You can win some Disney Time in 2013

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January 1, 2013

This could be your year to hit the pause button on the hustle and bustle of everyday life and spend some Disney Time with your favorite people doing things together you might not get to do at home. Dance, clap and sing along with some beloved Disney tunes. Eat ice cream for breakfast. Spin in teacups. Chase Mickey Mouse balloons. Giggle and goof off with abandon. Do whatever the kids want to do. On Disney Time, everything is magic and everyone is just about the same age. The memories that you create together live in your hearts forever. So, pick the vacation that’s right for you and enter for a chance to win! Disney is giving away one vacation per day for 31 days!

Click here to learn more and enter.

Try at Disney Tour – Wild Africa Trek (chipandco.com)
“Limited Time Magic” Begins at Disney Parks (chipandco.com)

Top 12 Disney News Items of 2012

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 31, 2012

It’s been a big news year for the Disney parks. While we have seen some big changes like the addition of New Fantasyland, some news like our number 12 item has fostered very little attention. Here’s a quick look back on the top 12 news stories and events of 2012!

12. Senses – The spa at the Grand Floridian went through a massive overhaul, opening in December with a new name, Senses. (In other Grand Floridian news, the resort is in the process of adding a Disney Vacation Club wing.)

11. Splitsville Luxury Lanes – A two-story, 30 lane bowling alley opened at Downtown Disney in December.

10. Wi-Fi – Disney began expanding its free Wi-Fi throughout its resorts and parks. That officially makes ONE free thing at Walt Disney World.

9. XPass/FastPass+ – Disney’s new Fastpass system that will allow guests to reserve times for attractions began testing.

8. Test Track – After being closed for most of 2012, Test Track reopened at Epcot with a new design and rave reviews.

7. Disney Fantasy – The Disney Cruise line’s newest ship, Disney Fantasy, set sail on its maiden voyage in January.

6. Starbucks – After successful openings at Disneyland, the Disney fan world went crazy when Disney announced that the Main Street Bakery would be replaced by Starbucks. Some fans rejoices and others… freaked out.

5. Disney buys LucasFilm – Disney purchased LucasFilm in October, granted Princess Leia instant Disney princess status.

4. Storybook Circus – Mickey’s Toontown, which closed in 2011, was replaced by Storybook Circus, the first new area in New Fantasyland. It had its soft opening in March.

3. Art of Animation – Disney’s newest resort, the Value, suites resort Art of Animation, welcomed its first guest to rave reviews in May.

2. Cars Land – Cars Land opened to crazy lines and excited fans at Disneyland in June.

And, of course, the biggest news at Walt Disney World in 2012….

1. New Fantasyland – It officially opened on December 6 with previews beginning in October. This is the largest expansion in the Magic Kingdom’s history and caused a flurry of excitement with Disney fans.

“Limited Time Magic” Begins at Disney Parks (chipandco.com)
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort Spa to Reopen Soon Under New Ownership…Disney Ownership That Is! (chipandco.com)
Coming to Disney Parks this January/February 2013 (chipandco.com)

Coming to Theaters in 2013 from The Walt Disney Co

By

Chip

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December 30, 2012

2013 is shaping up to be a good year for Disney Movies. Disney is bringing back some classics like The Little Mermaid, while others seem to be getting a reboot like the Lone Ranger. Will be interesting to see how they do in theaters.

Here is the Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Marvel, DreamWorks Movies that will be coming to theaters in 2013.

March 8: OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

May 3: IRON MAN 3 (Marvel Studios)

June 21: MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (Disney/Pixar)

July 3: THE LONE RANGER

August 13: PLANES

September 13: THE LITTLE MERMAID 3D (Walt Disney Animation Studios)

October 4: DELIVERY MAN (DreamWorks Pictures)

November 8: THOR: THE DARK WORLD (Marvel Studios)

November 27: FROZEN (Walt Disney Animation Studios)

December 20: SAVING MR. BANKS

Which movies are looking forward to the most?

New Poster For ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ Revealed (chipandco.com)
Disney + Netflix = Exclusive Deal (chipandco.com)

Coming to Theaters in 2013 from The Walt Disney Co

Disney Confidential – Online Check In now at 60 Days!

