Off to Neverland Travel

Two years ago today, at around 6:30am UTC, Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa officially opened their doors to guests on the Hawaiian island of Oahu for the first time.

Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa was first announced in 2007, and came to life through both locals and Walt Disney Imagineers working together to create a magnificent resort that celebrated Hawaiian culture, history and traditions. Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa’s architecture is inspired by its Hawaiian culture, and its distinctive design will unite your family in an experience of true Hawaii.

As Magic Maker® Heather Straight shared in her article she wrote, Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa – A Little Slice of Paradise, “everything about Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa tells a story – the story of Hawaii, its people, its culture, its landscapes – and it’s all done with an attention to detail that Disney does so well.”

Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa is a world-class resort for both adults and families alike, offering the chance for you to experience the real Hawaii together. Waikolohe Valley is a breathtaking water area between the two towers of Aulani. From interactive water features to winding streams, and even a private snorkeling lagoon, this spectacular pool offers a little of something for everyone!

Of course, when you aren’t playing on the beach or in the water, there are countless experiences that will help create magical memories together. From interactive shows and parties, to fine dining and spa experiences, both adults and children alike will lose themselves in all that Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa has to offer!

The best news is, there are still a few days left to save on your stay at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa!  When you book a minimum 4-night stay on select nights, you’ll receive your 5th consecutive night FREE

To many of our guests visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort, their dining experience is just as much fun as the attractions they visit inside the parks. With over 70 on-property table service locations to choose from, selecting your meals for your vacation can be quite the daunting task!

Over the years, several table service locations have become a favorite to many of our guests. This popularity makes these restaurants very difficult to get into – with some of them booking a full 180 days in advance! So now what?

We tasked our Magic Makers® with compiling a list of great alternatives to some popular Walt Disney World® Resort table service restaurants. But don’t be too quick to write these alternatives off as “second best” as a few of these locations have become our personal favorites and a primary choice for one reason or another.

Magic Maker’s® Top 5 Alternatives to Popular Walt Disney World® Resort Restaurants

1. Le Cellier Steakhouse – (Epcot® Canada Pavilion)
   Tucked away inside the Canadian château in World Showcase is Le Cellier Steakhouse, a dining location that has quite a following of its own. Known primarily for their steak and seafood, they also serve a Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup that is amazing. As an alternative, try either Coral Reef Restaurant (Epcot®) or Captain’s Grille (Disney’s Yacht Club Resort). Both restaurants serve great steak and seafood dishes and offer some delectable desserts. For those using one of the Disney Dining Plans, both alternative locations only utilize (1) entitlement per person while Le Cellier Steakhouse will cost you (2) entitlements per person!
2. ‘Ohana – (Disney’s Polynesian Resort)
   Dinner at ‘Ohana is an all-you-care-to-eat Polynesian smorgasbord that we guarantee no one will leave hungry from! In addition to the Hawaiian-style feast of food, families can have fun with activities like coconut races and island limbo. Our suggested alternative is actually located right next door! Kona Cafe (Disney’s Polynesian Resort) offers the same great Polynesian flavor in a more relaxed atmosphere. If you’ve never been, give it a try – we’re sure you’ll love it!
3. California Grill – (Disney’s Contemporary Resort)
   The California Grill is one of the Signature Dining locations at the Walt Disney World® Resort. With sweeping views of the Seven Seas Lagoon and the nearby Magic Kingdom® Park, it is a great location to celebrate any occasion with friends and family. Preparing to reopen from an extensive refurbishment, we expect Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) for this already popular location to become even more difficult to secure. As an alternative, we enjoy The Wave… of American Flavors (Disney’s Contemporary Resort). Their menu offers a wide selection of healthful American dishes with many of the ingredients sourced locally or regionally. This location offers value to those utilizing a Disney Dining Plan as their dinner only costs (1) entitlement per person. While it is not the same experience as the California Grill, we’re confident you will find it enjoyable.
4. Chef Mickey’s – (Disney’s Contemporary Resort)
   Named after the “big cheese” himself, Chef Mickey’s is one of the character dining locations that hits the top of every child’s “must do” list. Located a short walk or monorail ride from the Magic Kingdom® Park, breakfast or dinner here provides a great break from the park and is very convenient. Characters at Chef Mickey’s typically include Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto. Our Magic Makers® actually have two preferred alternatives for this one. First, you can try Tusker House Restaurant (Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park) which has a character breakfast and lunch. We have found this location to have a both a better selection of food as well as better character interaction. Characters here typically include Donald, Daisy, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy. The second alternative is Garden Grill (Epcot®) which offers character dining for dinner. The nice thing about Garden Grill is that this dinner is also all-you-care-to-eat, but it is served family style right at your table. So instead of mom and dad running up to the buffet line several times to get food for the youngsters, they can sit and enjoy their meal with the family. Characters here typically include Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Chip, and Dale.
5. Cinderella’s Royal Table – (Magic Kingdom® Park)
   Every Princess (and Prince for that matter) dreams of having a meal inside the royal dining room of the Castle. Cinderella’s Royal Table gives your vacation that fairytale ending when you share a meal with Cinderella and some of her fellow Disney Princesses. Our Magic Makers® have two alternative locations that will give you a similar experience at half the cost if you are using a Disney Dining Plan (1 entitlement per person vs. 2 per person at Cinderella’s Royal Table). The first is Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Epcot® Norway Pavilion) where several of your favorite Disney Storybook Princesses mingle with guests during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The second is 1900 Park Fare (Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa) where dinner service typically includes a visit from Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella.

