Disney News

The Walt Disney World® Resort has announced the addition of two new interactive experiences to their Theme Parks this spring.

In Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, guests will be able to become Wilderness Explorers and share Russell’s (from Disney•Pixar film Up) love for the adventure organization. Guests will use field guides to help complete challenges and earn badges throughout the park. With over 30 different badges, Wilderness Explorers will be a fun way to experience the park!

Inside the Adventureland® Area of Magic Kingdom® Park, guests can soon take part in A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas. Using their pirate map and magic talisman, participants will complete five different pirate raids to help locate the missing treasures. A place in Captain Jack’s new crew is awaiting anyone who is successful in helping him fight off pirate enemies like Captain Barbossa and Royal Navy. Unlike the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom® game, this new adventure will not be a card-powered game.

Wilderness Explorers and A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas are planned to open this spring, although no official dates have been announced.

For the past couple months, we have been sharing with you some of the common questions and myths we receive regarding vacationing at Disney Destinations. The bottom line is this – planning ANY vacation can be difficult! But when you start considering all the little details involved in a Disney Vacation, it is no wonder that it stresses many out!

Let’s take a look at three of the common myths regarding booking with a Travel Agent:

1. Myth: Booking with a Travel Agent will cost me more
   It has become fact of life – additional services will cost you money. Well, that’s not the case with Off to Neverland Travel®! When you book your vacation to a Disney Destination through us, our services are at NO additional cost to you! Whether it be helping with Advanced Dining Reservations or giving some touring plan advice, our Magic Makers® are here for you. Also, since your travel is booked directly through the suppliers, our pricing is Disney’s pricing. However, we will check all the promotions (and continue to check even after booking) to make sure you are paying the lowest price possible!
2. Myth: All travel agencies selling Disney Vacations are “Authorized Disney Vacation Planners”
   Being an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner is more than a cool logo we put on our website. Rather, it is a special designation that Off to Neverland Travel® has earned from Disney Destinations. This designation assures you that we have earned our place among family vacation specialists, specifically vacations to the Walt Disney World® Resort, the Disneyland® Resort, onboard Disney Cruise Line®, and the many itineraries offered by Adventures by Disney®.  In addition to their personal experiences, our Magic Makers® have completed extensive online training from the College of Disney Knowledge and have access to some onsite training opportunities available exclusively for EarMarked Agencies. Make the most of your vacation by booking with Off to Neverland Travel®, An Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. Our designation is the difference you deserve!
3. Myth: I enjoy planning my vacations so using a Travel Agent isn’t for me
   There is no specific “type” of person who uses a Travel Agent. Each and every one of us are different! Some of our clients count on their Magic Maker® to plan every detail of their vacation. Others just rest easy in knowing that they have received the best possible discount and have an expert available if they run into any questions while planning their own vacation. The level of involvement of our Magic Makers® in your vacation is up to you!

Wow, after breaking those three myths, I think the only question is “Why wouldn’t you book your vacation with Off to Neverland Travel®?” Contact your Magic Maker® today to get started!

Miss some of our past “Breaking the Myth” articles? Click here to access them.

By Magic Maker® Julie Paolino

Test Track® Attraction, a thrill ride loved by many at Epcot®, closed its doors in April of 2012.   We all wondered what was to become of one of our favorite rides in all the Disney parks.  Well, just over a month ago, in December of 2012, we finally got to find out when the doors reopened to the re-imagined Test Track® Attraction now sponsored by Chevrolet.

Car enthusiasts, kids, adults, well…just about anyone that can withstand the forces of the 60+ mile an hour cyclone that I call Test Track® Attraction, will not be disappointed! This attraction has every guest immersed in the car making process at kiosks that allow each rider, or family, to design their very own test vehicle.  Once your design is complete you swipe the card you have been given before you enter the ride so that you can see how your design measures up with the actual Test Track® Attraction vehicle through the duration of the ride.

The ride itself has gone from what a car would actually go through in real world scenarios in the great outdoors to what appears to be a computerized simulation of how a car would handle on the road. Riders are thrust into darkness and then surrounded by computer graphics and bright neon simulated landscapes as they travel through the course which ultimately leads to a thrilling “crash” through the doors leading to a whirlwind of a ride at over 60 miles an hour around an outdoor track.  Be warned that you will lose your hat if you leave it on!

Once you exit the ride you will have a chance to design more concept cars, play specially designed computer games and explore a showroom full of Chevrolet’s newest lineup of cars, including some concept cars.  And of course, who could pass up the urge to pick up a brand new Test Track® Attraction t-shirt from the gift shop on the way out?

Because Test Track® Attraction is such a popular ride the wait time often exceeds 90 minutes in the stand-by line.  FASTPASS® Service is available for this ride, but rider beware that if you want to design a fully customized car to compare with your ride vehicle you will have to wait in the stand-by line.  Obviously FASTPASS® Service is supposed to get you to the ride quickly, so while you can customize a car when you enter through the FASTPASS® Service line, it is a very condensed version of the one you will find in the stand-by line.

Either way the newly re-imagined Test Track® Attraction will not disappoint.  It is still one of the most exciting and innovative rides in Disney World and definitely one not to be missed.

Be sure to contact one of Off to Neverland Travels® Magic Makers® who will be happy to help you start planning your next Walt Disney World® Resort vacation.

If you are a fan of Epcot’s® Annual International Food & Wine Festival, it’s time to start planning!

This year’s event will run Sep. 27 – Nov. 11, 2013! Known for its outstanding food, fun and entertainment, the Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival has become one of our guests’s favorite events over its 17-year run. While full details of the festival are not yet available, you can expect international cuisine and beverages from nearly 30 marketplaces, culinary demonstrations and seminars, signature dining experiences hosted by celebrity chefs, and nightly musical performances for the Eat to the Beat Concert series.

Contact your Magic Maker® today to start planning your fall vacation.