You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘disney world’ tag.
Thinking about heading to the Walt Disney World® Resort, but not sure what would be available for your toddler? The Walt Disney World® Resort has much to offer for visitors under 3 years old. Starting with free admission, there are also several attractions, shows, etc. available to young dreamers ready for their introduction to the most magical place on earth.
The Magic Kingdom® Park offers a variety of options. Fantasyland® is a virtual paradise – with an abundance of rides to delight both young and old. The railroad provides a nice, relaxing tour of the park and there are a variety of shows exciting enough to maintain interest. There are also parades and an outstanding castle show. Add to that the chance to meet a variety of characters – including Mickey Mouse himself!
Epcot® offers one of the most exciting experiences – a large aquarium with Nemo as your guide! Beginning with a ride in a clamshell, young guests will be amazed by the variety and color of marine-life. The journey ends in one of the largest aquariums in the country. Educational (and still fun!) rides are abundant in The Land Pavilion as well as in the Mexico and Norway Pavilions in the World Showcase. There are multiple shows throughout Epcot® as well as several Kidcot stations where crafts and other activities take place. At the Epcot® Character Spot, there is another chance to meet Disney favorites Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Pluto.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ showcases the great tradition of Disney entertainment with a plethora of enchanting and entertaining shows – including Playhouse Disney-Live on Stage™, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast- Live on Stage. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure is a fun playground to play on. The Block Party Bash® Parade is unique in that it stops several times and breaks into a giant dance party! There is also a spectacular show that runs a couple of times a week called Fantasmic!. It is intense but highly enjoyable, and of course, the good mouse wins! Toddlers and children have a chance to meet their favorite Playhouse Disney® characters as well as Buzz and Woody from the Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story films.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park is simply put a wildlife experience like no other. Part zoo, part adventure, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park provides an escape to Africa, Asia, and even the pre-historic. Jump on the Kilimanjaro Safaris® Expedition as early as possible and to get incredible views of the animals in action and to beat the crowd. There are a couple of walking trails available where Guests can bird watch, check out a variety of reptiles, and see several gorgeous tigers. Ride the rails to Rafiki’s Planet Watch® Land and not only will Jimney Cricket, Rafiki, and Pocahontas be available for photos, but a petting zoo awaits young visitors! The DinoLand U.S.A.® Area provides all guests with the chance to ride dinosaur themed rides and for toddlers and little ones to enjoy some prehistoric fun.
The Walt Disney World® Resort accommodates families with young children beyond the attractions. Baby Care Centers in all four Disney Theme Parks offer private rooms with rocking chairs for nursing mothers, diaper-changing rooms and rooms with highchairs. Diapers, formula, baby food and teethers are available for purchase. Dining locations offer children’s menus, crayons and coloring books. Length-of-stay stroller rentals are available for Guests who don’t want to bring their own.
The resort hotels of the Walt Disney World® Resort offer plenty of things for your little ones as well. Childcare is available (for additional fee) and to help in packing, port-a-cribs and bedrails may be available upon request. Each of the resorts provides a pool as well as playgrounds (in select resorts). Highchairs may be available for request in Disney’s Deluxe Villas Resorts. When staying at a Disney Resort, it’s a short trip back to the room for a nap before returning to the Park to watch fireworks at night!
The Walt Disney World® Resort offers such a variety of activities for all generations – including guests 3 and under. Imagine the excitement and enchantment achieved through shared experience that awaits your entire family! Come enjoy the Magic through the wondrous eyes of a child!
History will record that the strongest survive during hard times
Despite the worst recession since the great depression, Disney World’s four theme-parks continued to maintain attendance but at a high cost.
Albeit, Disney World lowered it’s premium prices on tickets and hotel accomodations, it managed to capture a larger portion of the market share while it’s rivals diminished in shares.
Using the global economic downturn to it’s advantage, Disney offered special promotions in 2009-2010 including four nights get three free, free accomodations for children, and $750 gift cards.
According to industry estimates, nearly 17 million visitors, up 1%, descended on the Magic Kingdom making it the world’s busiest theme park in 2009. Meanwhile attendance at Orland’s #2 theme-park Universal Studios declined some 10% to 5 million.
