Disney Parks After Dark: Halloween at Walt Disney World Resort

Throughout the month of October, we’ve presented a look at the spooky side of Disney Parks around the world. This week, we’re celebrating Halloween at Magic Kingdom Park with a chilling look at three residents of the Haunted Mansion – the Hitchhiking Ghosts.

In this photo, shot by Disney Photographer Gene Duncan, ghosts Ezra, Gus and Phineas (their unofficial names) appear to hitchhike down the parade route during Mickey’s Boo-To-You Parade at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

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Disney Parks After Dark

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To see how Halloween is celebrated at other Disney Parks, including at some of our international parks, check out the list of posts below.

• Disney Parks After Dark: Phantom Manor in Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris
• Disney Parks After Dark: The Spookiest Attractions at Tokyo Disney Resort
• Disney Parks After Dark: Phantom Manor in Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris

Disney Parks After Dark: Halloween at Walt Disney World Resort by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Window Shopping – Boo-tiful Merchandise Materializes at Hong Kong Disneyland

I don’t want to appear completely transparent when I tell you this, but I love the merchandise that has recently materialized at Hong Kong Disneyland. I channeled my counterpart Fion Lai, and she told me she had special treats in store for you, and she was right! Take a look at the frightfully fun Halloween-inspired t-shirts, plush, frames, headwear, D-Tech, keepsake boxes, pens and keychains.

Looking for something else to get you in the spirit? Check out the collection of “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” merchandise including a t-shirt, headwear, plush, pillows, frames, totes, drinkware, a watch, D-Tech, pins and Vinylmation.

Because we are literally window shopping, I must remind you there isn’t a ghost of a chance of actually being able to purchase this product, unless you and/or someone you know is visiting Hong Kong Disneyland. But I hope that you enjoyed this glimpse into the crystal ball to see what is happening at Disney Parks around the world.

For more window shopping posts, click the links below:

• Window Shopping at Disney Parks Around the World: Mystic Point Merchandise at Hong Kong Disneyland
• Window Shopping at Disney Parks: Hong Kong Disneyland 8th Anniversary Merchandise
• Window Shopping at Disney Parks Around the World: A Summer Trip to Disneyland Paris

Window Shopping – Boo-tiful Merchandise Materializes at Hong Kong Disneyland by Michelle Harker, Manager, Merchandise Marketing & Communications, Disneyland Resort: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

A Look at Recent and Future Haunted Mansion Merchandise at Disney Parks

This past year has been an exciting time for Haunted Mansion collectors. In February, we released nine amazing decorative items inspired by the attraction. These items and more are currently found on the Disney Parks online store. In August, we had an online release of a Hatbox Ghost shirt (it’s nice seeing fellow Haunted Mansion fans in the Parks wearing that shirt.) Finally, in September, we released an incredible Dooney & Bourke wallpaper bag. Good news – additional orders of this bag are arriving in November at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. As your humble servant of Disney Parks merchandise information, I wanted to share with you a look at some other recent and future Haunted Mansion items.

I recently visited the Yankee Trader shop located near the Haunted Mansion attraction in Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom Park. The shop had a nice small display of items including those aforementioned decorative goods and four recently released T-shirts.

The D-Tech team also recently released two new phone cases. The limited release wallpaper case was made for the iPhone 4/4S (item number – 400007864818) and iPhone 5/5S (item number – 400007863538), and it can be found in multiple locations at Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts. The limited edition, iPhone 5/5S portrait case (item number – 400007703476) has an edition size of 999, and can only be found at Walt Disney World Resort. The case has a lenticular feature that is similar to the portrait from the attraction.

On December 20, we are releasing a Vinylmation set with figures inspired by the stretch room portraits (as seen in the first image of this article). This limited edition set will have an edition size of 2,000 and was designed by Disney Design Group artist Ron Cohee. The set will be released at the D Street locations on each coast and on the Disney Parks online store.

