There are a few subtle nuances that make Disneyland Paris unique. For one, there’s a subterranean dragon chamber beneath Sleeping Beauty’s castle! Not Cinderella’s castle here. There’s also an Alice In Wonderland maze for kids and a thrilling Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril ride that can’t be found elsewhere! An updated 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction can still be seen at Disneyland Paris, though it was scrapped from Disneyland California in the 1960s. Disney’s Haunted Mansion has been revamped as Phantom Manor and includes scenes from the Thunder Mesa “ghost town.”

In 2002, Disneyland Paris opened a secondary Disney park with a movie theme called Walt Disney Studios. The newest land is the “Toon Studio,” where guests can go behind-the-scenes of Disney animators, participate in a drawing course taught by Mickey and Donald and check out the film set of Finding Nemo via Crush’s coaster. One of the most popular rides is the “CineMagique,” which is similar to the The Great Movie Ride at Disneyworld. Guests travel through scenes from some of their favorite movies, including: The Magnificent Seven, Mary Poppins, The Hunt For Red October, Pinnochio, The Titanic, The Exorcist, Monsters Inc., Silence of the Lambs, A Fish Called Wanda and Robin Hood. Aerosmith’s thrilling Rock N’ Rollercoaster and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror are here for the extremely brave and adventurous too! Also, don’t miss Catastrophe Canyon, which gives you a back lot tour, putting you right in the middle of explosions, flash floods, fires, earthquakes and everything movie production teams have to offer!

For Paris Disneyland hotels, there’s the Davy Crockett Ranch camp sites for the budget-conscious outdoorsy types, but be aware that this is the furthest Disney resort from the parks. The Disneyland Hotel has been dubbed “European Hotel of the Year” by the British Travel Agents Association and offers castle-like accommodations, in addition to character breakfasts for the kids. Children also love the Western-themed Hotel Cheyenne where they can play in Indian forts and eat in “barns.” Adults prefer the New York Hotel with its swanky Manhattan Restaurant or Newport Bay’s yacht club atmosphere. Santa Fe and Sequoia Lodge are also available, but not recommended.

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The Walt Disney Company has always been an imaginative leader in the entertainment industry, planning a myriad of changes for the Disney parks to keep consumers staying longer and visiting more frequently. For instance, 2007 brought Paris Disneyland new attractions, such as the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Crush’s Coaster, Toon Studio and Cars Race Rally. Disneyland California received the only Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage attraction and Pirates Lair, while Tokyo Disneyland opened Disney’s WaterWorks and the Animation Academy. Magic Kingdom added some extra work to its Haunted Mansion and added the Monsters Inc. Laughing Floor show.

There are several projects being undertaken by Disney for 2008-2009. In California, the Mark VII Monorail is being developed to help transport people between parks, and new attractions for the ailing, Disneyland California park, including the Walt Disney Plaza, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color and the Little Mermaid Under the Sea Adventure. Walt Disney World Orlando is changing the name of Disney MGM Studios to Hollywood Studios and is adding an American Idol attraction and Spaceship Earth is undergoing renovation at Epcot. The last major addition at Disney World Orlando was 2006’s $100 million Mount Everest rollercoaster set in the Animal Kingdom. Tokyo Disneyland is adding the Monsters Inc. Ride and Go Seek attraction as well.

Perhaps the most anticipated new attraction is Toy Story Mania being developed for both American parks. In this ride, guests will board vehicles and navigate through a carnival midway, where they’ll stop at several 3-D virtual reality game screens. Disneyworld executives hope to meet people’s expectations and desire for instant gratification by greeting guests waiting in line with costumed cast members and a one-million-dollar singing animatronic Mr. Potato Head. Once inside, Toy Story characters like Bo Peep, Woody and the Piggy Bank will be the carnival operators. “We look at it as gaming meets immersive storytelling,” explained one of the designers.

Recently, the Walt Disney Company has also set to work renovating some of its oldest Disney resorts. The Contemporary, the monolithic structure with the monorail passing through it, has just undergone a massive facelift. While the monorail, the beautiful Mary Blair ceramic mosaic and the atrium areas will remain untouched, a lot of the “loud” colors and patterns that 1960s imagineers deemed “contemporary” have been replaced with softer beiges and greens. In most of the suites, work areas and faux fireplaces have been added, along with brown and white marble floors, soaking tubs and vanity areas. The Contemporary’s Disney restaurants have been extremely successful, but the Concourse Steakhouse may be replaced with an updated restaurant called The Wave.

