So many taking advantage of the 2017 Disney packages released this week! I know, I know....2017?? Yes, here are some reasons you should think about booking now!! The advantages of booking your 2017 package now are numerous! 1. You risk nothing! Your $200 deposit is FULLY REFUNDABLE until 30 days before check in. 2. It is like a layaway plan for your Disney vacation. Other than the initial $200 deposit, no additional payment is due until 30 days before check in. 3. You can easily modify your reservation if your plans change. All it takes is a simple phone call to me, and I will take care of the rest! 4. MOST IMPORTANTLY….. You are creating a reservation that secures the resort and type of package that you want. You will also be securing the price in that the reservation guarantees that the price will not GO UP, even if Disney releases a price increase before your vacation commences! 5. Your reservation will be automatically checked for promotional discounts that apply when and if they are released. 6. And of course, it never costs YOU a dime to book through a travel agent (me). You can plan as much or as little as you like and have me at your service to answer any questions you may have!
Day 3 took us over to Hollywood Studios! Now we knew going in that a ton of the attractions and restaurants are currently shut down (Backlot Tour, Mike and Sully meet and greet, Streets of America, Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground.). I was surprised to see how much of the park was hidden behind walls. It is a pretty significant amount of the park at this point just FYI.
As we all know, Hollywood Studios is undergoing so major changes in that they are expanding the park to include a new Star Wars land and Toy Story land. Within that they are also adding a third track to Toy Story Midway Mania to cut down on wait times which pretty regularly exceed 2 hours.
Fret not though, all of the projected completion dates for these new lands will be December 2018 with Toy Story land opening possibly sooner. Take a look at the projected look of the new lands.
Alright so with that out of the way let's talk about our day at Hollywood Studios. We set off immediately for the Rock N Roller Coaster only to be met with a 60 minute wait at park opening. We should have stood in line because as they day went on it did not get better but we didn't. We set off to one of my favorite attractions The Great Movie Ride. I could do this one over and over again, I just love it. We did not make it to the Tower of Terror or Rock N Roller Coaster on our first Hollywood Studios day as they exceeded hour wait times all day long. I don't believe I ever saw either below 70 minutes.
Some of our favorite attractions and shows of the day were:
Toy Story Midway Mania (of course!!)
Star Tours
The Great Movie Ride
Frozen Sing A Long
Fantasmic
We also met the ever dark Kylo Ren and he scared my little Princess pretty good, even following her out the door when she said he was scary. :) We met the lovable Chewbacca too to make up for all the scary.
Now I have to backtrack a bit and tell you about the amazing lunch we had. I swear, I'm going to do a whole week of posts just to the delicious food we ate on vacation. Maybe that will be next weeks adventure.
We also watched the Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Indiana Jones stunt show spectacular. As well as watched my little princess' favorite Princess Belle in The Beauty and Beast show.
We took advantage of the Fantasmic dining package and had lunch at Mama Melrose's Italian Restaurante.
So the way the Fantasmic Dining Package works is you eat at semi off peak hours. Our lunch reservations was for 11:30am. After you get finished with your meal you are given vouchers for the first seating of Fantasmic. This way you aren't stuck waiting in line for 90 minutes like the others who did not fastpass or use the dining package.
I have to tell you I wouldn't have it any other way. We had a delicious meal and even had appetizers and desert included with the package. We received the vouchers and had amazing seats for the show that night. It was truly a great experience all the way around.
The other experience we did on Hollywood Studios day was go to Club Villain. However, I am dedicating a full post to this one as well so I will not delve into details here other than to say it was totally worth it and awesome. Especially if you are a big lover of villains which the Traveling Through Disney family certainly is.
We loved watching the Fantasmic show it was fully entertaining and a great water, light, and fire show. While we were waiting on the bus we watched the Star Wars Spectacular Firework Show. It was really cool and beautifully themed to Star Wars soundtracks of the past and present.
So there you have it. A glimpse at our full and wonderful day at Hollywood Studios. Now tell us below in the comments what is your favorite thing to do at Hollywood Studios? We can't wait to hear from you!!
Day 2 of the Traveling Through Disney WDW trip took us over to Animal Kingdom to explore all that is nature and conservation. The park opened an hour early from 8-9am for extra magic hours.
For those of you unfamiliar, you can find extra magic hours at one park each day and there are AM or PM magic hours. During these hours the park is only open to on resort guests. This gives them ample opportunity if they choose to take advantage of the park having less crowds and being able to ride the majority of the rides prior to the park opening up to everyone else.
In the past, I have shied away from extra magic hours but on this trip I decided to test them out again and boy did it make a difference. Especially useful during last week when it was super packed and the crowds were overwhelming by noon each day.
