As part of an all NEW Southern California Adventures By Disney guided group vacation, you can team up and run with other Heroes. The sold out Avengers Super Hero Half Marathon and 5k are now part of this special departure. Also included are rare tours of The Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney imagineering and The Jim Henson Company. Also included is a private tour of Walt Disney’s apartment inside Disneyland.
Just like any other Adventure by Disney vacation, all the details are taken care of for you, all you have to do is enjoy your vacation and your run !
This new adventure runs from November 10 – 16th, 2o14 with accommodations at Loews Hollywood Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. On top of the world class Disney experience, the entrance into the sold out run, it also includes 5 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 4 dinners.
Looking for a way to get into the Half Marathon? Want to take an Adventure by Disney’s trip? We can help get you there. At Destinations in Florida we will handle all the details help get you the vacation of lifetime.
Email me (or call me at 832-233-4468) and I would love to help you plan your trip to run at the Walt Disney World Marathon. At Destinations in Florida, as an Earmark agency we make it our job to make your vacation worry free. Contact me today and I can get started as your free personal travel assistant.
Car Masters Weekend will return to Downtown Disney in Orlando for Father’s Day weekend (June 14-15) 2014.
This will be it’s 4th year. If you are a car lover than this is your event. You will see everything from classic cars to exotic cars, and a few in between. The little fans, and some older ones, will have a chance meet the stars of “Cars″ like Lightning McQueen and Mater.
If you attend the event you will have the chance to purchase tickets for a ”Cars” & “Cars 2″ marathon which will be held at the AMC Downtown Disney. There will be some fun activities like food and drinks that are “Cars” themed, face painting, and some live entertainment.
One of the big draws for many to purchasing a Disney Vacation Club Membership is the ability to use your points to set sail with Disney Cruise Line or take a tour with Adventures by Disney. When I purchased my contract way back when, I definitely liked the idea that if I tired of going to Walt Disney World at some point in the future, my investment was still good because I could use my points to vacation all over the world.
I later learned that there were some flaws to that logic. First of all, I became a DVC Member 14 years ago and I love going to Walt Disney World more now than ever! Which is a good thing, because that leads me to the second flaw in my logic.
While it is indeed possible to use points for things like cruises and trips around the world, I quickly realized that my points were much more valuable when used at DVC resorts. In fact, I found that in some cases it was as much as 50% more costly to use points over cash for things like cruises. Let me explain.
I pulled up the Disney Cruise Line site to get the cash price for a 4-Night Bahamian Cruise on the Disney Dream, August 3, 2014. The quoted price for a Deluxe Inside Stateroom was $2692.44 for two guests. When booking with a travel agent, there is usually an onboard credit of at least $25 or more, so let’s just round off the total to $2667 for the purpose of this comparison.
Next, I checked to see how many points it would take to book the same cruise. That Deluxe Inside Stateroom would be 306 DVC points for two guests. In addition, there is a $95 cash fee that must be paid. Now, that doesn’t sound so bad, until you factor in the value of the points. We pay DVC members $11 per point to rent their points. That means those points would bring me $3366 if I were to rent them out via our services at David’s Vacation Club Rentals. Add to that the $95 fee and the cash equivalent of using points for this cruise is $3461 – which is $794 more than if I paid cash for the cruise! Paying cash is normally a 30-50% savings over using points, depending on when you go, your cabin choice, how many are in your party, and how far in advance you book. I can think of a lot of ways to have fun with all that extra money!
There are some additional drawbacks to using points to book a cruise:
To begin with, if you purchased your contract on the resale market after March 20, 2011, all of this is moot because Disney doesn’t let you use your points to book a cruise.
If you have to cancel your cruise for any reason, those points can only be used to book another cruise in the future – you can’t use them to book a DVC resort.
DVC doesn’t have access to all the rooms, so there are fewer rooms to choose from.
Rooms allocated for DVC point bookings often fill up before the cash rooms.
You can’t use points for a cruise during the last 4 months of your use year.
If you only pay part of the cruise on points, the rest of the payment is due at the time of booking. If you make a cash reservation, you can put down a percentage and pay the balance later.
If you booked with points and need to add a person to your room, you will be charged an additional $95 fee.
For all these reasons, it’s just not a good idea to use points to book a cruise. The much better option is to rent out your points, use the cash you receive to book your cruise, and pocket the difference.
It makes me cringe when I hear people say they used their points to book a cruise because they had points, but didn’t have cash. Turning your points into cash is ridiculously easy when you let us do the work for you. We are accredited by the Better Business Bureau and our full-time team of staff has been making it easy for Members to rent their points since 2005. Check out our Member page or give us a call at (800) 610-5791 (Monday – Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST) for all the details.
