5 new things I learned about The Disney Parks this week

That I didn't know before... 

1.  When inquiring about the lack of a Holiday overlay to the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World, I learned 3 new facts:

A: Walt Disney World is referred to as an "International Park" 

B: Disneyland is referred to as a "Local's Park" 

C: The consensus for the lack of a Haunted Mansion Holiday is a result of Disney wanting first time guests (which seem to be more common due to International tourism) able to enjoy the classic attraction in it's original, shall we say... mortal, state. 

*shout out to Zannaland for answering my question on Instagram*

2.  In a recent article put out by Al Lutz over at MiceChat, I learned that Cast Members, when factoring the amount of fastpasses made available on any given day, have to consider how many Guest Assistance passes have/will be given out (which includes their entire party) as they set the machines.  

I also was enlightened about how big a problem the fastpass lines have actually become in regards to misuse of this Assistance system, which leads to extremely long Fastpass return lines, thus forcing Cast members to further crank down the number of tickets distributed. 

3.  In the same article, Lutz confirmed the bad news we'd all been hoping to not hear about the Annual Cast Member Christmas party...  After 53 years of Christmas tradition, it has been cancelled.  There are a lot of politics, I'm sure, that have gone into this decision from the "higher up's", but I don't want to get into all that.  This is a sad thing, indeed, to see go.  Walt, himself, started the parties as a way to say Thank You to all the cast members who worked so hard at making the magic all year. 

4.  My most favorite Fireworks show I've ever seen at Disneyland is BACK!!  Back in 2005, Disneyland debuted a special tribute show as part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration.  Remember... Dreams  Come True ran through the next few years and then was replaced by a few different shows that never truly lived up to the latter. This week it came back! I'm so excited to visit for Halloweentime and watch it again. I'm not sure how long the run is going to be, but I'd assume through the holiday crowds - as it is a definite pleaser! 

5.  Last but not least, Disney announced that we will again be seeing price hikes on Annual Passes and Day Tickets this winter.  As a long time pass holder, I'm so glad for the monthly payment options as there would be no way I could justify spending that chunk of money flat out in one day.  If you plan to purchase entry to the park any time soon, be it APs or tickets, try to do it soon. 

I'll leave you with a fun picture to play "Where in Disneyland?"...

leave your guesses/answers below in the comment section :) 

Have a great weekend!