January 01, 2008
Hello and Happy New Year!
I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season.
With the beginning of a new year and cold, dreary weather, many of us begin planning our upcoming vacations – I know I sure do! And hopefully that vacation will be to someplace with a warmer climate. Well, wonderful, warm Walt Disney World is definitely in that category with fantastic weather all year round! So while the snow falls outside, let us use this time to get cozy, catch up on the latest Disney news, and do some Disney dreaming and planning.
Ring in the New Year – Disney Style!
Okay, okay, chances are if you are reading this, then you were not in Disney World last night for New Year’s Eve….but, maybe you will be next year! Spending New Year's Eve in Disney World sounds like a thrilling and fun idea to me. So, if you ever plan on doing so, here are a few suggestions and things to keep in mind.
First, all parks have extended hours and are very crowded. Pick a park and plan to arrive at the opening time. Try to spend the entire day there (don't leave and come back). It will be super crowded and sometimes they will refuse admittance if the park is at capacity. Do not plan on park hopping on New Year’s Eve.
Fastpasses may be hard to get on that day. Get any fastpasses that you want as early as possible. You will probably see the wait-times for the most popular attractions in excess of 2 hours.
The parks have live entertainment throughout the day/evening in addition to special fireworks for ringing in the New Year.
As far as dining goes, reservations can be booked up to 180 days in advance. Call 407-939-3463 or 1-877-939-3732. Depending on which restaurant you choose, you may have to use a credit card to hold the reservation. Also, there is usually a 48 hour cancellation policy.
Again, be sure to make your dining selection and arrangements well in advance. I personally think one of the Epcot restaurants would be particularly fun on New Year’s Eve. Wouldn’t it be neat to have a reservation at one of the World Showcase restaurants for around the time that country will be celebrating their New Year's back home? For example, the United Kingdom is five hours ahead of Disney World, so at 7:00 pm in Orlando it is midnight in the UK. By booking your dinner for 6:30 pm on New Year's Eve, you can enjoy your meal in the Rose and Crown when midnight is struck in the real UK. Then you can do it all again five hours later when it turns midnight for everyone in America (or at least the east coast)!
Disney World Marathon Weekend
Runners take your mark….
Marathon weekend is all set for January 11-13, 2008. The events are as follows:
- January 11
- 5K Family Safari
- Fun Run Kids Races
- 5K Family Safari
- January 12
- Half Marathon
- Goofy’s Race and a Half
- Health and Fitness Expo
- Half Marathon
- January 13
- Marathon (26.2 miles)
- Goofy’s Race and a Half
- Health and Fitness Expo
- Awards Ceremony
- Marathon (26.2 miles)
My husband Mike would love to add the Disney Marathon to his list of accomplishments. He runs a couple of marathons every year and in his free time maintains the www.the-fitness-motivator.com website. (sorry about the shameless plug – I couldn’t resist!). Maybe we’ll aim for him to run in 2010?
The 5K family safari sounds like something my family would really enjoy. Everyone can participate in this official WALT DISNEY WORLD Marathon Weekend Event. It is a 5K course that winds through Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park with an unforgettable finish where you can high-five your favorite Disney characters. My cross-country running boys would get such a kick out of that!
The aptly-named Goofy Race and a Half is just what its name implies. Yep, it is for those Goofy enough to run both the full and the half marathons! My Goofy has already informed me that this is the race(s) that he'd like to do!
Down at the other end of the scale, the Kids Races are broken down into age groups – up to age 8. There is even a Diaper Dash for babies under 12 months!
Save the Date: Registration for the 2009 WALT DISNEY WORLD Marathon Weekend opens January 14, 2008!
2008 Pirate and Princess Party
If you are going to Disney World this Spring, you may want to check out the Pirate and Princess Party. This is a fun and adventure-filled evening for all ages.
NOTE:Even if you are not interested in attending the party, take note of the dates since the Magic Kingdom closes early on those days. Only those guests with separate party tickets will be allowed to enter the Park.
The party dates are as follows:
- January 21, 26, 29
- February 2, 5, 9, 14, 22, 26
- March 1, 6, 11, 14
Event Hours: 7:00 pm - 12:00 am
Additional, but unofficial dates for April and May are as follows:
- April 1, 4, 6, 11, 16, 23 and 29
- May 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 21, 26, 31
Get on the LIST!
Sometimes the Disney reservation system automatically attaches a discount code to your individual file. Many times these codes are limited or not available to the general public. So, I suggest that you make sure Disney has a way of notifying you! Call Disney at 1-407-W-DISNEY and have the cast member check your communication preferences. I remember years ago, mine was set to “do not call”, “do not email”, and “do not mail”. Do not let this happen to you – allow them every possible way to give you a discount! One of these codes could get you a resort upgrade, percentage off, or maybe even free dining!
If it is your birthday, be sure to get a Birthday Pin from each of the Parks. You can request a birthday button at the Guest Relations area. Each Park has its own design – try to collect them all!
My son wore his buttons each day throughout our vacation, and was given lots of special attention. Many parade performers shook his hand and wished him Happy Birthday. We were even taken to the front of the line for Soarin’ in Epcot. Needless to say, even at the tender age of 5 years, it did not take long for him to realize the extreme power of the Disney Birthday Button!
Oh – and as an added bonus, the pins made wonderful and free souvenirs for him!
I hope you enjoy the most recent additions at the Plan a Magical Vacation website:
- June 2008 Park Hours have been added.
- Magic Kingdom Hours
- EPCOT Hours
- Disney Hollywood Studios Hours
- Animal Kingdom Hours
- Blizzard Beach Hours
- Typhoon Lagoon Hours
- A Disney Gifts and Shopping section has been added.
- With fantastic guide books and Disney Music (including my favorite CDs: the Illuminations Soundtrack, Heigh Ho Mozart, and Bibbidi Bobbidi Bach).
- There are also lots of movie soundtracks – the music from Lilo and Stitch is great!
- An interactive Disney Tips section has been started with numerous categories. So far, we only have Magic Kingdom Tips, but rest assured, more tips will follow! You can even share your favorite Tip via the Submit a Tip form!
To see a more lengthy list of the recent additions, please visit our What’s New page.
If you have a Disney or vacation-related idea that you wish to share with all of us, or if there is some topic you would like more info about, please contact us!
Well, that’s all for this month. Be sure to bookmark or add us to your favorites so you can stay informed of all of the changes at www.plan-a-magical-vacation.com.
If you like this newsletter, please feel free to forward it to a friend. Also, please share your thoughts or suggestions with me. I always appreciate feedback and I am very interested in making each and every newsletter edition as helpful and meaningful for you as possible. If a friend did forward this to you and if you like what you read, please subscribe by visiting The Disney Scoop.
Be sure to visit us again to Plan a Magical Vacation!