Magic Kingdom

All posts tagged Magic Kingdom

I Am SO Excited!

Published April 4, 2014 by Disneyways.com

 

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Have you ever been so excited about something that you could not wait to tell your friends?! That is what is happening to me today. I am trying not to jump up and down as I type this – thanks for letting me share with you before I bust!!!  Are you ready?

We polled several of our readers and travel agent friends — you asked for it —  and she delivered!

The sensational Sarah Norris of Gluten Free & Dairy Free at Walt Disney World has prepared a brand new (world premier!) webinar that will include your Top 10 Gluten Free Food Finds at Walt Disney World to be held on Thursday, April 17th, 2014 from 7:00 – 7:30 p.m. EST. This presentation is sponsored by Theme Park Concierges! Sarah has spent years researching at the parks, seeking out these items, taste-testing them all – just to bring you this fully comprehensive list!

Space is VERY limited and we want you to come join the party! I will be supporting our attending guests and Sarah by moderating this webinar.

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So how do you know if this webinar is for you?

Well, we are looking for some very specific qualities in our attendees:

  • If you are a Walt Disney World fan on a gluten free or any special diet – you won’t want to miss this webinar.
  • If you just like getting free stuff – you won’t want to miss this webinar.
  • If you want a chance to win a 4 hour VIP Concierge Service at Walt Disney World, ($200 value!!) you won’t want to miss this webinar. *Park admission and travel expenses are not included in this prize.*
  • If you love learning about Disney food, and seeing beautiful photos of Disney food, you won’t want to miss this webinar.
  • If someone you love requires a gluten free diet and you will be visiting Disney World with them – you won’t want to miss this webinar.
  •  If you are a travel planner and you really want to make YOUR business stand out with all of your knowledge on this subject – YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS WEBINAR!

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Sarah has spent an incredible amount of time and money compiling this list of top 10 gluten free food finds – and you will get to enjoy the fruits of her labor for a (dirt cheap!) $5 registration fee! You might even win your registration for FREE! Details on that are at the bottom of this post.

Class space is filling up fast, and I don’t want any of our friends be turned away – so don’t wait!!

CLICK  THIS LINK NOW TO REGISTER! 

This fantastic 30 minute webinar will include a 15 minute presentation on the top 10 gluten free food finds at Disney World and a 15 minute Q&A session. As if that weren’t already enough – everyone who attends will receive a FREE e-book of the top 10 gluten free food finds at Disney World, a bonus e-book AND a chance to win a 4 hour Personal VIP Concierge Service at the Walt Disney World Resort from Theme Park Concierges. 

Do you want to be a part of this webinar for FREE? SHARE this post on social media (send me your links or tag me!) and your name will then go in to a drawing to win a full refund of your $5 registration fee! Bonus entries for our blogger friends who post about about the webinar on their blog! “See” you at the webinar! 

**PLEASE NOTE THAT WE MUST RECEIVE YOUR $5 REGISTRATION FEE FOR YOU TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE REFUND**

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I got to be with Sarah, these executives, and Chef as they posed for my camera for this photo that we originally posted to the Chip & Co. website! Sarah is a total rock star with the Disney chefs!

 

 

 

 

 

An Interview With Author Ridley Pearson on the Disney Parks Podcast

Published March 25, 2014 by Disneyways.com

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Episode 107 of the Disney Parks Podcast is our very special interview with author Ridely Pierson. March 24, 2013 was a pretty big day for me. I got to have lunch at Epcot with my very sweet friend and because of timing – I was able to skype with Ridley and Tony for this interview from my super (not so) secret location inside Disney’s Beach Club Resort!

Ridley Pearson, is truly an amazing man with an amazing career. He has brought a lot of joy to thousands (and thousands!) of people. I think you can tell how nervous I was. Special thanks to my friend Beatrice Feeney for supplying us with a couple of great questions for Ridley.

You can catch this episode by visiting HERE. Look for the small grey circle with the sideways white triangle inside. Click on that circle and make sure your speakers are on. The show will begin immediately.

Check out Ridley’s blog and all of the wonderful books and products that he has available HERE.

