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 This fall a new queue is being introduced at the Disney Parks called the Lightning Lane entrance. This new lane will offer convenience and flexibility that also saves Guests time in line. The FASTPASS, FastPass+ and Disney MaxPass services will be retired. Disney Genie+ Service will give guests the absolute use of their time in the parks giving guests access to the Lightening Lane. It will be available to guests to purchase for the price of $15 per ticket per day at Walt Disney World Resort and will include over 40 attractions. At Disneyland Resort, it will be available for $20 per and include 15 attractions. Guests will be able to choose the next available time to arrive at a variety of attractions and experiences using the Lightning Lane entrance. Guests can make one selection at a time, throughout the day. Attractions will include classics favorites like Haunted Mansion to thrill rides like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and newer favorites like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (attractions subject to limited availability). Disney Genie+ will also include Disney parks-themed audio experiences and photo features to capture your memories – augmented reality lenses for those visiting Walt Disney World Resort and unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads from your day if you are visiting Disneyland Resort. Disney Genie+ will be eligible to add in advance to select tickets. Individual Attraction Selections will be available to Guests where they can schedule a time to arrive at up to two highly demanded attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance – like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom Park and Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure Park (subject to limited availability; attractions not included with Disney Genie+). Pricing for these high demand attractions will vary by date, attraction and park.  Lightning Lane selections will be made on the same day of the Guest’s visit and can be used across multiple theme parks, great for those who love the Park Hopper option. Disney Resort guests who are interested in purchase and scheduling an Individual Attraction Selection will have priority to make their selection at 7:00AM; off-site guests will be able to make their first selection when the parks open via the My Disney Experience app. At Disneyland all guests will make their selections once they are in the park via the Disneyland app. Attractions will continue to offer a traditional standby queue, or a virtual queue at certain attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – to maximize flexibility. These will be available at no additional cost (park admission will be required). For those looking for a complimentary service, Disney Genie will be a convenient new digital service designed to create the best Disney day for Guests, however, it does not include access to the Lightening Lanes. This new technology will help guide Guests through the theme parks to help reduce time in lines, discover magic around every corner and take the guesswork out of “what’s next.” This complimentary service is built into the My Disney Experience and Disneyland App. Here are a few more features:
 There are also some enhancements to het Disability Access Service (DAS) program, including new options to enroll in the program pre-arrival and for DAS participants to select arrival windows for attractions directly in the app. These options will be available in addition to the existing, in-person DAS program. Simply Perfect Vacations is a travel agency specializing in Disney Destinations; Universal Orlando vacations and beyond. When you book your vacation package with Simply Perfect Vacations you will receive our complimentary concierge services from the day you contact us to the day you get home, and everything in between. Contact a Simply Perfect Vacations agent today for more information or request a Walt Disney World resort quote or a Universal quote today! To get Disney vacation news this and other travel news and highlights delivered straight to your email inbox, sign up for our newsletter. As a thank you for signing up, you'll get our mini-guide to the
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 Cirque du Soleil artists are returning to the iconic white tent theater at Disney Springs as they train and rehearse for a spectacular new show - Drawn to Life! Drawn to Life presented by Cirque du Soleil & Disney is scheduled to open on November 18, 2021.  Drawn to Life is the first-ever collaboration between Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering. Guests will journey into a world where an animator’s desk becomes the stage and drawings come alive. The show is a celebration of life, accentuated by the delightful, mesmerizing movements of Cirque du Soleil’s acrobatic mastery.
At its core, the show is about the love between a father and a daughter with a story drawing inspiration from Disney’s 100-year heritage of animation. The family-friendly show brings timeless Disney stories and characters to life in an unforgettable way through the use of innovative design, acrobatic performances, dazzling choreography, musical scores, brand-new animation lovingly created by Disney Animation artists, and some extra touches of Disney magic. Tickets will be available for purchase soon on August 20th. Simply Perfect Vacations is a travel agency specializing in Disney Destinations; Universal Orlando vacations and beyond. When you book your vacation package with Simply Perfect Vacations you will receive our complimentary concierge services from the day you contact us to the day you get home, and everything in between. Contact a Simply Perfect Vacations agent today for more information or request a Walt Disney World resort quote or a Universal quote today! To get Disney vacation news this and other travel news and highlights delivered straight to your email inbox, sign up for our newsletter. As a thank you for signing up, you'll get our mini-guide to the four Walt Disney World theme parks AND Universal Orlando parks for FREE!  