With the largest ever expansion to The Magic Kingdom, the all new Fantasyland, it is almost doubling in size, is well on it’s way and should begin it’s opening in the latter part of 2012.

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride will be the first of it’s kind system taking you through the million diamoindshine mine themed set with music, a little speed and new swing action, delivering you right to Snow White and all of The Dwarfs.

The Princess Fairytale Hall will be a smash hit for all of the girls. Aurora, Cinderella and all of the other Princess’s will be there to meet and greet their guests in their elegant new Royal Court home.

The Two Dumbo rides are alongside the all New Storybook Circus, with the Old Favourite, The Barnstormer, featuring Goofy as the Circus leader Goofini!!

The all new Major attraction, Under The Sea, The Little Mermaid will take the young guests on an exciting adventure both above and below the Sea with the music backdrop from the Movie.

A Castle of The Beast will stand on a hill just across from the old stone bridge from Ariel’s new home. A new restaurant will feature a lavish dining experience in the elegant Ballroom, Gallery and Mysterious Castle. It will be Fast food by day and full table service by evening. Just outside of The Village is Belle’s Cottage and The Enchanted Tales with Belle. An all new Magical Mirror is the doorway to a captivating new kind of Storytelling experience with interactive features. All great news for the Young Ones, it will be even harder for us parents to plan the day out at Magic Kingdom.

Happy Holidays,

Mary & Larry

Following directly after the Launching of their newest Cruise Ship, Disney have just annouced the latest news for their NEW expansion plans at The Magic Kingdom.

They are adding an indoor roller coaster ride in the Fantasyworld sector. The “Seven Dwarfs Mine Train” will have the first of it’s kind ride system where the vechiles swing back and forwards as you proceed along the twisting mine run. The music from Snow White will play in your cab as your enter on your journey. The new developement is going to open in stages late next year and will have several new themes.

Storeybook Circus, replacing Mickey’s Toontown Fair, will allow you to go interactive with the Circus acts. The old children’s  favourite coaster ride, the Barnstormer, is to be upgraded and renamed the Great Goofini. Also, Dumbos Flying Elephant ride gets a complete new revamp. 

The planned Pixie Hollow meeting area for Fairies is now scrapped and will now be inside Hollywood Studios. However. some of the old favourites will remain, Under The Sea and Journey of the Little Mermaid have survived with new motion systems to enhance the rides.

The best new feature for us will be the Holograms of guests being shown live on Cinderellas Castle, imagine your kiddies faces beaming across The Magic Kindom. You will need to go straight to the booking booth on your arrrival to make sure you are on there!!!!

Have Fun

Mary & Larry

We all know how much support there is for Breast Cancer here in the UK. There is a great opportunity to give your support either by participating or just spectating while on your Florida holiday. It is a fantastic family event between February 25th. – 27th.

The Motto is Fairytales do come true – One Mile At a Time.

There comes a time in every woman’s life when she must blaze her own trail.  A time when she has to run, not from an evil stepmother, but to her moment of glory.  A day when the true princess inside of her shines through.  The time has come for you!.

Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend brings women of all ages together to participate in a magical event designed just for them. The Disney Princesses are the inspiration for the weekend’s events and will focus on the attributes every princess possesses: commitment, courage, determination, fantasy, perseverance, and strength.

The event will take place at Disney World between February 25-27th. 2011 So you may want to participate or just spectate but be very important part as all of the support helps and it is a fun and colourful family day out.

Before you run off on your training sessions there is also the Annual Disney Marathon weekend from January 6th – 9th. The runners receive Mickey, Donald & Goofy medals.

Larry & I have been to this event (Spectating I might add!!) and it is excellent, the costumes, the colours, the laughs and the fun generated is special. You will need to hurry to register if you want to Run in any of the events as they are booking up fast.

The Marathon is already 65% full, Half Marathon 77% full, Goofy’s Race & a Half 70% Full, The Family Fun Run is 65% full and the Kids Mickey Fest is 55% full so you need to register as soon as you decide you would like to be part of the fun.

