Featured Foto Friday - Osborne Family Lights

Today in Disney Parks and Resorts History - Candlelight Processional

December 18, 1971 – Walt Disney World – Lake Buena Vista, FL

Walt Disney World's very first Candlelight Processional is held.  Modeled after the Candlelight Processional that has been a staple of Christmas season entertainment at Disneyland since 1958, the processional travels up Main Street, U.S.A. from Town Square to the forecourt of Cinderella Castle where a performance featuring a mass choir of 1,200 carolers from across Florida takes place, with movie star Rock Hudson narrating the Christmas story. 

Tips on Thursday - Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

© Disney

Celebrate the magic of the holiday season with your family at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, a special event held select nights in November and December at Magic Kingdom theme park!

This festive celebration is filled with spectacular fireworks, a very special holiday parade and live entertainment featuring your favorite Disney Characters. Purchase of an additional event admission ticket is required to attend this event, and tickets sell out quickly.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party features:

• The enchanted Castle Dream Lights on Cinderella Castle
• Mickey's Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, complete with a special appearance by Santa Claus himself
• An exclusive holiday fireworks extravaganza — Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season
• Live entertainment featuring Disney Characters
• Meet and greet opportunities throughout Magic Kingdom theme park with some of your favorite Disney Characters
• Complimentary cookies and hot cocoa
• A magical snow fall on Main Street, U.S.A.
• Special access to many of the most popular Magic Kingdom attractions

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is held from 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight on select nights.

Tips on Thursday - Festival of the Seasons

© Disney

Celebrate the holidays with Festival of the Seasons! Enjoy live entertainment, festive décor, fun photo ops and so much more—all in the Downtown Disney area at Walt Disney World Resort from November 2012 to January 2013.

Behold a stunning transformation as Disney magic melds with holiday cheer. With twinkling lights, a grandiose tree and yuletide touches at every turn, the Downtown Disney area invites Guests to embrace the spirit of the season.

Live Entertainment
Holiday sights and sounds are plentiful during Festival of the Seasons. Discover a variety of delightful diversions, including:

• Holiday carolers
• Latin, jazz and pop performances of cherished holiday songs
• Costumed stilt walkers and street performers
• A lively holiday dance party with deejay

Visit Santa Claus
Santa Claus is coming to celebrate the season in November and December 2012! Visit with Santa, share holiday wish lists and enjoy a unique photo op!

Shopping
With corridors of specialty shops—including Once Upon a Toy, World of Disney and Disney's Days of Christmas—the Downtown Disney area offers a variety of options to satisfy your holiday shopping needs. Find the perfect gift for that special someone, shop for stocking stuffers or select a sentimental keepsake for yourself!

Tips on Thursday - Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

© Disney

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a Halloween-themed special event held on select dates in Magic Kingdom theme park. Purchase of an additional event admission ticket is required to attend Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

During Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Guests of all ages are encouraged to dress up in their favorite Halloween costumes. Even better, you can collect delicious candy as you trick-or-treat around Magic Kingdom theme park.

In addition to many favorite Disney attractions, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is filled with special entertainment, including:

• Mickey's "Boo-to-You" Halloween Parade —including Disney Characters and the stars of the Haunted Mansion attraction. The parade begins with a spook-tacular ride by the Headless Horseman.
• Happy HalloWishes — a spectacular fireworks show where the Disney Villains go trick-or-treating in the sky.
• Many favorite Disney Characters and Disney Villains in special Halloween costumes.
• Special lighting, music and theming effects transforms special areas of Magic Kingdom theme park into happy haunted hollows.

The tone of the event is, well, "Not-So-Scary", and is appropriate for children of all ages.

Today in Disney Parks and Resorts History - It's a Small World

May 30, 1966 - Disneyland

Walt Disney and Disneyland honor both Memorial Day, and the park's newest Fantasyland attraction - "it's a small world".  Walt presides over a Grand Opening celebration for the attraction that was first built for the 1964-65 World's Fair in New York. (The original flume and attraction components - the more than 500 "singing and dancing" dolls - have all been installed at the park in Anaheim).  During the celebration, appropriately costumed children representing nations of the world, join Walt Disney in pouring waters from the seven seas into the flume. The attraction features the well-known song of the same name, composed by Richard & Robert Sherman. (Since it premiered in 1966, more than 256 million guests have experienced Disneyland's "it's a small world" attraction.)

