BradyBzLyn...Mo

Yep.  I can count the number of rope drops I've seen on one hand, and often we don't get to the parks until noon.  But we also pick our park of the day based on what's open the latest.  I think I've only ever ridden Peter Pan after midnight (I refuse to wait an hour and don't generally waste a FP on it.)  lol
I'd love for those late hours to return - after midnight almost everything was a walk on and the parks were so cool at night when they weren't crowded - but short of paid events like this, I doubt that will happen.

Oooh, pick me!!  I have more than a few photos of the Main Street clock at 1am, 2am, and one time, 3am! 
Those late nights were super fun.  I miss them.  

Somewhere in here there is a joke about early entry at Mickey’s Backyard Massage Parlor and Casino, but I’ll leave that up to your imagination.   

Please remember I only share the news I get from Disney. This is all copy and pasted direct from the notification I just received.        Enjoy The Magic of Staying at a Disney Resort Hotel During Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary   We’re just 93 days away from “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” in honor of Walt Disney World Resort’s 50th anniversary, but who’s counting? As we near this special milestone, we are excited to bring you more details on new benefits coming to the Disney Resorts Collection as part of the celebration.   Just in time for the start of this magical celebration, on Oct. 1, we will be rolling out a new early theme park entry benefit for Disney Resort hotel guests and guests of other select hotels, giving them the first chance to enjoy select attractions at EVERY theme park, EVERY day. These guests will also be among the first each day to see the dazzling decorations and EARidescent excitement. Guests will need a valid ticket or pass and a theme park reservation for the same park on the same date for early theme park entry.   In addition, with the kickoff of the 50th anniversary, guests staying at one of our Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Disney Resort hotels will also be able to enjoy extended evening hours on select nights in select theme parks. Extended evening hours will begin in early October with specific dates and parks to be shared at a later time. Please note that guests will need a valid ticket or pass and a theme park reservation for the same park on the same day to experience extended evening hours. Or, guests may visit with a ticket or Annual Pass with the Park Hopper option as long as they entered their first park where they made their reservation earlier in the day. For both of these options, select attractions, merchandise and food and beverage locations will be available. Guests should be sure to also bring their MagicBand, Disney MagicMobile pass or Key to the World card linked to their stay, or another form of Resort ID.   Back at their Disney Resort hotel, Guests will enjoy even more magic! During the celebration, they can be on the lookout for surprise appearances by some favorite Disney pals like Goofy and Pluto, who will be dressed in their EARidescent best and dropping by to visit with guests across Walt Disney World Resort, including at Disney Resort hotels!   These new offerings will join a number of other great services available for Disney Resort hotel guests such as complimentary on-site transportation and the direct-to-room service available in the My Disney Experience app. We also recently revealed reimagined rooms coming to two of our original Disney Resort hotels that opened alongside Magic Kingdom Park in 1971: Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Disney’s Contemporary Resort!   Speaking of Disney Resort hotel stays, we know many of you are also wondering when Disney dining plan packages will return.
While we’re not quite ready to share an update on timing, we are planning to bring this guest-favorite option back at a later date. We will also continue to reopen more Resort offerings, including restaurants like ‘Ohana (with the noodles!).   With so much excitement in the air, we invite Guests to be our guest and stay in the magic during “The World’s Most Magical Celebration!”   *Please note that Disney Resort benefits are subject to change without notice.Enjoy The Magic of Staying at a Disney Resort Hotel During Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary

