The Walt Disney World Resort has announced a new round of discounts for Disney World Resort Hotels for Summer 2010.

Disney World Summer Vacation Discounts
The newest discounts are for vacation stays in a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel from May 2nd through August 14th, 2010. 

The discounts are available to the general public and are discounts off of the regular rack rate for Disney Resort hotel rooms.  No package purchase is necessary, but packages can be purchased including the discounted rooms.

Tron Legacy Monorail
Tron Legacy, the upcoming sequel to the 1982 Disney sci-fi hit Tron is making its presence felt at the Walt Disney World Resort. 

In a move to promote the movie, the folks at Disney World have chosen to use the monorail as a giant billboard.  The graphics look great and can be seen on one of the monorails that travels between the Ticket and Transportation Center and Epcot.


Tron Legacy is scheduled to be in theaters December 17th, 2010.

The sequel will feature Jeff Bridges in a reprisal from his role in the original albeit, 25+ years later.  He is still within the Tron Game and now his grown son intends to find out what happened to his father so many years ago.

Here is a synopsis of the movie from Disney Pictures:

Tron:Legacy is a 3D High-Tech Adventure set in a digital world that’s unlike anything ever captured on the big screen. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the digital world of Tron where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidant Qora (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey of escape across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

One Really Cool Looking Monorail
However you stand on the idea of using the monorails to help cross promote and advertise other Disney businesses the stunning graphics on the monorial look great!  It certainly gets your attention.

The Epcot Flower & Garden Festival for 2010 is in full bloom and the results are spectacular.  While touring in person today, I took pictures of the flowers and especially the topiaries.

The Disney World horticultural staff has outdone themselves again.  Each year they keep coming up with more and more impressive displays.

Here are just a few of the Topiaries on display at this year's Epcot Flower & Garden Festival which runs through May 16th, 2010:
Long Live The Lion King
Here the classic scene from Lion King where Rafiki lifts the young Simba up  to the sky is recreated in amazing detail.

Disney World Horticultural Staff Does Amazing job
The Epcot Flower & Garden Festival again this year shows off the amazing talent of the Disney World Horticultural Staff.  The topiaries, as you can see, are amazing in pictures and even better in person.  The ones shown are but a taste of all the topiaries that are on display, in addition to the millions of blooming flowers from all of the gardens.  This is certainly a Disney World Special Event that is worthwhile visiting.

The first scene of the show starts with life in the late 1800’s just before the turn of the century. The audience gets to see how life was without electricity powering all of the appliances in the home.


The next scene takes us to the 1920’s. Here we see many advances in the home with the addition of electric appliances like: sewing machines, refrigerators, electric fans, and even coffeemakers.

The sight of all of the wires running around the house is really amusing.

Although there may not be any truly slow seasons at Disney World there are definitely still some extremely crowded times to visit.  The current Spring Break Season is one of the busiest times of the year.

If you are planning to visit the Walt Disney World Resort is during one of the busy times there are still ways to have a great vacation without spending all of your time waiting in lines.

Disney World Parks: Crowd Beating Tips

• Even if you are not a morning person, arrive at the theme parks approximately 30 minutes prior to opening.  You will get to see the park opening show and you will be treated to approximately 2 hours of the lightest crowds of the day. 
• If you have a must see attraction that you have been looking forward to, do it first.  That way you do not get disappointed if it becomes too busy later in the day. 
• The Magic Kingdom attracts the largest crowds.  This is especially true during the busy seasons.  Consider planning on visiting for the first 3-4 hours after opening and then again for the last 3 hours of the day. 
• The best day to visit the Magic Kingdom is at park opening the morning after they were open late the previous night for Extra Magic Hours.
• During peak season consider investing in the Park Hopper option for your tickets.  This will allow you to change parks if the one you are in becomes too crowded.  Nothing is more frustrating than feeling trapped in a crowded park.
• Make use of the Disney FastPass system.  This free system allows you to avoid long waits in line for the most popular Disney attractions, by giving you a time range later in the day that you can return to a short (usually 10 minutes) line.  This can free up a lot of your day and still enable you to ride your favorite attractions.
• Hit the most popular attractions when the park opens and plan to see the attractions that can handle large numbers of people (example: shows with large theaters) later in the day.  This will significantly reduce your time spent in lines.
• Epcot handles large numbers of people without feeling crowded compared to the other parks.  It is a good place to head to when the park you are visiting is getting overwhelmed.
• Don't forget about the Disney Parades, shows, and live entertainment that happens throughout the parks.  This will entertain your family and you don't have to wait in lines to see ( Visit Epcot For The Live Entertainment ).
• If you don't wish to see the parades, that is often a good time to catch some rides, as large numbers of people do watch the parades.
• BE FLEXIBLE.  If what you have planned is not working out, change your plans.  Don't get frustrated, you are on vacation at Dsney World.

