Much to the dismay of budget-conscious Disney fans everywhere, Disney announced that new ticket prices for the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts go into effect today. Ticket prices for the parks increase annually, and AllEars.net has a wonderfully comprehensive history of the Walt Disney World Resort ticket prices, dating back to the 1970s when 1 Day ticket prices were in the single digits! My, how times have changed.
This year’s increase adds $3 to the Adult and $5 to the Child 1 Day “Magic Your Way” Base tickets to the Walt Disney World Resort. Ticket prices for longer stays are going up as well, with the 10 Day Walt Disney World Resort “Magic Your Way” Base tickets jumping from $262 to $291 for adults and from $239 to $272 for children under 10. Premium Annual Passes, which include unlimited access to Disney’s water parks and Disney Quest, are going up from $629 to $649 for adults and $567 to $598 for children under 10.
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1145
“it’s a small world” is one of the most polarizing attractions at the Disney theme parks. The charming boat ride through scenes of frolicking animatronic, ethnically diverse children singing in the spirit of international unity, is a ride you either love or you hate. But even if you refuse to ride “it’s a small world” for fear of getting the saccharine, over-long, and repetitive theme song stuck in your head, you’ll have a hard time denying that the ride, originally featured at the 1964 New York World’s Fair before it moved to Disneyland in 1966, is just so darn… precious.
And what could be even more precious than “it’s a small world”, you ask? Why, children’s clothing inspired by “it’s a small world”, of course!
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1054
Recognize these?
Mickey Ears are worn by thousands of theme park visitors year-round, but in 2011 the classic look has gotten a much-needed upgrade. The newest trend seen round the parks are highly decorative Mickey Ears which are themed in everything from bridal to pirate, princess, ice cream, and Jack Skellington. The World Showcase at Epcot even sells specialty country ears, such as the Mexico-themed hats below.
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1025
For two months from March to May, the Epcot theme park at the Disney World Resort was in full bloom during the 18th annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. This year’s festival, hosted by HGTV, celebrated spring with more than 100 topiaries, including 75 Disney character topiaries arranged throughout the park.
Mickey and Pluto topiaries at the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, photograph by Samantha McElhaney
2011’s brand-new topiaries: Toy Story 3, Winnie the Pooh, Cars 2, and Rapunzel’s Tower, joined perennial favorites Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and Aladdin. The fairies of Pixie Hollow appeared live and in topiary form in the Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden to promote Tinker Bell and the Pixie Hollow Games, coming this Fall on the Disney Channel. The festival also featured the brand-new Bambi’s Butterfly House with Bambi character topiaries and hundreds of native butterflies to celebrate the release of the Diamond Edition of Bambi on Blu-ray and DVD.
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1011
Walt Disney World’s The Haunted Mansion is one of my absolute favorite theme park rides. One of my earliest Disney memories is seeing the hitchhiking ghosts during my first visit to Disney World when I was four. During my honeymoon visit last fall, I saw the moving eyes of the Madame Leota tombstone for the first time, but most of the cemetery surrounding the line queue was under construction.
Leota's tombstone in the Haunted Mansion graveyard, image from insidethemagic.net
For years, the line queue’s graveyard has featured tombstones with the names of Disney Imagineers and humorous epitaphs such as Dear Departed Brother Dave, He Chased a Bear Into Cave, and Here Lies Good Old Fred, A Great Big Rock Fell On His Head. After months of renovations, the graveyard has been revamped and expanded into a longer, interactive line queue.
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=1001
