Going from a new ship to a classic ship on Disney Cruise Line.

by Jennifer Dowling

jen@mouseworldtravel.com

I had the pleasure of sailing my first Disney cruise last year.  I was more than thrilled to book the brand spanking new Disney Dream just a little over 2 months after her maiden voyage. The Dream lived up to her name. She was an absolute Dream. We only had 3 nights to enjoy her, but it was instant love. The ship is so spacious and I never felt crowded, even though our sailing was sold out.

 After our wonderful trip, I couldn't wait to find a way to get back on her.  As luck would have it, I was able to do a tour on her a few months later. It was not the same as sailing, but those few hours were wonderful, and I even got to see areas I had not had time to explore the first time around. After raving about the ship to family, we all decided to do a big family trip on her this November.

 In the meantime I often wondered if I would ever want or enjoy one of the 2 Disney classic ships?  They are smaller and they do not have the amazing Aquaduck water slide.  I wondered if I would feel more cramped on a smaller ship, or notice crowds more. I took the plunge this past September and booked the Maiden Voyage out of Galveston on the Disney Magic. I was very impressed when I arrived at the port and saw just how huge this "smaller" ship is.  My worries were starting to go away. Stepping on board though, I had a slightly different reaction at first.  The Atrium felt so much smaller than the Dream and less Grand. 

  I will tell you now, this feeling lasted only about 3 minutes and I got over it.  The rest of the ship was beautiful and the Atrium soon seem to grow in size for me and I felt fine with it. After spending a week on the Magic, I can honestly say I never felt cramped, the ship seemed very large and I was never bored. They had so many activities going on that I never once had to worry about what I wanted to do next.  In fact I wanted to do several things at one time more than once. I found I really liked some areas on the Magic better than on the Dream, and of course, vice versa. When it comes to the adult pool area, the Magic 

has the Dream beat. it is much more secluded and it wasn't as easy for a family to accidentally walk through the area.The Dreams' Aquaduck is a must for everyone to try. Very fun, but sadly the wait times can get long, especially on sea days. All in all I really love both ships. I love each for different reasons, but I will never hesitate to go on one of the Classic ships again. The Dream is my first Disney ship, so it may be my first love, but not my only love.

 

The Dream currently sails out of Port Canaveral for 3 and 4 night sailings.

The Magic is currently sailing out of Galveston for 4, 6,7 and 8 night sailings. 

Contact your Mouse World Travel agent for the latest offers.

Split Stays Made Easy!

by Nikki Glinski
nikki@mouseworldtravel.com



There is such an amazing variety of themed resorts on Walt Disney World property that it's sometimes hard to choose just one for your vacation. Or maybe you've chosen the perfect resort but it's not in your vacation budget to stay there your entire trip. The solution to these problems is to do a split stay - start your vacation at one resort and then switch to another.

 

The benefits of a split stay are exactly as mentioned above. You get to experience two (or more!) of the wonderful Walt Disney World hotels, all the while, keeping the cost of your vacation within your budget. When doing a split stay, you are required to make two separate reservations. This can be an issue if you are planning on getting a package which includes tickets plus a dining plan. One common way to go about it is to make one reservation as a package and the other, as a room-only reservation. When doing this, you will be able to use one set of 

park tickets your entire stay, cutting down on the cost of having to get a new set of tickets(The more days on your pass, the cheaper per day.In other words, one 10-day pass is much cheaper than two 5-day passes.) Unfortunately, you will not be able to get the dining plan for your entire trip unless you do a package reservation for both stays, but you will then be required to get, at least, a 1-day base ticket on one of the reservations. Confusing, right? It sure seems like it but rest assured, the agents at Mouse World Travel will help you work out the kinks so your split stay works for you!

Once you've figured out which resorts you want to stay at, let us set up your Magical Express transfer. Your airport shuttle will drop you off at your first resort and pick you up at your ending resort to take you back to the airport. The only thing you'll have to worry about is switching resorts mid-trip. This may seems like it will be a huge pain but Disney makes it very easy!

