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News and Views

Magic Your Way tickets turn ticket and package planning on its ears

by Mike Scopa, staff writer

Last Thursday, Disney announced its customizable Magic Your Way system would debut after the New Year, and throwing out the old way of purchasing park passes and packages. We will have a more in-depth analysis of the changes in the near future. For now, here's a brief review.

Do you want a little more flexibility in putting together your Walt Disney World vacation? Like it or not, you have no choice come January 2, 2005.

On that date, you can start booking the recently announced Magic Your Way tickets and vacation packages. This new way of booking vacations provides guests with a wide range of options to help design a Walt Disney World vacation that essentially matches every possible need.

Here are the three distinct Magic Your Way packages:

• Disney's Magic Your Way Package – includes accommodations at an on-site Disney-owned-and-operated resort hotel, and Magic Your Way Base tickets (discussed below).
• Disney's Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining – includes accommodations at an on-site Disney-owned-and-operated resort hotel, Magic Your Way Base tickets, and dining plan that offers two meals and a snack per person, per package night.
• Disney's Magic Your Way Premium Package – offers everything found in the Disney's Magic Your Way Package, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner per person per package night and other options: unlimited use of recreation, tours, admission to Cirque du Soleil, admission to Disney Children's Activity Centers, unlimited admission to theme park tours, and admission to Grand Gathering experiences (minimum of 8 in party).

Magic Your Way Dining

I'm still trying to decipher the Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining but here is as best I understand it. The package includes (per person, per package night):

• One table service meal – appetizer, entree, dessert, non-alcoholic beverage and gratuity/service charge
• One counter service meal – entree and non-alcoholic beverage, or full combo meal: entree, side dish and non-alcoholic beverage
• One snack – a snack-cart ice cream, box of popcorn, or medium soft drink at select counter-service and snack-cart locations

This Plus Dining package must be booked for everyone 3 uyears or older in your party. Let's say you have a length of stay of 3-nights/4-days and book Disney's Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining. You receive three table service meals, three counter service meals, and three snacks per person, for the stay. Children must order from the kid's menu, when available.

Meal options are flexible and can be used in a variety of combinations, including:

• Using multiple meal options in any one day
• Exchanging one table-service meal for one character dining experience
• Exchanging two table-service meals for one meal at a dinner show or at a signature restaurant like the California Grill.

Magic Your Way Tickets

As best as I can tell, here is what you can expect for the Magic Your Way tickets and options:

• Magic Your Way Base Ticket – gives you one theme park admission per day for the number of days on the ticket, and expires 14 days from first use. It does not include park hopping or admission to other gated attractions, like Disney's water parks or Pleasure Island. Only one theme park admission may be used per day. This ticket is available in a variety of increments, from one to seven days. See the following table for prices:

The per-day price of the Magic Your Way Base Ticket is less than the per-day price of Disney's Park Hopper pass (for example, $54.75 per day for a 4-day Park Hopper vs. $46.25 per day for the Magic Your Way Base Ticket). The Magic Your Way Base Ticket has a lower price because you cannot visit multiple parks on the same day like Disney's Park Hopper passes did and expires 14 days from first use.

Your options with this base ticket are:

• Park Hopper Option – For an extra $35, lets you come and go as you please through all four Disney theme parks on the same day or every day for each day of the pass. Add $35 to the prices in the table above and you have a hopper pass.
• Magic Plus Pack Option – For an extra $45, lets you choose among Blizzard Beach water park, Typhoon Lagoon water park, DisneyQuest, Downtown Disney Pleasure Island or Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. This option includes two to five visits to Magic Plus Pack attractions, depending on the number of base ticket days purchased. Add $45 to prices in the table and you have a Plus Pass (but not a hopper).
• No Expiration Option – new Magic Your Way Tickets expire 14 days after their first use. Electing the No Expiration Option means you can return on a future trip and take advantage of unused tickets at any time. This option is NOT offered for 1-day tickets. Add $10 to 2 and 3 day tickets, $15 to a 4 day ticket, $35 to 5 day ticket, $45 to a 6 day ticket, and $55 to a 7 day ticket.
• Magic Your Way Premium Ticket – combines the benefits of the Park Hopper Option and the Magic Plus Pack Option. Add $80 to the price of the tickets in the table above.
• Advance Purchase Savings Tickets – you can also save by purchasing tickets in advance.