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The secret to getting a Disney World discount is to look into "Parkhopper" tickets. To get the most from your vacation, you can purchase 3, 5, 6, 7 or 10-day passes that allow you to go from one park to the next at your leisure. That way, if you miss a few attractions at one park, you can go back and hit them, without having to "kill time" there, or you can catch all your favorite rides again before you leave.

Many Disney vacation deals can be found online. For instance, United Vacations is offering a $200 Disney gift card with the purchase of a 5-night or longer flight and hotel package. Additionally, guests can purchase discount park passes. Timeshares often offer free Disneyworld tickets if you’re willing to spend a morning listening to their sales presentation. Of course, there’s no obligation to buy, but not everyone will feel comfortable with the situation. OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com has deep discounts, for example.

"Value season" for the Disney World resorts runs from January 1st – February 13th, July 20th – October 1st and November 30th – December 18th. In addition to shorter lines, you’ll save $50 (regular) or $150 (holiday) per night. Seasoned veterans say that it’s not really necessary to pay for the "room with a view," as you’re not really there enough to appreciate the extra $100 worth. You’ll find that each Disney resort has its own hint of magic, whether you’re looking for an after-park spa session, the "rustic pioneer" feel, or the quintessential Grand Floridian vacation.

In addition to Disney World amusement park attractions at four separate areas, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, you can also visit nightlife like Pleasure Island or Downtown Disney, with their multitude of clubs, concerts, Disney restaurants and shops. You may even want to schedule some downtime to watch a breath-taking Cirque du Soleil performance or book a massage after a long travel. Walt Disney once said, "It’s no secret that we were sticking just about every nickel we had on the chance that people would really be interested in something totally new and unique in the field of entertainment." From the moment you set eyes on the park, you realize they really have spared no expense in the creation of this paradise.

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For starters, you’ll want to buy tickets for the Magic Kingdom which is comprised of several distinct lands: Main Street USA, Mickey’s Toon Town Fair, Adventureland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and Liberty Square. Magic Kingdom was the first of the Disney parks that opened in 1971. You’ll know it by Cinderella’s breathtaking castle, which makes for an ideal tourist photo spot. Adventureland takes you from pirate ships on the Caribbean seas to jungle cruises down the Amazon. Frontierland takes you back to the Wild West, into saloons and on train rides. Liberty Square brings you the famous Haunted Mansion and Hall of Presidents attractions. Toon Town Fair has attractions for young children, as does Fantasyland, which is set up like a medieval carnival fair mostly geared toward children who love Peter Pan, Dumbo and Snow White. Tomorrowland is an intergalactic convention center with some rides geared toward thrill-seekers.

“The World you have entered was created by The Walt Disney Company and is dedicated to Hollywood, not the place on the map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream and wonder and imagine a place where illusion and reality are fused by technological magic. We welcome you to a Hollywood that never was-and always will be,” said entertainment executive Michael Eisner. Disney MGM Studios has recently been renamed Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Your Hollywood Studios tickets will be worth the money for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, the Backlot Tour and Great Movie Ride, but there are six themed areas to explore. You can experience rides and shows themed around Star Wars, Indiana Jones, the Muppets, Honey I Shrunk The Kids, Beauty and the Beast and more. For rollercoaster and thrill ride enthusiasts, don’t miss the Tower of Terror or Aerosmith’s Rock N Rollercoaster!

The Disney Animal Kingdom is the newest park, which opened in 1998. This 500-acre conservation park houses many animals that meander freely behind well-covered boundaries. You can see wallabies, antelope, monkeys, hippos, giraffes, lions and many other animal species on your safari. Kids will especially love DinoLand. The DINOSAUR adventure ride, Bug’s Life 3-D show, Kilimanjaro Safari and Kali River Rapids are especially memorable. Entrepreneur Michael Eisner describes, “Welcome to a kingdom of animals… real, ancient and imagined: a kingdom ruled by lions, dinosaurs and dragons; a kingdom of balance, harmony and survival; a kingdom we enter to share in the wonder, gaze at the beauty, thrill at the drama, and learn.”

