A Little Extra Disney Magic

How often do you buy a TV or an item for your family and then several months later, get an email or call from the company saying that your item went on sale and you are getting a refund. In my life, that has never happened! However, all day today that is what we did for our guests that booked a Disney World vacation. Disney just released a new discount package that includes one of the Disney Dining Plans for free. Our entire office spent the time to call Disney and personally to change all of the Disney World Packages (that were already booked with a deposit) to this new promotion. We then contacted our guests to let them know we were able to book this new discount and saved them hundreds to thousands of dollars. One of the family wedding groups we had booked, saved over $3,500 with this new discount.

In a time when everyone ones to save as much money as possible on everything, isn't it nice to know you have someone on your side watching to make sure you get the best possible price on your trip (even after you paid for it). That is just one of the services we provide our guests everyday. For more information about our agency or the new Disney World Package, visit our website at Destinations in Florida Travel.

1st Visit to Disney World is the Ultimate Celebration

Disney considers a 1st visit to Walt Disney World as the ultimate celebration! When you arrive to your Disney Resort, you will receive a special button that says, "1st Visit to Disney World". You can wear this button during your entire vacation. It is a fun goodie and a great souvenir to remember your trip.

Here are some suggestions to make your 1st visit to Disney World even more special:

• Character Dining
  From Mickey Mouse to Mary Poppins, you can experience unique Character dining experiences throughout the Disney Theme Parks. One of the most popular locations is Cinderella's Royal Table Restaurant, where the princess herself hosts a hearty breakfast or lunch. For all of the Character Dining, be sure to make an Advanced Dining Reservation with your Disney World Specialist or by calling 407-WDW-DINE. These reservations do book up early.
• First Visit Merchandise
  To commemorate a first visit to Walt Disney World® Resort, Disney presents essential vacation supplies for the entire family including autograph books and personalized Mickey ears. At Downtown Disney Marketplace, you can even create your own design of Mickey or Minnie Mouse ears.
• Disney PhotoPass® Service – A family picture in front of Cinderella's Castle captures the splendor of Walt Disney World Resort, and is the perfect backdrop for a commemorative first family photo. Professional photographers will capture images of your Clients in the Magic Kingdom Park and other Disney Theme Parks which they can transform into personalized keepsakes with the magic of www.DisneyPhotoPass.com. If you book a Magic Your Way Package with Destinations in Florida Travel, you receive a free 5 x 7 PhotoPass certificate.

These are some special ways to make your first vacation to Disney World more special. Be sure to book your 1st Disney World vacation with us at Destinations in Florida Travel. We specialize in 1st visits to Disney World and make the whole planning process easier. Plus, our services are free. For more information, visit our other benefits of booking with us.

Disney World Discount Extended for More MAGIC

Disney World just extended a sale on one of the most popular discount packages in years. This popular package is called the Stay 4 Nights Get 3 Free Promotion. This package includes 3 nights at a Disney Resort and a 3 days at the Disney Theme Parks for free, when you purchase a 4-Night Package with a 4-Day Pass. Free nights and free days to play at Disney World! For this promotion, you must be visiting from March 1-June 27. The discount is based on availability.

As an added bonus, mention BLOG in your quote request and receive an extra $50 off your package! This extra bonus is only available for bookings from January 27-31. If you are considering a Disney World vacation this Spring or Summer, now is the time to book. Disney's Stay 4 Nights Get 3 Nights Free sale ends on March 29. Click here for more details about this discount package and to request a quote.

*This discount cannot be combined with the ESM or MouseEars Club (repeat guest) promotions.

Pirate Rooms at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

The Walt Disney World Resort has been making lots of renovations and updates to the Disney Moderate Resort, called Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. This past year, the main pool received an incredible update with a new pirate ship and splash park for kids. Most of the Standard, Water View, and Preferred Rooms at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort also got a new Finding Nemo theme with unique accessories and bedding. One of the newest updates for 2009, are the Pirate Rooms. If you have any pirates in your family, this is the ultimate room for your Disney World vacation. The entire room is themed after pirates! The beds are two huge pirate ship with the headboards that look like a mast and sail. The two pirate ships are double beds. Besides the pirate beds; the artwork, curtain, and even tables and chairs are all themed for the pirate room. This Pirate Room is the ultimate themed room for your pirate fan.

You can choose from two views for this room, including the regular Standard View or a Water View that may overlook the pool or lake. The rates for the Pirate Room are very reasonable for a Disney Moderate Resort. The price runs from $174 for Value Season to $249 for Holiday Season for a Standard View Pirate Room and $199 for Value Season to $274 for Holiday Season for a Water View Pirate Room. You can book these rooms as a Room Only Reservation or include it on a Magic Your Way Package with tickets and dining. Contact our Disney Specialists at Destinations in Florida Travel for more information on booking the new Pirate Rooms at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.