This is not a drill!!! Trails End is reopening! And some other great food options like Caseys and Citricos.   This edition of Foodie News for Walt Disney World Resort covers lots of ground – everything from snacks to signature dining in parks, resorts, and Disney Springs. Check out all the tasty news!   Yee-haw! Trail’s End Restaurant at The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort will reopen July 17 with hearty family-style skillets for breakfast and dinner. Guests can mosey on over to Fort Wilderness to start their morning with an oven-fresh pastry basket and berry granola yogurt parfait for the table, followed by a hearty family-style skillet with smoked brisket and eggs, bacon, sausage, and cheesy potato casserole. Of course, no breakfast is complete without Mickey waffles! Adults can sip on Moonshine Morning Cocktails – a Pioneer Mimosa with passion, orange, and guava juices and a Mountain Mary with moonshine.   Dinner at Trail’s End is a rootin’ tootin’ good time that starts with hushpuppies and skillet cornbread with a chopped garden salad for the table. The family-style Smokehouse Skillet comes with pecan-smoked brisket, rotisserie chicken, andouille sausage, fingerlings potatoes, green beans, and buttered corn on the cob. Pork spare ribs, peel n’ eat shrimp, and cornbread-crusted salmon are available as tasty add-ons to the meal.   But Guests should be sure to save room for the Covered Wagon Sundae – a wagon load of ice cream, toppings, brownies, cookies, and chocolate-covered bacon! Adults can even kick back with Moonshine Cocktails.   We’re so excited to announce Guests can now dine “underneath the lovely London sky” in the newly reimagined Cítricos at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, which pays homage to the whimsy and elegance of Mary Poppins Returns. Taking subtle cues from the movie’s animated sequence, the dining room brings Guests into a fanciful garden setting where they can “trip a little light fantastic” as they experience the restaurant surrounded by the glow from decorative lamps and chandeliers. Chef Andres Mendoza crafted a new menu with starters like Sweet Corn Bisque with pickled fennel, popcorn, and fennel oil and a colorful Strawberry Salad with chamomile-infused goat cheese, frisée lettuce, bacon vinaigrette, and spiced sunflower seeds.   Entrées include Butter-poached Florida Cobia with mashed fingerling potatoes, grilled asparagus, and local mushrooms with a grapefruit beurre blanc or a delicious Guava Barbequed Short Ribs with aged cheddar creamy grits, roasted poblano, curtido slaw, and Brussels sprouts.   For a sweet ending to Guests’ meals, Pastry Chef Kristine Farmer created some truly delicious and decadent desserts such as Warm Apple Rose with seasonal apple, marzipan layers, and frozen coconut milk and the Chocolate Torte, a dark chocolate financier, dark cherry compote, and vanilla bean mascarpone cream.   The wine and cocktail program, designed by Sommelier Israel Perez, is exceptional. For those who enjoy an elevated food and wine experience, the new and exclusive Sommelier Room at Cítricos will allow Israel and his team to source boutique wines that pair with special creations from Chef Andres. Cítricos will open on July 15, with bookings available on July 1.   Guests can get ready to hit their craving for hot dogs out of the park! Casey’s Corner on Main Street, U.S.A., will reopen June 30 with their classic all-beef hot dogs. Catch hold of a Chili-Cheese All-Beef Hot Dog or dig into a pile of Corn Dog Nuggets with, of course, cheese sauce. And the plant-based Loaded Slaw Dog (plant-based sausage topped with pickled slaw, barbecue vegan aïoli, and roasted corn relish), is back! The Frozen Mint Julep Lemonade is a refreshing homerun to go along with the hot dog. And don’t forget, mobile order is available at Casey’s Corner.   Guests can also get ready to treat themselves to hand-scooped ice cream at Plaza Ice Cream Parlor hosted by Edys. This oh-so-sweet nostalgic ice cream parlor on Main Street, U.S.A., will open July 7 with favorite flavors on a cone or in a cup – fat-free and no sugar added, as well as plant-based non-dairy options will be available. And more sweet news: Barq’s Root Beer Floats and Coca-Cola Floats are back! Not sure it can get much better than that!   Eight Spoons Café at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park is now open and offers their delish Baked Macaroni & Cheese (with or without pulled pork). The exciting news – the Pulled Pork Jelly Donut Sandwich is back! YUM!   Dino Diner will reopen July 4, so Guests can grab a Dino-Rama Chili-Cheese Dog or a Corn Chip Pie. They can even get their churro fix at Dino Diner!   Salt & Straw, the popular scoop shop at Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort, is heading to Disney Springs next year! We will have more details over the next few months, so be sure to check back for the whole “scoop!”   We have a new summer offering the entire family will love starting June 30 – Disney Family Night Dinner. This playful, family-style dining bundle includes a take-out shareable meal, sweet treats, and an original card-type game inspired by some favorite Disney friends for Guests to enjoy.   Disney Family Night Dinner is available from 5-10 p.m. through mobile order and at the two resort locations offering this three-course takeaway meal that serves 3-4.
Centertown Market at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort: Roasted Jamaican-style Chicken Fried Yucca Cilantro Rice Seasonal Vegetables Caribbean Pull-apart Rolls with Onion Jam and Guava Butter Decorate-your-own Mickey and Minnie Cookies   Gasparilla Island Grill at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa: Garden Salad – Tomato, cucumber, carrots, and a duo of dressings Savory Lasagna – Three cheese lasagna with tomato sauce Two Mickey-shaped Cheese or Pepperoni Pizzas Minnie Cheesecake with strawberry sauce, whipped cream, and fresh berries