Thanks for tuning in and have a magical day!

Inside Look! Disney Parks Podcast Festival of Fantasy Edition

Published March 14, 2014 by Disneyways.com

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We are super excited about the latest episode of the Disney Parks Podcast! We had an exciting round table discussion with an esteemed panel of guests who were ALL present for it’s actual debut at Walt Disney World!! Spoiler Alert  – if you want the parade to be a surprise – you will want to skip this episode. Thank you to our esteemed panel for participating in this discussion! 

Bill Iadonisi is a writer and blogger for some websites like MickeyNews, DBTN, TheMagicInPixels and much more. His main love is the how’s and why’s of the attractions, and the secrets behind them.He is also a Disney History buff as well and we hope to tap into that knowledge tonight as well. @MickeyNews1

Ramon Rodriguez is with Theme Park Concierges.com and offers VIP Tours to Disney guests at affordable prices! Find more on Ramon at ThemeParkConcierges.com OR at Disneyways.com/Ramon. You can also follow him at facebook.com/RamonVIPConcierge

Jason Mayhew works as a paramedic here in the Orlando area but he also covers all of your Orlando theme parks and more at ChipandCompany.com Follow him on twitter and instagram @MedicMayhew to find out about monthly theme park meetups and so much more!

Finally a man who needs no introduction (because you’ll get it all in a prerecorded session at the end of the show) The man, the myth, the legend and the star of the Disney Parks Podcast….The terrific Tony Caselnova from DisneyByTheNumbers.com

CLICK HERE TO TUNE IN TO THIS VERY SPECIAL EPISODE!

Look for the grey circle with the white triangle inside. Click on that and make sure your speakers are on! The show will begin immediately!

Enter to Win a $200 Disney Gift Card and Disney Themed Prize Pack!

Published March 1, 2014 by Disneyways.com

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That’s right! It’s our biggest giveaway to date! One person will win it all and it might as well be you!

During March of 2014 you can enter to win a $200 Disney Gift Card

and a Disney Themed Prize Pack! Total value $470 for one winner!

Our thanks to these wonderful companies for helping us make this giveaway possible!

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CLICK HERE TO BE TAKEN TO THE RAFFLECOPTER SO YOU CAN ENTER!

Contest ends March 28, 2014 

3 Quick Tips for Keeping Fit on Your Disney Vacation ~ By Guest Author Scarlet

Published February 27, 2014 by Disneyways.com

With every step in Disneyworld you face temptation, extensive buffets, delicious desserts and enough fast food to last a lifetime – all of which are practically impossible to resist.
Now you are in the happiest place in the world, so I by no means suggest that you deny yourself – but after months of planning (and, if you’re anything like me, a few panic gym sessions to get water park ready) the last thing you want is to ruin your trip by feeling bloated and sluggish and uncomfortable in your clothes.
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First of all, the probability is that you’ll put on a little weight over the course of your Disney holiday – so I certainly wouldn’t advise saving your tightest, figure hugging outfit for the last night – but here are a few cheeky ways to help you to get a bit of exercise in to ensure the weight gain is a just pound or two rather than half a stone.
Now, if you’re lucky enough to find yourself staying at one of the luxurious Disney Spa resorts you’ll be able to take advantage of the on-site gyms… but, if you want my personal opinion, the last thing you want to do is to waste valuable Disney time slaving away on the treadmill. So here are my top three ways to exercise without taking away from the magic…
Get Your Walk On!
You’d be surprised at the amount of walking that you do every day, not just the hours upon hours you spend roaming around the parks but, (if you’re staying on-site) the countless trips back and forth to your hotel room for various forgotten items, outfit changes and the essential unlimited diet coke refills from the food court. If you want a bit of perspective then invest in a $15 pedometer to wear on your first day – it’ll help give you an insight how many calories you are burning off on an average day and you may find out that you don’t need to feel guilty about that dessert after all! That said, please don’t start wearing your pedometer everywhere you go; ladies, clipping it to the elastic of your knickers under your favourite dress is a definite no-no, unless you want to look like you have an unsightly growth!
Get Clenching!
This is a bit of a strange one, but make the most of those precious half hours that you spend queuing and clench your bum! A few tight squeeze and releases a day and you’ll find you’ve got an ass than can rival Pippa Middleton’s in no time!
Find your inner child!
The water parks and resort pools are a fabulous way to cool down after a long morning in the parks – not to mention a source of great photos – but all that running up the steps to the slides will burn off a surprising amount of calories – and if anyone asks, it’s interval training not immaturity!
Most importantly, enjoy yourself and don’t let worrying about your weight affect your holiday in the best place on earth!
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Ever since her first trip aged 10, Scarlett has been WDW obsessed. She’s a huge advocate that Disney isn’t just for kids and also the author of Scarlet Wonderland, a lifestyle blog for people who are fabulously imperfect, up for a laugh and don’t take themselves too seriously.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we are giving away a $50 Disney Gift Card!

