When you visit Epcot and the World Showcase during the Christmas Season, you realize that not all of the countries in the world celebrate Christmas.  As part of Epcot's Holidays Around The World storytellers from each World Showcase pavilion relay some of their countriy's traditions whether it relates to Christmas or the celebration of the New Year.

Today we will look at 2 of the countries that have rich traditions for celebrating the New Year.

Japan
In Japan the storyteller is a Daruma Vendor.  The Daruma doll is an important symbol of the Japanese New Year and a good luck charm.

The Japanese New Year's celebration is called O-Shogatsu, which lasts from January 1st through January3rd. It is considered a time for reflection, family, friends, food, and fun!

It's always fun to find something new.  It's even more fun when it is something that not everyone else knows about.

There are many unadvertised features to be found in the theme parks at Disney World.  Today we will look at one that can be found in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom.

Once you have reached Tomorrowland, head to Rockettower Plaza near The Lunching Pad (which is underneath the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Entrance).  Here you will find a futuristic looking phone booth amongst the tables set up in the plaza.

Although you may not spend a lot of time at the Metrophone, it is probably one of the features of Tomorrowland that kind of blended in with the surroundings and you never even noticed that it was there.

Take the time during your next visit to impress your family by pointing it out and going over and making a few calls.  It will not only be fun for you and your family, it will increase your credibility as the family Disney World expert because you knew all about the Metrophone, one of the Hidden Secrets of Disney World.

At the Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Space Mountain is king of the fabled triple mountains made up of Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and the Thunder Mountain Railroad.

The thrill of Space Mountain is the unknown.  With the cloak of darkness covering the tracks, you rocket though the mountain not knowing what comes next.  This certainly heightens the experience.

Although I wouldn't want to ride Space Mountain with the lights on, I have always wanted a better look at the track and how it is configured.

Recently, while riding the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA) I had my opportunity.  Space Mountain was experiencing some technical difficulties, so the inside lights were turned on, exposing the seldom seen tracks to lucky passersby.

I apologize for the photo quality, but I had only one chance to get these pictures from the moving TTA vehicle.  The gleaming track still shines of the newness from the recently completed renovation.

For those of you that have always wanted a glimpse inside the contraption that brings all of those wonderful thrills, enjoy!

Christmas at Disney World is celebrated on a grand scale.  Sometimes it is hard to believe the extent of the details that are carried out to fully decorate for the Christmas Holidays.

At Epcot in the Germany Pavilion, you can even see the decorations in the miniature village that is part of the train display.

Actually this village is quite the festive area as it is known to celebrate many of the different seasons and special events happening at Epcot.  Previously, Only WDWorld posted pictures showing how the village was decorated to celebrate the annual Food and Wine Festival.

For the Christmas Holidays, the tiny village goes all out.  You will see decorations and Christmas trees everywhere.  Even the trains get into the act to celebrate the season.
In the last picture Santa himself makes an appearance on the balcony, preparing to put a gift under the Christmas tree.

No Detail Too Small
The Imagineers and Cast Members at Disney World love to add those little touches to add to the "story" that they are telling.  Most visitors to Epcot will never notice these little extra touches, but I am so glad that they took the time to place them there.

The next time that you visit Epcot, make sure you look closely at the village in the train display to find out what they are celebrating.

Despite all of the incredible lights and Christmas decorations, I believe that Epcot is the best place to see at Disney World during Christmas Time. At Epcot you can see the Candlelight Processional where you will hear the Biblical Christmas story read by a celebrity narrator and Christmas Carols sung by a mass choir backed by a 50 piece live orchestra. This is a powerful and memorable experience.

You can also see and listen to the story tellers in each of the 11 World Showcase countries talk about their Holiday traditions and customs.

Here are 3 more countries and their story tellers:

France

In France you will see Père Noël. He will tell the story of Babette and the letter that she wrote to him. You will hear about the magic of Christmas from a child’s perspective as told by the French version of Santa Claus.




In Canada we meet Nowell, the Canadian lumberjack. He tells the story of the customs of the Canadian children during Christmas time. We also see Nowell transform during his story telling from Lumberjack to Santa Claus. This is a very engaging presentation.




Helga greets us in Germany and tells us of her childhood in Germany and the traditions that she had with her family.

She tells us about the first Christmas trees and how according the German legend Martin Luther, the great Reformer, is credited with starting the idea of chopping down a fir tree and bringing it indoors to be decorated. These trees were referred to as Tannenbaum.

You will also hear about the legend of the Nutcracker and you will get to meet a Nutcracker that has come to life.




















The story tellers in each of The Epcot World Showcase countries do a great job of sharing their respective countries traditions. It is a marvelous way to spend part of the Christmas season, learning how others celebrate it around the world.

Act now to take advantage of a great new package discount offer at the Walt Disney World Resort.


If you book a 5-night / 6-day Package at a Disney World Deluxe Resort between now and March 27, 2010 you will receive a $750 Disney Gift Card for FREE at check-in!

This Disney gift card can be used for Dining, Special Event Tickets, Tours, merchandise, and more at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Details:
You must purchase a non-discounted 5 Night/6 Day Walt Disney World Resort Package including a Deluxe Resort room and Magic Your Way Park tickets for the length of your stay.

The offer is good for the following dates:
Valid for arrivals on 1/3-1/11/10, 1/19-3/27/10 and 4/11-6/3/10.

You can book your stay online , or call (407) 939-7939 or your Travel Agent today and ask for booking code QGX.

When you are looking to save money during your Walt Disney World Resort Vacation it is important to know as many tips as possible.

Here is one tip that can save you a lot of money during your next Disney World Vacation:

At all Disney World Quick Service Restaurants you can order Ice Water (Tap water in a cup with ice) instead of a soft drink and save over $2 per person.  The Ice Water is not on the menu, but it is available and the best part is it's FREE.

This is not a rumor, but a real tip.  See the picture below showing an actual Disney World receipt from the Pizzafari in Disney's Animal Kingdom last week.  The Regular Cup Of Water is shown for $0.00.

If you are looking to be healthy and avoid the soft drinks anyway, this is a healthy alternative.  You do not have to resort to the expensive bottled water, you can drink the tap water with ice.

Over the length of your vacation this can really add up to a lot of savings, especially if you were planning on drinking water anyway.  If you eat 2 Quick Service Restaurant meals per day during your trip, you could save $5 per person each day.  For a family of 4 over a typical 6 day trip, you could save as much as $120.

That is a lot of money spent on soft drinks!

So keep this tip in mind during your next Disney World Vacation and don't be afraid to ask for Ice Water, so you can spend your money on something else!

Rayovac has a great new commercial showing the Magic of Imagination and Disney featuring a little girl dressed as Cinderella at Disneyland.

Enjoy!

When visiting the Walt Disney World Resort this Christmas Season, don't forget to visit Disney's Animal Kingdom to see the beautiful Christmas Trees that they have decorated.

Many visitors to the Animal Kingdom will miss out on seeing these specially decorated trees, due to the fact that they don't take the road less traveled towards Camp Minnie Mickey.

If they do head that way they most certainly be rewarded.

Camp Minnie Mickey, not only has 20 uniquely decorated Christmas trees, but it is also the place that you can meet and greet Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse dressed in their Holiday attire.

Enjoy the pictures of these beautiful Christmas trees.

Merry Christmas!