Walt Disney World Resort Update for January 3-9, 2017

News & Views | Join our Networks | Resort Events | Refurbishments and Attraction Closures | Discounts and Promotions

Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts distribute free New Year's Eve party hats and horns every year. My extensive hat collection includes personally collecting one each year (excluding December 31, 2012) from December 31, 2002, to December 31, 2016. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Writer's Note: Happy New Year! It's Alan S. Dalinka back with you for another week. Well, I got another Disney Parks New Year's hat, but the only noticeable change this year was the very last digit)! With a slow news week and lots of photos (and a couple of videos), on with the Update….

News and Views

Welcoming 2017 | NFL Stars Announced for Pro Bowl Week at Walt Disney World Resort | New Park Opening Details & Ceremony Coming to Magic Kingdom | Views around the World | This and That | Crowd Forecast

Welcoming 2017

Well, some of the December 30-31 crowds around Walt Disney World Resort seemed to measure up to past years. Last week, we wrote about how the the tiered ticket pricing changes Disney implemented over the past year as well as the currently strong U.S. Dollar and its related exchange rate disadvantages for visitors from abroad may have done what Disney publicly said it wanted—put a damper on some of the usual peak season's crowd levels. However for New Year's weekend, if there was a dip in attendance for December 30-31, it was much more modest than Christmas.

Unlike our friends at Disneyland Resort in California, the near-drought conditions this winter here in central Florida were interrupted by only brief scattered showers in the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, there were times that even the Magic Kingdom was not excessively crowded. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

While Disney does not release attendance figures, the Resort “felt” like it generally was at its expected busiest December 30-31. As we mentioned last week, the Magic Kingdom celebrates the New Year with celebrations and countdowns on both nights. The park was very crowded for the 7:30 p.m. showing of Holiday Wishes and its “early” countdown to midnight. The park was still crowded as the actual midnight countdown approached, but (and this has been typical over the years) less than insanely so. As is typical of the night of December 30, the park remained open for Extra Magic Hours for Resort guests until 3 a.m. but the crowd thinned significantly by my 2 a.m. departure, most likely due to the “Florida cold” temperatures which dipped to nearly 40ºF in the early hours of December 31.

Magic Kingdom celebrated the New Year on December 30 and 31. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Magic Kingdom was busy on December 30. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

With multiple showings of the Mickey's Most Merriest Celebration stage show, a DJ, and two sets of 360° fireworks shows, the Magic Kingdom's Central Plaza (hub) was busy throughout the night on December 30. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

As busy as the Magic Kingdom's Central Plaza was on December 30, the crowds were somewhat smaller around Rivers of America for the 7:30 p.m. viewing of Holiday Wishes. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

In case you missed it, I uploaded video of the kid-friendly hour December 30 “Countdown to the New Year” at Magic Kingdom on our Facebook page. Video by Alan S. Dalinka.

With Magic Kingdom open until 3 a.m. for Extra Magic Hours, the hours of operation of the attractions differed widely around the park on December 30. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

One of Cinderella's carriages decorated for 2017 was a PhotoPass photo opportunity in Magic Kingdom for the New Year. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

The New Year's presentations of the “Fantasy in the Sky” fireworks show and countdown includes 360° of fireworks, making viewing from New Fantasyland an ideal and less-crowded alternative. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

The “Once Upon a Time” projection show was performed several times nightly over New Year's weekend. It would not be surprising for the projection technology to be used in a future countdown to midnight or other fireworks show. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Disney's magical “snow” seemed very appropriate as temperatures plunged to the “Florida cold” 40-degree range in the early hours of December 31. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

On December 31, there were the usual reports of backups on World Drive from the Magic Kingdom Toll Plaza to past the ramps to Epcot, and even reports of some phased closings of the Park. Over at Disney's Hollywood Studios during daylight hours, however, the crowd seemed somewhat smaller than past New Year's Eves, likely owing in no small part to the public's perception of the reduced offerings at the Park given the on-going construction of the Toy Story and Star Wars lands—no more Streets of America (Osbourne Dancing Lights), no Comedy Warehouse Holiday Special, no Lights! Motors! Action!, no Studio Tour, and so forth.

