Walt Disney World News | Off to Neverland Travel

Sounds Like Summer Concert Series

Sounds of Summer Concert Series

The Sounds Like Summer concert series returns to Epcot® beginning June 12 featuring tribute bands that will bring back the sounds of decades of summers gone by. Opening with Hotel California — A Salute to the Eagles, June’s lineup of bands will also “play” tribute to the timeless tunes of the Bee Gees and Bon Jovi.

Sounds Like Summer concerts are under the skies of the open-air America Gardens Theatre in World Showcase at Epcot. Show times are 5:45, 7:00 and 8:15 p.m. (On July 4, showtimes are scheduled for 5:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:45 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.)

Sounds Like Summer Concert Series 2011 Performers

June 12 – June 18: Hotel California — A Salute to the Eagles
June 19 – June 25: Stayin’ Alive — A Tribute to the Bee Gees
June 26 – July 2: Slippery When Wet — The Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute
July 3 – July 9: Little Queen — The Music of Heart
July 10 – July 16: Frontiers — A Tribute to Journey
July 17 – July 23: Karin Lawson — A Tribute to Janet Jackson
July 24 – July 30: 2U — A Tribute to U2

Please note: Entertainment is subject to change without notice.

Sounds Like Summer concerts are included with Epcot admission.
Contact your Magic Maker® for additional information.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:23:56-05:00May 3rd, 2011|Categories: Disney News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Disney World Summer, Epcot Concerts, Epcot Special Events, Sounds Like Summer Concert|0 Comments

Disney’s Night of Joy 2011

Tickets Available May 1 for Disney’s Night of Joy 2011 featuring Christian Artist of the Year Francesca Battistelli, Newcomer Chris August, TobyMac, MercyMe, newsboys, Jeremy Camp, Jars of Clay, Skillet

Christian music Artist of the Year Francesca Battistelli, TobyMac, MercyMe, newsboys, Jeremy Camp, Jars of Clay and Skillet will headline one of the most-decorated lineups in the 29-year history of Disney’s Night of Joy Sept. 9 and Sept. 10, 2011. Filling the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort with the sound of contemporary Christian music will be 16 artists with a 20-year legacy of accolades — 70 GMA Dove Awards and eight GRAMMY® Awards.

Thirteen of the 16 acts were 2011 Dove Award finalists in 19 categories that span the musical spectrum — from rap and hip hop … to rock and pop … to contemporary gospel and praise and worship. They won 11 categories. Nobody was decorated more highly than Battistelli, who also received Dove Awards as Female Vocalist of the Year and for pop/contemporary recorded song (for “Beautiful, Beautiful”). Night of Joy newcomer Chris August earned the nod as New Artist of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year plus the Dove for pop-contemporary album (No Far Away).

Here’s the night-by-night Night of Joy 2011 lineup:

Friday, Sept. 9, 2011: newsboys, Jeremy Camp, Skillet, Matthew West, Francesca Battistelli, Group 1 Crew, Sidewalk Prophets and Disciple.

Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011: MercyMe, TobyMac, Jars of Clay, Marvin Sapp, Sanctus Real, Kutless, Chris August and VaShawn Mitchell.

Night of Joy is an after-hours event that requires a special ticket. Event hours are 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. each evening. While artists are performing at several stages, many popular Magic Kingdom attractions also are available for Night of Joy guests.

Tickets are available beginning May 1, 2011. One-night tickets are $51.95 plus tax in advance, $59.95 plus tax day of. Two-night tickets are $92.95. Groups of 10 or more can purchase one-night tickets in advance for $46.95 plus tax each and two-night tickets for $87.95. Contact your Magic Maker® for additional information.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:23:56-05:00May 1st, 2011|Categories: Disney News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Disney Christian Concerts, Disney's Night of Joy, Night of Joy 2011|0 Comments

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Earlier this month, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge celebrated its 10th anniversary. This week, the resort has something new to celebrate – achieving prestigious AAA Four-Diamond status for the first time in its history.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is the seventh Walt Disney World® resort to achieve this honor, which recognizes hotels around the globe that offer world-class amenities, service and attention to detail. Only 4 percent of AAA-rated hotels receive this prestigious status.

