Despite earlier closing times than other WaltDisney WorldResort theme parks, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the Disney theme park that never sleeps! After the sun sets and the lights go out, the animals really come out to play. Rob Carlson, Night Zoological Manager at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, introduced the idea of a night vision experience years ago- and had no idea that it would be so popular! After dark, guests can don night vision goggles and look out over the savannas just outside Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Giraffes will be vividly visible, as well as the greater kudu, wildebeest, impala, bongo, African spoonbills, Eastern white pelicans, and many other animals. One of the more unique ones is the blue crane, the no longer endangered national bird of South Africa.
The viewing is a nightly event and free to guests staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is a deluxe hotel resort at Walt Disney World. It has been a popular location since its opening on April 16, 2001. At the lodge, wild animals graze just outside the rooms and in a few public areas, connecting guests to their Disney’s Animal Kingdom experience. The lodge offers dining- Jiko: The Cooking Place, which features South African vintage wines, as well as African style cooking with some influences from the Mediterranean coast, Europe, and India. The sit-down restaurant’s design is decorated in earthy tones, emulating an African lodge. The lodge also offers Boma: Flavors of Africa buffet, and The Mara counter service dining.
This year marks the twentieth year for Universal’s iconic Halloween Horror Nights. Park officials have said that Halloween Horror Nights XX will have six scare zones and five mazes, though the theme for Halloween Horror Nights 20 has not yet been leaked or reported. Past themes have included such classic horror movies as Saw, Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, My Bloody Valentina, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, to name a few.
Halloween Horror Nights occurred over 7 nights in 2006, which grew to 10 nights in 2007, 13 nights in 2008, and 16 nights last year. This year, Halloween Horror Nights XX will happen over the course of 17 nights.
Past Halloween Horror Nights icons include Bloody Mary, the Cryptkeeper, the Caretaker, and other original characters, while well-known monsters have made appearances as well- such as Freddy, Chucky, and others. Halloween Horror Nights is known for its terror inducing sights, haunted houses, mazes, shows, and more.
Attention parents- leave the kids at home!! Past scare zones have included masked men with chainsaws jumping out at guests; terrifying clowns; sexy vampires inside insane asylums; blood and gore everywhere, and monsters ready to jump out at every darkened corner. There is fog shrouding the area, strobe lights to intensify the confusion (and fear), and alcohol is served in the park for anyone 21 and older (a favorite is the blood-colored jello shots and ‘smoking‘ alcoholic test tubes).
Separate tickets must be bought to gain access. Some rides are still functioning as usual, though many are transformed to fit the theme. No masks or costumes are allowed, though of course dressing up is okay.
Walt Disney World 2011 Package Pricing has been released! Guests may now book entire vacations for all of 2011. Sadly, the prices have been jacked up slightly, but it’s not unaffordable yet.
Ticket prices have gone up 3.8% since the increase last year. Beginning last Thursday, a one-day, one-park adult ticket is now $82.
Below, I have included the Dining Plan prices, which have increased since last year by about 10%.
However, there were only minor changes to the Dining Plans themselves. In fact, the only actual change was that you no longer ALSO get a juice with breakfast – you just get one drink.
The only other change related to the DDP is that, on March 1, 2011, Le Cellier will officially be a “Signature Dining Experience” and will cost 2
Table Service Credits (for dinner only – lunch will remain 1 credit).
Here are the new DDP prices, and their 2010 rates in (parentheses) for comparison:
Quick-Service Plan
Adults 10+: $34.99/night ($31.99)
Child 3-9: $11.99/night ($9.99)
Basic Plan*
Adults 10+: $45.99/night ($41.99)
Child 3-9: $11.99/night ($11.99)
Deluxe Plan
Adults 10+: $78.99/night ($71.99)
Child 3-9: $21.99/night ($20.99)
Premium Package
Adults 10+: $169/night ($164)
Child 3-9: $119/night ($114)
Platinum Package
Adults 10+: $229/night ($220)
Child 3-9: $160/night ($155)
Wine & Dine Add-On
$39.99/night ($39.99)
* Note that during Peak Season, the Basic Plan increases to $47.99 for adults and $12.99 for children (3-9). Peak Seasons include 2/17-2/26, 3/11-4/30, 6/3-8/13, 12/23-12/31.
To the world, the Walt Disney World Moms Panelists are passionate and learned connoisseurs of Disney Parks. It’s a unique and special hobby that allows them to express their thoughts and opinions about Walt Disney World Resort on an international level.