Great Disney Activities Beyond The Theme Parks

• Each Disney World Resort is a destination by itself.  Take the afternoon to check out some of them.  The Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Wilderness Lodge, the Polynesian Resort, Contemporary Resort, and the Grand Floridian are all great places to visit.  Each has unique features to check out, and good places to eat lunch.
• Take advantage of the wonderfully themed Resort Pools.  The Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villa resorts all have great themed pool areas that make a great break away from the crowded parks.
• Explore Disney's Boardwalk Area.  There are shops, restaurants to check out, as well as, the Boardwalk, Yacht Club, & Beach Club Resorts to explore. 
• Rent a watercraft.  Many of the Disney World Resorts have marinas where you can rent a variety of watercraft.
• Visit Downtown Disney.  There are tons of shops with unique items, including the incredible World of Disney Store.  There are also a large variety of Restaurants featuring all kinds of cuisine to please any palette.

By Planning Ahead You Can Have Great Disney Vacation In Any Season
By doing some research like you are doing right now, you can have a great Disney World Vacation no matter what the season.  Remember that there are tons of activities to do at Disney World that are outside of the main theme parks ( 28 Things To Do At Disney World That Don't Require Park Tickets ).

The single most important tip to remember is to arrive at the parks for opening.  You will be able to accomplish more during this time, than any other time of the day.

Lastly, if you are planning to eat is Disney's Table Service Restaurants make reservations as early as possible ( Disney takes reservations starting 180 days prior to your visit).  It is not uncommon for the on-site restaurants to be completely full and not take any walk-up customers.

The Celebrity Guests that will participate in the 2010 version of Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios have been announced.

Since this year's events start on the 30th anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back, May 21st, there is a special focus on the Bounty Hunter Boba Fett.

Like in previous years, actors and other people who have played key roles in making the Star Wars movies participate in the Star Wars Weekends at Disney World.  In addition to the autograph signing sessions and participating in the parades, they also participate in talk show format question and answer sessions.  These provide Star Wars fans (and who isn't a Star Wars fan) a unique opportunity to hear first hand experiences about what went into making the various Star Wars movies. 

In my opinion these special sessions are certainly one of the highlights of all of the Star Wars Weekends events.

For 2010 the celebrity hosts for the events will be Jeremy Bulloch (The original Boba Fett from Empire and Return of the Jedi) and Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka from The Clone Wars).  They will be there for all four weekends.

This year each weekend will feature three celebrity guests in addition to the hosts:

Star Wars Weekends #1

May 21-23 -- Temuera Morrison, Daniel Logan, and Dee Bradley Baker
Morrison played Jango Fett as well as the clone troopers in the live action movies, while Daniel Logan played Boba Fett and all the clone cadets in Episode II. Baker is the voice of all the clone troopers in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, including the ever popular Captain Rex.

Add host Jeremy Bulloch and you have the ultimate Star Wars Bounty Hunter Reunion! There should be some great photo opportunities this weekend.


Star Wars Weekends #2


May 28-30 -- Matthew Wood, Lorne Peterson and Tom Kane
Matthew Wood (pictured center above) provided the voice of General Grievous and is a sound editor on the Star Wars prequels and The Clone Wars. Lorne Peterson is a veteran ILM model-maker who worked behind-the-scenes on all six Star Wars movies. Tom Kane is the voice of Yoda in The Clone Wars, and also the narrator who begins each show with a rousing introduction.

