Here is how they transform the Magic Kingdom for Christmas.

Osborne Family Lights at Disney Hollywood Studios

Osborne Family Spectacle of the Dancing Lights

Jennings Osborne of Arkansas wanted to make his daughter happy, so he decorated their property for Christmas. Year after year he added lights, music and animation. Finally the neighbors had enough and Mr. Osborne donated everything he had to Disney World.

The display first ran on the Residental Street of the Backlot Tour. When that was being renovated, the light spectacular was moved to its current home on the American Street. The lights are timed and set to music, changing with each carol that plays. If you look hard you will see it snowing too!

Make sure to pay close attention to the windows and sidewalks, you will see hidden Mickey's, the hidden cat and you might just locate the famous leg lamp from Christmas Story.

Santa was not located at Hollywood Studios but at the boat ramp at The Swan and Dolphin. He looks great! So Florida-ish!

Christmas Disney's Style

Christmas at Walt Disney World

Delight in the sounds and sights of the season at Walt Disney World’s celebration of Christmas. There are many dazzling reasons to visit the parks over the holidays! The great decoration are not just in the parks, be sure to visit the hotels for beautifully themed decoration. The Grand Floridian has a life size gingerbread house that doubles as a shop to purchase homemade cookies. You can also find chestnuts roasting at the Grand Floridian.

Here are some of the highlights at the parks.

EPCOT

The Candlelight Processional is special holiday event that runs three times nightly. A celebrity narrator retells the story of Christmas, accompanied by a 50 piece orchestra and a full mass choir.

Holiday’s Around the World, gives us a peek into the traditions from around the world as each of the eleven countries show us their Christmas traditions.  Visit each country to meet “santa” and hear their special story of Christmas. Meet Pere Noel in France, La Befana in Italy. The American Pavilion offers a look at Chanukah and Kwanza.   

Mickey's Tree Lighting, Mickey and friends light a Christmas Tree in the World Showcase Plaza nightly.

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth has a special finale for the holiday season, including classic song "Let There Be Peace on Earth".

Animal Kingdom

Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade, the afternoon parade takes on a Christmas inspired jungle theme.

Disney Hollywood Studios

Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Millions of sparkling lights shine in falling snow in this theme park, in the Streets of America backlot area.

The history of this display goes back to Little Rock Arkansas in 1986, when businessman Jennings Osborne strung up 1000 red lights for his 6-year-old daughter. The display grew every year, so much so that-- by the time it reached 3 million lights-- the neighbors took legal action, and it found a permanent home in Walt Disney World.

Appearing at dusk nightly from mid November until just after the new year. The Spectacle of Lights is included in regular admission to the theme parks. Since 2006, the Spectacle has had "dancing" lights: every 15 minutes, choreographed lights swirl to a medley of classic holiday music; snow flurries, too.

The Magic Kingdom

        Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party includes a special Parade, snowfall on Main Street, character greetings and character stage shows, cookies and hot cocoa, special Holiday Wishes fireworks, and popular Magic Kingdom Park attractions. The party happens on select nights in November and Decemeber; hours are 7 pm to midnight, and only party guests, with special tickets are in the theme park during that time. Make sure to purchase your tickets in advance as this is a sell out every year. (these tickets are not included in your regular park passes)

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade has holiday themes including a sleigh ride, Fairy Tale Christmastime, toy soldiers, snowflakes, dancing deer, and Santa and Mrs. Claus in a grand finale. This Parade is part of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party; after the Party dates are finished, in past years the Parade has rolled for everyone in the afternoon (instead of the usual Disney's Dreams Come True Parade) until the end of December. tree lighting ceremony, most nights on Main Street

Mickey's Night Before Christmas, in the Galaxy Palace Theater, several times daily

Holiday Wishes Fireworks is set to the music of classic holiday songs

Castle Dream Lights: every night, a Castle Dream Lights show, with Disney characters, lights up Cinderella's Castle with 200,000 twinkling lights.