This fall, the panel will do something they hope will become an annual tradition, but it actually has nothing to do with their usual work on the panel. The panelists came to a consensus that every year they want to give back to the community. As Disney enthusiasts, they want to spread their own ‘pixie dust’ to those who they believe need it most− critically ill children who want to visit Walt Disney World Resorts and feel the magic for themselves.
Give Kids The World is a non-profit organization near Orlando that opened in 1989. At Give Kids The World Village, families with critically and terminally ill children can stay at their 70-acre resort designed for children with special healthcare needs for free.
Walt Disney World Panelist Anna Skamarakas helped organize last year’s donation. “As moms, reaching out to families who are trying to find some magical moments during a time when life is most challenging seemed like a natural fit for us,” she said.
Pamela Landwirth, President of Give Kids The World Village, met the panelists in person to accept their check. “Through their love and generous support we are able to create the happiness that inspires hope for our special guests. Because so many people like you share their time, resources and heart, we have served over 100,000 families,” she said.
Many of the panelists are planning to return to Orlando in October to present Give Kids The World with another donation. Anna said, “as moms, we feel such a connection to these families and it is an honor to be able to give some pixie dust back.”
On August 5, Patina Restaurant Group opened a new restaurant, Via Napoli, Walt Disney World Resort’s first authentic Italian pizzeria, adjacent to Tutto Italia Ristorante, its restaurant in the Italy pavilion in Epcot World Showcase. Longtime Patina Restaurant Group CEO Nick Valenti created the idea of Via Napoli, based on his experiences and travels in Southern Italy and his time developing and overseeing the successful Naples 45 Ristorante Pizzeria in New York, which was awarded the coveted certification of “La Vera Pizza Napoletana.”
Da Michele and Trianon are a couple of famous pizzerias in Naples. In these restaurants, Valenti studied the art of dough, crust, sauce and oven temperatures. He discovered the art of pagnotiello, a folded round of pizza dough filled with mozzarella, ham and mushrooms, at Da Ettore.
“I have always loved the beauty of a simple Neapolitan pizza,” Valenti says. “It’s a perfect food, something beloved by both Italians and Americans. At Via Napoli we will make pizza the traditional Neapolitan way: with a textured, soft and charred crust. I look forward to bringing it to Walt Disney World, where it should be a welcome addition to guests visiting Epcot.”
A unique and pretty awesome feature at Via Napoli is the wood-burning ovens, named after the three active volcanoes in Italy – Mount Etna, Mount Vesuvius and Stromboli. Each oven is sculpted with the “face of the volcano,” reflecting the gods whose mythology surrounds each volcano’s history.
Via Napoli features a selection of classical Neapolitan pizzas, ranging from pizza bianca, quattro stagioni, piccante, ortolano and a traditional margherita. Famed Pizzaiolo Charlie Restivo serves as executive chef at Via Napoli, where he crafts the pies using simple and delicious Italian ingredients such as San Marzano tomatoes, Caputo flour, handmade fresh mozzarella, Parma Cotto, crumbled sausage and water calibrated specifically to the pH found in Naples.
This pizzeria is sure to be a hit and a welcome new addition to the Walt Disney World Resort dining experience.
My family never misses the chance to attend the Epcot Candlelight Processional, held every winter at Disney’s Epcot theme park. Narrated by celebrities, the show follows the story of Jesus’s birth, accompanied by a superb mass choir singing traditional songs and a live 50-piece orchestra. Special Candlelight Processional packages will go on sale August 26th, so keep an eye out! The dinner packages include dining, a guaranteed seating section, and pre-arranged fireworks viewing. Guests with the dinner package get seated first. The Processional is still a bit of a ways away, so many narrators have not yet been announced. We’ll update if there are any changes!
The shows will begin November 26th and continue until December 30th. It is a VERY popular show, and fills up extremely quickly; so be sure to get in line as fast as possible if you aren’t getting the dinner package! (Otherwise it is very difficult to get a seat!) Performances take place every evening at 5:00 pm, 6:45 pm, and 8:15 pm.
On Thursday, August 5th, Disney raised ticket prices to both Disneyland and Disney World theme parks. Depending on length, adult base tickets went up by $3 to $22. Children’s tickets- that is, anyone aged 9 or under- went up by $5 to $31.The Park Hopper option went up $2 to $54 (plus tax), same with the Water Park Fun & More ticket option (also $2, now $54). Depending on the ticket, the No Expiration option also jumped up quite a bit. It costs an extra $15.98 on a 4 day ticket; $23.43 on a 5 day or 6 day ticket; $31.95 on 8 day and 9 day tickets. Now, however, adding the No Expiration option to a 10 day ticket now costs a whopping $226.85! Disney’s annual passes went up as well.
