Disney News

by Chet McDoniel – Off to Neverland Travel®

The holidays at the Walt Disney World® Resort are celebrated in true Disney fashion, and a Disney vacation for Christmas is a perfect gift for that special someone who wants to experience all the festivities.  This magical time of year is enjoyable by itself, but throw in some Disney magic, and you’ve got “that most wonderful time of year.”  Here is a quick sampling of events during the holiday season at the Walt Disney World® Resort:

• Magic Kingdom® Park – Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – This special after hours event is a magical time when Disney closes the park to a select number of guests.  While it is a “hard-ticket” event, meaning there is an additional cost, it is well worth the price of admission in order to be in the Magic Kingdom® Park for several hours, with low crowds, and with many special activities and events.  A special parade and fireworks presentation can be viewed, hot chocolate & cookies are served complimentary throughout the event, and don’t forget, most of the rides are open.  This is also a great time to catch some special stage shows as well as riding your favorite ride with a greatly reduced wait time.  This event is only run on select nights, so check with your Personal Magic Maker® for details.
• Epcot® – Holidays Around the World and Candlelight Processional – This theme park celebrates the season by having its many countries in the World Showcase exhibit their many unique holiday festivities, stories and wonderful food options.  Also, in the America Gardens Theatre, you have the option of listening to guest narrators, a mass choir, and a full orchestra as they present the Candlelight Processional.  This is a special retelling of the Christmas story, and is a very popular event.  If you wait in the “stand-by” line, you may have to wait for up to 2-3 hours for a seat on busier nights.  Another option to look into is the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package.  For a fixed price (based on the restaurant you choose), you are able to enjoy a wonderful meal, and you’ll get “priority seating” at the show.  This cuts your wait time down quite a bit, but you’ll still want to get in the “Dinner Package” line at least 30-45 minutes before the show.
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ – Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights – Immerse yourself in the joy of the season as millions of blinking, twinkling lights “dance” to a high-energy holiday symphony at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™. See twirling carousels, sparking snowflakes, heavenly angels, majestic trees, twinkling bells, colorful wreaths and Santa with his reindeer in the most over-the-top light display anywhere!  This event takes stage near the back of the park on the “Streets of America.”  It is a very popular event, and can be crowded at times, however, everyone always has a good view.  The “dancing” part of the show happens every few minutes so make sure you stay long enough to see the show.  Also, I recommend not trying to cram Fantasmic! and the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights into one evening.  They are both so great that you should allow multiple nights to see them.
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park – Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade – “Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade” blends the spirit of Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park with the spirit of the season into a holiday offering full of jump, joy and jive! It’s a jinglin’ good time with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Chip ‘n Dale and the gang on parade in their holiday yuletide best.  This is much like the regular parade, however, the fun changes to it for the holiday season are worth viewing.

As you can see, the holidays at the Walt Disney World® Resort are truly a celebration of the season.  So, how do you enjoy these wonderful events?  With a Disney vacation for Christmas, of course!  Start planning your Walt Disney World® trip for this holiday season or next, and you won’t be disappointed.  Disney is the perfect place to be during “the most wonderful time of the year.”

by Chet McDoniel – Off to Neverland Travel®

So, you’ve got your big Walt Disney World® vacation planned, your Disney resort chosen, and your trip is approaching so rapidly that it is time to pack your bags.  One very important thing to consider is what the weather is like in Orlando, Florida, home of the Walt Disney World® Resort.  I am going to run down some of the basics of the four seasons, and in future articles, we’ll delve more deeply into specific planning.  Let’s begin with one of the most popular times to visit, Summer.