Disney World Fantasyland expansion announcement & makeover concept art

Disney's Magic Kingdom Expands Fantasyland

Walt Disney World has broken ground for the expansion of Fantasyland. Fantasyland, one of the 7 themed lands of the Magic Kingdom, will double in size by 2013.  This is the largest project the Magic Kingdom has seen since its inception in 1971.

In order to accommodate the new venues, Mickey’s Toontown will be closing February 11th. Mickey, Minnie and their pals will be relocated to the Exposition Hall on Main Street. Tink will move to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  You will, of course, still have character interactions throughout the park. The WDW railroad will remain open during the construction.  

The new Fantasy Land will include an interactive storybook adventure with favorite Disney Princesses.  Little Mermaid will have her own ride (similar to the clam mobiles in Epcot’s The Sea’s Nemo and friends ride). Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty will all have their own attractions. There will be additional dining choices and shops. Visitors will be able to visit Tink’s Pixie Hollow. UPDATED January 19, 2011~~Pixie  Hollow will be located in Disney Hollywood Studios!

Dumbo will take center stage with his own expanded area. This area will include a big top tent area with more fun and adventure.

Everyone has such fond memories of Toon Town and will miss it dearly but I suppose that is progress. I am still a bit upset they replaced Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride!

Epcot Candlelight Processional

The Candlelight Processional brings alive the story of Christmas with its celebrity narrators, choir and full 50 piece orchestra. It a moving experience that will leave you with a feeling of contentment and the real meaning of Christmas.

The Processional, as you can imagine, is very popular. The American Gardens Theatre is an open air theatre and the show goes on rain or shine.  The show runs nightly at 5:00 pm, 6:45 pm and 8:15 pm.

If you plan on enjoying the show you have two choices for seating. The first option is a preferred dinner seating package that offers dinner and reserved seating. The other option is the standby line. The seats are not actual reserved seats but reserved seating area in the lower portion of the theatre. You should arrive a few minutes early to get the best seats, at fifteen minutes prior to the start of the show; the seating is opened to the standby line.

If the standby line is your choice, get there early, folks start lining up 45 minutes early (or more closer to Christmas).

This not to be missed performance runs thru December.

The guest narrators are:

·  12/10 - 12/11: Whoopi Goldberg                                                              ·  12/12-  12/15: Steven Curtis Chapman

·  12/16 - 12/18: Thomas Gibson

·  12/19 - 12/21: Trace Adkins

·  12/22 - 12/23: Brad Garrett

·  12/24 - 12/27: Edward James Olmos

·  12/28 - 12/30: Marlee Matlin (interpreter: Jack Jason)

Restaurant Information:

For Disney Dining Plan Guests: Candlelight Dining Packages will require 2 table service entitlements.

Lunch Packages range from $32.99-$51.99 per adult and $12.99-$17.99 per child.

Dinner Packages range from $46.99-$61.99 per adult and $15.99-$23.99 per child.

Participating restaurants include:

Biergarten

Rose & Crown

Le Cellier

Coral Reef

Nine Dragons

San Angel

Marrakesh

Teppan Edo 

Tokyo Dining

Chefs de France

Tutto Italia

Your lunch or dinner package includes: appetizer, entree, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage (or full buffet where applicable); guaranteed seating at the Candlelight Processional show. You must arrive more than 15 minutes prior to the start of the show as they open seating to everyone at the 15 minute mark.

NOTE: Candlelight Dinner Packages do NOT include theme park admission.

Crystal River HOG Meet and Greet

 We had perfect weather for our HOG (Harley Owners Group) Meet and Greet at Sleepy Hollow 10333 E Gobbler Dr. Floral City, FL.

Sleepy Hollow is a most unique place. You will not find it anywhere else but the south. It's set back off highway 41 about 3 miles,  in the marshes of Citrus County.  If you can't get there by bike, you can alway try your airboat. Plenty of parking at the dock.