Now, let me preface this post by saying I'm a big lover of Animal Kingdom. It has become one of my families favorite parks over the years solely because it is the best park where we do not feel rushed and overly crowded. Animal Kingdom is a great place to have a slower paced day and also be able to still see and do everything in the park.
They are also currently expanding Animal Kingdom to include a new land called "Pandora - The World of Avatar." Just like the movie, this new land will completely catapult you into the movie and feature Avatar based rides, restaurants, and more. I can't wait to see what they do with the new land. It's slated to open in 2017 right now so we will have to wait a while.
Pandora - The World of Avatar projection
Another change we noticed while at AK was they are hard at work on the new Rivers of Light nighttime show. We saw the lake being transformed into quite a large amphitheater right near the entrance to Expedition Everest. This new light and firework show will surely draw in the crowds to AK whereas this park normally closes at 6pm daily. Not any longer, AK is adding Rivers of Light on top of nighttime safaris over at Kilimanjaro Safaris. It is truly going to become a much busier and exciting park over the next year. Rivers of Light is expected to open in late Spring 2016.
Now that we've discussed all that we saw going on in the parks let's talk about what the Traveling Through Disney team did on our day at the park. As I said, we took advantage of the EMH and headed straight for Expedition Everest. We ended up riding the backwards and forwards roller coaster twice before the wait time got to be a little too much for us. We enjoyed it immensely!
After fun with ride photos we headed over to Dinoland USA and hit up another of our top rides called Dinosaur! We love this ride and did it twice as well before the lines got crazy.
Can you tell we love the on ride photos yet? My little traveler is also a big fan of character meet and greets and AK does not disappoint. AK features some rare characters that you can only meet at AK so we took full advantage of these meet and greets.
She met Flik, Pocahontas, Tarzan, and Baloo and King Louie on our first day at AK. We had an absolute blast!!
After dinner we had an amazing buffet meal inside the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Boma. They had such a great selection of food and don't even get me started on the deserts. It was so good I forgot to take photos haha!
So that was our day 2! Comment below with your favorite things to do at Animal Kingdom, we'd love to hear from you!!
If you've been reading the blog lately you know that the Traveling Through Disney family went on vacation last week to none other than WDW. We had a week filled with lots and lots of memories and had so much fun! We can't wait to do it again but it does feel nice to be back home and in the swing of the routine.
This week I will highlight our trip and show you some of our favorite things we did while on vacation.
Today we are starting out with Day 1 in the parks! We spent it at Epcot and it was a great start to our week. We could not have asked for better weather. It was supposed to storm in the afternoon but never did.
To start out our day we had breakfast with the Princesses at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall located in Norway. We were on the Disney Dining Plan last week and took full advantage booking as many character meals as possible. The best thing about Akershus is you meet up to 5 Princesses for only 1 Table Service credit per person.
Ariel and our Princess
My Little One with Aurora
Snow White and our Princess
We had a great meal complete with fruit, bagels, potato casserole, sausage, eggs, and bacon. We were super full!! Akershus does a great Princess Processional where all the kids get to walk around with the Princesses and wave to all the adults. It was a great time and my Princess enjoyed it immensely.
After breakfast we spent the majority of our day in Future World and hit up all the rides we could. I will not lie to you and say the park was empty. It was spring break after all and it was very crowded. However we got to do all of the rides we wanted and even met a cool character in between.
If you are a fan of Big Hero 6 you must make sure to hop on over to the Character Spot in Epcot to meet Baymax. He was so cute and cuddly. We enjoyed meeting him, he does not sign though so no autographs for him. Our highlight ride of the day was Test Track, Soarin is closed until Summer 2016 unfortunately so we went to the next best thing. :)
We had a fastpass and thank goodness because the wait was 90 minutes!! Here's our fabulous shot below zooming around the track. We tried to make all of our photos as funny as possible. We had Memory Maker on this trip and took full advantage!
After all the riding we needed to rest our legs and found sanction in the World Showcase United Kingdom. There was an amazing band called the British Revolution playing so we sat back, had a few drinks, and listened to some great 80's music.
We had dinner reservations that night at Rose and Crown Pub which is known for their delicious Fish and Chips. Seriously, I spent 2 years dreaming about having them again and they did not disappoint! We also were seated on the patio and had front row viewing for the fireworks.
All in all it was a great first day! We had lots of laughs and enjoyed ourselves immensely. What's your favorite thing to do at Epcot? Comment below and let us know!!
The new dates for September and October's Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party were just released.
During select dates in September and October you will be able to attend this separate ticketed event.
