Today, Disney Cruise Line announced the 2013 sailing itineraries for the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder. The 2013 itineraries for the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy were announced several months ago. For 2012, the Disney Wonder is sailing to Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska on the West Coast, while the Disney Magic is sailing from New York and Galveston, Texas to destinations up and down the East Coast and Caribbean. Disney Cruise announced the 2013 schedule, departing quite a bit from the 2012 destinations.

Disney Wonder

The Disney Wonder, for 2012 is currently sailing on the West Coast to Mexico and Alaska, will continue part of that itinerary for 2013 (Alaska), with a few major changes:

Alaska – A bit of change for 2013, as the 7-night Alaska Disney Cruises will return to the port of Vancouver, British Columbia, making stops in Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska. These Alaska Disney Cruises will set sail weekly starting on May 27, 2013. The last cruise of the summer will set sail September 2, 2013.

Pacific Coast – On May 20, 2013, the Wonder will make a 7 night one way trip from Los Angeles to Vancouver, Canada with stops in San Francisco and Victoria, Canada.

Panama Canal – The Disney Wonder will have 2 repositioning cruises, a 14 night Eastbound Panama Canal Cruise in December 9, 2012,between Los Angeles and Miami and then another 14 night between Miami and Los Angeles on May 6, 2013 and then a 6-night cruise on September 10, 2012 from Vancouver to Los Angeles. These cruises will feature stops in San Fransisco and Victoria, British Columbia (no Victoria on the September cruise).

Miami – Starting on December 23, 2012, the Disney Wonder will make Miami her home port, sailing 4 night Bahamian Cruises and 5 night Western Caribbean Cruises through May 2, 2013. The Bahamian cruises will make stops in Key West, Nassau and Castaway Cay. The Western Caribbean cruises will stop in Cozumel and Castaway Cay, with some dates making a stop at Grand Cayman instead of Castaway Cay.

In addition, Disney has added a few special Holiday cruises from Miami in late 2012. These include a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise on December 23 and a 6 night Western Caribbean New Year’s Cruise on December 30, 2012.

Please note that Disney has not announced a full 2013 schedule for the Wonder, there are no cruises announced after the last Alaska cruise in early September.

Disney Magic

The Disney Magic moved around quite a bit in 2012, from New York to Texas and everywhere in between. It looks like she will be on the move again, visiting new ports!

Galveston, Texas - Beginning on January 4, 2013, the Disney Magic will sail alternating 6 and 8 night Western Caribbean cruises, with stops including Grand Cayman and Mexico’s Costa Maya and Cozumel. The 8 night cruises will also venture to Key West, Florida. The final Galveston cruise will be May 10, 2013.

Transatlantic – One of the most popular Disney Cruise is returning, the Transatlantic! On May 18, the Disney Magic will leave from Galveston on route to Barcelona, Spain, with stops at Castaway Cay, Funchal and Gibraltar! This 14 night cruise is a spectacular way to relax and get to know the ship inside and out.

Mediterranean – The Disney Magic will return to the Mediterranean once again with four unique Disney Cruises:

• 4 night Mediterranean Getaway – This special 4 night Disney Cruise will make stops in Nice, France and Mallorca, Spain. This cruise will only be available on July 9 and August 6, 2013.
• 7 night Mediterranean Cruise – Sailing from Barcelona, this 7 night cruise will make stops at Nice, Florence, Rome and Naples. Available on June 1, June 8, August 10, August 17, August 24 and August 31, 2012.
• 12 night Mediterranean Cruise with Venice – A unique 12 night Mediterranean Disney Cruise, with stops in Nice, Florence, Rome, Napes, two days in Venice, Dubrovnik and Malta! Available only June 27 and July 25, 2013.
• 12 night Mediterranean Cruise with Greece – Another Disney first, this special cruise will stop in Nice, Florence, Rome, Athens, Ephesus, Mykonos and Malta. Available only two dates, June 15 and July 13, 2013.

