Happy Earth Day!

Like the other Disney Destinations mentioned earlier this week in our Earth Week articles, the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida also upholds a commitment to minimizing the impact their daily operation has on the environment.

• Since 2006, the Walt Disney World® Resort has reduced their energy consumption by almost eight percent – enough to power 7,600 homes for a year
• From golf carts to Monorail trains, more than 1,500 alternatively fueled vehicles are used across resort property – reducing fuel consumption by about 33% per vehicle
• With some help from dedicated Cast Members and guests, more than 105,000 tons of waste was diverted from landfills in 2011 – enough to fill Spaceship Earth at Epcot® more than eight times

When Imagineers were designing the newly opened Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Walt’s legacy of protecting the environment was kept in mind.

• Use of energy-saving LED lighting has been integrated throughout the resort
• The resort’s food court, Landscape of Flavors, is the first Value Resort to utilize reusable plates and silverware
• Recycling bins have been placed conveniently throughout public areas and in each of the resort’s guest rooms

But it doesn’t stop there. The Walt Disney World® Resort works to preserve and protect wildlife locally in Florida and around the world! Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park (which is celebrating it’s 15th Anniversary today) works with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to breed and manage groups of critical species. The park has successfully bred many endangered animals over the years including black rhinos, African elephants, and rare birds. In the past couple months alone, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park has welcomed the birth of a Saddle-Billed stork and a White-Cheeked Gibbon.

The Walt Disney Company has taken the initiative to encourage environmentally responsible behavior from its Cast Members, business partners, and guests. Helping to protect our Earth is something we must all focus on every day of the year! If everyone would commit to even making one small change, it could make a WORLD of difference! What is your commitment?

In celebration of Earth Week, today we turn our attention to the recycling efforts at the Disneyland® Resort in Anaheim, CA. Being an environmental steward is a daily focus for Cast Members at the resort. Over half of the overall waste collected throughout the property is diverted through recycling and repurposing!

Here is a look at some other recycling fun facts for the Disneyland® Resort:

• Plastic merchandise bags and paper napkins used at the Disneyland® Resort are made from 100% recycled content
• Each year, the Disneyland® Resort recycles:
  • enough aluminum to make a soda can 1,000 times taller than the Matterhorn
  • enough paper to make a trail from Disneyland® Resort to the Walt Disney World® Resort and back twice
  • more glass than the weight of eight steam trains
• Money raised from the collection of cans and bottles in backstage areas by Cast Members is donated to various nonprofit organizations. One recipient is Canine Companions for Independence, who has placed more than 35 assistance dogs with people with disabilities thanks to these donations.
• The Custodial Cast Members collect more than a dozen types of materials for recycling – totaling about 22 tons of material each day
• More than 650 themed recycling containers are available throughout property inviting guests to do their part to save the environment
• More than 600,000 plastic cards (hotel keys, gift cards, park tickets) are collected for recycling per year
• Disneyland® Resort is proud to partner with Clean the World and donate more than 1,000 pounds of partially used soaps and shampoos to be sanitized and recycled into hygiene products for people around the world. Click here for more details on Clean the World

On Monday April 22, 2013, a special celebration will take place at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. Not only is it Earth Day, but it also marks the park’s 15th anniversary! To celebrate this special “Earth Day Birthday,” a special Party for the Planet has been planned.

Details for Monday’s party include:

• Turnstiles will open at 8:30a for a special 15th anniversary ceremony in front of the Tree of Life®. On your way into the park, remember to pick up a commemorative guide map and keepsake postcard/party guide
• While supplies last, guests donating to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park will receive a commemorative 15th anniversary button
• Educational activities throughout the park including identifying animals by tracks, how to choose green products in your everyday life, and discover fun ways for families to spend time in nature
• Special merchandise and specialty snacks will be available for purchase

Additional Earth Day events will take place over at The Seas with Nemo & Friends® in Epcot®, in Downtown Disney®, and at select Resort hotels. Valid theme park admission required for events inside the Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park and Epcot®.

Next week’s “Limited Time Magic” at Disney Parks will focus on this beautiful place we call home and the celebration of Earth Week!

