The Disney Parks blog recently did a post about the Mickey's Penthouse Suite at the Disneyland Hotel in California.  This is one of Disney's Signature Suites at the Disneyland Hotel, including the Big Thunder Suite.

Back in 2008, I actually won a night's stay in the Mickey Mouse Penthouse Suite and it was amazing!  Seeing the post on Disney Parks Blog brought all the memories of that trip back.  After staying the night in the suite, we were "downgraded" to a concierge-level room at the Disneyland Hotel for 4 more nights as part of the winner's package.  It was great to experience the original Disney in such style and class.

Here's a few videos of the suite:

At the time we won the trip, you could only win a stay in Mickey's Penthouse Suite --- kind of like the Cinderella's Castle Suite at Magic Kingdom.  Now, you can book the room!  You can contact our travel partner, Destinations In Florida travel to learn more about booking any of the Disneyland Hotel Signature Suites.

One of our inside sources are telling us that the Disney World ticket prices will be increasing this Sunday, August 3. This increase in price will affect Disney World Theme Park tickets from a 1-Day Pass to a 10-Day Pass. To avoid this price increase, pre-order your tickets before Sunday.

As an added bonus, book your tickets with our partner company called Destinations in Florida Travel and get free gifts. Add the Waterpark, Fun and More Option or Park Hopper Option to your tickets and receive a $5 Disney Gift Card for each ticket ordered. If you purchase (6) tickets with one of these options, you will receive (6) $5 Disney Gift Cards to use during your Disney World vacation for a total of $30. Click here for details on this extra incentive with DIF.

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.

Any easy way to save time during your Disney World vacation is by staying at a Disney World Resort Hotel.  Disney World Resort guests can take advantage of the free services called Magical Express.  These services include transfers from the Orlando International Airport to your Disney Resort and baggage handling.  The baggage handling services are a great timesaver during your vacation.  Disney will pick up the luggage from the Baggage Claim area at the Orlando International Airport and deliver it to your Disney Resort about 2-3 hours after you check in at the Resort Front Desk.  This one service will save you about 30 minutes at the airport waiting for your luggage at Baggage Claim.  Plus, it will save you stress, energy, and money transporting your luggage from Baggage Claim to transportation to your resort room.  This one great service is free if you are staying at a Disney World Resort.  Just one more reason, Disney Resorts are a great hotel for your next Disney World vacation!

Last week we talked about saving money on a Character Dining Experience.  This week we want to talk about saving time with a Character Dining Experience.  A Character Dining Experience is a fantastic way to enjoy great food and spend time with your favorite Disney Characters.  There are usually 3-4 Characters at each Character Dining Experience.  These Characters can range from the Disney Princesses at Norway or Mickey, Pluto and Goofy at Chef Mickey's.  Each restaurant features different Disney Characters.  The easiest way to save time on your Disney World vacation is by scheduling at least one Character Dining for your family.  You will get quality time with your favorite Disney Characters without the lines at the Disney Theme Park and crowds.  You can get several of your kid's autographs in one spot while you sit and enjoy a delicious meal. 

Always book your Character Dining Experiences before you leave for your Disney World vacation.  These restaurants do book up early.  If you wait until you arrive to Disney World, you may not be able to get into your favorite restaurant or you may have a 60-90 minute wait.  Be sure to always book your Character Dining before your leave for Disney World!

When you schedule your Character Dining, plan your meals at off times.  Most people tend to eat breakfast around 9 AM, lunch at 12 noon, and dinner at 5:30-6:00 PM on a Disney World vacation.  You can save some time waiting for your table, by planning a breakfast for the first seating at 7:30 AM or a dinner at 8 PM.  If you plan your meals at off times, you will have less waiting time once you check in with the host/hostess at your restaurant.

Disney has several restaurants at the Disney Theme Parks that offer Character Breakfast.  Even though the parks open at a certain time, the restaurants at these Disney Theme Parks open earlier for breakfast.  If you schedule a breakfast before the park opens, you can enter the park before the gates open for everyone else.  If you plan your breakfast early enough, you can get a jump start on the park when the gates open.  You will already be in the parks and can get that start before everyone else.