Disneyland California is a stark contrast from Disney World Orlando. California’s park was the original design, so you’d miss out on Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot, which is Disney’s futuristic world showcase park. Epcot, characterized by the “big golf ball” ride, is a must-see for anyone looking into Disney World tickets! You can visit pavilions from eleven different countries, each with rides, entertaining shows, gifts, food, costumes and culture. Epcot is a celebration of human advancement and culture that can’t be missed! Older guests often say they could spend the entire week at Epcot alone, as there is much to see, eat and do!

Buy your Disney World tickets and vacation package today to start making your child’s dream come true. Where else can you see 11 different countries, dinosaurs, pirates, outerspace and Indiana Jones all in one week? You’ll find that smiles never fade and the laughter never stops as Disney World Orlando. Also, with the many vacation planning options and resort guest benefits, all the stress is taken out of the trip, allowing you to just have fun.

By Travel Editor

Some travelers are coming to Orlando to visit family, ride swamp boats, hang out at the beach, go to Universal Orlando or participate in some other activity. Perhaps you’ve been to Disney before, many years ago, before Animal Kingdom was built. For these visitors, it might be practical to purchase a single-day ticket to one of Disney’s amazing theme parks. For those 10 and over, the day pass is $71 or two-day passes are $69.50/day.

Instead of paying $71 for a single day pass, why not spend $510 for an annual pass? At $149+/night resort accommodations, some vacationers prefer to lock down their own reliable piece of Disney real estate. Disney Vacation Club memberships start at $16,640, plus closing costs and annual dues. With this timeshare opportunity, you’re buying your own chunk of Disney, first and foremost, but you also have the flexibility of choosing to vacation with one of Disney’s partners as well, be it an African safari adventure, a Disney cruise or a London sightseeing venture. Vacation members get to stay in one of the Disney resort villas, get discounted Disney tickets and receive additional discounts on dining, shopping purchases and events.

There’s obviously a lot to see at Disneyworld. So much in fact, that you can stay for ten days and still not see everything! Park Hopper passes allow you to move freely between Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. However, there are other Disney tickets to consider. There are two Disney water parks, namely Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, with single tickets running $39/day. Also, your family can encounter all the latest high-tech games and virtual reality experiences at Disney Quest, for $37. Sports fans can buy Disney World of Sports Complex tickets for $10.28/day. For adults, Pleasure Island tickets will get you into bars, dance palaces, comedy clubs, adventurer clubs and concerts for $20.95.

Disney World’s official website offers some of the best Disney vacation planning options available. You may be able to spend countless hours picking and choosing options from various travel sites, but the bottom line is that Disney aims to help with all your travel needs and they’ve simplified the process, cutting costs for you like a travel agent would. There’s really no need to look elsewhere, when they can offer you an amazing “Magic Your Way” package deal starting at $52/day, per person. For this price, you’ll get six nights at a Disney value resort hotel and seven Disney tickets. You can also add a Disney dining plan, so you’ll know exactly what your expenses will be (aside from shopping) so there will be no unpleasant surprises along the way. You don’t have to be a millionaire to provide your family with the vacation of a lifetime!

By Travel Editor

If you plan on just making a quick run through Disney World Orlando and it’s not the sole basis for your trip, then there are a few ways to save on single day tickets. For some, $71 is small potatoes for a whole day of fun. However, when you add meals, parking and hotel accommodations, that single day can be somewhat expensive. DiscountThemeParkVacations.com is currently offering two one-day Disney tickets for $25! However, you will have to stay at one of the hotels near Disney World that the site is partnered with. The good news is that these hotels are value-conscious and if you don’t have a spot booked yet, then this will be the least expensive way to see Disney for the day.

However, if you’d like to plan a Disney vacation for your family, then you should consider purchasing your Walt Disney World tickets as part of a package deal, directly through the Disney website. Did you know that you could get a Disney vacation package for less than $1200 that would include Walt Disney World resort accommodations, theme park admission and resort benefits? For $79 per person, per day, you could create a package deal that includes not just room and park admission, but also three meals at Disney restaurants! In fact, the cheapest deal for tickets through the site has a family of four staying six nights at Disney’s Pop Century, All-Star Music, All-Star Movies or All-Star Sports resorts and gives you seven park admission tickets for just $52 per person, per day, for a total of $1455!