Did we make you hungry yet? That is quite a list, and those are just the top 5! Consult with your Magic Maker® on additional alternative locations for your favorite restaurants at the Walt Disney World® Resort.

This upcoming Friday the 13th, things will be a little “twisted” when Disney Villains seize control of Disney’s Hollywood Studios® and Disneyland® Park and host their Unleash the Villains event – part of Disney Parks “Limited Time Magic” campaign. The event will take place on both coasts from 8:00pm to 1:00am (the 13th hour)!

While complete details of the event have not been released, here is what we do know about this spooktacular evening:

Disney’s Hollywood Studios®

• Hades’ Hangout will serve as the hub of the festival’s activities and will feature dancers, a DJ and live band
• 13 Disney Villains will be available for autographs and photo opportunities
• A special fireworks show called “Villainy in the Sky” will be presented

Disneyland® Park

• Town Square will be transformed to an eerie location for meet and greets with some of your favorite Disney Villains
• New Orleans Square Train Station will host the Unleash the Villains Dance Party where a new Disney Villain will be introduced on the 13th minute of every hour

We will announce more details of the event as they become available. Unleash the Villains will be a one-time, spine-tingling event that you won’t want to miss – and won’t soon forget… even if you try!

This morning, the Walt Disney World® Resort will start accepting reservations for the California Grill which will reopen on Sep. 9, 2013, after a lengthy refurbishment. The makeover has not only changes the restaurant’s physical appearance, but has brought a change to the menu offerings.

While the complete menu for the new California Grill has not yet been released, Chef Brian Piasecki and general manager Michael Scheifler have given a few details over the past couple months on what we can expect. Some of those highlights include:

• Two new breads – a whole-grain sourdough roll and a lavender-infused focaccia
• Three-Meat Meatballs – pork, lamb and veal – spiced with house-made harissa and dredged in Meyer-lemon-scented chimichurri with a side of marinated picholine olives and orzo
• Cape Canaveral Prawns roasted in a wood-fired oven served with oven-roasted tomatoes, charred lemon and a handful of peppery baby arugula
• Pan-Seared Halibut with salt-crusted and oven-roasted beets, beet syrup, and beet microgreens served with a parsnip “silk” and a rich macadamia nut vinaigrette
• A wine list of approximately 250 different wines – 72% of which are from California – with one chardonnay bottled exclusive to the California Grill
• An expanded sake program featuring 10 varieties
• Eight craft beers and several signature cocktails – some of which you won’t find elsewhere on Walt Disney World® property
• Sundae Sampler – a trio with a Coke float, strawberry sundae and caramel corn sundae
• Chocolate Pudding Cake and a Meyer Lemon cheesecake

The new menu promises to showcase seasonal ingredients, so expect to see it change several times per year. Contact your Magic Maker® today to request a reservation at the new California Grill during your next Walt Disney World® vacation!

For the 2nd year in a row, Raglan Road™ Irish Pub and Restaurant will be kickin’ things up a notch this Labor Day Weekend (Aug. 30-Sep. 2, 2013) when they host their Great Irish Hooley at Downtown Disney® Pleasure Island. The Hooley, which is Irish slang for a party or celebration, will feature a weekend of fun Irish music, foods, and events.

