Would it be worth the time and money to plan two trips; One to ride Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run and a later trip to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance? It seems many fans chose to wait until both rides were open to visit Disneyland. The summer attendance there has been much lower than predicted.

Walt Disney World’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be opening phase one with Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run will be opening on August 29, 2019. It was recently announced that phase two will be opening sooner than many expected, December 5, 2019, just over 3 months after phase one, on Walt Disney’s birthday. Disneyland’s phase two is set to open January 17, 2020.

We still do not know how Walt Disney World will handle the crowds at the opening in August or now again in December. We do know that there will be Extra, Extra Magic Hours for guests staying in a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel September 1-November 2. We also know there will not be Fastpasses available for either of these rides for the foreseeable future.

What I do know is this is going to mess up my December Walt Disney World vacation. We will be there December 5-8. We are not Star Wars fans, but we were hoping to check out the new land during our visit. With Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opening on the day we arrive, I’m not sure what that is going to do for our plans to be in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I am pretty sure we will avoid Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge but we may have to plan less time in that park on that trip.

If you are a Star Wars fan who has been waiting for the announcement for the phase 2 opening, now is the time to book your visit to Galaxy’s Edge. Email me and we will start planning!

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Earlier this month, Disney announced that Disney’s Hollywood Studios will open at 6am for all guests on August 29-31. Those days are going to be extra crazy! As far as we know, there will be no Fastpasses available for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in the near future, so be prepared.

To help combat the crowds, Walt Disney World is unveiling Extra, Extra Magic Hours September 1- November 2nd. Extra Magic hours are one of the many perks for staying at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel, and a few other select resorts. Current Extra Magic Hours take place on specific days before and/or after regular park hours.

Extra Extra Magic Hours

• Disney’s Hollywood Studios—including Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land attractions and more—from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM daily (please note that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and its experiences are subject to capacity)
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park—including Pandora – The World of Avatar and other attractions throughout the park—from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM daily
• Magic Kingdom park—including favorites in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland—from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM daily

The Extra Magic Hour benefit is also available to Guests of Walt Disney World Swan Hotel, Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, Shades of Green® Resort, Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels, Four Seasons Resort Orlando, Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria Orlando.

Additional Resort Guest Benefits

• Fastpass+ planning 60 days in advance of trip.
• Free personalized Magic Bands.
• Complimentary transportation throughout the Disney property.
• Complimentary motor coach transportation between Orlando International Airport and your Disney resort.
• Complimentary parking at the theme parks.
• Entertainment-themed pools, outdoor movie nights, and other activities.

If you are ready to start planning your fall Walt Disney World vacation please Email Me and we will get started.

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10. Coronado Springs Resort

In summer 2019, Walt Disney World Resort will unveil a completely reimagined Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, featuring hundreds of new guestrooms and a plethora of new amenities. Walt Disney Imagineering is reinvigorating the resort with fresh storytelling and functional enhancements that will make a dramatic impact on the experience for guests.

The biggest addition to the property will be a 15-story tower offering a two-level entrance lobby, 545 guest rooms (including 50 suites), a themed and unique rooftop table-service restaurant, two presidential suites and more.

A second new restaurant will be located on an island in the middle of the resort’s 14-acre lake, Lago Dorado. New walkways will stretch across the lake, allowing quick and convenient passage to and from all areas of the resort.

9. Hakuna Matata Time

It’s been 25 years since Simba, Timon, Rafiki and all the other treasured characters from Walt Disney Pictures’ “The Lion King” first roared into our hearts. In 2019, guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be able to celebrate the classic animated film more than ever.

Each day from Jan. 18 to Sept. 30, guests will feel the love during the “Hakuna Matata Time Dance Party,” a raucous celebration where young adventurers will let their inner animals roam free on the dance floor. Timon and Rafiki will engage everyone in entertaining dances and games inspired by “The Lion King,” as wildly talented musicians provide the perfect soundtrack in a World Beat style.

Also from Jan. 18 to Sept. 30, guests will imagine themselves in scenes from the film via new three-dimensional photo opportunities at the park. These backdrops will allow guests to re-create iconic “Lion King” moments ideal for sharing on social media platforms.

8. Walt Disney World Skyliner Gondolas

The Skyliner Gondolas will begin transporting guests around Walt Disney World in the fall of 2019! Once operating, the gondola system will connect Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot to four resort hotels- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort as well as the proposed 15th Disney Vacation Club property, Disney’s Riviera Resort.

