One of the best loved, most popular and fastest rides in all of Walt Disney World is Test Track, found in Future World of Epcot. This unique experience puts guests in the “driver’s seat” of a test vehicle.
Originally opened on December 19, 1998, the attraction sponsored by General Motors replaced the previous World of Motion in the same basic structure. Many delays were experienced before the ride became operational owing to its complex nature and troubles encountered before it went live.
With one of the more elaborate queue lines in Disney, those waiting are given an indication of some of the testing that is done on vehicles and their parts before they are put in to use. Examples include electric windows, seat wear, tires, braking systems, drive-trains, etc. [click to continue…]
With the recent mention of the current Walt Disney World Special Offers on All Things Mouse, it would probably be a good time to mention some of the current Disneyland Special Offers.
Top of the list is a Buy 3, Get 2 free offer. Under this special, those booking a qualifying room and ticket package of 3 nights can get 2 nights added on for no additional charge. The special applies to the Disneyland Resort Hotels (Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and Disneys Grand Californian Hotel & Spa) and many of the Disneyland Good Neighbor Hotels.
The special offer also includes a bonus of 2 additional park days along with the 2 free nights. This equates out to 5 nights of hotel room and 5 days of park access for the normal price of 3 nights and 3 days. Qualifying packages must be booked by September 1st for arrivals no later than September 26, 2010. [click to continue…]
With all the emphasis on the Free Dining Special from Walt Disney World (which is extended well into next year), it might be of interest to many that Disney is also offering a couple of other specials.
While these specials are nothing new, it should be noted that at times, some may want to consider them instead of the free dining. This is not to say that free dining is not an extraordinary discount for many, it is just a fact that at times, the special is not available, or is not the best deal available for certain situations.
The first special Disney is offering in addition to free dining is a room only discount. This special would apply to those who are not booking a package, but instead are just reserving a room at one of the many Disney resort hotels. [click to continue…]
The park operating hours for Disneyland and California Adventure have been released for September 2010. The hours will come in handy for those individuals who are planning a trip there next month. Of course, hours have become slightly more limited as the crowd levels will be more manageable with school back in session.
The relatively new water / lights / sound / video show known as World of Color in California Adventure appears to be scheduled nightly, which is good as it has proven extremely popular with guests.
Morning Magic Hours are noted in the calendar with "MMH." Those who have visited Disneyland in the past may recognize the format as the previous "Early Entry." Walt Disney World patrons will find it is similar to the morning "Extended Magic Hours" offered there. However, there are a few requirements to keep in mind.
In a turn-about from what was expected to be the new Disney position, Walt Disney World has recently announced that the Free Dining promotion will be offered for many time-slots well into 2011.
This comes after Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger announced late last year that the Disney discounts would be fewer and farther between in response to investor concerns that the Disney Parks were not making much money. Lackluster profits were somewhat of a surprise since attendance in the parks and room reservations remained at acceptable levels. Disney, however, blamed the poor returns on the necessity to discount.
“We’ll be able to continue to dial that back over the latter part of 2010,” said Disney Executive Bob Iger about the stream of Disney discounts the company had been offering.
“We’re not concerned about weaning ourselves and the marketplace of the discounts,” Iger continued.
Evidently, as with many good plans, the reality of the market-place must not have been conducive to the new philosophy. Disney has continued to offer several discounts since Iger made his statements and this latest Free Dining option is just another example. [click to continue…]
One of the more quirky but still entertaining attractions to be found in Walt Disney World is Journey Into Imagination With Figment, located in the Imagination Pavilion of Epcot.
“Journey” has actually been through three major incarnations since it first appeared in Epcot in 1983, just months after the theme park opened itself. The first version involved guests in an omnimover ride system which took them on a trip with an old man named Dreamfinder. Dreamfinder collected dreams and ideas and uses them to create new things. He did this along with the help of a “figment of his imagination” which resembles a winged dragon or alligator.
The original attraction was around for many years but closed in 1998 to allow for a major renovation which introduced the second version of “Journey.” Known as “Journey into YOUR Imagination”, the re-imagined attraction was based on the new 3-D film/show playing next door called Honey: I Shrunk the Audience. Accordingly, guests were now “touring” the Imagination Institute from the “Honey, I Shrunk…” world and served as test subjects for new inventions. [click to continue…]
For those planning a trip to Walt Disney World this holiday season, August 26th may be a very important day for you. It marks the first day in which Disney will be offering the 2010 Candlelight Processional Dinner Packages.
The free Candlelight Processional has come to be a favorite Christmas-time tradition for many who go [...]
It’s official – Walt Disney World has raised its ticket prices for theme park admission to the four on-property parks as of today, Thursday, August 5, 2010.
The increase is not unexpected by most. Disney has been raising these prices in the first part of August for the last several years. Still, some thought [...]
Walt Disney World has released the Park Hours for February 2011. These hours will be appreciated by those planning their early 2011 trips to the World and are ready to book their dining reservations – remember 180-days out!
Hours are posted below for all four of the Walt Disney World Parks – [...]
Perhaps one of the most over-looked experiences in all of Walt Disney World is located in the Land Pavilion in Epcot. Known as “The Circle of Life”, this twenty-minute film uses an entertaining perspective to show the damage we can do to the environment.
In the film, we are treated to the main characters from Disney’s [...]