That's one heck of a summary. Here are a few extra details that Mike didn't get to:

• Almost lost in the shuffle is the shocking fact that Disney has raised the price of a one-day, one-park ticket by $5, from $54.75 to $59.75. And this is on top of a $2.75 increase in the same ticket's price back in March. This means that the price of a one day at a park has gone up from $52 to $59.75, or 15 percent, in a span of 10 months.
• Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando are both publicly saying they have no current plans to increase their prices, which have been $53.95 for a one-day pass since last January.
• Response time when you call Disney regarding travel or dining will be slow for the next few weeks as call center staff need must undergo massive retraining in order to answer questions correctly.
• Folks at the Disney Reservations Center have been told not to answer questions about the new Magic Your Way tickets and packages until after getting proper training, in order to prevent people from receiving incorrect information.
• The advance purchase savings are $7 on 5-day passes, $9 on 6-day passes and $11 on 7-day passes except base-only tickets. There are no advance purchase savings on passes of 4 days or less.
• One-day, one-park passes purchased between December 2 and January 1 all expire on January 8 and will have the expiration date printed on them.
• Florida residents get their choice of additional discounts.
  • A third day free with the purchase of a two-day ticket
  • 10 percent savings on a one-day base ticket
  • Free “Park Hopper” option added to a full-price one-day ticket.
• Disney Vacation Club members get an extra price cut effective January 2 as a huge Annual Pass discount goes into effect. DVC members can purchase APs at a huge savings for themselves and members of their immediate family residing in their household as shown in the table below:

The announcement of the Magic Your Way program featured a world-record card construction project, a replica of Cinderella Castle, built out of 162,000 expired park tickets. The next day, Disney passed out the cards to cast members at the Disney Reservations Center as souvenirs.

Speaking of the Disney Reservations Center, the staff there had no clue that the new program was coming, either. According to one cast member,

“All of DRC is in panic mode. We all have to work extra days. Prince and Princess package is no more. All current packages are changing, too. They called a meeting at 8 a.m. and literally people were in tears. Our little worlds fell apart. None of our systems will be used any more. We have to completely relearn everything. Booking through DRC will be hard for the next few weeks. At any given time 1/3 of the agents will be in training.”

As stated above, when you call Disney regarding reservations between now and the New Year, please have some patience, as they're doing the best they can under trying circumstances.

In addition, I've been asked to provide a reminder that Walt Disney World restaurants require Priority Seating arrangements and—year-round, but especially during the holiday season—at no time is it ever guaranteed that any restaurant will take walk-ups aside from those that do not offer PS service. Almost all sit-down WDW restaurants offer PS service—and without one it is highly unlikely you will dine at that location—no matter who you yell at.

Note: All prices in this story do not reflect the 6.5 percent Florida sales tax.

It's official! Evening Extra Magic Hours are coming in January!

Starting on Sunday, January 2, the evening Extra Magic Hours return to the schedule. Guests staying at Disney hotels and eligible on-property partner hotels can get free run of the theme parks either one hour before opening or three hours after closing. Here's the tentative schedule by day of the week:

• Sunday – Disney-MGM Studios (evening)
• Monday – Epcot (morning)
• Tuesday – Disney-MGM Studios (morning); Disney's Animal Kingdom (evening)
• Wednesday – Magic Kingdom (evening)
• Thursday – Epcot (evening)
• Friday – Magic Kingdom (morning)
• Saturday – Disney's Animal Kingdom (morning)

A large array of attractions are open this time:

Magic Kingdom Park:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
• Haunted Mansion
• Mad Tea Party
• Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Mickey's PhilharMagic
• Space Mountain
• Splash Mountain
• Cinderella's Golden Carrousel
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Peter Pan's Flight
• Tomorrowland Indy Speedway
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority
• Astro Orbiter Country
• Bear Jamboree Jungle Cruise
• Swiss Family Treehouse
• Stitch's Great Escape!
• “ it's a small world” (once it reopens in March)
• Pirates of the Caribbean

Epcot:

• Mission: Space
• Spaceship Earth
• Test Track
• Universe of Energy
• Journey into Imagination with Figment
• El Rio del Tiempo
• Honey I Shrunk the Audience
• Living with the Land
• The Maelstrom

Disney-MGM Studios:

• The Great Movie Ride
• Muppet Vision 3-D
• The Magic of Disney Animation
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Sounds Dangerous – Starring Drew Carey
• Star Tours
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid
• Playhouse Disney

Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park:

• The Boneyard
• Dinosaur
• Festival of the Lion King
• It's Tough to be a Bug!
• Kali River Rapids (seasonal)
• Kilimanjaro Safaris (seasonal)
• Primeval Whirl
• Tarzan Rocks!
• Tree of Life
• Triceratop Spin

Georgia-Pacific is Disney's latest sponsor

The Georgia-Pacific Corporation recently signed a 10-year contract to sponsor a wide-ranging variety of attractions and experiences at the Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and Disney Cruise Line.

