Special Shopping and Tours at the Animal Kingdom

Well, we’ve finally come to it. Today is the last in my series looking at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. As special events and other highlights happen at the park I’ll cover them, but today I’m finished my peek at what you can find on a normal basis at the Animal Kingdom. We’ll conclude with shopping and special tours. There’s not a lot of unique shopping at the Animal Kingdom. Most of the stores are of the typical shirts-and-stuffed-animals variety. However, there is the Mombasa Marketplace, in the Africa section of the Animal Kingdom, near the Tusker House. It’s divided into two … Continue reading

Magic Kingdom to Serve Beer, Wine

A bar inside the Dolphin Resort at Disney World Last week the official Disney Parks blog revealed a detail about the Be Our Guest Restaurant in the new Fantasyland expansion, one that breaks a tradition held by the Magic Kingdom since its inception: Be Our Guest will serve alcohol. The decision came when Walt Disney World execs contemplated the theme of the restaurant. In keeping with the setting of “Beauty and the Beast,” the film on which the restaurant is based, execs wanted to offer the finest French cuisine. Part of the French dining experience is to serve alcohol, so … Continue reading

Exploring the International Disney Parks

Disney World and Disneyland aren’t exactly the same, so why should the other Disney parks abroad be similar?  If you ever get the chance to travel to an international Disney park, perhaps to Tokyo Disneyland for the new D23 convention this fall, you might notice a few differences from the domestic ones.  BBC Travel did a report on some of the unique things that set the international parks apart. One of the most obvious differences is the food.  While you can get some international food at Disney Parks, especially at Epcot at Disney World, it’s still not standard.  Obviously, that’s … Continue reading

Win a Disney World Trip in the Fantasyland Sweepstakes

Now that the new Fantasyland is up and running (though not every single aspect of the park is open yet), it’s time for Disney World to offer fans a chance to win a free trip there.  The Disney Store is currently running a sweepstakes to win a 5-day, 4-night vacation at Disney World. Although the sweepstakes is in honor of the new Fantasyland, the prize doesn’t revolve too much around it.  Guests could win and choose to spend most of their time outside the Magic Kingdom, if they wanted.  Grand prize winners get to spend one night in the Cinderella … Continue reading

Benefits Cut for Disney World Premium Annual Passes

The lobby of the Grand Floridian, one of Disney World’s most exclusive hotels Walt Disney World continues to aggravate its most loyal fans, as it announced in December that discounts for premium annual pass members will be cut.  The Orlando Sentinel has all the details. Since 2010 Disney World’s been pulling back a lot on the discounts it offers various pass holders.  This time, the target is premium annual passes, which already cost around $750 (Florida residents get a discount at around $600).  Now the shopping discounts premium annual pass holders receive have been cut in half. Let’s take a … Continue reading

Holiday Disney World Deals

Looking to take a holiday Disney World vacation? If you try to take your trip right over Christmas you’re not going to get any special offers from the park, but vacation just after Thanksgiving through mid-December, or in early January, and Disney World has a host of deals of which you can take advantage. If you book by October 31, you can receive up to a 30% discount at select Disney resorts for trips taken between November 1 and November 16, or November 24 through December 22. Remember that Disney World holiday celebrations often last weeks. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas … Continue reading

Finding the New Fantasyland

As if it thinks it wasn’t getting enough buzz already, Disney World execs are trying to up the hype surrounding the Fantasyland expansion. They’ve launched a website – Finding Fantasyland – to increase both the expansion’s mystique and guests’ interactivity with the wait. The site contains a mysterious poem: “A fantastical land exists, a curse hides it from our view. A hero is needed to break the spell, that hero could be you.” The only other hint about what is going on is a colorful map of the upcoming Fantasyland. It gives blurbs about each of the new parts – … Continue reading