Celebrating 40 Years of Walt Disney World

If you love everything Disney like I do, you’re going to love this link I found.

Jeff Kober on Mouse Planet is doing a 4-part series on “Celebrating Four Decades of Walt Disney World”, and while only part 1 is up right now…it’s really cool.

In this article, he goes through the history of Walt Disney world, each year, from when Walt Disney World first opened in 1971. You can read about all the things that were added, changed, or taken away.

Now, don’t get me wrong…there’s a LOT that I know about Disney and Walt Disney World, but even I really learned a lot from this article!

For example, did you know that Peter Pan’s Flight didn’t open until 2 days AFTER the park did? Or that in 1974, John Lennon signed the paperwork that officially broke up the Beatles while he was staying at the Polynesian Resort? Or how about in 1975, when the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village opened, what stores were originally there?

Part one of this article goes from 1971 – 1981. I really can’t wait until the second part comes out.
I’m telling you, this article was really cool to read. If you’re into Walt Disney World, I really suggest you check it out.

Read “Celebrating Four Decades of Walt Disney World Now

Bookmark to:

• New Club at Mirage to Open Dec 22nd
• Walt Disney World will have Free Dining Select Dates through March 2012!
• Free Disney Dining Plan is Back!
• Magic Kingdom Basics
• Monsters Inc. Attraction Not Ready

As we’re headed towards the end of summer, a lot of people are looking to go on vacation.

And if you’re anything like me, you’d like to save as much money as possible when you do!

So if you’re looking to go to Southern California (Anaheim and San Diego), you’re going to love this.

There is a Southern California Citypass that includes some of the big attractions in the area. You get:

• 3-Day Disneyland Resort Park Hopper (which means you can go to both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure)
• Universal Studios Hollywood
• SeaWorld
• San Diego Zoo OR San Diego Zoo Safari Park

It’s valid for 14 days from the day of first use, so don’t think you need to do these all in a row. You can take time off between them to relax, etc.

What’s also great is that you can skip most of the ticket lines when you have your Citypass with you! It’s great.

I was able to use this on my trip to California a few years ago, and it was great. We went to all of the above parks (we chose to do the San Diego Zoo instead of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park) and had a great time.

It was also great not to have to stand in line to buy tickets, especially since some of the lines were pretty long…and we saved a lot of money by doing it this way.

If you’re going to Southern California, and plan on going to all of these attractions, it is definitely worth getting the Citypass.

Get the Southern California Citypass Now!

Bookmark to:

• Southern California City Pass
• Back from Southern California
• San Diego Discounts
• Planning a Trip to Southern Californina
• Balboa Park – Fleet Science Center

For quite a few years now, Disney has offered free dining during select dates, usually from the middle of August through the middle of September.

They’re doing that this year as well, but now it looks like they’ll be extending it!

So if you’ve been thinking about going to Disney between October and next March…you might want to make sure it’s during days that you’ll be able to get free dining – if you plan on staying on Disney’s property that is.

According to Jim Hill Media, here are the dates that you can now get free dining:

• October 2nd – October 8th, 2011
• October 23rd – November 5th, 2011
• November 13th – November 19th, 2011
• November 27th – December 3rd, 2011
• December 11th – December 17th, 2011
• January 8th – January 14th, 2012
• January 22nd – February 4th, 2012
• February 12th – February 18th, 2012
• March 4th – March 10th, 2012
• March 25th – March 31st, 2012

As you can see, this is a lot of dates!

If you haven’t had free dining before, and aren’t sure what it is…it’s pretty simple.

If you’re staying on Disney property, and get at least 2-day park passes, you’ll get to eat for free. Now, it does matter where you stay as to exactly what you get.

If you’re staying at a value resort, you’ll get the Quick Service Dining Plan, and at all other resorts, you’ll get the regular Disney Dining Plan.

The Quick Service Dining Plan gives you 2 quick service meals and 1 snack per person, per night of your stay. You’ll also get a resort refillable drink mug per person. There is a long list of restaurants that you can use your dining credits at.

The regular Disney Dining Plan gives you 1 quick service meal, 1 snack, and 1 table service meal for each night of your stay.

If you’re staying at a value resort but would prefer the regular Disney Dining Plan, don’t worry. You can pay the difference and upgrade to the regular plan, it’s not a problem.

I can tell you from experience, that this is a lot of food! If you bring something from home to eat for breakfast, or even consider using some snack credits for bakery items as breakfast, you won’t want to buy any other food throughout the day! At least that’s how it has been for me on my trips using the free dining plan.