• Summer –  One word: HOT.  Seriously, while the average temperature is only in the low 90s, the humidity can be a killer.  Average rainfall during this time increases as well.  Often, mid-afternoon showers can be heavy and last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours.  Unfortunately, instead of cooling things off, these showers seem to only makes things a little more steamy.  (Picture a sauna the size of the parks!)  This is not meant to discourage a summer trip, but you should plan on plenty of sunscreen and plenty of liquids in order to survive.
• Fall – While the temperature starts to drop off in the fall, you may encounter a tropical storm or hurricane depending on when in the fall you choose to travel.  Hurricane seasons vary greatly in quantity and the intensity of storms.  The upside of this is that Disney frequently runs specials during this season, and you can get great rates if you are willing to chance the storms.  Even if a hurricane comes through, the parks usually only close for a day or less for cleanup, and that has seldom occurred.
• Winter – This can be a wonderful time to visit Orlando, FL, as the temperature drops to an average high in the low 70s.  Day times are usually very pleasant in the parks, however, evenings average in the low 50s.  I have been in Walt Disney World® when you needed outfits that are more typically worn in the snowy mountain ranges of the west.  You might want to pack heavy coats just in case a cold snap occurs.
• Spring – While the rains do pick up slightly as Spring approaches, the temperature could not be better.  Average highs are in the low 80s, and rain is not as frequent as in the Summer and Fall.  Spring is a great time to visit, however, crowd levels are elevated around Spring Break and Easter vacations.

Now you know a bit about what the weather is like in Orlando, Florida.  With this knowledge, you will know what to pack, and you will be prepared to have a wonderful time.  And…if you forget anything, Disney will be glad for you to visit their merchandise locations so that you can stock up!

That’s the buzz as an article on CruiseCritic states that Disney has applied for a for a 10-year permit (valid from 2010 to 2019) to visit Glacier Bay, which is a very popular Alaskan itinerary destination.  The arrival of two new Disney Cruise Line® ships (one in 2011 & 2012) would make this unique itinerary very possible as the current ships will be freed up to move about the world.  Could Mickey and the gang need their winter coats for a brand new Alaskan itinerary?  Stay tuned to the Off to Neverland Blog as we watch this story!

This is a report directly from Disney Cruise Line®

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008, 9:00 a.m. EDT –

Disney Cruise Line® is monitoring the progress of Tropical Storm Hanna. In anticipation of the inclement weather associated with the storm system, we have made minor modifications to the itineraries of the Disney Magic® commencing Sept. 1, 2008, and the Disney Wonder® commencing Aug. 31, 2008, to keep our Guests and Crew Members a safe distance from the storm. Guests received notification of the following itinerary adjustments at check-in:

Disney Magic

Mon. 9/1 – Port Canaveral
Tues. 9/2 – Castaway Cay
Wed. 9/3 – Day at Sea (change)
Thurs. 9/4 – Nassau (change)
Fri. 9/5 – Castaway Cay
Sat. 9/6 – Port Canaveral

Disney Wonder

Sun. 8/31 – Port Canaveral
Mon. 9/1 – Castaway Cay (change)
Tues. 9/2 – Nassau (change)
Wed. 9/3 – Day at Sea
Thurs. 9/4 – Port Canaveral

At this time, we have not made any changes to the Sept. 4, 2008, voyage of the Disney Wonder.

The safety of our Guests and Crew Members is always our top concern. We will continue to monitor conditions and make operational changes, if necessary.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (August 22, 2008) – The Disneyland Resort® is celebrating health, fitness and family fun with more than 18,000 participants who registered for the third annual Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend, August 29-31. The highlight of the weekend is a 13.1 mile event affectionately dubbed “The Happiest Race on Earth.”

Participants in the Disneyland Half Marathon will travel a course unlike any half marathon in the world. It passes through the two Disneyland Resort theme parks – Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure – and it’s full of Disney inspiration with flaming cannons at the start, live entertainers all along the route, and Disney characters as cheerleaders. Many of the participants will be dressed like their favorite Disney characters, including Minnie Mouse and Tinker Bell, and some even stop mid-race to pose with Mickey Mouse and his pals for photos commemorating both the race and Disney Parks’ ongoing Year of a Million Dreams celebration.