The Character Dining Experiences at Walt Disney World are a wonderful way to spend time with your family and your favorite Disney Characters.  Plan ahead of time and you can save time on your vacation with these simple tips on Character Dining.

For more tips on saving time and money on a Disney World vacation, purchase our Insider's Guide to Disney World.

Disney offers an amazing opportunity to meet your favorite Disney Characters during a Walt Disney World vacation.  This opportunity is called a Character Dining Experience.  There are several restaurants at the Disney Theme Parks and Disney World Resorts that offer Character Dining.  These are great ways to spend time with your favorite Disney Characters from Mickey Mouse to Cinderella.  Each restaurant features several favorite Disney Characters in one restaurant.  You enjoy quality time with your favorite Characters as they stop by your table to sign autographs and take pictures with your family.  The Character Dining Experiences are a little more expensive than a typical sit down meal.  There are several ways to still save money on a Character Dining Experience.

An easy way to save money is plan on enjoying a breakfast instead of a lunch or dinner with the Characters.  The breakfast experience is the same except you will enjoy breakfast menu instead of a lunch or dinner menu.  A Character Breakfast is about $9-11 less per person than a Character Dinner.  This is an easy way to save a little money on Character Dining. 

Another way to save some money is planning a later breakfast.  Many of the restaurants offer an all-you-can-eat buffet.  If you plan a later breakfast, you can combine breakfast and lunch and then have a light snack later in the day.  Since you can eat as much as you want, most guests that have a late breakfast are full the rest of the day. 

If you have little Princesses that want to eat with Cinderella, plan a dinner for 1900 Park Fare at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort instead of Cinderella's Royal Table at Magic Kingdom Park.  Since 1900 Park Fare is a newer Character Dining Experience, many guests are not familiar with this restaurant.  This restaurant features an all-you-can-eat buffet with Cinderella and her Royal Family.  Cinderella's Royal Table at Magic Kingdom is much more expensive than 1900 Park Fare.  If you are not on the Dining Plan, plan your dinner with Cinderella at 1900 Park Fare instead of Cinderella's Royal Table.  If you are on the Disney Dining Plan, it requires (2) sit down meals instead of just (1) sit down meal at 1900 Park Fare.  You would get an extra meal by eating at 1900 Park Fare instead of Cinderella's Royal Table. 

If you booked the Disney Dining Plan, enjoy your Character Dining in the evening for dinner.  For you, the better value is using your sit down meal for dinner.  Since dinner is more expensive, you will get more value with your Dining Plan for this meal.

The Character Dining Experiences are memories that will last a lifetime for your family and friends.  This is a great way to mingle with your favorite Disney Characters without the crowds of the parks.  You can enjoy these meals, but still save a little money if you pre-plan your vacation.  We always suggest booking your restaurant reservations, before leaving for your Disney World vacation.  For more guidance, contact MouseDine to plan your restaurant reservations.

I know that Mondays can always be a little tough!  To get this Monday morning going, this blog is going to include a dose of magic with Disney World Theme Park trivia.  DID YOU KNOW...

  Inside Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom, there is a story mural of Cinderella.  This mosaic mural is made of real gold.  Be sure to stop by to admire this beautiful mural.

  The Wishes Fireworks show at Magic Kingdom is the biggest fireworks show ever at Magic Kingdom Park.

  The Tower of Terror was actually struck by lightning while it was being built at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

  Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park contains live plants from every continent on Earth, with the exception of Antarctica.

  On the Kilamanjaro Ride at Disney's Animal Kingom Theme Park, the lion display includes rocks that are climate controlled.  The lions will enjoy cool areas during the hot summers and heated areas during the cold winters.  This way you will always get a view of the lions during your safari ride.

For more fun trivia, be sure to check out the Walt Disney World Trivia Book by Lou Mongello.  This is a great book with trivia questions to keep you busy waiting in lines at Disney World, plus lots of tidbits to make your Disney World vacation even more magical.