Walt Disney World® Resort

• Party for the Planet – Apr. 22-28, 2013, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park is celebrating their 15th anniversary and Earth Week with a special Party for the Planet! Some of Disney’s rarely seen Characters like Lilo & Stitch, Flik & Princess Atta, Koda & Kenai, and Thumper & Miss Bunny will be making appearances in Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade and at a special dance party in DinoLand U.S.A.®. Special commemorative merchandise will also be available for purchase. Valid theme park admission is required.
• “Dig Up” Something Delicious – The Earth Week celebration is happening all over the Walt Disney World® Resort! Grab a “Worm and Dirt Cupcake” at select locations inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios® or Kona Café at Disney’s Polynesian Resort or try a “Worm and Dirt Tart” at select Magic Kingdom® Park or Epcot® locations. Valid theme park admission not required for Kona Café location.
• Spring Trolley Show on Main Street, U.S.A.® – Spring is in the air and the citizens of Main Street, U.S.A.® inside Magic Kingdom® Park can’t contain their excitement! Join them daily through May 12, 2013 as they celebrate with a Spring Trolley Show. Their performance of a few new songs will be as bright as their colorful pastel outfits and the horse-drawn trolley they arrived on! Please refer to your Times Guide for show information. Valid theme park admission is required.

Disneyland® Resort

• “Dig Up” a Delicious Earth Week – Celebrate Earth Week at the Disneyland® Resort by enjoying a special “Worm and Dirt Tart!” This “Limited Time Magic” treat will be available for purchase Apr. 22-28, 2013, at Plaza Inn and French Market at Disneyland® Park or in Wine Country Trattoria inside Disney California Adventure® Park. Valid theme park admission required.
  

And the Year of the Ear continues with a new “Cozy Cone” hat available at select merchandise locations inside Disney California Adventure® Park while supplies last!

Keep checking back as Off to Neverland Travel® will continue to bring you details on future ”Limited Time Magic” events as they become available!

All events and characters are subject to change. Theme park admission may be required for some events.

By Magic Maker® Julie Paolino

If you have visited the Downtown Disney® Area of Walt Disney World® Resort recently you may have noticed some construction crews hard at work. Fast forward 3 years to 2016 when a completely reimagined and expanded version of Downtown Disney® Area will emerge as Disney Springs. Disney Springs will be reminiscent of Florida’s quaint waterfront towns complete with four distinct neighborhoods interconnected by flowing, bubbling springs.

A new grand entry with a signature water tower will welcome guests to shop, eat, explore and be entertained to their hearts content. Here guests will find the Town Center which will offer a mix of sophisticated shopping and dining along a relaxing picturesque promenade. The Landing will be host to inspiring dining venues with beautiful waterfront views. At the Marketplace families will be able to shop until they drop at a plethora of stores including an expanded World of Disney store. After all the shopping, kids of all ages can enjoy dining at popular restaurants like T-REX™, Rainforest Café®, Earl of Sandwich® and Ghiradellis Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop. Guests will also be able to enjoy a new over the water pedestrian causeway. And lastly, those looking for lively entertainment should head for the West Side to enjoy a movie or an outing at Splitsville Luxury Lanes™ for some old fashion fun of bowling. Still yet to be seen is whether this area will offer some more grown up venues like a comedy club or dance hall. One thing however, that is sure to be a pleasant addition to the West End, is the elevated causeways which will allow for people watching from up above while adding some much needed shade below.

So if eating, shopping, relaxing or enjoying lively entertainment is your thing, then don’t miss out on a visit to the Disney Springs, opening in phases and to be complete by 2016. One of the best parts of a day or night at the Disney Springs area is that you do not have to pay park admission to enjoy the Walt Disney World® Resort atmosphere.

You can learn a little more about the transformation happening at Downtown Disney® Resort here.

Your next Walt Disney World® Resort getaway is only a phone call or email away as Off to Neverland Travel’s® knowledgeable Magic Makers® are ready to assist you in getting the most magic from your vacation.

The very minute one of our guests step on board a Disney Cruise Line® ship, they are beginning a world-class family vacation that they will never forget!

But what exactly makes Disney Cruise Line® any different than the other options in the cruise industry? The Magic is in the Details – and that begins with legendary Disney guest service!