Your Own Christmas Tree at your Disney Resort

If you are visiting on Christmas Eve, you can surprise the kids with a Christmas tree from Disney Florist. This tree to the left is called the Neverland Tree themed after Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, perfect for a Disney World vacation.

You can order the tree online and they will deliver it to your room ready for Christmas. These trees are incredible and you can choose from lots of different styles for adults or kids. After Christmas, Disney Florist will ship the tree home to your house for future Christmases to come. For more information about the Christmas Trees from Disney Florist, visit this website.

Book Your Disney World Summer Vacation Today

I know this title probably have you thinking...what? It is not even Christmas, yet! I am not ready to plan a summer vacation. However, this is the perfect time to book your summer vacation if you want to save money. Disney has a sale on the Magic Your Way Packages that runs until June 27. This is the first time in several years that Disney has offered a discount promotion in June. Besides this new summer discount, this sale will save you hundreds of dollars if you stay at a Disney Value or Disney Moderate Resort and thousands of dollars if you stay at a Disney Deluxe Resort. Just yesterday, I booked a Magic Your Way Package plus Dining Plan for a guest at Disney's Polynesian Resort and she save $1,200 off her vacation. Talk about savings!

This discount package includes 3 nights free and 3 days free at the Disney Theme Parks, when you purchase a 4-Night Package with a 4-Day Pass. To save even more money, add one of the Disney Dining Plans and you can really save alot of money on your whole Disney World vacation experience. You do have to hurry. This sale ends on December 20. It is easy to book this package. Disney just requires a $200 deposit and then final payment is due 45 days prior to arrival. You have plenty of time to plan all of the details of your trip after the Holidays. Don't miss out on this special discount price!

One more early Christmas present! If you book this discount package with us, you will save an extra $50 off your package price, plus Mickey Mouse will call your family on Christmas Day to let them know they are going to Disney World for a vacation. That sounds like the ultimate Christmas present to me!

For more information about this Disney World sale, click here. Magical Seasons!

New Wave Restaurant at Disney's Contemporary Resort

We were fortunate enough to be in the Contemporary Resort this past weekend on the day they opened the new Wave Restaurant in Disney's Contemporary Resort. This restaurant replaces the Concourse Steakhouse, which is currently being renovated to become the new food court for the resort. Although the restaurant was only open for a private event, we were early enough that no one was in the restaurant and the Cast Members let us in to get an exclusive sneak peek! We took a short video just to show-off to our guests and fans, but we were quickly ushered out, so it is a very quick peek at the new restaurant.

The restaurant is included in Disney's Dining Experience in the same manner that the Concourse Steakhouse was included. It will require using your one sit-down service meals included each day with the Dining Experience. Additionally, in the same manner as the Concourse Steakhouse, Disney will honor DVC and Annual Passholder discounts in the new Wave Restaurant. The restaurant looks to be a perfect addition to the Contemporary Resort with a very modern appearance and trendy menu. You can read more about the restaurant in Disney's press release quoted below:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- With drinks like the Antioxidant Cocktail, entrées such as whole-wheat linguine with clams, rock shrimp and fresh thyme in chunky tomato broth, and crispy almond-raisin "baklava" for dessert, The Wave brings a surge of new dining ideas to Walt Disney World Resort.

Located in Disney's Contemporary Resort, the new restaurant is "bold cooking inspired by fresh markets," said Dieter Hannig, vice president of new concepts for Walt Disney World Food & Beverage. "America is more and more a melting pot, and The Wave features American cooking with world flavors."

Guests enter the stylish new space on the first floor of the hotel through a brushed steel arch "tunnel" into The Wave's lounge, one of the largest at Walt Disney World Resort. The sleek, serene décor is earthy browns and golds, with frosted glass lamps for soft ambient light and a copper-colored metal ceiling. Banquettes and booths line the perimeter of the dining room, and wooden tables are set with white linen napkins. A large central table is draped in sheer fabric in purples and golds.

Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the 220-seat restaurant takes casual dining into the health-conscious 21st century. The classic American breakfast menu includes plenty of egg creations, but guests also can make their own Wave muesli or sip a Beta Berry Smoothie with raspberry puree and non-fat yogurt blended with Odwalla Berries GoMega (a great source of Omega-3). The Pure Sunshine breakfast cocktail features organic vodka and orange juice topped with Vitamin Energy Drink. Coffee is organic Colombian (fair trade and "Smithsonian-certified bird-friendly") and teas are whole leaf Pyramid bags in flavors from chamomile blossoms to monsoon chai.