At midday on New Year's Eve, Disney's Hollywood Studios was, at most, moderately busy. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

As we noted in last week's Update, viewing the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular during even the busiest days—like this show on December 31—generally is possible because of the show's huge seating capacity. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Epcot seemed as busy as this writer has ever seen it. Having said that, though, the park likely never reached capacity, and, even estimating a crowd of 70,000 or more, there was still room to walk around many parts of the park. The “choke points” were as congested as ever and Frozen Ever After had a standby line that was 210 minutes long at 5 p.m. (and more than that later in the evening). Fortunately, the backstage routes on both the east and west sides of the park were open to assist guests going from World Showcase to Future World avoid the most crowded parts of the World Showcase Promenade. Several Future World lawn areas were opened for guests to watch the two showings of Illuminations and the countdown to midnight.

Sections of the lawns around the Future World ponds were fenced in as temporary fireworks viewing areas for the New Year's Eve crowds. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

For the “convenience” of the huge New Year's crowds, by December 30, Epcot had set up portable restroom trailers along the path from World Showcase to Future World West. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Not unexpectedly, standby wait times at attractions like Frozen Ever After were many hours long on New Year's Eve. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

The 6 p.m. New Year's Eve showing of Illuminations was one of the rare opportunities to view the show in twilight. This performance also included the final “Holiday Finale” of the season. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Although the Starbright Holidays drone show began at Disney Springs back in November 6, this was the first time I noticed it from Epcot (specifically, from the bridge near the International Gateway). The show is scheduled to run twice nightly (weather permitting) until January 8. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

The Silent DJ Groove experience was again presented at the Japan pavilion on New Year's Eve. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

The Silent DJ Groove lights up the Japan pavilion on New Year's Eve, but only guests wearing headsets can hear the tunes. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Hours before the countdown to Midnight, guests fill in major sections of the World Showcase Promenade; masking tape clearly marks out viewing areas and walking areas. Numerous flashlight-wielding cast members keep traffic flowing. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

The Italy pavilion's DJ dance party was accented with lasers and high intensity lighting. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

The China pavilion's DJ dance party included its traditional dragon. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Fire effects shoot into the sky from the China pavilion's DJ dance party on New Year's Eve. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

A DJ hosts a large dance party on the stage at the Future World fountain. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

As midnight on the final day of 2016 approached, the Future World lawns filled. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Before the final countdown to the New Year, the final Illuminations filled the sky. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

The countdown to 2017 and fireworks display at Epcot never fail to be spectacular. Video by Alan S. Dalinka.

After the end of the New Year's fireworks, the Illuminations show globe danced with a colorful display until at least park closing at 1 a.m. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

During the daylight hours of January 1, Epcot seemed pretty quiet while there were reports that Magic Kingdom was very busy. The more quiet day at Epcot, again, may be reflective of the new categories of Annual Passes that were blocked out. The blockouts end today, so the rest of the week could start to get busier again as Annual Passholders return.

Also coming up is Marathon Weekend. That means later this week and next weekend, the several runDisney run events take place all over Walt Disney World Resort. Expect lots of road closures around the Resort and even places where cast members will keep guests from crossing usual walkways (including some in the parks themselves). Also, according to MousePlanet's Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix, there may be additional noise in unexpected places around the Resort (she said she has heard race-related noise at Disney's Polynesian Village) from announcers and those cheering depending on the day's cloud-related acoustics. Your mileage may vary, as I have not heard race-related noise at Disney's BoardWalk or Beach Club Villas in any of the years I stayed there during a Marathon Weekend.

Likely not long after the New Year's revelers cleared the Epcot parking lot, workers began assembling facilities for hosting this year's Marathon. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

On New Year's Day, workers had already installed bleachers for Marathon Weekend in the Epcot parking lot. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

The sky after sunset was spectacular at the end of a fairly quiet New Year's Day at Epcot. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

As you would expect, 2017 themed merchandise was available for sale at Mouse Gear on New Year's Day. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

As the year gets under way, we expect there will be more 2017 themed merchandise for sale at Mouse Gear and around Walt Disney World. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Much of the New Year's Day 2017 merchandise available at Mouse Gear were rather generic “Disney Parks” items rather than the more park-specific items that likely will become available soon. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

A new 2017 calendar of Disney Parks attraction posters is now being sold at Mouse Gear (and likely other locations as well). Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

A nice selection of retro-themed Epcot Center merchandise was available at Mouse Gear on New Year's Day. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

NFL Stars Announced for Pro Bowl Week at Walt Disney World Resort

Since Orlando will be the new home of the National Football League's Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium (formerly known as the Citrus Bowl) starting this year, it is not surprising that Disney is joining in the associated revelry. Pro Bowl players including New England quarterback Tom Brady, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr., and Dallas rookie sensations Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are some of the 88 all-star players selected to the AFC and NFC team rosters. Starting January 24, marquee players are scheduled to appear at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

Pro Bowl Week activities at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex are scheduled to include AFC and NFC team practices; youth football events; and a free, family-friendly football-themed festival – NFL Pro Bowl Experience; among others. It will also host the taping of “The Pro Bowl Skills Showdown,” with AFC and NFC All-Stars, which is scheduled to air on ESPN on January 26 at 7:00p.m. EST. Additional activities are planned for Disney Springs and Epcot, which will be the site of the Pro Bowl 5K run.

