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After-hours ‘Mickey’s Halloween Party’ Expands to 14 Nights as Disneyland Resort Celebrates Halloween Time 2014

Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort transforms Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Parks into cheerfully spooky, family-friendly Halloween environments beginning Friday, Sept. 12. Highlights include the seasonal re-theming of Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, Mickey Mouse and his friends in Halloween costumes, and a special focus on Disney Villains.

The after-hours, separate-ticket* Mickey’s Halloween Party, a popular Halloween Time highlight for many Disneyland Park guests, will expand to 14 special nights this year. Mickey’s Halloween Party invites adults and children to dress up in costume and trick-or-treat at Disneyland Park, enjoying candy and healthy treats. Party guests get the extra benefit of being able to arrive early and play in Disneyland for three hours prior to the start of Mickey’s private bash.

The 2014 dates for Mickey’s Halloween Party are: Friday, Sept. 26; Tuesday, Sept. 30; Friday, Oct. 3; Monday, Oct. 6, Wednesday, Oct. 8; Friday, Oct. 10; Tuesday, Oct. 14; Friday, Oct. 17; Monday, Oct. 20; Wednesday, Oct. 22; Friday, Oct. 24; Monday, Oct. 27; Wednesday, Oct. 29; and Friday, Oct. 31.

Highlights of Mickey’s Halloween Party include:

The “Halloween Screams” fireworks spectacular, hosted by “Master of Scare-omonies” Jack Skellington (presented exclusively for guests of Mickey’s Halloween Party)
“Monsters U Dance Party” at Tomorrowland Terrace, where guests can join Mike & Sulley and their fellow students of Monsters University in a fun and family-friendly frat party.
“Mickey’s Costume Party” cavalcade featuring some favorite characters, performed twice nightly
Disney villains arriving amid thunder and lightning to transform Town Square into Villains Square, on Main Street, U.S.A.
The Cadaver Dans ghoul quartet, performing Halloween-themed tunes aboard a drifting graveyard-themed raft on the Rivers of America
An opportunity for everyone in the family to attend the park in costume.
Photo locations with popular Disney and Pixar Pals, and Disney Villains
Nearly all the Disneyland rides and attractions, plus Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy
Parking for one standard-size vehicle is included with the purchase of Mickey’s Halloween Party tickets.

Tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party go on sale for Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club members and Disney Visa Card members on Wednesday, July 16, and for the general public on Wednesday, July 30. They may be purchased online and, for the first time, on mobile devices at Disneyland.com/party as well as at the Disneyland Resort main gate and by phone at 714-781-4400. Online purchase is not available on the day of the event.

Tickets purchased in advance are available at a discount on select nights. Tickets purchased on the day of the event are $70 each. All tickets to Mickey’s Halloween Party on Halloween Night, Friday, Oct. 31, are $77 each. Mickey’s Halloween Party is a non-smoking event. Smoking will be permitted only in the Esplanade outside the Disneyland Main Entrance.

Along with the special Mickey’s Halloween Party, the daily Halloween Time celebration at Disneyland Resort, Sept. 12 through Oct. 31, offers frightful fun for guests of all ages. Guests will enjoy Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy, which launches guests into a haunted section of the universe where ghosts appear out of the starry darkness and the exhilarating drops are punctuated by piercing screams and haunting music.

Jack Skellington returns to take over the Haunted Mansion and bring Haunted Mansion Holiday back to New Orleans Square in Disneyland. Transformed with a mix of Halloween spookiness and Christmas tradition, Haunted Mansion Holiday is inspired by the classic animated film “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Each year brings a new design and new surprises to the traditional Halloween/Christmas gingerbread house in the Mansion Ballroom.

In addition to the seasonal Haunted Mansion Holiday and Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy:

For spine-tingling fun, drop in at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™* at Disney California Adventure. This popular year-round attraction begins with the story of a “supernatural” event that happened on Halloween night, 1939, forever haunting the building.
Main Street, U.S.A., in Disneyland is transformed for the Pumpkin Festival, with hundreds of pumpkins on display, no two of them the same.
Disney villains will be conjured up in a sideshow tent at the Halloween Carnival at Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland. The Halloween Carnival also features pumpkin carvers, Halloween activities for youngsters and favorite Disney characters in Halloween costumes.
Frontierland pays tribute to Dia de los Muertos, an Hispanic observance, with a traditional skeleton display.

For more details about Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort, see Disneyland.com/Halloween. This site will be updated with frightfully fun details.

*The Twilight Zone® is a registered trademark of CBS, Inc., and is used with permission pursuant to a license from CBS, Inc. ©Disney/CBS, Inc

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Photos of Saratoga Springs Resort Bridge to Downtown Disney

Take a look at the latest photos from the construction of the bridge from Saratoga Springs Resort to Downtown Disney.

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Travel + Leisure Names Disney Cruise Line Top Mega-Ship Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line has been named as the Top Mega-Ship Cruise Line and Top Mega-Ship Cruise Line for Families by Travel + Leisure readers in the magazine’s World’s Best Awards 2014. This is the first time Disney Cruise Line has received the Top Mega-Ship Cruise Line award and the sixth consecutive year it has been recognized as a top cruise line for families.

DCL

The World’s Best Awards are selected by Travel + Leisure readers who participate in a survey and rate cruise lines on several criteria, including staterooms, food, service, itineraries, excursions and value.

Disney Cruise Line has consistently received distinguished awards and recognition from the travel industry since first setting sail in 1998. These awards have included all aspects of the operation from dining and entertainment to youth activities and spa facilities.