When choosing to add one of the Disney Dining Plans to your Disney World Vacation you want to make sure that you get a good deal.  In order to get a good deal, you need to understand how to maximize the value of all of the credits that you are entitled to.

Disney Dining Plan Snack Credits
Today I will give some helpful hints in maximizing the use of the snack credits. Often the snack credits are overlooked in the list of Disney Dining Plan features, but successful use of the snack credits can make the difference between a getting a “good” deal with the Dining Plan to getting a “great” deal.

When you purchase the Disney Dining Plan each person is entitled to one "snack" per night of your stay.  With the Quick Service Dining Plan each person is entitled to two snacks per night of your stay.
Here are two strategies that can be used to make the most of your snack credits:

Strategy 1 – Minimize Food Expenses
Strategy 1 is pretty straight forward. Any time that you were going to purchase a food item OOP (out of pocket) you would see if you could use a Snack Credit for it (like a bottle of water or Diet Coke). This method allows you to avoid over eating and keep your expenses down by using the prepaid credits instead of spending additional money. With this method you are maximizing the value by reducing the total amount of expenditures for food on your trip.

This strategy also prevents piling up unused snack credits.  By using the snack credits throughout your trip you avoid having to buy unwanted items at the end of your trip just to use up the credits.
This strategy also suggests that you look for breakfast items that you can use snack credits towards instead of paying OOP. All in all this can be a very effective use of the snack credits and reduce your total food expense.

Strategy 2 – Maximize Snack Value
While the first strategy is pretty strait forward and just takes the discipline to buy what you would normally buy, but pay with snack credits where ever possible. The second strategy takes some research and planning to accomplish successfully. Here the idea is to absolutely get the maximum value out of each and every snack credit.

To seek out the maximum value look for items on the menu boards at Quick Service Dining Locations, Snack Carts, Bakeries, General Stores in Resorts, and other places that offer food.  Most single serving food items that cost $4.00 and under can be obtained for one snack credit.  Look for the snack symbol on the menu or ask a Disney World Cast Member if the item can be obtained for a snack credit.
Here are some of my favorite “maximum snack” uses for each of the parks:

Animal Kingdom: Dino Bite Snacks in Dinoland: Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich – these are 6” + diameter fresh baked cookies with 3 scoops of ice cream smashed in between. This is my ultimate snack credit item!

Magic Kingdom: Aloha Isle – Adventureland: The Famous Dole Whip or the Dole Whip Float. These are both excellent snacks for a hot day and a favorite use of the snack credit. Auntie Gravity’s – Tomorrowland: Fruit Smoothies with non-fat yogurt. Main Street Bakery – Main Street: Numerous desserts and bakery items.

Epcot: Boulangerie Patisserie – France Pavilion: There are a number of Pastry Items in this French bakery that make wonderful dessert and or breakfast items. You can’t go wrong, just make sure that the item you choose has the snack symbol. Also in France you will find the Crepes des Chefs de France where you can get Chocolate or Strawberry Crepes with your snack credit. On the other side of the World Showcase is the Norwegian Bakery: Kringla Bakeri og café- which also has many great fresh baked items that can be obtained with your snack credits.


Hollywood Studios: KRNR – Near Rock-n-Roller Coaster: A variety of smoothies made with non-fat yogurt can be had here. Starring Rolls Cafe - Amazing baked goods including Cupcakes that are out of this world.

Disney Resorts: you will also find that in the General Store section of each resort gift shop there are a number of items price at $4.00 and under that can be obtained with your snack credits.

Summary:
So whether you choose Strategy 1 or 2 or a combination of both, have fun using your snack credits. By getting the most out of your snack credits, you help guarantee that you will get good value out of your Disney Dining Plan purchase. There is no excuse to have a bunch of them left over at the end of your trip. Go out, use them, and enjoy!

Disney Parks now offers a combined  Annual Pass for both Disney World and Disneyland.  It is called the Disney Premier Passport.