'it's a small world" decked out for
the Christmas season by day - 2008

and by night, when it is seasonally transformed
 into "it's a small world holiday" - also 2008

Tips on Thursday - Five Great Winter Events

Sure it’s gotten cold outside but the following five events will get you going!  Why stay cooped up inside when there’s so much out there!  Once you're done reading about them, give me a call at 855.776.1733 and let's start planning one!

Superbowl XLVI
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

February 5th 2012 is the date of the 2012 NFL Superbowl. Lucas Oil Stadium is the home of the Indianapolis Colts and one of the game’s greatest players, Peyton Manning. The Superbowl is the final game of the NFL season and one of the most, if not the most, important sporting event in the United States. However, this is not a vacation opportunity simply for one day or for the fans of the two teams playing. There will be events for the ten days leading up to the Superbowl in downtown Indianapolis for fans of all 32 teams. This is an event for the avid sports fan or a family looking for a fun week of sports and other great festivities.

Mardi Gras
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

The weekend beginning February 18th and leading into Tuesday February 21st 2012 is the best time to visit the city of New Orleans. Let us make your travel plans now because finding a place to stay is not as simple as the “Big Easy” nickname would have you believe. Mardi Gras is a celebration which comes right before Lent and culminates on Fat Tuesday. It is one of the most fun events a person can attend because it includes floats, costumes, parades, and so much more. Be prepared while in the crowd and try and catch a “throw” which could be anything from beads to stuffed animals.

Carnival
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Although Carnival is celebrated throughout the world, the widely accepted Carnival Capital of the World is Rio. In the peak of the warm and gorgeous Rio summer, you can enjoy the celebration that is Carnival. The same time as Mardi Gras, running the weekend of February 18th and finishing up on Tuesday February 21st, Carnival provides a South American experience in the final days before Lent. Carnival attracts upwards of 500,000 foreigners alone to this spectacular event. The main attraction of the parade is the Samba Parade, also known as the Rio Central Parade, which is filled with wonderful costumes and put all together with the beautiful Brazilian Samba music.

Food Network’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival
Location: Miami, Florida

This four day wine and food showcase begins on February 23rd and ends on February 26th. The event is hosted by Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and Florida International University (FIU). In 2011 there were over 55,000 guests and they were able to raise $2.4 million for FIU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. This is the perfect place for any wine or food lover because not only is it located at beautiful South Beach but it also boasts some of the biggest names in the food industry such as Rachael Ray, Emeril Lagasse, and Bobby Flay.

New Year’s Eve in Times Square

Location: New York, New York

On December 31st there is no better place to be than Times Square. Over a million people come to Times Square to watch the ball drop and celebrate the end of one year and the start of the next one while billions of people nationwide watch their televisions closely to watch that exact moment when the ball drops and the clock strikes midnight. Filled with stars from all over the world this confetti filled event is a must visit at some point in a person’s life. People from all over the world flock to New York City and wait days in advance to get the best possible spot to watch the festivities take place. I realize that we just celebrated New Year's Eve a few nights ago... but honestly, hotels in NYC fill up early, so let’s start planning now for next New Year's Eve!

At Cruise Planners ~ Neverland Adventures Travel...  we're not just about cruises!

Celebrate One More Disney Day!

ONE MORE DAY AND NIGHT OF DISNEY MAGIC, FREE!

You can enjoy one more day and night of Disney magic FREE when you buy a 3-night, 3-day non-discounted room and ticket package at select Walt Disney World® Resort or Disneyland® Resort hotels before Jan. 31, 2012 (for arrivals most nights Feb. 26 – March 10, 2012). Call me at 855.776.1733 or visit the website for more info.  I'd love to help you enjoy this special Disney offer!