Disney News

Boo! Don’t be afraid. The screams you hear are squeals of delight, not fright. Disney fantasy and Halloween fun come together on selected nights in September and October for a one-of-a-kind celebration. Seize this rare opportunity to visit the Magic Kingdom® in costume*, ride some of the most popular attractions and enjoy some really sweet trick-or-treating with your favorite Disney characters in their finest Halloween outfits. With special music, a parade and the spectacular Happy HalloWishes fireworks show, this is no trick – it’s a real treat.

Event Dates:

Event Times:

7:00 pm – 12:00 am

Entertainment Highlights: (subject to change without notice)

• Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade!
• Trick-or-treating throughout Magic Kingdom® Park at numerous locations
• Happy HalloWishes fireworks spectacular – where the Disney Villains go trick-or-treating in the sky!
• Characters decked out in their favorite costumes – so wear yours, too.
• Some of the most popular Magic Kingdom® attractions.

Pricing

Ticket prices start at $47.95 for kids 3-9 and at $53.95 for ages 10 and up.  Tickets prices vary by party date and the date of purchase (tickets cost more if you purchase them the same day as the party).  Contact your Magic Maker® for more information and to request a quote.

*For safety, costumes must not be obstructive or offensive.  This is a special event which requires a separately priced event Theme Park ticket.  Pricing subject to change without notice and availability.

Originally scheduled to be out mid-May, the Phineas and Ferb play and greet was pushed back for a few weeks, while the boys finished school.  As of yesterday, the boys officially made their debut at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ at the Walt Disney World® Resort.

The experience centers around Phineas and Ferb spending time in Florida to make a movie and guests are invited to meet them between takes. It all begins with the duo making a rockin’ entrance before taking pictures and signing autographs.

This experience is more than a traditional character meet-and-greet, dubbed a “play-and-greet,” as guests are invited to participate in short movie-related games while waiting for their chance to meet Phineas and Ferb. You can meet the pair on the Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ backlot near the exit to Muppet*Vision 3D.  Are you planning to see them on your next Walt Disney World® vacation?

This special is no longer applicable.  Please click here to see current Disneyland® Resort Specials.

Details:
Save up to 25%* off a room-only reservation at Disney’s Paradise Pier® Hotel.
Save up to 20%* off a room-only reservation at the Disneyland Hotel or Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa.

Book this offer May 29 – June 18, 2011, for a broader selection of travel dates, with arrivals most nights June 19 – Aug. 13, 2011.  Book this offer June 19 – July 23, 2011, for arrivals most nights July 17 – Aug. 13, 2011.  Travel on this offer must be completed by Aug. 14, 2011.

Upgrades:
Add tickets or upgrade your room-only reservation to a package and enjoy Disney Soundsational Summer during your stay with these added benefits, which require Theme Park admission:

• Two Disney’s FASTPASS® tickets for each person in their party per stay, when checking in at one of the three Hotels of the Disneyland Resort from June 3 to Sept. 5, 2011**
• Early access to “The Little Mermaid~Ariel’s Undersea Adventure,” 30 minutes prior to the scheduled opening of Disney California Adventure™ Park, daily from June 4 to Sept. 5, 2011, for Guests of the three Hotels of the Disneyland Resort ***

The Disney Fantasy™, the new Disney Cruise Line® ship set to debut next spring, will bring to life many of the innovative features guests love on the recently launched Disney Dream™ including AquaDuck — the world’s first shipboard water coaster.  But new design elements and guest experiences will give the Disney Fantasy™ an identity all its own.

The Disney Fantasy™ is the second of two newly designed Disney Cruise Line® ships that take the family cruise experience to new heights. Sister ship to the Disney Dream™, which entered service in January 2011, the 4,000-passenger Disney Fantasy™ will sail week-long Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral, Fla., with its maiden voyage scheduled for March 31, 2012.

“Animation Magic” at Animator’s Palate
Animator’s Palate on the Disney Fantasy brings the magic of Disney animation into the dining room with a new show called “Animation Magic.”  The dinner show celebrates the magic of Disney animation and allows families to create and participate in a whole new way.

Like Animator’s Palate on the Disney Dream, the venue is wall-to-wall whimsy inspired by a classic animation studio. Throughout the restaurant, pillars are fashioned like huge pencils and brushes. Character sketches, maquettes (three-dimensional character models), film strips and other tools of the animation trade adorn the room.  As a special nod to Mickey Mouse, the dining room chairs feature red and yellow colors and a trademark design – Mickey Mouse pants with two bright yellow buttons.

Upon entering Animator’s Palate, guests are surrounded by artwork featuring their favorite Disney characters.  Guests get a sneak peek into the origins of these beloved characters through concept art, storyboards and character studies.

As guests are seated at their tables, they are invited to draw a character of their own using a simple template on their placemat.  Then, just before dinner, house lights dim and a sprinkling of pixie dust illuminates the room.

Imagery is revealed on several large monitors showing animated, black and white drawings of Mickey Mouse.  Mickey then places the Sorcerer’s hat upon his head which transforms him, as well as all of the other pencil drawings shown throughout the room, from black and white to color.