At lunch, light eaters might enjoy lettuce wraps with sautéed lamb and bay scallops, or a lump crab cake with crispy papaya slaw. Entrées include oversized salads and a vegetarian sandwich with grilled tofu, roasted veggies and herb goat cheese on multi-grain bread, but guests also can chow down on an Angus chuck burger with cheese and Applewood smoked bacon, or a classic grilled Reuben.

The dinner menu offers a delicious spin on comfort classics such as pan-seared Alaskan black cod with corn and edamame (soybean) stew with cilantro chutney; braised lamb shank with bulgur lentil stew and red wine sauce, and a nouvelle chicken pot pie with thyme pastry. Sides at both lunch and dinner include braised greens and roasted sweet potatoes and carrots.

"Lots of stocks, lots of broths and seasonal ingredients keep the menu well balanced," said Chef Frank Brough. "We are sourcing ingredients locally and regionally to create fresh flavors, and our fresh catch of the day features sustainable seafood."

Desserts continue the theme with a dozen choices for mixing and matching three mini-favorites for one price. From chocolate mousse with chocolate ganache, to yogurt sorbet with blueberry compote and coconut panna cotta with passion fruit, guests can indulge their sweet tooth without a big hit in calories. Or go overboard with a dessert cocktail like the Mudslide martini: Baileys Irish Cream, vanilla vodka, Kahlúa and vanilla ice cream.

Pleasure Island Closing - What Happens to Disney Tickets

After Disney's announcement on Saturday that Downtown Disney's Pleasure Island complex would be closing in September, 2008, many had questions about what that means to Annual Passholders, Premium Annual Passholders, and ticket holders with the Water Parks, Fun, and More option. Disney's own answers to these questions are quoted, below.

Q. What do the changes on Pleasure Island mean to a Pleasure Island Annual Passholder?

A. The closing of the Pleasure Island nightclubs will impact the Passholder's ability to use their Pleasure Island Annual Pass. Passholders who would like to request a pro-rated refund can stop by any Guest Relations location or Vacation Planning booth at the Walt Disney World® Resort or, call (888)-294-2691†.

Q. What do the changes on Pleasure Island mean to a Walt Disney World® Premium Annual Passholder?

A. Beginning September 28, 2008, your Premium Annual Pass will no longer include admission to the Pleasure Island nightclubs.The good news is that beginning June 28, 2008, Guests with a Premium Annual Passes will be able to play a round of golf at Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course—a relaxed, nine-hole walking course designed for the entire family! Tee times are required and subject to availability. To make a tee time, call 407-WDW-GOLF (939-4653)† or visit disneyworldgolf.com.

Q.How do the changes on Pleasure Island affect my Water Park Fun & More ticket option at Walt Disney World® Resort?

A. As a Water Park Fun & More ticket option holder, you receive a certain number of visits to your choice of Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Disney's Blizzard Beach® Water Park, DisneyQuest ® Indoor Interactive Theme Park, Disney's Wide World of Sports® Complex or the Pleasure Island nightclubs.Beginning June 28, 2008, you can also choose to use a visit to play a round of golf at Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course, a relaxed, nine-hole walking course designed for the entire family. Tee times are required and subject to availability. For tee times, call (407) WDW-GOLF (407-939-4653)† or visit disneyworldgolf.com.

Disney's Magical Express Resort Check in Changes

Many of the airlines are charging extra fees when you fly with more than one piece of luggage per person. These new airline fees are causing changing with the Airline Disney Resort Check In procedure. If you are traveling by one of the Disney Airlines partners including AirTran, American Airlines, Continental, JetBlue, Delta, Northwest, or US Airways you will be affected by these changes. If you have more than one piece of luggage per person, you will have to check your luggage at the airport instead of your Disney Resort. You do have another option. You can call the Baggage Airline Guest Services to pre-pay for your extra luggage and then check your luggage at your Disney Resort. This extra step of pre-paying for your lugagge will still save you time in lines at the Orlando International Airport. The phone number for the Baggage Airline Guest Services is 407-284-1231. The number of luggage per person varies depending on your airline, but if you have more than one piece of luggage, you will have to check your luggage at the airport or call the Baggage Airline Guest Services number for more details.

For more questions about the required luggage for your trip to Disney World, contact your airlines for more details. For more questions about the Magical Express Services, contact us at Destinations in Florida Travel.

