Tag: disney world

Buying Additional FastPass+ Being Tested at Disney World

One of the many benefits of Disney World has always been their free FastPass+ system for their rides and attractions, but Disney may be testing out a pilot program that would allow guests to purchase additional FastPasses.

WFTV’s Chip Skambis reports that, according to his sources, Club Level Guests at Disney’s Deluxe Resorts will be able to buy three additional FastPasses for $50 per day per person.

Sources say the three additional fastpasses will cost $50 a day and can be used at any park. The service will require a 3 day minimum and will only be available to club-level resort guests, sources say. Disney officials did not immediately return a request for comment.

— Chip Skambis (@chickenlilchip) January 9, 2018

According to multiple online reports Disney could be rolling out this pilot test program as early as this Friday for guests staying in eligible rooms at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels.

Here are some of the details that have been reported so far on the possible new option.

For $50 plus tax per guest per day, guests staying in eligible rooms with a minimum three-day stay will receive three additional FastPass+ selections per day, a booking window of up to 90 days in advance and preferred viewing location for nighttime spectaculars.

This is a great option for those who are willing to pay for it, but where Disney guests who can’t afford the extra charge will suffer most, is when there are fewer fast passes available to them because they have all already been booked up. A 90 day window is unprecedented, and with guest collecting as many as 6 fast passes, the people it will hurt the most is those who buy their tickets at the window with expectations of booking FastPasses once they enter the park.

Free FastPasses aren’t much good when there isn’t any available. According to one media outlet, Disney had confirmed the information, but until Disney officially confirms it we’ll just keep this complied in the long list of rumors.

January 10, 2018
American Wins Disney Marathon For First Time Since 2004

No one does marathons like Disney and this past weekend runners started out 2018 with a 26.2-mile run through all four Walt Disney World theme parks and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex for the 25th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by Cigna.

It was an action-packed race weekend that included the Walt Disney World 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Goofy’s Race and Half Challenge, 5th Anniversary Dopey Challenge, runDisney Kids Races, and the runDisney Health and Fitness Expo.

Victory was especially sweet for runner Nick Hilton, who not only became the first American to win the race since 2004, but also qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the 2020 Summer Games.

Crossing the finish line in 2 hours, 17 minutes, 52 seconds, Hilton is only the fourth American to win the race. The last American winner was 14 years ago. A Brazilian runner had won the race six of the past seven years.

Celebrating 25 years of running magic with everyone’s favorite host, Mickey Mouse, at the most magical race on Earth, runners took on the exciting Walt Disney World Marathon. The marathon included plenty of surprises, entertainment, and Disney magic along the way.

With special entertainment experiences every half mile along the course, from full marching bands to a 100-member choir to nostalgic Disney movie soundtracks and exciting meet & greet opportunities with beloved Disney characters, the four-park celebration was nothing short of spectacular.

Along with the adrenaline-charged feeling of triumph, every runner received a commemorative finisher’s medal and special 25th anniversary Mickey Mouse ears to wear after crossing the finish line at Epcot.

Congratulations, runners! Check out more race weekend highlights in our video below.

January 10, 2018
Monorail Doors Open While In Motion With Guests On Board

Please stand clear of the doors… In this case, that’s a warning that shouldn’t be taken lightly as Monorail Red took off with passengers inside and the doors still open. Several days ago the monorail doors malfunctioned on its way to Epcot at Walt Disney World.

We all know that love is an open door, of course that’s only as long as it’s not a monorail door. A video posted to social media recently is quite concerning as a door on one of the Disney World monorails was open while the train was in motion.

Monorail red is not having a good day and I’m having a panic attack. #disney #monorail #thisisfine #callmaintenance

A post shared by abbieprimeknits (@abbieprimeknits) on Jan 6, 2018 at 7:45am PST

As you can see in the video, guests were on board the monorail at the time of the incident and though they may be giggling at the mishap this was clearly an unsafe situation.

The person who posted the video wrote in the post, “Monorail red is not having a good day and I’m having a panic attack.”

