moving forward.”

What are your thoughts about all of these changes? Leave me a comment so we can discuss this issue.

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The Hall of Presidents is updated regularly with each new US President being added. Other than the addition of new presidents, the attraction was basically unchanged from 1971-1993. In 1993 the script was changed, much to the chagrin of Disney and US History purists. The narrator was also changed from Lawrence Dobkin to Maya Angelou. For me personally, this major overhaul did not improve the attraction. Though I have visited Walt Disney World many more times between 1993-2009 than I did 1971-1993, I have entered the Hall of Presidents fewer times since 1993’s changes. In 2001 actor J.D. Hall re-recorded the narration previously done by Ms Angelou.

On July 4, 2009 the Hall of President’s re-opens after undergoing more updating. Yes, President Barak Obama gives a speech, as have the past two presidents. The new narrator is Morgan Freeman who has a much more commanding voice than Hall. The attraction has also been retitled: Hall of Presidents: A Celebration of Liberty’s Leaders. Other upgrades include Abraham Lincoln giving the Gettysburg Address, and for the first time in the history of the attraction, George Washington stands and gives a stirring speech.

Though I am not a fan of President Obama, I am a fan of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, the Hall of Presidents and Walt Disney World. I am eager to witness the upgraded attraction and I hope the the minor historical inaccuracies of the last major upgrade have been fixed.

Here is video, direct from the White House website of President Obama recording his speech for the Hall of Presidents.

I must say, I find it hard to believe that he didn’t know what the attraction was or what it was about. No, Mr President, they are not wax figures, they are audio-animatronics. Please, do your girls a favor and bring them to Walt Disney World on vacation like most Americans. What are your thoughts? Any special memories of the Hall of Presidents? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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Every Thursday Heidi at Reviews by Heidi hosts a Disney themed photo meme called Destination Disney. Each week she posts a different topic and we post photos and/or a story about that part of our previous Walt Disney World vacations. It is a lot of fun and gives me another reason to dig through my Disney photos.

This week’s topic is Animal Kingdom-Dinoland USA

Dinoland USA is a fun kitschy area of Animal Kingdom. There is The Boneyard-an amazing play area for kids. The Boneyard is a great place to let the kids run and play for a while-especially if they have spent a lot of time waiting in lines. Next is the Dinosaur ride. This ride is not for the faint of heart. It is a thrill ride and the ride itself is very jerky. I don’t recommend this for young children or people with back and neck issues.

The 1500 seat Theatre in the Wild orginally was home to Tarzan Rocks an awesome rock concert show based on the Disney’s Tarzan movie. The first picture is of Tarzan and Jane and the second is of the full stage and the extreme skating monkeys. The Theatre in the Wild is now home to Finding Nemo-The Musical. This is currently my favorite show on Disney property. I love the acting, scenery, puppetry and music. We own the soundtrack and listen to it all the time. None of my pictures for this show have come out well but trust me, this is a beautiful show and is not to be missed.

As you head into Chester and Hester’s Dino-rama, you go back to a 50’s style midway complete with games of chance, 2 rides and you may even get to have your picture taken with your hosts Chester and Hester. Triceratop Spin is a Dumbo-esgue ride. One of my all time favorite rides is also found in Dino-rama, Primeval Whirl. It is a wild mouse coaster with a twist. Each car also spins like a tilt-a-whirl car! It is so much fun! Here you have myself, my husband, my son Jordan and my father-in-law heading off on our Primeval Whirl adventure.

Dinoland USA is a lot of fun and has plenty of rides and shows to keep you entertained.

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