7. Disney on Broadway Concerts

The Disney on Broadway Concert Series, held during the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, expands to seven days a week during the 2019 festival, providing more opportunities than ever before to hear pairs of Disney on Broadway stars sing favorite tunes from award-winning productions. The lineup will rotate regularly, featuring music from “The Lion King,” “Frozen,” “Beauty and the Beast” and other hit shows. The festival runs January 18-February 25, 2019.

6. Epcot Forever Fireworks

IllumiNations is finally going away, yay! An all-new, transformative spectacular is set to debut in 2020. It will celebrate how Disney music can inspire people from around the world, featuring massive floating set pieces, custom-built LED panels, choreographed moving fountains, lights, pyrotechnics and lasers.

Before that new show debuts, there will be a limited-time experience Epcot fans will love, called Epcot Forever, a true celebration of this timeless park. Debuting in fall 2019 and set to classic Epcot tunes, the show begins with a spark of imagination that quickly grows into an epic spectacle of fireworks, music, lighting, lasers, and choreographed, special effects kites.

5. Garden Rocks Concerts

Welcome spring’s arrival with the 2019 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, returning March 6-June 3. This year’s event will feature delectable bites at outdoor kitchens, as well as dozens of world-renowned, Disney-themed topiaries. For more fun than ever, the Garden Rocks Concert Series expands to seven days a week in 2019, offering a mixture of new artists and returning favorites. With three concerts per day for all 90 days of the festival, Garden Rocks will deliver an amazing 270 concerts next year at the America Gardens Theatre.

4. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Imagineers have been hard at work creating Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, using breakthrough technology to transform a two-dimensional cartoon into an amazing real-world experience. The first-ever ride-through attraction themed to Mickey Mouse – set to open in fall 2019 – will feature a new original story and lovable theme song as it takes guests on a journey inside the wacky and unpredictable world of Disney Channel’s Emmy Award-winning “Mickey Mouse” cartoon shorts.

3. Lots of Fun with Pixar Pals

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is transforming into a place where guests experience their own adventures in the immersive worlds of their cinematic imaginations. This reimagining of the park came to life in 2018 with the debut of Toy Story Land, an 11-acre immersive land dedicated to Pixar Animation Studios’ Toy Story films. As Disney’s Hollywood Studios prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary May 1, now, more than ever, Pixar pals in the park will ensure 2019 is a blockbuster year.

Beginning Jan. 18, Pixar Place will transform into a Municiberg city block from Pixar’s Incredibles films. Guests will meet super suit designer Edna Mode and see some of her greatest creations. They will look for clues to the whereabouts of the youngest Incredible, the mischievous and multi-powered Jack-Jack. And at the end of the block, guests will celebrate the heroic deeds of Mr. Incredible, Mrs. Incredible and Frozone, who will make appearances throughout the day during a party featuring lively music, dancing, interactive games and lots more Super fun.

Also starting Jan. 18, two popular guest favorites return to Disney’s Hollywood Studios when a door to the monster world opens inside Walt Disney Presents, welcoming Mike and Sulley from Pixar’s Monsters, Inc.

And then in spring 2019, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy will speed into Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This new show experience will welcome guests to the world of Pixar’s Cars films, bringing them face to face with racing legend Lightning McQueen. As the next generation of rookie racers, guests will learn from Lightning’s years of experience on the track. This will be the untold story of Lightning McQueen … as told by Lightning McQueen!

2. Mickey and Minnie’s Surprise Celebration

The fun begins Jan. 18 when Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration kicks off at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, honoring those true originals, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, with new entertainment, merchandise and specialty food and beverage. A highlight of the celebration will be the new “Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party.” Several times daily, this colorful procession will parade up Main Street, U.S.A. toward Cinderella Castle, where guests will be invited to join in the energetic dance party. Singing hosts will keep things hopping with modern remixes of favorite “Mickey Mouse Club” melodies and more. Joining Mickey and Minnie in all the fun will be a bevy of beloved Disney characters, including Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Max, Chip ’n Dale and others.

1. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Since Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was announced at D23 Expo 2015, fans have been eager to learn more. Now we know that beginning in the fall of 2019, guests can take the controls in one of three unique and critical roles aboard Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. On Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, guests can join an epic battle between the First Order and the Resistance – including a face-off with Kylo Ren. These two new incredible experiences, paired with the land’s interactive components and optional integration with the Play Disney Parks app, will invite guests to become galactic travelers and live their own Star Wars stories in a galaxy far, far away.

Wow! 2019 is going to be an amazing year at Walt Disney World, I hope to see you there!

The post Top 10 Reasons to Plan a Walt Disney World Vacation for 2019 appeared first on The Mom Maven.