“Feast,” is a new short from first-time director Patrick Osborne (head of animation, “Paperman”) and Walt Disney Animation Studios. It will be making it’s world premiere at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival June 10, 2014.
The story of one man’s love life is seen through the eyes of his best friend and dog, Winston, and revealed bite by bite through the meals they share. The short will open in theaters in front of Walt Disney Animated Studios new action-packed, big-screen adventure “Big Hero 6” on Nov. 7, 2014.
If you have an iPhone and are a Disney Traveler, then the NEW Mousetrips iPhone App is for you.
This new mobile app was recently released online to help Disney travelers keep track of their trips to multiple Disney Destinations. It’s an app like no other. The Mousetrips app is designed with advanced features and great functionality that cannot be found in any other travel apps that exist in the market today.
The app is designed for people who travel to all Disney Destinations in the US such as Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney’s Vero Beach, Hilton Head Island and Disney Cruise Line. But now with the newest update it even lets you enter trips for Disneyland Paris.. It lets users keep track of their whole trip starting from their reservation information, to ground travel, flight information and entertainment plans. The app also enables users to store addresses and phone numbers to their destinations and also let’s you use the GPS on your device to help you get where you need to go. Users can also sync all their plans to their calendar on their iPhone and keep track of them using the application.
Mousetrips also allows users to save photos of their photopasses, tickets and more. In case you ever lose your ticket or passes, the picture has your info that will let Disney Cast Members get you a replacement without any problems. It also has a countdown feature that reminds users the number of days remaining to their next Magical vacation. DVC members aren’t left behind with this app. Mousetrips even has a DVC booking window and dining countdown that enables users to determine when they can book their dining reservations at Walt Disney World.
The Mousetrips app even lets you personalize your app with different backgrounds to choose from allowing iPhone users to customize the look of their application and it has many features specifically made for your Disney trips and many more are being added in the future. This travel app specifically designed for all Disney travelers is brought to you by Enigma Multimedia from Albuquerque, NM and is available for download on the iTunes App Store for $2.99.
To get more information about this great New app and to watch an instructional video, be sure to visit the site at http://www.mousetripsapp.com.
The Force will be with you this spring when ANOVOS Productions unveils its first line of Star Wars replica costumes are made not only for display purposes but to wear as well.
Pre-sales begin on May the 4th for these licensed replica costumes. The collection of Star Wars replica costumes by ANOVOS will premiere with three extraordinary creations based on the unforgettable adventure of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. Pieces from the collection will premiere during the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo from April 25 to 27.
“Our new Star Wars collection goes way beyond simple costumes, they’re based on the original costume designs and patterns used in the production of these classic movies,” said ANOVOS CEO Joe Salcedo.
Luke Skywalker’s Bespin uniform and holster will lead the release of the Star Wars replica costumes collection by ANOVOS, followed by Han Solo’s iconic costume from The Empire Strikes Back and, later in the summer,a wearable full-length Darth Vader costume.
ANOVOS plans to expand its new Star Wars offerings later in the year with the addition of wearable armor-based costumes under the banner of “Kamino Armor Works.” Items from this line will include a bounty hunter Jango Fett costume from STAR WARS: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and Clone Troopers costumes from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. A sampling of prototypes will be displayed in the ANOVOS booth #408 during C2E2.
The Star Wars replica costumes collection by ANOVOS will be available for pre-ordering beginning May the 4th at www.anovos.com. Sizes for the costume will range from a small to and XXL and they are unisex.
“Entering the Star Wars universe is a dream come true for us,” Salcedo said. Since its inception in 2009, ANOVOS has created wearable fandom for a wide range of popular entertainment properties. “There are no fans more passionate, more excited and more engaged in wearable fandom than Star Wars fans.”
As the Star Wars replica costumes collection by ANOVOS grows, plans include expanding Kamino Armor Works to encompass wearable costume replicas of Sandtroopers, Biker Scouts, Stormtroopers and other variants of Clone Troopers.
Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant at Downtown Disney has won the “Best Restaurant” award in the annual Orlando magazine Dining Awards online readers’ poll.
Results will be in the May issue of Orlando Magazine that hits newsstands April 24. It is the first time ever that an an Irish restaurant has earned this high achievement. Raglan Road also got top spot in the categories of “Best Live Music and Entertainment” and “Best Place to Take Company.” They took 2nd place for“Best Place to Take Kids” and 3rd place for “Best Beer Selection.”