Erin Norton, a travel agent with Simply Perfect Vacations, was one of the cruisers aboard the Disney Dream's Return to the Sea sailing on August 9th. The Disney Dream is now cruising to the Bahamas from Port Canaveral, Florida for three- and four-night cruises that visit Disney Cruise Line’s private island, Castaway Cay. Erin’s cruise was a 4-night cruise with two stops at Castaway Cay that Erin booked as a last minute getaway for herself and her mom, whom traveled with her. Now that the cruise has returned, we talked with Erin to see how this cruise went! How was the embarkation process compared to cruises prior to COVID-19? Similar/ different compared to previous cruises? Disney Cruise Line is now very strict with their port arrival times - which we had to select during the online check-in process. You can’t arrive early, they will make you wait until your port arrival time to being the check-in process. There are several check points once you arrive at the port. In the parking garage at Port Canaveral, there are at least 4 people that guide you through the new check-in process. There’s a check to ensure you have all your appropriate documents while you’re still in your vehicle. I had to show our reservation QR code - that I received after completing the online check-in process online - many times. My tip for future cruisers is to save the code on your phone! I saved mine on my phone and that was acceptable, I never had to show the printed out documents but would suggest keeping those for a backup. Once in the cruise terminal, you go through security check and you show your passport as usual. The only part that has changed there is since you’ve already uploaded a picture during the online check-in, you no longer take one at the check-in desk. You go through metal detectors and can not bring any open food or water with you past that point. We didn’t have to wait in the terminal at all before getting on the ship. Let's talk about the Safe Passage site. What is it and how easy was it to use? The Safe Passage site is where you upload your pre-trip negative COVID-19 tests and/or proof of vaccination - which is required to sail with Disney Cruise Line. It is an easy to use website so if you're mildly tech savvy, you'll be able to figure out. There is no way, however, my elderly mom would have figured it out. With Safe Passage, everyone over 18 has to have their own account so I ended up setting up her account for her. It would have been easier if I could have done both of us on one account but it was easy enough to make two. There were reports of people unable to board due to not having all the necessary paperwork and/or testing. Did you have any issues with this? We had no issues at all. We thoroughly read all of the "Know Before You Go" information that Disney Cruise Line sent to us in advance and followed it precisely. We had everything ready for Embarkation Day so we went through all the security check points with ease. Okay, you get through check-in and security what was next? We got on the ship! As soon as you get on, you're welcomed in the same Disney Cruise Line greeting and then you watch the new Welcome Aboard show in the atrium. After the show, a Cast Member tells you where to go for muster and you go straight there. The new Muster drill now consists of you walking to your station and scanning the check-in point sign via the Disney Cruise app on your phone. I would advise people to get on the ship's WiFi and putting their phone's in airplane mode before heading to your check-in point. Let's talk about your stateroom, did you know the balcony was going to be so big? I actually tried upgrading out room at the port but at this time, they are not doing room upgrades so we got the room I booked. I had no clue the room was going to be so big! One thing I do want to say is that our Key to the World Cards were waiting for us at our stateroom. We did not get them in the terminal as per usual. That’s new for DCL as well. Here is a video tour of our stateroom: How was the mask enforcement throughout the cruise? Did you notice any issues? We didn't experience any issues of people refusing to wear masks where required. On the Dream, masks were only required indoors at the ship. At Castaway Cay, masks were required inside shops, in the food lines, in bathrooms and on transportation trams. There were a few reminders from crew members for people who forgot to put theirs on coming indoors but for the most part Guests abided by the mask rules. How was the social distancing on the ship? In the theater, for shows, you were shown to your seat by a Cast Member. Every other row was skipped and three seats were kept empty to separate parties. There was also social distancing on the upper deck for fireworks viewing. How were activities on Castaway? There were lots of activities available for guests! For example, we could have booked the stingray encounter, kayaking, paddle boarding, rented bikes or the Castaway 5k. There were also floats were also available to rent. We just found chairs and relaxed on the beach which was perfect. However, something I was looking forward to was relaxing the the hammock but there weren't any hammocks publicly available. Another problem we experienced was not having a beach wheelchair to rent at Serenity Bay. How was the dining Castaway? The food was really good! We ate at Cookie's Too and I really enjoyed the jerk chicken. I was hoping for a spicy chicken sandwich, like I've seen there in the past, but no luck this time. The fruit was really fresh and delicious. How was the dining on the ship with the staggered seating times? The staggered time were nice because we never had to queue up before entering the dining room. We missed eating with other people. We really enjoy meeting new people on cruises. I’ve made some really amazing friendships from meeting people on cruises so I missed that experience on this cruise. At Cabanas, it is still a buffet but a Cast Member makes your plate. You just tell them what you want and they walk down the row and load it up for you. We took full advantage of the peel and eat shrimp and stone crab. Room service is still available and there isn't an extra charge! We got room service for lunch one day and it was good!
