Magic Your Way Package Plus A Free Dining Plan Continues

Magic Your Way Package Plus A Free Dining Plan

Hungry for a great deal? Now through Dec. 17, 2011, buy a non-discounted Magic Your Way package for 4 nights and 5 days at select Disney Value Resorts and get a FREE Quick-Service Dining Plan. Or, buy a non-discounted Magic Your Way package for 4 nights and 5 days at select Disney Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resorts and get a FREE Disney Dining Plan. Offer Details: This Vacation Package Includes: Accommodations Magic Your Way Base Ticket A Dining Plan Booking Window: Now – Dec. 17, 2011 Travel Window: Valid for arrivals most nights: Jan. 8-12, 2012 Jan. 21 – Feb. 2, 2012 Feb. 11-16, 2012 March 3-8, 2012 March 24-29, 2012

Walt Disney World to be Featured on ‘The Chew’

Walt Disney World to be Featured on ‘The Chew’ Oct. 26 posted on October 25th, 2011 by Jennifer Fickley-Baker, Social Media Manager
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The Walt Disney World Resort will be featured on ABC’s “The Chew” tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST.

Chef Mickey recently visited the set of this new ABC daytime show to award an audience member with a trip to Walt Disney World for the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. A clip featuring the Hazelton family’s Disney vacation will be featured on tomorrow’s show. Be sure to check your local listings.

When is the last time you called a pay phone in the U.K.?

For those of you who miss the days of pay phones and conversations before caller ID, there are three phone booths outside the restrooms at the UK at EPCOT that you can call. Center is a standard pay phone but right and left are the red British style phone booths. People take pictures in them. It is fun to to call the people while they are in them and engage in fun conversations - or call your friend/family at EPCOT!





Here are the numbers:
U.K. Phone Booths
•Right Booth: 407 827-9861
•Left Booth: 407 827-9862
•Center Booth: 407 827-9863

Canada Phone Booth
•407-827-9884

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas is released on October 22, 1993

The Nightmare Before Christmas, often promoted as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, is a 1993 American stop motion musical fantasy film directed by Henry Selick and produced/co-written by Tim Burton. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, a being from "Halloween Town" who opens a portal to "Christmas Town". Danny Elfman wrote the film score and provided the singing voice of Jack, as well as other minor characters. The remaining principal voice cast includes Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Ken Page and Glenn Shadix.

The genesis of The Nightmare Before Christmas started with a poem written by Tim Burton when he was a Disney animator in the early 1980s. With the success of Vincent in 1982, Disney started to consider The Nightmare Before Christmas as either a short subject or 30-minute television special. Over the years, Burton's thoughts regularly returned to the project, and in 1990, Burton and Disney made a development deal. Production started in July 1991 in San Francisco. Walt Disney Pictures decided to release the film under their Touchstone Pictures banner because the tone was rather dark for children. The Nightmare Before Christmas was met with critical and financial success. Disney has reissued the film annually under their Disney Digital 3-D format since 2006.

Disneyland celebrates this movie during the holiday season with the influence of Jack Skellington:

Haunted Mansion Holiday (09/16/2011 - January 2012)

Join ‘Jack Skellington’ and his friends for look at what happens when Halloween and Christmas collide in this spectacular transformation of ‘The Haunted Mansion’. The mansion has been taken over by the characters from Tim Burton’s ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ in this annual Disneyland tradition. “Sandy Claws,” a.k.a. Jack Skellington himself welcomes guests to enter. Once inside, you will discover the mansion decorated for a “Scary Christmas and fun for the entire family.

41st Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic

Some of the world's best golfers and celebrity athletes who love golf descend upon Walt Disney World Resort today for the last event of the PGA Tour season; the 41st Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. The event tees off on this day at Disney’s Palm and Magnolia golf courses with the celebrity athletes playing with the Tour pros.

Golf at Disney
Complimentary Golf Club Rental Guests staying at a Walt Disney World® Resort hotel will enjoy complimentary Titleist and Cobra club rental when they purchase a full round of golf at any of the 4 Disney Championship Golf Courses.

