Kingdom Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort

Disney has finally released the plans of the building (currently under construction) at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. There have been quite a few rumors that this new building was going to be part of the Vacation Club. The news has finally been released. The building next to Disney’s Contemporary Resort, called the Kingdom Tower will be part of Disney’s Vacation Club. More details about this new Vacation Club property to come in the next few weeks.

Relax at Narcoossee's Restaurant at Disney World

One of our favorite restaurants at the Walt Disney World Resort is Narcoossee’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. This popular restaurant sits right on the Seven Seas Lagoon with a spectacular view of Magic Kingdom. Narcoossee’s, named after a city in Florida features some famous entree items including crab crusted flounder, grilled salmon, steamed whole lobster, grilled ahi tuna, and filet mignon. The desserts are also quite popular at this resort including the Year of a Million Dreams dessert called Almond-Crusted Cheesecake.

This restaurant does have a dress code that includes business casual. It is a great choice for adults and couples celebrating a special occassion. However, children also enjoy this restaurant with the lake and Magic Kingdom view. You can even plan a later dinner and watch the Wishes Fireworks over Cinderella’s Castle. It is a more expensive restaurant called a Disney Signature Table Service Restauant. If you are on the Dining Plan, you can use (2) of your sit down meals to enjoy this restaurant. If you are on the Premium or Platinum Package, this restaurant is included in your package. It is a great choice for an evening away at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Money Saving Tip with Free Ticket Upgrade Disney Package

With the new Disney discount promotion with the free ticket upgrades to the Park Hopper Option and the Waterparks, Fun and More Option consider adding the No Expiration Option to your tickets. With the Waterparks, Fun and More Option; you will get extra visits to the Disney Water Parks, Pleasure Island, Wide World of Sports and DisneyQuest. If you add a 4-Day Pass to your package, you will get 4 days at the Disney Theme Parks and 4 extra visits to these attractions listed above. That is alot of days to play around Disney World.
If you visit Disney World once a year or every other year, you should add additional days to this ticket and then add the No Expiration Option. If your normally buy a 4-Day Pass to Disney World, you should consider buying an 8-Day Pass. Upgrading your 4-Day Pass to an 8-Day Pass and then adding the No Expiration Option is just $130 more per person. If you make this up front investment with an 8-Day Pass, you will get 8 days at the Disney Theme Parks and 8 extra visits to the Disney Waterparks and Downtown Disney.

You may only use 4 days at the Theme Parks and 2 extra visits to the Disney Waterparks or Downtown Disney on this visit, but that will leave you 4 days to visit the Theme Parks and 6 extra visits at the other Disney Attractions to use on a future visit. Upgrading your tickets and adding the No Expiration Option is a higher up front cost, but it will save you money on your future visit to Disney World. You can save from $168 per person on tickets for your next visit to Disney World! It is a higher upfront cost, but you will save alot of money on tickets for your next visit to Disney World.

For more details about the free ticket upgrade promotion or adding more days to your tickets, contact your Disney Specialist.

Towncar and Limo Transfers at Disney World

Disney does offer the free Magical Express transfers and baggage handling for guests staying at the Walt Disney World Resort. However, some guests prefer to have their own transportation and extra customer service for their Disney World vacation. A private Towncar or Limousine Transfers from the Orlando International Airport or Sanford International Airport to your Disney Resort may be a better choice for your family. Besides have a private car just for your family, you can even request a stop on the way to your Disney Resort. Many guests like to make a stop at a grocery store to pick up some extra snacks for the trip. Some guests even make the stop in front of the arch at the Walt Disney World gates for a picture! Ask you Disney Specialist for more details about adding a private towncar or limousine to your Disney World Resort.

Virtual Magic Kingdom

If you want to experience Space Mountain, but can not take a trip to Disney World this year, join the Virtual Magic Kingdom. This online gaming experience takes you into your favorite Disney Theme Parks at the Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland in Southern California. You can create a Character and then wander through different lands, play games, and even create your own room. It is a fun way to experience Disney, but from your own chair. Plus, VMK is free!
See ya on Space Mountain!

