NEW Character Dining Option at Walt Disney World during Star Wars Weekends!

by Katie Miller

Do you have Jedis in-training who would love to dine with the Star Wars characters?  Well, now you can!  During Star Wars Weekends, being held May 16 - June 15th, 2014 at the Walt Disney World Resort, you and the Star Wars fans in your life can enjoy two brand-new dining options featuring some of your favorite Star Wars characters.

©Disney

Star Wars dining is available for dates May 4-June 15.  The Star Wars Galactic Dine-In Breakfast will be available at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater, and will feature Stormtroopers, Boba Fett, Jawa, Darth Vader, and Greedo.  The movie screen at Sci-Fi will also be playing Star Wars movie clips, trailers and music!  Reservations will be available from 8AM - Noon and is $47.99 for adults, and $29.99 for children.  Also included in your meal is a digital photo of your family on a commemorative Photopass card.

The dinner option, Jedi Mickey’s Star Wars Dine at Hollywood and Vine, will feature some of your favorite Disney characters as their Star Wars counterparts!  You’ll be able to meet Ewok Chip & Dale, Jedi Mickey, Leia Minnie, Darth Goofy and Stormtrooper Donald Duck. There is a Fantasmic dinner package available with this option; a commemorative family photo with Chip & Dale, via digital download, is also included.  Seating for dinner is available from 4:15 - 9:30PM and will correspond with park hours.  The Fantasmic dinner package is $59.99 for adults, and $36.99 for children.  To enjoy just the character dinner is $55.99 for adults, and $33.99 for children.

These Star Wars character meals are also available as part of the Disney Dining Plan, and can be redeemed for 2 Table Service Credits per person.

To learn more, and to book your family’s out-of-this-world vacation to Walt Disney World, contact your Mouse World Travel agent! 

2013 Epcot Food & Wine Festival Details

Disney has started to release some details on the ever-popular Epcot Food & Wine Festival including a few of the food booths to expect and the line-up for the Eat to the Beat Concert series.

This year the festival will take place from September 27-November 11, 2013.

Food
New this year is a Scotland booth! Enjoy classic Scottish dishes and the "Rusty Nail", a popular Scottish whiskey martini that is simply Scotch and Drambuie.

Also back this year are the Brazil and Hawaii (with the mouth-watering pork slider) booths, the Terra booth with vegan bites, and the Florida booth featuring the Sunshine State's wonderful produce.

And while it's not a booth - it is food!  The Ocean Spray Cranberry Bog will be back!

Music - Eat to the Beat

While food and drink are the highlight of the festival, the music helps set the atmosphere!  Three times each night, at 5:30, 6:45 and 8 PM, the American Garden Theater in Epcot features live music.  The concerts are free with park admission.  Here is the line-up for 2013 (subject to change):

September 27-29: Starship featuring Mickey Thomas

September 30-October 1: Go-Go's -- new this year!

October 2-4: Air Supply

October 5-6: Sister Hazel

October 7-9: Sugar Ray

October 10-11: Edwin McCain -- new this year!

October 12-13: The Manhattan Transfer -- new this year!

October 14-15: Wilson Phillips

October 16-17: Pointer Sisters

October 18-20: Night Ranger

October 21-23: Boyz II Men

October 24-25: Survivor

October 26-27: 38 Special

October 28-30: Smash Mouth

October 31-November 1: Spin Doctors -- new this year!

November 2-3: Christopher Cross -- new this year!

November 4-5: Hanson

November 6-8: Dennis DeYoung

November 9-11: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Celebrity Chefs

In addition to the food and music, some of your favorite chefs are doing demonstrations and sharing their favorite tips.  Some of the chefs you'll be able to see this year are: Warren Brown, Paula DaSilva, Gale Gand, Jamie Deen, Robert Irvine, Dean Max, Rock Harper, Jeff Anderson, Art Smith, Buddy Valastro, Allen Susser, "Cake Boy" Eric Lanlard, Duskie Estes and John Stewart, Donald Link, Bryan Voltaggio and Emily Ellyn.

Special Events

There are are a variety of special events happening throughout the festival.  The Party for the Senses returns this year and are currently scheduled for October 5, 12, 19, 26 and November 2.  The 3D Disney's Dessert Discovery will be happening on select Fridays, Cheese Seminars on Saturdays and Sweet Sundays on Sundays.  These events do require park admission and carry an additional charge, booking for these events will open in August.

Downtown Disney Expansion

Starting next month, Walt Disney World® Resort begin construction on the transformation of Downtown Disney.  The newly named area, Disney Springs, will feature more shopping, dining and entertainment.  

Disney Springs will double the number of shops, restaurants and other venues, there will be a total of more than 150 establishments.

The inspiration comes from Florida’s waterfront towns and natural beauty, Disney Springs will include four outdoor districts interconnected by a flowing spring and vibrant lakefront.

• The Town Center, with shopping and dining and a promenade
• The Landing, dining with waterfront views
• West Side, lively atmosphere with entertainment and elevated spaces that provide shade and a view to the activity below
• Marketplace, new shopping will be mixed with the current Disney favorites and an expanded World of Disney store.  There will also be a pedestrian walk-way connecting the two ends of the Marketplace

Construction is expected to be complete by 2016.

Disney Cruise Line Announces All of 2014 Itineraries!

BREAKING NEWS!

Back in December we reported the itineraries for the early portion of 2014 on Disney Cruise Line, and just moments ago Disney released the rest of the year!