A second video uploaded by the same user showed the door remained open as it arrived at the Epcot station.

I need a drink. @disney, guys, you gotta get on this, what if somebody had fallen?

A post shared by abbieprimeknits (@abbieprimeknits) on Jan 6, 2018 at 7:56am PST

It’s unclear, at this point, how the doors opened in the first place, but no injuries were reported.

To make sure this doesn’t happen the doors of each monorail car are equipped with sensors that alert the driver if any doors are still open before they depart. Obviously this system must have malfunctioned in this case. Lucky no one was hurt during the incident.

Stickers were recently placed on the monorail doors by Disney that read: “Caution: Do not lean against door.” It’s not clear if the warning signs were in response to the incident.

January 9, 2018
UCF Knights Honored with Parade at Magic Kingdom

They may not have won the national championship, but UCF has won the respect of the nation as well as recognition from Walt Disney World. The mouse welcomed University of Central Florida Knights, Sunday, after their impressive undefeated season this year.

It was black and gold as far as the eye could see at Magic Kingdom Park as they celebrated UCF’s amazing football season with a magical parade at the Walt Disney World Resort.

The parade for Orlando’s hometown team follows a January 1 victory in the Peach Bowl that capped the Knights’ undefeated 13-0 season. Along with University of Central Florida student-athletes, today’s Magic Kingdom Park celebration included UCF cheerleaders and The Marching Knights, the university’s official band.

As you can see, the parade route down Main Street U.S.A was decorated in University of Central Florida colors, including black-and-gold balloons on lamp posts. And many guests wore UCF black-and-gold team shirts and jerseys to honor the team.

January 8, 2018
20 Disney Things You Can NOT Miss is 2018

It is 2018 and we are absolutely stoked about what an amazing year this is going to be for Disney Fans. Disney 2018 is going to be one to remember. From new theme park lands to new movies and more, Disney has a stellar year ahead for us. We’ve put together a list of the Top 20 things you can expect from Disney in the coming year. In absolutely no particular order we should say.

1. TOY STORY LAND
Get a sneak peek at the land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World Resort this summer.

2. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

If the trailer made us lose all our remaining chill, just wait until May 4 when this film comes out.

3. LIVE ACTION MULAN MOVIE
In theaters November 2 2018, a young Chinese maiden disguises herself as a warrior in order to save her father in a live-action feature film based on Disney’s ‘Mulan’.

4. PIXAR PIER

Debuting at Disney California Adventure summer 2018, Pixar Pier is going to be an incredible place. We can’t wait to ride the Incredicoaster!

5. RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2

6 years after the events of “Wreck-It Ralph”, Ralph and Vanellope, now friends, discover a wi-fi router in their arcade, leading them into a new adventure. Opens December 2018.

6. STAR WARS DAY AT SEA

This galactic adventure returns to Disney Cruise Lines January to April.

7. MARY POPPINS RETURNS

On December 25, our lives get a little more supercalifragilisticexpialidocious as Mary Poppins Returns to the big screen.

8. LUNAR NEW YEAR FESTIVAL
Celebrate the Year of the Dog as the Lunar New Year Festival expands to 24 days at Disney California Adventure park, January 26 to February 18.

9. SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY
On May 25, we geta chance to see Han Solo and Chewbacca’s adventures before joining the Rebellion, including their early encounters with Lando Calrissian

10. DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM CELEBRATES 2O YEARS
Walt Disney World’s theme park dedicated to celebrating life in the animal kingdom will mark a milestone 20th anniversary on Earth Day, April 22, this year.

11. EPCOT’S INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ART EXPANDSExperience the ultimate cultural celebration as food, art and entertainment perfectly merge—returning January 12 to February 19, 2018!

12. A WRINKLE IN TIME

This hits theatres March 9, and we are so ready to see the incredible cast in action, under the direction of the incomparable Ava DuVernay.

13. PIXAR FEST

Celebrate everything you love about Pixar at Disneyland Resort in spring of 2018.