Once again, you will notice that no dates past August 31, 2013 have been announced, so the remain 2013 schedule will be released at some point in the future.

To insure you get the best price possible, book as early as you can. Bookings for these cruises will open up January 26, 2012. For Platinum and Gold Castaway Club members, bookings will be available on January 25, 2012.

Disney Cruise has made a few flyers available with all 2013 dates, itineraries and destinations listed. Please note, they are huge. Download here at your own peril:

Disney Magic 2013 Itinerary

Disney Wonder 2013 Itinerary

Disney Wonder 2012 Holiday Cruises

For more information about the Disney Cruise Line, or to book a new 2013 Disney Cruise, please contact our great sponsor Mouseketrips!

Disney Parks announced a new promotion today for 2012, entitled One More Disney Day. Disney Parks has been teasing the promotion for a few weeks now, including a teaser on the Disney Parks Christmas Parade and a teaser video released earlier this week.

Just announced, One More Disney Day consists of three parts:

1. Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom will open on 6 AM on February 29, 2012 and will stay open 24 hours, until 6AM on March 1, 2012, in honor of leap day.
2. Starting January 1, 2012, Disney Parks will be giving away one Disney vacation for four to Disneyland or Walt Disney World each day, until February 29 ,2012. Enter here: One More Disney Day Sweepstakes
3. Third, guests can purchase a non-discounted 3-night, 3-day Magic Your Way package at select Disney Resort hotels for arrivals most nights February 26 to March 10, 2012 and get One More Disney Day and night for free. Book through January 31, 2012.

More information about the free night and day will be posted shortly. For additional information about One More Disney Disney, see the official Disney website.

Disney Cruise has just announced that most of the December, 2012 Disney Cruises have been cancelled. No information about reasons or where the Disney Wonder will be sailing has been made available a this time. The December 2, 2012 cruise is still sailing, but will be the last one available in 2012. The December 9, 16, 23 and 30 cruises are no longer available to book, and all guests with current reservations on the cancelled cruises will need to rebook to another Disney Cruise or cancel.

If you move your reservation by December 22, 2011, you will qualify for a special onboard credit with Disney (you must move to an existing 7 night or longer Disney Cruise):

• December 9 and December 16, 2012 Mexican Riviera Disney Cruises – $250 onboard credit
• December 23 and December 20, 2012 Mexican Riviera Disney Cruises – $500 onboard credit

If guests do not move their reservation by December 22, they will be automatically placed on the December 2, 2012 Mexican Riviera Disney Cruise, though you will have the option to move your cruise to another date if you wish, however, you may not qualify for the special onboard credit offer.

You must contact your travel agent of Disney Cruise line directly to move your travel dates before December 22, 2011 to qualify for the onboard credit. Guests always have the right to cancel as well if an agreeable alternate date is not found.

For more information on these 2013 Disney Cruise Itineraries, or to book a Disney Cruise, please contact our fantastic sponsor Mouseketrips.

Disney Cruise Line announced today partial itineraries for the 2013 cruising season. The Disney Dream was introduced in 2011, and her sister ship, the Disney Fantasy, will come onboard in March, 2012. Currently, only the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy 2013 schedules are available. When information on the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic itineraries becomes available, we will update the information here.

Disney Dream

The Disney Dream will be sailing 3, 4 and 5-night Bahamian cruises out of Port Canaveral during all of 2013. With stops at Nassau and Castaway Cay, the Disney Dream will continue the tradition of excellent family friendly Bahamian cruises.

Disney Fantasy

The Disney Fantasy will sail alternating 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises out of Port Canaveral during all of 2013, stopping at Destinations such as St. Thomas, Cozumel and Castaway Cay among others.

To insure you get the best price possible, book as early as you can. Bookings for these cruises will open up October 18, 2012.