Saturday and Sunday are the best days to visit. There may be hundreds of bikes when you pull in but you will find a spot. The bands play from 1-5 pm every weekend. Pick a table under the spanish moss covered trees near the water, grab a  cold beer and your ticket for the $5 bbq and you are all set. The entertainment unfolds before your eyes (and its not all on stage). 

Early morning ride? Stop by for breakfest a hearty breakfast for $5.00. You can not beat it!

I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday then with friends at Sleepy Hollow.


  

Touring Plan of Disney's Magic Kingdom

Touring Plan of Disney’s Magic Kingdom

Color Key

Red=must do attractions (check to see if age appropriate for your party)

Orange= try to visit these attraction

note: try any attraction that is has a short wait time.

Main Street

Main Street Train- a good way to see the park before or after you have toured

Adventureland Attractions

Jungle Cruise - cheesy old time Disney fun.
Swiss Family Treehouse-fun to climb and see how the "Robinsons" lived.
The Enchanted Tiki Room- cute show, great to escape the heat and crowds for a bit.
Pirates of the Caribbean-you have to stop and see Captain Jack Sparrow!
Magic Carpets of Aladdin-fun ride even for the bigger kids in the group.

Frontierland Attractions

Splash Mountain - if you are 40" and over plan on getting a bit wet.
Big Thunder Mountain - not to scary roller runaway train for those 40" and over
Raft to Tom Sawyers Island-nice way to spend a quiet hour in the shade. Find a rocker and a lemonade  and relax.
Country Bear Jamboree-cute animatronic show. Nice to get out of the heat and into the AC
Frontierland Shootin' Arcade
Goofy's Country Dancin' Jamboree

Liberty Square Attractions

Hall of Presidents-educational and enjoyable for all ages. Another great spot to escape the crowds.
Liberty Square Riverboat-personally I find this not as exciting as some other attractions but its usually a walk on, so you may want to give it a try.
The Haunted Mansion- you have to stop and see the grim grinning ghosts!

Fantasyland Attractions

It's a Small World- a must see staple of Disney World
Peter Pan's Flight
Mickey's PhilharMagic-a 12 minute 3D movie with Mickey and Donald 
Cinderella's Golden Carousel- who doesnt love a carousel?
Snow White's Scary Adventures- fun for everyone
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh-fun for everyone 
Dumbo the Flying Elephant-You have to ride Dumbo atleast once in your life.
Mad Tea Party- if you're not prone to motion sickness give it a try.

Mickey's Toontown Fair
-some older kids may find this area is for the younger set, take a look and see if it is for your party

Minnie's Country House
Toontown Hall of Fame
Mickey's Country House
Donald's Boat
The Barnstormer at Goofy's-35" or tall on this kids rollercoaster.

Tomorrowland Attractions

Tomorrowland Indy Speedway-kid 52" or over love to be in the driver's seat. Good luck passing this by!
Stitch's Great Escape-40 " and over. --This show takes place in a darkened theater and there are surprises throughout the performance, which may be scary for younger children.
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin -I haven't met anyone yet who didn't enjoy this ride. Its like being inside a video game.
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress-from the 1964 Worlds Fair. A nice show and its airconditioned!
Tomorrowland Transit Authority-the People Mover-nice way to see Tomorrowland a nice relaxing ride.
Astro Orbiter-if the lines short give it a try. Great views
Space Mountain-obviously a must do at Magic Kingdom for those 44" and over.

The Timekeeper-a nice movie in the round

Rider Swap--have a child who doesn't meet the height requirements or doesnt want to ride? Ask the attendant if they allow child swap. This allows one parent to ride the ride while the other stays with the child, then swap and the other parent rides.


Please call or email us for more information to start planning your Walt Disney World vacation!

Our Visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom

November 17, 2010

Here is the story of three friends who ditched their husbands for a day and went to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Two friends and I set off from the wilds of Weeki Wachee FL to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

In our party were three ladies, Linda, Cheri and I (JE). Linda and I have been to AK before. Cheri was a first time visitor, which made it exciting for Linda and me.