14. STAR WARS: SECRETS OF THE EMPIRE

Transports guests deep into the Star Wars universe in a multisensory experience with friends and family in teams of four.

15. MARVEL’S BLACK PANTHER
This sure-to-be-epic movie makes its way into theatres on February 16.

16. FROZEN ON BROADWAY

Performances begin February 22, and the show opens on March 22.

17. THE INCREDIBLES 2
The long anticipated follow up film finally comes out June 15. We can’t wait to see this super hero family back in action.

18. AMERICAN IDOL

The television classic comes to ABC on March 11, It’s a new judging panel full of great talent, but we will always miss Simons little quips.

19. THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS

This movie looks so whimsical and magical, and we cannot wait to see it in theatres November 2!

20. EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FLOWER AND GARDEN FESTIVAL 25th ANNIVERSARYFun is blooming at an annual event bursting with brilliant gardens, fresh flavors, interactive playgrounds and rocking entertainment—February 28 through May 28, 2018!

Trying to find twenty things to put on the list was easy. Trying to decide what to leave out was the hard part. One thing is for sure, Disney has enough going on to keep us all entertained in one way or another all year-long. Bring on Disney 2018!

January 7, 2018
Toy Story Mania Closures in Preparation for Toy Story Land

It’s 2018! It’s a new year, a new you and a new Hollywood Studios. The eagerly anticipated opening of Toy Story Land is not to far away. In preparation, the third track of Toy Story Mania has been closed, according to Disney.

The third track opened for Toy Story Mania in May of 2016, which helped alleviate the long longs for the ride. However, the third track is now closed as of Jan. 3, 2018, and it will most likely remain that way until Toy Story Land is ready to open.

The lines will be longer for the time being, but a Disney spokesperson said, the ride is still fully operational.

To accommodate the ride’s new entrance into the new land, some changes are being made, as you can see in display model.

It’s not just the one track that will be closed. You can expect the ride will fully close in the next few weeks to make the final preparations and for the grand opening. No dates have been set for that as of yet.

In this new land guests will shrink to the size of a toy so they are able to explore Andy’s backyard, which is filled with toys from the “Toy Story” films.

The 11-acre land will be themed around toys from the “Toy Story” movie series, like the Slinky Dog Dash roller coaster and Woody’s Lunch Box, a quick-service window serving soda floats and more. Another ride will be Alien Swirling Saucers, where aliens circling in flying saucers pull along rocket ships full of guests.

January 6, 2018
Photos: Star Wars Land Construction Update

Last week we brought your some construction updates on Toy Story Land, and this week we wanted to show you some of the latest construction progress on Star Wars Land known as Galaxy’s Edge.

Set to open in 2019, we have we have long time to go, but these pictures give us some real perspective on how the new land is developing.

Current rock work structure on top of Battle Escape in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. pic.twitter.com/JUidsaQcf2

— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) December 31, 2017

These awesome photos from bioreconstruct show how fencing blocks off the land from the rest of the park.

Chain link fence at top of the berm that isolates Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge from the rest of the park. Trees and shrubs will hide view of the fence. pic.twitter.com/RGniObPmze

— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) December 31, 2017

These are some really great aerial photos showing us the newest work in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, near the transition with Toy Story Land.

Photo: @bioreconstruct

Photo: @bioreconstruct

And here we get to peer into the Millennium Falcon attraction at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.

Photo: @bioreconstruct

Photo: @bioreconstruct

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will be opening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland park in 2019. The new land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is just one element of the multi-year transformation of the park, which also includes Toy Story Land, set to open in the summer of 2018.

January 6, 2018
Father’s Search for Son’s Lost Water Bottle Has a Fairytale Ending in Disney World

Disney is always a magical experience, but sometimes when you lose something special to you, it can be tough to just bottle it up. Just before christmas Paul Miller and his son were visiting Walt Disney World and his son lost a water bottle that was very special to him.

This is a water bottle that his son had taken to all his favorite places over the past 10 years. He lost in the queue while in line for Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios and since the bottle meant so much to him, Miller took a chance and sent out a tweet to Disney world.

