Day 2 of WDW Trip: Reviewing Animal Kingdom

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!!

Walt Disney World Trip Day 1: EPCOT

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!!

#QUOTETUESDAY Featuring Sandals Ochi Resorts in Jamaica

For all of those that need some rest and relaxation this summer I have a new quote coming your way today from the Adults Only All Inclusive Resort of Sandals! 

I love the Sandals resorts because they always make you feel like a VIP and provide you with the utmost in luxury and make sure every need is attended to. Best of all it's an all inclusive resort as well so make no mistake you will eat, drink, and play like a king or queen all week long!! 


Sandals Ochi Resort in Ochos Rios, Jamaica

2 Adults - 18+

Check In: 9/10/16 - 9/17/16

7 Nights in a Riviera Bamboo Grove Premium Room

    

Arranged across the first to fourth floors in the delightful Bamboo Grove, these premium rooms feature soft, muted decor, traditional hardwood furnishings including a four-poster bed, marbled en-suite bathroom and flat-screen TV. Each room has a generous private balcony or porch with views of the nearby mango grove and wild orchid gardens.

55% Off Sale

$185 in Spa Credit

Complimentary Sunset Catamaran Cruise for 2 

All drinks, food, water and land sports, group exercise classes, as well as nightly entertainment included. 

Total Package Price: $2751.60

Ready to journey into a luxurious vacation made just for adults? Email me today and let's chat!! s.marx@magicalvacationplanner.com 

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party Dates

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.

Inside Out Characters Coming to Epcot!!

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. 

QUOTE TUESDAY Featuring Awaken Summer Promotion

‪#‎QUOTETUESDAY‬ SHARE WITH FRIENDS OR SAVE!!!

Featuring the Awaken Summer Deal!

2 Adults + 2 Children (Ages 8 & 10)

Check In: 7/31/16 - 8/4/16

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.

BREAKING: Summer Promotions at Walt Disney World

Good afternoon Traveling Through Disney friends. We were met this morning with a wonderful new offer from Walt Disney World they are calling the Awaken Summer promotion. 

Right now you can save up to 30% off of rooms at select Walt Disney World resorts. This promotion is valid most nights between 6/12/16 - 8/25/16. You must book your trip by 6/10/16 though to take advantage of this promotion.

Another added benefit of this new promotion is the Awaken Summer Magic Band you receive if you purchase a package with a room and tickets for 2 or more nights. This Awaken Summer Magic Band is Star Wars themed and will light up and make noises when you scan it at select offerings. 

This promotion is also in addition to the extension of the Kid Size package and the Family Offer package as well.

If you are looking to book your next trip, let's chat today! I'm a full service Disney vacation planner and my services are 100% free to utilize. Let me take the stress of planning off of you and save you some money while I'm at it. I can help as little or as much as you would like. 

BREAKING: Disney Dining Plan Price Increases

Breaking news out of Disney this morning....new Disney Dining Plan prices have been made available and the price increase will be put into effect as early as today March 9, 2016. 

The good news is there is no change in service inclusions. It looks as though all of the services have stayed in tact. This means if you are on the dining plan you will still currently get the same credit allotments and any extras you may have received on the deluxe plans (i.e. appetizers, deserts, etc.).

The bad news is the dining plan increase bumps up the total cost to about 3% across the board. If you recall the 2016 Disney Dining plan was: 

However, the new Disney Dining Plan is bumping up prices by over $2 each night. Check out the new rates below:

What do you think about this new increase in prices? The change comes after Disney released new ticket prices just 2 weeks ago. Will this change your mind when purchasing a Disney dining plan now or no?

#QuoteTuesday - Featuring Sandals and Beaches for those who need a break

SHARE OR SAVE!

‪#‎QuoteTuesday‬ featuring the beautiful resort of Beaches Resorts Ochos Rios in Jamaica 55% Off Sale!

Check In: 6/12/16 - 6/17/16

2 Adults + 1 Child 

6 Days/5 Nights in A Caribbean Luxury Family Sized Room Double - with a spectacular view of St. Anne Mountains from your balcony.

All Inclusive Vacation with all meals, drinks, water sports, golf, kids camps, nightly entertainment, and land sports. 

The options are endless when you arrive at Beaches Ochos Rios.

Package Total: $3,378.25

You could be basking in the luxury right now!! Call or email me today and let's get you on the vacation you deserve!!

Turtle Talk w/Crush Gets An Update

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. 

Finding Dory is in theater's June 17th, 2016. 

UPDATE: Rivers of Light Confirmed Opening

As previously mention here we last spoke about the Rivers of Light Dining Package a few weeks ago.

Today, Disney Parks Blog announced the official release date for the new nightly Rivers of Light show at Animal Kingdom Parks.

The show will debut on April 22nd, 2016! Take a look below at a sneak peak of the upcoming show.


Rivers of Light Show

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! 

QUOTE TUESDAY: Featuring Universal Studios

#‎QuoteTuesday‬ featuring Universal Studios!!

2 Adults + 2 Children (Ages 10 & 8)

6/5/16 - 6/10/16

5 Days/4 Nights at Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando - Standard Room - Sleeps 5 Adults

4 Day Park to Park Tickets 

City Walk Party Pass

Early Park Admission

Free Universal Express Unlimited Ride Access (skip the line)

Total Package: $2303.64

Ready to book or want to customize your vacation? Let's chat now! My services are always 100% free to use and I can usually save you some money on your vacation as well as some added perks. smile emoticon