What’s new at Disney during this age of pandemic.

New looks for Mickey, Minnie, and Friends.

After a year of quarantine, I am ready to get out there and enjoy Disney again.  My family and I will be heading out to Walt Disney World in December. For those who can’t wait until December, Disney has been steadily working on phased reopening.  

One of the biggest events for 2021 is Walt Disney World’s 50^th Anniversary Celebration, which begins on October 1, 2021, and will run for 18 months.  So what better way to get back to our “normal” than to enjoy “The World’s Most Magical Celebration”.

What to look forward to when you head down to Walt Disney World for the celebration:

• Disney Enchantment – Want to enjoy nighttime entertainment, then you will find it with Disney Enchantment. Here, you will discover fascinating Disney music, lighting, fireworks, and projection effects from Main Street, USA to Cinderella’s Castle. Location: Magic Kingdom
• Harmonious – Fireworks and visual effects are the main attraction for this showcase. Location: Epcot
• Beacons of Magic – Each park’s iconic symbol will light up into Beacons of Magic. Location: All parks on selected days.
• Disney Kite Tails – Come out and watch the three-dimensional kites of Simba, Zazu, King Louie, Baloo, and more as they take flight above the Discovery River Amphitheater. Location: Animal Kingdom Park
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure – A 4D attracted based on the Disney and Pixar film Ratatouille. Location: Epcot

What else is new

Resorts

• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort has reopened and with this exciting news, you will find new, guest rooms inspired by the Pacific Ocean and details from Walt Disney Animation Studios film “Moana.”

• If you will be staying at one of the Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Disney Resort hotels you will have the opportunity to enjoy extended evening hours on select nights in select theme parks. Information regarding specific dates and parks will be shared at a later time.  So be sure to return to this site for the most up to date information.

Reservations for Park Entry

Attendance at the parks is managed via the Disney Park Pass System.   You would have to purchase admission tickets and then make theme park reservations.  You will find a calendar on the Disney.com website with what parks have openings.

Dining

Disney is planning to bring the dining plan option back at a later date. However, Disney has continued to add new and returning dining options to its website.

Keep in mind that some restaurants require reservations and it is truly recommended—and are required. You can make reservations up to 60 days in advance, so be sure to contact me for help regarding dining reservations.

Dining Experiences

Character Dining is still available, however, only at certain restaurants: Garden Grill Restaurant, Hollywood & Vine, Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera, Chef Mickey’s, and Tusker House Restaurant.  Dinner shows are not available and some restaurants are still closed. Stay tuned for updates.

Remember to travel light.  Disney has made an effort to make sure that any contact between Cast Members and Guests is kept to a minimum.  Guests still have to walk through a metal detector, however, they would have to carry their belongings.

Remember to stay safe, abide by the rules and most of all have a wonderful time. Here’s to returning to a sense of normalcy, at least we can enjoy it with Disney.  We can talk if you want more info.

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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Love Halloween and cruises. Halloween on the High Seas is Disney’s answer to a unique and original way for your family to enjoy trick o’ treating while cruising.

Do you ever think about trick or treating on a cruise ship?  Not only did my family and I have the pleasure of taking a cruise during Halloween, but did it on the Disney Dream.  I always said that Disney is known for taking it up a notch and they’ve ruined me for other cruise lines, but this time they took the cake.

My husband and I wanted to make my daughter’s 13^th birthday extra special, why not, she was entering her teen years.  It so happens that her birthday lands on the 3^rd of November.  Just to let you know Disney starts celebrating Halloween in September and ends around October 31^st.  We found a 4-night cruise leaving Port Canaveral on Halloween and returning on November 4^th.  Perfect!

What are the best reasons to sail during Halloween:

1. Halloween-theme events for the whole family:

Some of the Halloween theme activities include: Mickey’s Mouse-querade Party (games, trick or treating, and character sightings), theme activities at the youth clubs, storytime in the atrium and wait for it, an adults-only costume party with a costume contest. My husband and I enjoyed the adults-only party; the costumes were great.

We knew not only to start planning for the cruise but also plan for our costumes (adults enjoy dressing up just as much as the kids).  Of course, it had to be Disney-related.   My daughter opted out of a Disney family theme costume and went as Harley Quinn, however, my husband and I love the movie Up.  So, my husband decided to go as Carl Fredricksen and I went as Russell. 

