Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party - Discount Tickets

If you order tickets online for the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party from The Official Ticket Center, you can save an average of $8 per ticket. This is the best discount you will find for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas tickets, anywhere. For a family of four, you could save over $30! That's almost enough to pay for one person's meal at the event!

Seriously, this is a great deal for a single-night event ticket. Disney and it's ticket providers seldom (really, never) give discounts on single day/night tickets. The Official Ticket Center will send the tickets to your home for a flat fee of $10 or to your resort for a flat fee of $8. You can also pick up the tickets at the Official Ticket Center offices, located very close to Disney World in Kissimmee, FL. Any of these three methods will also put you ahead of the pack, since you don't have to wait in line at your resort or at the park to get your tickets.

Mouse Mail - Busiest Time of Year at Disney World

What is the busiest time of year at Walt Disney World?

Many people wonder about the busiest time of year at Disney World. I think more people wonder about the slowest time of the year, though. :) Check back next week for the answer to that one.

The busiest day changes every year, but generally it's either Christmas Day or New Year's Day. Regardless, the busiest time is always that time from Christmas Day to New Year's Day. This is when most people and their children have time off, in order to visit the parks.
We visited last year over the New Year's Eve/New Year's holiday and the parks, resorts, and Downtown Disney were insanely busy.

That being said, Disney does a fantastic job decorating for the holidays, including a full-size gingerbread house and giant tree at the Grand Floridian Resort, the Osborne Family Christmas Lights at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and the snow at Magic Kingdom. If you can tolerate the crowds, this is also one of the best, most beautiful times to visit the Disney parks.

Mouse Mail - Best Disney Decorations at a Disney World Resort

Which Disney Resort has the best Christmas decorations?

In our humble opinion, Disney's Grand Floridian has the most elaborate and awe-inspiring decorations of the season. With their actual gingerbread house (really made out of gingerbread and they sell the gingerbread from the house, too!), the huge Christmas tree in the lobby, the piano player playing Christmas music, and all the little decorations throughout the resort, this one definitely stands above the rest of the Disney Resorts for the holiday season.
For more clarification, the gingerbread house is a life-size house. Cast members actually go inside the house and sell you gingerbread treats from inside the house. There is real smoke from a real oven coming out of the chimney of the house and the lobby becomes filled with the smell of cinnamon and ginger.

Some other honorable mention resorts include Disney's Yacht & Beach Club and Wilderness Lodge. Fort Wilderness, while not a big decoration destination, does have a Christmas carriage ride that you may want to check out. Visit Insider's Guide to Disney World for more info on Christmas at Disney World.

Disney World Discounts for 2009

For the first time since 2003, Disney announced last week that they would be offering a major resort discount for the early part of 2009. They cited the slow economy for the discounts and this could mean significant savings to guests! Disney President and CEO, Bob Iger said bookings for the early part of 2009 are down significantly, though he steered clear of saying this was due to people not actually going on a Disney vacation, rather stating that guests may just be holding off on vacation planning, this year.

The discount provides guests with a seven night Disney World vacation for the price of four nights. This applies to any vacation booked for the first six months of 2009. Additionally, if you book a trip for the first three months of 2009, you will also receive a voucher for $200 towards food and souvenirs. Both discount packages must be booked prior to December 20th to receive the discount and/or voucher. These are amazing deals and rare, too, so take advantage of the economic downturn and save a ton of money on a Disney vacation! Contact our travel partner, Destinations In Florida, for more information and to book your 2009 Disney World vacation.

Construction at Walt Disney World

When visiting Disney World, you may notice a little bit of construction outside of the Disney Theme Parks. There are changes and additions all around the Walt Disney World Resort. One of the easiest changes to spot is at Disney's Contemporary Resort. You cannot miss this big tower under construction on Bay Lake. You can even see this construction from some of the attractions at Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom. This area at Disney's Contemporary Resort is the newest resort that is part of the Disney Vacation Club. Here is a picture of this tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort.

If you are staying at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort, you will also notice some signs of construction. Disney is building another Disney Vacation Club called The Villas at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort. Many of these rooms are already completed and ready for booking. This construction at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is expected to continue until Spring 2009 at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort.

If you are heading to Downtown Disney Marketplace, you will see the newest restaurant under construction at Disney. This restaurant is going to be a fun choice for kids of all ages. This new restaurant is called T-Rex and is all dinosaur themed. This restaurant will be opening this Fall at Downtown Disney.

Out of these other construction projects at Disney World, one of the "most talked about" updates is Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort main pool. It is surprising how many people are interested in this Disney Moderate Resort pool update. The pool is still under construction, but is expected to open soon. The main pool area has almost tripled in size with a new splash park pirate ship area for kids. We took a peak at this new pool area this week and it is a huge improvement. Guests that love Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort will be happy about this new pool area. This new pool will probably pass Disney's Coronado Springs Resort for the best Disney Moderate Resort pool area.

There are many more projects under construction or soon to be under construction at the Walt Disney World Resort. This is an exciting time to visit the Walt Disney World for a first time visitor or even the most seasoned visitor

MouseFest 2008 - Schedule of Events

The planners and organizers for MouseFest 2008 at the Walt Disney World Resort have released the Park Day schedule. This will determine the location of MouseFest activities and probably your Advanced Dining Reservations during the week. Can you believe it's only about six months away?!

Here is the schedule:

Thursday 12/11/2008: Magic Kingdom (Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is optional in the evening)

Friday 12/12/2008: Disney's Animal Kingdom/Disney's Hollywood Studios

Saturday 12/13/2008: Mega Mouse Meet/Epcot

Sunday 12/14/2008: Magic Kingdom (Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is optional in the evening)

Monday 12/15/2008: Disney's Hollywood Studios/Epcot

For the "split days" (Friday and Monday), activities will start in one park and transition to the other. There will probably be simultaneous/overlapping events in both parks during the early afternoon on those days, so if you want to make lunchtime Advance Dining Reservations, choose your preferred park and restaurant now, rather than wait until the final event schedule has been posted (sometime in October).

MouseFest dates for 2008: Cruise - 12/7-12/11/2008 Walt Disney World 12/11-12/15/2008

Please remember to think of our travel partner, Destinations in Florida, when booking your resorts, dining, cruises, and tickets for MouseFest 2008.

Disney World Package Perks Change

Disney's Magic Your Way Packages are a great way to get free perks on your Disney World vacation. One of the free perks is a round of miniature golf at one of the Disney Miniature Golf Courses. This perk recently changed to include a round of golf for just (1) person in your room. In the past it included a round of minituare golf for everyone. This coupon now just includes a round of golf for just (1) person in your room. The other people playing will have to pay for the round of miniature golf. It is still a good perk, since it is free!

For more discounts and information on planning a Disney World vacation, check out the Insider's Guide to Disney World.