So, here’s the scoop: The story behind this gift is that Mickey needs your little ones help to surprise Minnie (and Minnie needs your help to surprise Mickey) at Magic Kingdom Park from Feb. 1-15. You see, tucked inside this new offering are essentials for a “sweet” meet-and-greet experience in the parks. And, get this, it also includes a special Valentine, personalized to your little one from Mickey or Minnie; a Valentine coloring sheet they can decorate; and a special invitation to surprise them at the Town Square Theater inside Magic Kingdom Park.

Now, imagine the look on your little one’s face as they present Mickey or Minnie with their colored Valentine they made just for them while wearing their Mickey Mouse ears and BFF light-up lanyard that’s included with this gift! And, not only is it a moment you’ll want to catch on camera, it’s a moment your little one will share with their friends when they get home too.

If you think your little loved one would enjoy surprising Mickey or Minnie with a special Valentine, simply click Mickey’s Valentine Surprise or Minnie’s Valentine Surprise to learn more. Remember, this experience is only offered through Feb. 15.

In Time For Valentine’s Day: A Sweet Meet-and-Greet at Magic Kingdom Park by Jean Volante: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

In this role-playing game, guests become Merlin’s apprentice sorcerers and embark on a quest to stop more than 20 Disney villains – including Hades and Cruella De Vil – from stealing one of the four shattered pieces of Merlin’s crystal ball. Armed with spells in the form of special cards, guests search for the magic symbols that lead them to villains’ hiding places in Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Main Street, U.S.A. Once there, apprentices use magic keys to reveal a villain’s hideout and use spell cards to stop them in their tracks.

According to the game’s developers, the cards really are the secret weapons of the game. There will be 70 different spell cards available and guests will receive five complimentary cards when they play. Each card features a different Disney character that offers a spell unique to him or her. Guests can use more than one card simultaneously, casting multiple spells at a villain at one time.

Some of the cards you may encounter include:

• Lumière’s Candle Blast – This card shows Belle’s favorite candlestick spurred on by his loyal ally, Cogsworth.
• Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride – This card shows Mr. Toad’s car careening through the underbrush.
• Prince Naveen’s Army of Frogs – This card shows Tiana’s prince enchanting his amphibian army to action.
• Rafiki’s Wisdom Stick – This card shows Simba’s counselor ready to imbue some knowledge on the enemy’s forehead.
• The Woozles’ Woozle Nightmare – This card shows a Woozle dreaming of his most delightful vision: A gang of other Woozles ready to bang some noggins.

I do have some additional details for guests who want to collect or trade these cards. The 70 cards are divided into nine different spell classes, such as Princess cards, Hero cards or Warrior cards. In addition, all cards are marked with one of three designations – a star symbol, which indicates a rare card; a moon symbol, which signifies an uncommon card; and a planet symbol, which indicates a common card.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom will debut in late February and is included in the cost of theme park admission.

Walt Disney World Resort Guests Hold the Power With Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Cards by Jennifer Fickley-Baker: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

UPDATE: The list of attendees for our “Trick or Meet-Up” has now been posted. Please check the list to see if your RSVP was accepted. If you do not receive an e-mail from us confirming your reservation and your name does not appear on the list of attendees, your RSVP was not accepted. Be sure to check the Disney Parks Blog for updates on future meet-up events.

UPDATE: Oh my, what an amazing response for our “Trick or Meet-Up” at Walt Disney World Resort. Sign-up for the event is now closed. All participants have been or soon will be notified. Thank you and stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for first word of future meet-ups.

Attention foolish mortals, we’re now taking RSVPs for our first-ever “Trick or Meet-Up” at the Walt Disney World Resort. It’s happening on the night of September 29, 2011, at Magic Kingdom Park just after the park closes to the public.

Meet-up attendees will be treated to special tours of The Haunted Mansion attraction queue hosted by Walt Disney Imagineers as well as some unique experiences on The Haunted Mansion attraction itself. There will be ghoulish photo opportunities and of course, a few other surprises.

The Disney Parks Blog team will be wearing their best Halloween costumes and it’d be great if you did too.

Our meet-up begins at 9:00 p.m. on September 29 and ends at 11:59 p.m. – a stroke before midnight. Please note that attendance is limited so sign up now.

• All guests who RSVP for the event must be 18 years or older, but your guest does not need to be 18. You can only bring one guest.
• Valid RSVPs must include 1) “Trick or Meet-Up RSVP” in the subject line and 2) your name in the body of the email. All RSVPs will be for the person who responds plus one guest.
• Valid photo I.D. will be required at check-in.

We will send an e-mail to those whose valid RSVPs are received by us before we reach the planned capacity to confirm their attendance for the September 29 event. Depending on your e-mail settings, you may not receive the confirmation e-mail, so we recommend that you also check the list of attendees on the Disney Parks Blog this week. We will give an update at the top of this post that will include a link to the list of names of all confirmed attendees. If you do not receive an e-mail from us confirming your reservation and your name does not appear on the list of attendees, your RSVP was not accepted.