Two days later there was a hint of progress as Disney replied asking him for a description of the item.

As it turned out Disney Magic was in the still air of the Tower of Terror and Guest Relations had recovered the water bottle. They quickly informed him that the item had been located and was on its way to a safe location.

What they neglected to mention is that on its way, the water bottle would be getting a VIP tour of the Tower of Terror by none other than, Dillion one of the Tower’s most well-known bellhops in the Hotel.

The bottle was transported outside where it got to enjoy a special view.

The Bottle was then escorted inside where is was offered some tea while it waited.

Somewhere along the tour Dillion even escorted the bottle on to the ride since it didn’t get the full experience before.

Finally the beloved water bottle made its way to Guest Relations where it could wait to be picked up.

Shortly after Disney sent a tweet informing Miller of that “he did enjoy his stay at the Hollywood Tower Hotel”, and they even invited him back.

Our pleasure! We hope you had a happy reunion with the water bottle, he did enjoy his stay at the Hollywood Tower Hotel. Be sure to drop in again soon! ⚡🛎️ pic.twitter.com/z3oxSnHp7a

— Walt Disney World Today (@WDWToday) December 23, 2017

Afterwards Miller took the whole thing in good spirit and laughed about how it even got to ride the attraction.

When he finally got the water bottle back, he posted a reunion photo with the caption, “pure happy”.

So all in all, it truly did have a happy ending. With a little bit of Disney Magic, the missing item ends up right back where it belongs.

We’re glad this story turned out well for Miller and his son, but we have to take a moment to recognize these amazing cast members. Guest Relations at Walt Disney World is like no other in the world and they can always turn a negative situation into a positive one. This lighthearted search, rescue and recovery is certainly going to give this family a magical memory that will last a lifetime.

January 5, 2018
2018 Florida Resident Resort Offer With Rooms as Low as $79 Per Night
Florida residents can take advantage of rates starting as low as $79* (per night plus tax) in a standard room at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort. There is a long list of other resorts available for the offer and the rates are low as we have seen in a while. Rates vary depending on the resort.

The offer is good for stays most Monday through Wednesday nights Jan. 1 – Feb. 7, 2018. Additional discount rates and Resorts may be available for stays most nights Jan. 1-Apr. 14, 2018. Book through Apr. 14, 2018.

Booking Window: Nov. 28, 2017-April 14, 2018
Travel Window: Most nights Jan. 1-April 14, 2018

Resort Hotels Included in This Offer:
- Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
- Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
- Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – Family Suites Only
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s Beach Club Villas
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Old Key West Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows – Studios Only
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
- Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Eligibility Restrictions:
To book this offer, you must be a Florida Resident. Proof of Florida residency required at Resort hotel check-in.

Book Today as offer is limited based on availability.
If you need help booking this special offer, contact Travel Time with Vikki for a free quote. I will always find you the lowest rates and my services won’t cost you a thing. Let me do all the work so you don’t have to!
January 5, 2018
BREAKING: Circle of Life Attraction To Close Permanently at Epcot

The Circle of Life, at the Land Pavilion in Epcot’s Future World, is closing it doors permanently. This circle is complete for this long running attraction which has been educating guests about the environment for more than two decades.

On Thursday, it was announced that the attraction, which opened on January 21, 1995 will make its last run on February 3, 2018.

Shortly after the closure, the space will be used to host the student workshops and other events which are currently housed in the trailer between Germany and Italy. The trailer’s closure could possibly make way for the new rumored Brazil Pavillion in World Showcase.

The Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable is a 20-minute widescreen film about conservation, with color commentary from the stars of Walt Disney’s The Lion King. Guests laugh and learn as Simba teaches Timon and Pumbaa an important lesson about the environment.

The Circle of Life features a magical mix of animation and live action. Presented in stunning 70mm footage shot in over 30 countries, this panoramic film provides a wonderful opportunity to introduce youngsters to the concept of eco kindness.

If you haven’t had a chance to see it in person check out the video below.

January 5, 2018