Why Disney continues to raise its prices is uncertain. It wasn’t very long ago that they raised the prices to last week’s amounts, and it doesn’t seem likely that they will ever go down.
However, Tony Wible, a business analyst, claims that the price hike is a GOOD sign. This means that the park is still generating good revenue, and indeed that it will only continue to rise. Wible forecasts stronger than expected earnings for Tuesday.
What will it mean for Disney World enthusiasts everywhere? Tighter budgeting, perhaps, but other than that, families everywhere claim they will still go to Disney World as often as before. In fact, it barely phases many people, who are seeing the end of the recession coming as soon as the next few months. Peak tourist months are lasting longer than before, meaning Disney World’s ticket prices are having little to no negative effect whatsoever.
Hello Everyone! Today we are Rocking Disney’s selection of Live shows. Being a theater lover myself, I decided to check out the Finding Nemo Live show a while back and fell in love with it! I had the pleasure of meeting Lexi Fridell (who originated the role of Dory in the show) while working on a production of Avenue Q in Vermont, and she inspired me to share this post. The show has all the fun of the movie, mixed with live musical performances, an original soundtrack and large-scale puppets.
I recommend getting in line about 45 minutes before the show, since it is very popular. This is definitely not to be missed!
The animal specialists at the Walt Disney World Resort are at it again. Animal Kingdom is rehabilitating eight more turtles that were harmed by the oil spill in the Gulf. The experts at Disney’s Animal Programs returned from the Florida Panhandle on Thursday with six Kemp’s Ridely Sea Turtles, which are among the most endangered species of sea turtle in the world, and two Green Sea Turtles. Disney’s animal care teams are ready to help the creatures of the Panhandle as needed. Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot’s The Seas with Nemo & Friends are available rehabilitation centers for turtles and birds that have been injured or badly affected by the oil spill.
Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., vice president for Animal Programs and Environmental Initiatives at Disney Parks said, “Oil can have a devastating effect on the health of sea turtles, marine mammals and birds. Over the next several months, many of these animals will require intense medical treatment over a prolonged period. We want to be sure that we provide top-notch medical care wherever we can – whether it’s on a beach or in a state-of-the-art veterinary facility. Ultimately, our goal is to re-release these animals so they can once again thrive in the wild of our oceans and coastline.”
Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF), supported by Disney’s Friends for Change: Project Green, donated $100,000 to help with environmental and animal rescue efforts, including $50,000 to The National Audubon Society for their service in the Gulf. DWCF Rapid Response Fund awarded another $50,000 in grants to various organizations assisting with the cleanup.
Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, Ko Olina, Hawaiiwill begin accepting reservations for hotel rooms and vacation packages Aug. 2, 2010, through the Walt Disney Travel Company. “Aulani will represent a new way for every member of the family to enjoy a vacation in Hawaii,” said Djuan Rivers, vice president of Aulani. “It is designed so that parents, children, guests of any age can find their own kind of fun and relaxation. Families will experience the island in ways they might never have discovered before.” Aulani is scheduled to welcome its first guests on Aug. 29, 2011.
Age-specific programming for ages 3-10, children, teens, adults and the entire family, there is sure to be something for everyone. Pool parties with Disney characters, adventures in the rainforest and surf, and learning how to prepare Hawaiian cuisine with local chefs are a few activities that Disney will offer.
The resort is across from a clear, blue lagoon and white sand beach. Two 15-story towers with views of the ocean, mountains and resort grounds hold 359 hotel rooms and 481 two-bedroom equivalent Disney Vacation Club villas. On site are two restaurants, a wedding lawn, a conference center, and extensive water activities including a feature pool, 900-foot tube-floating watercourse, wading pool, body slides, sunset-facing hot tubs, a quiet adult pool, a snorkel lagoon and a conservation pool. Aulani will include a signature kids’ club, Aunty’s Beach House, where kids can explore Hawaiian culture through arts and crafts, and fun and games, including interactive touch-table games.
Aulani is located in 21 acres of oceanfront property in the Ko Olina Resort & Marina development on the western side of Ohau. The resort is 17 miles from Honolulu International Airport and has access to an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Ted Robinson.
Introductory room rates start at $399 per night. Guests may choose from a variety of room options, including ocean or garden views.
To make a reservation at Aulani or to learn more about the resort, guests may call 1-866-882-4720.