On the morning you check out of your first resort, you have a few options for transferring your luggage, and yourselves, to your new resort. If you have a car, obviously you can take everything over yourself. This can also be done by renting a taxi. But this isn't the only way. Give bell services a call and they will come to your room, pick up your luggage and carry-on items, and take them to your new resort for you! So, if you choose, you can go about your day doing whatever it is you like to do at Walt Disney World ~ go to the parks, shop at Downtown Disney, etc. Then when you are ready to leave, instead of going back to the resort you came from, just hop on a bus to your new resort. Once there, you can check in. When you get to your room, give bell services a call and they will bring you your transferred luggage. No fuss, no muss!

Celebrating Halloween Disneyland Style

Have you ever wondered what it's like to celebrate Halloween at Disneyland? Well, Disney does Halloween like no other! Here's a peek into the Not-So-Scary fun at the Disneyland Park in California with some great videos...

                                            Mickey's Halloween Party at Disneyland Park

Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort

Haunted Mansion gets a makeover!

Check out the very Spooktacular website for more information about celebrating Halloween at Disneyland Park and Happy Haunting!

Walt Disney World 2013 Discounts

Save up to 35% 

on your Walt Disney World Resort hotel room!

For most nights January 2-January 17 & January 21-March 7, 2013

Stay, Play, Dine and save up to $600

Hotel room, theme park ticket and dining plan package for most nights January 2-March 7

Contact us today for more information or a quote!

New Disney Visa Cardholder Discount

Attention Disney Visa Cardholders!

There is a new discount out for 2013, save on your Disney Resort hotel room for travel dates between January 2-March 7.

Save up to $600 on a 5-night/6-day Walt Disney Travel Company room, ticket and dining plan package for stays most nights January 2 - March 7, 2013 at select resorts.

Value Resorts: Save up to 25%

Moderate Resorts: Save up to 30%

Deluxe Resorts: Save up to 35%

Deluxe Villa Resorts: Save up to 35%

This offer will become available to the general public on October 10th.

Must book by December 31, 2012.

Walt Disney World Holiday Discount

Save up to 30% on your Walt Disney World Resort hotel room this holiday season!

Dates and discount off vary per resort:

Disney Value and Moderate Resorts

For stays most nights Nov. 1-3, Nov. 11-16, Nov. 24 – Dec. 1 and Dec. 10-22, 2012:

• Save up to 25% at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
• Save up to 20% at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort, Disney's All-Star Music Resort and Disney's Pop Century Resort
• Save up to 15% at Disney's Art of Animation Resort – Family Suites

For stays most nights Nov. 4-10 and Dec. 2-9, 2012:

• Save up to 20% at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside and Disney's Fort Wilderness Cabins
• Save up to 15% at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort, Disney's All-Star Music Resort and Disney's Pop Century Resort

Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts
For stays most nights Nov. 1-3, Nov. 11-17, Nov. 24 – Dec. 1 and Dec. 10-22, 2012:

• Save up to 30% at Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Disney's BoardWalk Inn & Villas, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard view rooms), Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Kidani/Jambo standard view rooms and 1-bedroom villas), Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and Disney's Old Key West Resort
• Save up to 20% at Disney's Contemporary Resort (excluding rooms with a view of Magic Kingdom® Park), Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Kidani/Jambo club level rooms and 2-bedroom villas)

For stays most nights Nov. 4-10, Nov. 18-19 and Dec. 2-9, 2012:

• Save up to 25% at Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Disney's BoardWalk Inn & Villas, Disney's Polynesian Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard view rooms), Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Kidani/Jambo standard view rooms and 1-bedroom villas), Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa and Disney's Old Key West Resort
• Save up to 15% at Disney's Contemporary Resort (excluding rooms with a view of Magic Kingdom Park), Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort and Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge (Kidani/Jambo club level rooms and 2-bedroom villas)

Must book by October 21, 2012.  Contact us today for a no-obligation quote!