Star Wars Weekends at Disney World

Disney offers special events throughout the year at the various Disney Theme Parks and Downtown Disney. One of the most popular events takes you far…far…away (well, at least to Disney’s Hollywood Studios). This event is called Star Wars Weekends. The schedule for Star Wars Weekends has been released for this year. This event will be held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from June 6-29. This is the longest Star Wars Weekends events ever with Star Wars villians and heros, trivia contests, learn to be a Jedi, and so much more. For all Star Wars fans big and small, this is the special event for you. Star Wars Weekends is included in your paid admission for Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Free Ticket Upgrades on a Disney World Package

The same discount for Disney Visa Cardholders was released today for the general public. If you are thinking about a visit to Disney World, plan your trip from March 30-May 21 to take advantage of this extra discount. With the Magic Your Way Package, Magic Your Way Package plus Dining, or Magic Your Way Package plus Deluxe Dining Packages you can get free ticket upgrades to the Park Hopper Option and the Waterparks, Fun and More Option. This is a savings of $102 per adult!

Our agents have been on the phone since 7 AM upgrading our guests to this new discount package. This is actually a free service that our company offers our guests. We always want to find you the best possible deal, even if it is after your package is confirmed. If you booked your package on your own and are visiting during these dates, be sure to contact your travel agent or Disney to modify your current reservation to this discount. Once a package or room is booked, you can always modify it to a discount promotion if it is available.

For more on this new promotion, click on this link. Hurry - this discount package expires March 21.

Disney Visa Card Promotion

If you have a Disney Visa Card, you can take advantage of a discount special this Spring. Disney is offering a discount package for Disney World vacations from March 30-May 21. This discount is applied to a Magic Your Way Package, Magic Your Way Package plus Dining or Magic Your Way Package plus Deluxe Dining. This package includes free ticket upgrades to the Park Hopper Option and Waterparks, Fun and More Option. This is a savings of $102 per adult!
With this promotion, you do have to use your Disney Visa Card for the deposit and final payment. Visit our website for more details and to request a quote.

Pin Trading at Disney World

One of the biggest crazes at Disney World is pin trading. Collecting pins is a fun way to remember your Disney World vacation. Most guests purchase a lanyard that you wear around your neck and then add pins to the lanyard. You can purchase pins for your favorite Disney Characters or even your favorite attractions at the Walt Disney World Resort.

During your vacation, you can trade your pins with other people. This is a great way to interact with Cast Members and other guests at Disney World. To get started you can purchase lanyards and pins at all of the Disney Resort merchandise shops and around the Theme Parks. You can even purchase pins and lanyards online at Disney Shopping and Ebay. There is some etiquette to trading pins. Here is a link to pin trading etiquette at Disney World. Happy Pin Trading!

Mickey's Penthouse - Playroom and Bathroom

One of my favorite rooms in the Mickey Penthouse was the playroom and 2nd bath. The playroom was truly all Mickey Mouse fun with a Mickey phone and lamp (that talked to you anytime you turned it on and off), a huge round bed, bean bag chair, and entertainment center that was the shape of Mickey’s head. The entertainment center had lots of entertainment from video games to popular Disney movies. This room also had a sliding glass door with the views of Downtown Disney and the Theme Parks. Right next to the sliding glass door was an Animators Center where the kids could color and draw with black lights. This was a really fun area!

The bathroom was all red, black and yellow with Mickey Mouse accessories everywhere. The sink had Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse painted right on the sink. There were even white Mickey gloves as the hooks. One of the fun features of this room was actually the tile on the walls and floor. The grout (in between each tile) actually glowed in the dark. If you turned out the lights, you could still see because the grout would glow in the dark. This was a really fun room all themed after Mickey Mouse himself!

Mickey's Penthouse - Master Bedroom Suite

In experiencing Mickey’s Penthouse, there were so many fun Mickey features around the room. The Master Bedroom and Bath were actually a little more luxurious for the adults. The furniture was not really themed Mickey except for the Mickey shaped hardware. By the way, if you wonder where Disney gets their furniture try Williams Sonoma. The furniture in the bedroom was actually from Williams Sonoma (go figure).

There were shadow boxes above the bed with statues and pictures of Mickey Mouse. All of the artwork was quite amazing. There was a floor to ceiling sliding glass window with the same spectacular views of the Downtown Disney and Theme Park areas. The fun aspect of the master suite was the bathroom.