Mickey then invites guests to sit back, relax and enjoy a taste of animation as a montage of memorable food-themed moments from Disney and Pixar films set to “Be Our Guest” begins to delight guests.  After the “Be Our Guest” number is complete, animated curtains are drawn on the monitors for a brief intermission. During this time, guests are encouraged to complete their own drawings, if they have not already done so, so they may be whisked off to Mickey Mouse who is conjuring a magical final act.

While guests enjoy dinner, the restaurant’s walls fill with classic Disney and Pixar characters gathering food, eating and drinking together, and celebrating over meals.

After dinner, the animated curtains are opened on the screens and Sorcerer Mickey returns for the exciting finale.  With a flourish and musical crescendo, Mickey works magic as only Disney can do.  Mickey conjures the guests’ drawings – now fully animated and brought to life – into the onscreen action.

A parade starts as Mickey leads the guests’ drawings in a march across the screens around the dining room.  The animation of the drawings becomes increasingly more elaborate, and then the drawings step into scenes from beloved Disney movies and skip, skate and dance side-by-side with characters such as Mickey Mouse, Jiminy Cricket, Cinderella and Snow White.

At the conclusion of the show, Mickey returns to say “so long” to the guests and, as he does, credits roll on screen showing each guest’s name listed as a guest animator. To commemorate the experience, each guest will have their character drawing returned to them, with an added touch… a golden seal proclaiming them an Official Disney Animator.

Europa Nighttime Entertainment District
On the Disney Fantasy, adult guests step into a world that’s all their own at Europa – a nighttime entertainment district exclusively for guests 18 and older that features sophisticated bars and trendy lounges inspired by the very best in European travel.

• La Piazza is a lounge that draws inspiration from Italian cities and their decorative outdoor plazas. The bar is modeled after a colorful vintage carousel. Venetian masks, romantic couples’ booths and a classic Vespa with a sidecar add Italian flair.
• Skyline is a chic bar that provides ever-changing birds-eye views of stunning European city skylines that transform from day to night. Skyline’s “windows to the world” give guests a glimpse of spectacular locales in panorama such as Paris, London, Barcelona, Athens and St. Petersburg.
• O’Gill’s Pub is a rollicking Irish bar with modern-day twists.  Dark woods, brass accents and a selection of Irish beers create the perfect pub atmosphere where guests can sip a pint while watching live sporting events on one of several high-definition televisions.
• Ooh La La is inspired by an elegant French boudoir adorned with velvet tufted walls, Victorian furniture and Louis XIV-style chaise lounges. A sensuous color palette is accented with ornate framed mirrors, gold details and a “jewel box” feature bar backed with sparkling diamond-like facets.
• The Tube transports guests to a vibrant metropolitan club via the London Underground. Guests “mind the gap” as they walk across a Tube route map, lounge among mod furniture, pose by a red English phone booth, dance atop an illuminated Union Jack dance floor and enjoy cocktails at a bar inspired by Big Ben and London’s many train stations.

“Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular”
A new ship means new main stage entertainment at the 1,340-seat Walt Disney Theatre.  New to Disney Cruise Line, “Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular” takes the stage on the Disney Fantasy.  During this Broadway-style production, guests laugh along with the wise-cracking Genie and the cast from the classic animated Disney film, “Aladdin.”

In this fast-paced musical comedy, Aladdin is back as the “street rat” of Agrabah meeting up with a Genie who grants him three wishes, battling the evil Jafar, and falling in love with Princess Jasmine.

Many of the classic scenes and songs from the movie are re-created on stage and some of the action even spills out into the aisles, like Prince Ali’s jubilant arrival in Agrabah on the back of a stallion. Magic lamps, wise-cracking genies, princesses and evil wizards are all part of this musical production. And of course, an Aladdin production would not be complete without a magic flying carpet scene, which combines mechanical wizardry with state-of-the-art projections, allowing Jasmine and Aladdin to soar as they perform a heartfelt duet of “Whole New World.”

Many of the songs from the movie are featured in the 45-minute musical production, including “Friend Like Me,” which is performed as a lively, Las Vegas-style production number featuring special effects, illusions and more than a dozen dancing genies. Composer Alan Menken, who created the original soundtrack with songwriters Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, composed an original song for the stage production entitled “To Be Free.”

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
At Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on the Disney Fantasy, aspiring young princesses and pirates receive the full fairy tale treatment with pixie-dusted and piratical makeovers at this very special salon.

When young princesses-to-be make their royal entrance at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, they are greeted by their very own Fairy Godmother-in-training who transform them with magical makeovers such as the Disney Diva, the Pop Princess or the Fairy Tale Princess. A variety of royal treatment packages include combinations of hairstyle, shimmering makeup and nails. Princess costumes, complete with crown, wand and shoes also are available.

Exclusive to Disney Cruise Line, Captain Mickey Mouse, Princess Minnie Mouse and First Mate Minnie Mouse makeovers plus special Under the Sea packages will be offered.

On pirate party nights aboard the Disney Fantasy, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique transforms into the Pirate’s League, where swashbuckling boys, girls and grownups can get ready for the pirate life.