“Charismatic Chef Kevin Dundon, Ireland’s answer to Emeril Lagasse, takes time from his TV and book tour schedule to visit Orlando several times a year for high-energy, special event dinners, but his influence on the Raglan Road menu can be seen and tasted every day,” writes Orlando magazine dining critic Joseph Hayes. “The restaurant, a series of faithfully restored bars and furnishings from ancient Old Country pubs, has the feel of a genuinely family-run restaurant.
“We’re very proud of this honor and want to thank all of our fans for dishing up a delicious win,” Dundon said.
Sabrina Carpenter gave an exclusive performance at the Walt Disney Studios this week and I was privileged to be there. Entertaining a large group of media and WD Studio members with songs from her debut EP “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying, Sabrina along with her sister, Sarah Carpenter and the band, performed several songs including Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying, White Flag and my favorite, The Middle of Starting Over.
Sabrina took a few moments to chat with me after her performance and shared that she is very excited about the upcoming opportunities. “Everyday there’s something new”. Her songs on the EP, are a reflection of who she is at this stage and she is happy that people will see what she is capable of accomplishing. She mentioned including the factor of love into her songs is something she really wanted to incorporate into her music. “Although some will say I am too young”, at the age of 14, to feel or be able to know love, but she disagrees. I asked what her goals were for the future, now that her music and acting career has taken off. Sabrina shared, that for the moment she will “enjoy the opportunities to work with my friends” and continue to work on finding her sound, which she recognizes will change as she herself changes over time. Her maturity and confidence was apparent during several one on one interviews, before mine, but as with any young person, she was truthful in sharing how nervous and excited she was performing in front of our group.
This incredibly sweet and very talented young lady is destined for greatness. Sabrina co-stars as the rebellious “Maya Hart” in the Disney Channel’s new series “Girl Meets World” Playing the best friend to lead character Rowan Blanchard who portraits Riley Matthews.
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My name is Loretta and I am the Entertainment Writer for Chip and Company. I am also a Travel Agent with Destinations in Florida, specializing in Disney and Cruise Travel. I am happy to help you plan your next Amazing Magical Adventures to your favorite destinations. Email me at [email protected] today!
There are new things popping up daily at the Walt Disney World Resort. Join us each week as wee take a look at “What’s New” at Disney World. This week showcases a new Star Wars Weekend special offering, new mobile phone charging lockers and new sweet treats at Disney!
What’s New This Week at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida
Image: Property of Walt Disney World Resort
New! Feel The Force Premium Package at Star Wars Weekends: Just announced, a new VIP package experience will be available to guests at Star Wars Weekends this year (every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 16-June 15, 2014). This new experience provides Guests with reserved VIP viewing for two of the most popular Star Wars Weekends event spectaculars: the daytime Legends of the Force Celebrity Motorcade and the nighttime Symphony in the Stars fireworks show. In addition to the premium viewing soft drinks, water and snacks will also be served for the motorcade and a dessert party will accompany the fireworks show. Guests will also receive a souvenir digital photo card that captures images of the Star WArs characters and events from that day, as well as a series of complimentary Star Wars photos. Prices are $54 for adults and $32 for children (per day, tax and gratuity included). Discounts do not apply. More details are available here.
New! Guest Mobile Phone Charging Lockers Open April 25: Starting Friday, April 25, a test will take place at Magic Kingdom Park allowing Guests to charge the batteries on their mobile phones at a limited number of secure lockers located in Tomorrowland. Charging lockers are located inside Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe and the Tomorrowland Light & Power Company. This is a free service. This offering is a test and will continue through mid summer. Guests will use their credit card like a key. They will not be charged.
New! Walk-around Dinosaur Entertainment at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: A new atmosphere entertainment offering is currently being nested at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Per Cast Member notes, several times a day, Guests visiting DinoLand U.S.A. may encounter Professor Parker Woodson from the Dino Institute, along with a velociraptor, affectionally named “V,” as they embark on a “Jurassic jaunt” through the land. Guests interacting with Professor Woodson will learn that he has hand raised “V” from birth and is looking forward to Guests getting to meet his dinosaur. When we saw this entertainment offering on April 20, the human was referred to as Dr. Woodson (and it was a woman, not a man as the description indicates) and the dino was referred to as “Val”. “Val” walked through DinoLand USA and made loud velociraptor sounds when prompted by Dr. Woodson.
New! Seven Dwarfs Mine Train News: On April 22, 2014, vehicles were spotted on the tracks in test runs of The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. We have seen the vehicles testing several times previously and shared videos before, but this time something was different! There were guests riding in them now! Well, not exactly guests, but actors. A commercial was being filmed for the new attraction. We hope this means it will be open to the public soon, but there is still no opening date scheduled. The official dedication of The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is scheduled for May 2. We hope to see soft openings very soon!
