Disney News

Epcot® has announced the addition of two new events for this year’s International Food & Wine Festival.

The Marketplace VIP Access Chef Tour will provide guests with tastes from five selected marketplaces around the World Showcase and a behind-the-scenes interaction with the chefs. The two hour tour will include five preselected dishes and five adult beverages and is available every Wednesday starting at 10:30am. Cost is $90 plus tax and requires separate park admission.

An Italian Regional Food & Wine Luncheon will creatively pair wines with casual, authentic dishes for its guests. The luncheon will take place Wednesdays and Saturdays from noon – 2pm at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar inside the Italy Pavilion. Cost is $75 plus tax and requires separate park admission.

Many of your favorite events from past Food & Wine Festivals will also be returning this year. We will bring you more details on the Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival as they become available. Bookings for all Food & Wine Events open on 8/14 at 7am, so be sure to contact your Magic Maker® to discuss your event options.

Did you know that Disney FREE Dining is available for select dates of Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival? Request a free no obligation quote now!

To all who come to this happy place: Welcome! Disneyland® is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland® is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America … with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. – Walt Disney

When Walt Disney opened the gates to Disneyland® Park 57 years ago today, no one imagined it would be what it is today. Even though Walt encountered many obstacles and was told numerous times that he was making a grave mistake, he continued to follow his dream. Today, more than 500 million guests have visited Disneyland® Park, becoming a source for memories that will last a lifetime!

In celebration of Disneyland® Park’s 57th Birthday, enjoy these Fun Facts:

• Disneyland® Park, “The Happiest Place on Earth,” occupies 85 acres of land about 27 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
• Disneyland® Park features 8 themed lands – Main Street, U.S.A®, Tomorrowland®, Fantasyland®, Frontierland®, Critter Country, Adventureland®, New Orleans Square, and Mickey’s Toontown.
• When Disneyland® Park opened on July 17, 1955, it had 18 major attractions. Now, guests will find more than 60 different adventures and attractions!
• It takes approximately 5,000 gallons of paint each year to keep Disneyland® Park looking as beautiful today as it did 57 years ago.
• Each year, more than 1 million annuals are planted at Disneyland® Park.
• Approximately 30 tons of garbage is collected each day in the Park.
• No visit to Disneyland® Park is complete without food! Each year, an estimated 3 million hamburgers, 2 million hot dogs, 1.6 million servings of popcorn, and 2.8 million churros are served.
• The Costuming Department is responsible for approximately 800,000 pieces! Annually, about 300,000 buttons are replaced on costumes!
• Each night, custodial cast members wash and steam clean the streets of Disneyland® Park.
• The Disneyland® Band has marched more than 3,500 miles in over 90,000 performances since opening day in 1955. The repertoire of the band includes more than 400 musical numbers.

What is your favorite part of Disneyland® Park? Tell us in the comment section below!

If this doesn’t snap you out of your case of the “Mondays,” we’re not sure what will!

For just over a year, Mickey’s Soundsational Parade has been energizing the guests and bringing a beat to the streets of Disneyland® Park. Mickey Mouse kicks off the parade by playing the drum along with a six-member drumline. Each of the parade floats has their own unique rhythm and instruments that tie-in with the particular storyline.

Gather ’round, turn up the sound, and enjoy this music celebration!

A Disneyland® Park icon since its opening on June 14, 1959, the Matterhorn was part of the first major expansion to take place at Disneyland since it opened in 1955. The Matterhorn recently went through a refurbishment and reopened to guests last month. The refurbishment brought the Matterhorn new ride vehicles and a refreshed look both inside and out. It also brought back for a limited time the mountain climbers who have scaled the slopes intermittently since its opening.

We’ve got a video to share with you of the mountain climbers, but first, a few Matterhorn fun facts:

• Because of its instant popularity, the Matterhorn Bobsleds had the longest wait time for Disneyland® Park guests through most of the 1960s and early 1970s. It is now one of four mountains in the Disneyland® Park range – the others being Splash Mountain®, Space Mountain®, and the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad® Attraction.
• The Disneyland® Park Matterhorn was built to 1/100^th scale of the original Matterhorn, 147 feet versus 14,700 feet.
• Until 2004 when the The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ opened at Disney California Adventure® Park, the Matterhorn was the highest point in the Disneyland® Park.
• From 1959 to 1994 (when it was retired) the Skyway attraction traveled through the Matterhorn as it carried Disneyland® Park guests between Fantasyland® and Tomorrowland®.

This offer is no longer valid. Please click here to view all current Walt Disney World® Resort specials.

Update: 12/14-12/20 dates added to the promotion

Get Disney FREE Dining 2012 with the purchase of select Magic Your Way® Vacations

There is so much going on this fall at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida – Epcot® will host the 17th annual Food & Wine Festival, Magic Kingdom® Park will celebrate the holidays with Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Parties, and the entire Resort will be decked out with Holiday decorations for Christmas! And now with the Disney FREE Dining 2012 offer, you can experience all these events while enjoying Walt Disney World® Resort’s various dining options for FREE! The Disney FREE Dining 2012 offer is limited, so don’t delay!

Now through September 29, 2012, purchase a non-discounted Magic Your Way® package including a minimum 3-night stay at select Disney Value Resorts and get the Quick-Service Dining Plan for FREE. Or, buy a non-discounted Magic Your Way® package including a minimum 3-night stay at select Disney Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resorts and get the Plus Disney Dining Plan for FREE.

Disney FREE Dining Booking Window:
Now-Sep. 29, 2012

Disney FREE Dining Travel Window:
Valid for arrivals most nights:

• Sep. 30 – Oct. 4, 2012
• Oct. 19 – Nov. 1, 2012
• Nov. 9 – 15, 2012
• Nov. 23 – 29, 2012
• Dec. 10 – 20, 2012

Contact your Magic Maker® now for a taste of this delicious deal!

*Disney FREE Dining Packages booked at a Disney Value Resort will receive the Quick-Service Dining Plan for free. Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villa Resorts will receive the Plus Disney Dining Plan for free. Upgrades to dining plans are available at an additional cost. Ask your Magic Maker® which Dining Plan may be best for your family.

To qualify for the Disney FREE Dining 2012 promotion, a minimum stay of 3-nights and 2-day Magic Your Way® Base Ticket is required. Number of packages based on this special is limited. Accommodations at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort (Little Mermaid rooms), Disney’s All-Star Music Resort (Family Suites), 3-bedroom villas at any Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts, and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground (Campsites) are excluded from this offer. Offer excludes alcohol beverages. Children 3-9 must order from the children’s menu when available. Magic Your Way® Base Tickets are for one Theme Park per day and must be used with 14 days of first use.

No group rates or other discounts apply. Offers cannot be combined and are nontransferable. Advance reservations required. Disney FREE Dining 2012 offer is subject to change without notice.