October-December Disneyland Room-Only Offer

There is still time to get a great deal at Disneyland. Save up to 30%* on a stay at one of the Hotels of the Disneyland® Resort, for arrivals most nights Oct. 2 - Dec. 24, 2011.

Offer Details:
Save up to 30%* off a room-only reservation at Disney's Paradise Pier® Hotel.
Save up to 25%* off a room-only reservation at the Disneyland Hotel or Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa.

Booking & Travel Windows:
Book this offer Sept. 13 - Oct. 15, 2011, for a broader selection of travel dates, with arrivals most nights Oct. 2 - Dec. 24, 2011.

Book this offer Oct. 16 - Dec. 10, 2011, for arrivals most nights Nov. 1 - Dec. 24, 2011.

This offer is not available for travel Nov. 23-25, 2011, and travel on this offer must be completed by Dec. 25, 2011.

Upgrades:
Add tickets or upgrade your room-only reservation to a package so you can enjoy the Theme Parks, and experience popular seasonal events like Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort (Sept. 16 - Oct. 31, 2011) or Holidays at the Disneyland Resort (Nov. 14, 2011 - Jan. 8, 2012).

*30% savings based on the non-discounted price for the same room at Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel. Offer valid for arrivals most nights from October 2, 2011 through December 24th, 2011 when booked between September 13, 2011 and October 15, 2011, and for arrivals most nights from November 1, 2011 to December 24, 2011 when booked between October 16, 2011 to December 10, 2011. Travel must be completed by December 25, 2011. Other restrictions apply. Applies only to standard and concierge level rooms and not valid with previously booked rooms. Other room rates and hotel rates will vary. Excludes taxes and fees. Blockout dates of 11/23/11 through 11/25/11. Advance reservations required. Subject to availability as the number of rooms allocated for this offer is restricted. Limit two (2) rooms per reservation and five (5) people maximum per room. Not valid in combination with any other hotel discounts or offers. Subject to change without notice.

Disney Pin Trading

October 10, 2010 - Disney fans and collectors gather at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club for a free event designed to kick off the second decade of pin trading at Disney World. (Pin trading at Disney, inspired by pin-swapping seen at Olympic Games, began as part of the company’s millennium celebration, originally to last just 15 months.)

Disney Pin Trading is magical fun for the whole family! The most important guideline to remember is to have fun collecting or trading the Disney pinsyou like.

The main criteria to judge whether a pin is tradable or not is that it must be a metal pin bearing a “©Disney”mark on the back that represents a Disney Event, Place or Location, Character or Icon.

• Pins should be in good, undamaged, tradable condition.



• For a safe trading experience, please trade one pin at a time, hand to hand with pin backs attached.



• Guests may trade a maximum of two (2) pins per Cast Member, perday.



• Please refrain from touching a Cast Member’s or Guest’s pins or lanyard. If you need a closer look, kindly ask the Cast Member or Guest wearing the lanyard if she or he can bring it into clearer view for you.



• Monies, gifts or receipts may not be exchanged or used in tradefor a pin.



• When trading with a Cast Member, Guests should offer a pin thatis not currently displayed on the Cast Member’s lanyard.



• Pins from other business units of The Walt Disney Company (i.e.ABC, ESPN) are accepted for trade.



• Operating participant pins that show a Disney, Disneyland®Resort, or Walt Disney World®Resort affiliation are accepted for trading.



• Plastic pins, rubber pins or other non-metal pins are not accepted for trading.



• “Personalized Name”pins are not accepted for trade.



• “Broche style”or “clasp pins”are not accepted for trade.



• Disney Service Award pins, Spirit of Disneyland®Resort pins, Partners in Excellence pins or Cast Member costume pins (i.e. Host/Hostess Badges, Disney Trainer) are not tradable.

Pin Trading Location Etiquette Guidelines:

• Limit of one table for each Pin Trader.



• Limit of one bag/binder on the Pin Trading Table.



• Limit of one bag/binder in the Pin Trading location.



• Tables may not be moved, and please . . .



• Be courteous and always remember to follow Disney Pin Trading etiquette as outlined above. Thank you!

The location etiquette guidelines are for specific trading locations at Disney Parks. These guidelines are designed to ensure the safety and courtesy of participants, maintain the show quality of the pin trading areas, and provide an enjoyable experience for all of our Guests.In California, these location etiquette guidelines currently apply to the designated pin trading areas at Disney's Pin Traders at Downtown Disney®District, and Little Green Men Store Command and Westward Ho Trading Co. in Disneyland®Park..In Florida, these location etiquette guidelines currently apply to the designated pin trading areas at Disney's Pin Traders at the Downtown Disney®Marketplace and Pin Central at Epcot®.