On Friday, January 27 at Magic Kingdom, Pro Bowl players, NFL cheerleaders, and various community groups will take part in a celebratory parade down Main Street, U.S.A.

New Park Opening Details & Ceremony Coming to Magic Kingdom

Beginning January 9, guests will be allowed to enter Main Street, U.S.A. earlier than the park’s scheduled opening time. Guests will be able to get breakfast or a warm drink at the Main Street Bakery (Starbucks). At the park's scheduled opening time, a new welcome show will officially open the park for the day on the Castle Stage. A “Royal Herald” will deliver a proclamation and welcome a few familiar characters to the stage, officially opening the park so “the magic can begin!”

Views Around the World

Other than New Year's-related photos, I took a few more photos of interest around Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's BoardWalk Resort.

Magic Kingdom

On busy nights at Magic Kingdom internally lit, inflatable directional signs are plentiful. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Epcot

“Holidays Around the World” celebrations at Epcot officially ended on December 30, so by December 31, the central Epcot Christmas Tree had been removed, allowing easier viewing of the New Year's celebrations from that part of the park. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Overnight, Disney's groundskeepers planted a full flower bed in place of the Epcot central Christmas Tree. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Alberta Bound is again performing at the Canada pavilion. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

With the early winter sunsets, it is possible to visit the Disney Vacation Club Member Lounge under the night sky for a brief time. The lounge closes at 6 p.m. daily. Panoramic Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Epcot is experimenting with requiring all visitors entering the park from the main parking lot to go through the metal detectors at the security bag check tables. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka (apologizing for the slight blur).

Hollywood Studios

The video screens on the Center Stage are used during the entire March of the First Order show. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Captain Phasma and two Stormtroopers now take the stage during the March of the First Order which is a minor improvement to the show's sightlines. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Even with tweaks to the show, sightlines for the March of the First Order remain challenging. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Beyond the Star Wars Land construction walls in the Muppets Courtyard, dirt is being moved around. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

A single crane is visible beyond Muppet Vision 3D in the area that will someday be home to a new “Land.” Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

Resorts

The culinary team at Disney's BoardWalk Resort created very small, but intricate gingerbread houses for this holiday season. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

This and That

…MousePlanet reader Chris (Mousellaneous) on MousePad writes of his experience using the new Express park-to-park transportation option, “Would I do it on my first time [ever visit to Walt Disney World] – probably not. But it is an incredible convenience, and an amazing steal in my opinion for what you are getting. If you are park storming like me, and want to get the most out of a day – this is a great tool to have in the arsenal.”

…With the upcoming inauguration of a new U.S. President, you have just a couple of weeks left to see the current version of The Hall of Presidents until it closes for around six months for refurbishment/installation of a new version of the show, and a new animatronic President.

The current version of The Hall of Presidents show will close January 17. Photos by Alan S. Dalinka.

…The Canada pavilion at Epcot is celebrating the country’s upcoming 150th birthday. From now until July 1, 2017, commemorative buttons will be available to guests at Epcot’s Canada pavilion. According to the Disney Parks Blog, “Everyone is invited to join in the fun and answer questions like, 'What do Canadians call a one dollar coin? Answer – A Loonie' and 'Who hosts Hockey Night in Canada Coach’s Corner? Answer – Don Cherry and Ron MacLean' to receive a button.” No purchase (other than park admission, of course) is necessary.

…The Starbright Holidays drone show at Disney Springs is scheduled to conclude its twice nightly run on January 8. That is also the last day the Christmas Tree Trail is scheduled to be open in the Marketplace area of Disney Springs.

…The new Epcot International Festival of the Arts begins on January 13. The Odyssey building will be its Festival Center.

By New Year's Day, the Odyssey building had already been stripped of much of its “beer” theme appropriate to its Food & Wine Festival and Holidays Around the World usage. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

The America Gardens Theatre will present Broadway Stars performing Disney showtunes during the six weekends of the Festival. Photo by Alan S. Dalinka.