Contact us today at Mouse World Travel for additional information or a no-obligation quote.

In 2014, Disney Cruise Line will offer new itineraries, including an expanded collection of European cruises highlighting the Greek Isles. Plus, Disney Cruise Line will depart for the first time from homeports in Venice, Italy and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Mediterranean Greek Isles
Ship: Disney Magic
Ports: Venice; Katakolon; Pireaus; Kusadasi; Rhodes; Mykonos; Venice (overnight)
Departure dates: June 26, July 5

Southern Caribbean from San Juan
Ship: Disney Magic
Ports: San Juan; Antigua; St. Lucia; Grenada; Barbados; St. Kitts
Departure dates: Sept. 20, 27, Oct. 4, 11

Alaska from Vancouver
Ship: Disney Wonder
Ports: Vancouver, Tracy Arm (scenic cruising through fjord), Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan
Departure dates: June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, July 7, 14, 21, 28, Aug. 4, 11, 18, 25, Sept. 1

Nine-night Alaska:
Ship: Disney Wonder
Ports: Vancouver, Sitka, Tracy Arm (scenic cruising through fjord), Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan
Departure date: May 24

Bahamas and Western Caribbean from Miami
Four-night Bahamas
Ports: Miami, Castaway Cay, Nassau, Key West
Dates: Disney Wonder Jan.-April; Disney Magic Oct.-Dec.

Five-night Caribbean
Ports:Miami, Grand Cayman, Cozumel
Dates: Disney Wonder Jan.-April; Disney Magic Oct.-Dec.

Five-night Caribbean, including Castaway Cay
Ports:Miami, Cozumel, Castaway Cay
Dates: Disney Wonder Jan.-April; Disney Magic Oct.-Dec.

Edited to Add:
5-night sailings from Port Canaveral include two days on Disney's privative island, Castaway Cay.

Five-night Bahamas, including a "double-dip" on Castaway Cay
Ship: Disney Wonder
Ports: Port Canaveral, Key West, Castaway Cay, Castaway Cay, Nassau
Dates: Sept 26

Ship: Disney Wonder
Ports: Port Canaveral, Castaway Cay, At Sea, Key West, Castaway Cay
Dates: October 1

Four-night Bahamas, including a "double-dip" on Castaway Cay
Ship: Disney Wonder
Ports: Port Canaveral, Castaway Cay, Castaway Cay, Nassau
Dates: October 6

Ship: Disney Dream
Ports: Port Canaveral, Castaway Cay, Castaway Cay, Nassau
Dates: November 13

MyMagic+ - coming soon to Walt Disney World!

Tom Staggs, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, explains more details on MyMagic+ and how it will enhance the Guest experience:

At Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, we continually push the boundaries of creativity and innovation to deliver the best possible experience for our Guests. We're always looking for ways to take what we do and do it even better. Over the past few years, we've devoted considerable time and resources to create a more immersive, more seamless and more personal experience for each and every Guest who spends time with us. I know there's been significant speculation about these efforts among our fans, so we're pleased to give you a glimpse into the work we are doing to take the entire Disney Guest experience to the next level.

Some of these initiatives are more apparent and can already be seen by our Guests - like our interactive queues at Walt Disney World Resort and the Enchanted Art on our cruise ships - while others are more behind-the-scenes and are focused on "how" visitors plan, access and enjoy their experiences with us. Over the next several months, we'll be rolling out a collection of tools at the Walt Disney World Resort called MyMagic+ that will give Guests more opportunities to customize and personalize their entire visit.

Like most people who visit Walt Disney World Resort, my family and I have our "must-do" attractions, and as the father of three boys, those attractions often end with the word "mountain." Now, rather than dashing as a group, or even splitting up to gather FastPasses, imagine booking guaranteed ride times for your favorite shows and attractions even before setting foot in the park. With MyMagic+, Guests will be able to do that and more, enabling them to spend more time together and creating an experience that's better for everyone.

A major component of MyMagic+ is the new My Disney Experience website and mobile app, which gives Guests planning their trip the latest information on all Walt Disney World Resort has to offer. We know that some people like to plan every aspect of their Disney vacation in advance while others like to plan very little, letting their day unfold spontaneously. No matter where Guests fall in that spectrum, My Disney Experience gives them the flexibility to plan as much or as little as they'd like to create the exact Disney experience they want. They can book dining and other experiences and reserve times for their favorite attractions, shows and more through an enhanced FastPass system,FastPass+. Once they arrive, they can use their smart phones to spontaneously change their plans in the moment, exploring our parks at their own pace and getting the most out of their visit.

Linking the entire MyMagic+ experience together is an innovative piece of technology we developed called the MagicBand. Worn on the wrist, it will serve as a Guest's room key, theme park ticket, access to FastPass+ selections, PhotoPasscard and optional payment account all rolled into one. We've began testing certain aspects of MyMagic+ in Florida last month and the early reactions we've gotten have been fantastic.

This collection of tools is another step forward in the ongoing evolution of our Guest experience, giving us even more ways to help friends and family create the unforgettable Disney memories that they want most. We'll be testing, adjusting and adding features to MyMagic+ and My Disney Experience over time and will continue to make improvements based on our Guests' feedback. We look forward to sharing more with you in the months ahead!

We will share more news as we hear it!  Be sure to subscribe to our blog, or Like us on Facebook to stay on top of the latest Disney news!