By

Anonymouse

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December 30, 2012

Hey there guys and gals Anonymouse here. I have been looking high and low for some gossip today and not only have I found a tidbit of new information but I think it will help ~~Chimps~~ Chip’s vacation get even easier. As many of you are aware Disney has started to update and revamping their website. After being down for a day or so it is up for you folks to plan vacations like normal. Many of our readers had stumbled across that it was allowing them to do online check in and they were more than the standard 10 days out. So this is what we found out.

According to the Disney’s online check-in FAQ, it has now been changed to 60 days. We have heard from our readers on our Chip and Company Community that sometimes it doesn’t work and that it will still only let you check in 10 days out. So there may be some bugs still in the system for now.

FastPass+ will soon become apart of your vacations if you choose so. Disney has been doing in park testing and the outcome looks good. Fastpass+ will be an option where you can choose times to attractions and rides before you get to Disney. To allow you to pick your times the rumor has it that you will also be able to do this 60 days before your vacation arrival.

Disney is rolling out huge changes for 2013 along with Limited Time Magic (the year of the ears), and we think that the 60 day online check in and the Fastpass+ will go hand in hand with your pre arrival planning.

What are your thoughts? Have you been able to check in 60 days prior to arrival? 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

Get Things “In Line” Before You’re Waiting in a Line at Disney Parks (chipandco.com)
Disney Confidential – Waterside Restaurant coming to Morocco Pavilion (chipandco.com)

Disney Confidential - Online Check In now at 60 Days!

How to get to your Advanced Dining Reservations before the parks open

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 30, 2012

Making Advanced Dining Reservations at Walt Disney World is a must. Without thinking most people will make an early morning breakfast reservation, usually before the park opens. Although getting up early on vacation isn’t for everyone, getting a fun start to your day with a character breakfast can be a very magical way to get up and get going! But, how do you get to your advanced dining reservation so early in the morning? I want to share with you some planning tips and transportation options to make your early dining experience a great one!

Plan an HOUR for transportation. That means if you took the 7:00 a.m. reservation spot at Chef Mickey’s, plan on leaving your resort no later than 6:00 a.m. This gives you time to get there, get checked in, and seated. The ONLY exception I would suggest is if you are on a monorail resort. My own personal experience, you can allow about 30 minutes for transportation.
Look for “CHARACTER”, “SPECIAL”, or “DINING” at your resort transportation area. These buses will take you where you need to go at an early hour. Buses begin running around 6:30 a.m.
If you are concerned about making your reservation in time, it might be a good idea to drive your own vehicle to the Ticket and Transportation Center. From here you can catch the monorail or Disney buses to get you to the right park or dining location.
The night before your early reservation, check with the Concierge desk at your resort to confirm when the buses begin running. They will be able to give you advice and help you decide where and when to catch your bus.

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Try at Disney Tour – Wild Africa Trek

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 30, 2012

Looking for new adventures in 2013? Disney has you covered, of course! Disney Animal Kingdom’s Wild Africa Trek takes Guests up close, into, and over animal habitats like no other attraction in the Park.

Guests experience close encounters with exotic wildlife deep in the Pangani Forest on this privately guided expedition. A modified zip line dangles 10 feet above massive hippos. Rope bridges sway over the crocodile-filled Safi River. VIP safaris cross open savanna teeming with creatures native to the African plains. An exclusive safari camp provides incredible views of everything from giraffes to rhinos. It’s an exciting African excursion in the safe confines of Walt Disney World Resort!

This 3-hour journey requires not only paid Park admission but also an extra $189.00-$249.00 per person. There are a few things you should know before you go.

Per Disney Parks:

WARNING: For your safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure; heart, back or neck problems; motion sickness or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure. Expectant mothers should not participate.
Guests under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a participating adult (18 years of age or older).
Participants must be 8 years of age or older and at least 48 inches (122 cm) tall.

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2013 Dates Revealed for Star Wars Weekends at Disney Hollywood Studios

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 29, 2012

Gear up fanboys and fangirls for the triumphant return of Star Wars Weekends! Disney Parks just released the dates for set for every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 17 – June 9 2013!

The celebrity guests who make appearances in parades, special programs and autograph signings have not been announced at press time however Disney has named two stars who will be there during the event’s duration. “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” voice actors James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano) are scheduled to return as celebrity hosts. Taylor will be the official emcee while Eckstein will reprise her role as host of “Behind the Force,” a live show that takes fans behind-the-scenes in the Star Wars universe.

2013’s Star Wars Weekends may be the biggest one yet with Disney’s recent acquisition of Lucasfilm and the announcement of new Star Wars Episode VII. Be sure to check back for more announcements regarding the various stars and special events taking place at this year’s Star Wars Weekends! May the Force be with you!