Finally, the Haunted Mansion will celebrate 45 years at Disneyland park in August 2014. The Disney pin team is currently planning an awesome pin collection for this milestone anniversary at the Disneyland Resort next summer. Look for more details in the coming months about the new collection.

The Vinylmation team will also be releasing some new three-inch figures for the 45th Anniversary. These figures, also designed by Ron Cohee, will feature Mickey Mouse and friends playing roles from the Haunted Mansion. Look for this new “Reveal/Conceal” concept late next summer.

A Look at Recent and Future Haunted Mansion Merchandise at Disney Parks by Steven Miller, Merchandise Communications Manager: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Disney Parks Attractions Around the World: Haunted Mansion

Haunted Mansion is a favorite attraction for many Disney Parks guests. Here at Disneyland park, the 999 happy haunts have been frightening guests since 1969 in New Orleans Square. But did you know the Haunted Mansion is the only Disney Parks attraction to be located within different lands at other Disney Parks around the world? At Walt Disney World Resort, you can find the Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square; look for the grim, grinning ghosts in Fantasyland at Tokyo Disneyland. At Disneyland Paris, the Haunted Mansion is known as Phantom Manor, and it is located in Frontierland.

Not only are these manors and mansions located in different lands, but each has a different theme and design. At Disneyland park, many people believe that the Haunted Mansion bears a striking resemblance to a Baltimore mansion. However, the truth is that a variety of designers and architects worked on its design, resulting in a mansion that embodies an architectural style and interior that was popular in the South in the mid-1850s.

Over at Walt Disney World Resort, the design required a little something different since the Haunted Mansion would be located in Liberty Square rather than New Orleans Square. Therefore, instead of looking like a Southern estate, the Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom Park was designed to look like a gothic manor from the Eastern seaboard. At Tokyo Disneyland, a similar gothic style – with dark bricks, stone finishes and ominous turrets – creates the same ominous effect, even though it is located in Fantasyland.

The most recent version of this beloved attraction opened in 1992 in Frontierland at Disneyland Paris. Set in an aged, rundown wooden home from the Old West, this attraction took on a new name: Phantom Manor. Phantom Manor features some of the classic Haunted Mansion scenes with an Old West twist.

Yesterday on the Disney Parks Blog Facebook page, we asked which all of the different versions of this classic Disney Parks attraction is the spookiest. Fans voted Magic Kingdom number 1 with Disneyland park second. Which is your favorite?

Disney Parks Attractions Around the World: Haunted Mansion by Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Caption This: A Halloween Surprise at Magic Kingdom Park

Happy Halloween!

Today’s Caption This photo was snapped during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom Park last year. Any guesses as to what caused this little boy’s reaction? A funny costume? A really great trick-or-treat station?

You tell us. Go ahead and “Caption This” in the “Comments” section below!

Caption This: A Halloween Surprise at Magic Kingdom Park by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Vintage Walt Disney World: The Haunted Mansion, Delightfully Unlivable

Spirits. Happy Haunts. Hitchhiking Ghosts. It’s the perfect day to take a look back at the Haunted Mansion before it became delightfully unlivable for its 999 inhabitants. Below is a peek at this ghostly retreat when it was still under construction in January 1971. Happy Halloween, Foolish Mortals!

Vintage Walt Disney World: The Haunted Mansion, Delightfully Unlivable by Nate Rasmussen, Archivist, Marketing Resource Center: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Celebrate Halloween on the Disney Parks Blog with a Set of Haunted Mansion Attraction Posters

Happy Halloween! We’re celebrating throughout the day and night on the Disney Parks Blog with a first-ever Haunted Mansion takeover of the site and some unique Halloween-related stories. But to kick things off, we’re offering a chance to win a set of four posters inspired by the stretching portraits from The Haunted Mansion Attraction at Walt Disney World Resort. If you are one of the first 100 people to send us a “Happy Halloween” greeting, you may be eligible to win a set of these posters.

To enter for a chance to win all four Haunted Mansion Attraction posters, email us a “Happy Halloween” message of no more than 50 characters in length to WDW.Sweepstakes@Disney.com and include your full name and mailing address in the email. Once the potential winners are determined, we’ll send notifications via email. See the sweepstakes rules and eligibility requirements here.

