Off to Neverland Travel

Walt Disney World® Resort has always been a part of my life.

I know that sounds cliché, but I have many memories of trips to central Florida with my family growing up, and they are all very special.

My wife and I honeymooned aboard Disney Cruise Line® and at Walt Disney World® Resort; and we have taken countless family trips there together over the past 10 years of our marriage.

There isn’t a room in our home that you can’t find mouse ears close by.

By most people’s standards, we are what you would call “Disneyphiles’.

Yet, one Disney Destination remained distant in our household, Disneyland® Resort in Anaheim, California.

Sure, we knew and acknowledged Disneyland® Resort was out on the west coast, yet it was more of a historical landmark than a vacation destination to our family. Of course we were well aware of the rich history of Disneyland® Resort, the only park that Walt Disney actually walked through. It just wasn’t somewhere that was worth the trek from the Southeast.

In a way, Disneyland® Resort had been shaped in our mind as kind of the ‘step-brother’ to the grand Walt Disney World® Resort. It was a smaller property. It had fewer attractions. It was older. As most Walt Disney World® Resort purists would have told us, it would have been a disappointment to ‘World lovers’ like us.

Fast-forward ten years.

Last week our family of four walked under the Main Street, U.S.A. train station bridge into the ‘Happiest Place on Earth.’

It was amazing.

We got to walk in Walt’s footsteps down Main Street, U.S.A. We were able to see the bench that Walt sat on when he ‘dreamed up’ this magical place while sitting in Griffith Park. We rode a loop around Disneyland Park in the Lilly Belle, a train car that Walt used to conduct meetings in. We were able to see the small Christmas tree lit in the window of Walt’s apartment over the Disneyland Fire Dept.

For a Disney nerds like us, it was all so surreal.

More than experiencing ‘Walt’s Park’, we found something even grander. We found an unbelievable, walkable, family vacation destination. Utilizing around 500 acres, Disneyland® Resort consists of two parks, three resort hotels and the Downtown Disney® District; all within walking distance of each other.

From our accommodations at Disney’s Paradise Pier® Hotel, we were no more than a 10 minute walk from Disneyland® Park or Disney California Adventure® Park, with two kids in tow (ages 5 and 2). Not having to fold a stroller to fit in a trunk, board a bus or ride a tram was, well, simply magical.

Once inside Disneyland® Park or Disney California Adventure® Park you quickly realize you have stepped into a magical place. Despite the city ambience surrounding the parks, you are still quickly transported to another time and place, full of wonder.

Over the next several weeks as a part of our Neverland News, we will be taking you on a journey through Disneyland® Resort. What we hope you will soon find is that Disneyland® Resort is a fantastic vacation destination, with many amazing attractions and fantastic amenities that is worth the ‘commute’, even from the East coast.

With Disneyland® Resort currently offering early 2014 resort discounts, now is the perfect time to plan your trip to the ‘Happiest Place on Earth!’ Contact your Magic Maker® today to help you plan the magic!

Neverland News is written by Kyle Froman, Director of Marketing and Agent Care for Off to Neverland Travel.

Anticipation is growing as the debut of Disney Animation Studios’ Frozen is nearly a week away. Opening in theaters on Nov. 27, 2013, the movie follows Anna’s wintery adventures to find her sister, Elsa.

Guests of the Walt Disney World® and Disneyland® Resorts can now meet the royal sisters during their visit! At Walt Disney World® Resort, the duo can be found inside the Prinsesse Plass located across from Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavilion of Epcot®. On the West Coast, their frosty meet & greet location is in Disneyland® Park between Pinocchio’s Daring Journey attraction and Village Haus Restaurant. Please refer to your Daily Times Guide for more details as meet & greet hours may differ from normal park operating hours.

Last week, the Disneyland® Resort kicked off their holiday season. With all the new activities and returning favorites, it’s easy to agree that “The Happiest Place on Earth Just Got Merrier!”

With an abundance of merriment and tradition, we wanted to recap some of the festive events happening that you won’t want to miss at the Disneyland® Resort!