Star Wars Weekends 2013 Dates Announced (chipandco.com)
Star Wars’ Weekends 2013 Dates Announced (jedimouseketeer.com)

2013 Dates Revealed for Star Wars Weekends at Disney Hollywood Studios

Disney Planes coming to theaters on August 2013

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 29, 2012

062511.EE.EVENT_CarsCrossCountry-feat

After the success of Cars, Pixar Studios is gearing up for their new movie ‘Planes’, slated for a cinema release worldwide on August 9^th 2013. Contrary to a previous statement, Pixar will be bringing this animated film to theaters near you soon, rather than releasing it straight to DVD.

Planes is a spinoff of the very popular Disney Pixar ‘Cars’ series and was first mentioned in the series ‘Mater’s Tall Tales’. At the end of the ‘Air Mater’ episode the characters joked that they should make a whole movie about planes, and that is what gave birth to the idea behind this new movie. Voice stars for Planes include Jon Cryer of ‘Two and a Half Men’ fame as the main character “Dusty Crophopper”, Stacy Keach will keep his role from the short animated film as Skipper and Brad Garrett from ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ has done the voice over for Chug.

Planes is expected to be another theatrical and merchandising hit, and the fact that one Facebook fan page has over 6700 fans is a proof of that. Although Pixar isn’t producing the film, John Lasseter will be one of the producers.

In one of his interviews, he stated “We had a lot of fun exploring the world of Cars and filming it; and after making two movies with the characters, we wanted to see where our imaginations would take us if we made a film that took the concept and made it sky bound. We expanded the world of Cars, and with Planes we got to explore many new fun-filled situations and also got the perfect opportunity to introduce some fantastic new characters in the series. The team at DisneyToon Studios has done such an amazing job creating a heartfelt story filled with great comedy, adventure, and emotion. We are sure that our viewers will enjoy this new tale of fun, courage and friendship as they experience a new kind of animated adventure Cars style”.

It’s Luxo from Pixar…Well Almost! (chipandco.com)
Disney Movies Coming to Theaters in 2013 – The List (chipandco.com)

Disney Planes coming to theaters on August 2013

Disney Character Dining – Is it worth it?

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 29, 2012

One of the biggest questions you can ask a person who is planning their Disney vacation is “What Disney Character Meals are you doing?” However, this simple question brings up a whole lot of different perspectives, and opens up the discussion towards the ultimate question: “Are Disney Character Dining meals at Walt Disney World worth it?” In this post, I will be presenting several vital pieces of evidence to illustrate why Character meals are a great value for you and your family.

When my family plans it’s Walt Disney World vacations, one of the key components of our planning is deciding what table service restaurants we want to eat at. For us, most of the time we will choose a character dining restaurant over a casual dining location for the following reasons:

By choosing a character dining restaurant, we are able to get autographs from our favorite characters while we enjoy our meal — and that is one less line we need to wait in!
Often, the character dining restaurants offer the characters in unique costumes that is related to the setting that you find them at — for example, Mickey and Minnie in their western getups at Mickey’s Backyard BBQ. This adds a dimension to your pictures that might be missing otherwise.
Often, it can be hard to find a particular character at a location other than the restaurant they are featured at. For example, when Sophie was younger, she had very little interest in Epcot, but she loved Winnie the Pooh. Booking a meal at The Crystal Palace allowed her to see Pooh without having to go over to the United Kingdom just to find him in the back of the pavilion (and then having to wait in line to see him!)
I know that a lot of people think that all that is served at character restaurants is the standard Disney buffet — but I say why is that a bad thing? I pay a fixed amount, I get all I can eat, we see our favorite characters, and perhaps most importantly based on our travel schedule — we get out of the summer heat for a while to relax as we eat!
Lastly, at some of the better character restaurants, you also get a special photo package with your favorite character. At Cinderella’s Royal Table your party will get a photo package with Cinderella, and at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Princess Storybook Dining) your party will get a photo package — usually with Belle. These pictures are incredibly good, and are included in the price of your meal, so enjoy them!

So there you have it, my top five reasons why Character Dining is worth it for your family! I’ll leave it to another of the Chip and Company writers to offer rebuttal. I hope that you have found this helpful! What are your thoughts about character dining? Yay or Nay? Let us know in the comments, please!