Declines were so sharp at Universal that SeaWorld rang in as Orlando’s #2 busiest theme-park of 2009.
One thing is for sure, Disney World now sees promotions as a strategy to undermine the market in order to maintain a larger portion of the market shares.
With some amazing vacation packages at Disney World including 30% off on a Deluxe Resort Reservation, 20% off on a Moderate, and 15% off on a Disney Value Resort, it’s going to be difficult weaning customers off of these promotions without experiencing a sharp decline in attendance.
But attendance boosts may shift the other way when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens in June combined iwth joint ticket packages with SeaWorld.
Disney World discounts do not necessarily mean that the market will be sustainable in the days to come.
 |
Walt Disney 3 day hopper tickets (FREE upgrade to 5 day ticket) from $187.00
Park Hopper Tickets can be used at all theme parks – Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom – on the same day and also includes use of the Disney transportation system
|
|
Walt Disney World Tickets Prices from $72.89
Base Tickets – Admits guest to one Disney theme park per day’s use. Park choices are: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
|
|
Walt Disney 2 day hopper tickets from $194.00
Park Hopper Tickets can be used at all theme parks – Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom – on the same day and also includes use of the Disney transportation system
|
With Disney giving FREE tickets in 2010 for volunteering in Disney’s Give a Day Get a Day program. The Muppets are the creation of genius Jim Henson who is also behind television and movie greats like Sesame Street, The Dark Crystal, and Return of the Jedi. Loved by many, the cute characters of Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog and Sweetums (the friendly monster) are all coming together to get the world to volunteer and they’re using both the Magic Kingdom and viral videos to get everyone involved!
The muppets are using the character of Fozzie and Kermit encouraging people to volunteer. The great thing about this is that you can insert your name, website or even blog and they will show up on the white cards Fozzie and Kermit use in the video. If you go to the Disney theme parks you will be able to enjoy a special “pre-parade” that will feature special floats and vehicles dedicated to volunteerism and people that have dedicated themselves to the craft. It was reported that in the New Year, around 59% of Americans considered volunteering as one of their New Year’s Resolutions. So if you’re one of those in the 59% category, what are you waiting for?
-
- Muppets parade
“Volunteering is incredibly easy, and it’s never been as easy – it can be as simple as packing care packages to send to our troops that are serving abroad.”
The Muppets promotion might just be for a limited time only, but see them at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at the Muppetvision 3-D Experience! This 3-D adventure is fun for the whole family and involves classic Muppets comedy along with music and an adorable story—definitely a Hollywood Studios classic! Lend a hand this year for the Give a Day Get a Day program and enjoy both your Free Disney Tickets and the Muppets!
Disney community tickets
Disney is giving away free theme park tickets if you give a day of volunteer service to a participating organization, you’ll get one day of free admission to a Disney Park. It’s a first-of-its-kind program we’re calling “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day.”
And yes, it’s that simple — a free one-day ticket to a Disneyland or Walt Disney World theme park for guests who volunteer a day of service to a participating organization. We’re celebrating you and the good things you do for your communities.
Our program officially begins on January 1, 2010. When it’s live, you’ll be able to visit www.DisneyParks.com or www.DisneyParks.ca and search for an eligible volunteer project. After completing the volunteer work, an e-mail will be sent from Disney with a link to print out a voucher to redeem at a theme park for a free one-day, one-park admission. And if you’re unable to use the ticket, it can be donated to a charity designated by Disney.
With this announcement, we’re looking for 1 million people with a passion to make a difference. And we’re working with HandsOn Network to do it. They’re helping make sure you find the perfect volunteer work. And many of the program’s volunteer opportunities will be for the family.
Also, you’ll notice that we’re raising awareness for grass-roots community volunteerism in more cities than just Chicago. Disney VoluntEARS are joining local volunteers in cities across the United States and Canada today. Work projects involving more than 1,000 volunteers are happening in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami and across Canada — Toronto, Montreal, Halifax and Vancouver.
We’ll be posting more details about the program and how it may involve your city on the @DisneyParks Twitter account and right here.
