Monday, November 8, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010

Festivities are held from 7pm to Midnight on the dates listed above. Note that special tickets are required for admission. Standard theme park tickets are not valid for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

*Advance ticket prices are $53.95 for ages 10+ and $47.95 for ages 3 – 9
Same day ticket prices are $59.95 for ages and $53.95 for ages 3 – 9

*Advance ticket purchase is not available on 12/7, 12/10, 12/12, 12/17, 12/19.

Tickets can be purchased online or by calling (407) WDISNEY

Attractions include live shows, parades, fireworks, dazzling light displays, carolers and special character meet and greets. And rumor has it that you might see a special snow shower or two in the Magic Kingdom!

Here are a handful of inexpensive activities and destinations to consider…

Disney’s Boardwalk, reminiscent of Atlantic City Boardwalk in the 1940s, offers plenty of family fun at little or no cost. For those staying on a Disney property, Disney transportation is available to transport you to the Boardwalk. If you are driving, you can get a free 3-hour parking permit from the lot attendant.

• The promenade along the water offers a breathtaking view. It’s fun to stroll and look around.
• Often you will see street performers, such as jugglers, comedians, jazz ensembles or fire-eaters.
• Vendors along the Boardwalk sell inexpensive food treats.
• Carnival-style games are available for a small cost. Try your luck!
• Watch the Friendship Boats coming and going.

Downtown Disney offers a number of free and inexpensive things to do:
• Wonderful interactive fountains are amazing and fun. And what a great backdrop for your take-home photos! Jump in and enjoy!
• The kids will go wild at the Lego Imagination Center. The Center offers a 3,000-square-foot play area filled with thousands of Lego blocks. Huge Lego sculptures are also available to study and admire.
• Stop by the Magic Masters shop and see the FREE magic demonstrations. You may learn a few tricks yourself.
• Pleasure Island is an un-gated area at night. That means during the evening hours, guests are allowed in at no charge. It’s a fun place to soak up the ambiance – for free!

A little-known area known called Fort Wilderness offers one of the greatest bargains at Disney World, and lots of low-cost fun. Families can come in their own RV or rent one of the cabins. Either way, bring a few of your own basic groceries as the prices in the area stores are a little high.
Air-conditioned cabins (about 400 of them) offer the following amenities:
• Fully-equipped kitchens
• Dining table with seating for six
• Air conditioning
• Irons, ironing boards, coffee makers, hairdryers and VCRs in each room
• Patio deck
• Picnic table and charcoal grill
• Fold-away crib
• In-room safes
• Disney Channel and ESPN
• Daily housekeeping
• Access to nearby laundry facilities/services

The Campfire Program at Fort Wilderness is open to all Disney World guests. You’ll find it near the Meadow Trading Post in the campfire area. A Disney Cast Member leads the sing-a-long while the kids roast marshmallows over the open fire. Your can bring your own marshmallows and snacks, or purchase them at the Chuckwagon.

The kids will be thrilled when Chip and Dale make an appearance and sign autographs. All this is followed by a Disney feature film on the large outdoor screen. Bleachers and benches are available or you can bring your own blankets.

Two heated outdoor swimming pools are available for Fort Wilderness guests – one near the Meadow Trading Post, the second smaller one located near the cabin area.
Guests appreciate the fact that at Fort Wilderness, a boat ferries between Magic Kingdom and the Fort Wilderness dock, which means they beat the crowds following the nightly Magic Kingdom fireworks show.

Here is the official announcement from AAA…

Come celebrate Disney Days at AAA Travel and learn more about exciting Disney vacation opportunities during our Disney Open Mouse on June 19, 2010!

Experience a vacation where you can live out your dreams in wonderful Disney style! From Disneyland Resort to Walt Disney World Resort; from the high seas with Disney Cruise Line to guided travel to global destinations with Adventures by Disney – you and your family will create memories that will last a lifetime.

AAA Allied Group received the 2009 Club of the Year award from Disney Parks and Resorts. To celebrate, we’re offering our members special savings and booking incentives on all Disney Destinations for travel in 2010! To qualify, just book your next Disney vacation package with AAA Travel on June 19, 2010.

For more detailed information, stop by your local AAA office or call your AAA Travel agent today!

More information is available on the AAA website, including which local offices are participating in this special open house event. AAA offers several Disney World discounts.

Some of the perks include…
- Diamond card savings on meals, merchandise, and recreation.
- Special AAA Diamond Parking.
- Hertz rental car benefits and discounts.
- 20% on hotel room only bookings.
- Shipboard cruise credits.
- Special discounts on other Orlando tourist destinations.

Save up to 40% at select Disney Resort Hotels
All room prices are discounted for most dates through October 2nd. Save 15% to 40% at select Disney Resort hotels and treat your family to a fun-filled getaway. The bigger discounts are offered on the Deluxe rooms, but there are still savings opportunities for Disney World Value and Moderate resort rooms. Book a trip for after August 15, 2010 and save even more.