Their leading brand, Brawny, is the sponsor of the new Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, scheduled to open at the Disney-MGM Studios in 2005.

Brawny, as well as Georgia-Pacific's other consumer brands Dixie, Vanity Fair, Quilted Northern, Angel Soft and Sparkle, will have prominent brand exposure throughout the Disney theme parks and resorts, including:

• Sponsorship of Mickey's Backyard BBQ at Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
• Sponsorship of Chip 'n Dale's Campfire Sing-a-long at Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
• Sponsorship of the Guest arrival brochure at the Walt Disney World resorts
• Sponsorship of the Festival Arena at Disneyland Park
• Sponsorship of a “Healthy Hand Washing Guidelines” for Guest restrooms
• Brand presence on paper items, such as beverage napkins, paper plates and bowls, and dispenser napkins

Following so closely on the heels of the Alamo sponsorship deal, it looks like the current corporate partner team is out pushing hard for deals and having some success. We'll have to wait to see if they have any luck finding sponsors for the Spaceship Earth or Universe of Energy pavilions.

Last traces of Exxon/Mobil gone

Speaking of the Universe of Energy, apparently the reason that the Exxon/Mobil references inside the Universe of Energy pavilion took so long to remove is because the pre-show signs were part of the show lighting system. They blinked, flashed, and went out as the show started, and also provided lighting in case of a lighting systems failure (in case of a show-failure they default to “on” and that helps in the dark room before a Host or Hostess can switch the ultra-bright worklights on). The exterior references were much easier to remove.

Airline quits flying

Southeast Airlines, a Florida-based discount airline that flew into Orlando-Sanford Airport, has ceased operations. The company said in a statement posted on its Web site late Tuesday that it "has made its final landing and has ceased airline operations. We apologize for the inconvenience this will cause to our customers." The airline claimed that high fuel costs and a low yield environment made it impossible to continue operating.

The airline served seven destinations along the Atlantic seaboard and Midwest: Allentown/Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Newburgh, New York; Gary, Indiana; Columbus, Ohio; and three Florida locations: Fort Lauderdale, St. Petersburg/Clearwater, and Orlando.

Customers with unused tickets were directed to refer to their participant contracts or contact their credit card companies for information on refunds.

Southwest Airlines begins selling park passes

Park Hopper and Park Hopper Plus passes are now available for purchase through the Southwest Airlines Web site. Prices are the same as going through the Walt Disney World Web site, but—for now—those ordering tickets through Southwest can order 4-day Park Hopper Plus pass that is not available through Disney. Since this was announced a few days before the “Magic Your Way” announcement, there's no word on what will happen come January 2, but it's a good bet that Southwest's site will have all of the same tickets at the same prices, so the benefit may be negligible or non-existent.

Ears to the ground

…Cypress Gardens holds its official grand opening this Thursday.

…Here's a hint that we heard that may work for you, if a Candlelight Processional dinner package still has seats but not for the restaurant that you were looking for. If you're fairly sure that it's not a major day and that it won't sell out, call the same day and any seat at a restaurant, not just a package seat, will be able to be used. It may not get you in Le Cellier, but it could help with Mitsukoshi and such.

…It is now confirmed that all deluxe, moderate, and home-away-from-home resorts will have fridges, coffee makers and irons as of January 2.

…Thirty blocks (240 names) of the AIDS Memorial Quilt were on display at Walt Disney World last Monday and Tuesday before moving to Orlando City Hall for the next two days. The display was sponsored by Disney.

…Ticket prices for the Hoop-De-Doo Musical Revue and the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show have gone up again. New prices are $50.22 for adults and $25.43 for children aged 3-9, including sales tax and gratuity.

…Cirque du Soleil is taking the week off, and resumes performances on Wednesday, December 15.

…Fridays made a complete sweep of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party sellouts as last Friday sold out at the last minute to join the next two Fridays as the only sold out nights so far of the annual event . Don't wait to get your tickets, though, as the other two dates next week may sell out, as well.

…Golf carts at the Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge golf courses are now equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices to provide 3-D renderings of the course's topography, measure exact distances to the hold, and share tips from the pros for each hole. You can even contact a beverage cart to bring refreshments to you.