Sweepstakes open only to persons who, upon entering, are not deemed minors in their jurisdiction of primary residence and are legal residents of, and physically located within, the 50 United States or D.C. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Subject to complete Official Rules. Ends 10/31 /13.

Celebrate Halloween on the Disney Parks Blog with a Set of Haunted Mansion Attraction Posters by Thomas Smith: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

A Special Treat: Walt Disney World Wins Sustainability Award for “Making the Switch” to Save Electricity

Saving electricity is no trick—like many efforts to protect our planet, it can be hard work. That makes receiving the Sustainable Florida Best Practice Award in the large business category even more of a special treat.

Yesterday, I had the honor of accepting this award on behalf of the Walt Disney World Resort for our “Make the Switch” electricity conservation program, along with two of my partners in this important work, Mark Todd, Vice President, Engineering Services and Manufacturing, and Dan Cockerell, Vice President, Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The award was announced at the “Working on the Green Sustainability Summit” here in Orlando, Florida.

We are especially proud to receive this award because it is recognition of Disney’s long-standing commitment to the environment, conservation and the natural world. This legacy started with Walt Disney himself and, thanks to our cast members, it has continued to grow. As Disney cast members, each and every one of us has the privilege—and the responsibility—to champion this important part of Walt’s legacy by leading the way in environmental stewardship.

To save electricity, cast members have been doing small things that make a big difference like switching off lights and equipment when not in use. We’ve also been implementing major programs like using energy-efficient lighting in innovative ways, and enhancing energy management and air-conditioning systems throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. Our guests are joining us in conserving electricity to help protect our planet by switching off lights, TVs and ceiling fans, and adjusting thermostats when they leave their resort rooms.

Of course, there’s a lot more we want to accomplish! We’re always looking for new ways to conserve resources, including electricity. To find out more about all of our environmental goals, please visit www.disney.com/environment.

A Special Treat: Walt Disney World Wins Sustainability Award for “Making the Switch” to Save Electricity by Jackie Ogden: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

999 Happy Haunts Take Over the Disney Parks Blog

Attention foolish mortals – Halloween day has arrived and this year, the Disney Parks Blog is haunted by 999 ghosts from The Haunted Mansion attraction. During this day (and night) your favorite authors are no more – they’ve been replaced by some eerie characters dead set on haunting the blog with their stories.

We not only have a full day of Haunted Mansion-related stories, but there will also be a chance to win a special Haunted Mansion attraction treat this morning. Check here later for details.

999 Happy Haunts Take Over the Disney Parks Blog by Thomas Smith: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

New Medals Unveiled for Princess and Tinker Bell Half Marathons at Disney Parks

Today, I’m excited to reveal some of our new runDisney medals for two of our race weekends in 2014.

The Princess Half Marathon medal is completely new compared to last year’s medal and is inspired by our classic and most enduring princess, Cinderella. We’ve added a 10K and a Glass Slipper Challenge event (running the half marathon and the 10K) to the Princess Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World Resort, so check out the shiny new medals that go with them.

The Tinker Bell Half Marathon medal has a few new enhancements from last year. There’s also a new 10K race there too and the medal, of course, is very much themed around Tinker Bell.

So, if you’re signed up to run any of these races, get ready to rock these shiny new medals, so everyone can see your bling.

New Medals Unveiled for Princess and Tinker Bell Half Marathons at Disney Parks by Darrell Fry: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Minnie Mouse and Disneyland Resort Horses Participate in Anaheim Halloween Parade

A tradition since 1924, the Anaheim Halloween Parade delights viewers with spooky surprises, festive floats and energetic musicians. This year, parade-goers had a special treat: Minnie Mouse!

Seated in a regal carriage, with Disneyland Resort Ambassador Megan Navarette at her side, the seasonally attired duo were pulled by Circle D horses, Reggie and Brother. We were there as Circle D cast members prepped the handsome steeds for their strut down the streets of Anaheim. Look closely to see Reggie’s ears perk up at the mention of a certain mouse!