Walt Disney World® Golf offers: 2008-2009 Silver Medal Golf Resort as awarded by Golf Magazine

• Beverage cart service available on all courses except Disney's Oak Trail


• Full-service pro shops


• Golf instruction from a full PGA Professional Staff, available by appointment


• Four championship courses
  

Disney's Palm Golf Course

Disney's Palm Golf Course offers tree-lined fairways, elevated tees and greens, and it boasts more than its share of water and sand with nine water holes and 94 bunkers. Disney's Palm Golf Course plays host to the Pro-Am competition during the Golf Classic at the Walt Disney World® Resort. Experience the natural beauty of the Florida woodlands that makes this majestic course one of America's premier resort destinations. This Joe Lee masterpiece features sparkling lakes and tropical sand, all in a gorgeous golf landscape populated with strategically placed palms. Played each year as part of the PGA TOUR's Children's Miracle Network Classic, Disney's Palm offers plenty of challenges for the novice and seasoned pro alike.

Course Information: 4 out of 5 stars, as rated by Golf Digest. The beauty of the Florida woodlands makes the Palm not only a pleasure to play, but also one of Disney's toughest. Rated by "Golf Digest" as one of "America’s 75 Best Resort Courses," this course plays a modest 6,461 yards from the middle tees and boasts more than its share of water and sand. On the 18th, golfers will be challenged by a hole that's been rated the fourth toughest on the PGA TOUR®.


Disney's Magnolia Golf Course

Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course is the longest of the Disney courses. Designed by Joe Lee in classic PGA TOUR style, the wide fairways invite you to hit the ball, and hit it hard! But beware -- 11 of the 18 holes boast water, and 97 bunkers dot the landscape and guard the medium-to-large, undulating greens. More than 1,500 magnolia trees dot this course designed for big hitters. As the setting for the final round of a PGA TOUR® event, this beautifully manicured course has all the earmarks of a golfer's paradise. The par-3 sixth hole even pays tribute to Mickey Mouse with a bunker shaped to form his silhouette.

Course Information: 4 out of 5 stars, as rated by Golf Digest. Step onto the first tee and into the shoes of champions. Power your way down the fairways at this home to the final rounds of the PGA TOUR's Children's Miracle Network Classic. These beautifully manicured links, designed by Joe Lee, are named for an abundance of fragrant Magnolias. Elevated tees, spacious greens, rolling terrain and tranquil water hazards on 10 of the 18 holes immerse you in a natural setting fit for a fulfilling round of championship golf.


Disney's Osprey Ridge Golf Course

Tom Fazio designed Disney's Osprey Ridge Golf Course to be in unity with the environment, but this trek through nature is no walk in the park. The course rolls through stands of majestic oaks and pines, while large bunkers, glistening lakes and rolling greens deliver all the excitement, magic and fun you can handle. This walk on the wild side provides a Disney golf experience like no other. A beautiful tropical wilderness creates a serene atmosphere, but with a uniquely styled course that challenges the player from the moment they step onto the first tee by offering dramatically elevated tees and greens, nine water holes, and more than 70 strategically placed bunkers.

Course Information: 4 out of 5 stars, as rated by Golf Digest. Tom Fazio, who in 1989 was voted "Golf Course News" "Architect of the Year," has designed a course that is totally unique to this area. This links-style course is designed by mounds and ridges framing the large greens and rolling fairways. The course plays 6,680 yards from the middle tees and winds its way through a tropical wilderness!


Disney's Lake Buena Vista Golf Course

Styled in a classic country club setting, Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course meanders through dense pine forests. Characterized by small, slightly elevated, well-bunkered greens, the course demands accurate shot-making. Add an island green on the 7th, and it all adds up to a great golfing experience. Styled in a classic country club setting, the Lake Buena Vista course plays 6,268 yards from the middle tees. This challenging course, which meanders through dense pine forests, is characterized by small, well-bunkered greens that demand accurate shot-making. It all adds up to a golf experience that truly reflects the philosophy of the course's designer, Joe Lee.

Course Information: 4 out of 5 stars, as rated by Golf Digest. Enjoy a meandering course that winds its way through pastel villas, pine forests, palmettos and sparkling lakes. Experience the pleasures of a classic country-club course with a distinctive atmosphere. Tee off next to boats and canals and enjoy views of an enchanting lighthouse. Golfing here is, in the words of course architect Joe Lee, "exciting, challenging, yet fun to play."

Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course

Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course, our nine-hole, par 36 walking course, is noted for the small, undulating greens and elevated tees. Surrounded by thick vegetation and wildlife, it is perfect for those who enjoy walking a course and soaking up the scenery. Shots shouldn't be approached too casually, however, as Disney's Oak Trail greens have been labeled some of the most challenging at the Walt Disney World® Resort. The 9-hole, par-36 walking course features small, undulating greens and elevated tees. Playing to 2,913 yards from the middle tees and surrounded by thick vegetation and wildlife, it's perfect for those who enjoy walking a course and soaking up the scenery.

Course Information: Enjoy a delightful time at this retreat that is home to a pleasurable nine-hole, par-36 course. Play the excellent, undulating target greens. This design is for everyone, with holes ranging from 132 to 517 yards from the back tees. It's perfect for the developing golfer or the experienced player. Ideal for a family outing or getting in a quick nine, Oak Trail is a great place to relax.

World's Largest Cruise Sale

This week, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is holding the first-ever, week-long, World's Largest Cruise Sale. Every one of CLIA's cruise line members is offering Vacations To Go customers additional discounts or value-added incentives for new bookings made from October 17-23.

Many of the specials include shipboard credits, which are as good as cash onboard and can be used to pay for almost anything not included in the upfront cost of the cruise, including alcoholic beverages, boutique items, spa treatments and shore excursions.

In past years, the sale was called World's Largest Cruise Night and lasted only one day, but the response overwhelmed reservations centers and has been expanded to seven days this year. It's a great time to book a cruise that departs during the remainder of 2011 or the first quarter of 2012.

Here are all the World's Largest Cruise Sale participants:

• AMA Waterways


• American Cruise Lines


• Avalon Waterways


• Azamara Club Cruises


• Carnival Cruise Lines


• Celebrity Cruises


• Costa Cruises


• Crystal Cruises


• Cunard Line


• Disney Cruise Line


• Holland America Line


• Hurtigruten


• Louis Cruises


• MSC Cruises


• Norwegian Cruise Line


• Oceania Cruises


• Paul Gauguin Cruises


• Princess Cruises


• Regent Seven Seas Cruises


• Royal Caribbean International


• SeaDream Yacht Club


• Seabourn Cruise Line


• Silversea Cruises


• Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection


• Winstar Cruises
  

If you are considering taking a cruise let me know and I will be happy to share with you the great discounts offered for this event!

http://ncvw.cruising.org/renee-latta

Tips for families attending Disney World’s Fort Wilderness campfire singalong

A Mom and The Mouse, Kristin Ford — posted by kristin ford on August, 4 2011

Before the movie starts, Disney World guests roast marshmallows and watch Cowboy Anthony perform with Chip 'n Dale at the Fort Wilderness campfire singalong. (Steven Ford/Orlando Sentinel)

A large number of Walt Disney World hotels offer nighttime outdoor movies for their guests, many on big inflatable screens by the pools or on beaches. At Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground, though, it’s a campfire singalong and includes entertainment before the show, fire pits for cooking and a permanent screen and seating.

I wrote about my family’s fun experience at the campfire singalong last fall here. Guests can show up for the movie and have a great evening, but I offer these tips for families who might benefit from a little planning.

** Bring blankets or towels to the movie for the kids so they can lounge, snuggle under them, and even fall asleep after a full day at Walt Disney World.

** Don’t forget the autograph books and cameras. At the campfire singalong Chip ‘n Dale make their way through the crowd, stopping for each family to get photos and autographs.

** Take your own supplies for roasting if you don’t plan to buy them at the concession stand. The Chuck Wagon sells roasting sticks for 49 cents each, a bag of marshmallows for $3.99, and a s’more kit for $8.99.

** A movie schedule is posted at the campground at the beginning of the month.

** The campfire singalong is open to any guests staying on Disney World property, not just those at the Fort Wilderness Campground.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/disney-a-mom-and-the-mouse/2011/08/tips-for-families-attending-disney-worlds-fort-wilderness-campfire-singalong/