This new premium annual pass combines the features of the individual premium annual passes that you can purchase at Disney World and Disneyland.  The Disney Premier Passport is available for sale now and costs $700 + tax.  This is a savings of over $350 versus buying both premium annual passes individually (Disney World Premium Annual Pass = $619 + tax, Disneyland Premium Annual Passport = $439 + tax). 

Disney Premier Passport:
Disney Premier Passport grants the Passholder unlimited admission to the following theme parks, water parks and special locations:

• Disneyland® Park
• Disney's California Adventure® Park
• Magic Kingdom® Park
• Epcot®
• Disney's Hollywood Studios™
• Disney's Animal Kingdom® Park
• Disney's Typhoon Lagoon® Water Park
• Disney's Blizzard Beach® Water Park
• DisneyQuest® Indoor Interactive Theme Park
• ESPN Wide World of Sports® Complex (some events require an additional charge)
• Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course (some events require an additional charge)

Plus, the Disney Premier Passport also entitles you to exclusive Premium Passholder-level perks, including invitations to special events, members-only discounts and email updates that keep you in the know about the latest Disney insider information.

Available For Purchase Now
You can purchase the new Disney Premier Passport at Disneyland Resort ticket booth or Disney World Parks Guest Relations or Downtown Disney.

For those of you that visit the Disney Parks on both coasts frequently there is now an option for you at a substantial savings over having to buy individual annual passes for Disney World and Disneyland.

Chester & Hester's Time Machine
At Disney's Animal Kingdom, Dinoland has the serious Dino Institute, and the not-so-serious Chester & Hester's Dino Rama which is a full-on tribute to the larger than life Tourist Attractions along Route 66 in its hey day.

As the story goes, Chester & Hester, did not want to be outdone by the Dino Institute and the fancy time machines that they had.  So, they quickly created their own time machine like contraption to lure in the gullible tourists.

Exciting Little Roller Coaster
Although you may not travel back in time, you will get a fun filled ride. The "time machine" ride vehicle spins as it travels along the track.  This makes the sharp turns and twists of the track even more thrilling.  Even without a big hill, the spinning and quick changes of direction make this a roller coaster worthy of checking out.

Added in the spring of 2002, the Primeval Whirl uses bright colors and playful artwork of various dinosaurs to entertain the riders.  The mood is light and fun.  The props comically depict the dinosaurs realizing that their extinction is at hand.

While you are riding Primeval Whirl make sure that you read the signs and take in all of the details.  There is a lot to see and rarely do you notice all of it the first time that you ride.

Recommended Attraction
Definitely put this whimsical roller coaster on your list of attractions to do during your next trip to the Animal Kingdom.  The over the top theming and quick turning ride vehicle make this a recommended attraction.

When taking a Walt Disney World Resort vacation deciding whether or not to purchase the Disney Dining Plan option is a big decision.  The cost of the Disney Dining Plan is not inexpensive, so it is important to know how to get the most for your money and if it is a good deal for your family.

There are several different Dining Plans at Disney World to choose from, but we will focus on the popular original Disney Dining Plan.

2010 Disney Dining Plan Prices:
Disney Dining Plan -  Adult: $41.99/night; Child (ages 3-9): $11.99/night

Disney World Dining Plan Basics:
Here are just a couple of basics about the Disney Dining Plan:

• One Table Service Meal per night of your resort stay. Includes: Entree, Dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage. Gratuity not included.
• One Quick Service Meal per night of your resort stay.  Includes: Entree (or combo meal), Dessert, and non-alcoholic drink.
• One Snack per night of your resort stay.

For more details about how the Disney Dining Plan works go to: Disney Dining Plan Facts.

Getting The Most For Your Money:
Getting the most for your money will mean different things to different people.  Depending upon the needs of your family, your objectives will be different.  Here are strategies for three of the most common categories.  Use this information to get the best results for your particular family.

Families with Children (Ages 3-9):
Dining at Disney World is more than just food, it is an entertainment experience.  With young children, we would highly suggest that you use your table service credits to visit the Character Dining Experiences that are available for 1 Table Service Credit.  Suggestions include: Chef Mickey's, 1900 Park Fare, Crystal Palace, & Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus in Norway - Epcot.