Of course, there are some official details you should know about: Must pre-register and sign up for eligible volunteer opportunity at disneyparks.com. Ticket quantities for this program are limited. Must be at least age 6 to participate. Other terms and conditions apply. For details, see disneyparks.com in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Princess and the Frog
After many months and many blogs hyping up the movie, the United States will finally be able to see The Princess and the Frog this Friday! While the film is already out in New York and Los Angeles, Friday will be the first time the rest of the country gets to watch Disney history as they return to hand-drawn animation with what’s being hailed as “the best Disney movie since The Lion King.” It’s truly an exciting time for the Disney Company and for Disney fans everywhere. The Disney theme parks have already been in Princess Tiana mode with tons of merchandise and Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee at the Magic Kingdom. Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Princess Tiana, was recently at Epcot’s Candlelight Vigil to tell the story of Christmas to thousands of Disney fans—it’s only the beginning of Tiana mania!
Any newspaper article you read is talking about the importance of this film both socially and historically for Disney. If you know anything about Disney history, their movie Song of the South was locked away in a vault for being racially insensitive and it’s banned in America. Now Disney is taking their films into modern times and showing Tiana, Disney’s first African-American princess, as a heroine for African-American girls and girls of all backgrounds. She isn’t waiting for any prince to come and sweep her off her feet, she takes her life into her own hands and follows her dream of owning her very own restaurant.
Set in the Jazz Age of New Orleans, the film is also being well received by the city which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. They feel the movie has brought back the magic Katrina took away and will hopefully renew the world’s interest in the beautiful city loaded with history. This Friday is going to be big for Disney fans of all ages and backgrounds, it could mean the return of hand-drawn animation to the Disney lineup and the return of the Disney Princess…something we haven’t seen since Mulan back in 1998!
priceorlando.com
Orlando special news, scheduled events, park updates, and ticket discounts. We search the internet for the best deals on all Walt Disney World tickets, Universal Orlando tickets, Orlando Attractions and Easy Hotel reservations
Everyone loves to eat during the holidays. Why do you think gym memberships soar in January? After Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and other parties people usually find their pants a bit tighter than they would like. But we’re still in 2009 and there is plenty of holiday fun to be had, especially here at the Orlando theme parks. We’ve been blogging about the various holiday events going on at the parks, but in this post we’re going to let you in on some of the sweet treats you can see if you visit some of the hotels in the Walt Disney World Resort.
Gingerbread House
Over at the Contemporary, one of the hotels closest to the Magic Kingdom, you can see a holiday tree inspired by Disney Legend Mary Blair. The tree is located on the 4th floor of the hotel and measures in at 17 feet high, made completely with gingerbread shingles. Disney has plenty of traditional sweet sculptures during the holiday season, and one of them is celebrating its 10th anniversary! Over at the Beach Club Resort, the life-size edible carousel is celebrating 10 years of pleasing guests from all over the world. The carousel is made of gingerbread, chocolate, and sugar paste. You can buy your own gingerbread house from the marketplace to take home with you. If you’re a fan of Hidden Mickeys, we hear the carousel has 10 of them.
For you Disney pin traders, make sure you head over to the Board Walk for their walk-through Holiday Gazebo. It also has Hidden Mickeys, but you can also purchase a limited edition Stitch pin featuring the gingerbread display. But the most popular sweet sculpture in the Disney resort world is housed at the beautiful Grand Floridian. Here you will find their enormous gingerbread house created from a traditional Austrian recipe. This house has been featured on a variety of travel show specials and is a highlight of the Grand Floridian hotel during the holiday season. It takes 400 chefs to bake everything needed for the house and 160 hours to assemble it. Make sure you explore some of these great edible sculptures during your visit to Walt Disney World.
Tyra Banks and Princess Tiana at Disney World
Supermodel and talk show host Tyra Banks surprised the girls and their moms with a Walt Disney World vacation . So for Tyra, like many other African-American celebrities, the arrival of Disney’s newest princess is a milestone both in Disney history and in their own life. Anika Noni Rose, the beautiful voice of Princess Tiana, was brought to tears at the sight of the first Princess Tiana doll, proclaiming that now little girls all over the world had an African-American princess to represent them. It was an emotional moment and a great moment for the newest Disney star, and we’re sure we’re going to here plenty of great stories about Princess Tiana’s impact once The Princess and the Frog is released on December 11th, 2009!
