Disney News

While many of us are trying to focus our attention on the Thanksgiving holiday just a couple days away, Mickey and his pals have already started celebrating Christmas! Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is held on select nights through Dec. 21 inside the Magic Kingdom® Park.

The party features several exclusive entertainment options like Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, the Celebrate the Season show at Cinderella Castle, and the Holiday Wishes – Celebrate the Spirit of the Season nighttime fireworks show. Guests attending this year’s party will experience two new entertainment options. Club Tinsel will give the existing Disney character dance party over in Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe a new look. Also, the Kringle Crew will be entertaining the crowd on Main Street, U.S.A.® just before both parade times by teaching dance moves like the Candy Cane Twist and the Santa Shake.

Remaining party dates include Nov. 25, 27, 29, 30, Dec. 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18 20, and 21. The first three parties of the year sold out, so if you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, be sure to contact your Magic Maker® right away.

Click the links below for a copy of this year’s party map.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Map Side A

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Map Side B

Earlier this month, more than 75 Walt Disney World® Resort Cast Member VoluntEARS gave of their time by helping with ABC’s national “Day of Giving.” The cast members manned phones at the Disney Reservation Center in Orlando answering calls from donors all over the country wanting to help the American Red Cross aide those affected by Hurricane Sandy. With a large volume of incoming calls, the event raised more than $16.8 million dollars.

During those calls, the VoluntEARS heard many touching stories, including the 100 year old man  who donated $100 in honor of his age and a 10-year old girl who called in to donate her weekly allowance!

The fundraising event was in addition to the relief and rebuilding efforts announced by The Walt Disney Company previously.

One of our guest’s favorite things about the holiday at the Magic Kingdom® Park is seeing the Castle Dream Lights. Nightly, Cinderella Castle is transformed into a glimmering ice palace. While the castle stays lit all night, the Cinderella’s Holiday Wish show only takes place once per evening, so be sure to check your Times Guide so you don’t miss it!

Enjoy this video as Creative Director Reed Jones gives you the inside scoop on Cinderella Castle’s Castle Dream Lights.

As a parent of two young children under the age of five, I know how difficult it is to make sure your children eat a healthy, well balanced meal at home. It can be mind numbing at times. You certainly have to be creative to find all of the major food groups on a four year old’s plate.

Now you may think a plate of bacon, sour cream dip, chips and a slice of bread may be pushing it. I say nay. Protein? Bacon! Vegetable? Uh, Potato Chips! Grain? Bread of course. Dairy? Sour cream dip! That plate was just another well balanced meal. Yes, there is truth to this little illustration, no, we do not let him eat like this every day!

Thankfully, our friends at Walt Disney World® Resort and Disneyland® Park have helped us to make nutritional dining for the boys on vacation a little easier with the Mickey Check. The Mickey Check is a new initiative that will help you identify nutritious choices for your children while you are on vacation!

In order for a meal to receive the Mickey Check, the meal has to live up to Disney Nutrition Guidelines, which align to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The meals encourage portion control (and calorie intake) while limiting sodium, sugar, saturated fat and trans fat.

Meals adorning the Mickey Check must include at least three of the four major food groups: fruits and vegetables; low-fat dairy; whole grains; or lean protein, beans, eggs and nuts. You can rest assured they aren’t pressing the limits and passing off potato chips as vegetables! To meet Disney Nutrition Guidelines, meals have to be ordered without any substitutions!

No longer will you have to worry about your child’s nutrition while visiting Walt Disney World® Resort or Disneyland® Park, because Disney is already worried about it for you! The Mickey Check debuted at Be Our Guest Restaurant earlier this month and is slated to appear on other table-service menus the first of the year!

Be sure to browse all of the dining options available at Walt Disney World® Resort on our website! When you plan your next vacation with Off to Neverland® Travel, our Magic Makers® will take you through the dining experience, and even eliminate the wait by making reservations for you…all at no additional cost!

Back in April, Disney Parks announced plans for the addition of a Starbucks® location to each of their six U.S. Theme Parks inside the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida and the Disneyland® Resort in California. The first of these locations opened as the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Café this past June inside Disney California Adventure® Park.

Next year, locations will open at the Magic Kingdom® Park and Epcot® in Florida. The Main Street Bakery will close inside the Magic Kingdom® Park in January 2013 and will reopen after refurbishment in the early summer. While the location will reopen as a Starbucks® location, it will keep the name and theming that we have all known and loved over the past 41 years. In addition to Starbucks® signature beverages, many guest’s favorites will still be available inside the bakery. In Epcot®, the current Fountain View Ice Cream location in Future World will close in March 2013 and reopen midsummer as a futuristically-themed Starbucks® location.