Disney World

A Disney Character Breakfast is one of those beloved originals — a must-do experience for families on a Disney vacation. Here kids of all ages can rise and shine with their favorite Disney Characters and a magical breakfast buffet while receiving photo and autograph signing opportunities that will serve as magical keepsakes for years to come.

During the month of August, United Vacations is including up to four free Disney Character Breakfasts with vacations booked to the Disneyland(R) Resort in Anaheim, California.

To receive this offer customers must enter promo code FREE at the time of purchase and include the following items in their vacation package upon checkout:

* Roundtrip flight to Disneyland(R) Resort (DLR)
* 4 nights or more in an Anaheim area hotel
* 3-Day or longer Park Hopper(R) Bonus Ticket per person, which includes one Magic Morning admission for early entry and advance purchase savings over box office prices
* Up to four Disney Character Breakfasts

For families bigger than four people, additional Character Breakfasts may be purchased for any additional passengers. However, they’ll still get the first four for free.

Offer is valid for bookings made by August 31, 2008 for travel through December 31, 2008.

Consumers: Purchase online at http://www.unitedvacations.com, by calling 888-328-6877 or by contacting a travel agent.

With the Beijing Olympics approaching, the Olympic atmosphere in Hong Kong has become increasingly dense. Recently, the Hong Kong Disneyland and the Ocean Park have been well prepared for celebrating the opening of Beijing Olympics.

On August 8, Hong Kong Disneyland will put 500 sets of Mickey Family Equestrian Badge on sale. It is understood that each set is made up of six patterns including Mickey hurdling, Donald Duck’ water hurdling as well as Minnie’s dressage show. The price per set will be HKD 280. On the night of that day, the live show of the Olympic opening ceremony will be seen in the park whilst 500 entertainers will give performances during the last countdown.

Meanwhile, the Ocean Park will bring five Chinese sturgeons, which have been presented by Xiamen Chinese Sturgeon Breeding Center, into the Shark Hall. It is said that the sturgeons are some seven or nine years old, with an average length of 6.5 feet.

As if rising gas and food prices weren’t enough, a ticket to the Magic Kingdom will soon cost a few bucks more. The Walt Disney Co. is raising one-day ticket prices.

At Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., one-day prices are up from $66 to $69 for those aged 10 and older, and from $56 to $59 for children aged 3 to 9.

The price increase applies in varying degrees for longer stays, while the park hopper option, an add-on that allows ticket-holders to move among any of Disney’s parks, will cost $50, up from $45. Tickets for those aged 10 and older to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., are up from $71 to $75, while tickets for children aged 3 to 9 went from $60 to $63.

A ticket to Disneyland or the Magic Kingdom will cost you a few bucks more: The Walt Disney Co. has raised one-day ticket prices at its U.S. parks.

At Disneyland in Anaheim, one-day prices for those 10 and older are now $69, up from $66. The price for ages 3-9 is $59, up from $56.

Tickets for age 10 and older to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., are $75, up from $71, and tickets for ages 3-9 are $63, up from $60.

The price increase also applies in varying degrees for longer visits, and the park-hopper option, an add-on that allows ticket-holders to move among any of Disney’s parks, now costs $50, up from $45.

The clock is winding down on a chance to win a high-tech dream home from Taylor Morrison.

Inspired by the recently unveiled Innoventions Dream Home at the Disneyland® Resort in Anaheim, Calif., Taylor Morrison’s Dream Home Giveaway ends Aug. 20, 2008.

While online entries are limited to one per day, contest participants willing to visit any Taylor Morrison community in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada or Texas can receive a special code offering the maximum number of entries available. They can then enter that code at www.tmdreamhomegiveaway.com.

“This is a great opportunity to win a home inspired by our groundbreaking Disneyland® project while getting a look at our great communities,” said Taylor Morrison President and CEO Sheryl Palmer. “And given the terrific incentives we have in place, it’s also a perfect time to consider making one of our award-winning houses your family’s new home.”

The contest winner will have the opportunity to choose the Taylor Morrison home of their dreams, complete with a custom technology package, home furnishings and a dream vacation for four to the Disneyland® Resort in California. During their stay, they will visit the new Innoventions Dream Home attraction and be given the keys to their new house by Disney icon Mickey Mouse.

The Innoventions Dream Home debuted this June at the Disneyland® Resort. The new attraction features a “high-tech, high-touch” experience within a 5,000-square-foot home and brings together the creative forces of Disney, Microsoft, HP, Life|ware and Taylor Morrison.

Central to the project is the inclusion of technology that integrates seamlessly into the traditional home environment, allowing its occupants to stay connected not only with each other, but also with their network of friends and the world outside their door.

