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Friday, February 19, 2010

PARK HOPPER PICKS- WEEKLY DISNEY NEWS AND TIPS

So I've decided to start blogging each week with some updates on all that is new at Disney Parks (and sometimes beyond).   I'll try and do this each Friday.   So here we go:

TIP OF THE WEEK
It's pretty basic, but I think the key to any good WDW vacation is starting with a great travel agent!   I recommend you try and find one that specializes in Disney.  I used to book all my trips my self, I figured I knew the intricacies of getting the best deal, but boy was I wrong.    I've used  Dreams Unlimited Travel a number of times now and they've been able to find us fantastic deals beyond what I ever could.   Being a control freak, it wasn't easy to hand off my vacation to someone else, but it worked.    I was able to have whatever level of involvement I chose, in fact, Dreams offers to make all your Advance Dining Requests (ADRs) for you, but I decided I wanted to do that myself, so if a certain date/restaurant wasn't available, I could juggle the schedule around.   They were able to get us discounted rooms by putting us with another room block for a special event going on one time- savings us hundreds of dollars.   It saved me the headache of having to be on the phone all the time to make any adjustments or changes or inquire about new discounts.    So even if you think you know it all, give a specialized Disney travel agent a try- you might be surprised.    Give it a try, you might be glad you did!

DISNEY NEWS
  • They've released the artwork for the 2010 Star Wars Weekends at Hollywood Studios -  Disney's Star Wars Weekends start in late May and continue through June for four weekends.  
  • Disney's beloved Main Street Electrical Parade will be making its return to Walt Disney World this summer.   I don't believe it will be permanent, but you never know.  It is part of the new Summer Nightastic.   It features a new Tinkerbell float too and updated LED lighting.  It will premeire in early June. 
  • Toy Story 3----Can't wait for this one- the new trailer was just released this week- be sure to check it out.  TOY STORY 3 MOVIE TRAILER.  It includes 14 new characters, including "Peas in a Pod", "Ken" (Barbie will be so thrilled!), "Unicorn" and more.   Toy Story 3 hits theatres June 18th!
  • McDonald's Shutting Down- the McDonald's located in Downtown Disney Marketplace area is closing down, to be replaced by a Pollo Campero (Latin chicken chain- i know, strange pick?).  This is just one of many changes going on as Disney reinvents the Downtown Disney area.  
  • New Pizzareia in Italy- Epcot will be opening a new pizzareia in the Italy pavilion and is scheduled to open later this year.  Let's hope they make real pizza and not the crap that is often served throughout all the various counter service in WDW.  
  • Disney's Give a Day, Get a Day program is a huge success with over 600,000 volunteers already!  By signing up for one of their selected volunteer opportunities, you receive a free voucher for a one day ticket to a Disney park.   This voucher can be used to apply the value of a one day ticket ($79) towards a disney park hopper pass, annual pass or other length of stay ticket. 
  • Beginning February 7, guests dining at Cinderella's Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom in WDW will have a new dining experience.  The Fairy Godmother will no longer be available, but many 'princess' friends will join Cinderella instead. 
COMING SOON TO WDW
* Disney's 17th Annual Flower and Garden Festival- Epcot- begins March 3rd
* Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend- March 5-7th- now in it second year!

1 comment:

Veronica Lee said...

Hi! I'm visiting from MBC. Great blog.