Magic Kingdom is Walt Disney World's most popular park, and it is about to see some changes this year. Among those anticipated changes are the return of certain characters and entertainment. And as one beloved attraction closes, another is about to open.  Looking for more info about visiting Walt Disney World Resort in 2023? Check out these posts for Epcot , Hollywood Studios , and Animal Kingdom !  Tron Of course, the most exciting addition to Magic Kingdom this year is Tron. The highly anticipated Tron Lightcycle Run is finally expected to open on April 4th, 2023. Tron is a rollercoaster with both indoor and outdoor sections. You'll hop on board a Lightcycle - a motorcycle-like seat - and race through the Grid. There is a height requirement of 48 inches. The ride is supposed to be one of the fastest at Walt Disney World, and parts of it will be in the dark. Guests will also be required to store items in a locker before boarding.  Tron will use a virtual qu...

Are you planning on visiting Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World in 2023? DAK is a fantastic park, dedicated to Walt Disney's love for animals and nature.  There is so much to explore. No Walt Disney World vacation would be complete without a trip to DAK.  Here are some of the things you can expect for Disney's Animal Kingdom to offer in 2023: Enjoy the Classics Even if Animal Kingdom isn’t getting many new additions this year, guests can still enjoy the current attractions. After all, the classics are classics for a reason.  The most popular attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are Flight of Passage, Kilimanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest, and the Festival of the Lion King show.  As one of the newest attractions at DAK, Flight of Passage still draws long lines. Luckily, you can usually avoid these wait times by arriving early to the park. Even so, the wait is worth it. This is a spectacular ride with intricate theming, and I cannot recommend it enough....

Did you know that Disney Darling has a Pinterest ? We post pins of our latest posts, aesthetically pleasing pictures, and inspirational quotes. To wrap up 2022, Disney Darling is recapping our top pins: 5. Peter Pan Wallpaper As always, I re-watch several Disney movies throughout the year. This year I watched Tarzan, Frozen, The Three Caballeros, and Fantasia, among others. When re-watching Peter Pan I took this screenshot of a particularly beautiful moment when the Darling kids arrive in Neverland. People must also adore this moment, as it is one of the most popular pins of this year for Disney Darling.  4. DCP Tips: Living The Disney College Program is a topic that draws much interest throughout the year. 2022 was no exception. Last year, Disney Darling published some tips for upcoming CPs. And - good news! With the next batch of College Programmers starting soon, more of this series will be posted. Follow Disney Darling on Pinterest and look f...

Well, to say that being a Disney Parks fan over the last couple of years has been disappointing would be...an understatement. Plans have been cancelled, prices have been raised, perks have been taken away, and there seems to be nothing new or exciting on the horizon. There is a LOT I could get into. But I need to stop myself or this post will never get published. Since the pandemic, Bob Iger smartly stepped down as CEO and was replaced by Bob Chapek. Paycheck, as I so lovingly refer to him as, could not have inherited the Disney kingdom at a worse time. Iger was still facing public backlash and financial setbacks from his purchase of Fox for Disney+. Plus, there was the pandemic, which came with its own slew of issues. Of course, some happenings were out of Paycheck's control. And maybe his reputation could've just been a little hiccup, a tiny whitehead on the face of the company that could be easily squeezed out, healed over, and forgotten about. But he decided to open his dam...

Now, the dreaded World Showcase part in my Land Ranking Series. This is the most difficult to rank. This list is definitely not definite. What's your favorite pavilion? 11. American Adventure As the focal point of the World Showcase, the American Adventure pavilion is gigantic. Not only does it have an animatronic show, restaurant, gift shop, and cute outdoor seating area, but it also contains an amphitheater, which hosts the Candlelight Processional every year, among other musical shows. This pavilion was clearly designed to be the greatest in the World (Showcase). But it automatically goes to the bottom of my list because as an American...I've already seen it. I love me a good funnel cake stand but every single county fair across the nation has one, too. The World Showcase is all about exploring other cultures, and the American Adventure is all too familiar to me.  10. Norway I gotta be honest...Norway just doesn't do it for me. I know lots of other bloggers adore this ...