Guidelines are subject to change without notice. Guests suspected of abusing the guidelines or the pin trading process may be subject to, among other things, removal from the resort premises.

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin opened October 7, 1998

October 7, 1998 Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, housed in the space formerly occupied by Take Flight, opens at Walt Disney World. Presented by Mattel, the first interactive dark ride at the Magic Kingdom will have an official opening November 3.

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin is a video-game-inspired ride at Magic Kingdom theme park based on the exploits of Buzz Lightyear and the Evil Emperor Zurg from Disney·Pixar's film Toy Story 2.

Accept the role of a Junior Space Ranger, board XP-37 space cruisers and blast away at Evil Emperor Zurg's robot minions with laser cannons. Zurg is attempting to steal batteries from helpless toys to power a weapon of ultimate destruction, and Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear is tasked by Star Command to stop him. Now Buzz needs the help of Junior Space Rangers to thwart the Evil Emperor's dastardly plans.

Spin your space cruiser any direction you wish. Every time you hit a target, you're rewarded with fun sounds, special effects, and points are added to your total score. Players can compete with each other for the highest score or try to attain a new personal best. You are even assigned a Star Command rank, based on your performance. The lowest rank is the humble "Space Cadet," but advanced players can challenge themselves to reach the highest rank, "Galactic Hero."

The attraction mixes familiar video game elements with a neon-colored physical environment to create a dazzling new experience that will entertain both expert gamers and Guests who have always enjoyed classic Disney dark rides.

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin is located in the central hub of Tomorrowland, just southeast of Astro Orbiter's towering rocket ship.

Fun Facts
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin went to infinity and beyond by being named the 2004 Disney Magazine Reader's Choice Award winner for Best Magic Kingdom Park Attraction for Young Kids!

A Bug's Land opens inside Disney's California Adventure October 6, 2002

A Bug's Land opens inside Disney's California Adventure (although part of the land has been in operation since 2001). Designed especially for younger kids, the area (inspired by the Disney/Pixar movie) features such attraction as Flik's Flyers and Tuck and Roll's Drive'Em Buggies.

"A Bug's Land" is a section of Disney's California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. The area is based on the Disney·Pixar film "A Bug's Life". Adjoining the 2001 agricultural themed area "Bountiful Valley Farm", the "a bug's land", originally to be called "Flik's Fun Fair", opened in Autumn of 2002 and sought to offer kid-friendly rides sorely lacking from the park's initial roster.

Oversized human items and foodstuffs are scattered around the land, similar to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids play area at Disney Hollywood Studios. The entrance to the section featuring the rides is a box of "Cowboy Crunchies", a reference to Sheriff Woody from another Disney·Pixar film, Toy Story 2. The fictional backstory for the land reveals that Flik and the other bugs were inspired to create their own fun fair when Disney's California Adventure opened next door to them. When the Imagineers set out to build the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, they discovered the bugs in the garden and decided to open up Flik's fair to park guests.

Flik's Flyers is a spinner ride at "Flik's Fun Fair" inside A Bug's Land at Disney's California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Guests ride in Flik's bug-made contraption fashioned from man-made objects. The vehicles appear to have been fashioned from used food containers and have been stitched together by leaves and twigs to become “balloons” that whirl around a pie plate centerpiece.

Also, the wait time sign resembles a button. Whirring, cranking gears are heard as they leave the ground. They can provide a great view of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Flik's Flyers is similar to Blowfish Balloon Race at Tokyo DisneySea.

Heimlich's Chew Chew Train is a slow moving train-type ride inside A Bug's Land at Disney's California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It first opened in 2002, along with the rest of A Bug's Land.

Guests board a train in the shape of Heimlich, the German-accented caterpillar from Disney·Pixar's A Bug's Life. Heimlich himself narrates the ride through the speakers on the trains. Heimlich's tendency to overeat is the theme of the ride, as the train appears to eat through oversized portions of human foods: candy corn, animal crackers, carrots, Brussels sprouts and watermelon. Appropriate scents accompany the giant food sets so guests can sniff to attract them. Large bites have been taken out of all the foods, so you can tell that Heimlich has been there before. At the ride's end, Heimlich bids guests farewell and reminds them to eat their fruits and vegetables.

