Disney News

The Tomorrowland Terrace private dessert party, the prime location for watching the Magic Kingdom® fireworks, has been extended until Dec. 29. What better way to relax with an abundance of sweets while the sky fills with spectacular fireworks after a fun day of playing in the parks!

The party happens most nights.  Head over to the lower level of the terrace (across from Tomorrowland Noodle Station) an hour ahead of scheduled fireworks for plenty of time for the sweet buffet and beverages (no alcohol).

Contact your Magic Maker™ for reservations or at any resort front desk, concierge, Guest Relations or restaurant table-service location. If you don’t have reservations, you can walk up and try for a coveted spot, but it’s first come, first served. A Magic Kingdom® park ticket is required. Disney Dining Plan credits cannot be used.

Don’t have a reservation yet for this year?  Contact your Magic Maker® or request a quote for more information on three specials available right now.

Don’t have tickets for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom® Park this Halloween weekend?  You can still trick-or-treat this weekend at the Walt Disney World® Resort! On both Oct. 30 and Oct. 31, your costumed kids can trick-or-treat throughout the Downtown Disney® Area. There are at least 20 shops and restaurants throughout West Side, Pleasure Island and the Marketplace that will offer goodies from 5-9 p.m. There’s also a kid’s DJ dance party at the Waterside Stage, a magician, stilt walkers, storytelling and a few other happy haunts.

From Magic Maker® Amanda Thompson

You have visited the Walt Disney World® Resort in the summer and love it!  And then you see the pictures and hear all about the special events going on in the fall and winter. How it is so much fun to dress up for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and trick or treat at the Magic Kingdom® Park. You see the pictures of the Christmas decorations and Very Merry Christmas Parade and all the extra magic that’s enjoyed at Walt Disney World® Resort around the holidays… but the kids are in school. It’s the great question, “Do I take the kids out of school for a Walt Disney World® Vacation?”

I have recently had to deal with this myself. The answer for that question for me was “YES”. I have two children in school, in sixth and ninth grades.  For our September trip, the kids were absent for five days. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is important to me, but I did not want the kids’ grades to suffer. What did I do? Both kids had to be approved with the school principal to be out on Educational Leave. They did not get counted absent, and even received grades for what they had learned. It may be called something different in your area, but chances are you can get something like this approved for your child as well.

The educational experiences at Walt Disney World® Resort are endless! If you have never heard of such a thing, go to your child’s principal and plead your case. Epcot® is enough to fill any child’s mind with knowledge. Spaceship Earth teaches all about communication and how it has evolved from the beginning of time and how it will progress in the future. Living with the Land is a boat ride that shows crops being grown above ground. Is this the way of the future? It’s amazing! You can even sample these crops as many of the restaurants in Epcot® actually get their produce from there. Don’t forget the World Showcase!  Where else can you visit so many different countries in one day? Shop in there authentic department stores, learn all about the culture and talk to people from that country. Sample all kinds of different foods from Japanese to German. A learning experience like no other!  At Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ the kids learn all about how movies are made, how stunts are done, and may even get picked to help! Take the kids to Africa on an authentic safari with real animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park.

Those are just a few of so many educational things to do. You can even add your own. Give the kids an allowance to spend, let them learn to budget their own money, and there is your math class! Give them the maps of the parks and let them try to get you to the next ride, for a geography lesson!  When they return to school they can tell the teachers and principals how much they learned. One of my children was required to do a one page report and the other was required to keep a portfolio of our trip, much like a scrapbook. I collected extra maps while there, and he used them in his portfolio to show where we had been and what all we had done. It also makes an awesome souvenir of your trip.

The Walt Disney World® Resort is a perfect combination of fun and education. Even I still learn new things each time I go. For me, I feel the lifelong memories of such a trip and life experiences we have while there is worth the time away from school. As long as the teachers and principals are understanding and allow me to do this, I will.. and, of course, if the kids’ grades stay up. What better motivation for good grades on that next report card than a trip to the most Magical Place on Earth!

Tell us what you think.  Have you taken your kids out of school for a vacation?  How did it work for you?

Wildlife thrills are part of the upcoming Wild Africa Trek experience at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park and now you can start makingreservations.

Wild Africa Trek will be a three-hour, expert-led adventure offering up-close-and-personal experiences with wildlife species that make their home in Pangani Forest as well as other areas of the park’s Harambe Wildlife Reserve. As part of the adventure, you’ll clip onto a lifeline and step to the edge of a cliff to get amazingly close to the hippos and crocs. Here are a few highlights for curious explorers:

• Trekking with experienced guides through areas of Harambe Wildlife Reserve that aren’t explored during regular Disney’s Animal Kingdom experiences.
• Navigating through fern and vine forests on a bushwalk.
• Clipping into a harness attached to a safety line, crossing a rope bridge over the Safi River and cliff-hanging at the edge of gullies that are home to hippos and crocodiles.
• Experiencing the thrill of “over-landing” in customized open-air vehicles following the edge of a wide-open savanna.
• Unwinding from an unforgettable adventure at a private safari camp for wildlife viewing. At this station elevated above the savanna, guests will savor sample tastes of Africa.

Harambe Wildlife Reserve will be offered several times daily at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Groups will be kept small, consisting of no more than 12 trekkers per safari.

Contact your Magic Maker® for more details on making a reservation. Pricing for this unique adventure will vary seasonally. Guests who reserve a booking from Jan. 16-Feb. 26, 2011, may take advantage of an introductory offer starting at $129. Park admission is required for participants.

*Tours are subject to availability and may be canceled at any time without notice.  Price is subject to change without notice. Guests must be at least 9 years to participate.

The Disneyland® Resort has transformed into a Halloween wonderland. Mickey and Minnie and their pals are decked out in their favorite Halloweencostumes, hundreds of pumpkins decorate the resort and autumn is in the air. It’s really a great time to visit, but if you’re a Halloween junkie then there are some special tours available, complete with your own “Ghost” or “Ghostess.”

Two tours enhance the Halloween experience at the Disneyland® Resort by giving guests a look at how Halloween comes to life, with fun holiday facts and a chance to experience the resort’s most popular Halloween attractions.

“Disney’s Happiest Haunts Tour” will be held daily through October 31. The cost is $64 plus park admission. “Disney’s Happiest Haunts Ultimate Experience” costs $99 and includes admission to Mickey’s Halloween Party. It’s available on Tuesdays and Fridays only. Park admission is included.

Tours have limited space and start at 5 p.m. and 5:05 p.m. Contact your Magic Maker® for more information.

*Tour schedule and price are subject to change at any time without notice and are subject to availability.