If anyone does enter, do let us know and we will look out for you as we will be there this year, again SPECTATING!!

Best Wishes

Mary & Larry

Have you ever tried the putting green at Fantansia Golf on your way to the Boardwalk or Disney Downtown?

You will not be disappointed. We visited there during the summer and found that whilst the price was about $13 you certainly got your moneys worth. You can either choose from the normal type putting greens or take the Fantasia course for a fun time. There are eighteen holes and the purring surface is immaculate.

Once you finish, to our surprise, you are given a souvenir golf ball.

More than FORE out of ten!!!

First the bad news, Disney have gone ahead and increased their Day Ticket price by $3.00 to $82.00 for Adults & $74.00 for children, so it is even more important to look out for a good deal.

To follow up on a previous Article we made, there has been 6 arrests this month at kiosks along the 192 who are selling days left over from Multi day tickets, also 2 booths alongside Seaworld, so once again, we say, be very careful to buy you tickets at reputable dealers or face the massive disappointment of being refused entry when you reach the Park gate.

We thought that next years visitors may be interested to know the American holiday dates so they can avoid the crowds and queues when they plan their days out during their stay in Florida.

 See Chart Below

Happy Holidays, Mary & Larry

2011

Holiday                                                Date

New Year’s Day                                     January 1st

Birthday of Martin Luther King               Third Monday in January

Inauguration Day                                  January 20th every four years

Groundhog Day                                     February 2nd

Valentine’s Day                                     February 14th

Washington’s Birthday                           Third Monday in February since 1971

Inauguration Day                                   March 4th every four years

St Patrick’s Day                                     March 17th

April Fool’s Day                                    April 1st

Mothers’ Day                                        Second Sunday in May

Armed Forces Day                                 Third Saturday in May

Memorial Day                                        Last Monday in May since 1971

Flag Day                                               June 14th

Fathers’ Day                                         Third Sunday in June

Independence Day                                 July 4th

Parents’ Day                                         Fourth Sunday in July

Labor Day                                             First Monday in September

Grandparents’ Day                                 Sunday after Labor Day

Columbus Day                                       Second Monday in October

United Nations Day                                October 24th

Halloween                                             October 31st

Election Day                                          Tuesday on or after November 2

Veterans Day                                         November 11th

Thanksgiving Day                                  Fourth Thursday in November

Christmas Day                                       December 25th

Ever thought of going on a Caribbean Cruise!

We have been three times now and it is fantastic. We tried the 3 day cruise that included a visit to the Bahamas and the Disney Island Castaway Cay.

Whether you are Adults travelling together or taking the kids along, you will all enjoy the experience. There are three pools - one for the kiddies, one for the older kids and then an Adult Only Pool.

The food is wonderful and you get to try out all three themed restuarants whilst on board and what is good is that your waiters follow you around into the different restaurants - so they get to know you a little bit.

For those who wish to really relax it has a Spa on board with all the services that you would think of and for the fitness fanatics it has a gym and a running track around the deck.

Kids of all ages can join in with some of the Disney Clubs and they have recently included a nursery too.

Finally, there is plenty to do at night with deck parties, themed bars and you can even go and see a show. We enjoyed watching the latest movies on the the big screen on the main deck.

So give it a go. The Disney Cruise Ship even comes to the UK this year.

On-Line Booking System Now Available!

Did you know that you can now make dining reservations for Walt Disney World Dining online!   Up until now the only way you could make reservations was to phone up in advance or during your vacation.

If you visit the following site

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/restaurants/

you can then narrow your search by checking through the various parks/hotels, etc to browse the various restaurants.  If you are able to book online it will give you the “Book a Reservation” option by the chosen restaurant.  This will take you through to the next screen where you can select your date, time  and no. in party.  Once you have done this you click ”Check Availability”.  The next screen will then bring up whether there is availability, together with availability at other restaurants in the same vicinity.  Once you select your desired time you then click ”add to cart”.

