This week was a big week in Orlando for Theme Park price increases! Both Disney World Parks and Universal Studios Parks increased their ticket prices. Disney World increased all of their ticket prices from a 1-Day Pass to a 10-Day Pass. Besides the regular ticket price increases, Disney also increased the prices on the ticket options. The most popular ticket option is the Park Hopper Option which allows you to hop between Disney Theme Parks on the same day. This option went up in price by $5 per person. Finally, Disney also increased the price of the No Expiration Option. The No Expiration Option means any unused days never expire. The only option that remained the same price was the Waterparks, Fun and More Option.
Universal Studios also increased their ticket prices for a 1-Day, 2-Day/2-Park, and 2-Park Unlimited Passes to keep up with the Disney World ticket prices. The good news is these tickets only went up in price just a little bit. For Orlando Theme Park tickets, the Universal Studios 2-Park Unlimited Pass is still the best deal on prices. The 2-Park Unlimited Pass is $97 plus tax. With this ticket you get to visit 2 Universal Theme Parks for 7 days with the Park Hopper Option. This same 7-Day Park Hopper ticket for Disney is $278 plus tax. Disney is $180 more than Universal Studios for the same type ticket. Our Guide 2 Disney visitors get to save even more money on this 2-Park Unlimited Pass when you book it through our ticket partner at Destinations in Florida. If you book these tickets through DIF, the price is $92.86 plus tax. Click here for details.
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.
The question comes up more often than you think, "What else is there to do in Orlando, besides Disney?" I know, you're screaming, "Blasphemers!" Sometimes, people do want to venture outside "The World" to explore parts and places unknown.
Last weekend, we experienced one of these adventures. Although it's quite a distance from Disney World (about an hour's drive), it is in the greater Orlando area and it's a one-of-a-kind experience. It's called Rebounderz and it's a playground for adults and kids built entirely out of trampolines! The trampoline structure encompasses 6000 square feet of play space. The facility has a snack bar, big rooms for parties, lockers (pockets must be empty to jump), and video games. Not only was this literally "off the wall" fun, but it was a fantastic workout! One of the coaches pointed out that they have an aerobics class on the trampolines during certain nights of the week. I bet! You can also rent jumping "boards" that look like a miniature snowboard. I'm not really sure what that does, but they sure look like fun. The cost for jumping is $10 for the first hour and $8 for each additional hour. The boards are $4 per hour. I've included some video, below, so you can fully get the idea, as it's very hard to explain the experience without a visual image.
Rebounderz is located at 480 S. Ronald Reagan Blvd in Longwood, Florida (a suburb of Orlando). You will need socks, but they provide the proper shoes for jumping, as well as a protective helmet. Unless your foot size is less than a child's size 3, then you will go barefoot.
Disney Parks launched a new contest on it's YouTube Channel to win a dream vacation, including a stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite. The contest requires that you share a video (up to one minute) about your favorite Disney Parks memory. Please see the terms and conditions for full details. You must submit the videos before August 5, 2008. Here's a link to enter the contest. Some rules to keep in mind when making your videos:
1. Say (or show) the words "My Favorite Disney Parks Memory" at the beginning of your video.
2. Make sure your video is one minute or less.
3. Only use props and clothing that are free of company logos.
4. Only use original music, lyrics or video clips that you have the rights to use.
5. Only include people, even in the background, that have given permission to be included.
This is your chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime Dream vacation, so get out and start making some videos! We'd love to see yours, so add a link in the comments section, so we can see some of the entries!
Disney announced Saturday that they will be closing the Pleasure Island complex in the Downtown Disney area on September 27, 2008. Disney says they are catering to the requests of their guests for more dining and retail options in the Downtown Disney complex. Additionally, they have indicated that they will be adding a tethered balloon attraction, similar to one at Disneyland Paris. The clubs that will be affected by this closing are:
Adventurer's Club
BET SoundStage Club
Comedy Warehouse
8 Trax
Mannequin's Dance Palace
Motion
I have included video of the announcement from Attractions Magazine's blog. You may also want to go check them out, as they have posted some of the conceptual art from the new plans for Pleasure Island.
One of the club's that held a special place in our hearts is the Adventurer's Club. This is true of many Disney fans. In fact, a petition site has already started collecting signatures to stop the closing of the Adventurer's Club. If you want to keep this club around, think about going over and signing the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/wdwaclub/
After much anticipation, Disney-Pixar's WALL-E will open in theaters, today! WALL-E has made prior appearances in Pixar's previous movies and in malls across America, this summer. Now, it's time for his feature debut!
WALL-E stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter - Earth-class. WALL-E is part of the clean-up crew here on Earth, 700 years in the future. His job is to take big piles of trash and crush them down to manageable sized cubes for disposal, making the Earth clean enough for human habitation, again. Of course, the movie turns into a love story when EVE, a newer model robot, comes to Earth for an inspection and WALL-E falls for her. Hi jinx and adventures follow until the end.
Critics have widely acclaimed Disney-Pixar's latest release, saying that the standard of animated movies has been once again raised. Aside from the official critics, the real "critics," our kids, anxiously await the arrival of WALL-E to their own big screens! We will be in the theaters, today with our own two "critics" with what will surely be throngs of other micro-critics enjoying the latest from Disney-Pixar!
Star Wars Weekends for 2008 began last weekend at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We took the opportunity to go down on Friday and take some video of all the festivities for our fans to enjoy. You will see character experiences with Darth Vader, stormtroopers, and an Ewok. There is also some video of the Tatooine Traders store in the Star Wars area at Disney's Hollywood Studios where you could buy a completely custom light sabre replica!
The event included visits with actors from the six Star Wars movies. On the Friday we attended the event, Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett), Daniel Logan (Young Boba Fett), and Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok) were the celebrity appearances that included autograph sessions with each actor. Warwick Davis will host all four weekend events, including hosting the Stars of the Saga Talk Show.
Additionally, the number of character experiences was unreal. The following characters will make appearances throughout the event.
Jedi Mickey
Leia Minnie (New for 2008)
Vader Goofy (New for 2008)
Stormtrooper Donald (New for '08)
Queen Amidala
Aurra Sing
Boba Fett
Cantina Band
Chewbacca
Clonetroopers
Darth Maul
Darth Vader
Ewoks
Jango Fett Jawas
Princess Leia
Luke Skywalker
R2-D2
Shaak Ti
Stormtroopers
Tusken Raiders
Zam Wesell
Make sure to get to Disney's Hollywood Studios before this event passes you by!
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'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!
Just a reminder that this weekend is the last weekend of the 2008 Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It has been a fun year with lots of events and celebrity/character opportunities for guests. All of this fun and frivolity will be ending with 
