The Disney Traveler

Designer Vivienne Tam (a Hong Kong native) has given Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse stylish new outfits to celebrate the Chinese New Year at Hong Kong Disneyland.

The celebration doesn’t stop with new clothes. Hong Kong Disneyland has been filled with decorations, food and more to honor the Chinese New Year all in an attempt to attract more guests from mainland China. The goal is to bring more cultural elements to Hong Kong Disneyland.
Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005 but attendance has been lower than the Disney Company and the Hong Kong government had hoped. There are also discussions going on …read more

2 Comments

Rudy Giuliani stopped at Walt Disney World last week during his Presidential campaign tour. He spoke at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort at the National Troopers Coalition law-enforcement convention.

Photo © Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel
Tags: Rudy Giuliani, Walt Disney World, Coronado Springs, 2008 Presidential Election, Rudy Giuilani Disney, Disney conventions

Comments Off

The Walt Disney World website has a great interactive calendar feature that let’s visitors see when crowds are typically smallest at the Disney World theme parks.  If you don’t like crowds, then you might want to plan your 2008 Disney vacation during the dates in yellow/orange in the calendars pictured after the jump.

4 Comments

This week, MousePlanet confirmed that the Splash Mountain height requirement has changed. In order to ride in the front row on Splash Mountain, guests must now be at least 60 inches tall (5 feet).
Disney has discovered that small children can slip under the front of the log and get injured, hence the change to the height restriction. The height requirement for the other rows in each log remains at 40 inches.
Keep this change in mind next time you bring your kids to Disneyland. You may want to warn them if they’re under 5 feet tall that they won’t be able …read more

1 Comment

On Monday, the Disney Cruise Line announced ‘magical rates’ for Bahamian and Caribbean cruises in February and March of 2008. Special rates are available for 3, 4 and 7-night cruises of the Caribbean for select dates. The catch – you have to book your trip by January 20, 2008.

Comments Off

Over a decade ago, there was talk of a Soviet Union pavilion joining the line up in Epcot’s World Showcase. Well, that never did happen, but the newest Disney rumor says that a Russia Pavilion is back on the priority list for Disney. No word on when it will be built or opened, but Jim Hill Media reports that the rumor seems to have some substance.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see how this develops. I’d love to see a new pavilion at Epcot!
 
Tags: Disney rumors, Disney World vacation, Disney Imagineers, Disney Russia pavilion, Epcot …read more

4 Comments

One of The Disney Traveler’s readers asked me to post information as I find it for sweepstakes where entrants have a chance to win trips to Disney theme parks, so I did some poking around today and found something interesting.
If you’re a Disney fan, you’ve probably heard that 2007 was Disney’s first ‘Year of a Million Dreams’ promotion where Disney cast members walked around Walt Disney World and Disneyland parks handing out prizes to random guests, including a day in the Magic Kingdom with no other guests, overnight visits in Cinderella’s Castle and more. The ‘Year of a Million Dreams’ …read more

2 Comments

On your next trip to Walt Disney World, don’t miss the Kilimanjaro Safaris in the Africa section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. This is a ride that’s fun to ride over and over again, and it’s great for kids of all ages. You never know what animals you’re going to see and what those animals will be doing as you drive by in your free roaming safari vehicle.
My kids have loved Kilimanjaro Safaris since we first started taking them on it when they were just 13-months old. At first, they loved the ride because there was so much to look at. …read more

1 Comment

The new Yak & Yeti restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been fully opened for about six weeks now (although previews started on Thanksgiving), and I finally had a chance to eat there yesterday. I took some pictures during my visit, which I’m including in this post (sorry I’m not the best photographer).

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the newest table service restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but I left the Yak & Yeti very satisfied and very full!

5 Comments

Nearly a year ago, I published a post announcing that a new Toy Story ride is coming to Disney-MGM Studios which included concept art for the new attraction. A lot has changed in a year. For one, Disney-MGM Studios is now called Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Second, Toy Story Mania is getting closer to opening, and the first interior picture was released this week by Disney.

The picture shows Disney Imagineers testing the new Toy Story Mania ride vehicle. According to WDWNews.com, riders will wear 3-D glasses then “shrink” to the size of toys where they’ll follow a midway-themed route. At each …read more

5 Comments