The character Dining locations mentioned here are all buffet meals, so you can be fed quickly(important for impatient children after a long day in the parks), find something that suits even the picky eaters, and have portions appropriate to the eating habits of your child.  Plus you get to meet Disney Characters, obtain autographs, and get your pictures taken with them at no extra charge.

There are many Quick Service Meals that have large portions.  Consider sharing them so that you will have extra Quick Service credits to eat breakfast.  You can and should also use some of your snack credits on breakfast items.

Families with no children or older children (10+):
This is your opportunity to try some of the great food that Disney World has to offer.  There are many great restaurants that combine atmosphere with fine cuisine.  With the Disney Dining Plan you can order whatever you want on the menu.  If you want steak each night, you can have steak.  Suggested restaurants include: Le Cellier, Coral Reef, & Les Chefs de France.  This is your chance to try something you have always wanted to try, but changed you mind due to the menu price.

Visit quick service locations like: Sunshine Seasons & Tangieriene Cafe in Epcot, Flame Tree Barbecue in Animal Kingdom, Cosmic Ray's in Magic Kingdom, Fairfax Fare in Hollywood Studios, and Wollfgang Puck Express in Downtown Disney.  Each of these restaurants serves large portions and great food that is much better than your typcial burger and fries.

Families with Big Appetites:
If you want to enjoy the food that Disney World has to offer, but are concerned about the smaller portions that some of the upscale restaurants offer here are some choices to consider: Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Biergarten at Epcot, Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom, and 'Ohana at Disney's Polynesian Resort.  Each of these are buffets or all you can eat family style locations that give you the opportunity to taste great food and eat all that you want.

These dining locations show that you do not have to sacrifice on taste in order to get larger portions.  These are all family friendly locations.

Again you will want to visit the quick service locations listed above to get large portions, great food, and great value for your Disney Dining Plan credits.

Maximizing Dining Plan Dollars - Summary
Getting the most for your money is more than just obtaining the highest dollar value food.  It includes making the dining portion of your trip stressfree and enjoyable.  Picking the right restaurants for your group is key to achieving that objective.  The stressfree part comes from knowing that you can let each member of the family order whatever they want off of the menu or choose what they want from the buffet.

Since it is prepaid - opt for the restaurants with the higher menu prices when you have similar choices that the family will enjoy.  For example if you are thinking Italian food: try Tutto Italia instead of Mama Melrose or Tony's Town Square.  Get your steak dinner at Le Cellier instead of the restaurant in your resort.  Also use this opportunity to try something that you have never had before, but always wanted to try.

Make the most of your quick service meals.  Skip the burgers and take advantage of the great options that are available at some of the quick service locations mentioned earlier.

Lastly, make use of your snack credits throughout your vacation.  Do not hoard them until the end.  Avoid paying cash when you can use a snack credit instead.  Using snack credits for breakfast items: Muffins, Danishes, Fruit Cups is a great way to maximize the value of your Dining Plan.  Avoiding having to pay additional money for food during your vacation should be a goal.

Still Unsure?
For a financial breakdown of the "value" of the Disney Dining Plan read: Is The Disney Dining Plan A Good Deal?

Only WDWorld has launched a new Disney World Community on Lunch.com to create a place for Disney World Fans to interact utilizing the tools on the Lunch.com site to write reviews about their favorite Disney World topics and rate the reviews of others.

Lunch.com
LOS ANGELES, CA and AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwire - March 12, 2010) - Lunch (http://www.lunch.com), a social media website that connects people to their common ground with others, today announced the release of 'Communities on Lunch,' its most significant expansion to date. The feature allows people to create and curate their own personalized review websites on the Lunch platform. Communities on Lunch uniquely provide the 'review' context, an unprecedented format for connecting around shared interests online. This environment draws out more useful content around niche topics, encouraging substantially more people to feel comfortable contributing quality content that can genuinely benefit others.