Let's Talk about Pirate Night! For those who many not know what it is, can you explain it some more? One night on the Disney Cruise Line is Pirate Night. During dinner on Pirate Night the waiters are in their pirate uniforms and you can wear pirate themed outfit - some people will wear a full costume and some will just wear the pirate bandana left in your stateroom that night. The menu at dinner is the pirate menu some pirates came through animators palate. We also also saw the fireworks that night which is a new show, Disney Every After.  How was the new fireworks show? I liked this show much better than the old show! There were two nights of fireworks which is nice though, gives you an opportunity to come back if you miss it the first night. How was the rest of the entertainment on the ship? We really enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast show in the main theater. Highly recommend seeing it. Of course the pools and the Aqua Duct are a must do. We also heard some great music from multiple musicians on board. Movies on the Sun Deck and in the Buena Vista theater they were showing Black Widow and Jungle Cruise. There was a musician playing in District Lounge and a Piano Player in Pink, the champagne bar. There were late night movies in the Buena Vista Theater and there was some activities at the pub for adults such as the Newlywed show. There was also the mini-golf on the sports deck. How were the Cast Members? So remarkably friendly! So helpful and so thankful that we were back! How was disembarkation? Similar/different compared to previous cruises? Disembarkation was easy, same as previous cruises - just wait for your character to be called. Ours was called first so after breakfast we sailed right off. Overall, did you feel like it offered the same/worse/better experience as Disney Cruises in the past? One of the main draws to sailing with Disney Cruise Line is getting to meet characters and this cruise was no different. I liked the character set up on this cruise. It seemed like the characters were out a lot so you had multiple chances to see all of your favorites - Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Jack Sparrow, Chip and Dale, and the Princesses. With fewer people on board there was usually little to no wait. I liked that we weren’t crammed into the Theater every night. I thought the staggered dining times worked perfectly. I felt like the ship was just as clean as in the past. DCL has always been known for their cleanliness and this cruise was no different.  To book your next Disney Cruise Line vacation, you can email Erin at [email protected] or you can request a quote by clicking here and answering just a few questions.
Simply Perfect Vacations is a travel agency specializing in Disney Destinations; Universal Orlando vacations and beyond. When you book your vacation package with Simply Perfect Vacations you will receive our concierge services from the day you contact us to the day you get home, and everything in between. To get Disney vacation news like this and other travel highlights delivered straight to your email inbox, sign up for our newsletter. By signing up you'll get our mini-guide to the four Walt Disney World theme parks for FREE - helping you kick-start the planning for your theme park vacation!  Twinkling lights, festive décor, and magical celebrations will fill Magic Kingdom Park when “Disney Very Merriest After Hours” begins. This brand new, special-ticketed event, will debut on November 8 for only 24 nights, ending on December 21st.
The party will start at 9:00PM and end at 1:00AM, however tickets will grant guests admission to the Magic Kingdom as early at 7:00PM. The four hours of festivities will delight guests with “Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks” (in addition to the brand-new fireworks spectacular "Disney Enchantment"!) and the special holiday-themed parade “Once Upon a Christmastime Parade”. During the parade (not a cavalcade) Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will be joined by pals from Disney’s “Frozen” and many other favorite Disney characters including the very popular Toy Soldiers. This festive parade will, of course, also feature Santa Claus himself! Guests can also experience during this limited-capacity, holiday party:
Event dates are: November: 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 28, 30 December: 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21 As with other Disney After Hours events, a limited number of tickets will be sold for this event. It’s held after regular park operating hours, with lower wait times and access to more than 20 select attractions. Tickets will go on sale August 20th, however, guests of select Disney Resort hotels can book tickets as early as August 17!. Tickets range from $169 to $229 plus tax for select November/ December nights, and $249, plus tax on December 19th & 21st. If you're interested in purchasing tickets for “Disney Very Merriest After Hours” These dated event tickets do not require an additional day theme park ticket or Disney Park Pass theme park reservation. Simply Perfect Vacations is a travel agency specializing in Disney Destinations; Universal Orlando vacations and beyond. When you book your vacation package with Simply Perfect Vacations you will receive our complimentary concierge services from the day you contact us to the day you get home, and everything in between. Contact a Simply Perfect Vacations agent today for more information or request a complimentary, no-obligation Walt Disney World resort quote or a Universal quote today! To get Disney vacation news this and other travel news and highlights delivered straight to your email inbox, sign up for our newsletter. As a thank you for signing up, you'll get our mini-guide to the four Walt Disney World theme parks AND Universal Orlando parks for FREE!  Disney Family Night Dinner is a great dining bundle that includes a flavorful feast for the entire family with a delectable dessert plus an original card-type games inspired by favorite Disney characters and friends. Available this summer each night, these three-course meal packages serve 3 -4 people and are available to-go from restaurants at two of the Walt Disney World Resorts, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, providing a magical meal together.
Centertown Market at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort:
Gasparilla Island Grill at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa:
While your family is having this fabulous feast, you can also enjoy family game night! Mickey and Minnie Mouse host a one-of-a-kind Game Night through card games that’ll bring out every family’s most creative and playful qualities. This original card-type game with collectible buttons inspired by classic Disney characters is fun for all ages. Disney Family Night Dinners available from 5-10 p.m. ET now and through the summer via mobile order or onsite at the two resort locations. Simply Perfect Vacations is a travel agency specializing in Disney Destinations; Universal Orlando vacations and beyond. When you book your vacation package with Simply Perfect Vacations you will receive our complimentary concierge services from the day you contact us to the day you get home, and everything in between. Contact a Simply Perfect Vacations agent today for more information or request a complimentary, no-obligation Walt Disney World resort quote or a Universal quote today! To get Disney vacation news this and other travel news and highlights delivered straight to your email inbox, sign up for our newsletter. As a thank you for signing up, you'll get our mini-guide to the four Walt Disney World theme parks AND Universal Orlando parks for FREE! |
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