Disneyland® Park

• Frozen Meet and Greet – Be sure to meet Anna and Elsa, the enchanted sisters from Disney Frozen, in their new winter wonderland located inside Fantasyland®.
• Attraction Overlays – For years, Disneyland® Park has overlaid several of their popular park attractions for the holidays like it’s a small world® and Haunted Mansion®. New for 2013, the Jungle Cruise® attraction has been added to that list as it has become the “Jingle Cruise!” The attraction’s queue and script have both received a Yuletide Makeover.
• Believe… in Holiday Magic – End your evening by watching the nighttime spectacular Believe… in Holiday Magic explode in the skies over the beautifully lit Sleeping Beauty Winter Castle.
• A “Christmas Fantasy” Parade – Enjoy as some of your favorite Disney characters celebrate the season in A “Christmas Fantasy” Parade. They all lead the way for a visit from Santa and his reindeer!
• Jingle Jangle Jamboree – Over in Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland®, meet some of your favorite Disney characters dressed in their holiday clothes and enjoy seasonal games, crafts, and entertainment. You’ll also often find Mr. and Mrs. Claus here greeting guests!

Disney California Adventure® Park

• World of Color – “Winter Dreams” – The popular World of Color nighttime show at Disney California Adventure® Park has debuted a new “Winter Dreams” edition that brings the spirit of the holidays to life. Hosted by Olaf from Disney Frozen, the show combines new animation with winter scenes from beloved Disney and Disney•Pixar films.
• “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” – Also new this year is “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” – a celebration of Latino culture and holiday traditions. Taking place daily inside Paradise Gardens, it features live music, crafts, dance lessons, traditional holiday foods, and a “Disney ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party.”
• “Phineas and Ferb’s Rockin’ Rollin’ Dance Party” – Guests will enjoy a holiday edition of “Phineas and Ferb’s Rockin’ Rollin’ Dance Party” complete with holiday tunes, costumes, and decor!

Downtown Disney® District

• Downtown Disney® Winter Village – Lace up your skates and enjoy Olaf’s Frozen Ice Rink at the Downtown Disney® Winter Village. After skating, browse the nearby “shopping chalets” for gifts for all those on your shopping list! Rink hours are 3p-10:30p Mon.-Thu. and 3p-11:30p Fri.-Sun.

Also, you’ll be amazed at the delightful holiday decorations you find everywhere you look throughout the entire resort. The holiday events at the Disneyland® Resort are scheduled to run through Jan. 6, 2014, but dates for individual experiences may vary and are subject to change.

The holidays are a perfect time to spend a few days at the Disneyland® Resort. Contact your Magic Maker® today to start planning!

This morning, Disney Cruise Line® announced that all four of their ships will be sailing from the Sunshine State in early 2015! Also, all of these early 2015 departures include a stop at Castaway Cay – a private island in Bahamas for Disney Cruise Line® for use exclusively by their guests.

New itineraries include:

• Disney Dream®: 3- and 4-night Bahamian cruises from Port Canaveral (1/2/15-4/27/15)
• Disney Magic®: 7-night Western Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral (1/4/15-4/26/15)
• Disney Fantasy®: 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral (1/10/15-4/18/15)
• Disney Wonder®: 4-night Bahamian and 5-night Western Caribbean cruises from Miami (1/4/15-4/26/15)

Bookings for these new itineraries open Wed., Nov. 13th for our clients who are Gold or Platinum Castaway Club Members. All other guests will be able to start booking Thu., Nov. 14th.

Give the gift of memories aboard Disney Cruise Line® this holiday! When you book a new Disney Cruise Line® reservation now through Dec. 15, 2013, you can secure your cruise with 50% off the required deposit with the remaining balance due at time of final payment! Contact your Magic Maker® today!

Reduced deposit offer is valid for new bookings only on sailings booked through 12/15/13. Only valid on sailings that do not require total payment at time of booking.

While guests are enjoying the final days of Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival, Cast Members at the Walt Disney World® Resort are busy finalizing plans for the 21st Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival!

Next years festival, which runs Mar. 5-May 18, 2014, will welcome several new topiaries to the mix. Be on the lookout for Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy character topiaries in a new World Showcase display and a new Timon topiary who will join his buddy Pumbaa in the Outpost. This year’s front entrance display will feature Goofy, Donald and Daisy Duck on a butterfly hunt adventure.

After a popular debut in 2013, Garden Marketplaces will return in 2014. These Garden Marketplaces mix garden- and backyard-living-inspired food and beverage items into the annual Epcot® festival of blossoms. While many of last year’s favorite dishes will return for 2014, several new options like a Piggylicious Bacon Cupcakes and a Barbecued Chicken Leg will make their way to the menus.

