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This morning, Disney confirmed the existence of the long rumored annual pass good for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Dubbed the Disney Premier Pass, it will go on sale starting tomorrow, Thursday, March 11, at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World ticket windows. The cost will be $700, plus applicable sales tax. This pass could be a great deal for some people, but probably not most. It includes: Read more…

Travel Dates: March 14 – August 14, 2010

Disney VISA and debit cardholders only. When you purchase a Magic Your Way Vacation package that includes your Disney resort room, Disney theme Park tickets and a Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan for stays most nights between March 14, 2010 – August 14, 2010, a child 3 – 9 can stay, get 5-day Theme Park tickets and the Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan, FREE!

There are a couple requirements to receive this package:

• Child must stay in room with adult.
• Maximum of four Guests per room. (one child free with each paying adult)
• Stays must be a minimum of 3 nights, but can be as long as 14 nights
• At least a one day basic park pass must be included in the package, your tickets can be as long as 10 days.
• Quick Service Dining is included free, but you can upgrade to the Disney Dining or Deluxe Disney Dining by paying the price difference
• You must pay the $200 deposit with your Disney VISA/debit card at time of booking

The number of packages available at this rate is limited. Tickets are for one Disney theme Park per day and must be used within 14 days of first use. The hopping or water park add-ons can be included in the package, but the add-ons for the kids are not free.

This discount is available at all Disney resorts, and is subject to availability. You must pay the $200 deposit at time of booking with your Disney card. For reservations traveling within 45 days of booking, the full amount of the trip will be due at time of booking.

Please note this discount is not combinable with any other discount. If you are currently booked with the gift card or any other discount, it is very unlikely this will be a better deal for you. The only exception would be at the value resorts, and some stays at a moderate resort. Definitely worth checking though, especially if you have 2 kids between 3 and 9.

For more information about this great Disney VISA discount, please contact our fantastic sponsor Mouseketrips and ask for code OD3. You must book this reservation by April 24, 2010.

This is a bit of a detour, away from the Disney Discounts and deals we normally feature, but I thought this would be of interest to you none the less. Bay Lake Tower is Disney’s newest resort, located at the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World. I recently had the opportunity to stay there for 11 nights, from February 28 – March 11, 2010. Due  to a mixup with booking, flights, DVC points, money and other factors, we ended up with 2 Bay Lake view studios our first night, then a standard view 2 bedroom villa for the last 10 nights.

Here are my initial views of the resort, I will update them once our vacation has ended:

What I love

The Layout – I love that the bedrooms are small, and most of the 2 bedroom villa’s space was put into the living room area. All of our awake time in the villa is spent in the living room, it sure is nice to have the extra space, the bedrooms are pretty small, but who cares when you are asleep. Read more…

This was originally meant to be a quick post on our facebook page, but there is too much information fit, so I decided to expand it a bit and post it here.

We have been getting a ton of questions about the free dining discount at Walt Disney World for 2010. To be blunt, no one knows at this point. In fact, I’m not even sure if Disney knows right now. If I had to venture a guess, I would say there is a 90% chance we will see free dining for 2010. I’m not sure what form it will take, but would gess it will be similar to the late 2009 free dining discount (free quick service at values, free Disney dining at moderate and deluxe resorts). Things are lining up pretty well for a 2010 free dining discount, bookings are still a little soft for the year, discounts have been available for every day so far in 2010 (including normally discount-challenged months in the summer), and we have seen the free dining discount every year since Disney released the dining plan. In short, it would be a surprise not to see free dining released again for 2010, but at this point there are no guarantees.

We usually do not know exactly what the discounts will be until they are released, or sometimes a day or two ahead of time if we are lucky. If we see free dining again in 2010, we probably won’t know what form it will take or the dates that will be covered until the actual discount is released.

So, when will we know?

The booking window for current WDW discounts expires on March 27, 2010, and those discounts are good for travel through August 14, 2010. We anticipate the next round of discounts to be released following the closure of that booking window.

Please note the following dates for discounts that were released in 2009:

• March 30, 2009 – Free Dining released for travel from August 16 – October 3, 2009
• July 27, 2009 – Free Dining (quick service at values, free Disney Dining at moderate and deluxe resorts) extended for travel from October 4 – December 17, 2009
• August 16, 2009 – Bounceback offer for WDW guests for Free Dining for 2010 travel dates  (travel from August 15 – September 30, 2010)

I would expect similar timing for the release of any 2010 discounts as well as the initial travel dates. Initial travel dates should be August 15 – September 30, 2010. If it’s released, expect to see free dining made available for August/September first, and then possibly be extended to cover more dates later in the summer and fall.

To keep up to date on the free dining progress of 2010, follow us on twitter or facebook, or subscribe to our email updates here on MouseMisers.

Travel Dates: June 4 – August 14, 2010

Walt Disney World has extended a previously released special Magic Your Way package deal for the travel dates listed above, where you can receive up to a $750 Disney Gift Card  for free with your stay. Travel dates for the gift card deal now cover January 3 – August 14, 2010. There are a few requirements:

• A minimum 5 night stay
• A minimum 5 day Magic Your Way park pass
• You must stay at a Disney World resort (Swan, Dolphin and Downtown Disney area resorts do not qualify)

You can also check anytime up to and including August 14 and qualify for the free gift card.

You will receive the gift card at check in, it cannot be used to pay for part of your package. You must pay your package in full 45 days before travel. The gift card can be used anywhere in the Walt Disney World resort theme parks and resorts that accept credit cards, including restaurants, gift shops and to pay for your charges against your room. It can also be used at many Walt Disney World Downtown Disney merchants, at the Disneyland Resort, on the Disney Cruise or at the Disney Store. It can also be used to pay for a future Disney vacation.

Gift Card Amounts:

• $300 – Disney World Value Resorts
• $500 – Disney World Moderate Resorts
• $750 – Disney World Deluxe Resorts
• $750 – Disney World Deluxe Villa Resorts

Please note that you cannot combine discounts. If you have already booked a reseration with the buy 4 get 3 free discount or another discount, you can not add this to your reservation. You will need to compare your current reservation with the Disney Gift Card deal, and decide which option works better for you. There is also a room only/package discount for these dates previously released that is actually a better deal for most people traveling this summer.

For more information on the Disney Gift Card discount, please contact our great sponsor Mouseketrips, and ask for code QGX. You must book this package by March 27, 2010.