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2009 Halloween Theme Park Scare Guide: Mickey's Not So Scary Party

Where: World Drive [map], Lake Buena Vista, FL, United States
October 13, 2009 at 9:38 AM | by kjb | 1 Comment

You know Disney has some deep pockets when it comes to their theme parks, so visitors looking to celebrate Halloween have nothing to worry about if they make Walt Disney World their spooky holiday headquarters. For many years the Magic Kingdom has been shutting things down early and welcoming families to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

It’s a Halloween bash that encourages both parents and their kids to dress up; however, some of the adults get a little carried away and that’s always slightly frightened us. As you take in all the seasonal decorations be sure to stop and fill your bags with candy. There’s plenty of trick or treat spots throughout the park and they are usually pretty generous. The best part of the party is that the crowds are manageable. Disney only sells a certain amount of tickets to the shindig, so it’s a great chance to ride Space Mountain like five times in a row without waiting.

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Disney World's Monorail Has First Fatal Crash In 38-Year History

July 6, 2009 at 9:19 AM | by JetSetCD | 0 Comments

The long weekend wasn't kind to everyone off and about on their mini-trips. For those vacationing in Orlando at Walt Disney World, they awoke to the news that the park's loved transportation system, the Monorail, had crashed around 2am on Sunday and taken the life of one 21-year old driver. The news is that one Monorail malfunctioned and backed into another outside of a station.

Onboard at the early hour—who knew the Monorail even rain at the at that hour—were only 8 guests, including a family of six who were possibly too late partying at Chef Mickey's or Goofy's A La Carte Sandwich Shoppe. This marks the first fatal accident in the history of Walt Disney World's Monorail, which began its operations back in 1971.

Service on the Monorail was understandably shut down following the accident, but was back on schedule for rush hour later on Sunday as families headed home after the holiday weekend. And now for the token Simpsons quote: "Well, sir, there's nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, six-car Monorail."

Related Stories:
· Disney World monorail crash kills driver [CNN]
· Disney World monorail crash victim was working in his dream job [Orlando Sentinel]
· Disney World Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: weathermanfsu/TwitPic]

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Indulge Your Inner Amphibian At Disney's Stormalong Bay

Where: 1700 Epcot Resorts Blvd. [map], Lake Buena Vista, FL, United States
May 26, 2009 at 5:01 PM | by egw | 0 Comments

Last one in's a rotten egg! We're finding the best places in the world to stick our toes in this summer (or next winter) for our World's Coolest Pools map. Know of any pools we must check out? Let us know.

Without a cutesy shape or a benevolent aura, you'd never recognize this mega-pool as the domain of the Mouse. But we had to check out the Yacht and Beach Club combined pools after a tipster promised not only a sandy bottom but "a slide from a pirate ship." And you all know we have a weakness for pirate travel.

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Does Anybody Else Remember the Old "If You Had Wings" Ride at Disney World?

April 4, 2009 at 3:30 PM | by Victor Ozols | 8 Comments

The internet really is an amazing thing. Last week, for some reason, I was thinking about an obscure old ride at Disney World that I doubted many people remembered. Lo and behold, a quick search revealed not only extensive information about it, but a couple of first-person videos as well. The ride was called If You Had Wings, and it was essentially a big advertisement for Eastern Air Lines, which was, at one time, the official airline of Walt Disney World. My dad was a pilot for Eastern Air Lines, and so we made a point of riding the Claude Coates-designed Omnimover Dark Ride whenever we went to the park, and I loved it.

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As Disney Goes, So Goes The Nation

November 7, 2008 at 12:00 PM | by kjb | 0 Comments

It seems like each day another Fortune 500 company releases disappointing quarterly earnings, but then again, what do you expect? Thursday, Disney was no exception, as the company reported that earnings had fallen about 13 percent in the fiscal fourth quarter.

Things were down in pretty much all areas of their business--including about a four percent drop specifically at theme parks. Overall, they still posted a profit of $760 million, but when everyone expects you to beat last year, that’s still not good enough.

In hopes of filling Disney World to the brim, the Disney officials have started a new vacation promotion in addition to their birthday deal. The new deal promises three nights of tickets and hotel for free when you buy a four-night package. Finally, if your trip takes place between January and March they’ll also throw in a $200 gift card--for your own Sarah Palin-style spending spree on all the best Mickey merchandise.

