Disney News

If you are a fan of Disney Fairies, next week’s “Limited Time Magic” is something you won’t want to miss! Tinker Bell’s Fairy friends will be visiting Disney Parks next week!

Walt Disney World® Resort

• Celebrate Disney Fairies Week – Apr. 15-21, 2013, is Disney Fairies Week at the Walt Disney World® Resort! Some of Tinker Bell’s Fairy friends are flying in for a week-long visit at the Magic Kingdom® Park. Stop by Tinker Bell’s Magical Nook in the Adventureland® Area of the park where you could meet Rosetta, Fawn, Vidia, Iridessa, Silvermist, or even Terence! Meet and greets will run daily 9:15a – 10:00p. Valid theme park admission is required.
• Spring Trolley Show on Main Street, U.S.A.® – Spring is in the air and the citizens of Main Street, U.S.A.® inside Magic Kingdom® Park can’t contain their excitement! Join them daily through May 12, 2013 as they celebrate with a Spring Trolley Show. Their performance of a few new songs will be as bright as their colorful pastel outfits and the horse-drawn trolley they arrived on! Please refer to your Times Guide for show information. Valid theme park admission is required.

Disneyland® Resort

• Celebrate Disney Fairies Week – Some of Tinker Bell’s Fairy friends are joining her at Disneyland Park® to help celebrate Disney Fairies Week Apr. 15-21, 2013. Tinker Bell will be joined by Rosetta and Terence inside Pixie Hollow from 9:00a – 5:00p Mon.-Thu., 9:00a – 3:15p Fri. and 8:00a – 3:15p Sat.-Sun. Valid theme park admission is required.
  

And the Year of the Ear continues with special Strawberry Ear Hats available at select locations in Epcot® and new “Cozy Cone” hats at Disney California Adventure® Park while supplies last!

Keep checking back as Off to Neverland Travel® will continue to bring you details on future ”Limited Time Magic” events as they become available!

As the country continues to defrost after a long winter, guests visiting Walt Disney World® Resort in central Florida are already beginning to look for ways to cool down as it continues to warm up in the south. While there are many ways to refresh yourself in the heat, there is one cool spot that you don’t want to overlook.

As ‘Disney legend’ has it, years ago there was a freak snowstorm in the central Florida region that led to the construction of Florida’s first ever ski resort, in Walt Disney World® Resort. As anyone would have expected, the southern snow didn’t last long, quickly melting away and leaving behind a soggy, but snow-less, ski resort.

As the failed ski resort was in the process of closing, an alligator was spotted careening down the mountainside into a melted pool of water with an echoing ‘Yahoo!’ With that, the failed ski resort was reborn in 1995 as Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, and their mascot become the alligator, named Ice Gator.

Still intact from the ski resort you will find the Chairlift, which will transport you atop of Mount Gushmore, where many of Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park downhill thrills are found. High atop Mount Gushmore is Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park’s signature attraction, Summit Plummet. Not for the faint of heart, Summit Plummet is a 120-foot vertical free-falling body slide that can send you racing at speeds of up to 55 mph! If that is a little too thrilling for you, then the Downhill Double Dipper may be more your speed as you race side by side down the slope at speeds of up to 25 mph.

Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park isn’t only about thrills either. You can kick back and relax on a tube as you float along Cross Country Creek, a continuous flowing creek that circles the entire park. You can also hang out in Melt-Away Bay, a one-acre large bobbing wave pool, or you can take your young children under 48” to Tike’s Peak, a children’s area with slides and fountains.

After you’ve worked up an appetite, you don’t want to pass up on a special treat found in Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, fresh mini donuts served up with chocolate, white chocolate or raspberry dipping sauces.

Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park is an exciting way to cool off in the summer heat, and with the water heated to a comfortable 80 degrees all of the time you can enjoy yourself even when the sun isn’t beaming down on you!

To cool off at Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park, or plan your next Walt Disney World® Resort vacation, contact your Magic Maker® today!

Earlier this year, we told you about a new interactive game coming to the Magic Kingdom® Park – A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas. In this game, players will complete five different pirate raids by using their pirate map and a magic tailsman during their quest to located the missing treasures.