Disney Cruise has made a flyer available with all 2013 dates for the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, with all itineraries and destinations listed. Please note, it is huge. Download here at your own peril:

2013 Disney Dream and Fantasy Itineraries

Update: January 24, 2012 – Disney Cruise announced the 2013 Disney Cruise itineraries this morning for the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic. They will be sailing to Alaska, the Caribbean and Europe among other destinations.

Walt Disney World has announced some upcoming changes to current Advanced Dining Reservation policy. Beginning October 26, 2011, most character meal locations and all Signature Dining restaurants will require a credit card guarantee at time of booking, and all will carry a 24 hour cancellation policy.  The following restaurants will now require the credit card guarantee:

• 1900 Park Fare
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
• Artist Point
• California Grill
• Cape May Café
• Chef Mickey’s
• Cítricos
• The Crystal Palace
• Flying Fish Café
• The Garden Grill
• Hollywood & Vine
• Jiko – The Cooking Place
• Le Cellier Steakhouse
• Narcoossee’s
• ‘Ohana
• Tusker House Restaurant
• The Hollywood Brown Derby
• Yachtsman Steakhouse
• Victoria & Albert’s

Please note that if you cancel within 24 hours of your dining time, or do not show up, your credit card will be charged a $10 per person cancellation fee (Victoria & Albert’s is a $25 per person fee).

Several restaurants still require full pre-payment at the time of booking, unless you are participating in the Disney Dining plan, in which case, a credit card guarantee is required. These restaurants will carry a 24 hour cancellation policy, and the full amount of the meal will be charged if you cancel within 24 hours or do not dine.

• Cinderella’s Royal Table
• Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show
• Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
• Mickey’s Backyard BBQ

Reservations can be cancelled at any Table Service restaurant podium, any Disney World resort front desk, concierge or guest relations, online at DisneyWorld.com/Dining or by calling the dining cancellation number 407-WDW-CNCL.

Disney Cruise Line has added an additional Hawaiian Disney Cruise to their 2012 itinerary. Originally, there was only one Hawaiian cruise available, currently sailing April 29, 2012. That initial cruise sold out quickly. With such an overwhelming response, it was clear that Disney Cruise guests wanted more options to visit “The Aloha State.”

Departing October 14, 2012, from Los Angeles, the Disney Wonder will sail through the breathtaking Hawaiian Islands, calling on Kahului, Maui; Nawiliwili, Kauai; Honolulu, Oahu; and Hilo. Plus, this special 14-night voyage includes a stop in Ensenada, Mexico, and eight fun-filled days at sea.

Disney Cruise guests will experience the famous beaches of Waikiki on Oahu, see the views from high atop the summit of Haleakala Crater on Maui, take in the lush tropical gardens and waterfalls of Kauai and, on the Big Island, explore the natural wonders of the world’s most active volcano.

This additional Hawaiian Disney Cruise will replace two Mexican Rivera Disney Cruises. Guests currently booked on one of the Mexican Riviera Disney Cruises will be contacted with booking options.

Bookings for this addition Hawaiian Disney Cruise open today, September 23, at 8 am ET for guests who are Platinum and Gold Castaway Club Members. Silver Castaway Club Members and first-time Guests can book beginning Monday, September 26, 2011. At this time, bookings are only available by phone at (800) 951-3532 or through a Disney Cruise Line travel agent.

For more information about this special Disney Cruise, please contact our sponsor Mouseketrips.

What started at Walt Disney World has a way to encourage larger groups to travel together, Grand Gatherings will be unceremoniously discontinued as of January 28, 2012. The Grand Gatherings concept exists of two separate parts, a group reservation at Disney World consisting of eight or more people (which guaranteed that your rooms would be close to each other) and the Grand Gathering experiences, extra events that only Grand Gathering groups could book.

Disney will continue booking resort reservations together, but they will just be linked in the Disney system with no special designations. The Grand Gathering events have all been cancelled, and will not be available to book for travel after January 28, 2012. All experiences are still available to experience up until that date.