No details yet when tickets will go on sale but we assume it will be later next month.
Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is held on the select dates above at Magic Kingdom from 7pm to 12am.
This event is always fun filled and action packed. It's truly an event for the whole entire family and many families dress up. I highly recommend it! There are special parades, dance parties, meet and greets with rare characters, and of course plenty of candy stations for all your trick or treating needs!
Stay tuned here for more updates including the official ticket release once they become available.
Beginning next month in April 2016 the Inside Out characters are invading Epcot's Character Spot!
You can meet two of your favorite characters from the movie, Joy and Sadness are coming to Epcot for a magical meet and greet.
The ever popular Epcot Character Spot has long been the meet and greet spot for the Fab 5. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and others have previously been in the character spot for one on one meet and greets with guests.
Now in April, guests will journey directly into "Headquarters" and get an inside look at Joy and Sadness' workplace.
Since debuting last year, Inside Out has become an instant Disney classic and favorite for all. Most recently, the film took home top honors at the Oscars winning Best Animated Feature Film.
Disney has stated that they plan on sticking with Joy and Sadness meet and greets for the foreseeable future. No word yet on if this will be offered in the Fastpass options.
5 Days/4 Nights at Port Orleans Riverside Moderate Resort with Garden View
5 Day Theme Park Tickets
Free Transportation to and from resort to parks and Disney Springs
Movies on the Lawn + Nightly Campfire and more
3 Fastpass+ per person, per day
3 Awaken Summer Magic Bands + Magical Extras
Total Package: $2,221.18
**receive a special “Awaken Summer” MagicBand per person included in the same package. This one-of-a-kind band will activate a special sound and lighting feature at select touch points throughout the Walt Disney World Resort for valid travel dates during this special offer.
Ready to book? Let's Chat today!! My services are 100% free to utilize.
That adorable blue tang fish named Dory that we all know and love will be back with her own movie this June. All the Finding Nemo friends rejoiced when the trailer came out earlier this week giving us a fresh look at the upcoming movie that is sure to be hilarious and cute.
With that being said, Walt Disney World and California Adventure is also doing a refresher on their "human tank." Beginning in May of this year some new friends will be swimming up to interact with you. You'll meet Destiny the whale shark, Bailey the beluga whale, and Hank the septopus (the seven legged octopus of course). In addition to the Finding Dory new characters, Crush's own little one Squirt will make his swimming debut.
If you're lucky you can also catch a glimpse of Nemo and his dad Marlin.
The show will feature illuminating lanterns, water screens, moving fountains, and light projections. The show will be set on the Discovery River in the Asia section of the park each night. Two story tellers will guide us on an adventure of Rivers of Light. The spirit guides will be an Asian Tiger, Tropical Turtle, African Elephant, and a Great Horned Owl. There are already Fastpass+ being debuted for priority seating as we rumored a few weeks ago the dining package is set to debut in the next few weeks just in time for the show to start. Stay tuned here for more information as it becomes available!
With the new show Rivers of Light at Animal Kingdom debuting this Spring there have been many a rumor swirling around that a dining package will be offered for this new event.
Much like the dining package that is currently offered for Fantasmic, guests can enjoy a lunch or dinner at one of the participating restaurants and receive a voucher for priority seating at Rivers of Light.
Earlier this morning the packages were leaked on Disney's site but you were not able to make reservations. Now when you go to this site Disney URL you are greeted with a message stating the page is unavailable.
No other information is currently available but stay tuned here for the most up to date info as it develops. Look for Disney to make a big announcement regarding the dining package this week.
Ready to make a magical vacation? Contact me now and let's chat!! Email, phone, text, FB message, smoke signal. I love to talk vacations, Disney not your style? I can help you book virtually any vacation you desire.
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months then everyone knows how much Walt Disney World is changing over Spring and Summer 2016.
Whether it be the new lands added to Hollywood Studios such as Star Wars land and Toy Story land, or the ever anticipated Avatar land at Animal Kingdom. There are lots of refurbishments going on at Walt Disney World during some of the busiest times of the year right now. If you've visited over the last few months you will notice some of your favorites rides are now gone at Hollywood Studios and even some meet and greets and restaurants. The ever popular walls have also gone up to hide all the magic that is taking place.
If we know one thing about Disney it is that it is an ever changing animal and when Disney takes away it almost always gives back in three fold. These new lands will be bigger and better than ever making you forget all about those walls and experiences that will now cease to exist.
And with so many traveling down to Walt Disney World whether it be for the summer or Spring Break here at Disney Traveling, we want you to be in the know.