Where to start when Planning a Trip to Walt Disney World (chipandco.com)
How many of these Top 10 Disney Must Do’s have you done? (chipandco.com)

Disney Character Dining - Is it worth it?

Monsters, Inc. Storybook App Review

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 28, 2012

Did your holiday weekend include a trip to the movie theater to revisit the Pixar favorite, Monsters Inc.? My 5 year old and I got a chance to review the Monsters Inc. Storybook app on our iPad. It’s also available for iPhone, iPod and even the new iPad Mini, for $6.99 at the App Store.

The app is divided into two sections. The first is the storybook version of the movie Monsters, Inc. It offers the option to read on your own, or have read aloud. The story is slightly interactive, as each page offers a chance to touch a highlighted area. Then there will be an animation of the page or a specific image will be animated.

The second section was a game called “Scare Cards”. Here is where you can test your ability to avoid human objects and reach the “test kid” for a scare. This involves moving your IOS manually to avoid the objects. Each level offers a different Scare Card where you can learn the stats of your favorite Monsters, Inc. “employees”. There are three levels of difficulty for the game. There are multiple levels or “Scare Cards”.

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Disney Cruise Line will adds to its Kids sail Free

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 28, 2012

On Jan. 2, Disney Cruise Line® will add new sail dates to its Kids Sail Free offer for most 4-, 6- and 8-night sailings departing from Galveston Jan. 12 – April 26, 2013. Bookings for the new sail dates will open Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013.

To take advantage of this offer, kids must travel with two full-fare Guests in the same stateroom in categories 4A – 11B.

Discover the Disney Difference
Onboard, you’ll quickly realize why Condé Nast Traveler readers voted Disney Cruise Line #1 in the large ship category. Here’s just some of the magic you’ll discover on every Disney cruise:

Complimentary, themed kids’ clubs brimming with Disney activities and entertainment
Rotational Dining, which lets you rotate through 3 amazing restaurants—with your servers traveling with you to each meal
24-hour complimentary room service, as well as soda, coffee and tea always available on deck at no extra charge
Exciting entertainment like Broadway-style shows, first-run films and the only fireworks show at sea.
Exclusive adult areas, including a nighttime entertainment district, full-service spa, adults-only pool, upscale dining and fitness center.
Ground transfer services from the airport to the ship, so you don’t have to worry about transportation.

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Get Things “In Line” Before You’re Waiting in a Line at Disney Parks

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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December 28, 2012

disney-winnie-the-pooh-toddler-costume

Have you ever thought about the ridiculous things we do to our kids? We really do some strange things! We take cranky kids into department stores, expecting them to be able to make it through a four-hour shopping spree. Then we get frustrated when we have to scoot out of crowds, carrying a child who is literally falling apart with a temper tantrum. We dress our kids up at the Disney Parks, wait in long lines for Rides, and force them to do Meet & Greets with Disney Characters. Can you imagine what our kids are thinking? How confusing, their entire lives have been filled with warnings about strangers…we wonder why they cry.

We do all kinds of “stuff” (with good intentions) that only leads to stress, for both our kids and ourselves. While I don’t have children of my own, being a kindergarten teacher has forced me to think from the perspective of both a child and an adult. So, what am I getting at? How does this relate to Disney World? Well my friends, I have learned a lot from watching and working with kids! Today I am going to share 3 practical tips to help you and your little one get things “in line” before you are waiting in a line.

Avoid temper tantrums meltdowns, and line drama by utilizing these tips!

#1 Have a plan

Having a plan really helps both the parent and the child. You don’t have to have every single second mapped out, but it is important that everyone has a general idea of the days adventures. Talking together about rides you want to check out or avoid is HUGE. Picking up a park map to discuss the ride selection is a great way to prepare your child. I know that many kids think that when you are at Disney World it means that you can ride whatever ride you want, when you want, no matter what. Parents and children run into problems when children want to ride a ride that isn’t in the current park you are visiting For example, if you child really likes the Magic Carpet’s of Aladdin but you are in Animal Kingdom, it is impossible to just “hop on” and ride. Take time to talk about what park you are visiting and come up with similar rides. For example, in the Animal Kingdom and your child is begging for the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, a similar ride is the Triceratop Spin. Using words like “first” and “then” help in my classroom. It is important that kids know they will get a turn, but sometimes that turn isn’t going to happen right now. Making a plan and that includes your child is a great way to avoid a mid-line meltdown.

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