Special events for the weekend include:

• Performances of traditional and rock tunes from top Irish Bands
• Irish Dance Workshops designed for the entire family
• Celtic face painting
• Ceili – structured set dancing – a precursor to today’s country line dancing
• Authentic food and beverages

CLICK HERE to view the festival’s schedule of entertainment and events.

Through the end of September, guests at Disneyland® Resort can experience a little extra ‘fun in the sun’ with a special, magical poolside experience at resort hotels! Guests staying at a Disneyland® Resort hotel can gather their whole family around the pool for one of these special one-hour parties with dancing, music and games that everyone can enjoy together!

Guests of Disneyland® Resort can find parties at the following locations and times:

• Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa: 2 p.m. near the Fountain Pool
• Disneyland Hotel: 3:30 p.m. near the Monorail Pool
• Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel: 5 p.m. near the Californian Streamin’ Slide

Our young guests visiting the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida or the Disneyland® Resort in California can now meet Sofia the First on their next Disney Vacation!

As the Princess of Enchancia, the popular Disney Junior star is holding daily meet-and-greets on both coasts. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios®, she is alongside Jake from “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” outside of Stage 5 in the Animation Courtyard. At Disney California Adventure® Park you will find her in Hollywood Land.

Sofia can also be seen during Disney Junior – Live on Stage at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios® and Disney California Adventure® Park along with friends from “Doc McStuffins,” “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” and “Jake and the Never Land Pirates.” Check your Daily Times Guide for more information.

Walt Disney World® Resort has announced that the reopening of the newly re-imagined California Grill will take place Sept. 9, 2013. The signature restaurant, known for its amazing views of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom® Park, is perched high above its surroundings on the 15th floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Changes to the restaurant are quite extensive. Upon exiting the elevator, guests will see a new wine display which consists of over 1,600 bottles of wine! Throughout the restaurant, reproductions of artwork by Disney Legend Mary Blair will be displayed. Two new communal tables that seat 10 have been placed at the north end of the restaurant and are a prime location for watching Wishes fireworks show! Also, a new deck now allow guests dining at California Grill that evening two outdoor viewing locations for fireworks.

Not only was the restaurant physically renovated, but the menu has received a makeover as well. Several of California Grill’s existing favorites have been brought back with an exciting twist. Chefs will use seasonal ingredients to enhance classic dishes as well as introduce new ones. An expanded sushi bar will bring a new omakase menu to the restuarant. You can also pair your dinner with one of over 250 selections on the wine list or one of California Grill’s signature cocktails that you won’t find anywhere else on Walt Disney World® property.

As a signature dining location, the restaurant requires (2) tables service entitlements for guests utilizing the Plus Dining or Plus Deluxe Dining Plans. Reservations for the California Grill will open up on Aug. 26. For more information, please contact your Magic Maker®.

By Magic Maker® Brenda Wenk

A few weeks ago, Magic Maker® Brenda Wenk wrote an article to help those experiencing Walt Disney World® Resort for the first time. Here is ‘part two’ to her First-Timers Guide to Walt Disney World® Resort!

Walt Disney World® Resort is a destination unlike no other.  It is massive in size and scope but no detail has been overlooked.   Walt Disney was a master storyteller and that storytelling spills forth into all aspects of the parks and resorts.  Your experience will be immersive from the moment you arrive at your Walt Disney World® Resort hotel, to each dining experience, to the rides and attractions in the theme parks.  The sights, sounds and smells draw you into each story told.  Enjoy being a guest in the “show” that is Walt Disney World® Resort!

There are many often overlooked details in Magic Kingdom® Park.  As you walk down Main Street, USA® Area, look up at the shop windows on the second floor.  These windows give credit to major players in the creation of the Magic Kingdom® Park.  Walt Disney’s window is at the corner above the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor giving him a permanent view of Cinderella’s Castle.  Inside the castle is a mosaic that tells Cinderella’s story.  Note that as you go from one land into another that the landscaping, hardscapes, buildings and music help you transition smoothly.  The lands of Magic Kingdom® Park were actually built as the second story of this park.  Ground level contains the “Utilidors.”  This tunnel system runs under the park and houses the workings necessary to operate the shops, restaurants, rides and attractions.   Cast members collect their costumes and proceed to a behind the scenes entrance into the land in which they are working.  Cast members never cross into another land wearing a costume that does not belong there – you will never see someone in a Tomorrowland® Area costume walking through Adventureland® Area!