Complete details of the festival have not been released, but you can expect the return of other features like the seminars hosted by HGTV design celebrities, interactive playgrounds for the kids, Tinker Bell’s Butterfly House, and the Flower Power Concert Series.

If you’d like to experience the 21st Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival for yourself, now’s the time to plan! Contact your Magic Maker® today for more details and find out how you can save up to 35% off your Resort stay during the festival!

Club Cool inside Innoventions® at Epcot® has introduced some new flavors to their lineup.

For those not familiar with the attraction, Club Cool is hosted by Coca-Cola® and features an International Tasting Station. Eight different international Coca-Cola® soft drink products are available for guests to try a complimentary sample of.

Most of the previous lineup of sodas has been replaced. However, fans of Beverly have no reason to worry –  the popular drink from Italy along with VegitaBeta from Japan will remain options to guests.

New flavors include:

• Fanta (Pineapple) – Greece
• Fanta (Melon Frosty) – Thailand
• Bibo – Fruit-flavored juice drink from South Africa
• Sparberry – Raspberry cream-flavored soda from Zimbabwe
• Guarana Kuat – Guarana berry flavored soft drink from Brazil
• Inca Kola – Peruvian favorite known as “The Taste of Peru” tastes like liquid bubblegum

Be sure to swing by Club Cool on your next visit to Epcot® to try out these new flavors!

As the days keep crossing off the calendar, we continue to inch closer and closer to the favorite season of many at Walt Disney World® Resort, Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year!

As Walt Disney World® Resort readies to ‘deck the halls’, anticipation is building for the wide array of yuletide festivities that will be offered at the most magical place on Earth! From sparkling lights and breathtaking displays to special seasonal parades and captivating fireworks, Walt Disney World® Resort is preparing to fill you with an extra dose of holiday cheer!

On select nights beginning November 8^th, through December 20^th, Magic Kingdom® Park hosts a magical Christmastime celebration, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is an exclusive ticketed event where you will be able to catch Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas Parade, Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season fireworks show, Celebrate the Season Show, Totally Tomorrowland Christmas and other magical Christmas offerings including complimentary cookies and hot cocoa and a magical snowfall on Main Street, U.S.A.® Area.

Magic Kingdom® Park isn’t the only park to celebrate the season. Disney’s Hollywood Studios® also comes to life with a brilliant display of glittering lights that are all perfectly synchronized to Christmas music. From November 8^th to January 5^th, Streets of America ‘light up’ with The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. You can even become a part of the show by purchasing ear hats that glow in sync with The Osborn Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights as you glow with the show!

From November 9^th to January 2^nd, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park becomes home to Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade, a spirited safari themed parade filled with some of your favorite Disney Characters!

Epcot® hosts Holidays Around the World from November 29^th to December 30^th. Throughout World Showcase you can experience Christmastime traditions from around the globe in An International Yuletide Extravaganza! In Futureworld, “Joyful! A Gospel Celebration of the Season” takes the stage in an uplifting holiday concert! Of course we’d be amiss if we didn’t mention Candlelight Processional, where you will experience the story of Christmas with a celebrity narrator, 50-piece orchestra and a mass choir. Finally, you can cap off the night with a special holiday presentation of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.

Throughout various Walt Disney World® Resort hotels you can see the ‘sweet’ creations that are at various resorts. For instance, Disney’s Boardwalk Resort is home to a scene made entirely out of gingerbread and chocolate! You can even visit Stitch’s Bakery Store Front as Cast Members create gingerbread houses right in front of your eyes!

Even Jungle Cruise® Attraction is getting into the Christmas spirit as it goes “Jingle Cruise” for the Holidays at Disneland® and Walt Disney World® Resorts. In the new seasonal storyline, you’ll see that the Skippers have become homesick for the holidays, and have taken matters into their own hands! It is an attraction you won’t want to miss this Christmas season!

These are just SOME of the many amazing things that await you on a trip to Walt Disney World® Resort during the holiday seasons. Contact your Magic Maker® today to start planning all of the magic for the most wonderful time of the year!

A new year-round perk at the Walt Disney World® Resort is now available for Disney Visa® Cardmembers.

