Disney News

By Magic Maker® Julie Paolino

If you have visited the Downtown Disney® Area of Walt Disney World® Resort recently you may have noticed some construction crews hard at work. Fast forward 3 years to 2016 when a completely reimagined and expanded version of Downtown Disney® Area will emerge as Disney Springs. Disney Springs will be reminiscent of Florida’s quaint waterfront towns complete with four distinct neighborhoods interconnected by flowing, bubbling springs.

A new grand entry with a signature water tower will welcome guests to shop, eat, explore and be entertained to their hearts content. Here guests will find the Town Center which will offer a mix of sophisticated shopping and dining along a relaxing picturesque promenade. The Landing will be host to inspiring dining venues with beautiful waterfront views. At the Marketplace families will be able to shop until they drop at a plethora of stores including an expanded World of Disney store. After all the shopping, kids of all ages can enjoy dining at popular restaurants like T-REX™, Rainforest Café®, Earl of Sandwich® and Ghiradellis Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop. Guests will also be able to enjoy a new over the water pedestrian causeway. And lastly, those looking for lively entertainment should head for the West Side to enjoy a movie or an outing at Splitsville Luxury Lanes™ for some old fashion fun of bowling. Still yet to be seen is whether this area will offer some more grown up venues like a comedy club or dance hall. One thing however, that is sure to be a pleasant addition to the West End, is the elevated causeways which will allow for people watching from up above while adding some much needed shade below.

So if eating, shopping, relaxing or enjoying lively entertainment is your thing, then don’t miss out on a visit to the Disney Springs, opening in phases and to be complete by 2016. One of the best parts of a day or night at the Disney Springs area is that you do not have to pay park admission to enjoy the Walt Disney World® Resort atmosphere.

You can learn a little more about the transformation happening at Downtown Disney® Resort here.

Your next Walt Disney World® Resort getaway is only a phone call or email away as Off to Neverland Travel’s® knowledgeable Magic Makers® are ready to assist you in getting the most magic from your vacation.

The very minute one of our guests step on board a Disney Cruise Line® ship, they are beginning a world-class family vacation that they will never forget!

But what exactly makes Disney Cruise Line® any different than the other options in the cruise industry? The Magic is in the Details – and that begins with legendary Disney guest service!

Watch this short video and see what past Disney Cruise Line® guests have to say about legendary service!

Greeted like a friend – treated like royalty! Just one of the details making up “The Disney Difference.” Explore the current promotions and then contact your Magic Maker® today to start planning your Disney Cruise Line® vacation!

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!