“Limited Time Magic” to offer special character meeting opportunities in 2013

Disney Parks blog announced today that they will offer “Limited Time Magic” opportunities at Walt Disney World and Disneyland.  There are many opportunities that include special character meet and greets, which is exciting for character hunters (who should buy a shirt from the store – shameless plug :)

Here’s the opportunities that Disney Parks plans to offer.  Some dates are specified and some are not. Let’s hope that the dates are attached very soon, so guests can plan their trip(s) of choice.

They have also built a mini-site that is set up to inform guests of this 52 week celebration: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/let-the-memories-begin/limited-time-magic/

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.  (NOTE:  Mickey and the gang typically appear in patriotic costumes at Epcot on the 4th of July)

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. (I hope they offer more even rare characters than this list to vote upon!)

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. (Captain Barbossa? Angelica? Blackbeard?)

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. (Everyone responding with a collective ‘meh’? I don’t see any enthusiasm for this event.)

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. (This would be so much more awesome if there were photo ops and not merely another “Dance Party, which seems to be the easy fall-back these days at the parks.)

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. (How about some love for Walt Disney World’s unused Diamond Horseshoe?)

What’s your reaction to these limited opportunities?