In honor of the new movie, Tyra filmed her trip to the Orlando theme parks area where she took three little girls to the Walt Disney World Resort. On this special trip, the three girls, mom, and Tyra all got to attend a very special tea party in their honor at the Magic Kingdom, where they met none other than Princess Tiana. The special visit will be the highlight of an upcoming episode of The Tyra Show during sweeps week. We’re glad Tyra decided to spotlight our very own Walt Disney World Resort when she chose to bring these three lucky families to visit Tiana and the Magic Kingdom, since there are so many great things going on right now!
Tomorrowland’s Transit Authority and Space Mountain finally opened with brand new additions and technology. In order to promote The Princess and the Frog you can catch Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee over in Frontierland and for a special time only, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is bringing holiday joy to Disney guests from around the world. Get your discount Disney tickets for the party and make sure you stop by to see the Magic Kingdom converted into a holiday wonderland.
We’re sure Tyra and the girls had a great time with Princess Tiana, and we’re sure The Princess and the Frog will do great in theaters. Make sure you go see it and take your friends!
Happy Birthday Mickey
Break out the bubbly and get the cake batter ready. Everyone’s favorite Disney Character, loved all over the world by kids and adults, is celebrating his 81st birthday this week! While Mickey began as a silent black and white cartoon in “Plane Crazy,” where he tries to fly a plane and sneak a kiss with Minnie Mouse at the same time, his official debut is considered to be in the musical cartoon “Steamboat Willie.” Disney aficionados will recognize the familiar image of Mickey steering a giant steamboat as he whistles along, and some may say it was with that cartoon that the empire of Walt Disney began. Who knew, way back then, that a little cartoon about a mouse would spawn the incredible Disney theme parks in Orlando and all over the world?
There’s a famous quote by Walt Disney that goes: “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing — that it was all started by a mouse.” It couldn’t be a more honest and even fascinating statement. That little mouse trying to sneak a kiss and steer a steamboat gave birth to a company that would create Disneyland in Anaheim, California and the Walt Disney World Resort right here in Orlando. There are now Disney Parks all over the world including Tokyo, Paris and soon Shanghai. How can we forget the classic movies? From Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and The Lion King to the brand new The Princess and the Frog, which features Disney’s first Black princess, Tiana!
There are also great television projects like The Mickey Mouse Club, which was where stars like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake got their start. The Disney Channel expanded to produce a new level of teen stars with performers like Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez. Along with the great shows and theme parks, there are also special events where Mickey and Minnie are the star of the show; whether it be in a parade or through Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Incredible how Disney has grown after 81 years, and it’s only going to get bigger. Still, shirtless and all, Mickey keeps his full-time job as Master of Ceremonies at the Walt Disney theme parks around the world. We’re guessing he’ll have his little gloved paws full today as folks (including his toony pals Donald Duck, Goofy and main squeeze Minnie Mouse) head over to wish him a happy birthday. Happy Birthday to the mouse that started it all!
Disney World in Orlando
Disney is offering a free day’s admission to 1 million guests who complete a day of volunteer work next year.
The “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” program will provide certified volunteers with a one-day ticket to any park at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., or Walt Disney World near Orlando, Fla., in 2010.
Disney is partnering with HandsOn Network, a clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities, to connect people with projects and to certify that the work was done.
“We are trying to inspire 1 million people to volunteer in their communities and we’re inspiring them to do that by giving them a free day at a Disney park,” Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.
Rasulo called the promotion “very timely,” citing the increased needs of nonprofits in the weak economy, as well as President Obama’s national volunteering initiative.
“The spirit of our country is very much behind that, whether it’s the first family or whether it’s the average family,” Rasulo said.
Duncan Dickson, who teaches theme park management at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen School of Hospitality Management in Orlando, said the volunteer initiative is “a smart marketing move.”
