Club Villain Is Back!!!

You know the Traveling Through Disney team is all about Club Villain as we previously attended this event in March! We are so excited that Disney has decided to keep it going as today the just released the below statement.

Back by popular demand, Club Villain at Disney’s Hollywood Studios returns this year Fridays & Saturdays from Sept. 2-Oct. 29, with and additional offering on Halloween! This special-ticketed event is filled with fabulous performances, delicious food, bewitching cocktails and encounters with some of the greatest Disney villains.

If you want to read our full in depth post about Club Villain then please click here!!

We loved this event and think it will be even more amazing during Halloween to go with the parks being decorated for the occasion! 

Let us know if you will be adding this to your list of plans. :) 

Early Morning Magic Package Extended Dates!

Good morning all of our Traveling Through Disney family!! We have been sporadic in our posting these last few weeks and want to apologize for that. We are back in action and ready to bring you the most up to date information that Disney has to offer.

As many of you know, earlier this year, Disney started offering an Early Morning Magic package for an additional cost. This separately ticketed event allows you first access into Magic Kingdom before any other guests. You get front of the line access to 3 attractions: Winnie the Pooh, Seven Dwarf's Mine Train, and Peter Pan's Flight. Also, you can stop by Pinocchio's Village Haus for some early morning eats at no additional cost. Early Morning Magic takes place from 7:45am to 10am on select days and the cost is $69 per adult ages 10+ and $59 per child ages 3-9. 

There have been mixed reviews from critics and guests on whether or not this is a good deal or worth it. 

However, it seems to be in high demand as just last night Disney announced they would now be extending this package until 9/30/16. They have even sweetened the deal now by adding Hollywood Studios Early Morning Magic!!! 

That's right, starting on 8/1/16 guests will be able to enter Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom at 7:45am to have front of the line access to the most coveted rides. 

Specifically, at Hollywood Studios you will be able to enjoy an all you can eat breakfast at ABC Commissary from 8am to 10am. The Hollywood Studios attractions that you will have front of the line access to are: Toy Story Mania!, Star Tours, Woody and Buzz meet and greet, Olaf meet and greet, and of course Mickey and Minnie meet and greet. 

You can start booking Early Morning Magic for either park today, so if you feel like this event is for you then book now as they only let a limited number of people in the park. 

Happy booking!! 

Review: Disney's Hollywood Studios Club Villain

Today on the blog we are in full review mode and taking a look back at our WDW trip in late March. On this trip we experienced a special ticketed event called Club Villain. This special event takes you up close and personal with the Disney Villains. Specifically, Cruella De Vile, The Evil Queen, Maleficent, and the Queen of Hearts. 

Your host for the evening is that ever evil Shadow Man, Dr. Facillier from the Princess and the Frog. His club manager, Kanzo keeps the party rolling all night and makes sure you are fully entertained. 

The club features a DJ spinning all the right tunes to put you in the mood and also a full bar with 4 specialty drinks themed after each queen of darkness. A gourmet buffet fit with voodoo sticky pig wings, chicken gumbo, cajun shrimp and grits, and beef tenderloin will certainly fill you up.

Shall we dive in to the review now that you are intrigued?

The party takes place inside of Sunset Showcase directly next door to Rock N Roller Coaster. You have to go through a huge gate to enter so you can easily miss it if the line for Rock N Roller Coaster is long. 

Upon entering you check in and are handed a invitation with your meet and greet time for each queen. It also lists your table number as well. Waiters are available outside for a champagne drink or for kids a small water. 

Once the party opens you are able to enter and find your table number. From here you can go get a drink at the bar, take pictures on the thrones of each queen, or belly up to the buffet and get your grub on! 

    

After everyone has entered you are then greeted by Dr. Facillier and his club manager Kanzo. They perform and welcome you to the dark side. Each queen of darkness is then introduced and makes her way to her throne. 

 

You are invited to eat, drink, be evil, and most importantly have fun! As your time approaches you can then get in line for the meet and greets with each queen. Up first for us was Maleficent and Cruella. 

 

Maleficent is my favorite queen of dark by far! I love her and we had such a good time meeting her. She spoke about making sure to watch out for needles they are very sharp and you can sleep for a long time. 

 

Cruella was very animated and loved having everyone here to see her. She said no matter what others said it was totally her party. She spoke to our princess about training her for dog napping. She said they could set up a lunch and discuss the proper ways to do so. 

 

After our first meet and greets we headed back to the bar for the signature cocktails of Ms. Maleficent and Cruella. Maleficent's drink was by far my favorite of the night. It reminded me of hawaiian punch. It was very light and delicious! I can't remember the name of it or what was in it, sorry! Cruella's drink was also quite good. It tasted like milk and was called the spotted dalmatian. 

 

Up next for meet and greets was the fabulous Queen of Hearts. She was probably our favorite character of the week. She was so funny and wonderful. She talked to us for quite a while and even left to go join the dance party for just a moment. Our little princess wanted to discuss with her the removing of heads if she should see fit. The Queen of Hearts loved this, but made sure to tell her she's only allowed to reward good behavior at Club Villain. She said when she gets older she would call her and enroll her in training. She was lovely and hilarious!! As you can judge by our photos.

The Evil Queen was probably the most unfriendly of all but she is supposed to be right? We told her we were the fairest of them all and she said maybe in our mirrors at home but definitely not to her mirror. We spent the least time with her as she just asked us for a photo and said off you go. 