Minnie Mouse and Disneyland Resort Horses Participate in Anaheim Halloween Parade by Donna Fisk: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Epcot’s Flavors of Club Cool Debuts Guarana Kuat, Inca Kola & Five Other Sodas Today

Have you sampled the international soda selection at Flavors of Club Cool at Epcot?

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Epcot’s Flavors of Club Cool Debuts Guarana Kuat, Inca Kola & Five Other Sodas Today

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Starting today, the club will offer seven new flavors of soda samples. Only one option from the previous selection will remain – Beverly, a common aperitif found in Italy.

New flavors added to the sample station are:

• Fanta – Fanta debuted in Europe in the 1940s and was introduced in the U.S.A. in 1960s. It’s now available in more than 90 flavors.
• VegitaBeta – This Japanese beverage combines apricot and passion fruit flavors.
• Fanta (Melon Frosty) – This melon-flavored soda is number one in Thailand.
• Bibo – This fruit-flavored juice drink originates from South Africa.
• Sparberry – This raspberry cream-flavored soda has been a favorite in Africa since 1955.
• Guarana Kuat – This drink, flavored after the guarana berry, is popular in Brazil.
• Inca Kola – This Peruvian favorite offers a sweet, almost bubblegum-like taste.

Flavors of Club Cool at Epcot is only one of three locations in the entire country that serves these sodas. The others are Coca-Cola attractions in Atlanta and Las Vegas.

Which sounds most interesting to you? Tell us in the “Comments” section below.

Epcot’s Flavors of Club Cool Debuts Guarana Kuat, Inca Kola & Five Other Sodas Today by Jennifer Fickley-Baker: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Seafaring Fun Grows for Little Cruisers on the Re-imagined Disney Magic

Earlier this week I gave you inside looks at one of the transformed spaces for little cruisers on the Disney Magic, Disney’s Oceaneer Club including Marvel’s Avengers Academy. But one part I didn’t tell you about is the secret passageway that connects Oceaneer Club to another magical realm – Disney’s Oceaneer Lab!

Adorned with giant, nautical ropes belayed around columns, ancient navigation maps on the walls and compasses emblazoned throughout the décor, Oceaneer Lab takes pint-sized pirates on a journey of discovery, exploration and adventure.

This seafaring fun spot has video walls and digital stations for games, an animator’s studio for budding artists and a pirate workshop for experiments and art projects. Plus, Navigator Simulators let young buccaneers take the wheel and captain a ship through the mysterious waters of the Caribbean.

Just down the hall for the youngest cruisers — ages three months to three years — is the new It’s a Small World Nursery. Inspired by the style of Disney Legend Mary Blair, this whimsical world has cheerful artwork and murals resembling the namesake Disney Parks attraction.

The space is filled with hands-on features, including horns to honk, wheels to spin and buttons to press, along with colorful, kid-sized tables and chairs for toddlers to enjoy crafts, books and games with caring, trained counselors.

At the back of the nursery, a serene motif and a calm, quiet atmosphere is reserved for naptime. Parents wishing to check on their children without disturbing them can glimpse into the nursery’s main play area through a one-way window.

Now that I’ve given you a virtual tour of the kids spaces, which re-imagined areas on the Disney Magic do you want to see more of next?

Keep an eye on the Disney Parks Blog and Disney Cruise Line Facebook page, and follow @DisneyCruise on Twitter for all of the exciting updates about the Disney Magic’s transformation! While you’re on Twitter, join in the conversation by using the hashtag #DisneyMagic.

For more about the Disney Magic, click the links below:

• First Look at the Re-Imagined Disney Magic
• Pixie Dusting the Disney Magic for Little Cruisers
• Behind-the-Scenes of the Disney Magic Transformation

Seafaring Fun Grows for Little Cruisers on the Re-imagined Disney Magic by Jonathan Frontado: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog