Walt Disney World Resort marked its 45th anniversary Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, with a flurry of 45 beloved Disney characters in a colorful fanfare at Magic Kingdom Park. The celebration hit a high note with a special live arrangement of “When You Wish Upon a Star,” underscored by a burst of pyro magic and colorful streamers shot high above the Kingdom.
Archive for Walt Disney World
SAVE UP TO 25% ON ROOMS AT SELECT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT HOTELS THIS WINTER
Our Clients can save up to 25%* on rooms at select Walt Disney World® Resort hotels for stays most nights Dec. 15 – 23, 2016 and Jan. 1 – April 8, 2017 when they book Oct. 3 – Dec. 21, 2016.
Booking Window:
Oct. 3 – Dec. 21, 2016
Travel Window:
Dec. 15 – 23, 2016 and Jan. 1 – April 8, 2017
Full List of Disney Resort Hotel Exclusions:
Campsites, 3-bedroom villas, The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows, Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms. Additional exclusion for Dec. 15 – 23, 2016 only: Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter.
Contact Travel Agents, Scott and Becky Donahue, of Wish Upon a Star With Us to plan and book your vacation.
PLAY, STAY, DINE AND SAVE UP TO $500* AT WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT
Our Clients can Play, Stay, Dine and save up to $500* on a 5-night 6-day Walt Disney Travel Company room, ticket and dining plan package for a family of four at select Walt Disney World® Resort hotels for stays most nights Jan. 1-March 7, 2017 when you book Oct. 3-Dec. 21, 2016.
Contact Travel Agents, Scott and Becky Donahue, of Wish Upon a Star With Us to plan and book your vacation.
*The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Savings based on the non-discounted price for the same package for 2 adults, 1 junior, 1 child in the same room. Tickets valid for one Theme Park per day and must be used within 14 days of first use. Cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion. Advance reservations required. Offer excludes campsites, 3-bedroom villas, Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort—The Little Mermaid Standard Rooms.
Excludes alcoholic beverages and gratuities, Children ages 3-9 must order from children’s menu, if available. Some Table-Service restaurants may have limited or no availability at time of package purchase.
Walt Disney World Refurbishments – Fall 2016
| Magic Kingdom® Park | |
| Swiss Family Treehouse Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Liberty Square Riverboat Walt Disney World Railroad Hall of Presidents |
Jul. 6 – Sep. 29, 2016 Aug. 8 – Nov. 18, 2016 Jan. 3 – 12, 2017 Jan. 9 – Feb. 16, 2017 Jan. 17 – Jun. 29, 2017 |
| Epcot® | |
| None | |
| Disney’s Hollywood Studios® | |
| Pizza Planet Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster |
Jan. 19 – Late 2016 Oct. 27 – Nov. 9, 2016 |
| Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park | |
| DINOSAUR Dino Institute Shop |
Jul. 25 – Oct. 16, 2016 Jul. 25 – Oct. 16, 2016 |
| Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park | |
| Shark Reef – Closing Permanently | Oct. 3, 2016 |
| Annual Refurbishment | Dec. 25, 2016 – Mar. 11, 2017 |
| Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park | |
| Annual Refurbishment | Oct. 23 – Dec. 24, 2016 |
| Disney’s All-Star Music Resort | |
| Piano Pool During this time Guests may use the Calypso Pool located near Melody Hall. |
Dec. 12, 2016 – Feb. 3, 2017 |
| Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort | |
| Grand Slam Pool During this time Guests may use the Surfboard Bay Pool, located near the main lobby. |
Oct. 10 – Dec. 13, 2016 |
| Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village | |
| Soft Goods Refurbishment This work will be conducted between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. During this time, Guests may see or hear work in progress and certain pathways may be unavailable. |
Jul. 15, 2016 – January 2017 |
| Disney’s BoardWalk Villas | |
| Room Refurbishments Guests may see or hear work in progress. Additionally, Guests may have an interruption to water service during the overnight hours. |
May 16 – Oct. 31, 2016 |
| Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort | |
| Hard Goods Refurbishment Guests may see or hear construction taking place, or encounter alternative paths of travel throughout the Resort hotel. To minimize any possible disruptions, all work with the most potential for noise will be limited each day between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. |
Beginning November 2016 |
| Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort | |
| Beach Renourishment Project | May 1 – Fall 2016 |
| Disney’s Old Key West Resort | |
| Sandcastle Pool The leisure pools located at Old Turtle Pond, South Point and Miller’s Road will remain available |
Jan. 3 – Feb. 24, 2017 |
| Disney’s Pop Century Resort | |
| Computer Pool During this time Guests may use the Hippy Dippy Pool or Bowling Pool. |
Oct. 31, 2016 – Jan. 3, 2017 |
| Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter | |
| Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory Refurbishment | Jul. 11 – Late Fall 2016 |
| Disney’s Vero Beach Resort | |
| General Resort Refurbishments Due to several refurbishment projects, Guests will very likely see and hear construction work throughout the villas, spa and dining areas. We will attempt to limit any work most likely to cause a noise impact to the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Sonya’s restaurant and Bleachers Bar & Grill have permanently closed to make way for exciting new experiences. In the meantime, the table-service restaurant, Shutters, will be temporarily relocated to the nearby SeaGrape Room. |
Now through Oct. 2016 |
| Disney’s Wilderness Lodge & Villas | |
| General Resort Refurbishments Due to extensive refurbishment projects, Guests will very likely see and hear construction work in various areas throughout their stay. To minimize disruptions, we will attempt to limit work until after 9:00 a.m. At this time, many popular areas will remained closed – including the Hidden Springs Pool (the leisure pool at The Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge), beach, marina, playground and more. In addition, certain pathways, like our nature trail, will be unavailable, and surrounding views may be altered. However, the recently renovated Silver Creek Springs Pool will remain open and boat transportation to Magic Kingdom park will continue to be offered. |
Through 2017 |
| Cub’s Den (Children’s Activity Center) – unavailable | Through 2017 |
| Disney’s Yacht Club Resort | |
| Room Refurbishments During this time, Guests may see or hear work in progress and certain pathways may be unavailable. To minimize any disruptions, we will attempt to limit work to 9:00 a.m – 5:00 p.m. |
Oct. 29, 2016 – Jun. 23, 2017 |
| Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Convention Center | |
| Expansion Work During this time, Guests may see or hear work in progress and certain pathways may be unavailable. To minimize any disruptions, we will attempt to limit work to 9:00 a.m – 9:00 p.m. |
Aug. 4, 2016 – Feb. 1, 2018 |
| Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel | |
| Guest Room Renovations Renovation work is scheduled to take place between 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily. No guests will be accommodated in the renovation area as to minimize impact on the guest experience. |
June – September 2016 |
| Disney Springs™ | |
| Planet Hollywood | Jan. 6 – Fall 2016 |
| Fulton’s Crab House – reopening as Paddlefish | Apr. 4 – Fall 2016 |
| Golf Courses/Miniature Golf | |
| None | |
Information and dates subject to change without notice.
Last Updated September 28, 2016
Walt Disney World Resort Celebrates 45th Anniversary to Colorful Fanfare
Walt Disney World Resort marked its 45th anniversary Saturday with a flurry of 45 beloved Disney characters in a colorful celebration at Magic Kingdom Park.
The crowds cheered as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald, Pluto and all of their pals flooded the Cinderella Castle stage to the classic tune of “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.”
It was 45 years ago – Oct. 1, 1971 — when Walt Disney World officially opened, rising from the marshy landscape southwest of Orlando, Florida. The much ballyhooed “Florida project” was the dream of visionary Walt Disney.
“I was here on that day,” Walt Disney World President George A. Kalogridis told guests gathered in front of Cinderella Castle Saturday. “I can tell you that, for all of us Cast Members, in the resorts and the theme park, both, it was a day of excitement, anticipation, and considerable butterflies in the stomach. But mostly it was a day of joy, because we had the privilege of knowing that we were about to create Disney memories that our Guests could cherish for a lifetime.”
The celebration hit a high note with a special live arrangement of “When You Wish Upon a Star,” underscored by a burst of pyro magic and colorful streamers shot high above the Kingdom.
Though he never lived to see opening day, Walt Disney’s legacy of family entertainment lives on in four Florida theme parks (including Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom), two water parks, more than two dozen resort hotels, the Disney Springs retail-dining-entertainment complex, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and other venues.
Walt Disney once said that Disneyland (and by extension all Disney parks) would never be completed. It will continue to grow so long as there is imagination left in the world.
