Filed under: Disney World, Vacations, disney, orlando, orlando vacation, theme parks, travel | Tags: Disney World Holiday Events, Festival of the Seasons, Harlem Gospel Choir, Holidays Around the World, Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, New Year's Eve at Walt Disney World Resort, Osborne Family Spectacle
The holidays are approaching rapidly and with so many events at Walt Disney World® this season, planning ahead will prevent you from missing a major part of Disney’s holiday celebration. Disney World will be featuring a variety of new and exciting events that promise this year’s holiday season to be better than ever. It is important for visitors to understand that in order to take full advantage of the holiday vacations, advanced planning is critical in order to save time and money while maximizing the holiday experience. The key to enjoying all the special events at Disney World this season is to be well-informed about the major events and planning ahead so that once in the park, you do not lose any time and go straight to what you want to experience. This year Disney World will be featuring seven outstanding and major holiday-themed events. From Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party to The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights the variety is unlimited and entertainment will be available for the whole family. This article contains a guide and descriptions of key events that will take place at Disney World and will help you plan in advanced your holiday vacation.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – Nov. 12 – Dec. 21, 2007
Celebrate the spirit of the holidays at “Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!” This wonderful holiday event takes place in Disney’s Magic Kingdom theme park on select nights from November 12 to December 21, 2007. The fantastic Mickey’s Merry Christmas Party parade features Mickey and Minnie Mouse with their friends having fun with park visitors as they walk through Main Street. Special performances, spectacular holiday wishes fireworks and even falling snow are part of this incredible parade. To stay awake for the grand finale, where Santa makes his debut, complimentary hot cocoa and cookies are offered. The cheerful “Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party” is a great option to explore during your holiday vacation in Orlando.
Holidays Around The World – Nov. 23 – Dec. 30, 2007
What better way to celebrate all around the globe the joyous holiday season than at Epcot’s “Holidays Around the World” event? Among the shows featured is a nightly Candlelight Processional, where an invited celebrity narrates the Christmas story accompanied by a fine 50-piece orchestra and a fantastic choir. Another excellent show is the “ IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth,” whichshowcases over 1,000 fireworks, an amazing floating Earth Globe that has state-of-the-art LED screens and lots of great music. Holiday stories from all over the world are told by special invitees, including France’s Père Noël, Italy’s LaBefana and America’s Santa Claus. Other events that cannot be missed at Holidays Around the World are The Mickey Tree Lighting Treat and Lights of Winter.
Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights – Nov. 12, 2007 – Jan. 6, 2008
If you are looking for a different experience where the holiday spirit shines all over the place, The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights is the perfect event . Millions of blinking, twinkling and colorful lights decorate New York Street at Disney-MGM Studios while dancing in a choreographed motion to splendid holiday music. Beautiful Christmas trees , heavenly angels, sparkling snowflakes and various three-dimensional and motion-based displays adorn the streets making visitors feel and enjoy the spirit of the holiday season at Disney World.
Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade – Nov. 12, 2007 – Jan. 6 2008
Mickey’s Jingle Jungle is a colorful and lively parade that takes place in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Mickey Mouse, Donald, Minnie Mouse, Goofy and other friends go for a great jungle adventure while fun performances take place and magnificent holiday music plays. The cheerful and exotic Mickey’s Jingle Jungle paradeis known for its outstanding abstract animal images, amazing designs made with natural materials and fabrics, and unique holiday decorations.
Festival of the Seasons – Nov. 23 – December 24, 2007
Festival of the Seasons at Downtown Disney provides a spectacular holiday shopping experience. All the Disney stores are decorated for the holidays and feature a great variety of holiday merchandise. Live entertainment, wonderful light consistent displays, Santa’s presence, magnicifinet music and friendly performers make the holiday shopping experience enjoyable and fun. Some of the stores at Downtown Disney are: Once Upon a Toy, Virgin™ Megastore, LEGO® Imagination Center and Disney’s Days of Christmas.
Harlem Gospel Choir at Disney-MGM Studios – Nov. 30 – Dec. 25, 2007
The world-famous Harlem Gospel Choir takes the stage at Disney-MGM Studios during the months of November and December. The energetic and magnificent choir will fill your holidays with glorious music, contagious faith and lots of happiness. The amazing Harlem Gospel Choir was founded in 1986 and has shared the staged with artists of the caliber of Diana Ross, Jimmy Cliff and Bono. Besides rejuvenating people’s spirits through its wonderful music, the choir is committed to raising funds for children’s charities and was recognized for its outstanding work by Pope John Paul II.
New Year’s Eve At Walt Disney World Resort – Dec. 31, 2007
Disney World has a variety of options to countdown The New Year. Disney-MGM Studios, Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney will be celebrating the arrival of the 2008 with music, festivities and entertainment.