Start your Fairytale with a Disney World Honeymoon

Walt Disney World Resort is one of the most popular honeymoon destinations in the World! Disney is the perfect start to your fairytale. The Walt Disney World Resort includes top rated restaurants, themed resorts, lots and lots of recreation, popular nightlife, and top entertainment. There are lots of activities at Disney World, just for couples.

One of the most popular aspects of a Disney World honeymoon is dining. Most couples want to dine at romantic restaurants with lots of variety. The Walt Disney World Resort is a perfect destination with over 125 restaurants at Disney World. All of these restaurants have special theming to make your dining experiences even more exciting. Imagine a romantic Mexican lunch inside a pyramid and then a few hours later sampling desserts inside a Castle with Cinderella and Prince Charming. There are so many restaurants and experiences for couples at the Walt Disney World Resort.

To make your Walt Disney World Resort honeymoon the perfect start to your fairytale, contact one of our agents. We have agents that specialize just on Disney World honeymoons. They will help you plan your romantic honeymoon with restaurant, recreation, and entertainment suggestions to make sure you are planning the best activities for a honeymoon vacation.

Disney Channel Stars at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Tweens and Teens visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios today, got to see their favorite Disney Channel stars during their Disney World vacation. The Disney Channel stars made their way through Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the Stars and Motorcars Parade. All of the stars rode in a classic cars with their favorite Disney Characters including Pluto, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. The most popular stars in this parade were the popular musical group, the Jonas Brothers. Kids were very excited to see this group make their way down the parade route. Guests also got to see the Cheetah Girls and Selena Gomez from the new series, the Wizards of Waverly Place. These stars were in Orlando for the Disney Channel Games, at Wide World of Sports.

Vote for your Favorite Disney CMO

The major election this year features a donkey and an elephant, but what about Mickey Mouse? You can make your vote count this year, but for a different election! You can help choose the 1st Disney CMO (Chief Magic Official). Disney has narrowed down the CMO canidates from 1,300 down to three gentlemen. These three men are all well qualified to become Disney’s 1st CMO. Each candidate has their own website with details about their platform and why you should vote for them as CMO.

The first candidate is from Powder Springs, GA. Click on the link below to meet Ronald West from the Best Pal Party. He is a radio station personality in Atlanta. His favorite movie is Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. His favorite song is Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Check out his website for more information and to vote for Ronald for CMO.

Our next candidate is Justin Muchoney from the Hakuna Matata Party. He lives in Seven Fields, Pennsylvania and is a Director of Music and Fine Arts. Justin’s favorite movie is Monsters, Inc. and favorite song is Circle of Life. Click here to view his website with more info about this fun candidate or to vote for Justin for CMO.

Our final candidate is David Hawley from the Two Left Feet Party from Roseville, California. This outgoing candidate is a Television Production Manager. His favorite song is Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah. His favorite movie is Beauty and the Beast. Click on David’s website for more information and to vote for him for CMO.

Be sure to vote for your favorite Chief Magic Official!

MOM Safety Tips for a Disney World Vacation

For moms it can be alot work, just getting the kids to a Disney Theme Park for the day! Besides getting them to the parks for fun, you want to make sure they are safe during their day. The Disney Theme Parks are huge and with lots of the distractions, so it is easy to get separated or lost. It can be scary for any parent or child to get separated from their family, but if you are prepared this experience can be a little easier.

Once you enter the Theme Park, be sure you set up a meeting spot. This is a spot where your family will meet you if anyone gets separated. Try to pick a specific location. As a Cast Member, you will be suprised how many times guests just pick Cinderella’s Castle for a meeting spot. There are several different sides and spots to meet at Cinderella Castle, so this makes a really tough meeting spot. Pick a specific spot, so there is no confusion where to meet everyone.
For younger kids, safety pin your cell phone number to their clothes or even use permanent market on their hand or arm. Be sure you use your cell phone. Most kids know their home phone number, but do not know their parent’s cell phone number. Remember you are not home to get that phone call, so make sure your kids have your cell number or have it memorized.
Tell your younger kids to find a Disney Cast Member if they get lost. If your child gets separated, they can go up to any Disney Cast Member for help. Disney Cast Members always have an oval Disney Parks name badge with their name. You may even want to stop a Cast Member (as you enter the park) to show your child their name tag and what happens if they get separated. This way your child will get to talk with a Disney Cast Member and realize they are nice and willing to help, just in case.

The Disney Theme Parks are lots of fun for the whole family, but it is easy to get separated. Just follow these few simple tips to make sure your family has a fun and safe day at the Walt Disney World Resort.