Walt Disney originally envisioned Epcot® as a self-contained city.  His death in 1966, changed the direction of this park to what it is today – Future World and World Showcase.  The details worth noting in this park are numerous.   The Fountain of Nations in Innoventions Plaza contains water from bodies of waters around the world.  Note that Spaceship Earth was designed with a runoff system so that no rain reaches the ground but is directed so that it empties into World Showcase lagoon.   The ride in Universe of Energy is powered by solar energy.  You may enjoy seeing the hydroponics method of plant growing in The Land.  Needless to say, the buildings, shops, and eateries in each represented country in World Showcase are filled with native costumes, food and architecture.  The American Pavilion at center stage plays host to countries on either side.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios® represents the golden age of Hollywood when anyone could become a star!  Watch out for starlets hoping to be discovered and directors ready to give wannabes their big break.  If possible, see Walt Disney:  One Man’s Dream in Animation Courtyard.  You will see much of Walt’s memorabilia.  Streets of America will give you a great example of forced perspective, a technique used to make structures appear taller, larger or farther away by decreasing scale of the objects.  This technique can be seen throughout the parks.   Most of the buildings in Disney’s Hollywood Studios® were inspired by actual California structures.  You will see 1928 on many buildings – a nod to the year Mickey Mouse debuted!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park may have a plethora of animals but it is not a zoo.  The details necessary to combine the natural world and the magic of Disney are played out richly in this park. Tree of Life® Attraction is a study in detail in itself!  How many animals can you spot in this carved wonder?  The benches throughout the park are made of recycled milk jugs.  Stumps, rocks and water features have been used to disguise feeding stations and the like in order to attract the wildlife and offer better viewing opportunities for guests.  Check out the Tibetan prayer flags hanging in Asia.  Keep an eye out for DiVine, an actress that is part of the landscape.  The village, Harambe, closely resembles the area in Africa that served as its inspiration.  This park is ideal for meandering and taking in the many details.

The creative geniuses behind each experience are called Imagineers due to their combined artistic and engineering abilities.  A roller coaster is more than a ride – each is an experience.   Each roller coaster in Walt Disney World® Resort have a theme and a story to tell.  For example, Rockin’ Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith, tells the following story:  a group has arrived at a recording studio where Aerosmith is working.  Their manager informs the performers that they must leave for a concert appearance.  Steven Tyler suggests that the group watching in the studio come along!   “Stretch limos” arrive to transport you to the concert.  The freeway is jammed but your “driver” floors it and manages to get you to the concert!  Check out the themes for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad® Attraction in Frontierland® Area in Magic Kingdom® Park and Expedition Everest® Attraction in Asia® Land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park!  Each of these rides is themed from the queue in which you stand to wait your turn, to the holding area, to the vehicle in which you ride.

These creative folks sign their work with hidden Mickeys.  These hidden Mickeys can be found in chair backs, carpets, on walls and can be quite obvious or truly “hidden.”  Books are available to help you if you choose to search for these and cast members can often point to some.

The details I have noted are a tiny sampling of the many things Walt Disney represents and what each aspect of Walt Disney World® Resort has to offer – just enough to whet your appetite!  Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”  Walt and his legacy of Imagineers dreamed and the result is this magical place you are about to visit!

Last month, we gave you an overview of the reimagineering that will be taking place this fall to the adult areas of the ship when the Disney Magic® goes into dry dock. From renovations inside Palo to the expansion and refurbishment of spa services onboard, attention will be given to nearly every detail.

Part of the reimagineering will include the transformation of Beat Street, the current adult entertainment district on Deck 3 of the Disney Magic®, to After Hours. Three clubs will make up the After Hours area – Fathoms night club (which will host After Hours’ main events for the evening), Keys (a refined piano bar and lounge), and O’Gills (an Irish pub and sports bar).

Enjoy this video that explains more details about After Hours:

The Disney Magic® will be in dry dock from Sep. 7-Oct. 10, 2013. After, it will launch with exciting itineraries and greatly enhanced amenities. Contact your Magic Maker® today for more information!