Tag Archives: vacation

Disney Party Tickets and Animal Kingdom Update

Tickets for two Magic Kingdom holiday events, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, are now available. This information comes via the official Disney Parks blog. Pricing and date information for both events are up at the official post. What’s funny about that, however, is that the article doesn’t contain any links to follow or phone numbers to call to actually book the tickets. All one needs to do, however, is go to the official Disney World pages detailing each event, and one is directed to the purchasing sites from there. Follow the link here for the … Continue reading →

Disney Deals Abroad

Just as the domestic Disney parks periodically update and change their special offers page, so do the international Disney parks. It’s time to take a look at the summer deals for Hong Kong Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. Hong Kong Disneyland has some special hotel and ticket packages, just like Disney World and Disneyland, but the deals don’t quite work the way that they do for the domestic parks. You don’t have to make your reservations by a certain date for a particular time; these packages are simply on offer from now until July 15. Four options are available. The first … Continue reading →

New Disney Cruise Destinations

The debut of the Dream seems to have kicked off a wave of Disney cruise news. Last week Disney website Stitch Kingdom announced that three brand new ports of departure have been added to the Disney cruise lineup for 2012: New York, Seattle, and Galveston, TX. Bookings for cruises launching from these new locations started on April 8. This news comes on the heels of the announcement of yet another cruise ship: the Disney Fantasy. Setting off on its maiden voyage in March 2012, the Disney Fantasy is the sister ship to the Dream. I haven’t posted a preview of … Continue reading →

Adventures by Disney: Urban History

The time has arrived for my final look at Adventures by Disney. It’s fitting that today’s blog features a vacation that takes its guests to Disneyland, among other more urban and historical retreats throughout the United States. To my surprise, there are currently no Adventures by Disney trips to either Disney World or to New York City. I could have sworn that AbD at least went to the latter some point, but for whatever reason that’s not on the table this year. Instead, AbD’s East Coast tour focuses on colonial history, with an 8-day 7-night Mid-Atlantic Family Vacation. Or as … Continue reading →

Sea World Cares

If you live in Central Florida and are considering adopting a pet, then I have a great deal for you. If you adopt from one of three specific shelters, then you can earn two free single-day tickets to Sea World. The program, dubbed Happy Tails, is a part of the amusement park’s initiative called Sea World Cares. Sea World Cares is the branch of the park that helps rehabilitate and conserve wild animals. Happy Tails, then, focuses on the local land animals in the Central Florida community. Happy Tails isn’t complicated. If you adopt a pet from one of the … Continue reading →

European Port Adventures

Today I’ve got some Disney cruise news that, unlike last time, isn’t just a little bit silly. The official Disney Parks blog, which really does seem to be more the official Disney vacation blog, announces some updates to the Disney European cruises. This summer all travelers aboard the Disney Magic, the cruise line’s often Europe-bound vessel, get to participate in the pilot launch of the European Port Adventures. The word “Adventure” is a hint; this new program reminds me very much of operations on an Adventures by Disney vacation. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if Disney’s putting its AbD … Continue reading →

FASTPASS to Meet Mickey Mouse

If you head down to Disney World during tourist season, you’re bound to spend a significant portion of your vacation waiting in lines. In recognition of this problem Disney has introduced a couple different solutions: queue-less waiting systems currently being tested at the Hollywood Studios and soon to come to the Magic Kingdom with the Fantasyland expansion, and the more pervasive FASTPASS. Introduced in 1999, the FASTPASS system allows Disney guests who pay a little extra to skip the line for rides. FASTPASS holders are given a designated time at which to arrive at rides, and if they show up … Continue reading →

Disney PhotoPass

It’s time for another edition of “What Is This Disney Feature?” In February I learned of all the many places money on a Disney gift card might be spent, but two of the names were unfamiliar. I’ve since examined Club Penguin, and today I’ll look at the second title I didn’t recognize: Disney PhotoPass. Disney’s all about creating lasting memories. That’s even the latest theme at the Disney parks. Because a primary way people make and preserve memories on vacations and throughout their lives is through photography, Disney decided to get in on the action. PhotoPass has existed for years … Continue reading →

Wild Africa Trek

Everyone around here knows how much I love the idea of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The concept of a zoo in an amusement park would be neat enough, but the Animal Kingdom is in some ways closer to a safari experience than that of a zoo. My excitement about the Animal Kingdom leads me to share new information any time there’s news about the park. I’ve managed to restrain myself from posting in paroxysms of glee whenever a baby animal is born there, but I think that the creation of a new attraction at the Animal Kingdom warrants attention. The official … Continue reading →

Adventures by Disney: The Natural North American Continent

My penultimate look at Adventures by Disney remains on the mainland, discovering the natural wonders of The United States and Canada. Those who don’t want to go overseas but want to experience the raw beauty their own continent has to offer should love today’s look at the next three AbD vacations. The first of our stops today, like our last look at AbD, features tours both in America and Canada. It looks at two of the countries’ gigantic national parks: Glacier National Park in Montana and Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. This 8-day, 7-night vacation is all about taking … Continue reading →