One of the greatest times to visit Disney World is now! Even if Disney World is always crowded and filled with fun activities and celebrations, this is the prime time to be here. This is because, last year, on October 1, 2021, the 50th-anniversary celebrations of Walt Disney World began.
The anniversary has led to numerous changes and additions of rides, attractions, merchandise, and food items. Previously it was scheduled to be an 18th month program. However, these 18 months do not have a single repetition.
Have you ever visited a party that goes on for 18 months? Well, there is considerable doubt whether any such parties exist or not.
Even if they do, there are bound to be some repetitions on one day or the other. However, Disney World 50th anniversary celebrations don’t have a day that is a repetition of the other.
Disney World has also undergone drastic changes in these months. So, let’s see what are those changes and how Walt Disney World manifested and adapted to its changes!
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How 50th Anniversary changed Disney World
The festivities will continue till March 2023 and thus the newer arrangements are popping up on the lists. So, let’s see how changes occurred in this long span of celebrations.
Entertainment
Some of the exploding and fantastic entertainments that marked the start of the 50th anniversary celebrations are Mickey’s Celebration Cavalcade, Harmonious, and Disney Enchantment.
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Let’s refresh our memory about these events:
At Mickey’s Celebration Cavalcade, Goofy, Minnie, Mickey, and Pluto made their first waves at the guests. Dancers danced on Main Street USA. After that, Daisy, Mickey, and Donald made their way in the EARidescent outfits.
The nighttime spectacular at Harmonius was also a very big event. There were multicultural twists to some of the Disney classics, and music was a driving force in this event. The score of Harmonius was composed by Pinar Toprak, who composed Captain Marvel, Purl, and other non-Disney video games.
The Disney Enchantment firework added to the nighttime beauty at Disney World. They began at 9 PM on October 1 and continued till October 4. After that, its showtime was from 8 PM on October 5 to October 16.
There was also a piano section. “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast followed, and “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid accompanied.
KiteTails underwent changes
While all these are still retained, one show that began with the celebrations has changed. When KiteTails started, it was a water-based show where cast Members flew or pulled massive kites on watercraft. These kites were also character Kites, some even 30 feet long. It ran for ten minutes, and there were multiple shows.
However, along the passage of time, Disney has curtailed its run time but has increased the number of shows. Also, you can stand anywhere near the Discovery River Lagoon and watch this show. You can also spot Disney Character Flotillas flowing on Discovery River during the show. It will have characters like Pocahontas, Rafiki, Timon, Mickey, and others.
So, if you have noticed some golden character statues, you can even interact with them even if they seem old. The credit goes to MagicBand+.
If you wear your MagicBand+ and wave near them, the statues will come to life and interact in a new way. Even if Disney has not officially released MagicBand+, some are being put for sale, and you can spot them functioning from there.
Food and beverages
Entertainment and attractions have changed, and food and beverages are next on the list.
During the start of the 50th anniversary celebrations, Disney World released a list of exclusive food and beverages. These were the special attractions of the foodies who came to Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebrations.
The list had over 150 food items spread across the different theme parks and the different attractions in them. However, some changes have occurred in that list as well.
Mickey Dome Cake adorned the site of Gastro’s Taven in Magic Kingdom. The Tavern is a rustic lodge that gives a very macho vibe.
The Beauty and the Beast film is the major inspiration for this restaurant. It is a quick-service restaurant where you will spot Gastro himself welcoming the guests outside his Tavern. However, Donald Dome Cake first replaced it, followed by Goofy Dome Cake replacement.
The Storybook Treats featured Seven Dwarfs Ice Cream, and it has gone through Doc, Sneezy, and Grumpy. You can even wait for more changes to come!
The list of changes in food and drinks doesn’t end here, and there are other changes. The Main Street Bakery hosts the Cinnamon Roll in the early winter of 2022. You will spot the Mickey-shaped cinnamon rolls with a 50th-anniversary chocolate coin on top of it.
Food options keeps evolving
The Croque Monsieur Flatbread was another delight that came to Pinocchio Village Haus on January 10. Aloha Isle featured Crooning Flowers Float in Adventure Island on that day too!
There were choices between cookies and oranges. The latter part won, resulting in the introduction of Cranberry and Orange Tart, one of the most popular desserts at Pinocchio Village Haus.
However, the show stopper of this anniversary was the 50 years Sundae. While the item is not new, the new flavors and look, including the Cookies, blew the guests’ minds. These were available at Plaza restaurant.
It seems like January 10 revealed several new delights. The last one to hit the list was Chilling Chamber Push Pop. This dessert had the theme of the Haunted Mansion. One could spot it at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments. Did you feel the cold wave down your spine? Well, yeah, that was the aim!
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Merchandise
Disney World trip is usually a once-in-a-lifetime trip. So, taking some commemorative goods back home for yourself, your family, and your friends is imperative.
At the start of the celebrations, Disney announced a list of merchandise collections. The variations were huge, and it had a varied price range as well. New tumblers, collectibles, apparel, and many other things were put up for sale by Disney World.
Amazon also collaborated to house some Disney Merchandise. One such was the “It’s a Small World” Plus 4-piece set. It had plush dolls of Mickey and other friends.
The embroidered decorations, gold outfits, and adorable turquoise made it a memorable addition to the merchandise collection. The characters were Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald.
However, this merchandise was not permanent. Disney constantly updated its stock of merchandise. There are other products as well, such as the Vault collection. It appeared and reappeared at ShopDisney.
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New merchandise
Some of the newest merchandise that arrived at Disney World include the beautiful Loungefly 50th Anniversary Map Crossbody Bag. You can trace all the parks and attractions over here. The price of the bag was $39.90. If you don’t like bags, there were card wallets too.
50th Anniversary Logo Mugs and the 50th Anniversary Cookie Jars were other beautiful items on the list. So, if you want to adorn your home with the memories of Disney World, these are some of your best shots apart from a box full of photographs.
However, don’t set your mind on any particular merchandise because you might be disheartened. No one knows when the merchandise collection goes out of stock. So, say you have set your mind on buying the Map Crossbody bag, and it ran out of stock, then you will have to wait till the stock is revamped.
Online merchandise
Also, did you know that you will not have to go to Disney World to buy Merchandise? Some of them are also available online. But, you will have to keep track of which are currently present and which are sold out!
Some available merchandise includes Wal Disney World 50th Anniversary Hand Soap Dispenser and statues of Mickie and Minnie in their Eardiscent costumes.
The Barker Bird Musical Figure is a good collection to keep at home. The Orange Bird Bank is the cutest thing you can keep at home by your bedside.
Final Thoughts
So, some of the merchandise was unavailable at the start of the Disney World 50th anniversary celebrations. But, they made their way into the collection with time. The celebrations are still ongoing, so many of these items will be restocked. Many new items will also adorn the Disney World merchandise collection. Several new food items are also appearing.
So, if you still haven’t visited Disney World during its anniversary celebrations, it is high time you do it! The celebrations are going to continue even after October 1, 2022. You can be a part of this magic till the 2023 springtime! However, let’s just say, the magic has become bigger and better, and that will remain!