Nobody is just born automatically knowing everything and anything about Walt Disney World. Are you confused about the differences between the Walt Disney World parks? Or Disneyland vs. Walt Disney World? What about which parks are skips or must dos? How big is Walt Disney World, anyway?  I myself didn’t visit the park until adulthood. And even though I did piles of research beforehand, there was still much I learned during my first trip. Here are five misconceptions about Walt Disney World I previously had:   1. Disneyland and Walt Disney World are the same thing One of my earliest memories is sitting around the TV at daycare, watching morning cartoons with the other kids. Suddenly, a Disney park commercial came on. We all started excitedly yelling "I wanna go to Disneyland!" One kid brought up Disney World. "What's the difference?" we asked. One kid said with the air of authority that only a 4-year-old could have "Disneyland is inside of Disney World"...

  As I continue my "Ranking of the Lands" series,  I need to approach Epcot a bit differently. Historically, Epcot has been broken up into two sections: Future World and the World Showcase.  Ranking the World Showcase Pavilions deserves its own post, as there's just too many of them.  But breaking up Future World into "lands" is tricky. Recently, Epcot has divided Future World into three different "neighborhoods" (why they wouldn't just continue the tradition of calling them "lands" is beyond me): World Nature, World Discovery, and World Celebration. Alright. Well, for the sake of simplicity, let's just rank these three Future World neighborhoods for now before going on to the much more overwhelming World Showcase.  (Just kidding. Ranking anything in Epcot is difficult because Epcot is awesome).  3. World Celebration As the entrance to the park, World Celebration sets the tone for your day at Epcot. And I must say, it looks so much be...

Recently, Disney introduced its new Lightning Lane system. Basically, Lightning Lane is the replacement for FastPass, except you have to pay to use it now. The FastPass system has been a staple in many Disney trips for 20 years. I myself was a huge advocate. But doing Disney without Lighting Lane is totally possible. Many people have reported on forums that Genie+ is definitely a bonus and not at all a requirement. Here are some tips for a Walt Disney World vacation WITHOUT Lightning Lane: Check Wait Times Walt Disney World's app is a must for every trip. On the app, you can check wait times for every attraction across the resort. You many want to download the app a few weeks before your trip and take note of the wait times throughout the days leading up to your visit to get an idea of when the parks are the most crowded.  Some rides like The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will have a permanent hour-long wait no matter what.  Some rides like Splash Mountain (Tiana...

  The 50th Anniversary celebration of Walt Disney World was supposed to bring new attractions to the parks, especially  EPCOT.  Understandably, not everything was ready in time and some plans have even been shelved for good. If one new addition to the parks is a much needed breath of fresh pixie dust, the new Ratatouille ride is it. Remy's Ratatouille Adventure is a copy-paste from Disneyland Paris. In 2014, a whole mini land was added to the Walt Disney Studios park. There was a fountain added, a restaurant and a ride which celebrates the passion of French cuisine. Naturally, the Parisians loved it. This celebration of culture is what makes the IP such a great fit for Epcot's World Showcase.  Personally, I am not a fan of copy-paste attractions. Each Disney park around the globe should have something unique to draw visitors away from their "home" park. The Ratatouille ride was one of the biggest draws to visiting Disneyland Paris. On the other hand, i...

There are three components to the Disney College Program: living , learning and earning . The living component has to do with on-site housing and how you spend your time outside out the parks. This will be your life for the next 4 or more months. How you live and who you live with can really affect the overall experience of your program. Here are some tips to tackle DCP housing: Start with social media You do have the option of choosing who you live with. Many newly accepted Cast Members will flood to Facebook groups to connect with others before actually beginning the program. This way, you're not going in completely alone. There will be some questionnaire forms floating around. Fill one out about yourself. Read other's posts and comment if you have anything in common. This is the easiest way to choose your own roommates. Even if you do not become roommates with everyone you talk to over social media, you can still make friends.  Consider cost The housing complex and the numb...