This summer, you can stay at a Disney Deluxe Resort for about the same price as a Disney Moderate Resort.  Disney is offering a discount promotion this May 26-June 7 on room only reservations at the Disney Deluxe Villas.  The Disney Deluxe Villas including Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort, Disney's Old Key West Resort, Disney's Boardwalk Villas Resort, Disney's Beach Club Villas Resort and The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort. 

For just $15 more per night, you can upgrade to a nicer Disney Resort with better in-room and resort amenities.  One of the popular features of the Disney Deluxe Resorts is the bedding.  The Deluxe Resorts have Queen Beds instead of Double Beds, to make your vacation experience more comfortable.  The rooms at the Disney Deluxe Villas also have microwaves and mini-refrigerators in every room.  The 1-Bedroom and 2-Bedroom Villas even have a fully equipped kitchen and washer/dryer.  The prices for this promotion start from $204 per night plus tax in a Deluxe Studio.

As an added bonus, book with Destinations in Florida Travel for 5 nights or more and receive a $50 Disney Gift Card to use during your vacation on fun stuff like recreation, meals, or merchandise.  Click here for more details about this promotion.

Visit our ebook for more details about this discount and other ways to save money on a Disney World vacation.

Thank you to our travel agent partner at Destinations in Florida Travel, for being our special guest blogger today.  Several of the agents at this company got to experience the new ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios called Toy Story Mania.  The blog below is their review of this new ride: 

There was lots of excitement last weekend at Disney's Hollywood Studios as thousands of Annual Passholders got a sneak peek at the new attraction called Toy Story Mania. Several of our agents at Destinations in Florida Travel, headed off to Disney's Hollywood Studios to see this new ride. The whole area surrounding Toy Story Mania was closed off, so many guests did not even know this new ride was there hidden behind the walls. We showed our ID's and headed into the Toy Story Mania area to find out there was a 90 minute wait for this new ride. Not wanting to miss this brand new ride, we waited the 90 minutes that actually turned out to be 2 hours.

Even though it was a 2 hour wait, the queue line was incredible. There were so many Toy Story toys to look at from game boards, Andy's house, Lincoln Log house, barrel of monkeys to an interactive Mr. Potato Head (life size). Disney is making the waiting experience more and more enjoyable with each new ride. All of the adults were entertained. We even had a preschooler with our group (age 4) and he was actually happy during the whole 2 hour wait.

The ride is themed with the Toy Story Characters as you play midway carnival games. You are on a car that moves around while you play these games. One game is a ring toss, a different game involves shooting darts, another game involves breaking plates. Each game is centered around carnival games. You earn points during the whole ride. To make the ride more fun, you wear 3-D glasses and the whole ride is in 3-D. It is a really fun way to enjoy a ride!

The official grand opening is this week for Toy Story Mania at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We highly recommend this ride for families of all ages. It is fun for preschoolers, kids, teens, and adults. For us, it was worth the long wait. However, for guests visiting Disney World we suggest taking advantage of the FastPass with this ride. With Fast Pass and the Extra Magic Hours, you should never have to wait more than 30 minutes for a ride at Disney World. Take advantage of the FastPass for this ride.

You can experience the new Toy Story Mania right from home. Check out our video from the preview this weekend at Toy Story Mania. Enjoy!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtCza2-zvOc

This Post Sponsored By:

Destinations in Florida Travel - Florida Based Travel Agency specializing in Disney and Universal Studios vacations.  Click here for more information on booking your Disney or Universal Studios vacation with Destinations in Florida.

You can feel the excitement at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort.  In about a week the newest ride at the Walt Disney World Resort called Toy Story Mania will be opening at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  The Cast Members took the first look at the new ride last weekend.  On this weekend Annual Passholders get to take an early look into this fun new ride featuring Buzz and Woody.  Disney is testing this new ,getting it ready for the grand opening next week.  The preview is held Saturday, Sunday and Morning starting from 9 AM-7 PM.  If you are an Annual Passholder, be sure to bring your Annual Pass and photo ID to see this new ride.  Only guests with proper ID will be allowed into the ride.

To Infinity and Beyond...