2. Disney Cruise Lines oldies but goodies

In addition to the Halloween theme events, you will find that Disney Cruise Line’s traditional events are still held.  An oldie but goodie is Pirate night.  Everyone on the ship is a pirate for the night, even the Disney characters.  The evening ends with a deck party.  While Disney provides a pirate handkerchief, cruisers, myself included have been known to bring their pirate wear.

Just to let you know, some of the events like character meet and greets require advance tickets, so if you have more than one adult in your party have them line up on embarkation day to do the sign-ups.

Our last night on the ship was my daughter’s birthday.  So, you can purchase a cake in advance through Disney.  We had the cake bought out during dinner and shared it with our table mates.

3. Land and sea during Halloween

Make additional Disney Halloween memories with a land and sea vacation. Prior to or after the cruise head out to Magic Kingdom for Disney After Hours Boo Bash. This is a 3-hour event that begins August 10, 2021 and ends on Halloween. Depending on the date events begins at 9:00 PM or 9:30 PM.

We have been on many Disney cruises, but this was our first Halloween cruise.  We had so much fun, that we are looking forward to booking a cruise for the Christmas holidays.

Are you interested in free help planning your next Halloween on the Seas vacation? Just contact us and we can help you with prices and planning at no cost to you!

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Eating your way around the world

If you are a true foodie, then the 2021 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival is the place to challenge your palette. Food, wine, and entertainment are the primary focus of the Festival, so why not book your vacation with us and enjoy what Disney has to offer.

I had the pleasure of speaking with my good friends, Becky Jo and Kierstin Miller about their annual retreat to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

Eating your way around the world is how Becky Jo and Kierstin describe their experiences participating in the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. This Festival is one of many offered at Epcot throughout the year and always runs between mid-summer to late fall. This year it runs from July 15th to November 20th, 2021.

Before I continue on the Food & Wine Festival, I have to briefly describe the Epcot experience.  Epcot is an acronym for The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow and is one of the four theme parks at Walt Disney World.  Epcot is known for its scientific and technological subjects and also for its World Showcase, which includes pavilions of various countries.  In each pavilion, you will find restaurants and attractions relating to the country.

Back to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, in addition to the permanent pavilions, additional countries are added as part of the Festival.   As part of your participation, you will receive a Festival Passport, which not only outlines Festival information but also has stickers to keep track of which sections you have visited and which foods you have tasted.

Becky Jo and Kierstin describe themselves as foodies and have been going to the Festival for many years.  While the Festival runs between mid-summer to late fall, the Millers prefer to go in the fall, one of the reasons being the weather is better.  The Festival has food and wine for every dietary need.  You can even find vegan and plant-based options, and each country offers wine pairings with its dishes. The cost is the price of admission to the park, plus the additional cost of the food and wine.  The food is offered in generous size tasting plates to small appetizer size plates.  What works for Becky Jo and Kierstin is the opportunity for each to purchase a different plate and share it.

What advice did Becky Jo and Kierstin offer:

• Purchase the park hopper option. Because you need more than one day to enjoy the Festival, after a day at one of the theme parks, you can hop over to Epcot to sample some more fare.
• Stay at one of the resorts close to Epcot:
  • Value Resorts: Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
  • Moderate Resorts: Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
  • Deluxe Resorts: Disney’s Beach & Yacht Club Resorts, and Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
• Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach are connected to Epcot via Skyliner.
• Because Epcot is so big, you can walk your food off.
• Be sure to enjoy Eat to the Beat. Disney brings in different musical local and international artists to serenade you will you eat.

Becky Jo describes the Festival as taking a trip abroad but having the opportunity to do it in one spot. You can enjoy empanadas or jerked chicken in the Caribbean Pavilion or pork sliders in the Hawaii Pavilion. Most of all you will have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Both Becky Jo and Kierstin are truly experts and just by the way they talk about the Festival, are genuine fans.

Are you interested in free help planning your Epcot International Food and Wine Festival vacation? Just contact us and we can help you with prices and planning at no cost to you!

Get a free quote and planning help from Magical Fairy Travel