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Experience The Magic of Disney
With the rise in family vacation popularity, what better way to take
your family on a magical adventure than a Disney Vacation - and the
experts at Travelers Advantage have donned their mouse ears for top
tips that would make even Mickey smile.
Family travel is on an upsurge, according to the Travel Industry
Association, with one in four household trips - or more than 170.1
million- including children under 18. Most trips with children (91
percent) are for leisure, nearly half of which are taken to visit
friends or relatives.
There's no better time to enjoy the Disney magic, than during the
global celebration of the 50th anniversary of Disneyland, which
began in May 2005 and runs through most of this year. All of the
Disney destinations are part of this celebration, and have added new
attractions, shows and other offerings to entertain families all
over the world.
"When you think of fun family vacations, you think of Disney and the
enchantment and magic offered at their popular attractions around
the world," said Julia Ryan, vice president of Travelers Advantage
and Travelersadvantage.com. "During the 50th Anniversary
celebration, families can experience the best that Disney has to
offer."
Disney Tips:
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Best time to visit
Disney...even though the peak season (summer, Thanksgiving &
Christmas) may be busy, the parks stay open later and special
shows and extravaganzas are more frequent. If you have younger,
preschoolers, September is a great time - the parks are open
until midnight on weekends, show schedule is rich and it's
cooler in the summer. Another best time is between Thanksgiving
and Christmas (the crowds are gone, decorations are up and the
parks are often open late in the evening (check hours for
specific dates.) Also, January-mid-February and late April-early
June are good times.
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Family Reunions...planning a
family reunion can be stressful, but the clever innovators at
Disney can de-stress the mess, with a new online planning tool
and the entertainment options including a "Magical Gatherings"
planner and a virtual planning kit.
-
Disney Cruise Line...families
will find special facilities and activities with Disney Cruise
Line, all beautifully executed. There's an entire deck for kids,
with a large staff, age-specific programs, and hands-on
activities. Parents receive pagers when dropping kids off at the
Oceaneer Club (ages 3-8) or Oceaneer Lab (ages 9-12). Babies get
laid back at the Flounder's Reef Nursery (at an extra charge.)
For teens, there's Common Grounds, a New-York style coffeehouse
with music, large screen TV, and coffee bar; programs in
photography, film-making; teen outings; and more. Live shows are
a special highlight on Disney cruises, and so is Disney's
private island Castaway Cay. A 3-night Bahamas cruise aboard the
Disney Wonder departing from Port Canaveral, Fla., is available
from $429.
-
International Family
Fun...Want to experience international magic with Mickey?
Consider Disneyland Paris (EuroDisney) and Tokyo Disney, and the
recently opened Hong Kong Disney.
Traveler's Advantage Top 10
Disney World Recommendations
1. Pick your time of year with care...You need to balance three main
factors: crowds, heat, park schedules. Don't overlook the importance
of park closing times!
2. Pick your park according to Extra Magic Hours...Every morning,
one of the four theme parks opens early for resort guests only.
Either rush to the early opening yourself, or avoid that park for
most of the day.
3. Get to these parks early...This advise is especially important
for Disney's water parks (which are packed by noon) and Animal
Kingdom (which closes early.) In the magic Kingdom, Main Street
opens early so people can have breakfast at Crystal Palace and
Cinderella's Royal Table. Arrive early, and you can race to Splash
Mountain as soon as the park officially opens.
4. Take an afternoon break...Go early to the park of your choice;
take a break and return to your resort or hotel when the day is
hottest; return t the parks in the evening. Three theme parks have
lots to offer after dusk.
5. Use Fastpass...Fastpass compares favorably to sliced bread as a
great invention. It's free, it's simple and it saves you from
standing in line for the most popular rides. Get the most out of
Fastpasses -- and your whole Disney World vacation -- by using them
strategically.
6. Bring drinks & snacks...so you can save money on hot and humid
summer days -- when kids need to drink liquids all day long.
7. Eat for value and fun...Food is expensive in the theme parks, no
question. You can scout some bargains, spending more on a full
buffet is a better option -- and more fun, if Pooh Bear or
Cinderella is in attendance. A giant late breakfast buffet can serve
as lunch; a big late lunch can fuel the family right through dinner
hour. Also, some a la carte restaurants specialize in fun theming,
and these can be good choices too.
8. Use priority seating...for restaurant meals. It's easy, it's
free, and usually entails no commitment -- yet you get seated
quickly instead of waiting in line.
9. Use Disney transportation system...Every hour of the day, and
well into the night, blessedly cool Disney buses ferry people free
from one park to another and from the Disney resorts.
10. Keep Cool...How, on a hot and humid day? By using cool clothes,
cool shoes, and cool-down gadgets...and by visiting the water parks.
Travelers Advantage can enhance your Disney experience with great
member savings on air, hotel and rental car.
About Travelers Advantage
Members of Travelers Advantage (
www.travelersadvantage.com or 1-877-841-1335) can save
money on air travel, cruises, car rentals and accommodations, as
well as earn five percent cash back on eligible travel booked with
preferred providers through the service. Travelers Advantage is
offered by Affinion Group, a leader in the membership, insurance and
loyalty marketing businesses, providing products and services that
touch the lives of millions of Americans.
About Affinion Group
Affinion Group is a leading affinity direct marketer of value-added
membership, insurance and package enhancement programs and services
to consumers. With more than 30 years of experience, Affinion Group
currently offers its programs and services worldwide through more
than 4,500 affinity partners. Its diversified base of affinity
partners includes leading companies in a wide variety of industries,
including financial services retail, travel, telecommunications,
utilities and Internet. Affinion Group also has a growing loyalty
solutions operation which administers points-based loyalty programs.
Based in Norwalk, Conn., Affinion Group has approximately 3,600
employees throughout the United States and in 13 countries across
Europe.
*Rate is cruise only, per person, double occupancy and does not
include non-commissionable fares and $19.95 processing fee.
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