   

We then took to the desert tables. There were 2 of them on either side of the room. You had to visit each table to find out what the specialty desert was. We enjoyed the chocolate mouse and puppy tart from Cruella, Maleficent was a chocolate with green icing cupcake, as well as this delicious green pudding that sparkled! The Queen of Hearts featured a heart red macaroon, and of course red velvet cupcakes. 

We finished up the party by dancing to some crazy good tunes!! And we spent some more time with Maleficent just because we could! All in all the party took about 2 hours from start to finish. 

We enjoyed our experience very much and felt like it was worth the splurge on this trip. It was nice to be indoors and be waited on as well as get away from the hustle and bustle of the parks. We never once felt rushed and were able to really relax and have fun at the party. The character experiences were amazing as well. They do not rush you and we never had to wait in line which was another great thing. The food was delicious as well as the drinks. It was great to have an unlimited, relaxing, and fun experience with the whole family. We would definitely recommend this special ticketed event to anyone who loves a good party but especially those that love the villains. 

Club Villain is currently available through May right now and may be extended. The price tag is $129 per person, no discount for children. Club Villain is recommended for ages 9 and up as it can be a bit scary for smaller children. All food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are included. There are photographers on site as well. 

Day 3 of WDW Trip: Reviewing Hollywood Studios

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!!

Club Villain Dates Extended at Walt Disney World

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. 

Must Have FastPasses

Happy Monday readers and friends!! I hope most of us were able to weather the big snow storm this past weekend and all are warm and snug in our homes or work today. As most of you know, the Disney Traveling family will be heading down to Orlando in late March to have a wonderful time at MouseLand!! We are so excited and half of our excitement is just in planning the whole trip. Who's with me?!

So I decided to put a list together of Must Have FastPass+ that are enjoyable for everyone in your party. Some of us love the thrills and many of us travel with our families so our FastPass+ have to be all ages friendly. Read on below to find out some of my go to tips and tricks for getting the FastPass+ you want and what to do if you are traveling at Peak Times and cannot get the FastPass+ you want. 


1. Animal Kingdom Must Have FastPass+ - My favorites at this park are hands down: DINOSAUR, Kali River Rapids, and Expedition Everest. My runner up would have to be Kilimanjaro Safaris. 




2. Hollywood Studios Must Have FastPass+ - My favorites here are: Toy Story Midway Mania, Star Tours, and Tower of Terror. Runner ups in the list are a plenty: Aerosmith's Rockin Roller Coaster, The Great Movie Ride, Voyage of the Little Mermaid. The important thing to keep in mind with Hollywood Studios is they operate on a tiered ride system. Meaning that you get one pick from Group A which includes: Rockin Roller Coaster, Toy Story Midway Mania, The Great Movie Ride, Beauty and the Beast Live, and Fantasmic. You get two choices from Group B which include: Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones Stunt Show, Muppet Vision 3D, Frozen: A Sing Along Celebration, Star Tours, Disney Junior Live, and Voyage of the Little Mermaid. 
You really have to look at what works best for your family at this park as there are so many great rides to choose from and they are still expanding the park!! 




3. Epcot Must Have FastPass+ - Epcot is another park that is changing and with that so do my FastPass selections. I always make sure to get Test Track, Spaceship Earth, and Mission Space. This is another park that has recently updated their tiered system in groupings. Group A you can pick one ride from: IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, Soarin', Test Track, Living with the Land. And in Group B you pick two from: Disney/Pixar Short Film Festival, Journey Into Imagination With Figment, Mission: SPACE, Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, Epcot Character Spot





4. Magic Kingdom Must Have FastPass+: Oh that amazing amount of rides and things to do at this park one could easily do 3 or 4 days in just this park alone! However, I know many of us will just be visiting for 1 or 2 days so look at my choices below. This is absolutely a park where it will be different for every family so make your selections based on your party. Mine always include: Anna and Elsa Meet and Greet, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Space Mountain. So many runner ups here but just to name a few: Splash Mountain, Peter Pan's Flight, Jungle Cruise, Big Mountain Railroad, Enchanted Tales with Belle. 





So there you have it. Those are my top rides that the Disney Traveling family always tries to get when we go! What are your must have FastPass+? Comment below and let me know.

How do you get the best FastPass+ choices and windows? Well that's a simple answer. Any resort guests 60 days out from arrival can make FastPass+ selections beginning at 7am CST. It is so important to log on and make your selections as soon as possible. If you are traveling at Peak Times then expect the prime FastPass+ windows to be grabbed up quite quickly. 

Now let's talk about what to do if you can't get a FastPass+ for your favorite ride. My top answer is to keep trying. Especially if you are a resort guest and trying to make reservations 60 days out, some people change their FastPass+ windows or even cancel their vacation all together. Many things can change and happen in 60 days so keep trying. Leaving for vacation and still don't have the FastPass+ you wanted? That's ok! Make it to the park for rope drop or closing and high tail it to your favorite ride. The wait times will be lowest at park opening and closing and while there is a parade or fireworks show going on. Take advantage of this time and ride your favorite rides you didn't get FastPass+ for. 

Of course, always remember that once you have used all of your FastPass+ for that day you can make your way to a kiosk and make another FastPass+ selection. It's a great way to keep getting those FastPass+ and keep riding rides knowing you are not having to wait in line for your favorite rides. 

Ready to book your vacation? Please contact me below for your free quote or to book. My services are always 100% free to utilize and I provide you with excellent customer service and a concierge experience from booking to travel.