It’s never too early to start planning – WDW announces “Limited Time Magic” for 2013

While I normally try to steer people away from hitting Walt Disney World during holidays and similar high-capacity time, 2013 brings a reason to brave those crowds, especially for hardcore Disneyphiles – “Limited Time Magic.”


As announced and explained today on the official Disney Parks Blog, Limited Time Magic means “ unexpected experiences with an extra sprinkle of Pixie Dust… that’ll appear, and then disappear when the next debuts.” The blog claims there will be 52 weeks of surprises, but isn’t entirely clear if that means each week has its own surprises or if it’s just another way of saying “we’re doing this for a whole year.”

Two things I do know: WDW and Disneyland will often have completely different surprises at concurrent times, and special days throughout the year will have signature surprises tied to the particular day. Here’s the official list so far, from the blog:

• True Love: Celebrate romance and enchantment throughout Valentine’s Week with special moments and entertainment geared to lovebirds. Disney Princes join their Princesses to meet park guests in special settings, prix fixe menus turn up at select restaurants and Valentine’s collectibles will be offered for the week.

• Independence Week: It’s red, white and blue as Disney Parks salutes America with a 4th of July Fireworks Party — for an entire week, with patriotic lighting bathing the Disney castles on both coasts. Mickey Mouse appears in his patriotic finest and guests will find special USA shirts, Ear Hats and other limited-edition souvenirs.

• Long Lost Friends Week: Lesser-known Disney characters will move from the shadows to the spotlight meet-and-greets on both coasts. Photo opps with characters that could include Flik, Clarabelle Cow, Remy, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum will surprise and delight guests. And Disney guests even have the chance to vote online for which characters they want to see.

• Pirate Week: Why talk like a pirate one day when you could celebrate these scalawags all week long? The adventures of Jack Sparrow come to life like never before during a bicoastal buccaneer bash in which Disneyland and Walt Disney World become pirate-palooza: pirate bands, pirate meet-and-greets and more.

• Dapper Dans Sing Boy Bands: The Dapper Dans, the iconic quartet from Main Street, U.S.A., will add a special finale to their show, claiming the title of the “Original Boy Band” and delivering a medley of hits from One Direction, *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.

• Unleash the Villains: Friday the 13th in September 2013 is a special day, so Disneyland park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are staying open until the 13th hour (1 a.m.). Maleficent, Captain Hook, Jafar and other Disney Villains host a dance party, complete with limited-edition collectibles and other nighttime mischief.

• Golden Horseshoe Revue: The fabled Frontierland show returns to Disneyland park for one month only, bringing back the corny jokes and enduring songs that were often enjoyed by Walt Disney himself.

The blog and the twitter account (@DisneyParks) will be announcing more as they are determined, and of course so will we. So what say you, readers? Are you willing to face the crowds for a unique Disney experience or will you stick with your normal Orlando vacation plans?