The entrance to the bathroom featured a sliding glass door with a huge (floor to ceiling) silouette of Mickey Mouse in black. Inside the bathroom, was a jacuzzi tub and steam shower. There was a huge mirror above the sink area. The mirror had a television inside the mirror, just in case you wanted to watch TV while in the tub. One of the extra fun features of this bathroom was the “hidden Mickey” in the steam shower. As the steam started filling in the shower, a border of Mickey Mouses would appear in steam around the whole shower. Stay tuned tomorrow for details about Mickey’s playroom.

Leave it to Disney to make a bathroom really cool!

Mickey's Penthouse - Amazing Views and Amenities

In this blog, I am going to talk a little bit about the main room of Mickey’s Penthouse, the living room area. When you first walk into Mickey’s Penthouse, you see the living room area. On the left is a desk with Mickey phone, Mickey stapler, Mickey tape dispenser (you get the idea…lots of Mickey). Behind the desk is a wall covered in sketches of Mickey Mouse. As you walk over to the living room, you cannot miss the floor to ceiling sliding glass windows with an incredible view of the Downtown Disney and Theme Parks. It is a beautiful view! The living room area is just as fun with Mickey colors (yellow, black and red) furniture and an entertainment center that has Disney Themed Books (all autographed by the writers) and statues and figurines of Mickey and friends. There is one huge flat screen TV and two smaller flat screen TVs (for the kids). On the ceiling is a huge Mickey Mouse shaped light that changes colors from blue to purple. This Mickey Mouse is the full length of the whole room.

One of the coolest features of this room is the night time viewing of Dreams Fireworks at Disneyland. Disney pipes in the music and story through the television. We just opened the sliding glass windows, turned on the television and watch the most incredible view of the fireworks right from our suite.

Another fun feature of this room was the magic mirror. Right at the front entrance is an oval shaped mirror. This is Mickey’s magic mirror. There are two lights on top of this mirror. Anytime the lights flicker, Mickey Mouse would appear. You could actually interact with you. Mickey would tell jokes and you could actually answer the jokes and he would respond. Mickey Mouse was truly interacting with you in person. It was just one more feature that make Mickey’s Penthouse amazing!

Night in Mickey's Penthouse

As a travel agent specializing in Disney vacations, I get to experience lots of “magic” everyday. However, one of the highlights of my career was my recent trip to Disneyland to stay in Mickey’s Penthouse. This night in Mickey’s Penthouse is only available for guests that win the Year of a Million Dreams celebration. Since not everyone gets to experience this suite, it was an extra special trip!

Our visit to Disneyland started with a night in Mickey’s Penthouse at the Disneyland Hotel. Upon arrival, we were escorted up a glass elevator to the top floor of the Disneyland Hotel. As we walked to our room, the tour guide talked about some of the history of the hotel and Mickey’s Penthouse. This penthouse is on the Concierge Floor with other rooms, but it is hard to miss this room. You see a big red double doors that say Mickey’s Penthouse on a plaque. As you enter, all you can do it gasp. It really is Mickey’s suite! The colors are all red, black and yellow with Mickey phones, Mickey statues, and pictures of the big mouse everywhere. It was fun for my family to just run through the penthouse checking out all of the rooms and details.
The kids (ages 2 & 4) went right for Mickey’s playroom. My wife and I went right to the spectacular view overlooking Downtown Disney, California Adventure and Disneyland. The penthouse is 5 regular sized rooms combines in one huge suite. There is a small bath in the front entrance, bedroom with another bathroom, living room, dining room, bar area, and a playroom with 2nd batheroom.

I will be talking more about the penthouse in several blogs this week, but some of the extra special features of this night included the exceptional service from the VIP Coordinators, Concierges, and Guest Services. These Cast Members went above and beyond to make sure this night and our whole trip was one to remember. As a past Cast Member, it was nice to experience this trip as a guest and receive the typical magic that we always hear our guests talk about. Stay tuned this week for more details and pictures from my night in Mickey’s Penthouse!

Disney World Tickets - No Expiration Option

The Disney World tickets can be a little confusing with all of the different options. If you are a regular to the Walt Disney World Resort, you may want to consider adding the No Expiration Option to your tickets. When you add the No Expiration Option, your usused days on your tickets never expire. You can come back to Disney in 2009 or 2020 and still use your tickets. If you are a regular to Disney World, this is an easy way to save money on your tickets.
For more information about tickets, visit our website.