Other attractions include Francis's Ladybug Boogie, Princess Dot Puddle Park and Tuck and Roll's Drive 'Em Buggies

"Don't try to figure out a plan. You can't reason with a headless man."

October 5,1949

Disney's 11th animated feature film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is released. The film features the voices of Bing Crosby, who narrates Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", and Basil Rathbone, who narrates Kenneth Grahame's tale "The Wind in the Willows." "The Wind in the Willows" will inspire the Mr. Toad's Wild Ride theme park attraction, first at Disneyland and then at Walt Disney World. (Although WDW's version will later close.)


Experience ‘Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ on Disney’s Haunted Carriage Rides
A Mom and The Mouse, Kristin Ford — posted by kristin ford on October, 3 2011

When the headless horseman is not appearing at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, he is surprising guests during Haunted Carriage Rides at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground. (Walt Disney World)

Haunted Carriage Rides at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground offer thrills during this Halloween season without being too scary for most kids to enjoy.

We began our adventure Friday, the opening night, at the Blacksmith’s Shop. After checking in, we were encouraged to walk around and see the horses and memorabilia in the barn. When it was our turn, we climbed into one of four open carriages and headed out past Pioneer Hall and the Settlement Trading Post and into the woods.

The driver started the telling of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” before a recorded narrator picked up the tale, as the carriages traveled through the trees and along the shore of Bay Lake, stopping at key places mentioned in the story.

For my children, ages 7 and 9, there was nervous anticipation leading up to the appearance of the headless horseman. But there was no fear on the 25-minute ride. This is Walt Disney World, after all. Be aware, however, that the woods can be dark, depending on what time your ride occurs, and that can certainly affect small children.

If your teenager is looking for things that go bump in the night, it won’t happen on the Haunted Carriage Ride. For that, you’ll need to check out Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios.

Disney’s Haunted Carriage Rides continue daily through Oct. 31, leaving on the half hour from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. The cost is $60 per carriage, which holds four adults or two adults and three children. Call 407-939-7529 to make a reservation.

A tip: Many of the days are already sold out, but cast members told me they will take names for waiting lists because additional rides may be scheduled on busy nights. Those on the waiting lists will be notified by 4 p.m. the day of the ride.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/disney-a-mom-and-the-mouse/2011/10/experience-legend-of-sleepy-hollow-on-disneys-haunted-carriage-rides/

Free Disney Custom Maps

If you are planning a trip to Disney World or just like to dream of your trip there is a great free tool available to you. You can create your own personalized map for your trip that will be printed and mailed to you for free from

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/maps/

It is a great way to generate excitement and makes a wonderful keepsake!

October 3, 1971 Peter Pan's Flight opens at Walt Disney World

On the park's third day in business, 1971 Peter Pan's Flight opens at Walt Disney World. Based on the 1953 animated film, guests board vessels (attached to rails above) and "soar" over the skies of London.

Fly over London in a pirate galleon to far-off Never Land on Peter Pan's Flight, located in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom theme park.

Take a seat in an aerial galleon, get doused with pixie dust by Tinker Bell and sail out of the Darling children's home and into the glittery lights of moonlit London! You'll soar over the famous sights of Big Ben, London Bridge and more. You can even see the tiny headlights of automobiles twinkling far below.

As music from Disney's classic 1953 film Peter Pan swells, you descend to wondrous Never Land Island. Soon, you'll be sweeping past the Lost Boys camp, Mermaid Lagoon and Skull Rock. Watch as Peter Pan valiantly faces off against Captain Hook aboard the captain's grand pirate ship to save Wendy and her brothers.

It's a whimsical journey that you'll want to never end!

Upon entering the very beginning of the nursery, a play tea party featuring two famous toys, Raggedy Ann and Andy, can be seen. The Lost Boys camp and Mermaid Lagoon are now a part of the Never Land scene. Also, Hook's 48-foot pirate ship is included, complete with deck, masts, sails and rigging. Guests see Hook and Peter engaged in hand-to-hand combat on the mainsail, while the boys are lashed to the mast and Wendy is about to walk the plank. Then, guests see Peter and the Darlings posed victoriously on the ship, poised to sail into the sky, back to London.

Trivia: A hidden Mickey is located at the beginning of the ride. When the ship ascends, the shape of Mickey's head, formed by three cookies, can be seen below to the right.

Fun Facts: The popular girl's name "Wendy" was actually invented for the character of Wendy in the play, Peter Pan (1904) by author J. M. Barrie.

http://youtu.be/zGYBy7K4C_w