 Our game plan consisted of only one thing, ride Kilimanjaro Safari as early as possible before it was too hot. Well we didn’t have to worry because it was a perfect day. No rain, not many clouds and it warmed up to only 80.  We had a 10 minute wait, which was fine. I noticed that they have added quite a few more safari vehicles to alleviate the long wait times. As the wait for KS was so short the need for Fastpass was nonexistent.

Kilimanjaro Safari is not your typical Disney experience. The animals are real; as such, they may be sleeping or avoiding the heat and you may not see them roaming. This has drawn some criticism from park goers.  I am happy to see the live animals (even sleeping ones) vs. animatronics hidden in bushes.  If you prefer to know that you will see the same elephant in the same place year after year, then maybe the Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom is a better choice for you.  I do love the Jungle Cruise too don’t get me wrong, please visit with an open mind and enjoy animals in an unpredictable environment. Ride a few times, at different times of the day; you will see something different each time.

We boarded our safari vehicle, a large jeep like vehicle, for our two week tour. We bounced and bumped, zipping over creek beds, easing over rickety old bridges, sped along as we chased poachers and mostly enjoyed the very active animals.  At some points we reached speeds of up to 8mph! What ride!

We were thrilled to see two female giraffe, a mom and younger female.  We saw the elephants, wart hogs, ostriches, lions (sleeping) and many other wild things.  At one point we saw one elephant segregated from the others. From a distance he appeared to be a  5 legged elephant I asked but the safari guide quickly corrected me, apparently the extra limb was not a leg. Oops, my mistake. It was a male elephant.

We visited Pangani Forest and saw the gorillas up and around playing. 

We were hungry by this point and headed over to Tusker house and checked out the delicious buffet ($22 pp). We didn’t want to spend too much time in a restaurant so we ventured over to Pizzafari. They had a nice choice of Pizza w/ Cesar salad, hot Italian sandwich, antipasto or for the kids mac & cheese or pizza, our meals were approximately $10 pp.

We timed it just right and made it in to Festival of the Lion King in Camp Minnie Mickey. What an awesome show. It is truly spectacular. It is a combination of a Broadway performance and an acrobatic show. When the Lion King was over we headed over to Asia.  We visited the Maharajah Jungle Trek and had a great time watching the tiger prowl around and roar! Usually they are sleeping so it was a great show. We had no brave souls that wanted to be soaked or scared to death so we skipped Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids.

Passing near Finding Nemo we realized we had not timed that right, so we will try that next time. I have seen it in the past and it’s an amazing combination of puppetry and live performance.  We toured DinoLand but didn’t ride Primeval Whirl or Dinosaur as it was late and we were tired. There are some fun places for kids to play and you can unwind. Try the Boneyard or even just visit the pathways that have the dinosaur that the kids can climb on, while you sit in the shade.

We decided to head out to see the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We hopped on the bus and we were there in just a few minutes. The Animal Kingdom Lodge is like no other hotel. Okay maybe it looks a little like the Wilderness Lodge but the similarities are few once you step out on to the savannah and see the animals close up. It was feeding time so we had a front row seat for the giraffe, zebra, ankole cattle and many other animals.  

We stayed there for a bit and then checked out the hotel. It is beautifully designed around the African theme. It is relaxing just to sit in the lobby. Although we did not eat there, the hotel offers three restaurants, Boma the buffet, Jiko and the snack bar near the pool. Speaking of the pool,  Uzima pool, an 11,000-square-foot zero-depth entry (no steps just walk in!) pool that offers a 67-foot-long slide. What a hit that was for the kids lucky enough to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

We took a quick tour walk over to the Disney Vacation Villas on the property. They were also nicely appointed and carried the African theme. They had their own wildlife to view also. Animal Kingdom Lodge Vacation Club Villas are a great place for families to stay, with studio rooms, or one, two or three bedroom units with kitchens.

As you can imagine we were quite tired by this point so we hopped on the bus (I love how easy it is to travel with in Disney World!) went back to the Animal Kingdom and took the tram to Dinosaur 32 and headed home.