Agent Wins Night in Mickey's Penthouse

We get excited when our guests win prizes for the Year of a Million Dreams, but it is always a treat when one of our agents win. Usually it is a shopping spree or Dream FastPasses. This time it is a Disneyland Package with a night in Mickey’s Penthouse. One of our agents, Tim, won this Disneyland Package during our 4th Annual Earmarked Conference in September. This package includes a night at Mickey’s Penthouse in Disneyland along with an extra 2 nights at the Disneyland Hotel and tickets to visit the Theme Parks.

This morning, Tim and his family took an early flight out of Florida to California to experience this magical trip. Tonight, they will stay at Mickey’s Penthouse. This penthouse is only awarded to guests that win this prize for the Year of a Million Dreams. It is a 2-Bedroom/2-Bath suite with one-of-a-kind artwork and high-tech touches like Mickey’s Magic Mirror where Tim and his family can interact with Mickey Mouse. There are even Hidden Mickeys throughout the penthouse. Tim will have a full report on his once in a lifetime Disneyland vacation when he returns on Tuesday!

New Playhouse Disney Characters at Disney World

The popular show called Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Disney-MGM Studios) recently got a face lift. The Characters including Bear in the Big Blue House, Winnie the Pooh, and JoJo were replaced by the newer Playhouse Disney Characters. You can now see Disney Characters from the popular Disney Channel televisions shows including Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny and the Little Einsteins.
This live show is great for preschoolers and parents. Your kids will sing and dance with their favorite Playhouse Disney Characters. Disney’s Hollywood Studios features several shows each day of the new Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage. Click here for more details on this new show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Save Money on your Airfare

An expensive part of a Disney World vacation is the airfare to fly down to Orlando. To save some money on your vacation, book your arrival and departure days on Tuesday or Wednesday. For the Spring and Summer months, flights are usually less expensive when flying on these days. For example, Southwest is offering a discount for these days from $49-99 each way. Click here for more information on saving money during a Disney World vacation.
Thanks to our friends at Insider’s Guide to Disney for this tip!

Disney World Sporting Events

Besides visiting Disney World for the Theme Parks, there is a world of other attractions and activities at the Walt Disney World Resort. Disney Wide World of Sports is a Department at Disney that handles all of the sporting events at Disney World from the Disney Marathon to College Sporting Events like lacrosse. They have lots of sporting events that run year round at Wide World of Sports and just around the Walt Disney World Resort. For more information and a schedule of events, check out the Wide World of Sports website.

Disney's Muddy Buddy Event

After talking a little bit about Disney’s Wide World of Sports, we wanted to talk about some of the fun sporting events coming up in the next few months. If you love sports, you may want to plan your vacation around one of the fun events at Disney.
One of our favorite events is Disney’s Muddy Buddy race. This is a team race with one athlete does a trail run and the other athlete does a bike ride. Both athletes have obstacles during the race and at the end, both has to get through the “infamous” mud pit. You should see this mud pit, it is great! You just want to jump in for the fun of it! This years event is scheduled for May 10. The race course is 6.5 miles long and is fun for teens at least 14 years old and adults of all ages.
To register, check out Disney’s Wide World of Sports site.

Disney Sporting Events

Since we are focusing on Disney sporting events this week, we wanted to talk about groups at Disney World. There are all types of groups that come to visit Disney World from family reunions to sporting groups. If you are bringing a sporting group to Disney, be sure to go through the Disney Sporting Groups Department. You can usually save money by booking group rooms and tickets just for your sporting event.
If Disney Sporting Groups Department cannot help you with your Disney Trip, contact us. We have a team of travel agents that focus on Disney World vacations for guests visiting sporting events. We are familiar with all of the logistics that go along with attending a Disney sporting event. Plus, we know where the groups are housed during sporting events. If you need assistance planning your Disney World vacation, please contact us. We are ready to help!

Save Time in Disney Lines

When wandering the Disney Theme Parks, you can save time waiting in lines with the FastPass system. You can also save some time with single rider lines on the more popular thrill rides. The single rider lines are for just one guest that wants to ride the attraction. You will be riding the attraction with other guests, but you can save quite a bit of time waiting in line with the single rider line.
On Saturday, some of our agents went to Mission Space at Epcot. The regular wait was 40 minutes. The single rider line was just about 10 minutes. Much better wait time! Check out the single rider lines at the Disney Theme Parks to save more time waiting in lines at the Disney Theme Parks.