When it comes to celebrating the holidays at Walt Disney World with your family, many choices are available. As a result, an organized plan of holiday activities is a great idea to save time and enjoy to the fullest the holiday season at Walt Disney World.
“Having a good idea of the events that your family wants to enjoy and advanced planning is the recipe for a wonderful holiday vacation,” said Kyle Collins, Director of Interactive Marketing at HotelsCorp.com. “I would recommend searching the Internet and booking your activities as far in advance as possible, this will alleviate some of the last minute holiday stress that happens to everyone.”
Filed under: Disney World, Vacations, disney, orlando, orlando vacation, theme parks, travel | Tags: ABC Super Soap Weekend, Disney's Hollywood Studios Events, Disney-MGM Studios Events
Meet your favorite soap opera stars from “All My Children,” “One Life to Live” and “General Hospital,” as well as enjoy “On Location” autograph sessions, Star Conversations interviews, celebrity motorcades, game shows and soap opera memorabilia at the ABC Super Soap Weekend at Disney-MGM Studios on November 10-11, 2007 from 8 AM to 9 PM. In addition, actors from the SOAPNet series, “General Hospital: Night Shift,” will make an appearance for the first time.
The following soap opera actors are scheduled to appear (note: the line-up may change without notice):
All My Children: David Canary, Bobbie Eakes, Melissa Claire Egan, Thorsten Kaye, Michael E. Knight, Susan Lucci, Cameron Mathison, Alicia Minshew, Aiden Turner and Jacob Young.
General Hospital: Bradford Anderson, Julie Berman, Tyler Christopher, Josh Dohon, Sonya Eddy, Rebecca Herbst, Kimberly McCullough, Kelly Monaco, Jason Thompson and Laura Wright.
General Hospital: Night Shift: Nazanin Boniadi, Kent King and Dominic Rains.
One Life to Live: Kristen Anderson, Kathy Brier, Brandon Buddy, Kamar de los Reyes, Kassie DePaiva, Michael Easton, John-Paul Lavoisier, Forbes March, Erika Slezak, Trevor St. John, Tika Sumpter and Bree Williamson.
Sponsored by Colgate®Total®, the 12th-annual ABC Super Soap Weekend also will feature SOAPnet’s “I Wanna Be A Soap Star,” where select contestants can compete for an opportunity to perform in their own ABC soap opera scene alongside their favorite soap stars.
Guests will need to pick up an “On Location Fastpass” starting at 8 AM the morning of the 2007 ABC Super Soap Weekend in order to participate in the autograph sessions. “All My Children” autograph fastpasses will be distributed at the Lights, Motor, Action! Extreme Stunt Show; “One Life to Live” autograph fastpasses will be distributed at Star Tours; and “General Hospital” autograph fastpasses will be distributed at the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. Each member of your party MUST get their own autograph fastpass. Note: A limited number of fastpasses will be distributed.
“The 2007 ABC Super Soap Weekend is included with regular park admission to Disney-MGM Studios, providing an added benefit to your theme park visit ” said Kyle Collins, Director of Interactive Marketing for HotelsCorp.com. “And early November is a great time to visit Disney World since the weather is perfect and you can get a jump on the Thanksgiving weekend crowds.”
Filed under: Disney World, Vacations, disney, hotels, orlando, orlando vacation, travel | Tags: disney world spas, orlando health spas, papillon the spa at westgate lakes, westgate resort spas
Dozens of luxurious health spas are located throughout the Orlando area, providing state-of-the-art therapeutic treatments, amenities and exercise facilities that allow you to relax and rejuvenate during your Central Florida vacation getaway.
Services vary from spa to spa but many health spa facilities feature hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, body massage, deep cleansing, facials, manicures, pedicures, deep tissue or Swedish massage, tanning rooms, free weights, Cybex machines, cardiovascular equipment and more. Some spas are open to the public, while others are reserved for the exclusive use of resort guests.
For example, Walt Disney World Resort offers several world-class health spas: Grand Floridian Spa & Health Club, The Spa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Mandara Spa at Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort. The 9,000-square-foot Grand Floridian Spa & Health Club features a Victorian theme and provides a variety of massage treatments to choose from, as well as state-of-the-art fitness equipment. The 12,000-square-foot Spa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort features massage therapies, body therapies, facials, body therapies, hydro-massage therapies, hand and feet therapies, and a variety of spa packages. The Mandara Spa at Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort also provides a full range of massage therapy services in a relaxing, Balinese-style atmosphere.
Spa treatments and fitness facilities can also be found at the following Disney World resorts: Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Yacht Club Resort.
