Disney Blog at Magical Kingdoms

• The holiday season at Disneyland Resort gets underway Monday, Nov. 14, and will continue daily through Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012.
• For the first time, the Holiday season at Disneyland Resort will be extended to celebrate Three Kings Day, known as Día de Reyes. From Jan. 6-8, 2012, look for special décor and entertainment in Frontierland that showcases western and Mexican heritage, along with food themed to this holiday and children’s activities.
• The first Disneyland holiday celebration was in 1955, when Walt Disney placed a Christmas tree in the Hub at the north end of Main Street, U.S.A., near Sleeping Beauty Castle.  For many years now, the tree has been located in Town Square near the Main Street Disneyland Railroad Station.
• Beginning Friday, Nov. 18, “The Magic, The Memories, and You!” show gets a new, Yuletide glow. The show features photos and video of guests creating memories at Disneyland park, with favorite holiday melodies underscoring images of guests enjoying their holidays at Disneyland.
• The lively street show “Phineas and Ferb’s Rockin’ Rollin’ Dance Party” gets a merry twist at Disney California Adventure park, with holiday décor and songs. The show is performed several times a day in Paradise Pier.
• Lanny and Wayne, the techno-savvy elves from the “Prep & Landing” holiday TV specials, make guest appearances in a new holiday prelude sequence in the nighttime “World of Color” show in Disney California Adventure.
• Decorating experts at the Disneyland Resort have to get started early. They trim nearly 700 trees for the season, on display in Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, the resort’s three hotels and the Downtown Disney District. The smallest tree is at Storybook Land and the largest is at Town Square – both in Disneyland.
• The Disneyland Christmas tree in Town Square has become a favorite spot for snapping holiday photos. The artificial tree stands 60 feet tall and has 280,000 pine-tip branches molded from actual tree branches. It is decorated with more than 2,000 ornaments, including the three-foot star on top, and nearly 4,800 energy-efficient LED lights. When the Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle show reaches its finale crescendo, more than 60,000 LED lights and 1,200 strobe lights are added to the effect.
• Mickey’s Toontown is decorated with its own distinctive “toon” trees this 2011 holiday season. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse each have personal Christmas trees in the front yards of their Toontown homes, and a cartoon-themed tree beckons guests for photos in front of Toontown City Hall.
• Since the introduction of the artificial Christmas tree and LED lighting technology in 2008, the Disneyland park Christmas tree has used 50 percent less electricity than it did previously.
• Carolers in traditional Victorian holiday garb make regular appearances throughout the season at each of the three Disneyland Resort hotels:  Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, the Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel.
• The Dapper Dans, the popular Main Street, U.S.A., quartet, add holiday songs to their repertoire, with holiday chimes as accompaniment. Favorites range from the traditional “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” to “Frosty the Snowman,” “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” and “Christmas in Killarney.
• The nighttime Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle light show is divided into three “acts” over the course of the evening. Each one begins at the Castle and travels the length of Main Street, U.S.A., finishing at the Town Square Christmas tree. Each act features a magical snowfall, and the final act concludes with “Believe…in Holiday Magic” fireworks.

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If you’re planning a Disney trip, or just want to earn a bit of extra money for something else, you can earn some by taking part in online surveys, research and writing reviews. While you’re not going to become a millionnaire by doing this, every little bit helps!

Some of the sites below pay in gift vouchers rather than cash, but you can use these to buy things for your trip, or just to use for Christmas presents or such like.

Obviously, some sites are better than others, so I’ve reviewed the ones that I’ve used to save you wasting time. I can only review UK sites, being UK based.

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Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide is joining forces with visionary filmmaker James Cameron and Fox Filmed Entertainment to bring the world of AVATAR to life at Disney parks. Through an exclusive agreement announced today by Disney, Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox, Disney will partner with Cameron and producing partner Jon Landau to create themed lands that will give theme park guests the opportunity to explore the mysterious universe of AVATAR first hand. Disney plans to build the first AVATAR themed land at Walt Disney World, within the Animal Kingdom park.  With its emphasis on living in harmony with nature, Animal Kingdom is a natural fit for the AVATAR stories, which share the same philosophy. Construction is expected to begin by 2013.