So what are the benefits to staying at a Walt Disney World resort? For one, you’ll get the most from your Walt Disney World tickets because resort guests are allowed into the parks an hour before the scheduled hours! Also, resort guests may stay later to avoid all the lines. Resort guests can also add dining to their room keys, as well as bill and ship gift shop purchases to their rooms. Disney is all about minimizing stress and simplifying things, so you can focus on having fun!

By Travel Editor

If you love Davey Crockett and a weekend away at the cabin, you’ll love the Walt Disney World Fort Wilderness resort and campground! This is one of the original Disney resorts, first opened in 1971, but guests still love the winding tree-lined roads, rustic log cabins or tented campsites and special dinner shows. The Hoop-de-Doo Musical Revue and Mickey’s Backyard BBQ make for great entertainment, as do the many amenities offered, from horseback riding and fishing to 2.3-mile exercise trail and petting zoo. An outdoor movie screen and smore-roasting fire pits make this experience truly wonderful, and sites are as low as $42/night!

Avid shoppers who love Downtown Disney will enjoy one of the Port Orleans resorts; either Riverside (Mississippi themed) or the French Quarter (New Orleans themed). Port Orleans Riverside is especially neat because it offers two different types of architecture: the rustic, weathered looking "Alligator Bayou" or the Southern plantation grand manor homes of "Magnolia Bend." Guests can eat Southern cuisine at Boatwright’s Dining Hall or listen to live music at the French Quarter’s Scat Cat’s Club. The lagoon’s giant "sea serpent" waterslide is definitely one of the Disney’s coolest! These resorts start at about $149/night.

On your Disney World vacation, if you want to stay close to the Animal Kingdom, then you can choose either Coronado Springs ($149/night) or the Animal Kingdom Lodge ($225/night). The Coronado Springs resort has a US-Mexican theme and boasts an air of Southern California opulence with its fountains, Spanish roof tiles and waterfront views. With ancient Mayan temples and pyramids lining the courtyard-pool area, you may never want to leave your resort! This Walt Disney World resort is especially suited for the health-conscious, as it has a 9-mile running track and La Vida Health Club on the grounds.

For the wildlife-loving adventurers, the Animal Kingdom Lodge offers an extraordinary opportunity to come up-close with safari animals like kudos, giraffes, zebras and ostrich. Even when you’re lounging at the hotel after a long day at the park, the entertainment never ceases. Some rooms allow you the perfect view from your balcony! Another perk is that you can sample African cuisine at several on-premise restaurants.

In case you were wondering, Walt Disney World is by far the best of the Disney parks. Disneyland is much older and smaller, by comparison. Walt Disney World has everything that Disneyland has, such as Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Main Street, New Orleans Square, Critter Country and Toontown, but also has Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and water parks. So grab your family and head down to Orlando, Florida for an unforgettable Disney vacation!

By Travel Editor

As a resort guest you’ll receive additional benefits that other park attendees miss out on. For example, early bird visitors can enjoy the theme parks one hour before scheduled opening time! Or if you’d rather beat the heat, you can enjoy nighttime “Extra Magic Hours,” staying up to three hours past the scheduled close time. To take advantage of this benefit, you’ll need a special wristband from a park cast member.

Additionally, upon landing in Orlando, you can skip airport baggage claim and simply proceed to the Disney Welcome Area, where Disney’s Magical Express will pick you up and transport you to your resort! Your luggage will be delivered to your hotel within three hours and your return flight boarding pass can even be given to you at the resort checkout desk. You can also avoid driving and parking by taking Disney’s world-famous monorail or the soothing water taxi to any Disney World Orlando theme park.

If you’re staying at a Disney World resort, then you may want to purchase the “Magic Your Way” dining card, which includes one table service meal, one quick service meal and one snack (all at 30% off normal pricing). The balance will be added to your room key (also known as a “Key to the World” card) to make your experience hassle-free! Some of the package deals are rather excellent. To give you an idea – on a seven-day vacation, travelers can get the three meals, a regular park admission ticket and their resort room for just $79 per person per day! This makes putting together a family Disney World vacation a no-brainer!

