The trailer for the controversial feature film shot surreptitiously at Walt Disney World is now online. Randy Moore’s Escape from Tomorrow starts out innocuously, as a family embarks on a trip to Disney World. Once there, however, the father learns that he’s lost his job.… Read More »Escape from Tomorrow Trailer Now Online
There’s one thing Universal Orlando wants you to know. It is not content playing second fiddle to Disney’s Orlando theme parks. They want to challenge for the lead, well, they at least want to close the gap between them and Disney’s least attended park.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom attracted 9.9 million last year and Islands of Adventure just 8.0 million. Universal Studios Florida did not experience the same boost as IOA did with the addition of Harry Potter, but they’re making up for it in 2013 with a better parade, Transformers 3D, and soon more Harry Potter with Hogwarts Express and Diagon Alley.
But even if you add in all that additional ride capacity it won’t be enough to match the people eaters that are Disney’s parks. So Universal has committed to spending $500 million more on its domestic theme parks. We know that Universal Studios Hollywood will get a Harry Potter attraction or two (construction walls are going up now). But what does that mean for Orlando? How about two new rides for Islands of Adventure.Read More »Universal Orlando Plans to Hold Disney’s Feet to The Fire
It’s party season–starting next week in the Magic Kingdom, you can attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and then in November, you can celebrate the holidays at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Both are special ticketed events, which means that you’ll pay around $65… Read More »Are Disney’s Holiday Parties Worth It?
You may have heard of the term “pin code,” but wondered what it was, exactly. A pin code is a discount offered by Disney that’s personal to the individual whose name it comes in, and not only the name, but the address must match as well. These codes come out several months prior to general public promotions and are usually room discounts or free dining offers. While they are often an indication of what the general public will receive in the near future, they generally cover a broader span of time. Additionally, room discounts under a pin code are often better and cover more room categories than those offered to the general public. In the case of free dining, pin codes are sometimes offered in place of a similar general public offer. For these reasons, pin codes are highly desired.
In the last year, Disney has indicated that it is more interested in marketing directly to certain groups of consumers rather than releasing the broad, general public offers of the past decade. If you look at the most recent free dining offer, for example, the exclusions are surprising: Port Orleans French Quarter and the Art of Animation were excluded from the offer entirely and Riverside, long a top first choice for families of five, had almost no rooms available under the offer. Why is this? It’s not because more people are visiting Disney World and because fall has suddenly become a “busy” season. It’s because the pin code that came out several months prior, which did, incidentally include the suites at Art of Animation and Port Orleans French Quarter, did such a great job of filling rooms before the general public was ever offered a discount. So when free dining was released to everyone, the rooms available under the offer were, for many room categories, scant at best.Read More »What’s a Pin Code?
We are developing something of a roadtrip theme on the blog today. After reading the post about the Griswold’s you may want to organize your own family road trip. Blogger Sarah of Sweet Lil You did and has created this video with great tips for… Read More »Walt Disney World Roadtrip Tips
Megan McArdle, a business and economics blogger recently made the jump from Newsweek to Bloomberg. During that time off she indulged in one of her passions – roller coasters. I knew there was a reason I liked her. One of her insights from the trip is about how guest services like Quick Queue, Fast Lane, or Fast Pass are impacting the enjoyment of theme park guests, and, perhaps, even symbolize something that’s gone wrong with our nation over all.
McArdle observes something many theme park fans have noticed before. Even though Fastpass is free, and other systems aren’t that outrageous as a percentage of the overall vacation, some families just don’t use them.
I find it hard to believe that the problem is a lack of awareness; all three parks prominently hawked Quick Queue or Fast Lane passes at concession stands.
Perhaps the problem is the price — though with the bucks people were dropping on concessions, I can’t believe that this is the issue. No, I think the answer is in the hard stares we got as we walked through the fast-pass gate. People just don’t like fast passes. It doesn’t feel right.
I had never really thought about it that way. But it makes sense to me.Read More »How Fast Passes Are Ruining Our Nation, Hyperbole… or Not?
I came across this rumor recently (thanks to “The Epcot Explorer’s Encyclopedia” Facebook page) regarding the glass pyramids of Future World. Supposedly, the entire Imagination pavilion will close on Jan. 2nd 2014. The rumor states that Captain EO will close for good, but the store… Read More »Rumor Mill: Imagination Pavilion closing entirely in 2014?
I’ve written before about planning a special night out for mom and dad when visiting Disney World. There are so many great restaurants and things to do–or if you’re like me, you grab your husband and head to the parks and ride all the rides your kids are too young to enjoy. Today I want to review the Kids’ Clubs on property, which are a great way to get a little bit of free time.
Disney’s Kids Clubs, known as Activity Centers, are located in the Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Polynesian, Beach Club, and at the Disney World Dolphin. You don’t need to be a guest staying on Disney property but children need to be between the ages of 3 and 12 (4 and 12 for the Dolphin) and potty trained. The cost is $11.50 per hour; there is no discount for multiple kids.Read More »Using Disney’s Kids’ Clubs.