The Summer Room and Ticket Offer
Also known as the “Kids Stay and Play Free” promotion. With this special offer your kids (ages 3 to 9) do not get charged for room nights or park admission. Adults must purchase a non-discounted 4-night/5-day room and ticket package at select Disney Value Resorts. Offer valid for most dates now through October 2, 2010. The average husband and wife will pay $530 each for a double-occupancy room. Perfect if you have two kids between 3 and 9 years old.

Late Summer Room and Ticket and Dining Offer
Want to save money and be able to budget all of your costs? This is the package for you. Get a free dining plan when you buy a 5-night/6-day Magic Your Way room and ticket package for stays from August 15th through October 2, 2010. With this deal a family of four would pay $77 per day at a Disney World Moderate Resort for a total cost of around $1800. Not too bad considering that includes accommodations, dining package, and park admission. If you can drive to Orlando than you could probably do the whole vacation (gas, souvenirs, etc) for less than $2500!

If you don’t need a luxury resort with all of the golf courses and bathrobes then you can save a ton of money by staying at the Best Disney World Value Resort.

Advantages of Staying at an Orlando Area Hotel

• Depending on the hotel you choose, most of them offer a variety of value-added amenities to compensate for their off-site location. Of course the best amenity is that they typically cost less!

• Most hotels located outside Disney World are larger. This is a big advantage for families because in some cases you can sleep 5 to 6 people, while Disney World hotel rooms only sleep 4 people regardless of the age of the guest.

• Many Orlando hotels offer free transportation to Disney World and other attractions like Universal Studios and SeaWorld. Disney World Resorts do not provide transportation to the other Orlando attractions in the city.

• Speaking of other attractions, Orlando has much more to offer than just Disney World. Staying in an off-site hotel gives you easier access to hundreds of other local tourist destinations. This includes theme parks, shopping outlets, great restaurants and even golf courses.

• A lot of Orlando hotels offer discounts for Disney World tickets and special admission rates for SeaWorld and Universal Studios.

• Many of the large chain hotels provide free breakfast for their guests. This is an often overlooked bonus that can save you $5 – $10 per person/per day. You won’t find any freebies like this at a Disney World Resort.

• The competition for Orlando hotel business is fierce. This is a good thing for tourists because the hotels are always remodeling, adding room features, and keeping their prices low. By comparing hotels you are sure to find outstanding deals.

Advantages of Disney World Resorts

• Location and free transportation to the airport and Disney World parks. This is without question the primary benefit of staying on-site.

• Disney World keeps strict quality guidelines were created to help make sure you get the level of accommodations you pay for.

• Disney World Resorts offer “Extra Magic Hours” that allow resort guests to enter the park an hour early and three hours later than other guests who are not staying on-site.

• Employees working in off-site hotels are not always familiar with the Disney World or even the Orlando area. Disney World Resort employees however do know the property well and they are trained at helping you find your way.

• Guest at Disney World Resorts can charge park-related expenses to their room account, making it easier to purchase food and souvenirs. Most properties also qualify guests for free package delivery to their room. This eliminates the need haul cumbersome bags around the park.

• Disney World guests have many more opportunities for “character encounters”. This can include evening story times in the resort common space to even having a character tuck the kids to bed as a special treat.

In the end there is really no right or wrong choice between staying on Disney World grounds or in an Orlando hotel. The most important thing is to talk with your family, research all the options, and decide what the best fit is for you. As a general rule, the longer you stay beyond three days the more likely it is you will appreciate the flexibility of staying in an Orlando hotel. The city was built for tourists, and it only makes sense to get the most out of your stay.

There are four Disney World Value Resorts – Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort, and Disney’s Pop Century Resort. Each of these properties offer complimentary airport transportation, complimentary transportation within the resort, extended theme park hours, and free package delivery to your hotel so you don’t have to carry your packages around the park all day.

All in all, value resorts provide the most important amenities for your stay. Keeping in mind that most families are only in their hotel room in the evening, each value resort has enough dining and entertainment options to satisfy the kids at night. They all have on-site swimming pools, playgrounds, and arcades. However, if you spend any time reading through travel reviews and online forums you will notice that the Pop Century Resort seems to get the best reviews.

Here are some of the most mentioned reasons that families prefer to stay at the Pop Century Resort over the three other value resort options…

- Many newly remodeled rooms. Complete renovation expected to be done by December 2010.

- Great swimming pools. Pop Century features 3 different swimming pools – the main flower-shaped Hippy Dippy Pool, a smaller bowling-themed pool and even a Computer Pool shaped like a monitor. Little ones can play in the Goofy Kiddie Spray Area, which is an interactive play fountain.

- Timely bus service. This is one of the best “secrets” about Pop Century. Because they do not share a bus route with other value resorts so the wait times are much shorter.

- Better room layouts. Some travelers are convinced that the rooms at Pop Century are larger than those at the other value resorts. This may or may not be true, but even the feeling of more space can be gratifying.