Watch this short video and see what past Disney Cruise Line® guests have to say about legendary service!

Greeted like a friend – treated like royalty! Just one of the details making up “The Disney Difference.” Explore the current promotions and then contact your Magic Maker® today to start planning your Disney Cruise Line® vacation!

If you are a fan of Disney Fairies, next week’s “Limited Time Magic” is something you won’t want to miss! Tinker Bell’s Fairy friends will be visiting Disney Parks next week!

Walt Disney World® Resort

• Celebrate Disney Fairies Week – Apr. 15-21, 2013, is Disney Fairies Week at the Walt Disney World® Resort! Some of Tinker Bell’s Fairy friends are flying in for a week-long visit at the Magic Kingdom® Park. Stop by Tinker Bell’s Magical Nook in the Adventureland® Area of the park where you could meet Rosetta, Fawn, Vidia, Iridessa, Silvermist, or even Terence! Meet and greets will run daily 9:15a – 10:00p. Valid theme park admission is required.
• Spring Trolley Show on Main Street, U.S.A.® – Spring is in the air and the citizens of Main Street, U.S.A.® inside Magic Kingdom® Park can’t contain their excitement! Join them daily through May 12, 2013 as they celebrate with a Spring Trolley Show. Their performance of a few new songs will be as bright as their colorful pastel outfits and the horse-drawn trolley they arrived on! Please refer to your Times Guide for show information. Valid theme park admission is required.

Disneyland® Resort

• Celebrate Disney Fairies Week – Some of Tinker Bell’s Fairy friends are joining her at Disneyland Park® to help celebrate Disney Fairies Week Apr. 15-21, 2013. Tinker Bell will be joined by Rosetta and Terence inside Pixie Hollow from 9:00a – 5:00p Mon.-Thu., 9:00a – 3:15p Fri. and 8:00a – 3:15p Sat.-Sun. Valid theme park admission is required.
  

And the Year of the Ear continues with special Strawberry Ear Hats available at select locations in Epcot® and new “Cozy Cone” hats at Disney California Adventure® Park while supplies last!

Keep checking back as Off to Neverland Travel® will continue to bring you details on future ”Limited Time Magic” events as they become available!

As the country continues to defrost after a long winter, guests visiting Walt Disney World® Resort in central Florida are already beginning to look for ways to cool down as it continues to warm up in the south. While there are many ways to refresh yourself in the heat, there is one cool spot that you don’t want to overlook.

As ‘Disney legend’ has it, years ago there was a freak snowstorm in the central Florida region that led to the construction of Florida’s first ever ski resort, in Walt Disney World® Resort. As anyone would have expected, the southern snow didn’t last long, quickly melting away and leaving behind a soggy, but snow-less, ski resort.

As the failed ski resort was in the process of closing, an alligator was spotted careening down the mountainside into a melted pool of water with an echoing ‘Yahoo!’ With that, the failed ski resort was reborn in 1995 as Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, and their mascot become the alligator, named Ice Gator.

Still intact from the ski resort you will find the Chairlift, which will transport you atop of Mount Gushmore, where many of Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park downhill thrills are found. High atop Mount Gushmore is Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park’s signature attraction, Summit Plummet. Not for the faint of heart, Summit Plummet is a 120-foot vertical free-falling body slide that can send you racing at speeds of up to 55 mph! If that is a little too thrilling for you, then the Downhill Double Dipper may be more your speed as you race side by side down the slope at speeds of up to 25 mph.

Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park isn’t only about thrills either. You can kick back and relax on a tube as you float along Cross Country Creek, a continuous flowing creek that circles the entire park. You can also hang out in Melt-Away Bay, a one-acre large bobbing wave pool, or you can take your young children under 48” to Tike’s Peak, a children’s area with slides and fountains.

After you’ve worked up an appetite, you don’t want to pass up on a special treat found in Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, fresh mini donuts served up with chocolate, white chocolate or raspberry dipping sauces.

Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park is an exciting way to cool off in the summer heat, and with the water heated to a comfortable 80 degrees all of the time you can enjoy yourself even when the sun isn’t beaming down on you!

To cool off at Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, or plan your next Walt Disney World® Resort vacation, contact your Magic Maker® today!