In this video, Walt Disney Imagineers Jonathan Ackley and Matt Beiler provide a sneak peek at some of the fun that will await guests when A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas opens this summer.

No opening dates have been announced for A Pirate’s Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas, but we will let you know when that becomes available. This interactive experience will be included in park admission to Magic Kingdom® Park.

Registration for the 2014 Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend races opened today at noon! Taking place Jan. 8-12, 2014, the weekend has been expanded to include five days of fun and events! Click here for more details.

Magic Your Way® Packages for Marathon participants are now available to book, so contact your Magic Maker® today to start planning! In addition to all the typical Magical Extras you will receive with your package, you can also include your registration for the following races in with your package:

• Walt Disney World® Marathon
• Walt Disney World® Half Marathon
• Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge
• Walt Disney World® 10K
• Disney Family Fun Run 5K
• Dopey Challenge

A few weeks ago, we told you about the opening of Re-Discovering America: Family Treasures from the Kinsey Collection located in the American Heritage Gallery in Epcot®. This exhibit is just one of many around the World Showcase.

Galleries are something art lovers have been able to find throughout World Showcase since the ’80s. Once limited to the Japan and Morocco pavilion, galleries are now also present in Norway, China, and Mexico Pavilions.

In Norway’s Gol Stave Church Gallery is The Vikings: Conquerors of the Seas. This exhibit contains a rare collection of Viking artifacts – some dating back more than 1,000 years. Also displayed is a detailed scale model of the 9th century Viking ship Oseberg.

Adjacent to Reflections of China in the China pavilion, Tomb Warriors exhibit gives you a glimpse inside a miniature recreation of the tomb of China’s first emperor. Also on display inside The Gallery of the Whispering Willow are tomb sculptures that are over 2,000 years old.

Tucked inside the castle in the Japan pavilion, Spirited Beasts: From Ancient Stories to Anime Stars displays the connection between ancient Japanese magical creatures and anime of the 21st century. A mix of traditional art and modern media makes for a unique experience.

Brightly colored representatives of Ancient Mexican culture are on display at La Vida Antigua: Life in Ancient Mexico. Discover the daily lives of some of the Western Hemisphere’s largest and most sophisticated civilizations – Maya, Aztec, and Toltec. The exhibit is located inside the pyramid’s Mayan Ceremonial Hall.

And in the Morocco Pavilion, the Gallery of Arts and History displays mosaic art created by Maalems (Moroccan artisans) who traveled to Epcot® to complete the work. Also on display is various ceramic pottery, artisan-crafted jewelry, and ancient musical instruments.

These art exhibits are one of the many details that we often miss in our race from attraction to attraction. On your next trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort, plan a day to to enjoy the architecture, flavors, and art of Epcot® World Showcase.

Next week’s “Limited Time Magic” pays tribute to “Vintage Disney” with some special merchandise and a visit from some long lost friends!

Walt Disney World® Resort

• Go Vintage at the Disney Truck Shop – From Apr. 8-14, 2013, the Disney Truck Shop will be visiting the Downtown Disney® Westside selling a selection of souvenirs – including a limited release vintage-style t-shirt. Be sure to catch this “Limited Time Magic” before Disney’s newest shop on wheels packs up and heads on down the road!
• Spring Trolley Show on Main Street, U.S.A.® – Spring is in the air and the citizens of Main Street, U.S.A.® inside Magic Kingdom® Park are beyond excited! Join them daily through May 12, 2013 as they celebrate with a Spring Trolley Show. Arriving on a horse-drawn trolley decorated for the season, their performance of a few new songs will be as bright as their colorful pastel outfits! Please refer to your Times Guide for show information.

Disneyland® Resort

• Long Lost Friends Week – From Apr. 8-14, some of your favorite Disney friends will return to Disneyland Park® to meet and greet their guests at the Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree. While it is hard to tell exactly which rarely seen Characters will make an appearance, the following have confirmed their attendance:
  • Esmeralda, Clopin, and Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
  • Pocahontas, John Smith, Meeko, and Governor Ratcliffe from Pocahontas
  • Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Prince John and Sheriff of Nottingham from Robin Hood
  • Scrooge McDuck and Ludwig Von Drake

  Valid theme park admission is required.
  