One of Disney’s deluxe resorts, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge includes three African-inspired restaurants, a thatch-roofed lobby with a massive mud fireplace and flowing stream inside. The resort also features an elevated “kopje,” or rock outcropping, which allows guests to observe animals – including zebra and giraffe – from just yards away.

Click here to learn more about Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and to request a quote.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:23:56-05:00April 29th, 2011|Categories: Disney News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Disney World Deluxe Hotels, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge|0 Comments

Specialty Rooms at the Resorts

Two new specialty room offerings are coming to the Walt Disney World® Resort. These rooms are the latest in Disney’s Specialty Room line, which already includes pirate-themed guest rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.

Health and Wellness Suites at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Beginning this fall, guests looking for some rest and relaxation can indulge in new health and wellness suites, which will debut at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. These suites will feature bamboo flooring, 100-percent cotton linens, non-allergenic wrapped mattresses – as well as great views of Magic Kingdom® Park and Bay Lake. Bathrooms on this floor also will be equipped with rainwater showers and tea tree oils.

Guests staying in these suites also can enjoy the benefit of having cardio equipment right in their room. And they’ll have daily access to seasonal and organic fresh foods at the concierge lounge, and can enjoy yoga sessions and spa treatments at the resort’s renovated wellness studio.

Royal Guest Rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort
Exciting enhancements also are taking place over at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort, with 512 Royal Guest Rooms planned to debut by March 2012. The story behind these lush rooms is that Princess Tiana (“The Princess and The Frog”) invited some of her royal pals – Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Jasmine (Aladdin) and more – for a vacation getaway. Princes and princesses of all ages can enjoy their luxurious lodging quarters, which will include ornate beds that feature headboards with fiber-optic special effects, and gold and crystal accents. Guests also can enjoy artwork and special mementos left by Tiana’s royal friends.

Book a pirate room now or request information to
book a Royal Guest Room or Health and Wellness Suite later this summer.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:23:56-05:00April 27th, 2011|Categories: Disney News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Disney World Princess Rooms, Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Port Orleans, Health and Wellness Suites, Royal Guest Rooms|0 Comments

‘Star Tours – The Adventures Continue’

The power of the Force and the magic of Disney have combined to create “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue,” a new 3-D attraction set to open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ theme park on May 20, 2011. The attraction also will open at Disneyland® Park in Anaheim, Calif., on June 3, 2011.

Based on the Star Wars™ films, Star Tours will take Walt Disney World® Resort guests to multiple Star Wars™ destinations where they will interact with characters from throughout the Saga. And it will all be in 3-D.

With eye-popping 3-D digital filming, a dramatic musical score and motion simulator-based technology, guests will be immersed in the Star Wars™ galaxy like never before on a theme park attraction. Walt Disney Imagineering worked with Lucasfilm, Ltd. and Industrial Light & Magic – the groundbreaking visual effects division of Lucasfilm – to bring the out-of-this-world attraction to life.

Star Tours, which had thrilled guests since the 1980s, was “powered down” at the Disneyland® park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ in 2010 so Imagineers could begin work on the new attraction.

And in a new twist, guests may be able to enjoy the attraction multiple times without ever experiencing the same adventure. More than 50 story combinations are possible for guests to experience aboard Star Tours.

Just as the Star Wars™ films immerse movie-goers in storylines that keep them on the edge of their seats, Star Tours will feature multiple stories and scenarios that will hurtle park guests throughout the Star Wars™ galaxy. And all of the storyline’s twists and turns will be random, affording guests the chance to ride the attraction multiple times.