New! 2015 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Registration Open: On April 22, registration opened to the public for the 2015 WDW Marathon Weekend events. The weekend will include a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon and Full Marathon. In addition, there is the “Goofy’s Race and Half Challenge,” which is comprised of running the Half and Full Marathons and the “Dopey Challenge,” which consists of running all 4 races. At the time of this writing all are sold out except for the Full Marathon and the “Goofy.” Did you register?
New! Celebrate Earth Day with a Special Cupcake: In honor of Earth Day, April 21, a new cupcake will be offered at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Indulge in awfully delicious gummy worms and chocolate dirt for just $5.19 at select quick service locations including FairFax Fare, Pizza Planet, Starring Rolls, Backlot Express, Backlot Express, ABC Commissary, Studio Catering Co., Rosie’s All American Cafe. This treat is part of the Disney Dining Plan and will be available April 21 – May 15.
New! La Boulange Pastries Coming Soon to Walt Disney World Resort Starbucks: Main Street Bakery at Magic Kingdom Park and Fountain View at Epcot will soon add several delicious La Boulange pastries to their menus. Starbucks recently partnered with La Boulange, a San Francisco bakery and cafe, to roll out their baked goods in Starbucks nationwide. La Boulange items are served warm, making them an extra special treat for Guests to enjoy.
New! Frozen-themed Pastries Available in Norway in Epcot: Frozen-themed cookies and rice crispy treats can now be found in Norway. They have previously been available in MouseGear in Epcot and the Main Street Confectionary at Magic Kingdom.
New! Wine on Tap at Disney’s Contemporary: The Wave…of American Flavors is now featuring a variety of wines served on tap. The Wine on tap concept is an environmental initiative that the restaurant opted as a unique way to serve well know quality wines. Wines served on tap are fresher than any other method of service wines because the wines kept in kegs don’t come in contact with air. The restaurant is currently serving Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon from Central Coast California, Acrobat Pinot Noir by King Estate from Oregon, J Vineyards Pinot Gris from Russian River Valley and NxNW Riesling from Oregon. These will be changing on a regular basis.
New! Pete’s Silly Side Show Character Greet Hours Change: Starting April 20, Pete’s Silly Slideshow will be adjusting to operating hours to close with Wishes nighttime spectacular. The only exceptions are evenings without Wishes, Pete’s Silly Slideshow will stay open through regular park close. This includes during hard ticket event nights, and on evenings when Wishes occurs two or more hours prior to park close, Pete’s Silly Slideshow will remain open two hours before park close.
Reminder! Anna and Elsa from ‘Frozen’ Now Meeting Guests at Magic Kingdom Park: Anna and Elsa, from Disney’s Academy Award-winning film ‘Frozen,’ have moved from Epcot to Magic Kingdom Park as of April 20. They join some of their fellow Disney Royals at Princess Fairytale Hall, where Disney FastPass+ service will be available for this character greeting experience. As part of this new arrangement, Snow White will appear in Town Square Courtyard at the beginning of the day, returning to Princess Fairytale Hall in the evenings.
Reminder! “Maleficent” Sneak Peek Showing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: As of April 18, a special extended sneak peek of “Maleficent” is playing continuously every 30 minutes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the ABC Sound Studio through mid-June. A two minute legacy featurette precedes a 9-min extended trailer. Both are in 3-D. Guests are given 3-D glasses to use during the show and a set of a paper/cardstock Maleficent horns to keep. Many horned villains can be seen walking around Disney’s Hollywood Studios now!
Reminder! Grand Floridian Rooms Under Refurbishment: Guest rooms and buildings throughout Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa have been under refurbishment since early January and the project is scheduled to complete in August. Guest buildings will be taken out of inventory and will not be occupied by Guests while work is being performed. Next building to start refurb is Sago Cay – April 27.
Reminder! Epcot After Hours Wind Down Events: You are invited to relax, unwind and enjoy exclusive access to one of four favorite lounges around World Showcase during the new Epcot After Hours Wind Down, beginning April 17 through Sept 15. This celebration takes place Thursday through Sunday evenings beginning after IllumiNations: Refelctions of Earth and continuing until 11 p.m. Following IllumiNations, take your pick from four select locations and enjoy cuisine created from award-winning Epcot Chefs and Sommeliers. Tickets can be reserved for the Epcot After Hours Wind Down in advance for one of the following locations around World Showcase: La Cava del Tequila – Mexico, Rose & Crown Pub – United Kingdom, Spice Road Table – Morocco, and Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar – Italy.
