OMG! Disney has outdone itself with the newest jewel in the Disney Cruise Line Crown, the Disney Wish. Take it from someone who has been on many Disney cruises, this is going to be a spectacular ship.  My family and I have plans to cruise on the Disney Wish in Spring 2023 and we cannot wait.  I often say Disney has ruined it for me with other cruise lines. Their customer service is exceptional, and their dining, activities, and ports of call are excellent. I heard through the grapevine what to expect from this voyage, and we are looking forward to spacious staterooms, entertainment, kids’ clubs, adult exclusive areas, and dining for every taste and requirement.

Disney has rotational dining, which means each day of cruising guests can enjoy the different themed restaurants the ship has to offer. The Disney Wish’s theme restaurants include:

• Arendelle: A “Frozen” Dining Adventure (Frozen theme dining experience) with musical performances by your favorite Frozen characters.
• Worlds of Marvel (Cinematic dining experience).
• 1923 (named after the year the Walt Disney Studios were founded) storyboards, sketches, and props.

Other great dining experiences aboard the Disney Wish include Marceline Market (inspired by Walt Disney’s hometown). Marceline Market offers a casual dining walk-around experience for breakfast and lunch and table service dining for dinner; Mickey and Friends Festival of Foods (food court); and Inside Out: Joyful Sweets (sweets available for purchase).

What else does the Disney Wish have to offer? 

• AquaMouse. Water attraction at sea
• Disney Uncharted Adventure. Interactive experience featuring characters from Disney and Pixar
• 10 pools and water features; .5, 2.5- and 4.5-feet depths; 3 decks with pools and water features
• Walt Disney Theatre with Broadway-style performances
• 2 cinemas: Wonderland cinema and Never Land cinema (classic and first-run Disney movies)
• Hero Zone: Multi-purpose venue where the whole family can play and compete
• Luna: new entertainment venue (musical performances, comedy acts, and family game shows)
• Kids’ Clubs (Ages 3-11) (Marvel Superhero Academy, Walt Disney Imagineering Lab, Fairytale Hall, Starwars: Cargo Bay); Edge (Ages 11-14); Vibe (Ages 14-17); and The Hideaway (Ages 18-20)
• It’s a small world nursery (Ages 6 months – 3 years old). Hourly rates apply, not include in the fare
• Spaces for adults only: Starwars: Hyperspace Lounge (bar), Quiet Cove (pool, bar, lounge), The Rose, Palo Steakhouse, and Enchante (additional fees),
• Senses Spa
• Hooks Barbery and Untangled Salon
• Bars and lounges: Keg and Compass, Nightingale, The Bayou

I am so excited and cannot wait until Spring.  I truly enjoyed experiences on the other Disney ships, and I am looking forward to what the Disney Wish has to offer as the newest jewel in the Disney Cruise Line Crown.

Are you interested in free help planning your Disney cruise vacation? Just contact us and we can help you with prices and planning at no cost to you!

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You can get a vehicle for hire right from your smartphone. Minnie Vans have special drop-off locations which means passengers can reach select Walt Disney World destinations quickly.

If you want a personalized approach to travel around Walt Disney World, Minnie Van Cast Members are ready to provide an exceptional experience tailored to your transportation needs. Minnie Vans sit up to six passengers.

If you have not been to any of EPCOT’s many festivals, be sure not to miss this one. The 2022 EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival is being held between March 2^nd and July 4^th. While enjoying the traditional attractions EPCOT has to offer (including Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Test Track, and The Seas with Nemo and Friends), you will be truly amazed by the wonderful variety of gardens and 55 topiary displays. 

The magical encounters at this year’s Festival consist of:

• Heading out to the Mexico Pavilion and checking out the Tropical Rainforest Garden, while there you will encounter the biodiversity of the Mexican rainforests.
• The Italy Pavilion’s Garden Italiano offering the many produce and herbs used in Italian kitchens.
• If your interest lies in the Mesozoic era, then the Prehistoric Garden in World Discovery has plant life that bloomed during the time where dinosaurs roamed the earth.

While there you can also enjoy the many outdoor kitchens and exceptional exhibits the Festival has to offer.

    Warm Cheese Strudel with Mixed Berries at the Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market – Germany Pavilion.

    At the Cider House near the United Kingdom Pavilion, you will find tasty libations such as Bold Rock Watermelon Hard Cider from Nellysford, VA.

    Grilled Street Corn on the Cob with Savory Garlic Spread (plant-based and gluten/wheat-friendly) is being served at the Flavor Full Kitchen hosted by AdventHealth.

    Pick up a Festival Passport and purchase items from the many food offerings of the Festival.  Once you collect 5 stamps on your passport, you can redeem it for a special treat.

Get the whole family involved in a springtime scavenger hunt where you will follow Spike the Bee on his pollination trail.  Map and stickers are purchased separately.  Once you complete the scavenger hunt you will earn a special surprise.

Happening simultaneously with the Festival is Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration where you will get to enjoy among other things Beacons of Magic. Here, the lights will shine from within Spaceship Earth’s reflective panels (a beautiful sight), and Harmonious, EPCOT’s new nighttime spectacular festivity showcasing some of Walt Disney’s animations.

So, what are you waiting for? If you enjoy the many splendors of Spring and what it has to offer in the beauty of flowers, head down to EPCOT and smell the roses. You will be transported to a land of gardens.

Are you interested in free help planning your Disney vacation? Just contact us and we can help you with prices and planning at no cost to you!

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What you didn’t know about staying there

While we did stay at the Walt Disney World Dolphin, you will find that our discussion will apply to the Walt Disney World Swan as well. 