…And, finally, our friends at Small World Vacations alerted us to some of the latest discounts offered on the official Walt Disney World Website. Please note that some of the discount information in our wrap-up below has passed the published booking deadlines and we will make revisions to that section in an upcoming Update.

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Resort Events

Check here to see if a park event might fall during your next trip to the Walt Disney World Resort. If you know of any in-park events, official or unofficial, that should be listed here, please send us an e-mail (link).

2017 Resort events

• Star Wars Experiences – Opened December 1, 2015
• Epcot International Festival of the Arts – January 13 through February 20, 2017
• Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival – March 1 – May 29, 2017.
• MouseAdventure – Saturday, March 4, 2017
• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival – August 31 through November 13, 2017.
• Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic – Dates TBD
• Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party –Dates TBD
• Holidays at Walt Disney World –Dates TBD
• Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party–Dates TBD
• Holidays Around the World at Epcot –Dates TBD
• Candlelight Processional at Epcot –Dates TBD

runDisney events

If you participate in (or are considering signing up for) runDisney events, visit our Team MousePlanet forum on the MousePad discussion board, where you can join our community of health-minded readers and staff.

2017

• Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend – January 4–8, 2017. Registration is now open. Proof of time deadline has passed.
• Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend – February 24–26, 2017. Registration is now open. Proof of time deadline has passed.
• Star Wars Half Marathon – The Dark Side Weekend – April 20–23, 2017. Registration is now open. Proof of time must be submitted by January 17, 2017.
• Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend – November 2–5, 2017. Registration opens January 17, 2017. Proof of time must be submitted by August 1, 2017.

2018

• 25th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend – January 3–7, 2018. Registration opens February 14, 2017. Proof of time deadline TBD.
• 10th Anniversary Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend – February 22–25, 2017. Registration opens May 2, 2017. Proof of time deadline TBD.
• Star Wars Half Marathon – The Dark Side Weekend – April 18–22, 2017. Registration opens May 23, 2017. Proof of time deadline TBD.
• Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend – TBD

For current information on registration dates and capacity, see Lorree Tachell's runDisney Race Capacity Updates in the Team MousePlanet forum on our MousePad discussion board.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

2017

• Liberty Square Riverboat – closed January 3 – 12, 2017 for refurbishment.
• Walt Disney World Railroad – closed January 9 – March 2, 2017 for refurbishment.
• The Magic Behind our Steam Trains guided tour – closed January 9 – March 2, 2017 during the Walt Disney World Railroad refurbishment.
• The Hall of Presidents – closes January 17, 2017 to add an audio-animatronic figure of the 45th president of the United States. Expected to reopen July, 2017.

Epcot

Permanently closed:

• Sum of All Thrills – closed permanently on September 14.
• Storm Struck – closed permanently on September 14.

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Permanently closed:

• Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
• Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure
• Studio Catering Co.
• Meet & Greet: Mike and Sulley at Streets of America
• Magic of Disney Animation
• The Writer's Stop
• Academy of Television Sciences Hall of Fame

Disney's Animal Kingdom

• Kali River Rapids – closed January 3 – February 13, 2017 for refurbishment.

Blizzard Beach

• Closed October 23 – December 24 for seasonal refurbishment.

Typhoon Lagoon

• Closed December 24 – March 11, 2017 for seasonal refurbishment.

Disney Springs

• Fulton's Crab House – closed for refurbishment. Scheduled to reopen in Early 2017 as Paddlefish
• Planet Hollywood – closed for refurbishment and transformation into Planet Hollywood Observatory to reopen soon.
• Disney Quest – scheduled to close sometime in 2017.

Resorts

• Wilderness Lodge and Villas – Hidden Springs pool, resort beach, playground, and Recreation fire pit closed. No opening date provided, but the pool is expected to be closed through 2017. Expect construction-related closures and noise due to construction of the as-yet-unannounced Disney Vacation Club cabins.
• Disney's All-Star Sports – the Grand Slam Pool closed October 10 for refurbishment, and is expected to reopen by December 2. The Surfboard Bay Pool will remain open.
• Disney's Pop Century Resort – the Computer Pool closed October 31 for refurbishment, and is expected to reopen by December 23. The Hippy Dippy Pool will remain open.

Elsewhere

• Disney Osprey Ridge Golf Course – permanently closed.

Current Discounts & Promotions

Note: MousePlanet does not edit past Updates to reflect price increases; for up-to-date prices, check the most recent Walt Disney World Resort Update. For your convenience, we have grouped the discount offers based on the intended audience. Check out the category that best matches you, and pick the offer that works best for you. And keep those tips coming—let us know if you find a better or different offer, so we can share it with other readers.