Reminder: Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival Continues: This fantastic and colorful festival continues. Some highlights this week include: Flower Power Concert Series performed by Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone – April 25-27 at 5:30, 6:45 and 8pm; Designer’s Stage – weekdays, noon and 3pm will host Steve Aitken, How to Buy Mail Order Plants (12 pm), 10 Ways to Mess Up Your Garden (3 pm) – April 22-24; and Designers’ Stage – Presented by HGTV – Friday through Sunday, noon and 3pm will host David Bromstad, Color Splash – April 25-27. Numerous additional presentations take place daily through the day during the entire festival which runs through May 18.
New! Merchandise Events:
Now – May 18: Representatives from Rinse Bath and Body Co. will be on hand throughout the day to help you select the product that is right for your skin. Check them out, they’re amazing!
April 21-May 4: Meet representatives from Kumquat Growers and Tropical Blossom Honey Co. who will be on hand from 11am-9pm each day on the promenade around World Showcase in Epcot.
Closures and Refurbishments
Click here to view the latest renovations and closures at Walt Disney World Resort.
Ready to book your next magical vacation? Gretchen, an agent with Destinations in Florida the preferred Earmarked agency of Chip & Co, is ready to help! Contact Gretchen at [email protected] or 818-519-0777.
Disneyland Resorts is encouraging all us to Show Your Disney Side by dressing up to the 24 hour event on May 23rd. I know what I want to wear and hope the weather cooperates. Do you have your costume yet? Are you dressing up or Disneybounding? What ideas do you have?
Here is some information directly from the Disney Parks to ensure your costume or outfit meets the rules and regs.
Costume Details:
• Costumes should be child-friendly and adhere to any guidelines determined by Disney.
• Costumes should not be obstructive, offensive or violent; drag on the ground; contain sharp objects, pointed objects or materials that may accidentally strike another Guest; contain any weapons or objects which resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.
• Masks may be worn, but they must not obstruct vision, and eyes must be visible at all times. • Guests who dress like Disney characters may not pose for pictures or sign autographs.
• Guests who do not adhere to these guidelines may be refused admission.
Just a Reminder: Chip and Co. and Destinations in Florida Travel have teamed up with Fairfield Inn by Marriott to bring us a special promotional group rate for our 24 hour Rock your Disney Side Meet Up.
At just $159.00 plus tax per night, you can reserve your room for one or two nights. I know we will be enjoying all the fun events and we plan to be there the entire 24 hours. But just in case I need a place to take a break or crash after all the dancing and running around the parks, Fairfield Inn across the street has a room waiting for me. Have you booked your room yet?
I am the Entertainment Writer for Chip and Company and Travel Agent with Destinations in Florida, the preferred agency for Chip and the Disney Addicts.
Email me today at [email protected] to book your next Amazing Magical Adventures to all your favorite destinations.
Hiya my fellow Disney Addicts. I am back with some more gossip that I think you might be interested in hearing. I know there are many fans of Soarin‘ out there and many of you have said it needs to be updated. Well Disney may have heard you because a little birdy told me that there may be some filming going on over Disney World soon.
Within the next month or so there might be film crews flying over Disney World to get some updated footage. They say this will be used in the Soarin’ over the World, which will have the magical sights from Disney World and Disneyland.
What do you think? Is it about time? Let me know in the comment box below.
Anywho, that is all the Disney gossip I have right now. For my past gossip articles be sure to check them out here. Got any good gossip/rumors please email me at [email protected] or on my facebook page
Walt Disney World has won the honor of being a favorite theme park for the 11th year in a row. Of course it did, can you think of a better park? I can’t. This honor was given by the 2013 National Amusement Park Historical Association’s survey of favorite amusement parks.
“Throughout its existence, the NAPHA survey has been highly regarded not only to enthusiasts, but to the industry,” NAPHA’s Survey Coordinator, Marlowe McClasky Futrell, said in a release. “Many parks feature the results prominently in their marketing and advertising materials.”
In other awards, Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pa., got the title of “Favorite Traditional Amusement Park” and “Best Theme Parks for Families.” The Phoenix at Knobels got “Favorite Wood Coaster”, while the park’s Flying Turns ride was voted the “Best New Attraction”, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando won that title in 2010.
Walt Disney World came in 2nd in the “Most Beautiful Park” category. Disney World has held that honor since 2005.
In case you Disneyland fans are wondering what about your park, well it came in 2nd place for the 4th year straight in the “Favorite Theme Park” category is Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.
(Photo courtesy Walt Disney World – Adventures by Disney)
![20140423_134604[1]](https://i0.wp.com/www.chipandco.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/20140423_13460411.jpg "Sabrina Carpenter In An Exclusive Performance at WD Studios")