…El Pirata Y El Perico Restaurante has been on a one-day-per-week schedule lately, opening only on Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

…The My Disney Girl Princess Party is now a permanent addition. In addition, dining agents were surveyed on ideas and guest comments about new character dining options. A Buzz meal was one of the options, as well as Peter Pan and “boys' meals in general.”

…New Year's Eve fireworks include Fantasy in the Sky at the Magic Kingdom at midnight (with Wishes earlier in the night), the special New Year's edition of Illuminations at Epcot and the brand-new Lights! Camera! Happy New Year! Fireworks at the Disney-MGM Studios.

…Mickey's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas starts running daily at the Galaxy Palace Theater daily on December 11. The Goodnight Kiss castle light show occurs those nights at midnight, 12:30 a.m. and 1:00 a.m.

Have any interesting news or rumors? Let us know.

Refurbishments and Attraction Closures

Magic Kingdom

• “it's a small world” – closed through March 18, 2005 for rehab (info).
• 20,000 League Under the Sea lagoon – walled off to “clear the land as well as add landscape for future use.” Reopens soon.
• Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress – expected to remain open for the holiday season, then go down for major rehab.
• Timekeeper – opens seasonally; unconfirmed, but likely open for the last two weeks of December.
• Jungle Cruise, the Enchanted Tiki Room – Under New Management, the Hall of Presidents and the Country Bear Jamboree – open at 10 a.m. every day.
• The Hub area in front of the castle – undergoes more refurbishing in January 2005 in preparation for the Cinderellabration show coming later in the year.
• Cinderella's Royal Table – closed for rehab January 17–27, 2005. Lunch and dinner resume on January 28, while character breakfasts return on January 29.
• Astro Orbiter – closed January 25 – March 12, 2005.
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant – closed January 10 – February 12, 2005.
• Cinderella's Surprise Celebration – last performance on February 26, 2005. Expected to return after the 18-month “Happiest Homecoming on Earth” celebration ends.
• Cinderellabration – begins preview performances in March 2005. Expected to run until the end of the 18-month “Happiest Homecoming on Earth” celebration.

Epcot

• Soarin' – is officially scheduled to open in May 2005, but may have an earlier soft opening.
• The Behind the Seeds Walking Tour of the greenhouses at The Land – discontinued construction of the queue area for Soarin'. Expected to resume upon completion of the construction.
• The Land pavilion – closed January 2 – March 31, 2005 for completion of the Soarin' attraction.
• The Wonders of Life pavilion – open seasonally. The Pure and Simple eatery and the Well and Goods Limited shop have been removed, while the Body Wars, Cranium Command, and The Making of Me attractions now open when the pavilion is open. The pavilion opens December 18–31, and it is rumored but not confirmed that it opens next January – March during the closure of The Land pavilion.
• El Rio del Tiempo – closed December 6–8.

Disney-MGM Studios

• Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, an American version of the popular Moteurs… Action! stunt show from the Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris – is officially scheduled to debut in May 2005.
• Streets of America Backlot – undergoing construction to change facades to represent Chicago and San Francisco. Formerly known as New York Street.
• The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights – returns this year on the Streets of America backlot, November 24 – January 2.
• Fantasmic – not be performed January 24-26.

Animal Kingdom

• Lucky the Dinosaur – debuts Spring 2005.
• Expedition Everest – opens Spring 2006.

Resorts

• Port Orleans Resort – Ongoing two-year extensive rehab of its rooms. Phase I's French Quarter has reopened. Phase II is underway, and involves Riverside going through a phased rehab. The Magnolia Bend mansions will first be worked on one by one, and will be followed by Alligator Bayou closing in sections.
• Polynesian Resort – nearing completion of the refurbishment of longhouses. Each longhouse under rehab is walled off and isolated during its rehab. Room refurbishments are resuming. Scheduled: Rapa Nui January 3 – April 1, 2005, Tahiti April 24 – August 17, 2005. Tokelau, not yet refurbished, is not yet scheduled.
• Old Key West Resort – The main pool is closed through mid-December to construct a new themed water slide.
• BoardWalk Resort – Conversion of the previous Disney Vacation Club sales center into 19 additional villa-style accommodations will continue through June. The second floor villas located directly above the project area will not be available for booking during the construction. In addition, a major pipe replacement project is underway in corridors outside guest rooms daily between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. through summer 2005. No work is scheduled inside guest rooms.
• Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa – Construction continues on the rest of the resort; the other three buildings of Phase I are due by the end of the year, the eight units of Phase II are due in 2005, and the six units of the newly-announced Phase III are due in 2007. Phase III will involve the razing of the old Fairway Villas.
• Yacht and Beach Club Resorts – An overall refurbishment of the Stormalong Bay pool area at the Beach Club is running through early 2005. Certain sections of the pool will be unavailable at various times during the project. Those parts of the main pool not immediately being worked on will remain available for use. The first portion of the work should be completed by December 23. The main Shipwreck Slide will be closed only from January 3 to February 25, 2005, due to a painting project in that area. During the work on the slide, Yacht and Beach Club guests may use the Keister Coaster slide and Luna Park pool at the BoardWalk Resort.
• Yacht Club Resort – A siding renovation project is expected to continue through mid-2005.
• Coronado Springs Resort – Construction continues on the 86,000 square foot exhibit hall that is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2005. Construction noises may be audible throughout the Casitas section of the resort during the daytime construction.