Once you have added your restaurants to the cart you are advised of the total payment due today (if any) and then you “check out”.   

You will find that the majority of the bookings do not require you to make prepayment, although the very popular ones like Cinderellas Castle, Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue, etc  will require full payment at the time of booking.  

This online system is great - if you find your first date is booked, you can check another date/time immediately, saving you a lot of time.  No need to make that call to the US before you visit to make all your reservations, which in the past I have done on many occasions. 

It also gives you an idea of the cost of the meals in the various restaurants so you can plan in advance.   I also found that you can browse all the different restaurants in one place and gives you a better idea of what is available at each one. 

Effective 27 October 2009, Advanced Dining Reservations will go back to a 180 plus 10 day booking window. 

I certainly will be using this online option for my next trip and have advised all our future guests of the website.   I hope that you get to enjoy many of the restaurants in the Walt Disney Resorts by planning in advance. 

Disney’s Wide World of Sport holds lots of races throughout the year with levels varying from full marathons to fun runs with everything in between. Whichever level race you’re looking at they are all incredibly well organised and all usually start early in the morning before the sun warms up and before the parks open. Routes vary but they always go through some part of Walt Disney World and the meeting place is either Wide World of Sports or the car park at Epcot. As usual Disney’s attention to detail is evident from the start to the finish.

In March this year I attended the Princess races which ranged from a half marathon (13 miles) to a 3k fun run. The registration process was very simple to complete on line and then we had to collect the registration pack from Disney Wide World of Sports the night before the race. This contained your number for the race, directions to the start plus some goodies from the sponsors. My husband took part in the 5k race and he ran through Epcot past lots of characters including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck. The race was started by Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella and Prince Charming waited on the finish line to cheer the runners in. There was lots of ticker tape and a DJ playing very loud and uplifting music at the start and finish. The atmosphere was exciting with spectators cheering on the competitors at the finish line. There were stations for water and fruit and breakfast muffins were handed to the competitors when they finished the race. Coffee tents sold refreshments for the spectators too.

If you’re interested in finding out more or when the next races are please go to www.disneyworldsports.disney.go.com

Have you ever thought of taking a cruise. Then look no further than Disney Cruise line in Florida. Their Disney wonder Ship leaves from Port Canaveral to head for the Bahamas and their own private island - Castaway Cay.

Over the last couple of years we have been lucky enough to travel on this ship on their 3 day 4 night cruise to the Bahamas.

As we boarded the ship we were announced by the staff and made really welcome. All food is included but not your alcoholic drinks.

Each night you will be seated in a different restaurant and sometimes with other guests. This is nice as you can get to know people from all over the world. You also have the opportunity to book a table at Palo’s a fantastic a la carte restaurant on the top deck. The chocolate souffles are to die for.

There are lots of different bars for the adults that provide different entertainment into the early hours.

During the day there are three seaparate pools - one for the little ones, one for families and an adults only pool. Sit by the pool and order your bucket of Buds.

There is entertainment during the day as well.

You will be astounded by the amount of food that is available. They even lay on a late night buffet following their pirates party.

During the cruise you will visit Nassau in the Bahamas and have the opportunity to go on tours of the island to see the different sights. Then you will move on to Castaway Cay Island - this is just out of this world. White sandy beaches, gloriously blue clear seas and barbecues. Get some bikes and explore the island or participate in beach games of sea activities.

It is just fantastic try it!

There are lots of these band type lights here in the UK at our Pound Stores so it may suit some visitors to stock up before they leave, making sure they are in their suitcases and not their hand luggage.

Our American guests also recommended booking the Disney Character Dining seats at The Parks,  before their vacation as the availability is so hard to get on the days just before you go to The Parks. They are really Special experiences, When we visited, even at our age, Larry & I joined in the Dancing Chains & Napkin waving with Mickey & Minnie and all of their Friends. Great fun, just to see the little one’s faces and to get as many close up photo’s as you want.

Happy Holidays

Mary & Larry