The home also showcases the latest in mobile devices, PCs, digital music, entertainment and gaming technology in a connected environment that adjusts to the preferences of its occupants.

The Pop Century Resort is located on Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. It is in Disney’s class of value resorts, making it one of the most inexpensive to stay in. While it may be inexpensive, it still has it’s Disney charm.

Each cluster of hotel buildings is themed in a different era. You can stay in a building theme with the 90’s , 80’s, 70’s, 60’s, and 50’s. They have three main pools, each shaped to fit the eras surrounding them. It is fun just to walk around the resort and see the different themes and how they are decorated.

They are also building an additional which will include different eras, when completed the resort will be one of the largest on Disney property. Another great factor of the Pop Century Resort is it’s wide variety of food options in it’s food court. You can find everything from burgers, pizza and to go items like fresh fruit. The food is also reasonably priced as well.

The hotel rooms all look the same, and they are on the small side. A family of four with smaller children would fit just fine in this hotel room, but two adults would be quite crowded. They are brightly decorated, and include standard amenities such as TV, in room safe, and iron.

All of the buildings have a great location as the whole property is shaped like a “U”. It is only a short walk away from the busses which will take you to the theme and water parks for free. They run every 30 minutes, even though it doesn’t seem to take that long.

The kids will enjoy the large arcade located in the main building. There are tons of games in the arcade that it will keep them busy for hours, and it is reasonably priced per game. They are also open late if you arrive home from the parks but are not ready for bed yet.

I personally recommend staying at Pop Century Resort on your next trip to Walt Disney World just because of all the amenities you will receive for the price.

The Walt Disney Co and the government are trying to thrash out an agreement on proposals from the entertainment giant to refinance their Hong Kong theme park’s HK$2.6 billion in loans.
Disney have offered to replace the Hong Kong operation’s commercial- loan facilities “with loans from the company,” the company said in a US stock-exchange filing. Disney controls 43 percent of Hong Kong Disneyland, the rest is held by the government.

“We offered to support the project’s short-term needs by assuming outstanding bank debt,” said Disney vice president of corporate communications Jonathan Friedland. “We’re disappointed that the two shareholders have not reached agreement on the loan issue.”

Hong Kong Disneyland has a commercial term loan with a balance of HK$2.3 billion which matures on September 30, according to Disney’s stock exchange filing. The park’s revolving credit facility had a balance of about HK$300 million as of June 28. Disney said it also told the government of its willingness to provide “additional investment” to meet the park’s longer-term financial and development needs.

Friedland said Disney believes the solution it offered is the best option for sustaining the growth momentum that Hong Kong Disneyland is enjoying.

Losses at Hong Kong Disneyland decreased during the three months ended June 28, 2008, Disney said in the stock exchange filing.”For the past quarter, Hong Kong Disneyland has continued to record he
althy growth in its business,” a spokesman for the park said.

A government spokeswoman said the government has made counter- proposals “for the sustainable development of Hong Kong Disneyland and for the government’s interests as a majority shareholder of the park.” Officials are currently awaiting a response from Disney, she said.

“The government looks forward to promoting the sustainable, healthy long-term growth of Hong Kong Disneyland, and we are discussing with [Disney] in this light,” she said.

And so the “will-it-ever-be-built” Shanghai Disneyland saga continues, tediously dragging as long as Celine Dion’s love for you.

This hasn’t stopped residents in the village of Jinjia. According to the Wall Street Journal, good ol’ Chinese opportunism has prevailed, as seen in the latest money grab proliferating in Jinjia village in Pudong. Residents strongly believe that they will be the property target for a Shanghai Disneyland, and many have taken to building faux businesses on newly rented land, temporary accommodations for construction workers or expanding their residential property by building sheds and gardens. Why? Because these residents expect that compensation will be proportional to the size of their houses, and even the number of trees on their property. Even shares of a local company located in Jinjia found its shares sky rocketing over 90%.

While this is not new to Walt Disney Company which has battled property speculators for decades whenever and wherever it scouted for new land, the penchant for property speculation amidst Chinese, should never be under-estimated.

From the moment we arrived in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, we saw signs of stress: kids wailing in their strollers, frustrated parents rushing their children to the next ride, exhausted grandparents trying to keep up.

Hardly a formula for fun at Disney World, which comprises the world’s most popular amusement parks.

However, we also ran into many family groups, some with more than a dozen people in tow, who have clearly mastered the art of theme park survival.

Ron Morby and his wife from Holland Landing, north of Toronto, were among the latter. They arrived in Orlando with their two children, spouses and five grandchildren.

“We did our research on the best way to enjoy the many choices at Walt Disney World,” Morby said. “But our basic rule is that wherever the kids want to go, we go. We’re on vacation, so we’ll take it easy and never rush.”

Cheryl Russell of Fredericton started planning six months earlier for her week-long Disney adventure with her children and grandchildren.

“Keeping up with the kids is a bit challenging because they run faster than Grandma,” Russell said.

Her survival key is a daily nap.

“With the big crowds and potential for headaches, down time is really important,” she said. “Take a long lunch, a nap or a swim at noon, but break up the day into manageable pieces.”

With our daughter, her husband and our two grandsons, aged six and eight, from Victoria, B.C., we were also among the many multi-generational families who join upwards of 47 million people each year at the four Disney theme parks, two water parks and over 20 hotels and resorts spread out among 11,000 hectares southwest of Orlando. We were particularly anxious to keep the stress level low and fun quotient high, so we started planning several months in advance and read a few guidebooks (the best of which turned out to be “The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World”).

Here’s a distillation of what we learned:

• Daily crowds at Magic Kingdom alone can range from 30,000 to more that 80,000. Avoid ultra-busy times like Christmas, Easter, spring break and summer weekends.
• Arrive early at any of the Disney theme parks or water parks. This advice has been important since Walt Disney World opened in 1971, but most people still seem to arrive late in the morning, and crowding is one of the biggest frustrations.
• The Disney-owned hotels and resorts are more expensive than accommodation off-site but the convenience and time saved may be worthwhile. Adjoining rooms are ideal when grandparents and grandchildren are involved. All Disney properties are served by the efficient monorail or free buses.
• Have a plan. Do your research so you know what rides and attractions are most popular. Head for them first thing in the morning or late afternoon when crowds start to dwindle.
• Fastpass is a special ticket you pick up at popular rides enabling you to return at a specific time period for priority boarding. We were skeptical at first but found it worked amazingly well.
• Some family-oriented rides and attractions are truly outstanding. Our favourites included the 3-D movie “Mickey’s PhilharMagic,” Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Pirates of the Caribbean (Magic Kingdom); Mission: Space (mild version) and Soarin’ (Epcot); Kilimanjaro Safaris and the 3-D Movie, “It’s Tough to be a Bug” (Animal Kingdom); and the evening spectacular, Fantasmic (Disney’s Hollywood Studios).
• Canada’s Cirque du soleil has built a permanent theatre in a section of Walt Disney World called Downtown Disney. Their “La Nouba” show is extraordinary.
• Food in the four Disney theme parks was better than expected but long waits are still the norm. It’s better to return to your hotel for lunch (plus the break is important) or leave the parks for food that’s significantly cheaper.

Chris Baschuk of Calgary was at Magic Kingdom as part of a multi-generation family of 14. “Our challenge is to stay together as a group and stay sane,” he said. “Our plan is to stick together one day and split up the next so we can all have a breather.”

Chris Schissmann of Toronto came to Orlando with his mother, his wife and two kids. “It’s been hard to balance out what everyone wants to do,” he said.

“But it now works because everyone takes a turn. Grandma chooses an attraction, then the kids choose something. It’s wonderful having her along because she gives us a break. She’s had a great time spending the week with the grandkids.”

Some were up all night, others tried to sleep on the sidewalk, but concrete generally doesn’t make for a cozy bed.

“She came in at I think, at 3:30 yesterday”, one man said.

“I’ve been here since 11 o’clock yesterday morning”, said a woman in line.

Those potential home buyers camped out beginning Friday morning outside Stadium Lofts in Anaheim, in hopes of snapping up a condo, at what for many were bargain prices.

A broker for the developer, Windstar, called it a one day sale.

“It’s sort of like your blue light special, only this was more than your garden variety discount… This was a real, real estate deal, with condos slashed by up to $125,000 for a two bedroom, two bath unit”, the broker said.

The lowest price was for a one bath loft, reduced to $242,908 down from $341,400, with the highest priced… a two bedroom at $402,966 down from $535,300.

Granite counters are standard and all appliances, stainless steel, are included.

The 390-unit building on Katella, near Disneyland and a block from Angel Stadium, was completed in January of 2007.

Scott Hamilton with Doma, the company which brokered the sale, says while 195 units had been sold, nothing since February of that year had moved.

Hamilton says prices were dropped so the developer could stop losing money, while putting home ownership within the grasp of people who would otherwise be priced out of the market… in this case, an urban market.

The building sits atop shops with amenities including a gym, pool and game room with a gourmet kitchen.

Hamilton says nearly 50 condos were sold during the event, plus three which were were purchased at regular price.

Casey Williams became a first time buyer with a one bedroom condo.

First item on the agenda, a condo-warming party.

“I’m really happy”, Williams said. “This area is going to appreciate, with all these shops around here. Yeah, I’m excited.”