It’s great to save time and money any time of the year when you are eating your way around Walt Disney World. You’re probably paying a lot of money for your Disney holiday vacation…and we’re here to make sure you get the biggest bang for your buck! And with the holiday season already here, the time is now! Booking early for holiday events and dining is critical, and this exclusive holiday dining and event information is the most efficient way to plan your holiday strategy. On a budget? Find out how to make those dollars stretch all around Disney World. We’ve got the secret to finding all the “New for 2013″ events, dining options, and activities, including what’s new at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, The Celebrate the Magic Castle Show, and the Epcot Candlelight Processional…and more…all in one place.
The secret is the DFB Guide to the Walt Disney World Holidays 2013!
The savings begin right NOW in fact, because we have a steep discount. Get the brand new guide today for $3 off the regular purchase price for a limited time! How? Just order by clicking any of the links you see on this page. When you purchase your guide through clicking any of the links in the post, Disneyways will receive a commission that will go towards our continuing efforts to bring you the Disney magic year-round. With a 100% 30-day, money-back guarantee on all of their guides, you have nothing to lose! 🙂
AJ and her team have been busy updating all the latest holiday tips and brand new info you need know before you hit the parks this November, December, and January! With 270 pages of detailed information and multiple bonus extras, it will most definitely save you time and money during the busiest season in Walt Disney World! And it’s here just in time!
Here are just some of the perks you will get with this instantly downloadable guide:
These include:
Don’t Miss Out on Any Disney Holiday Fun!
And if you want an even BETTER deal, snap up the DFB Holiday Bundle! This includes the DFB Guide to the Walt Disney World Holidays AND our original DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining 2013! With a 100% 30-day, money-back guarantee on all of their guides, you have nothing to lose! 🙂
There’s a new baby at Animal Kindgdom Lodge. A rare Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra…the proper term for her is a “filly”…and she was born in October 2013. I am hearing through the grapevine that her name is Prima, although this has not been confirmed by Disney. Her photo is below, isn’t she a cutie?!
Photo credit: Disney Parks Blog
Prima’s mom was pregnant for a whole year, so you know she is probably as overjoyed as the rest of us for this new arrival. The filly and her mother are bonding well and doing fine.
Typically found in mountainous regions of southwestern Africa, the Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra is characterized by a striking pattern of narrow vertical stripes covering its head and body. They can weigh up to 800 pounds and grow up to eight and a half feet. This species is considered endangered, with only 50 of Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra in the United States and an estimated 7,000 throughout the world. Disney’s Animal Programs team is actively involved in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan for this critical species. The team is proud to have a successful birth of a rare species.
It might be fun to head over to the mara and celebrate the new baby with a zebra dome – or by doing some of the free activities that Animal Kingdom Lodge offers! I know I can’t wait to head out there to see if I can get a photo of Prima.
Photo property Disney
Some fun zebra facts:
There are three species of zebra, two of which live on the savannas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. You can see plains zebras as well as Hartmann’s mountain zebras during your stay. The Hartmann’s Mountain zebras (Prima and her mom) have thinner stripes that don’t extend around the belly.
Just like snowflakes, no two individual zebras look exactly alike.
Most scientists believe that the zebra’s stripes may serve to break up the outline of the zebra’s body in the herd and provide some camouflage when the zebra is standing in tall grass.
Mountain zebras eat mostly grass, bark, leaves and tree and shrub shoots. Though they prefer mountainous regions for their habitat, they are known to move to lower elevations to graze in cold weather and seek shelter in caves or wooded areas.
To read more about Epcot’s Eat to the Beat Series during the International Food and Wine Festival – click HERE.
You heard us talk about it all year, and the day finally came for the annual Special Diets Dessert Party in 2013!
Click HERE to read the review that I did for WDW News Today. Keep watching DisneyWays and GFDF at Walt Disney World for news on when the next event will be coming!
Get ready for some changes at Club Cool in Epcot! Starting October 30th 2013 Club Cool got some new flavors! I was in Club Cool the other day and noticed many sodas were out of order or no longer available (including my favorite…Smart Watermelon.)
Sadly, I never even got to say goodbye. (sniff sniff…)
Please click HERE to read my post at Chip & Co. all about the new flavors that are coming… what’s staying…and what’s gone for good! Follow Chip & Co. on Instagram and Twitter for live photos from the parks today and all month long!
Check out show #74 with the impressive Jeff Baham! Jeff has had a long history with Disney which is very interesting. Besides all of that though, I think Jeff is SO cool. You know how you get to talk to someone and from that day on – you just think wow…that person is SO cool? Yeah…that is Jeff.
You will hear on the show that he is amazingly humble and knowledgeable. I don’t listen to a lot of other Disney podcasts but Jeff’s podcast – Moustalgia is on my list. I love learning about Disneyland since I have never been there. The team has great chemistry on the show, and each podcast ropes me in from beginning to end! It’s no surprise that Mousetalgia was nominated for the Podcast Awards this year. You can vote for them here.
Jeff is the author of THE Unofficial History of Disney’s Haunted Mansion. He has years of involvement with his award-winning Disney fan sites, such as Doombuggies.com – AND he hosts the Moustalgia Podcast. You can also check out Doombuggies.com for a link to listen to his brand new podcast all about the Haunted Mansion. He has served a term on the Disneyland Creative Advisory Council, and has worked closely with Disneyland and Walt Disney World to help develop and promote special events, including a re-creation of Disneyland’s Tahitian Terrace in 2012. This guy has even rubbed elbows with some of Disney’s greatest legends– including Richard Sherman!