Cardmembers using their Disney Visa® or Disney Rewards® Redemption Card for payment can request a 10% discount from their server at select Walt Disney World® restaurants. This is a great opportunity for Cardmembers to save while exploring the wide variety of dining options available.

Participating locations include:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
  • Jiko*
  • Sanaa
• Disney’s BoardWalk
  • ESPN Club
  • Flying Fish Cafe*
  • Kouzzina by Cat Cora®
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
  • Shutters at Old Port Royale
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
  • The Wave… of American Flavors
• Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
  • Trail’s End Restaurant
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
  • Citricos*
  • Grand Floridian Cafe
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
  • Olivia’s Cafe
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
  • Boatwright’s Dining Hall
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
  • Turf Club
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
  • Artist Point*
  • Whispering Canyon Cafe
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
  • Captain’s Grill
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios®
  • The Hollywood Brown Derby*
  • Hollywood & Vine*
• Epcot®
  • Biergarten Restaurant*

Offer excludes alcoholic beverages, merchandise, tobacco, room service, holiday buffets, tax and gratuity. Must use your valid Disney Visa® Card and/or Disney Rewards® Redemption Card at time of purchase. Subject to restaurant operating hours and closures. Restaurant seating is subject to availability. Please refer to your Disney Visa® Cardmember information for more details.
* = This discount is not available on the following dates: 2013 – 11/28, 12/24, 12/25, 12/31  2014 –  1/1, 2/14, 3/20, 5/11 and 7/4. 

The holidays are right around the corner at the Walt Disney World® Resort! From elaborate decorations to the larger-than-life gingerbread creations, the entire resort area is festive from top to bottom. We can guarantee that you’ve never seen anything quite like the Walt Disney World® Resort during the holidays.

In addition to the decorations, there are so many other things to see and do this holiday season. You won’t want to miss:

• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – This special-ticketed event inside Magic Kingdom® Park is sure to put you in the Christmas spirit. Entertainment highlights of the party include seasonal stage shows, a special Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, and a fireworks spectacular called Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season. The party is a popular event, so buy your tickets in advance to ensure availability and receive a discount. Click here for more details.
• Jingle Cruise – Debuting in 2013 is the holiday overlay of the Jungle Cruise® attraction in Magic Kingdom® Park. With new jokes and updated scripts available only during the holiday season, the Jingle Cruise is sure to be a hit! Click here for more details.
• Epcot® Candlelight Processional – The Candlelight Processional – a joyous retelling of the Christmas story performed by a celebrity narrator, a 50-piece orchestra, and a mass choir – is one of the most beloved holiday traditions at the Walt Disney World® Resort. The processional starts Nov. 29 and runs through Dec. 30, 2013. Because of the popularity of the show, we suggest purchasing the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package to receive guaranteed admission to the show and to a preferred viewing location for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. Click here for more details and a listing of celebrity narrators.
• Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights – Imagine millions of glimmering lights synchronized to some of your favorite holiday music. Imagine no more and enjoy the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®. From Nov. 8, 2013 – Jan. 5, 2014, this stunning display that was once at an Arkansas residence now lights up the entire Streets of America area of the park. New this year, the “Glow with the Show” ears will interact with this display.

There’s this and so much more to explore this holiday at the Walt Disney World® Resort. And for just a few more days (through 11/3), you can save up to 30% on rooms at select Walt Disney World® hotels for stays most nights 11/10 – 11/22 and 11/30 – 12/23, 2013. For more details on this excellent promotion, click here or contact your Magic Maker®!

Early next month, the Jungle Cruise® attraction at Walt Disney World® and Disneyland® Resorts will receive their first-ever overlay making it the “Jingle Cruise” just in time for the holiday season!

Similar to the holiday overlays Disneyland® Park guests enjoy on Haunted Mansion®, Space Mountain® and it’s a small world®, the “Jingle Cruise” overlay will bring holiday decorations, music, and even new jokes to the attraction. The Jungle Cruise® attractions in Magic Kingdom® and Disneyland® Parks will both receive the overlay. While a start date hasn’t been announced for the “Jingle Cruise” in Florida, the California version is set to begin on Nov. 12, 2013. All work is scheduled to be performed on the attraction after park hours, so the attraction should be operational while changes are being made.

It’s not too late to experience this and everything else your favorite Disney Destination has in store this holiday season. Contact your Magic Maker® today!