Whether it’s a battle with Darth Vader and his legion of stormtroopers or a plea from Princess Leia to help her save the Rebellion, guests will find themselves in the middle of the action – literally – in the 3-D, multi-sensory attraction.

Entering the attraction queue area, Star Tours guests walk into a bustling spaceport. The famed Star Wars™ droid duo, C-3PO and R2-D2, greet them as the Starspeeder 1000 is prepped for service. Anthony Daniels, the voice of C-3PO and the only actor to appear in every theatrical chapter of the Star Wars Saga, reprises his role as the golden protocol droid. Daniels worked with Walt Disney Imagineering to record new dialogue for the attraction. Guests also are introduced to AC-38, a hotshot droid pilot known simply as “Ace,” and Aly San San (voiced by actress Allison Janney), the “spokesbot” for the spaceport.

After winding through the spaceport, guests board the Starspeeder 1000 spacecraft and prepare for Star Tours Flight #1401. Through a series of mishaps, however, C-3PO finds himself in the pilot’s seat instead of Ace, and it’s up to him and R2-D2 to navigate their passengers through the galaxy. However, the tyrannical Empire is out to stop the Starspeeder at all costs. C-3PO and R2-D2 take the controls and try to outwit and outrun the Imperial forces and a galactic bounty hunter hired to pursue the spaceship and its passengers.

Utilizing the 50+ random story combinations, the Starspeeder then embarks on a wild trip through the galaxy, visiting several planets made famous in the Star Wars™ films. Among the locations that might provide haven from the Empire’s pursuit are the icy planet of Hoth, the lush jungles of Kashyyyk and the underwater Gungan world of Naboo. And along the way guests may encounter Star Wars™ characters that offer to help (or hinder) their journey, including Yoda, Admiral Ackbar, Darth Vader and Boba Fett. “Skytroopers,” a legion of stormtroopers created just for the Star Tours attraction story, might even join in the chase.

In fact, with multiple ways to experience each flight, guests will never know where the Force will take them.

At Walt Disney World® Resort, Star Tours opens May 20, 2011, the same day the annual Star Wars™ Weekends event begins at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ theme park. Star Tours and Star Wars™ Weekends event activities are included in regular admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ theme park. For more information about Star Wars™ Weekend, please click here.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2011-04-20T10:45:31-05:00April 26th, 2011|Categories: Disney News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Disney World Star Wars, Star Tours, Star Wars Weekends|0 Comments

Happy Easter!

If you are visiting the Magic Kingdom® park today, be sure get a seat early for the 3:00 parade, Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade. The Easter Bunny and Mrs. Bunny will make an appearance in a special pre-parade that will step off 15 minutes before the parade.

Before taking a break to deliver Easter baskets and eggs, the bunnies spent a few days at the Walt Disney World® Resort for rest and relaxation meeting and greeting guests for a limited engagement.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:23:57-05:00April 24th, 2011|Categories: Disney News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Disney World Easter|0 Comments

Happy Earth Day!

The Disney Destinations are committed to giving families opportunities to discover their connection with the natural world and to helping those who are working to make our home a better place for the next generation. Discover just a few of Disney conservation efforts:

Disney Cruise Line® eliminates more than 1,200 tons of metal, plastic and paper from traditional waste streams and recycles it each year.
When Disney California Adventure® Park was preparing for World of Color, instead of draining the 16 million gallons into the ocean, the Cast Members worked with the county to store the water in underground reservoirs. The same water was then used to refill the lagoon.
More than 43,000 tons of waste was diverted from landfills through recycling and donations at the Disneyland® Resort — enough to nearly fill Space Mountain.
All Disney Cruise Line® ships have a 100 percent non-toxic hull coating which reduces surface resistance in open water.
Eight turtles injured by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico spent their rehabilitation at the Walt Disney World® Resort under the care of Disney animal experts. The Disney animal care team were ready to help in the Panhandle as needed and rehabilitation facilities at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® park and at Epcot’s The Seas with Nemo & Friends are available for treating turtles and birds impacted by the spill.
Disney Friends for Change has distributed more than $2 million to environmental charities worldwide, via the Disney Friends for Change grants programs and Youth Service Awards. Through Disney Friends for Change, kids learn practical ways to help the environment, get their friends involved, track their collective impact on the environment and have the opportunity to help Disney decide how $1 million in contributions to various environmental causes will be made over the course of a year.
Water conservation efforts at the Walt Disney World® Resort have enabled aquifer withdrawals to remain at levels from 23 years ago, even though the resort has grown by two parks, two water parks and 20 resort hotels since that time.
The Disney Dream™ features technology to determine accurate energy management which maximizes the heating, ventilation and cooling systems based on real-time requirements. As part of this system, guest staterooms self-adjust when unoccupied and return to the desired temperature upon a guests’ return.
The trains at Disneyland® Resort are powered by biodiesel that is made from cooking oils recycled from the park’s restaurants.
Thousands of lights decorate the castles at the Disney parks, but because they are mostly energy-efficient LED light bulbs, the 170,000 LED lights on one castle use only the amount of electricity it takes to power 12 microwave ovens
Two rhinos born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom®, were shipped in specially designed crates from Florida to Africa. They joined four others at the Ziwa Sanctuary to help start families that could re-establish a rhino population that has been extinct in Uganda since 1972.
Disney Cruise Line® Cast and crew members have donated more than 4,500 hours in the port communities the Disney ships calls home, including giving back to local nonprofits, hosting annual walks to raise funds and awareness for conservation programs and leading shore cleanups, that to date have removed 31,000 pounds of trash and debris from beaches and fragile waterways.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:23:57-05:00April 22nd, 2011|Categories: Disney Cruise Line News, Disney News, Disneyland News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: DIsney Cruise Line Conservation, Disney World Conservation, Disneyland Conservation, Earth Day|0 Comments

New Tour offered at Magic Kingdom

A new Magic Kingdom® walking tour is available at the Walt Disney World® Resort. The “Walt Disney: Marceline to Magic Kingdom” tour will explore how events in Walt Disney’s life helped shape the Walt Disney World® Resort and the attractions within it. As one of Walt’s final visions, the Magic Kingdom® Park shares many similarities and likenesses to the storyline of his life. By using the park as a walking timeline, guests will discover how the events in Walt’s life helped develop his understanding and view of the world around him, and inspired him to create some of the most wonderful and cherished stories and attractions in our theme parks. During this 2.5 to 3 hour walking tour, guests will also get an insider look into the operation and design of some of the most beloved attractions in the Magic Kingdom® Park.

“Walt Disney: Marceline to Magic Kingdom” Tour information*

Days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Time: 8:15 a.m.
Duration: 2.5-3 hours
Cost: 31.95 (includes tax), due at time of booking; valid theme park admission required.
Age Restriction: 12+ (guests must be a minimum age of 12 to participate); guests under 18 must be accompanied by a paying participating parent or guardian.
Check-In Location: Package Pick-up located at the Chamber of Commerce building which is adjacent to City Hall, just inside the Magic Kingdom® Park entrance. Guests must arrive 15 to 20 minutes prior to the start of the experience at the check-in location.

Contact your Magic Maker for booking information.
Click here to request a quote for a Walt Disney World® Vacation.

*Prices and Tour Schedule subject to change at any time without notice. Tours subject to availability.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:23:57-05:00April 21st, 2011|Categories: Disney News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Magic Kingdom Tours, Walt Disney World Tours, Walt Disney: Marceline to Magic Kingdom|0 Comments

Disney Junior – Live on Stage

Disney Junior - Live on Stage As parents of a preschooler, we are very familiar with Disney Junior! Our three year old daughter has always loved heading to Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ (or in Disney California Adventure®) and now we can’t wait to check the updated show, Disney Junior – Live on Stage. She loves jumping up off the floor to dance, clap, catch bubbles. It is the perfect place to go for energetic preschoolers!