We will be visiting Disney again to see the holiday decorations in the parks as well as the resorts. Stay tuned!

If you have any questions or would like help planning your Disney vacation please feel free to call or email me JEGTravels@gmail.com

Photo's from Disney's Animal Kingdom

Click here to view these pictures larger

Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom

Please feel free to contact me to help plan your Disney Vaction.

JEGTravels@gmail.com

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom (AK) opened in April 1998 it is the fourth theme park for Disney. AK is not your typical Disney Park; it has over 500 acres of lush vegetation and live animals of every shape and size. There are over 250 species of animals represented with over 1000 animals.

The park is well staffed with knowledgeable cast members who can answer all your questions.  There are shows, rides and attractions that are Disney at their best but the stars of this show are the birds, reptiles, and animals you will see in areas set up to mimic their natural habitats. Every trail and walkway in AK is lined with beautiful plantings and creatures. Wander of the main path every chance you get, you don’t want to miss a thing.

Discovery Island

AK is set up like a wheel. Discovery Island is the hub.  As you enter AK you walk through main entrance (make sure to grab a map, you will need it) passing through the Oasis, as you walk over the bridge to Discovery Island you see the centerpiece of the AK, the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life itself is beautifully inlaid with ‘carvings’ of animals of every kind.   Thirteen people worked full-time for 18 months to create the 325 animal carvings.  Inside the Tree of Life is the Disney-Pixar inspired show, It’s Tough to Be a Bug!  Stroll the trails in this area and you will discover lemurs, tortoises, and other creatures.  This is Disney so of course there are gift shops and eateries in abundance in each area!

Camp Minnie Mickey


Festival of the Lion King



The areas off the ‘hub’ include Camp Minnie Mickey, which has the high energy show, Festival of the Lion King. Put this show on your short list of things to do at AK.  The animatronics in Simba, the lion, rival Broadway. The monkey’s on the trampoline and high bar make the show exciting. Camp Minnie Mickey is a great place for  character interactions.





Africa

Traveling on you will visit Africa, home of the Kilimanjaro Safari, where you ride open air safari vehicles to explore the savannah.   Pangani Forest Exploration Trails offers viewing of birds, fish, gorillas and an underwater hippo.  Walk around and spend some time in the shade out of the Florida heat.

Rafiki's Planet Watch and Conservation Station

Conservation Station

Rafiki’s Planet Watch is accessible by rambling old train, at the end of the line is Conservation Station (which is air conditioned, nice on a hot day). You will get a peek into the research, care and feeding of all the animals. More than 2,000 pounds of vegetation is fed to the animals every day, and several varieties of worms are provided to the animals as well as 3000 crickets per day. There are many hands on exhibits here, including a petting yard.  

Asia

Continuing your journey you will visit Asia, home of Expedition Everest, the roller coaster that brings you in search of the Yeti aka Abominable Snowman.   Beware of Kali River Rapids, you will be soaked!  Maharajah Jungle Trek is set in the ancient ruins of a palace, where the tigers and other animals have taken up residence. The lush landscape and architecture here make wonderful backdrops for photos.  Round out your time in Asia with a viewing of Flights of Wonder, a live bird show.

DinoLand

Step back in time, and travel to DinoLand USA. The Boneyard, an elevated maze built around a sandy pit, where the kids can dig for fossils. Finding Nemo the musical brings Nemo and friends to life on the stage with puppetry and live performers.  Try your hand at the carnival style games and rides in DinoLand.  Primeval Whirl, Tricera Top Spin and Dinosaur can be found here.

The short list of must do/must see attractions.

·         Kilimanjaro Safari

·         Festival of the Lion King

·         Finding Nemo the Musical

·         It’s Tough to be a Bug

·         Pangani Forest Trails

·         Maharajah Jungle Trek

·         Expedition Everest

·         Dinosaur ~ the ride

Kilimanjaro Safari Vehicle

Please feel free to contact me to help plan your Disney Vaction.

JEGTravels@gmail.com

The Tree of Life