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When we asked members on our Disney forums to name their top annoyances at Disney Theme Parks, we got quite a response! Here are the most common gripes:

1. People cutting in line. Including families who have one person waiting in line, then the rest of the group show up once they’re near the front, and push their way past everyone else to get to that person.

2. The free-for-all that ensues when a bus turns up, or an elevator door opens. Most not giving any regard to who was there waiting first.

3. People who don’t give up seats on buses for someone carrying a baby or toddler, or for elderly guests.

4. People who smoke in non-smoking areas, i.e. most of the parks. Disney, if you’re going to have a rule, please enforce it!

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By Guest Blogger Kathleen Hubert.

Many can list Walt Disney’s accomplishments as easily as they might list items on a grocery list. Disney created Mickey Mouse. He produced the first full-length animated movie. His amusement park, Disneyland, became the first theme park. Disney formed the first multimedia corporation. Disney’s achievements are truly impressive, but more impressive still may be the impact that he and his company have made upon the world and world culture.

Mickey Mouse, Disney’s first unqualified success, appeared at a time when the world was in the first throes of the Great Depression. Mickey’s indomitable spirit, as well as the technological advances that Disney displayed in those first cartoons, struck a chord with movie-going audiences seeking signs that neither the human spirit, nor humanity’s ability to progress into the future, had been irreparably damaged by hard times. People became invested in Mickey Mouse. In rooting for Mickey, audiences were cheering on their own success as well.

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Cars Land is due to open at Disney California Adventure park in 2012. But if you can’t wait until then, get a sneak peek in this virtual fly-through.

Disney have announced that they will be increasing Theme Park ticket prices for the Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort, effective June 12, 2011.

Buy your tickets today to beat the price increase!

The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure officially opens today at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort.

A large number of visitors to Disney Parks in the USA are from the UK, many visiting for the first time. With the help of our wonderful Disney forum members we’ve put together some essential tips to help Brits visiting the USA.

BOOKING YOUR TRIP

Don’t be scared of booking a DIY trip! Packages are easy to book but don’t necessarily provide the best value. Airlines often have sales or offers. And Disney are releasing new offers all the time, with room discounts and free dining packages that can save £££.

If you don’t want to book the hotel yourself, consider using a specialist Disney travel agency, such as Small World Vacations. They don’t charge anything for their service and will find you the best deals available.

The Walt Disney Travel Company UK has some great offers available, including free dining and discounts of up to 45% on Disney Resorts.

Travel insurance is absolutely essential! Just getting to see a doctor for something minor like a sore throat will cost you upwards of $200. Make sure you get a comprehensive policy with at least £2million medical cover. Check that the cancellation cover and baggage cover meet your needs too.

If you plan on visiting Universal Orlando, consider staying one or two nights in one of their hotels (Hard Rock Hotel, Portofino Bay, Royal Pacific). As a hotel guest you’ll get 2 days of queue jumping at Universal Studios / Islands of Adventure, early entry to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and can have up to four adults in a room. Plus, you won’t have to get transport there or pay for parking, transport to and from the parks is free.

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Continuing our Page Turn’Ears’ blog series, we take a closer look at one of the more ‘niche’ Disney books available. ‘Windows On Main Street’ by Chuck Snyder.

The Blurb!

Discover the real stories of the talented people featured on the windows of Main St, USA

Perhaps the greatest honour a Disney employee can have bestowed upon them is to be elected by their peers to join a very select list of people whose names adorn the decorative windows along the Main Streets of both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. To be granted it means an often lifelong association with, and most certainly an outstanding contribution to the Disney company.

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