Set your alarms and your channel to ABC (and your internet browser to the Disney Parks Blog) — because there’s a BIG announcement coming on Friday morning, live on “Good Morning America”!

Disney dropped a trailer video tonight previewing 50th Anniversary announcements, and we were able to glean some hints from the video. The trailer – which is just over a minute long – really focuses on the spectacle (lights, sparkles, glitter) of a trip to Walt Disney World, while also pulling on emotions with the reminder of memories of a lifetime with the people you love the most and a focus on Walt Disney’s vision, along with the history and importance of classic rides.

For sure, the emphasis is on Walt’s original ideal of Walt Disney World being a family destination, and one where incredible memories are to be made.

So, with that … here’s what the Crescent Lake Club thinks (or wishes!) we may hear announced:

Keeli:

So, I was really struck by some key phrases (Magical Moments, Celebrate Each Other, Dream Come True) – so, my guesses are going to be out of crazy left-field for this.

I do think we get some of the obvious Celebration additions:

• Special Foods
• New Character Costumes
• Nightly Projections
• HarmoniUS and Ratatouille opening announcements
• Castle Decorations
• Magic Shots
• Merch

But my wish — and shot in the dark — is that Disney recalls some of the famous units from parades and shows. We’ve seen that the “surprise cavalcades” at the parks work well and have been easy to execute … what if they also included parade units from Magical Moments Parade, Celebrate a Dream Come True, Mickey Mania, Tapestry of Nations and other celebrations as part of the surprise cavalcade features? Wouldn’t that be an awesome way to celebrate the history of Walt Disney World?!

With the emphasis on family and memories, I’m thinking we might see the return of some of the most popular tours and experiences – albeit in a smaller group option like a family pod – like Keys to the Kingdom, Backstage Magic, Disney Classics and Day of Thrills VIP tours, specialty safaris and more.

Ryan:

I am being a bit more cautious on what we may hear or see in tomorrow’s announcements. With the ongoing pandemic I think Disney is still hesitant to move forward with some of the entertainment options. That said I am very excited for what is to come.

Outside of the normal things like merchandise and food which we may not hear much about anyways tomorrow, I think we will see some timelines. The actual 50th anniversary is on October 1st, 2021 of course but the celebration will surely be more than just one day.

I also expect to see concept are for entertainment offerings and park decor. We saw a glimpse of that tonight with the park icons featured. Spaceship Earth is set to get a new lighting package, Cinderella Castle will receive decor and it appears both the Tree of Life and Tower of Terror will get projection effects. I am hoping to see some more details on projection and fireworks shows to come during the celebration.

Disney is built on the characters and the nostalgia. They pushed both in the short ad released tonight. It is clear we will see new character costumes probably for the entire Fab Five group. We could see some updates to classic rides as well. Given the short time until October at this point it may not be much but plussing attractions does have its advantages even if small.

So, those are my guesses. I cannot wait to see what is announced!

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