So many have asked whether the Walt Disney World Dolphin and Swan Resorts are owned by Disney.  The simple answer is no. Marriott International, Inc. manages both results as well as the newly-opened Walt Disney World Swan Reserve.

However, the resorts are on Disney property (located in the Epcot Resort area) and visitors can enjoy the many benefits Disney offers to guests staying on their property. For instance,

Free transportation around Walt Disney World.

*Buses to the various parks stop in front of the resorts.

*There is a ferry that stops between the Dolphin and Swan Resorts that takes you to the Boardwalk, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Yacht Club and Beach Club Resorts.

* You can catch the ferry to Hollywood Studios and take a ride on the Skyliner (if you have some free time, ride the Skyliner just for the fun of it)

* You can transfer to the Monorail (great to ride if you have some free time) from the following locations: Magic Kingdom Park, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and the Transportation and Ticket Center.

Ability to take part in advanced dining reservations.

*You can make Disney World dining reservations for your trip starting 60 days in advance.  Even though this is available for all guests regardless of where they are staying, Disney Resort guests including those staying at the Dolphin and Swan can make dining reservations for their entire stay as opposed to only making reservations for one day at a time.

Close proximity to Disney’s Boardwalk, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Yacht Club and Beach Club Resorts and other great activities

*Disney’s Boardwalk has the feel of those iconic boardwalks found in coastal cities around the United States.  Here you will find dining, shops and a jumping nightlife. The Boardwalk is just a five-minute walk from the Dolphin and Swan or you can take the ferry there.

*If you feel like walking, you can take a stroll to Epcot or Hollywood Studios.  Hollywood Studios is a bit further, but if you are up for the walk then by all means go for it.

*Disney’s Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Boardwalk Resorts are within a five-minute walk.  You can enjoy the amenities each resort has to offer.

Enjoy other benefits:

* With your theme park tickets, you will get to experience Extra Magic Hours. You can access one of the four Walt Disney World theme parks when they open one hour early or remain open up to two hours after regular park closing time.

*Priority access to Disney’s Lightning Lane service. This allows you to reserve access to some of your must-do experiences.

*Complimentary parking at Disney Theme parks with a valid room key.

*Complimentary package delivery of purchases made in Disney gift stores and shops back to the resort

What will you find on-site? There are many amenities for all kinds of budgets:

18 restaurants and lounges

Five swimming pools

Mandara Spa

Jogging trails

Health clubs

Paddleboat rentals

Camp Dolphin supervised children’s activities

Beachside playground

Game rooms

Great view of Epcot

You will definitely like staying at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resorts.   In November, 2021 a new resort across the street opened: Walt Disney World Swan Reserve.  You will now have 3 hotels to choose from. Even though not owned by Disney, you will experience the many benefits of staying at a Walt Disney World Resort. We highly recommend staying there.

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 “The Magic is Calling” and soon we will be making our way to Walt Disney World, and you should too! It is such an important year for Walt Disney World and you don’t want to miss it.

Not only are we going to relish in the 18 month long Walt Disney World 50^th anniversary – “The World’s Most Magical Celebration,” we will be celebrating our darling daughter’s first year at college, and what a great way to do so.

This time around we let her pick which parks to hit up and she chose: Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios. We chose to stay at the Disney World Dolphin Hotel (stay tuned for more details about this resort on a later blog) because the hotel and its sister hotel the Disney World Swan Hotel have such a large presence in the Epcot resort area, we wanted to see for ourselves what it feels like to stay there.

So, what is happening at Walt Disney World:

• The 50^th Anniversary Celebration anthem“The Magic Is Calling” will have special live entertainment moments across the Walt Disney World Resort. You can also enjoy the music on various platforms from YouTube to Apple Music.
• Joining Mickey will be Santa Claus. Kris Kringle will be making appearances throughout the Walt Disney Resort. Guests will have individualized time to wave hello and share their Christmas wishes.
• At Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure , EPCOT guests can experience a 4D escapade with Chef Remy on a caper that will have you zipping, and dashing through Gusteau’s famous Paris restaurant. C’est magnifique!
• Also at EPCOT, “Harmonious” a nighttime show with music, moving fountains and lights, lasers, fireworks and other pyrotechnics will be part of the magic. This spectaculor show will featured pieces from Moana, Aladdin, Coco, Brave, The Lion King, Mulan, The Princess and the Frog and other favorite Walt Disney classics.
• Enjoy Animal Kingdom’s Merry Menagerie of winter animals, these wildlife creatures will take the form of life-size, artisan-sculpted puppets. All sorts of animals will interact with guests, accompanied by serenading musicians as they create a whimsical display. Also, we can’t wait to experience KiteTails, where we will watch 3-dimensional kites and windcatchers dance through the air to the beat of beloved Disney songs.
• We will definitely experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios. It was the most anticpated attraction and great things have been said about it. This attraction has multiple combined experiences and from the reviews, the Imagineers have outdone themselves.
• Walt Disney World is introducing a new digital companion to help you with your stay at the Walt Disney World Resort.  The Disney Genie service and Disney Genie+ service is an app that will be built into the My Disney Experience app.  From food experiences to planning for specific attractions, this service will help you create a personalized itinerary for your vacation along with scheduling times to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance.

• The FOOD!!!. A little fairy told us that Disney has added speciality foods just for the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary. Can’t wait.

We are looking forward to our trip and hope you will too when you head down to Walt Disney World. We are especially going during a great time, experiencing the 50th anniversary. Stay tuned for more as we get ready to head out to the magic.

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