I’ve taken advantage of this, and if you want to get the chance to order whatever you’d like at some great restaurants, I suggest going during free dining.

Bookmark to:

• Disney Dining Plan
• Disney – Free Dining Plan Offer Confirmed!
• Free Disney Dining Plan is Back!
• Avoid the crowds at Disney World
• The Disney Dining Plan

Norwegian Cruise Line has just announced the name of their new F3 ship. It will be the Norwegian Epic, and will start sailing in the summer of 2010. While many of the details of the new Norwegian Epic are still kept under wraps, here are some of the things that will make this ship unique.

• A true Ice Bar
• A POSH Beach Club with an adults-only setting at the top of the ship
• Halo, the Uber Bar, a private bar and lounge
• Bliss Ultra Lounge, an all-day entertainment and nightclub complex with a 4-lane bowling alley and an adults-only aft pool deck experience
• New Wave rooms including curved walls
• …more to be announced

They have also announced their itinerary for their inaugural season. They will be doing 2 cruises, a 7-Day Eastern Caribbean from Miami (including stops at Phillipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas), and a 7-Day Western Caribbean from Miami (including stops at Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras; and Cozumel, Mexico).

Bookmark to:

• Liberty of The Seas
• Norwegian Pearl Christened
• Nickelodeon Family Cruise
• Royal Caribbean Genesis – Central Park on Board!
• Name that Ship!

When you go on vacation, you most likely will want to bring something back to help you remember the trip. It’s great to be able to look at something in your house, months after you’ve gone on a vacation and have memories come flooding back when you look at the item that you bought while away.

It doesn’t have to be expensive to get a souvenir that you will like, and that will help remind you of your trip. As a matter of fact, it’s most likely the lesser expensive items that you’ll use more often and will be more of a daily reminder of your trip.

The picture above is a great example. While I was in Walt Disney World in September of 2007, I bought a pack of 6-coasters at the gift shop in the Magic Kingdom. How much did it cost? $6.00. How often do I use them? Every single day. It’s great. Whenever I pick up my glass to get a sip of my drink while watching TV, I see one of the coasters, and it instantly reminds me of my Disney World vacation. I can remember picking them out, as well as how much fun I was having at the time, and for the rest of the trip.

Another great souvenir that I got was a spoon holder for while I’m cooking. It’s in the shape of Mickey ears, and cost a whole whopping $7.00. I use this a few times a week when I need to put the spoon down when I’m mixing things on the stove. It also reminds me of my trip, and didn’t cost much at all.

Don’t get me wrong, you can buy a lot of things that will remind you of your trip…I’m just suggesting that less expensive items that you will use often can really give you the most for your dollar, and help keep your vacation alive until your next trip!

Bookmark to:

• MyPoints.com – Get money towards your travel!
• Drive or Fly?
• Deciding Which Week to take your Trip
• Travelzoo Top 20 – Travel Deals
• Another Great Way to Remember Your Trip for Years to Come…

I mentioned it last month, but I wanted to say it again in case someone missed it. You have until June 22nd to book a Walt Disney World trip with FREE Disney Dining. This means that if you stay on property and get at least a 1-day park pass (of course you can get passes for as many days as you’d like), you’ll get FREE meals for everyone in your party!

You really can’t ask for more than that. I’ve done this twice before, and it’s incredible. You will get to eat at some really great restaurants, and won’t have to worry about the price!

The package is a little bit different than in previous years, but it’s still great considering it’s FREE:

Each day, each person in the room gets 1 quick serve meal (which includes an entree, dessert, and drink), 1 table service meal (which includes an entree, dessert, and drink), as well as a snack credit which can be used on many items such as ice cream, fruit, drinks, etc.

Tips are no longer included, so you’ll still have to pay for that…but think about all the free food you will be getting each day!

It really is worth it, since you have to pay for a hotel room anytime you go anyway, so you would still have to pay to eat. I’d much rather just pay for tips than have to pay for my meals plus tips!

I’ll be going again in 2009 (hopefully they’ll have free dining again!) since I was just there in 2007, but I really recommend it to everyone.

Bookmark to:

• Free Disney Dining Plan is Back!
• Walt Disney World – Free Dining Again?
• Disney – Free Dining Plan Offer Confirmed!
• Disney Dining Plan
• The Disney Dining Plan

The Grand Canyon is an amazing place to visit. The problem may be, that you don’t want to plan an entire trip around the Grand Canyon. What if you were visiting Las Vegas, and spent one of your days visiting the Grand Canyon? What if you didn’t have to do the drive yourself?

