In July, my husband and I are taking our first Caribbean cruise together out of New York on Princess Cruise Line’s Caribbean Princess ship. As New Yorkers (and Disney fans), we were excited to hear that Disney Cruise Line will add New York as a port of call on two new cruise itineraries beginning in 2012.
Disney Sails from New York, image from Disneycruise.disney.go.com
Disney’s first two cruise ships: Disney Magic, which launched in 1998, and sister ship Disney Wonder, which launched in 1999, are highly ranked on Cruise Critic’s Cruisers’ Choice Poll, earning a 4.6 and a 4.5 Overall ranking, respectively, and ranking especially highly in Entertainment (3rd & 4th overall) and Family & Children rankings for Kids Ages 10-12 (3rd & 6th overall), Kids Ages 13-15 (1st & 4th overall), and Kids Ages 16+ (2nd & 5th overall). And with two new Disney ships on the way: Disney Dream, which had its maiden voyage on January 26, 2011, and Disney Fantasy, which is set to launch in March, 2012, Disney Magic and Disney Wonder will soon debut at brand new ports of call.
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=670
Have you heard the big news coming out of the Magic Kingdom? In January, new details emerged about the planned Fantasyland expansion that will more than double the size of the area with new attractions opening in 2012 and 2013. For more details on the Fantasyland expansion, click here. One of the new attractions will be The Beast’s Castle featuring the Be Our Guest Restaurant, a 552 seat dining establishment that will offer a casual counter-service lunch by day and an elegant sit-down table service dinner by night.
Concept Art of the Be Our Guest Restaurant at the Magic Kingdom, copyright Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
When it opens, the Be Our Guest Restaurant will join the ranks of more than 150 restaurants, cafes, and food courts at the Walt Disney World Resort. Many of the restaurants are ranked among the best in Orlando, from the elegant Victoria & Albert’s to the African-themed Jiko – the Cooking Place. During our Honeymoon visit to the Walt Disney World Resort last fall, my husband Matthew and I ate at several of Disney’s most popular sit-down restaurants and thoroughly enjoyed our dining experiences.
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=542
Disney's Yacht Club Resort, photo by Valerie Champagne
Now that winter is creeping up on the Northeast, it’s a perfect time to reflect on my September honeymoon in sunny, temperate Florida. For our nine day stay at the Disney World Resort, the Yacht Club Resort was recommended to us by our Small World Vacations travel agent, and my husband and I chose the deluxe resort for two major reasons: 1. the close proximity to a fabulous selection of restaurants in Epcot’s International World Showcase and 2. the phenomenal Stormalong Bay pool complex.
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=292
Fans of Disney’s Peter Pan and Pirates of the Caribbean series ought to know that Sunday, September 19th is the International Talk Like a Pirate Day. This entirely unofficial holiday which began in 1995 is a celebration of pirate-y lingo, from the “arrr”s to the “avast me ‘earties, yo ho!”. Thanks to the efforts of millions of fun-loving pirate-wannabies, the holiday has spread around the world and will soon be upon us once again.
But fear not, me urchins, it’s never too late to join in on the fun. Here’s a list of ways ye Disney fans can celebrate this here very special pirate-y day. Yaaarr.
Pirates of the Caribbean Ride, image from Disneyworld.disney.go
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=180
One of the most frustrating things about visiting the Disney theme parks (especially during the summer), is the painfully long line queues that can force visitors to wait as many as 60, 75, or even 90 minutes for Disney’s most popular rides. A 90 minute wait for a 5 minute ride is an average of 18 minutes in line per 1 minute of ride – yikes!
Disney's Fastpass Service Logo
Fortunately, both Disney World and Disneyland offer Fastpass Service for their busiest rides. Fastpass tickets allow visitors to access shorter wait lines for certain rides at designated hour-long windows. The catch is that you can only retrieve a new ticket every two hours or after the window for a previous ticket has begun. Fastpass machines are located at the entrance to all of the rides that offer Fastpass access, and the service is so popular that during peak attendance, the machines may run out of tickets as early as the mid-afternoon. The tried-and-true advice is to grab a Fastpass ticket as soon as you enter the park and another one every two hours after that.
Read More: http://www.disney-blog.com/?p=112