Each guest checking in at the plunder-filled pirate’s lair gets an official pirate name.  Then it’s off to Muster Station for applications of beards and bandanas, swords and scars, earrings and eye patches – all done with the savvy skill of a pirate master who shares his own tales of sea-sailing adventures.

After the new buccaneers recite a sacred pirate oath, they are officially part of Captain Jack’s motley crew, leaving their old identities behind.  The shipmates and scoundrels are then turned loose on their pirate vessel.

Guests can choose from two pirate packages – First Mate (includes bandana, facial scars tattoos, fake teeth, earring, eye patch, sword and sheath) or Empress (includes bandana, shimmering makeup, face gem, tattoos, nail polish, earring, eye patch, sword and sheath).

Atrium Lobby – Mademoiselle Minnie Mouse
The magnificent three-deck atrium lobby on the Disney Fantasy is reminiscent of grand ocean liners of the Golden Age.  Art Nouveau-inspired details and patterns in hues of vibrant blue, green, pink and gold lend to the sophistication.  Glamorous and graceful design elements include a sweeping grand staircase, towering fluted columns, grand piano and an exquisite marble and stone inlay floor. A focal point is a cascading chandelier of stained glass and crystal beads.

The pièce de résistance of the magnificent space is the atrium lobby statue – Mademoiselle Minnie Mouse.  Inspired by travel of the 1920s and 1930s, Minnie, cast in bronze and dressed in vintage fashion with a parasol and steamer luggage at her side, serves to welcome all guests who board the ship.

Royal Court Restaurant
At Royal Court restaurant, guests are immersed in the lavish surroundings of an elegant dining room fit for a grand palace.  Royal Court takes design inspiration from the classic Disney films “Cinderella,” “Snow White,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Sleeping Beauty.”  Décor features ornate details and custom furnishings and fixtures that incorporate iconic symbols from the films – glass slippers, apples, roses and tiaras.

An Austrian glass chandelier is a focal point, while eight custom brass and glass lighting fixtures modeled after Cinderella’s coach adorn the room.  Hand-crafted mosaic tile murals of the princesses – Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Jasmine, Ariel and Sleeping Beauty (Aurora) – and their princes grace the walls.  Inspired by the mosaic tile murals in Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom, the Disney Fantasy mosaics are beingmeticulously created by skilled Italian craftspeople using more than 200,000 individual tiles, with 23 mosaic panels depicting six different vignettes.

With careful attention to detail, many of the restaurant’s features are modeled precisely from the inspirational films. The Royal Court’s chandeliers, chair backs and columns with marble bases and fluted tops are fashioned after those seen in “Beauty and the Beast.”  Wall sconces, decorative patterns, throne-style chairs and the circular floor plan are recreated from “Cinderella.”

The Disney Fantasy will depart on her maiden voyage March 31, 2012, and will sail out of Port Canaveral on seven-night Caribbean itineraries – alternating eastern (St. Maarten and St. Thomas) and western (Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Cozumel). Special Eastern Caribbean sailings in November and December 2012 stop at St. Thomas and San Juan, Puerto Rico.  All Disney Fantasy itineraries include a stop at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.

2012 Itineraries are now available to book on board the Disney Fantasy™.
Contact your Magic Maker® for more information or click here to request a quote.

By Magic Maker® Jennifer Lennox

My family of four, including my two young daughters, then ages 9 and three, were lucky enough to stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first time last August.  I was so excited, as we have eaten at Boma – Flavors of Africa, located in this resort, and I had always hoped to spend more time there.

It did not disappoint!  While we did not request (or pay for) a Savannah view room, we were able to see many animals from our balcony each day, and that was really special.  There is no assurance that this will happen, so if that view is important, you should always reserve it!  (As I packed the car to return home, I looked behind me and saw a woman on her balcony, about 10 feet away!  I would have to say that that view might be a bit disappointing.)  In our case, we just got a little extra pixie dust.

Our room was as far from the lobby and pool area as it could have possibly been, and it was a very long walk!  We didn’t mind it so much, but it is worth considering making a location request when you make your reservation. While the Walt Disney World® Resorts do not guarantee these types of requests, they do try their best to accommodate them.

We enjoyed the main pool twice during our vacation.  It was a beautiful area, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to use it. I had looked at it longingly in the past, while waiting to be seated for dinner at Boma – Flavors of Africa.  My young daughter loved the zero-entry pool and my older one appreciated the pool slide.  The water temperature was warm, but still very refreshing in the incredible August heat. We wondered why we have so often passed up the opportunity to enjoy the resorts in previous trips. We certainly felt refreshed and ready for a fun evening after a relaxing swim.

We also took advantage of our location to eat at Boma – Flavors of Africa once for dinner as well as once for breakfast!  There is something there for everyone, picky eaters and adventurous alike.  I recommend trying the various soups, such as pumpkin or carrot and ginger.  You might be surprised at how good they are.  I know I was!

This deluxe resort is generally the most affordable in that category.  I can’t wait to go back, and enthusiastically recommend it to anyone, those with or without children, to young couples or grandparents, honeymooners and special groups.

Have you visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge?  Please share your experiences with us.

Click here for more information or to request a quote.