And the Year of the Ear continues with special Strawberry Ear Hats available at select locations in Epcot® and new “Cozy Cone” hats at Disney California Adventure® Park while supplies last!

Keep checking back as Off to Neverland Travel® will continue to bring you details on future ”Limited Time Magic” events as they become available!

Since opening last fall, our guests have raved about their experiences at the Be Our Guest Restaurant. Located inside the New Fantasyland™ area of the Magic Kingdom® Park, the restaurant is themed to tell the story of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Its French-inspired cuisine is served as a quick service meal for lunch and a table service meal for dinner.

Still not sure what all the “fuss” is about? After watching this video and taking a step into the new Be Our Guest Restaurant, we think you’ll understand why getting Advance Dining Reservations for this location has become so difficult!

Disney Parks has announced that a new eatery and other enhancements are planned for the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot®.

Spice Road Table will be a new waterfront eatery serving various Mediterranean small plates and refreshments. Plans call for the location to feature both indoor and outdoor seating with views overlooking the beautiful World Showcase Lagoon.

At this time, no further details are available on the menu items or the other enhancements coming to the pavilion, but we will keep your updated. Spice Road Table is scheduled to open by the end of 2013.

FamilyFun Magazine has announced the results of their recent survey asking mothers about best vacation spots for families in America. The survey polled 2,000 mothers with children ranging in ages 3-12.

Congratulations to these Disney Destinations honored in this year’s awards:

Top 10 Favorite Family Destinations

• Magic Kingdom® Park

Top 10 Amusement Parks

• Magic Kingdom® Park
• Disneyland® Park
• Disney California Adventure® Park
• Epcot®
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park
• Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park

Top 10 Family Resorts

• Walt Disney World® Resort

As we mentioned in our article last week, families are relying more and more on vacations to provide the “family time” needed to balance out their busy lives. Allow our Magic Makers® to help you experience the “Disney Difference” on your next family vacation!

A complete list of results can be seen in the April 2013 issue of FamilyFun Magazine.

At the mere mention of the word ‘cruise’ most of us can smell the sun tan lotion, feel the ocean mist and visualize the swimwear diet. Cruises have long had the tropical stigma associated with them, conjuring images of palm trees, pristine beaches and exotic shopping locales; yet there is another side to cruising that is also worth experiencing.

Apart from the tropical destinations that many cruise to, there are a wide variety of destinations and itineraries that cater to the adventure seeker in all of us, even if we aren’t interested in hitting the beach.

Exciting, often overlooked, cruises include Disney Cruise Line’s® Alaskan itineraries. From Alaska’s breathtaking glaciers and waterfalls to their exotic wildlife like bald eagles and bears to sea otters and whales, an Alaskan cruise aboard Disney Cruise Line® immerses you in the adventure of a lifetime.

Set sail for 7 or 9 nights aboard Disney Wonder® as you experience adventure in ports including Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. Along the way you’ll find adventure while taking in the unbelievable service and world-class amenities of Disney Cruise Line®.

This year, Disney Cruise Line® has added new tours in Juneau that will give you one of the best looks at the Inside Passage’s marine and coastal wildlife. With the new Wilderness Safari & Beach Exploration tour you may catch a glimpse of whales, sea lions and brown bears, to name a few. In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to explore Admiralty Island as you take in the beauty of the area.

In Juneau you’ll also have the opportunity to ‘go coastal’ with the Private Whales, Fishing and Wildlife Adventure where you can experience whale watching and fishing with your own captain and private vessel.

Another favorite of Disney Cruise Line® guests is the White Pass Scenic Railway Featuring Exclusive Youth Activity in Skagway. On your vintage rail car ride through the Pass summit, you can take in the scenery together as a family as you head north, then when returning south you can unwind and relax while your kids hang out in the youth car themselves under the supervision of Disney Cruise Line® youth counselors and local staff.

While cruise vacations will always be a fantastic way to experience tropical destinations, don’t overlook the awesome opportunities to set sail for adventure aboard Disney Cruise Line®.

Contact your Magic Maker® today to discuss itineraries and options for Disney Cruise Line’s® Alaskan itinerary, as well as other adventurous, tropical or exotic cruise destinations!