Shoppers will love the Disney World resort “Key to the World” card benefits. This card will serve as your room key, but you can also load all sorts of information onto it as well. You can have your purchases charged right to your room, so you won’t have to carry cash, and instead of lugging bags around, have your purchases sent right to your Disney World resort room! The newest function, the Disney Dining Plan option, allows you to load three meals per day per person onto your card, so you don’t have to carry cash!

By Travel Editor

Once guests pass through the Main Street “opening credits,” as the Disneyworld imagineers call them, Tomorrowland appears to the right. This part of the Magic Kingdom was designed to look like the future, as 1920s science fiction writers imagined it. Space Mountain, a fast-moving indoor rollercoaster, is by far the most popular attraction at Disney, as a whole. Kids will love Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin that puts you right in the middle of an arcade game. Parents will marvel at one of the oldest Disney rides, the Carousel of Progress. Kids will also enjoy the neighboring Mickey’s Toon Town fair, where they can climb through cartoon replica houses and ride Goofy’s barnstormer mini-rollercoaster.

Following the Magic Kingdom around, guests will enter Fantasyland. Your Disney vacation wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Cinderella’s castle! Inside her castle there are the family coat of arms and mosaic murals. The second floor houses Cinderella’s Royal Table restaurant but you’ll need a reservation to get a seat. The Cinderella Suite is also on one of the upper floors of the 180 feet tall castle and is one of the most coveted prizes Disney has to offer. However, for the other guests, Fantasyland has many low-impact rides, suitable for young children. “It’s a Small World” is a popular ride here, as is the Mad Tea Party and Cinderella’s Golden Carousel. The Pinnochio Haus is a great place to grab double cheeseburgers and “Figaro” fries on the cheap!

The next Magic Kingdom land you’ll find yourself in is Liberty Square, home to the Hall of Presidents, the Liberty Square Riverboat and the extremely popular, and spooky, Haunted Mansion. The exterior of the Haunted Mansion was completed in 1963, but the imagineers couldn’t decide what to do with the interior until 1971, when it finally opened! Inside this Gothic 18th Century Hudson River Valley manor, you’ll find 999 spectacular ghosts! The mansion is more “cool” than seriously terrifying, but you may not want to bring very young children all the same.

In Frontierland, you’ll find Splash Mountain, one of the best rides Disney has to offer! This is not your typical log flume ride. Once inside, you’ll move through the story of Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear with over 100 animatronics and you’ll experience a series of unexpected twists before taking the final 52 foot plunge into the thorny briar patch below. In this part of the Magic Kingdom, you may want to grab a turkey leg, stop in to the shooting gallery or watch the Country Bear Jamboree, where animatronic bears sing their country hearts out!

You’ll cross a wooden plank bridge and find yourself suddenly in Adventureland, a fun and diverse section of Magic Kingdom. Here you’ll find the Pirates of the Caribbean ride with incredible detail built into each animatronic pirate – including facial expressions, hairy legs and all. Sing along, narrowly miss flying bullets, pass through jails and experience the marketplace with Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa. On the Jungle Cruise, you’ll tour four continents and see Cambodian tigers, headhunters, hippos, elephants, ancient temples and giant butterflies from your swampboat.

Disney resorts like the Contemporary and the Polynesian are located right next to the Magic Kingdom theme park. You can arrive at any theme park via the Contemporary resort’s monorail, which runs right through the building, making it the most convenient accommodation. However, the Polynesian has a really excellent “Spirit of Aloha” Dinner Show. These accommodations are some of the pricier resorts, averaging around $329/night.

The Magic Kingdom is home to several special events. First of all, the Disney Dream Come True parade passes by three times daily. There’s also a nightly Spectromagic parade, which never ceases to amaze with its fiber optics, neon lights and holograms. As it gets darker, you won’t want to miss the Wishes Spectacular fireworks display above Cinderella’s castle – set to music and narrated by Jiminy Cricket and the Blue Fairy. Whether young or old, it’s moments like this you will always treasure.

By Travel Editor