Published January 24, 2014 by Disneyways.com

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Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we are giving away a $50 Disney Gift Card!

This giveaway is sponsored by Little Keiki Bou-Tiki

CLICK HERE TO BE TAKEN TO THE RAFFLECOPTER SO YOU CAN ENTER TO WIN!

Little Keiki Bou-Tiki is THE place to shop for custom applique and embroidery designs for you and your family! Imagine spending your first time at Disney, or maybe your birthday, anniversary, holiday, or just because – all decked out in custom designs from Little Keiki Bou-Tiki. They can do a complete birthday party set up from the cake toppers to the custom birthday outfit for your little one, hair bows, banners, decorations and more!

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Revealed! Festival of Fantasy Parade Floats Backstage and More

Published January 15, 2014 by Disneyways.com

Spoiler alert! The nice folks at DisneyLifestylers, DisneyParksBlog, and InsideTheMagic.net have posted backstage photos of some of the magical floats that will debut this spring in the brand new Festival of Fantasy Parade. As a refresher: the new Magic Kingdom parade titled Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade, will feature new parade floats, costumes and theme music. We are expecting floats that will include themes such as “Tangled” “The Little Mermaid,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Dumbo,” “Pinocchio,” “Peter Pan,” “Brave,” and a Princess unit. 

Over the past year The Disney Parks Blog has released concept art and photos of the floats that we know for sure are coming, so let’s start with those:

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Check out the backstage photos that the DisneyLifestylers posted HERE.

InsideMagic.net has a couple of additional ones that you can check out HERE.

Despite no official date being announced by Disney, The Disney Parks Podcast team is betting on March 16th 2014 as the first day of the parade. In fact, we have built a meetup around it! We would love to have you join us, and you can get the details HERE. This is subject to change – so be sure to check our facebook page and website for all the latest on the meetup.

If you like this post, be sure to check out SOLVING THE MYSTERY SURROUNDING THE RAPUNZEL TOWER IN NEW FANTASYLAND… and A FIRST LOOK AT THE DISNEY COLLECTION BY VERA BRADLEY “WHERE’S MICKEY?” DESIGN

World Secrets: How to Get a Last Minute Dinner Reservation at Be Our Guest

Published January 9, 2014 by Disneyways.com

Does anyone else find it a little ironic that a restaurant that is literally named, “Be Our Guest” can be so hard to get in to?

Anyone who has ever called 6 months in advance just to find out they are completely booked knows what I am talking about here. But guess what? Last night I got a seemingly impossible dinner reservation at Be Our Guest and you can do it too. In fact, you can use these tips for any popular Walt Disney World restaurant.

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Now please don’t hold it against me that I have had a little practice with this process. If you called Disney Dining at 407-WDW-Dine at any time between 2008 and 2011 or so – I might have been the one that answered the phone and got you in at your favorite Disney restaurants. However…I wasn’t a miracle worker then and I am certainly not one now. Anyone has a chance to get into the most popular Disney restaurants at the last minute by utilizing these simple tips I am about to share with you today.

I’m going to start by stating the obvious. You best bet is to plan way in advance. There are lots of articles out there with tips on how to go about doing this. However, this particular blog post is for those of you out there who for whatever reason didn’t have the luxury of planning so far ahead.