Please note the event is subject to change or cancellation.

Announcing Our First ‘Trick or Meet-Up’ at Walt Disney World Resort by Thomas Smith: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Today, Pirate Mac has been teachin’ some o The Pirates Leagues’ newest recruits how to ready for life on the high seas. Take a listen!

Guests Find Their Inner Scallywag at The Pirates League by Dara Trujillo-Ho-Yo-Ho, Shopkeeper and Town Crier: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

And to kick the Surprise Celebration into high gear, the 20th anniversary enticed guests with the new advertising campaign “20 New Reasons to Visit Walt Disney World.” One of those reasons was the “Surprise in the Skies” show at Epcot as depicted below in a magazine advertisement.

Magic Kingdom Park was also rededicated on Oct. 1, 1991, by Michael Eisner and Roy Disney. The festivities were capped with a supersonic surprise flyover for all in attendance. With a shindig this big, I’m sure this was one surprise party everyone knew about!

Vintage Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom Park Marks 20 Years by Nate Rasmussen: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Get a behind-the-scenes look at more of what’s going on at Magic Kingdom Park in these posts:

• Magic Kingdom Fantasyland Through the Imagineering Lens
• Imagineers Go Behind the Scenes at Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
• Imagineers Use Innovative Technology to Build New Fantasyland

Behind the Scenes: Transforming Magic Kingdom Park for Fall by Thomas Smith: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

We’re in the middle of this year’s Night of Joy festival at Magic Kingdom Park and we wanted to give readers a quick look back at some of the top posts we’ve featured on the Disney Parks Blog about the 2011 talent and schedule. Who are you looking forward to seeing the most?

Take 5: Night of Joy 2011 at Magic Kingdom Park

1. Disney’s Night of Joy Concert Schedules Released – In late August, we released the full schedule for the 2011 Night of Joy festival.




2. Night of Joy Artist Spotlight: Kutless at Magic Kingdom Park – On the surface, the guys from Kutless look like your basic, average rockers; but they have been the impetus for some of the most soulful praise and worship music in recent years, selling more than two million records across the last decade or so. Take a look at their artist profile!




3. Night of Joy Artist Spotlight: TobyMac – Check out this Night of Joy artist profile, which focuses on a virtual veteran of the Christian Music industry, Grammy-and-Dove-Award winner TobyMac.




4. Night of Joy Artist Spotlight: Chris August – This artist profile is about a relative newcomer to the Christian Music scene, but he has scorched up the Contemporary Christian charts during his short career in the industry – even winning GMA Dove Awards this year for New Artist, Male Vocalist and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Album of the Year for his smash CD, “No Far Away.”




5. Night of Joy Artist Profile: Disciple – Love Christian music that really rocks?! If so, check out our artist profile on Disciple!

Take 5: Night of Joy 2011 at Magic Kingdom Park by Thomas Smith: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

This seven-foot-tall cake measured 41 feet in circumference and featured more than 11,000 live plants. The “15” candle on top was 30 inches high and made from Scarletta begonias – sure beats the wax kind I blew out as a kid. The topiary cake was changed with the seasons as chrysanthemums were installed for Thanksgiving and poinsettias for Christmas.

But the showcase of the celebration was the introduction of the WDW-GGM (Walt Disney World Gift Giver Machine). This computer awarded birthday gift surprises to guests entering the park every 15 seconds. A variety of prizes such as birthday visors, birthday pins, Walt Disney Pictures videos, Annual Passes and beach towels were awarded daily, and every day one lucky guest won a 1987 Chevy Cavalier. Winning guests received a voucher to order the car (or an S-10 pickup truck, their choice) at their hometown Chevrolet dealer. Any guesses on the value of a 1987 Chevy Cavalier?

Vintage Walt Disney World: The Teenage Years by Nate Rasmussen: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

You decide. Go ahead, “Caption This!” and tell me what the heck you think they’re looking at.

Caption This: A Cluster of Confused Tikis at Magic Kingdom Park by Jennifer Fickley-Baker: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog

Today, we’re thrilled to share plans for a new role-playing adventure coming to Walt Disney World called Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. This is going to be fun – and it’s all happening inside the park. Merlin the magician will recruit guests to become apprentice sorcerers and then help them with maps and clues that show where and how to defeat an army of Disney villains.

Looks interesting, right? Work on this new adventure is already underway. You may notice a few giant crates and even some new spaces showing up throughout Adventureland. They’ll provide early clues to the challenge you’ll face while trying to save the Magic Kingdom.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is scheduled to debut in early 2012. And we’ll be sharing more details in the future so keep checking the Disney Parks Blog for updates.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Coming to Walt Disney World by Thomas Smith: Originally posted on the Disney Parks Blog