Related Stories:
· Slowdown Begins to Show at Stalwart Disney [NYT]
· Affordable Disney Vacation Packages [Disney World]
· Theme Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Joe Shlabotnik]

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The Best Halloween Theme Parks: Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

October 3, 2008 at 2:00 PM | by kjb | 0 Comments

In addition to the decorations at all the parks and ubiquitous pumpkins, October brings Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party to Disney World. This after-hours event takes place at the Magic Kingdom on selected nights this month.

Advance tickets are $43, and it's a good chance to get into the park without paying the usual $70 or so for a one-day admission.

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Disney Plans Gigantic New Bowling Alley, Domination of Sports Tourism Market

September 28, 2008 at 1:26 PM | by Victor Ozols | 0 Comments

Sometimes it seems like Disney will never stop growing, and there's really no part of the tourism market that it won't eventually dominate. Case in point: the company is planning a 100-lane bowling center in their recently-renamed ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, the latest salvo in an effort to expand further into the growing sports tourism market.

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Tall Toques Travel: The Food Olympics

September 25, 2008 at 9:48 AM | by BS | 0 Comments

Forget "Top Chef." If you're looking for some serious cooking contest drama, get yourself to Disney World this weekend for the semi-finals of the Bocuse d'Or.

The so-called Olympics of cooking, the Bocuse d'Or finals are held every year in Lyon, France, and for global gastrophiles, this contest carries serious weight. (Check out the over-the-top website intro--these people clearly think this is much bigger than the Olympics.)

Unfortunately, America's track record is far from golden. In the 20 years the competition has been held, Team USA has never placed in medal position--in fact, they've never come close, with their best finish a lowly sixth in 2003.

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Theme Parks Travel: Celebrate Your Birthday with Mickey... For Free

September 19, 2008 at 11:30 AM | by kjb | 0 Comments

If the recent price hikes at Disney World have put the brakes on your trip to see Mickey and his posse, then we have some good news. As part of the park's 2009 "What will you celebrate?" promotion, the park is handing out free one-day, one-park tickets to either Disneyland or Disney World on your birthday. Just show your ID at the gates on your birthday and you'll be good to go.

Although for a family of four, a one-ticket discount doesn't represent a significant discount, it might be just the thing to give attendance a boost. Regardless of how you feel about the "deal," it's certainly better than nothing.

So far this promotion is only available at the Disney parks in the US. Too bad, as a little freebie promotion could definitely help one overseas park in particular.

Related Stories:
· Coming Soon: Free Admission to Disney on your Birthday [BT]
· Free on Your Birthday-What Will You Celebrate? [Official Site]
· Theme Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of an excited Donald Duck: Savannah Grandfather]

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Theme Parks Travel: The Best of the Best

September 4, 2008 at 3:00 PM | by kjb | 2 Comments

The end of summer usually means the end of amusement park season, too. But if you have one last opportunity to hit up a coaster or two, check out the best of the best as featured in Amusement Today's 2008 Golden Tickets awards.

This year the best amusement park honor went to Cedar Point in Ohio, which is known for its large roller coaster population. The best overall steel coaster award went, fittingly, to Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England; we can tell you from personal experience that it deserves the prize.

The Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort in Texas was named best place to get wet. And Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana was the big winner overall, with the best wooden coaster, The Voyage, the friendliest staff and the cleanest park. Surprisingly, Walt Disney World only received one award for the Illuminations fireworks show at Epcot, which was named the best outdoor night show production.

Related Stories:
· Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards [Official Site]
· Theme Parks coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ewige]

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Boozy Theme Parks Travel: Eating and Drinking at Epcot

August 25, 2008 at 10:45 AM | by kjb | 4 Comments

When it comes to special events at Walt Disney World, the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival is the one to attend. Celebrating its 13th anniversary, the festival runs September 26-November 9, and it's the perfect opportunity to take in the Disney version of world culture while drinking!

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Disney Lost My Social Security Number

June 30, 2008 at 2:45 PM | by Hunter Walker | 1 Comment

Back in 1994, Hunter Walker bought five shares of stock in theme park giant Walt Disney Company...

I invested in the House of Mouse because they were one of the only companies I knew of as a 10-year-old. Over the years, I held on to the stock as Disney made a killing by becoming a farm system of teenie bopper talent. But I just found out that Disney lost my identity.

I got a lovely letter in the mail informing me that on February 27, 2008, a company doing archive services for Disney lost a box of "data back-up tapes" that contained my name, address, and best of all, my social security number. Fun!

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