Below you will find the most updated listing released from Walt Disney World on the current refurbishments going on thru 2016. Look at the list below to make sure you have the best information for your trip and adjust your plans accordingly.
Be sure to check back here @disneytraveling for all of the latest updates regarding refurbishments and closings.
Magic Kingdom Park
Mad Tea Party Feb. 22 - 26, 2016 Jungle Cruise Mar. 1 - 3, 2016
Monorail Now - April 2016 The Walt Disney World® Resort Monorail System is undergoing refurbishment and may be on modified service and/or routes. If Guests plan to use this form of transportation during their visit they should check to be sure of the best option available on their day of travel, as alternative transportation options will be available.
Epcot
Soarin' Jan. 4, 2016 - Summer 2016 Circle of Life Feb. 7 - Apr. 2, 2016
Disney's Hollywood Studios Theme Park
Pizza Planet Jan. 19 - Late 2016 Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure - Closing Permanently Apr. 3, 2016 Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show - Closing Permanently Apr. 3, 2016
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Kali River Rapids Jan. 4 - Mar. 17, 2016 Flights of Wonder Jan. 25 - Mar. 17, 2016
Warung Outpost Jan. 25 - Mar. 17, 2016 Boneyard Feb. 22 - Mar. 17, 2016
Disney Springs
Planet Hollywood
January 6- Summer 2016
Roadwork on Buena Vista Drive - Due to heavy roadwork, expect delays on Buena Vista Drive. It is recommended that Guests use complimentary Walt Disney World Resort transportation from Parks and Resorts to Disney Springs and plan to arrive early for reserved dining and entertainment experiences.
For those readers who don't know, my family and I will be taking our annual trip down to Walt Disney World in just 29 short days. But who's counting right?
This morning we were greeted with this email below letting us know our Magic Bands had shipped out. The excitement this email illicits in our household is truly magical.
So low and behold this afternoon when we checked the mail we had a lovely package waiting on us. Now for those of you who haven't been before you will want to know that if you are planning on surprising your family the box is very inconspicuous. No magic is ruined at all from the looks of this box. It does say it is from Florida though.
For those of you surprising others with a trip you may want to be sure to check the mail that day or for a few days after to ensure no one opens the package unwarranted.
If you are flying to Walt Disney World and utilizing the Magical Express you will also want to lift up your Magic Bands and look at the bottom of the box as this is where you will find your ever important luggage tags.
You can now delight in the fact that packing for your trip is coming up next. Make sure to place this box in a safe place until you get ready to pack for your trip.
We always place our Magic Band box in our carry on as you will need these Magic Bands for the Magical Express and for check in at the resort.
Villain lovers rejoice!! Back by very popular demand is the special ticketed event Club Villain inside Disney's Hollywood Studios. Situated inside the Sunset Showcase you will find a great party known as Club Villain. This special ticketed event features 4 villains, 5 if you count your evil host Dr. Facillier. The villains include: Evil Queen, Cruelle DeVil, Maleficient, and the Red Queen. As you enter the event you are handed a glass of champagne or a bottled water and a card with your table number and meet and greet times for the villains. You are welcome to find your table and have a seat or mingle around. Once you have located your table make your way to the all you can eat buffet featuring delicious "voodoo sticky pig wings", herb-rubbed beef tenderloin, cajun chicken gumbo, and more! You will also find a bar filled with villain inspired drinks and also beer and wine if you choose.
The deserts are on a whole other level and are also themed to match their villain of choice. Take delight in red velvet cupcakes, cheesecake pushups, macaroons, and green apple mousse. All of the deserts are truly sinful in their own rights. Now let's talk about the added shows. Club Villain used to only be offered on Saturday nights but because this intimate event has been such a hit they are now offering the show on Tuesdays and Saturday's throughout the month of March. For our family's March trip we were able to snag reservations for the Tuesday night 4:15pm show. There is also a 7:15pm show as well. Be advised, this party does offer alcoholic beverages and features burlesque dancers so it is not for your younger children. Also, there is not a child's rate so children pay the same as adults. This ticketed event will set you back $129 per person. The event lasts roughly 2 hours and as mentioned above you get personal meet and greets with the villains with little to no wait, a full all you can eat buffet featuring gourmet food, and all you can drink alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, plus desert. Need I say more! You will need a park ticket to get into this special ticketed event. If you are ready for this event and more magical fun, let's chat! I'm an authorized earmarked Disney Vacation Planner and my services are 100% free.
Hi all! I'm an avid Disney guru, Authorized and Earmarked Vacation Planner, and traveler. Want to advertise on my site or ready to book a vacation? Contact me now at s.marx@magicalvacationplanner.com