The release of Communities on Lunch represents the next evolution of user generated content, culminating the brand's overall strategy to elicit the most thoughtful, relevant, and compelling content online.

Only WDWorld Community
The Only WDWorld Community on Lunch.com is different in that YOU are asked to share your knowledge and your experiences to contribute by writing reviews, lists, discussions, or micro-reviews. By having many different people with many different experiences to share, it is the hope that this site will become a fantastic resource for all Disney World fans and people looking to learn more about the Walt Disney World Resort.


The combination of many, many Disney "experts" contributing to their favorite Disney World topics will create a virtual Disney World Guide that will far surpass that of any one person's opinion. By using the Lunch.com rating system, the best reviews for each topic will make their way to the top of the list, allowing you to find the information that you are looking for.

 Here are some screenshots from the actual site:

The Only WDWorld Community has gotten off to a great start through the help of some fellow Disney Bloggers that have been contributing reviews:

• Chip from Chip and Company
• Chris from EverythingWDW
• Gray from SoloFriendly
• Lisa aka @UnbalancedLibra on Twitter 

Join the Only WDWorld Community
The Only WDWorld Blog will continue to bring you Disney World news and articles on various Disney World topics ranging from the Disney Dining Plan to unadvertised activities to try during your next Disney World vacation.

The new Only WDWorld Community will utilize the powerful Lunch.com platform to create a more intelligent interactive site that will allow you to leave reviews and read the best reviews from others on the Disney World topics that you are interested in.  This will be a much more useful platform that just a message board site, with honest, first hand experienced reviews to check out.

This community is for the Disney World Expert, as well as the family planning their first trip.  I hope you will take the time to check it out, and become a member of our growing community.  It will continue to get better as it grows.

To join:  Only WDWorld Community

To follow on Twitter:  OnlyWDWorldComm

Carousels hold a special place in the history of the formation of the Disney Theme Parks.

Walt’s Dream
Before there was a Disney World or a Disneyland, Walt Disney used to take his daughters on Saturdays for “Daddy’s Day” activities. Frequently they would go to Griffith Park near the Disney Studio which happened to have a merry-go-round. It was here that Walt thought up the concept of having a place where he could go with his family and they could all have fun together.

This was the genesis of the idea that eventually led to the creation of Disneyland and the future Disney Theme Parks.
The actual carousel that has become Cinderella’s Golden Carousel has a long history dating back to its creation by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1917. Back then it was called the Liberty Carousel and its first home was Palace Gardens in Detroit, Michigan.

In 1928 the carousel went through a rehab and then was moved to Maplewood, New Jersey where it became part of Olympic Park until its closing in the mid-1960’s.

The Disney Imagineers discovered it prior to certain demolition in 1967 during a scouting trip for the to-be-built Magic Kingdom.
Re-Imagined For The Magic Kingdom
During a painstaking restoration process, the old Liberty Carousel became Cinderella’s Golden Carousel.

There are 18 scenes telling the story of Cinderella in panels that were added along the top of the carousel.

All of the original 72 horses were refinished and additional ones were added to bring the number up to 90. Each horse is uniquely decorated and all are white to reflect the horse of a hero or heroine. The most ornate horses are on the outside where they are most visible.  There are horses that are decorated to appeal to boys, as well as, ones to appeal to girls.


If you take the time you can find Cinderella’s horse which is in the 2nd row from the outside and has a gold bow on its tail.

You can find Cinderella’s Golden Carousel behind Cinderella Castle in Fantasyland of the Magic Kingdom.

The location that you will find the carousel located today is slightly different than its original placement.

Roy O. Disney noticed that the carousel was not centered when you viewed it through the castle opening. They repositioned it, so that now the view through the castle into Fantasyland includes a centered Cinderella’s Golden Carousel.
Although it does not have any of the technology that you will see in the newer attractions, Cinderella’s Golden Carousel evokes thoughts of Walt Disney during his “Daddy’s Days” enjoying time with his daughters.

Take the time to check out all of the details that can be found in this special attraction and see if you can be lucky enough to claim Cinderella’s special horse for your ride.