Disney News

Guests heading to the Magic Kingdom® Park tonight for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party are in for a real Halloween treat. For the first time in the park’s history, Mickey will be talking with guests and testing some new tricks backstage at Town Square Theater.  Check it out:

*Please remember that this is just a test.

Happy Halloween!  If you didn’t get a chance to celebrate this spooky day at the Walt Disney World® Resort or Disneyland® Resort this year, then start planning for next year’s trip!  Here are the haunted happenings that took place this year that you won’t want to miss next year!

Disneyland® Resort in California

Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy
The darkest regions of space and time cross over into a ghostly netherworld in the classic attraction, Space Mountain!  Haunting sound effects and a chilling soundtrack surround you as you scream your way through space.

Main Street Pumpkin Festival
More than 300 totally unique pumpkins decorate the plaza throughout Main Street, U.S.A.  Be sure to check them all out as well as the delicious treats for sale.

Haunted Mansion Holiday
This timeless attraction has been taken over by Jack Skellington and his gang from Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”  The Haunted Mansion is transformed from haunted house to Halloween Town complete with special soundtrack and exclusive Halloween experiences.

Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Roundup
Head to the corral and get close with different barnyard animals.  Then meet up with Sheriff Woody and Jessie while participating in lively arts and crafts.  Learn from the master Disney arts as they create elaborate pumpkin designs.

Mickey’s Halloween Party
You are invited to an exclusive party with Mickey and the gang at the Disneyland® Park.  Clad in costume, trick-or-treat around the park.  Fireworks erupts the night sky to a spooky and haunting soundtrack in Halloween Screams.  A separate ticket is needed for this event that takes place select nights.

Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Dress up in your favorite costume and trick-or-treat around the Magic Kingdom for some delicious treats.  Take a ride on some of your favorite attractions and be sure to catch Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade that kicks off by a erie ride by the Headless Horseman.  The Disney Villians light up the night sky in the Happy Hallowishes fireworks.  Don’t forget to catch your favorite characters in their costumes.  A separate ticket is needed for this event that takes place on select nights.

Haunted Carriage Rides
Roam the woods of Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground on a 25-minute Haunted Carriage Ride while hearing the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”  Reservations are needed to participate in this spooky experience.

Delicious Halloween Treats
Throughout the entire resort, feast on delicious treats created just for this time of the year.  Pumpkin spice funnel cakes, pumpkin fudge and cheesecake, and Halloween-themed cookies and baked goods.  Some of your favorite characters are recreated as caramel apples during the Halloween season!

Halloween Fun at the Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
Check with your resort hotel for fun Halloween Happenings during your stay.  Participate in Mummy Wrap-Ups, Cupcake Decorating, Monster Mash Pool Bashes, Costume Parades, or catch a haunted flick under the stars.

*Halloween events may vary from year to year at the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts and can change without notice.

This offer is no longer valid. Please click here to view all current Aulani specials.

Buy 4 nights in Paradise, and get the 5th night free at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawai‘i!

Special Grand Opening Offer

With this Special Grand Opening Offer, you can experience Aulani—the newest Disney Resort—and enjoy your most magical vacation yet when they stay 4 nights and get their 5th consecutive night free!

Book before December 16, 2011 for stays most nights from:

• November 27 to December 16, 2011
• January 4 to January 12, 2012
• January 16 to January 25, 2012

Now you can enjoy more moments of relaxation and exhilaration at this world-class Resort on O‘ahu!

Splash into adventure in Waikolohe Valley—featuring pools, slides and winding streams. Unwind at Laniwai Spa—offering a sumptuous menu of treatments and an outdoor hydrotherapy garden. Or simply bask in beachfront bliss as you savor a spectacular sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

Whatever vacation pleasures you seek, you’ll find them all and more at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawai‘i.

Booking
To book this special offer, contact your Magic Maker or click here to request a quote.

5th Night Free promotion for guests who stay four consecutive nights between November 27, 2011 and December 16, 2011; January 4, 2012 and January 12, 2012; January 16, 2012 and January 25, 2012. Book by December 16, 2011.

Disclaimer:
*The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Excludes Resort fees and taxes. Not valid in combination with any other discounts or offers. Offer excludes suites and 3-Bedroom Grand Villas. Additional per adult charges may apply if more than 2 adults per room. Offer applied once per reservation and not valid for previously booked rooms. Check for offers for other lengths of stay. Advance reservations required. Subject to restrictions and change without notice. Limit 2 rooms per reservation.