Dickson said Disney will get good buzz for encouraging volunteerism plus free publicity from the nonprofits that benefit. And even when theme parks let people in for free, they make their money back in other ways, Dickson said.
“You make a lot of money in popcorn and T-shirts and other things,” Dickson said.
Some guests who come in for free would have bought tickets anyway, but the free offer will also bring in visitors who wouldn’t otherwise have made the trip, and they’ll bring paying guests with them, Dickson added. “Anything that pushes the turnstiles is good for business,” Dickson said.
HandsOn Network has 70,000 affiliated agencies, from Habitat for Humanity to local food banks, churches, health care centers, and educational programs. Once their service is verified by HandsOn, volunteers print out an online certificate that can be redeemed at a Disney park.
Examples of volunteer opportunities currently listed on HandsOn’s Web site range from drivers and bingo callers to a book drive organizer at a senior center in Scranton, Pa., to a docent at the Oregon Maritime Museum in Portland.
The free admission offer is part of a larger trend in the tourism industry, using everything from free hotel nights to two-for-one discounts to attract visitors in the weak economy. Disneyland this year offered two free nights with the purchase of three nights at a Disney resort, and all the U.S. Disney parks have allowed guests in free on their birthdays this year.
Rasulo said that 3.5 million people registered for the birthday promotion and about 30 percent of them have taken advantage of it so far.
Disney kicked the volunteer promotion off Tuesday by sending 1,000 volunteers, including employees from Disney and Southwest Airlines, to work on projects around the country, from a Habitat for Humanity site in Los Angeles to the Bethune School of Excellence in Chicago.
Would-be volunteers must register online with Disney and must be residents of the U.S., Canada or Puerto Rico to be eligible for the free admission. The work must be performed in 2010, and the park visit must take place by Dec. 15, 2010. Participants must be 18 or older to sign up for the program, but volunteer work done by children ages 6-17 qualifies for a free ticket as long as kids are accompanied by an adult when volunteering. Unused admission certificates can be donated to a charity designated by Disney.
Volunteers who have multiday tickets or annual passes can get a special FASTPASS for up to six people in lieu of the voucher.
|
Walt Disney World Tickets Prices from $72.89
|
|
Walt Disney 2 day hopper tickets from $194.00
|
Christmas at Tomorrowland
The Christmas holidays are almost here! There is no doubt you have probably heard some holiday songs and decorations in the stores, seen the odd Christmas decorations around the neighborhood and started to see the various holiday commercials appearing on the television. Hopefully, you’ve purchased your discount Disney tickets for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and you’re ready to go, because this is going to be a beautiful event Disney and holiday fans of all ages will enjoy! The holiday decorations are already up at the Magic Kingdom. Wreathes and beautiful nutcracker statues decorate the trees and line the streets of the Magic Kingdom. You will find special statues spiced up for the holidays and see snow-themed Mickey balloons, tons of Christmas decorations, and great Christmas-themed Mickey and Minnie Ears. If you like the holidays and you’re a Disney fanatic, this is heaven on Earth!
Tomorrowland will have a brand new look and a brand new show once you get to Walt Disney World. The Tomorrowland Transit Authority was fully refurbished and just re-opened. They even fixed up the bathrooms near Space Mountain for a brand new look. Oh! About Space Mountain, the official re-opening date is November 22nd 2009, but Disney is expected to have a “soft opening,” meaning Disney will let cast members and a few guests test out the ride, as early as this week!
Along with Space Mountain and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, the Magic Kingdom will have a brand new Christmas show that is sure to rock the house and get the little ones into the holiday spirit! A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas will be the newest stage show in the holiday event and it will replace Mickey’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. With a modern take on the holidays featuring Radio Disney hits, holiday songs and your favorite Tomorrowland characters like Buzz Lightyear, Stitch, Mike Wazowski and other holiday favorites, everyone will enjoy this show!
If you’re planning to come to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party, which we hope you are, you will enjoy all of the special features of the holiday invent including the parade, unique fireworks, A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas and, of course, a brand new Space Mountain. The holidays at the Magic Kingdom are going to be fantastic.
Orlando Vacations 