23rd July - Disney World News - Country Bear - Lightning Lane & More

• The Country Bears Jamboree reopen at Magic Kingdom
• What are the new songs?
• Is it worth a visit?
• NEW Lighting Lane packages start this week
• Listener Question - Is Feb a good month to visit Disney World?
• And more!

I’m recording this on Monday 22nd July 2024. Today, we’ll be talking about singing bears, Lightning Lanes and answering one of your listener questions.

In Magic Kingdom, an old classic had a makeover. The Country Bear Musical Jamboree has been updated. I’ll be honest with you. I think I’ve only ever been there once. And that was for the same reason I went into the Hall of Presidents. It was raining hard and I was close. I think it’s something that older Americans will do, but us Brits just don’t really get it.

For those that haven’t done it, it’s a show featuring animatronic bears who perform in a band. You might recognise Big Al. He’s sometimes wandering around the park and weirdly, is sometimes in Disneyland Paris.

So to try and appeal to more people, it’s now a Celebration of the Disney song catalogue. But, mainly focusing on the more newer hits. There are only 2 songs that came out before I was born.

There's no songs from the 30s, 40s and 50s. 2 in the 60s, none in the 70s, 1 in the 80s 2 in the 90s and the rest from 2000 onwards.

The tunes are performed by the bears in a country style and include:: Try Everything” from “Zootopia. Kiss the Girl” from “The Little Mermaid. A Whole New World” from “Aladdin. Fixer Upper” from “Frozen, And of course, The Bare Necessities” from “The Jungle Book.

Some of those songs seem like a good choice for a band of singing bears. Kiss the girl, I’m not so sure about. I’ll be in Orlando soon so I’ll be checking it out. Even if it doesn’t rain.

The good ol' Country Bear Jamboree at Walt Disney World lasted over 50 years! With this new version, younger Disney fans can keep groovin' with the bear band show for many more years.

The new Lightning Lane packages start tomorrow on 24th July. These replace Genie +. Once we’ve seen how these work, we’ll be putting together new guides on the best rides and strategies so make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.

Just to recap, there are 2 versions now. Lightning Lane multi pass and Lightning Lane individual. If you’re staying onsite or at a selected hotel such as the Drury Plaza, you can buy up to 7 days in advance and 3 for off site guests.

The new Lightning Lane Multi Pass system is bringing back the FastPass+ system where you can book Lightning Lane Passes before your visit. You'll still need to pay for this service, but now you can schedule up to three rides per day in advance instead of just one. This means you can plan out your day in the park instead of running around trying to snag whatever Genie+ offers.

Big shout out to Jess and Landon at Vacation grocery deliveries. I recently had a good chat with them for one of our podcasts. And if you’re heading to Orlando soon, check out these guys. They’ll deliver everything you need from snacks, sun cream and even sandwich platters directly to your Disney or Universal hotel. Even if you just need some water, they can deliver that too. Check out the podcast and find out all about them.

Thanks to everyone who’s got in touch to ask us a question. As a Disney travel professional, I get asked a lot of interesting questions and here’s one from Linda from Manchester. She wants to know if February is a good time to visit Orlando.

So it depends on when in Feb. Let’s start with when not to go.

From the 14th to 24th, I’d say it’s not a great time to go. Get ready for a wild weekend with Mardi Gras, President’s Day, and UK school holidays all colliding. Brace yourself for huge crowds, it’s gonna be nearly as busy as last New Year’s Eve. The chaos kicks off on the Thursday before President’s Day. Hotels and buses at Disney World are going be packed, so be prepared for a squeeze.

Other than that, Feb is a nice time to visit Orlando. Between the insanity of President’s Day and the chaos of Spring Break, around the 9th March, there’s a perfect little breather. The Orlando weather is just right, with hardly any rainy days in sight. Spend quality time in the parks without worrying about crowds. It’s the ideal time for couples, it’s one of the best times to visit Orlando.