The Best Ride at Sea – Disney Cruise Line’s AquaDuck

by Magic Maker® Heather Straight

There’s a lot to love about the newest Disney Cruise Line® ship, the Disney Dream™.  Its beautiful décor, delicious restaurants, spectacular Broadway-style shows, spacious staterooms, and kids clubs that are beyond compare.  But if you asked my two boys, ages 7 and 4, to tell you the best thing about this wonderful ship, they’d have one thing to say: the AquaDuck.

The first of its kind at sea, the AquaDuck is a “water coaster” that takes you on a fast moving raft ride from the top of the aft funnel, through twists and turns, up and down hills, through the forward funnel and – the best part – over the side of the ship!  The journey through the acrylic tube is breathtaking and exhilarating, with two big drops and amazing view of the pool deck on one side and the expanse of the ocean on the other.

We took our first ride soon after boarding and settling in to our stateroom, and we were instantly hooked.  The ride is thrilling, but not scary, just fast enough to get your heart pumping but not so fast that you miss the spectacular scenery whizzing past you as you fly through the tube.  We had so much fun that our boys begged us to let them skip Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean deck party to ride the “Duck” instead!  There was no line – we literally rode over and over until it was time to go and get ready for Buccaneer Blast (because we certainly weren’t going to miss another Disney exclusive, fireworks at sea!).

To ride the AquaDuck, kids must be at least 42” tall to ride with an adult; single riders must be at least 54” tall.  The first time kids ride, they’ll be measured and then given an arm band to wear to show that they meet the height requirements.  You’ll find the stairs on Deck 11 near the Mickey Pool, and from there you climb up to the boarding area in the aft funnel.

Here are our best AquaDuck tips, perfected after our many rides:

• For more rides with less waiting, try in the evening, either after dinner if you have Main Seating or before dinner if you have Late Seating.  Avoid mid-day (especially on a sea day!), unless you’re prepared to stand in line.

• If you have a little one who is just at the 42” mark, make sure they don’t take off their armband!  Don’t risk having to be re-measured every time you want to ride.

• Help little ones get off the raft at the end of the ride before you do – the raft has a tendency to flip over when grown ups exit!

• If you get a chance, ride at night – the whole AquaDuck is lit up!  In fact, you can even ride during the fireworks, which is pretty spectacular.

• My husband and oldest son have this tip for getting more speed – arch your back and the raft will go faster!

• Keep your eyes open at the beginning of the ride – as soon as you’re “launched” you’ll be in the tube that goes out over the side of the ship.

• The easiest way to get into the raft is to turn so your backside is facing the raft, sit down, and then swing your legs in.  I looked pretty comical the first time I tried boarding, and a helpful Cast Member gave me this tip.

• Be prepared for a workout if you’re planning to ride more than once – climbing all those stairs is good exercise.  It’s a great way to get rid of some of those calories from the Grand Marnier soufflé you had at Royal Palace!

• Make sure you read the AquaDuck story as you climb up to the entrance – the colorful cartoon frames tell you about how Donald (with some help from his nephews) gave the ride its name.

The latest reports from the National Weather Service indicate Hurricane Rina is moving through the Western Caribbean. Due to the possible impact of this storm over the next few days, Disney Cruise Line® has modified its itinerary to include ports of call that are located a safe distance away from the storm.

The Oct. 29, 2011, voyage of the Disney Magic® will now set sail for the Eastern Caribbean, following this revised itinerary:

Saturday – Port Canaveral
Sunday – Day at Sea
Monday – Day at Sea
Tuesday – St. Maarten
Wednesday – Tortola
Thursday – Day at Sea
Friday – Disney’s Castaway Cay
Saturday – Port Canaveral

Port Adventures that were pre-reserved in Key West, Grand Cayman and Cozumel will automatically be removed from guests’ onboard account, while those for Castaway Cay will remain as scheduled. Port Adventures for St. Maarten and Tortola may be booked once onboard at the Port Adventures Desk, located on Deck 3, Mid-ship. Any pre-booked services at Palo, Flounder’s Reef Nursery, and Vista Spa and Salon will also remain as originally scheduled.