we were told yesterday that the 2000 loop will be closing soon.  The 500 loop was just opened.  Across the property they are upgrading the electrical system and they've had some scheduled short power outages.  But the loops are remaining open during the power upgrades.

We stopped over there last night and 1500 was open.  They are doing work in some loops.  The 700 loop is now closed and they are replacing the timber that line the pads.  Also, in the 1900 loop (I believe) they are replacing an entire pad with new concrete.  That loop is open though.  They've done a lot of work as well lately installing 5G.

I will get to the area July 18th and I have a new lens and microphone for my DSLR to work on recording the shows. Looking forward to it. 

What could be more perfect this year than a summertime visit to a Disney theme park? As we continue to see more communities adjust and ease COVID-19 guidelines, there’s a new sense of optimism with many positive signs moving forward. We’re encouraged by it too, seeing more families making travel plans, friends dining out together more often and more Americans returning to work. And at Disney theme parks, we’re gradually bringing back more of our beloved park experiences. A Disney tradition since 1957, fireworks shows are what Walt Disney called the perfect “kiss goodnight” at the close of a magical day, and this summer the skies above Disney theme parks will sparkle with color once more. Beginning in July, just in time for the nation’s Independence Day celebrations, our incredibly popular nighttime fireworks spectaculars are returning to Disney parks!   At Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, July 1 marks the start of nightly fireworks performances at Magic Kingdom Park and EPCOT. “Happily Ever After” will transform Cinderella Castle with lights, projections and pyrotechnics, as moments from favorite Disney stories encourage Guests to grab hold of their dreams and make them come true. And as part of the ongoing transformation of EPCOT, “EPCOT Forever” will produce a spectacle of fireworks, music and lighting effects over World Showcase Lagoon, highlighting the themes of innovation, exploration, imagination and celebration at the core of the park’s past, present and future.   As Disneyland Park in California welcomes back all guests, the fun starts July 4 with “Mickey’s Mix Magic” presented nightly throughout the summer. State-of-the-art projections, show lighting and lasers will transform Main Street, U.S.A., Sleeping Beauty Castle and the façade of “it’s a small world” into a dazzling, family fun dance party that goes sky high with fireworks to celebrate the leader of the club, Mickey Mouse.   If Guests simply can’t wait until their next visit to see some Disney fireworks, they can enjoy a virtual viewing of “Happily Ever After” right now with #DisneyMagicMoments at home. And stay tuned for opportunities to join us for upcoming live streams this summer!

https://wdwnt.com/2021/06/ohana-at-disneys-polynesian-village-resort-and-sebastians-bistro-at-caribbean-beach-resort-reopening-soon/

That makes EZ PASS good on all FL toll roads.
Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) is now accepting E-ZPass®, bringing interoperability to millions of toll highway customers on the East Coast of the United States and as far west as Illinois.
https://floridasturnpike.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Floridas-Turnpike-Enterprise-Now-Accepts-E-ZPass-Statewide.pdf

(Context: I've lived my entire life in New England, the last 30 years in southern NH)
Temp ranges can swing about a bit as already noted, and in my experience, when it's "cold" in FL, it's a damp cold, which affects me a lot more than our icy, dry cold up this way. That said, I've tent camped at the Fort in January and gone from needing the electric heater and an extra fleece blanket inside my sleeping bag on the first night, to sleeping with just a sheet and the fan blowing 3 nights later. So... anything goes!
Layers are your friend, and if you're not from cold places (like here in NH) pack warm hats, mittens and socks, just in case.
Personally I love FL in January, but then NH in January.... 
Crowd-wide WDW in January is nice, with the exception of MLK weekend which tends to be busy-ish.

