Disney News

Earlier today, registration for the 2014 Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend opened to the public! Taking place Feb. 20-23, 2014, runDisney has added a new race next year – the Disney Enchanted 10K! Click here for more details on next year’s events.

Our Magic Makers® are already busy helping race participants book their Magic Your Way® Packages for Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend! In addition to all the typical Magical Extras you receive with every Walt Disney Travel Company package you book with Off to Neverland Travel®, you also have the option to include your registration for the following races in with your package:

• Disney’s Princess Half Marathon
• Disney Enchanted 10K
• Glass Slipper Challenge
• Cinderella Royal Family 5K
• runDisney Kids Races
• Race Retreat

For best rates and availability, contact your Magic Maker® today!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park has added two new experiences that you won’t want to miss during your next visit – Adventurers Outpost and Wilderness Explorers!

Mickey and Minnie Mouse have moved from their old meet and greet location at Camp Minnie-Mickey to the new Adventurers Outpost inside the Discovery Island® area. Adventurers Outpost is the new exploration headquarters of our two favorite World travelers. Here, you’ll be able to see mementos of all their travels while you wait to meet them for yourself. This indoor location provides a great way for your little adventurers to get a break from the Florida weather!

Wilderness Explorers is a fun and engaging way for kids to experience Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. Inspired by Russell from Disney-Pixar’s Up, the experience aims to deepen the understanding of animals and nature. Joining the Wilderness Explorers is easy! Just stop by the Wilderness Explorers Headquarters near the Oasis bridge where you will receive your Wilderness Explorer Handbook. Then as you are exploring Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park, look for Wilderness Explorer badge locations where you will complete an activity to earn your next badge. With over 30 badges to collect, your quest to become a Senior Explorer is a fun mix of entertainment and education!

Kick on the thumbnails below to explore photos of Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park’s newest experiences.

Next week’s “Limited Time Magic” introduces two new celebrations at Disney Parks – a celebration of Dad on the west coast and a Monsters U Homecoming party on the east coast!

Walt Disney World® Resort

• Monsters University Homecoming – Starting Jun. 14, 2013, Monsters University will hold a nightly Homecoming bash at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®. The celebration will consist of DJs, a band “Scare Supply,” the Monsters U Cheerleaders, and of course Mike & Sulley. The celebration runs through summer from 6p-10p at the main stage. Valid theme park admission is required.
• Summer Trolley Show– Join the citizens of Main Street, U.S.A.® in a summer trolley show filled with red, white, and blue spirit. See your Times Guide for more information on this special show of old-fashioned summertime fun! Valid theme park admission is required.

Disneyland® Resort

• Incredible Father’s Day – To celebrate Father’s Day, Mr. Incredible and Frozone will be stopping by Disney California Adventure® Park to greet guests from Jun. 10-16, 2013. Reference your Daily Times Guide to see when the supers from Disney-Pixar’s The Incredibles will be hosting their meet & greets. Valid theme park admission is required.

Off to Neverland Travel® will continue to bring you details on future ”Limited Time Magic” events as they become available, so be sure to keep checking back with us!

All events and characters are subject to change. Theme park admission may be required for some events.

Walt Disney World® Resort has given us plenty of reasons to want to visit central Florida late this summer.

As if Free Dining and Resort Room Savings were not enough, this September brings another lure, as Magic Kingdom® Park welcomes some of the biggest names in Christian music to the park for Disney’s Night of Joy music festival on September 6^th and 7^th. For two spirited nights, you can experience the music and the message that these powerful acts will be bringing to the stage!

As a special ticketed event, you’ll have access to a musical line-up like no other! Featuring the top acts of CCM, rarely can you see all of your favorite artists coming together for an epic music festival of these proportions! In fact, you will even get to experience two legends taking the stage together, as Michael W. Smith and Steve Curtis Chapman perform together following their solo sets!