- Extensive food court. There is something for everyone at the food court located in the resort’s Classic Hall. Choose from several dining stations including the Pizza & Pasta Shop, Grill Shop, Ethnic Shop, Sandwich & Salad Shop, Healthy Choices, and more.

- Better housekeeping and customer service? This is probably open to opinion, but comments like this one on Trip Advisor might make you believe it is true…”I go to Disney every other year and this was the first time we stayed on property in a very long time. The rooms had wonderful brand new beds, new carpets and all new furniture and fixtures. We paid around $75 dollars per room a night and couldn’t have been more impressed. We came back to our rooms from the parks to find towels in the shape of animals on the beds and a very clean room every night.”

Of course we can’t promise you will have the same experience since this is far from a scientific poll of Disney’s Value Resorts. However, if you look around at the different comments people are making about Disney’s Pop Century Resort you will likely agree that most reviews call it the Best Disney Value Resort.

Similar to last year, this promotion will offer different tiers of free dining service depending on where you stay. Guests staying at value resorts will receive the Quick Service Dining Plan, while those staying in moderate, deluxe or deluxe villa rooms will receive the standard Disney Dining Plan.

There is a minimum 3-night stay and all guests must have park passes. Offer is valid on most nights from August 15 through October 2. Rooms must be booked by August 14, 2010.

So how much can you save with Disney Dining Plans?

Regular Dining Plans cost $41.99 per day per adult and $11.99 per day per child ages 3-9.  Quick Service Dining Plans cost $29.99 for adults and $8.99 for children. When you start to add this up per day and per person you could save a considerable amount of money.

When comparing the free dining plan offer with room discounts, the dining plan usually is the best option if you have three or more guests who are staying at a value or moderate resort. You should run the numbers though because sometimes rooms are discounted as high as 40% off in the off-season, which begins after Labor Day.

All discounts aside, Disney dining plans are a convenient and budget friendly way to plan your meals. Food and beverage is one of the biggest expenses associated with a vacation. If you can control these costs before arriving then you will probably be able to enjoy your meals a little better…instead of worrying about how much you are spending!

Book a  4 Night/5 Day room and ticket package during most nights between May 2 through June 3, 2010 and your children stay for FREE (ages 3 to 9). Cost of the package is $499 per adult and must be booked by May 8, 2010.

**Number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Child must stay in same room with adult. Limit of four Guests per room. Tickets are for one theme park per day and must be used within 14 days of first use.

Call (407) 939-7905 and ask for booking code BF4 or book online.

Hotel Rooms – Special Military Rate – 40% off Rooms

Discount available for most dates through September 30th (excludes 3/28 – 4/10 and 7/1 – 7/5). Offer eligible for select Disney World Resorts. You must book your reservation by July 31, 2010.

Families who want to combine these rates as part of a vacation package with dining plan need to use a special code when booking. The booking codes are as follows…
- OUR for package with Quick Service Dining Plan
- OUS/OUT for package with Regular Dining Plan
- OUU for package with Deluxe Dining.

Park Tickets – Special Military Rate – 4-Day Ticket for Only $99

Active and retired U.S. military personnel or their spouses can purchase Disney’s 4-Day Military Promotional Base Tickets for $99, plus tax, for themselves and up to 5 additional family members or friends. Offer limited to 6 Military Promotional Tickets per eligible member of the U.S. military.

Tickets must be purchased and activated by September 26th. Most dates available except 3/27 – 4/9 at all Disney World Theme Parks and 7/1 – 7/4 for the Magic Kingdom Park.

Note that Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & More options are additional and can be added for an additional $26, plus tax, per option.

Call the Disney Reservations Line 407-W-DISNEY to take advantage of these room and ticket discounts. You can read more about Disney World Military Discounts here.

Other Disney World related discounts for military personnel…

Shades of Green Resort

Active duty and retired military members can stay at the Shades of Green Resort. Although not directly affiliated with Disney World, this deluxe resort is located on Disney property.

The rooms at Shades of Green can easily accommodate five guests and the rates are much lower than Disney’s Deluxe resorts. Some of the discounts offered include 20% off room nights and 20% off on-site dining options. Read more

From the Disney Website…

“We’ve reached our goal of inspiring one million people to volunteer a day of service to their communities, so the “Give a Day. Get a Disney Day.” program has now ended. You can no longer register and sign up for volunteer opportunities on this site to receive a free Disney Theme Park ticket, but you can still continue to give back to your community by locating and signing up for volunteer opportunities through HandsOn Network.”

There are no known replacement promotions scheduled for 2010. Last year, Disney ran its “Free Admission on Your Birthday” promotion, but it expired at the end of 2009.

Families looking to save on Disney World vacation packages can still take advantage of some of the other special deals for the first half of 2010. This includes the free gift card promotion and special hotels rates through June 1st.

Typically, Disney runs pricing discounts in Spring and Fall so if you are planning to travel before June or after August then you will are likely to qualify for special rates. Stay tuned to Disney Vacation Specials for more information!