This 24-minute spectacle is geared toward families with preschoolers and takes them on a journey through some of the most popular Disney Junior programming. A host of characters from “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Little Einsteins,” “Handy Manny,” take the audience along as they plan a surprise party for Minnie Mouse, participate in a space ship race, and fix a bubble machine.

A new scene that was added to the show earlier this month features characters from “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” – a young pack of friends who encounter Captain Hook and Smee during their search for treasure. During this scene, families can help Jake, Izzy, Cubby and Skully, get back their Team Treasure Chest full of gold doubloons.

Don’t forget to meet some of the Disney Junior characters, like Handy Manny and the Little Einsteins, outside of the theater!

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:23:57-05:00April 18th, 2011|Categories: Disney News, Disneyland News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Disney Junior, Disney Junior Live on Stage, Disney Preschoolers, Disneyland Preschoolers, Disneyland Toddlers, Walt Disney World Preschoolers, Walt Disney World Toddlers|0 Comments

Meet Mickey Mouse with FASTPASS

Mickey Mouse now reigns at a new location in Magic Kingdom® Park to meet and greet his friends at Walt Disney World® Resort. Guests can now go backstage at Town Square Theater for photos and autographs with Mickey — without waiting in a standby queue!

Mickey’s new location in the park also heralds the first-ever use of Disney’s FASTPASS Service for a character meet-and-greet experience. FASTPASS allows guests to reduce waiting by designating a window of time when they can return for a theme park experience.

The fun takes place at the Town Square Theater presented by Kodak, located just inside the Magic Kingdom® entrance. Previously known as Town Square Exposition Hall, the venue has been re-imagined as a turn-of-the-Twentieth-Century theater where posters proclaim Mickey Mouse as the star of a magic show.

A glistening marquee with gold-leaf trim and sparkling lights beckons guests to enter a lobby that serves as a hub for character meet-and-greet queues, the Box Office Gifts merchandise shop and Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. Lush curtains with gold rope tie-backs, polished-brass chandeliers and a huge tile floor mosaic of the Town Square Theater logo adorn the space.

Just beyond the lobby, guests pass through an ornate arch and enter a queue to meet Magician Mickey Mouse — or a queue to meet the Disney princesses, for whom Town Square Theater will be a meet-and-greet location during New Fantasyland construction.

The meet-and-greet experience begins when magical posters featuring Mickey’s various magic acts come to life, enhancing guests’ journey through queues into the backstage corridors of the theater. Mickey greets guests in a rehearsal-room environment amid posters, steamer trunks and stage props. It’s a classic backstage area with a wood floor and ceiling. One wall is brick, the others are papered in red and black — Mickey colors.

During the Princesses’ limited engagement at Town Square Theater, they will greet guests in an area fit for royalty — replete with plush carpeting, lush velvety-blue drapes with gold tiebacks, and a large mural backdrop of a chateau amid green, tree-covered hills and fields.

Exiting the meet-and-greet areas, guests pass through Curtain Call Collectibles, a shop with design elements suggesting a backstage area used for theater shipping and receiving — with large, barn-like doors through which props and set pieces could pass.

Guests wanting to meet Mickey or the Princesses can either obtain a Disney’s FASTPASS ticket or get in standby queues. FASTPASS tickets, which are available near Town Square Theater, designate an hour window of time during which the guest can return to the theater and have their “magic moment” with Mickey or the Princesses without joining the standby queues.

**Photo not taken at Mickey’s new location.

By Off to Neverland Travel|2017-06-27T10:23:58-05:00April 12th, 2011|Categories: Disney News, Walt Disney World News|Tags: Disney Princesses Meet and Greet, Disney World Characters, Fantasyland Expansion, Magic Kingdom Characters, Mickey Fastpass, Mickey Meet and Greet|0 Comments