Review of the Disney After Hours Party at Disney World Magic Kingdom Park

The After Hours Party at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is a temporary thing, and my guess is it isn't long for this world.  At a whopping $149 plus tax per person, you can enter Magic Kingdom at 7 PM on specific party dates, only seven dates.  May 12 and 19th are the two remaining parties.

I attended in April.  Would I attend if I had to pay for my whole family? No.  But for me, a chance to be in an empty park to take awesome pictures was a dream come true.

Details:  Although you can enter at 7 PM, the party doesn't start until the park closes.  If it closes at 10, party is over at 1. If it closes at 11, party is over at 2.  Either way, you have three glorious nearly empty park hours to explore and enjoy.  Included is a special lanyard listing the open rides and character meet and greets, and unlimited soda, water, and ice cream treats.

There were an amazing number of rides open, and I think there might have been more cast members present than guests.

I walked in right around fireworks time, and got to enjoy the finale of Wishes before beginning my party adventure!

Then I stumbled on the beginning of the electrical parade in Frontierland, which completely shocked me since I didn't even know there would be a parade since the park had technically closed.  This photo shows the lack of crowd at the parade. I had no people at least 20 feet on either side of me.


You can see the rides available on the lanyard. I experienced Dumbo (alone), "it's a small world" (I had my own boat), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan's Flight, Prince Charming Regal Carousel (nearly alone), Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Under the Sea - Journey of The Little Mermaid, Haunted Mansion, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (alone), Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean (had my own boat), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Astro Orbitor (the first time I had ever ridden, and I had it all to myself), Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, and Space Mountain.

  

  

Characters to meet and greet: Talking Mickey at Town Square Theater I saw twice. I also visited Rapunzel, Aurora, Elsa and Anna twice each, with no waits, and lots of interaction!

I only waited for ONE thing...to see talking at the end of the evening. I think everyone had the same idea...see Mickey on the way out!  Many rides I had completely to myself.

Empty park

Fun with the Castle

Is it worth it?

Well, there was a huge backlash on social media and forums when Disney announced this event. The word "Greed" was sprinkled liberally throughout all complaints.  I saw very little positive.  And is it outrageously expensive?  Absolutely.  And it was very apparent that guests aren't accepting of it, because the empty park spoke volumes. Rumor had it that only 3000 guests were going to be allowed in anyway, although Disney never confirms attendance figures.  3000 guests at Magic Kingdom is an extremely light crowd, but during my party? I'd guess at most there was 1000.

I spent three blissful hours riding whatever I wanted, walking around empty pathways, taking pictures of the castle in every lighting and weird camera configuration I could think of, and I smiled the entire time.

Was it worth it? A parade, 16 rides (zero waits), 5 characters visited twice each, 4 sampled ice cream treats, 2 sodas, 2 waters, and an empty park in three hours.  It was pure, undeniable magic.  Was it worth it? YES.

By Lucy
lucy@traveltimetravel.com

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Kilimanjaro Safari Ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park in Florida

The feature ride as Disney's Animal Kingdom park at Walt Disney World is the Kilimanjaro Safari Ride.  It is really a must do for all ages of Disney guests.

I've ridden it many times over the years, and there has been some progression on the ride "story".  Originally it began as a tour through Africa and Asia (much like Jungle Cruise, that is possible at Disney within just a few minutes!) and there was a poaching threat that lead to the rescue of a baby elephant called "Red".  Red's Mother wasn't as lucky at first, and that apparently didn't sit well with Disney guests:)  Then it became a less violent poaching story. These days, the poachers are only mentioned in passing, just to say it used to be a problem, but all is well and baby Red is not a baby anymore!

The storyline was never all that important anyway, because the stars of this ride are the real live animals.  

One popular belief is that you should go first thing in the morning, as that is the best time to see active animals.  I don't follow this, as 1) it is a long ride and if you go first thing at open you will be walking off to lines on everything else; 2) I have always had excellent luck at various times of the day in viewing active animals.  Last week, we were on the safari around 11 AM, and it was one of the best yet!  

This cutie came right up to the vehicle

These birds cool off in the water, but can't fly if their wings are wet, so they spread them out in the sun to dry them

Hippo family

My favorites...the Nile Crocodiles.  Always fascinating!

                                         

These crocs were climbing all over each other!

Lots of giraffes were near

Including this adorable baby!

This elephant was eating

This one was drinking!

Flamingos take especially beautiful pictures

So, yes. I've included many pictures of the male lion.  He is quite fascinating. One year I got to see him perched up on a high rock, regally surveiling his territory, and probably itching to get at some of those cattle!  This trip, we saw him stretching and rolling around, which reminded me of one of my own lion like house cats.

Tips

* Use FastPass

* All ages can ride, but keep small children on the inside with adults on the outside of the seats

* Most of the best animal viewing can be found on the left. While the great photos of the giraffes are from the right, the majority of the others are from the left side of the ride vehicles

* The queue is shaded, so the wait isn't so terrible.  There is stroller parking in the ride queue.

* The row in which you sit doesn't really matter.  I wouldn't bother trying or waiting for first row (right behind the driver).  

*The Pangani Trail is in Africa and is quite near the ride exit, so its a natural progression into the trail to see a lot of other fascinating animals.

Let us make your vacation even easier!  We'll help you plan from the start and can advise you and handle your arrangements, including dining, fast passes, room requests, discount application, and celebrations.  We are the same price or less than if you book on your own, and you get us for FREE!  Have an expert on your side at zero cost to you and contact one of our agents today!

Five Reasons to Transfer Your Disney Reservation to a Travel Time Travel Agent

Five Reasons to Transfer Your Disney Reservation to a Travel Time Travel Agent 

So you’ve just booked your dream Disney vacation and now you’re feeling completely elated but maybe you ventured outside your comfort zone and are feeling a bit overwhelmed. You may be wondering what happens next. Where do you begin? Or maybe you just want to make sure your dream vacation will be as magical as possible with a little professional help. Planning a vacation at Disney can take hours if you’re unfamiliar with all of the components that go into a Magic Your Way package. Even miracles take a little time.

Let me and the other wonderful travel agents here at Travel Time step in and hold your hand while we soothingly say “I’ll go the distance!" The most fantastic, magical things can happen and it all starts with a wish! Or in this case, an easy reservation transfer form.

Now you may be wondering, why you should transfer your reservation to Travel Time travel agent? All it takes is faith and trust, but if you need more convincing, here are 5 good reasons to let us help you with all of the details that go in to making a vacation a dream vacation that your family will talk about for years to come.

 5. We know Disney! Our travel agents pride themselves on staying up to date with all of the Disney Destinations including Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Aulani and Adventures by Disney. We are all graduates of the College of Disney Knowledge and, as a whole, have visited all of the Disney Destinations hundreds of time. We will know if your room is located near the amenities or if you’ll be walking and walking to get to the buffet. We’ll also happily whistle while we work to take care of reserving a stroller or wheelchair, if needed.

4. We continue our service until you’re back home! We want your vacation to go as smoothly as possible, but anything can happen and it may happen during your stay at Disney. In the off chance a hiccup occurs, simply phone your agent and we will wave our wand and work our magic to get you feeling dreamy once again.

3. We take care of the details! Booking your Advanced Dining Reservations (ADR), selecting your Fast Pass+ choices and even itinerary planning are part of the services we offer at no cost to our clients. It can be overwhelming to try and plan all of that on your own. We get it! We can do all of the work for you, or serve as a sounding board as you put your plans together. Yes, we will happily book your ADR at 6am EST on the 180th day mark (if you provide us with your MDE account information) so you don’t have to worry about waking up early or hanging out on the phone for a couple of hours. And we’ll reserve your Fast Pass+ choices so they coincide with the park you’ll be in so your experience is as fluid and enjoyable as possible. We do this because we truly love what we do and we believe that in every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. 

2. We will make sure you get the best deal possible. If a better deal is released that your trip qualifies for, we’ll do all the work to have it applied to your reservation and save you money… all without you even having to ask! Travel Time travel agents pride ourselves on monitoring every promotion Disney releases and checking them against all of our clients’ reservations. When you transfer your Disney reservation to us, you and I are a team and you can be sure you are getting the best deal there is.

1. We provide all of this FREE of charge! Yep, you read that right. Our services are always free. There are no hidden fees or extra charges. We are compensated by Disney and you reap the benefits of our experience. You’ve already booked your vacation and, unless we can get you a lower price or if you choose to add anything in to your vacation, your price will not change by transferring your reservation. Seem too good to be true? I promise you it’s not! All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them! 

Fairytales can come true, but you’ve got to make them happen. It all depends on you! 
Transfer your reservation to Travel Time and let us help you plan your family’s best Disney Vacation ever! Give us a call at 855-468-8896 to reach an agent or like our Facebook Page and request that an agent contact you and let’s start planning your magical Disney vacation today!

 Please note, when transferring a reservation, the reservation must have been made directly with  Disney or Disney Cruise Line within the past 30 days and it cannot be paid in full.

Let us make your vacation even easier!  We'll help you plan from the start and can advise you and handle your arrangements, including dining, fast passes, room requests, discount application, and celebrations.  We are the same price or less than if you book on your own, and you get us for FREE!  Have an expert on your side at zero cost to you and contact one of our agents today!

Taking a Runcation with Disney! Vacation + Running + Mickey = Magic!

Taking a Runcation with Disney.

Let’s talk your next Disney vacation based around a Run Disney event. Whether you plan to participate in the event is entirely up to you, but, going on vaca during these times, is just a truly inspiring experience.

There are different themed races at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. My personal favorite is the Wine & Dine ½ marathon at Walt Disney World Resort. I’ve run it twice. My most recent race was the Princess ½ marathon at Walt Disney World Resort. I ran with some friends from a running group.

If you decide to run in the events, you can choose from many different distances 5k-full marathon (26.2miles).  There are also challenges, where if you run more than one race that weekend, you get an additional challenge themed medal and shirt, along with the medals and shirts you would get with your distance race. If you decide to run a race on each Disney coast (Florida and California) in the same 12 month time period, there’s a special challenge medal and shirt for you, too!

Staying on property is keen. You will have complimentary transportation to/from the events. We can help you choose the best resort that meets your family needs for each race event.

There is also a free race expo at every single race weekend. At the expo, is where you will pick up your bib, shirt, race event guide, and get to explore all of the wonderful vendors. Some of the merchandise you can buy at the expo are only available at the expo, such as the Disney themed New Balance shoes. For the shoes, you can pre-book a reservation to shop them. You can also pick up the latest Dooney and Bourke collection that was made themed to the race. Not to mention all of the fun merchandise in the Run Disney area of the expo featuring all things from shirts, hats, accessories, trinkets, and more that are Run Disney, and race event related!

When you book your race registration online (MONTHS in advance as they do sell out QUICK!), you can also pre-purchase race event pins, hats, jackets, etc. Note: not everything can be pre-ordered.

Now- let’s chat Kids Races. These races also tend to sell out quickly. However, if your little one is still crawling, there’s an event for them up to the older kids who want to run the Mickey Mile, and a few dashes in between for different age groups. Each kids race weekend shirt/medal stays in theme with the rest of the races. The kids love the race, they love the party beforehand, and love the treats JUST FOR THEM at the finish line! There is a parents waiting area, or you can run along with your child during the younger kid’s dashes.

Each child gets a t-shirt and medallion to call their own along with their registration. Go EARLY to the kids races so they can warm up with a live DJ, vendors hosting fun stations (hula-hoop, jump rope, Frisbee, coloring, etc). Plus, Mickey or Goofy are usually in attendance giving the little runners a high five at the finish line!

Some events host pre- parties or post parties on property, which anyone can attend, you just need to pay the fee to get in. The party events include food, and special entertainment.

Along the race courses (5K, 10K, ½ and full marathon), you won’t be bored. There is entertainment all along each course including rare characters you would normally never see in the parks, live bands, parade floats and DJs. Bathrooms, first aid stations, and water/food stations are plentiful along all courses, as well!

Did I mention that there is also a 5K on EVERY Disney Cruise that has a stop at their private island Castaway Cay? The 5K is no additional charge, and all participants get a unique running sight seeing experience on this gorgeous island, along with a finisher medallion.

Even if you don’t want to participate in the actual race events, you can still enjoy the race by spectating. Runners love to see your funny signs, give high-fives, hearing the cow bells, whistles, and your words of encouragement. You can sign up for ChEAR Squad, and you’ll get a shirt, and ChEAR Squad only sections to cheer inside the best locations in the parks, and at the finish line. If you don’t join ChEAR Squad, that’s okay! The race course runs along many of the on property resorts and popular common areas such as the TTC, and the WWoS Complex. If you don’t want to run, that’s okay! Come out, and cheer on the runners!

Throughout Walt Disney World Resort property, there are Run Disney trails that you can use as well. My favorites are the trails in the Boardwalk Resort, Fort Wilderness, and along the All-Star Resorts. They have signs along the route, and the Run Disney logo painted on the ground so you’ll know you’re on the right pathway. These are free for anyone to use.

A few race event weekends fall in with other events: Wine and Dine ½ is during Food and Wine Festival,  Avengers ½ marathon is during the beginning of Holiday season at Disneyland, and now, there are Star Wars ½ marathon weekends at BOTH Disneyland Resort AND Walt Disney World Resort. Disneyland is the Light Side, Walt Disney World Resort is the Dark Side. Run both of the half marathons, and get a special medal JUST for running these two!

The expo, parties, and event weekends are all family friendly, with an amazing experience that only Disney can provide for it’s participants. There is something for everyone to enjoy. If you have any further questions about your next Disney vacation around a race event, or for the cruise, contact one of us at Travel Time and we’ll be happy to assist you. Maybe I’ll see you at the next Run Disney event. Have a Magical Runcation!

By Amy@traveltimetravel.com

Let us make your vacation even easier!  We'll help you plan from the start and can advise you and handle your arrangements, including dining, fast passes, room requests, discount application, and celebrations.  We are the same price or less than if you book on your own, and you get us for FREE!  Have an expert on your side at zero cost to you and contact one of our agents today!

The Food and Wine Festival 2016 for Disneyland's California Adventure!

The Food and Wine Festival has begun at Disney's California Adventure Park located in Anaheim California. 

The festival had been discontinued in 2011 when construction of Cars Land began. This year marks the return of the sought after event. I stopped by at opening to check out all the amazing offerings.

        

There's a wide variety of both food and wine and even a few stands of luxury bath items. Rinse Bath & Body handmade in Monroe, GA had some eclectic offerings such as Orange Blossom Pilsner Soap and Chocolate Stout Beer Soap. 

The festival is located at the end of Buena Vista Street.  Many little stands are located next to and across from Grizzly Peak Falls.

  

 

 

  

  

I didn't try many offerings today because I will be going back but I was able to try the 
Leonardo e Robertos Gourmet Blends. 













These,by far were the most amazing Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oils I have ever tasted. The gentlemen offering the delectable tastes was extremely knowledgeable. He offered me a sample of Blood Orange Olive Oil and Black Currant Balsamic Vinegar made my taste buds sing. I am looking forward to trying it on a spring salad. My Husband sampled and LOVED the Siracha Mango Balsamic Vinegar it was highly recommend over Salmon and I look forward to preparing that dish with the family. 




Enjoy checking out the pictures and offerings and let us know how we can help you plan your next trip. This years Food & Wine Festival should set a precedent  to come as Disney listens to their guest suggestions for future events.

By Marie
Marie@traveltimetravel.com

Let us make your vacation even easier!  We'll help you plan from the start and can advise you and handle your arrangements, including dining, fast passes, room requests, discount application, and celebrations.  We are the same price or less than if you book on your own, and you get us for FREE!  Have an expert on your side at zero cost to you and contact one of our agents today!