In keeping with Walt’s wish, in 2016, Disney World welcomed a number of attractions throughout all four parks and new shopping and dining experiences at Disney Springs. In 2017, the Most Magical Place on Earth, in collaboration with filmmaker James Cameron and Lightstorm Entertainment will bring to life the mythical world of Pandora, inspired by Cameron’s AVATAR, at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. The awe-inspiring land of floating mountains, bioluminescent rainforests and soaring Banshees will give guests a transformational experience they will never forget.
This Is The Single Best Time Of Year To Visit Disney World
With more than 20 million guests walking through its doors in 2015, Disney’s Magic Kingdom is the most popular theme park in the world. Of course, with great popularity comes great crowds, and visitors during the park’s peak seasons of summer and Christmas are likely to become as familiar with long lines as they are with Mickey and Princess Elsa.
EPCOT PRESENTS FOOD AND WINE AND MICKEY BY SAM ALLEN
While today marks the first official day of fall, many of Walt Disney World’s traditional autumn events are already well underway including the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.
Building Disney’s Magic Kingdom
Kelly Wise Valdes didn’t think twice about visiting the Magic Kingdom when she was a child. Her grandfather, Chester “Chet” Wise, helped build the Disney park starting in 1969 and continued to work there until he retired in the late 1980s. Her grandmother, Elizabeth Wise, also worked at the park. They lived right by it until Chet Wise died in 2002, so Valdes visited often.
PGA TOUR Champions Players to Compete in 2017 Diamond Resorts Invitational at Walt Disney World Resort
Professional golfers and celebrities are returning to Disney, as the second annual Diamond Resorts Invitational benefiting Florida Hospital for Children will take place Jan. 13-15 at Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort.
The three-round event will be nationally televised on Golf Channel and will feature Champions Tour professionals competing alongside sports and entertainment celebrities for separate purses totaling $1.25 million.
The tournament will feature up to 30 PGA TOUR Champions players and up to 50 top-tier athletes and celebrities in two distinct competitions. It will be scored similar to the PGA TOUR’s Barracuda Championship using a Modified Stableford scoring format that awards points instead of strokes.
Celebrity such as Marcus Allen, Roger Clemens, Josh Donaldson, Colt Ford, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Brian McCann, Kevin Millar, Mark Mulder, Blair O’Neal, Alfonso Ribeiro, Jeremy Roenick, Mark Rypien, John Smoltz, Brian Urlacher, Justin Verlander, Larry the Cable Guy and defending champion Mardy Fish will be among those participating in the invitational.
“We are excited to offer our players a chance to compete alongside some of the most recognizable names in entertainment and sports in this unique ‘Challenge Season’ event,” said PGA TOUR Champions President Greg McLaughlin. “Proceeds from the tournament’s live and silent auctions will benefit Florida Hospital for Children and leave a lasting charitable impact.”
PGA TOUR Champions players will compete for $750,000 over the 54-hole tournament, while the celebrities will play for a $500,000 purse. Threesomes will include one Champions Tour professional and two celebrities.
This past January, the inaugural Diamond Resorts Invitational featured 70 celebrities in the field with former No. 1-ranked American tennis player Mardy Fish winning the event. Activities for the whole family took place throughout tournament week and the silent and live auctions raised $503,000 in charitable donations for Florida Hospital for Children.
The tournament site, Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort is unique to Central Florida for its varying elevation, abundant wildlife and protected wetlands. Originally built in 1992 and designed by Tom Fazio as Osprey Ridge, Fazio enhanced the Orlando golf course for its October 2014 launch as Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons Orlando. The course is a par 71 and plays to 6,901 yards.
The Diamond Resorts Invitational marks the return of professional golf events to Walt Disney World Resort, as the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic was last held in 2012.
For more information on the Diamond Resorts Invitational, please visit www.DiamondResortsInvitational.com.
‘THE MUPPETS PRESENT … GREAT MOMENTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY’ DEBUTS OCTOBER 2 AT MAGIC KINGDOM PARK
Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and The Great Gonzo arrive at Magic Kingdom® Park on October 2 for the opening of their all-new, live show “The Muppets Present … Great Moments in American History.” Hosted by James “J.J.” Jefferson, town crier of Liberty Square, and Sam Eagle, the fiercely patriotic American eagle who is forever trying to set a high moral standard for the Muppets, this wacky new show is set to take place several times daily, just outside The Hall of Presidents.
Throughout the day, J.J. and the Muppets share their own unique take on the founding fathers as they recount the tale of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, complete with an original song and plenty of humor. You may even catch the Muppets’ version of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, presented in hysterical fashion as only they can.