Water Parks

• Blizzard Beach – undergoes its annual refurbishment from October 24 – December 11.
• Typhoon Lagoon – closes for its annual refurbishment from December 12, 2004– March 12, 2005. It reopens with a new water coaster, called the Crush 'N' Gusher.

Elsewhere

• Cirque du Soleil – La Nouba – performs Tuesdays through Saturdays, but closes December 5–14 and 26.
• The All Star Cafe at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex – now closed Monday–Wednesday. Open Thursday–Sunday, from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Park Events

Ongoing

• Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (link). December 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, & 17.
• Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights (link). November 24 – January 2.
• Festival of the Seasons at Downtown Disney (link). November 26 – December 24.
• Holidays Around the World (link). November 26 – December 30.

December 2004

• Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer and Dance Championships (link). December 5-11.
• Join MousePlanet at MouseFest (link). December 9–13.
• Disney's Soccer Showcase (link). December 27 – January 2, 2005.
• New Year's Eve celebrations at Pleasure Island (link) and Atlantic Dance (link). December 31.

January 2005

• Disney's Health and Fitness Expo (link). January 7 & 8.
• FamilyFun Magazine Family Fun Run (link). January 8.
• Disney Marathon (link) and Half-Marathon (link). January 9.

February 2005

• Twirl Mania - The Twirler's Championships (link). February 18–21.
• Atlanta Braves Training Camp at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex (link). Dates in February – April TBA.

April 2005

• Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival (link). April 15 – June 5.
• Walt Disney World Inline Marathon (link). April 30 – May 1.

May 2005

• Star Wars Weekends (link). Weekends in May – June TBA.

June 2005

• Gay and Lesbian Day at Walt Disney World (link1)(link2). June 2–5.

September 2005

• Night of Joy (link). Dates TBA.
• Epcot International Food & Wine Festival (link). September 30 – November 13.

October 2005

• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (link). Dates TBA.
• Funai Classic at Walt Disney World (link). October 20?23.

November 2005

• Super Soap Weekend (link). Dates TBA.
• Festival of the Masters (link). November 12?13.

Current Discounts & Promotions

Discounts for early 2005 are out

Resort discounts for the first part of 2005 have been announced. Annual Passholder & Florida Resident discounts are valid January 2 to February 16, while general and Canada resident discounts are good January 2 to April 16. Room-only and Dream Maker packages are available. See the Walt Disney World web site (link) or MouseSavers (link) for more information.

Radisson Resort Parkway announces rates through 2005

Radisson Resort Parkway, a MousePlanet sponsor, has announced its rates through the end of 2005, and has reduced their rates for much of the rest of this year. Guests can receive a complimentary upgrade to deluxe pool view accommodations for the remainder of 2004 simply by typing in the code of “UPGR” in the promotional field of the reservation.

Click here for more information, or here to make reservations now.

Plan ahead and save a few bucks

The Walt Disney World Resort is encouraging visitors to buy their theme park tickets before they even leave home, by offering a slight discount on advance purchases. You can save as much as $26 per adult, per ticket with the “Advance Purchase Savings” program. These prices are before the 6.5 percent Orange County sales tax.

You can also receive these Advance Purchase Savings with packages purchased through AAA.

Annual Passholders

Receive 10 percent off the price of their lunch meal at selected Walt Disney World Resort hotel restaurants, and the discount is good for up to three guests. The offer is valid Mondays through Fridays. Call 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463) for locations and reservations.

Park Hours

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently available through February 2005.

Entertainment Schedule

Hours and entertainment schedules are currently available through February 2005.

Theme Park Events

Downtown Disney Entertainment

(Separate admission required)