Taking the Stage on September 6^th will be:

• Skillet
• MercyMe
• Michael W. Smith
• Steven Curtis Chapman
• Audio Adrenaline
• Mandisa
• for KING & COUNTRY
• Moriah Peters
• We As Human
• City Harbor

Taking the Stage on September 7^th will be:

• Newsboys
• TobyMac
• Francesca Battistelli
• Building 429
• Group 1 Crew
• Matthew West
• PLUMB
• Jamie Grace

Contact your Magic Maker® today about ‘praising’ the night away in Magic Kingdom® Park during Disney’s Night of Joy this September! With the extraordinary savings already in place, there is no reason not to make the trip!

The schedule of events for the final week of Star Wars™ Weekends has been announced (Jun. 7-9, 2013).

• “Legends of the Force” Motorcade and Celebrity Welcome – Motorcade begins near Main Entrance at 11:00a; Celebrity Welcome at Main Stage at 11:15a
• Padawan Mind Challenge (registration at park opening near ABC Sound Studio) – 1:30p, 4:30p at Main Stage
• Hyperspace Hoopla – 8:00p at Main Stage
• Jedi Training Academy (sign-up in front of Indiana Jones™ Epic Stunt Spectacular) – 8:45a, 9:20a, 10:05a, 10:35a, Noon, 12:30p, 1:00p, 1:30p, 2:00p, 2:30p, 3:00p, 3:30p, 4:00p, 4:30p, 5:00p, 5:30p, 6:30p, 7:00p, 7:30p beside Star Tours® – The Adventure Continues
• Star Wars™ Character Encounters – 8:00a-7:30p
  Characters you may encounter at varied schedules during that time include:

Mickey Avenue

• Darth Vader
• Darth Maul
• Boba Fett
• Jango Fett
• Zam Wesell
• Aurra Sing
• Stormtroopers
• Tusken Raiders
• Gamorrean Guard

Streets of America

• Anakin Skywalker
• Commander Cody
• Captain Rex
• Ahsoka Tano
• Asajj Ventress
• Shaak Ti
• Kit Fisto
• Jawas
• Clone Troopers

Star Tours® Area

• Queen Amidala
• Chewbacca
• Ewoks
• Cantina Band

Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster® Area

• Leia
• Luke
• C-3PO
• R2-D2

Hollywood Boulevard

• Jedi Mickey
• Leia Minnie
• Stormtrooper Donald
• Vader Goofy

Character appearances are not guaranteed and may be cancelled at any time

• Behind the Force: Star Wars™ Voices – Noon, 1:45p at Premiere Theater
• Stars of the Saga – 3:30p at Premiere Theater
• Obi-Wan and Beyond starring James Arnold Taylor– 6:00p
• Celebrity Host Meet and Greet at Echo Lake – will use Disney’s FASTPASS® Service*
  • James Arnold Taylor (Voice behind Obi-Wan Kenobi and Plo Hoon in Star Wars™: The Clone Wars) – 9:45a
  • Ashley Eckstein (Voice behind Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars™: The Clone Wars) – 4:30p (at Darth’s Mall), 5:45p (at Echo Lake)
    Ashley will also be signing Her Universe™ Star Wars™ merchandise at Darth’s Mall – 3:00p-4:00p
• Additional Celebrity Meet and Greets at Echo Lake – will use Disney’s FASTPASS® Service*
  • Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian from Staw Wars™: Episodes V & VI) – 9:45a, 1:30p, 4:30p
  • Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca from Star Wars™: Episode III, IV, V, & VI) – Noon, 2:00p, 4:30p
  • Tom Kane (Voice of Yoda from Star Wars™: The Clone Wars) – 9:45a, 3:00p, 4:30p

Miss this year’s Star Wars™ Weekends? Contact your Magic Maker® to discuss options for next year!

*Note on using Disney’s FASTPASS® Service for Autographs: A FASTPASS® ticket will be required to receive an autograph. An extremely limited number will be distributed outside of Disney’s Hollywood Studios® at a first-come first-served basis (distribution may begin prior to scheduled park opening). Guests who receive a FASTPASS® will also receive a wristband. Guests must have both FASTPASS® and the wristband at the time of the scheduled meet and greet. Only one autograph FASTPASS® ticket per guest. You may not save a place in line or receive additional FASTPASS® tickets for other members of your party. Standby tickets may be available, but do not guarantee an autograph.