Other top-notch Orlando area health spas include the 20,000-square-foot Canyon Ranch Spa Club at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center, which is known for its “Canyon Ranch Stone Massage;” 12,300-square-foot Mandara Spa at Universal Orlando’s Portofino Bay Hotel, home of the “Mandara Four Hand Massage;” and 40,000-square-foot Ritz-Carlton Spa at Grande Lakes Orlando, which boasts the first Carita Institute and Salon in the United States.
“Orlando’s world-class health spas are great places to go to unwind after a day of exploring Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando or SeaWorld Orlando theme parks,” said Kyle Collins, Director of Interactive Marketing at HotelsCorp.com. “Many of these spas are ideally located within 5 minutes of Disney World such as Westgate Resorts’ Papillon the Spa at Westgate Lakes.”
Filed under: Disney World, Vacations, Water Parks, disney, orlando, orlando vacation, theme parks | Tags: Walt Disney World Orlando
A incredible array of new attractions, live entertainment and special events is on tap at Walt Disney World Resort during the upcoming year as Disney extends its Year of a Million Dream celebration throughout 2008. As part of the 2008 Year of a Million Dreams celebration, Disney will also award more than one million more dreams through the Disney Dreams Giveaway.
As an encore to the successful 2007 Year of a Million Dreams, Disney promises that the 2008 Year of a Million Dreams will boast “more dreams,” “even bigger dreams, “more dreams money can’t buy” and “more dreams that only Disney can make true.” For example, the 2008 Disney Dreams Giveaway will include such “over-the-top experiences” as a New Year’s Eve night stay inside Cinderella Castle Suite at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, a star-studded trip to the “High School Musical 3″ film premiere, a flight in a a hot air balloon high above a Disney World theme park and a private day at Disney’s tropical island paradise, Castaway Cay.
During the 2008 Year of a Million Dreams, Disney will also award hundreds of thousands of other dreams in various shapes and sizes such as Dream FASTPASS badges, special viewing for Disney parades, Disney shopping sprees, gourmet Disney dining packages, special Dream Mouse Ears, Dream pin sets and additional hours (known as Dream Times) for chosen guests to enjoy a Disney theme park.
In addition to the 2008 Disney Dreams Giveaway, Walt Disney World Resort will add the following new attractions and live entertainment:
Toy Story Mania!
The newest attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios), Toy Story Mania! will make its debut during the summer of 2008. Inspired by the classic Disney•Pixar animated film, Toy Story, Toy Story Mania! features state-of-the-art, 3-D technology to create an interactive ride-through video game. Using spring-action “shooters,” guests score points by launching darts at balloons, throwing eggs at barnyard targets and tossing rings at aliens.
Block Party Bash
Disney’s Hollywood Studios will also introduce an all-new Disney•Pixar-inspired parade, Block Party Bash, which will allow guests to dance along with their favorite characters from such hit Disney animated films as Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille and Monsters, Inc.
High School Musical 2: School’s Out!
Catch “Wildcat fever” as the High School Musical 2: School’s Out interactive show makes its debut at Walt Disney World Resort with a high-energy cast that sings and dances to hit tunes from the incredibly successful Disney Channel original film, “High School Musical 2: School’s Out!” This lively show will be presented multiple times daily at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Jedi Training Academy
Learn the “Ways of the Force” at Jedi Training Academy, an intergalactic entertainment experience where young Jedi students can learn lightsaber moves from a Jedi Master before facing off in the ultimate test against the evil Darth Vader from the Star Wars films. Jedi Training Academy will take place several times daily at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Play House Disney-Live on Stage!
The revamped Play House Disney show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will come alive with a whole new group of characters from popular Disney Channel programs such as “Little Einsteins,” “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Handy Manny” and much more.
Pirates of the Caribbean Skill Tests
Captain Jack Sparrow, the star of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean films, and his band of buccaneers lead a series of pirate “skill tests” to find honorary crew members at Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
Woody’s Cowboy Camp!
A “rootin’ tootin’ good time” for all ages, Woody’s Cowboy Camp! features favorite characters from the Disney•Pixar film, Toy Story 2, such as Woody, Jessie and Bullseye. Test your skills on an Old West obstacle course, as well as sing and dance with all of the cowpokes at Woody’s Cowboy Camp!
Magical Main Street, U.S.A. Parade
Parade down Main Street, U.S.A. in Disney’s Magic Kingdom alongside your favorite Disney characters in this star-studded interactive parade! The Magical Main Street, U.S.A. Parade will feature colorful parade floats, a marching band and old-time fire truck.
“With the extension of the Year of a Million Dreams celebration into 2008 and all of the great new attractions and live shows planned at Disney World for the upcoming year, it’s essential that you plan ahead to get the most out of your Disney World vacation getaway,” said Kyle Collins, Director of Interactive Marketing at HotelsCorp.com. “By booking your Disney World vacation online today, you will enjoy incredible savings on Disney hotels, theme park tickets and vacation packages.”