This is exactly what we did, the first time we were in Las Vegas. We spent one of the days doing a bus tour like one offered by the Grand Canyon Tour Company.

It’s a great deal. Usually for under $200.00 for 2 people, they will pick you up on the Las Vegas Strip early in the morning, give you breakfast, take you to see the Hoover Dam (albeit a short visit!), give you a buffet lunch, and take you to the Grand Canyon. You won’t get back to your hotel until late at night (as it’s a long drive each way…) but it’s worth it!

They also offer other tours, such as a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, so you’ll have to see which is the perfect tour for you. Either way, it’s an easy way to get to see the amazing Grand Canyon, without having to do the long drive yourself, and you can still spend the rest of your trip in Las Vegas. I am so glad that we did this tour, and would definitely do it again.

Bookmark to:

• Grand Canyon SkyWalk set to open in March
• Palazzo Las Vegas
• The Wynn Doesn’t Sit Still…La Reve, Encore, and more
• Indian Echo Caverns
• Free things you shouldn’t miss on the Vegas Strip

Going to Las Vegas anytime soon? If so, make sure you stop by Caesars Palace! They have just unveiled a Payard Chocolate Clock. During operating hours, it dispenses free chocolates every so often! It’s located at Payard Patisserie, so it should be easy to find. The clock is 13 feet tall, and is truffle inspired, looking like ribbons of melting chocolate.

It sounds like it would be an incredible sight…plus who could turn down free chocolate?

Bookmark to:

• Today’s Destination: Glen Canyon, Utah
• Tallest building in world on Vegas strip?
• The Hershey Chocolate Factory
• Cunard’s 3 Ships Meet in NYC
• Today’s Destination: Ethiopia

Looking for the perfect vacation for the whole family? As I mentioned last week, Disney is offering FREE Dining if you travel between August 24th and September 20th. You have to stay on property, but since they have all types of hotels, you’re sure to find one that fits your budget. United has a great deal going on right now where you can book your trip to Disney, get the FREE dining package, and get a great price!

I can’t recommend Disney’s FREE dining offer enough. We’ve done it twice now, and really enjoy it. Hopefully they’ll offer it next year so we can do it again. We figure since we went last year, that we’d go somewhere else this year. But it makes your vacation so nice and easy not to have to worry about paying for your meals. You’ll also get some great meals when you have FREE dining, and since you won’t have to worry about the cost, you can order what you’d like, and get to try some really great foods!

Bookmark to:

• The Disney Dining Plan
• Disney Free Dining 2008
• Walt Disney World will have Free Dining Select Dates through March 2012!
• Disney Dining Plan
• Free Disney Dining Plan is Back!

It’s finally here!! If you’ve looked into going to Walt Disney World in August or September, most likely you’ve heard of the Free Dining Plan they have had the past few years. We took advantage of it in September 2005, and this past September as well.

It’s back! If you plan on going to Walt Disney World between August 24th and September 20th, and are staying on property, as long as each person has at least a 1-day park ticket, you will get FREE Disney Dining with your reservation!!!

Considering it usually costs $37.99 for an adult, and $9.99 per child, you are getting a great deal. What exactly do you get with the Disney Dining Plan?

Each day, each person gets: 1 quick serve meal (which includes an entree, dessert, and drink), 1 table service meal (which includes an entree, dessert, and drink), as well as a snack credit which can be used on many items such as ice cream, fruit, drinks, etc. Tips are no longer included…but think about all the free food you will be getting each day!

We have taken advantage of this deal twice, and both times it was incredible! We ate some really great meals, and it didn’t cost us anything. The best part was, we went in September after most kids had gone back to school, so it wasn’t even very crowded! We were able to walk onto most rides without having to wait in line. So between that and the great (FREE) food, it was an amazing trip. Actually, we’re hoping they do it next year so that we can go in September of 2009. It’s fun going every other year for us!

To book the Free Dining package, you can either do it at the Disney Web Site, AAA, or at your local travel agent. If you do go, have fun!

Bookmark to:

• Walt Disney World will have Free Dining Select Dates through March 2012!
• Walt Disney World – Free Dining Again?
• FREE Disney Dining – Great Deal
• Disney Free Dining 2008
• The Disney Dining Plan