This is a belated Happy Armed Forces Day to Dave and Ray and all of the other Fiend vets. 
Thank you for your service.
TCD

WDW honors WW 2 Vet and CM on Armed Forces Day.
Not mentioned in the article, but he's 93..it was on the local news.
https://people.com/travel/disney-world-cast-member-us-navy-veteran-honored/

One step closet to normalcy!

Masks in out door common areas will now be optional. 
 
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/experience-updates/#drawer-card-faceCoverings

From the Disney Parks Blog -
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/05/watch-live-a-celebration-of-festival-of-the-lion-king-opens-may-15/?fbclid=IwAR37xl0rh90GZteC1eL8VJkiD2ZpqlKRuhYOetfhpQ8Dd607hfrwpmRjjGA

Since we are Halfway 2 Halloween, we’re spookily excited to announce a new Halloween-themed Disney After Hours event coming this fall to Magic Kingdom Park!
“Disney After Hours BOO BASH” will take place on select nights, Aug. 10-Oct. 31, from 9 p.m. to midnight*. Spooky festivities will include Halloween-themed cavalcades, character sightings throughout the park, special performances by the Cadaver Dans, décor, lighting, music, treat stops with plenty of candy and so much more!
“Disney After Hours BOO BASH” tickets will grant admission to Magic Kingdom Park as early as 7 p.m. without the need for a day park ticket or Disney Park Pass theme park reservation, giving Guests time to enjoy even more of their favorites. 
Guests young, old and immortal can dress in costume for the occasion and get their fill of Halloween candy. As an important reminder, costume masks are not permitted for adults; they can only be worn by children younger than 14. In addition, all Guests are required to wear approved face coverings during the event. Before Guests arrive, check our Know Before You Go page, DisneyTravelTradeInfo.com/WDW  and Costume Guidelines.
In case you aren’t familiar with Disney After Hours, it’s a special event that’s open to a limited number of Guests, after normal park operating hours. The experience offers low wait times at more than 20 attractions from classics like The Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain, to newer favorites like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. It’s a ghostly good time for all!
Tickets will go on sale next month, with an early purchase window available to Guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels. Stay tuned for more details to come. We’ll share additional information about “Disney After Hours BOO BASH” as it becomes available, so keep checking for more tricks and treats.
*Some event nights in August and September will be from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

from the Disney Parks Blog...
 
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/05/more-exciting-dining-options-to-return-to-walt-disney-world-resort/?CMP=SOC-DPFY21Q3wo0429210087A&fbclid=IwAR1050ZGZoqeFJxDFBAYzqi2qOoFpZiIRHfXAzdNpoWIdUbPJJovGKg2ql8

I was just coming to post that. 

from the Disney Parks Blog...
 
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/05/more-exciting-dining-options-to-return-to-walt-disney-world-resort/?CMP=SOC-DPFY21Q3wo0429210087A&fbclid=IwAR1050ZGZoqeFJxDFBAYzqi2qOoFpZiIRHfXAzdNpoWIdUbPJJovGKg2ql8

Walt Disney World has released a new discount this morning.   Save up to 25% on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels for stays most nights July 11, 2021 through September 29, 2021. Availability at the Moderate Resorts may be quite limited.   Offer excludes the following room types: 3-bedroom villas, Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, The Little Mermaid Standard Room at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.   Discount for the campsites reads as 10% in the breakdown details   Contact me for a Free No Obligation Quote at [email protected]  

Is there a full day exciment at typhone lagone?

Yep!  And those little buggers are the itchiest.
It helps me a wee bit, but not much.  I eventually found out out that if I pop an antihistamine it works better.