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Star-Spangled Fun! Walt Disney World Resort Guests Are Invited to Celebrate the Fourth of July

Guests can celebrate America’s birthday with a red, white and blue extravaganza at Walt Disney World Resort. There will be no shortage of nighttime fun as fireworks will dance across the skies above the Florida vacation kingdom. This year marks a special milestone in America’s history, too: the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” observes its 200th anniversary in 2014.

Here’s a look a what’s in store:

Magic Kingdom

The celebration begins with “Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky,” July 3 and 4 at Magic Kingdom. The 14-minute fireworks spectacular rockets into the sky above Cinderella Castle at 9 p.m. both nights.

The fireworks are set to an exciting musical score produced in a concert band style. This score was specifically created to stir a sense of pride in being American, show producers say, while at the same time, inviting guests from around the world to feel part of the celebration.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Guests also can enjoy a twist on traditional fireworks with the “Rockin’ 4th of July Celebration.” At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the party kicks off at the Sorcerer’s Hat stage at 6 p.m. and continues through 11 p.m. on July 4 with live entertainment from “The Hollywood Rockers” whose music will take guests on a rockin’ road trip across America.

Everything leads up to a special rock n’ roll fireworks presentation above the Sorcerer’s Hat starting at 10:15 p.m.

Epcot

Guests visiting Epcot on July 4 will have the opportunity to meet some of their favorite Disney characters dressed in patriotic attire throughout the afternoon at the American Adventure Pavilion. Voices of Liberty, the eight-part a capella group, will have special performances at American Gardens Theatre at 12:30, 1:45 and 3 p.m. They also will perform inside the American Adventure Rotunda at 4:15 and 5 p.m. that day. Guests also will have the opportunity to catch the Spirit of America Fife & Drum Corps outside at 1, 2:15, 3:30, 4 and 4:45 p.m.

That evening, the spectacular fireworks and laser show “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth,” lights the night at 10 p.m. with a heart-pounding grand finale in a salute to America.
Additional Patriotic Entertainment

Pride in America is a daily celebration at Walt Disney World Resort, not just on July 4. Other patriotic offerings that guests can enjoy year-round in the parks include indoor attractions that offer shows about the history of America, dining options and entertainment.

Guests at Epcot’s American Adventure Pavilion will find various ways to explore America’s past and present with “We, The People,” a journey through pivotal moments in America’s history narrated by Audio-Animatronic figures of Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain, and “The Kinsey Collection,” an exhibit that showcases 400 years of African-American achievement through rare art, documents, books and artifacts.

At Magic Kingdom, The Hall of Presidents: A Celebration of Liberty’s Leaders gives guests an entertaining lesson in American history. Guests also can get a taste of traditional New England-inspired foods at Liberty Tree Tavern, a restaurant situated in a colonial-style inn that serves lunch and dinner daily. After nightfall, dancing patriots, a stately bald eagle, glittering lights and the patriotic music of the Main Street Electrical Parade all honor America as the parade’s stunning final float lights Main Street, U.S.A. nightly.

Even the waters of Seven Seas Lagoon glitter with patriotic pride when the Electrical Water Pageant sets sail. The pageant features the American flag and red, white and blue stars set to patriotic tunes, along with favorite sea creatures. Guests can view the water pageant nightly from various resorts surrounding the lagoon.

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Details of Frozen Summer Fun Package

Beginning July 5 through the summer, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be having Frozen Summer Fun.  In addition to all of the activities we have previously reported, there is now a Frozen Summer Fun Package.

A "Frozen" Summer at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Here are the details:

10:30 am – Check in at Min and Bill’s Dockside Diner

11:00 am – Refreshments & reserved viewing for “Anna & Elsa’s Royal Welcome Procession”

Anytime between – 12:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Reserved seating at one showing of “For the First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration”

8:30 pm – 10:00 pm-  Dessert party in a reserved area for viewing the “Frozen Fireworks” Show

Packages cost – $59 for adults and $34 for kids.

Order package – 407-939-1939

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Independence Day Time Card for Walt Disney World – Photo

Here is the special Independence Day Time Card for the activities at Walt Disney World.

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Downtown Disney Construction – Photo Update: July 2014

Take a look at some of the ongoing construction as Downtown Disney Transforms into Disney Springs.

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Aulani Receives Top Honors in Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards

Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa has been named the Top Family Hotel in the United States by Travel + Leisure readers in the magazine’s World’s Best Awards 2014.

The World’s Best Awards are selected by Travel + Leisure readers who participate in an annual survey and rate hotels, resorts, spas, airlines, cruise lines, tour operators and more on a variety of criteria.

Located on the white sandy shores of O’ahu in Ko Olina, Hawai’i, Aulani is a family paradise with a touch of magic – where everyone can enjoy amazing adventures, both together and on their own. With spectacular entertainment, an interactive kids club, themed pool areas, as well as an award-winning spa and incredible dining – Aulani is a whole new world of family fun.

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DISNEY CHANNEL ORDERS SECOND SEASON OF ITS COMEDY SERIES “I DIDN’T DO IT”

Disney Channel has ordered a second season of the comedy series “I Didn’t Do It,” starring popular actress and recording artist Olivia Holt (Disney XD’s “Kickin’ It”), Austin North, Piper Curda, Peyton Clark, and Sarah Gilman. It was announced today by Adam Bonnett, Executive Vice President, Original Programming, Disney Channels Worldwide. The series premiered in January and season to date is Disney Channel’s #1 series among Tweens 9-14 (a tie) and ranks among the network’s Top 5 series with both Kids 2-11 and Kids 6-11. New episodes of “I Didn’t Do It” premiere SUNDAYS (8:30 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel.

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GM and Philips nearly stopped ‘Toy Story’ from ever being made

Toy StoryFinding Nemo, Wall-E, and all of Pixar’s other beloved films could have never come to be if things had gone just a bit differently back in 1985.

Full Story

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