For a limited time, you can enter here to win a free autographed copy of Jeff’s book!
Highlights of this awesome interview with Jeff include:
Click HERE to listen to the show directly from your computer. 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.
Thanks for listening and be sure and send us your feedback! Have a magical day!
I asked some friends to send me their questions about anything they wanted to know about the newly reimagined Disney Magic, and these wonderful folks really delivered! Thank you all so much for these awesome and fun questions – I hope my answers are worthy!
My husband and I were very fortunate to spend 2 wonderful nights on the beautiful Disney Magic. It was our first ever Disney cruise – and cost us way too much money – but we really enjoyed it!
This is my first time making a video like this. I am a total nerd – nervous – and the video itself is of pretty poor quality. I apologize for all of that, but I hope you find the information helpful. I found out the hard way that YouTube only gives you the ability to load 15 minutes of video – so I had to separate mine into one 7 minute segment and one 8 minute segment.
Thanks for tuning in and muddling through all of this with me as I embark on this new method of sharing the Disney magic with you! Please send me your thoughts and feedback. I would love to hear from you!
Have a magical day!
I have something to confess. Meeting characters in the Disney Parks is not on my top 5 list of favorite things to do. I could never really put my finger on exactly why that is. I promise I am not a character snob. I adore Disney characters with all my heart, I love getting hugs, I love watching other people meet them – so what the heck is my problem? It took going on my first Disney cruise to figure it out. I am pretty sure my problem is the walking, the waiting in the heat, and the fact that the LAST thing I want is my picture taken after the humidity attacks my hair and makeup. I think I just didn’t want to admit any of this to myself and it’s still a bit embarrassing to admit it to you now.
But, guess what? Getting on the cruise ship with it’s shorter lines, variety of characters close together…and glorious AC converted me into a full-fledged character person. This means there is hope for anyone! So if you are having that awkward moment when you realize character meet and greets aren’t your thing…give it a try on a Disney Cruise. All of a sudden I was excited and wanting to meet every single character I possibly could! In the process I learned some things about the best ways to see the characters — and also how character meet and greets work on the Disney Cruise Line.
Much to my surprise – characters started appearing before we even boarded the ship! So my first tip is to keep a watchful eye before and during your cruise!
To begin, your cruise will kick off with an awesome character party. You don’t get to meet and greet but you might get to dance and sing along with some of your favorite characters. It’s super fun to see them in their cruise wear!
Just like in the parks, if you want to meet the characters, you need a plan. So your first step is to check out the cruise program. The program is called the Personal Navigator – and it’s delivered each night to your room automagically.
Your Personal Navigator shows you which characters are slated to make an appearance and where. If you find a character that the family wants to meet, be sure to get to the spot a little early to get ahead of the crowds. If you are late, the lines can get long…but it’s all good. Making friends is super easy on a Disney Cruise, even when you are in line.
My next tip might be more like a secret. Check your Navigator for open house times at the kid’s clubs. My husband and I dropped in to see all the cool new stuff they are offering. While we were there – Tiana came in to tell the kids a story. I don’t think it was formally announced that she would be there. For whatever reason, she took me by complete surprise. I felt pretty ridiculous for having such a hard time choking back the tears – but I was so excited to see her! Princess Tiana was just so lovely! The kids were absolutely enthralled with her and hanging on to her every word. There was a feeling in that room that I just can’t describe. Beyond sweet and beyond magical.
Our cruise did not have any stops but most of them do. Obviously, the Disney theme continues offshore, too. When you disembark at a Disney cruise port, so do a number of Disney characters. Check your Navigator for the names of characters joining you on land so you can plan ahead.
The ship will offer Disney PhotoPass photographers at most of the character greeting locations, and they will take photos with your personal camera if you want them to. Prefer taking your own pictures? Be sure to check out our 4 quick tips for capturing great character photos!
Last but not least do NOT miss the Broadway style shows that the ship offers. They absolutely bring the fairytales and the characters to life right before your eyes. Disney Dreams–An Enchanted Classic is one of 2 musical live shows that played in the Walt Disney Theatre onboard the Disney Magic ship for our cruise. It is the BEST Disney show I have ever seen in my life.
I grew up 30 minutes from Walt Disney World, and still live here in Orlando, so this is saying a lot. We were not allowed to take video or pictures unfortunately…but trust me on this. I saw more characters than I could count through my tear-filled eyes.
What are some of your favorite tips for seeing and meeting the characters on a Disney cruise?
Last night was the very first official night that guests were able to try the “Glow with the Show” Mouse Ears on Disney World property. “Glow with the Show” Mouse Ears illuminate in sync with the show! It is really a gorgeous and amazing thing to see – so instead of trying to explain it – here is an AWESOME video from the event. Video credit goes to the fantastic BigFatPanda.com
It was perfect timing because the Fantasmic show at Hollywood Stuios also celebrated it’s 15th anniversary – so debuting these ears was s a GREAT way to do it with a bang! The hats cost $25.00 including tax. They are improved over the California version but to me they were still pretty heavy and the strap was not super comfortable. This is just my opinion though. My reccomendation is if you know someone that has some – try them out before buying to see what you think! Soon the hats will debut at Magic Kingdom for the Wishes fireworks show – and during Celebrat the Magic – our castle projection show. I can’t wait to see how guests will embrace this technology here in Florida as time goes on.
What do you think? Will you be buying a pair of these ears and giving them a try?
Disneyways 