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So here is step one: try getting in 2 days before and even 1 day before you want to dine. First go on-line to WaltDisneyWorld.com and if that doesn’t work, make the phone call to Disney dining reservations at 407-WDW-Dine. In training we were always told that table inventory was exactly the same on-line and over the phone, however, for whatever reason, the system CAN show different times of availability. I have seen it happen with my own eyes. So go ahead and try both methods. You can book dining as late as 3 hours in advance but either 2 or 1 day before you are wanting to dine is your best bet. Why? Because guests will cancel either 2 or 1 day before their reservation so that they don’t get hit with the $10 per person penalty depending on the policy of the respective restaurant. That is when you can hit the jackpot, swoop in, and score your dream dining reservation.

Even if you aren’t able to accomplish your booking with step one, there is still a glimmer of hope in step two. Don’t go out of your way, but if you are close to a restaurant that you would really love to try, ALWAYS walk up to the hostess stand and ask politely if they are taking walk-ins. You just never know. This works best if you are in a smaller party of 1 to 4 people. When we dined at Be Our Guest for our late dinner, we were told they had been taking walk-ins all evening. Please be nice and be understanding if they are completely booked. They can’t give you what is not there…but it never hurts to ask…especially if you are very nice about it.

It’s OK to keep asking too. Don’t be annoying and keep bugging them every hour – BUT do try again later if you are close by and notice there aren’t a lot of guests waiting around with pagers. I have experience with working at a hostess stand at Disney as well — and I can tell you there were many days where one hour we could not take walk-ins and then an hour or two later on that same day – we were able to. It all depends on how busy the parks are and how many people just didn’t show up for their dining reservations.

Finally, if all else fails, remember you are still at Disney World! All the restaurants are special in their own ways. Check the internet for those hidden gems that often have availability at the last minute, simply because they don’t get as much “hype.”

Just a few examples:

I have found a real treasure in Biergarten! The food is terrific and they’ve got a German polka band! Restaurant Marrakesh has belly dancers! Don’t forget about the Lava Lounge in Downtown Disney. It shares a kitchen with the Rainforest Cafe – and you never need a reservation because they only take walk-ins. Many Disney resort lounges and bars serve appetizers and even full meals. You can walk right up and order fast.

Best wishes in your last minute search and “Be Our Guest” to use these tips and score some great dining! If you enjoyed this post be sure to check out our next WORLD SECRET: HOW TO GET A PRINCESS MAKEOVER WHEN THE BIBBIDI BOBBIDI BOUTIQUE IS FULLY BOOKED! 

There are even more World Secrets to be found HERE. Have a magical day!

UCF Football Team to Appear in Special Mini-Parade at Magic Kingdom

Published January 8, 2014 by Disneyways.com

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In honor of the University of Central Florida football team’s historic 52-42 win over Baylor at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, members of the team will appear in a special mini-parade at Magic Kingdom Park. The event is planned for Sunday, January 12, at 2 p.m., stepping off from Frontierland and heading toward Main Street, U.S.A.

Due to this event, several Entertainment offerings have been updated as follows:

  •  Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party: 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 4:20 p.m.
  •  Main Street Trolley Show: 9:15 a.m., 10:10 a.m., 12:10 p.m., 1:05 p.m.
  •  Dream Along With Mickey: 2:20 p.m. show cancelled
  •  Frontierland Hoedown: 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:25 p.m., 4:15 p.m.

Joanne’s Stay in the Cinderella Castle Suite

Published December 4, 2013 by Disneyways.com

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There is only one hotel room INSIDE all of The Magic Kingdom…the Cinderella Castle Suite. The Cinderella Castle Suite has become the dream experience for a few very lucky Disney fans and celebrities. In just a few short years, it has attained the cult-like status of exclusive Club 33 restaurant or Walt’s Apartment in Disneyland, and rightfully so, as it’s arguably more exclusive than either of those locations. Recently we had a very special guest on our show who was able to stay in the castle suite during the month of September 2013 and we know you will be super excited to hear about her experience just like we are! Click the photo below to be taken to this episode of the Disney Parks Podcast! Our thanks to Joanne for this wonderful interview!

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