For a limited time, you can save on the popular Wild Africa Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park.

This thrilling three-hour adventure takes you off the beaten path giving you an up-close look at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park’s African wildlife. The immersive, add-on experience is led by knowledgeable guides who give you additional information on the animals and park operations. Your venture through the savanna is by foot, rope bridge, and customized vehicle.

Now through Oct. 26, 2013, you can save $50 off the regular price of the trek. Savings are available on the 11:45a, 12:30p, 1:15p, 2:30p, and 3:15p tours. For more information or to book the Wild Africa Trek during your upcoming vacation, contact your Magic Maker®.

To participate, guests must meet certain physical requirements. Offer subject to change.

Disney Parks has announced some new “Limited Time Magic” events for next week that you won’t want to miss!

Walt Disney World® Resort

• Summer Trolley Show– Starting June 2nd, join the citizens of Main Street, U.S.A.® in a summer trolley show filled with red, white, and blue spirit. See your Times Guide for more information on this special show of old-fashioned summertime fun! Valid theme park admission is required.

Disneyland® Resort

• Mickey’s Compass Quest – To celebrate the opening of Mickey and the Magical Map at Disneyland® Park, you can participate in Mickey’s Compass Quest from Jun. 3-9, 2013. After the show, extend your experience by picking up a map and using the clues to lead you to secret locations around the park. A special reward will be available for those that complete each challenge. Valid theme park admission is required.

Off to Neverland Travel® will continue to bring you details on future ”Limited Time Magic” events as they become available, so be sure to keep checking back with us!

All events and characters are subject to change. Theme park admission may be required for some events.

The Be Our Guest Restaurant inside the New Fantasyland® area of the Magic Kingdom® Park has earned national recognition from the National Restaurant Association. The honor, the Operator Innovation Award, recognizes the use of technology at Magic Kingdom® Park’s newest restaurant, which has only been open for 6 months.

During lunch, Be Our Guest Restaurant uses state-of-the-art touch screen terminals to allow you to order your French-inspired meals to your liking. After ordering, simply choose a table and place the special “rose” you were given at the beginning of your order on your table. When ready, the food will magically be delivered to your table. These innovations have allowed Walt Disney World® Resort’s Food and Beverage team to serve over 3,000 meals at lunch each day!

The new “flex dining” prototype that Be Our Guest Restaurant has proved to be a popular dining experience for Walt Disney World® Resort guests. The restaurant transforms from a quick service dining location during lunch to a table service experience each evening. Because of guest demand for the restaurant since opening, Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) have been necessary for dinner and waits are common during the lunch service. Contact your Magic Maker® for more details on this enchanted dining experience.

Daily helpings of innovative food, wine, beer, cocktails, music and entertainment will be served this year at the 18th Annual Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival taking place Sep. 27 – Nov. 11, 2013 at the Walt Disney World® Resort. While the festival planners are still busy finishing up some of the details, information on some new experiences has been released.

More than 25 ethnic and specialty marketplaces surround the World Showcase Lagoon with delectable offerings from their respective regions. New this year will be the Scotland Marketplace. Inspired by the success of Disney-Pixar’s Brave, the marketplace will offer dishes with traditional Scottish flavors as well as their signature cocktail, a Rusty Nail – a scotch whisky martini. After a one-year hiatus, the Brazil marketplace will return with an all new menu.

Nineteen bands are booked to rock the stage at the American Gardens Theatre during the nightly Eat to the Beat Concert Series. New to this year’s lineup is the Go-Go’s, Edwin McCain, Manhattan Transfer, Wilson Phillips, Spin Doctors, and Christopher Cross. Click here for a full lineup of performers.

The Epcot® International Food & Wine Festival also provides many great opportunities to experience Celebrity chef seminars and special culinary programs – some at an additional fee. For additional information, please contact your Magic Maker®.