When the news first broke of the discontinuation a few weeks ago, we were hoping for several of the events to stay around for general booking. This appears to not be the case, possibly capacity was too low to offer these to everyone, possibly the profits were not there. We are sad to see many of these events go, hopefully Disney World starts offering some additional tours and special events throughout the parks.

Update: December 19, 2011: Disney has added quite a few restaurants to the 2012 dining plans, many that have never been included before.

Table Service Restaurants

• Bongos Cuban Cafe at Downtown Disney
• House of Blues at Downtown Disney
• Paradiso 37 at Downtown Disney
• Portobello at Downtown Disney
• Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park
• T-Rex Cafe at Downtown Disney
• Fulton’s Crab House at Downtown Disney (Signature Restaurant)
• Bistro de Paris at Epcot (Signature Restaurant)
• Wolfgang Puck Cafe: The Dining Room at Downtown Disney (Signature Restaurant)

Walt Disney World has announced 2012 dining plans, which include some small changes. Please find below a quick overview of all the available dining plans for Walt Disney World along with a downloadable brochure for each with more in depth information.

Please note, as you look at the brochures, many of the restaurants that will be included for 2011 are not currently listed on the brochures. This happens every year, as the agreements and contracts for non-Disney restaurants are negotiated each year when it comes to inclusion in the dining plans. As 2012 approaches, more restaurants will be included, and the list should be similar to 2011. Updates will additional restaurants or changes will be posted here.

Quick Service Dining Plan

Initially introduced in 2009, this plan has only changed slightly for 2012, Disney took away one snack and raised the prices slightly. The Quick Service dining plan is a fantastic option for park guests who don’t want to be tied to eating at a sit down restaurant each day.

The Quick Service Dining Plan includes, per person, per night of your stay:

• Two counter service meals
• One snack
• One resort refillable resort mug per person per stay

The cost of the Quick Service dining plan is $34.99 per night per adult (10 and older), and $11.99 per child (3 – 9).

Brochure: Disney World Quick Service Dining Plan

Disney Dining Plan

Not much has changed from the Disney Dining plan of 2011, except the addition of the resort refillable mug and a small increase in price.

The Disney Dining Plan includes, per person, per night of your stay:

• One table service meal
• One counter service meal
• One snack
• One resort refillable resort mug per person per stay

Please note gratuities are not included on the table service meals. Table service meals can also be used for signature restaurants, dinner shows, private dining or pizza delivery (these typically run 2 table service meals per person). More information can be found in the brochure.

The cost of the Disney dining plan is $51.54 to $53.54 per night per adult (10 and older), and $15.02 to $16.02 per child (3 – 9). The Disney Dining plan is priced based on your travel dates, and is higher priced during the following peak times:

• February 16 – 25, 2012
• March 9 – April 14, 2012
• June 1 – August 4, 2012
• December 21 – 31, 2012

It appears as though the cost of the dining plan is based on the day you check in, so if you check in one a date when the Dining plan is the cheaper price, and your vacation carries over into one of the higher priced times, you will pay the lower price for your entire stay.

Brochure: Disney Dining Plan

Disney Deluxe Dining Plan

Again, nothing has changed from the Deluxe Dining Plan of 2011, with the exception of a small price increase.

The Disney Deluxe Dining Plan includes, per person, per night of your stay:

• Three meals, which can be used for either quick service or table service meals
• Two snacks
• One resort refillable mug

The policy is the same for table service meals on the deluxe dining plan (gratuities not included, can be used for signature restaurants, etc.). If you use the meal credits towards table service meals, your meal will also include an appetizer for each person, in addition to the entree, dessert and drink.

The cost of the Disney Deluxe dining plan is $85.54 –  $89.55 per night per adult (10 and older), and $23.79 – $25.79 per child (3 – 9). The higher price on the deluxe dining plan will be during the same peak periods as above:

• February 16 – 25, 2012
• March 9 – April 14, 2012
• June 1 – August 4, 2012
• December 21 – 31, 2012

Brochure: Disney Deluxe Dining Plan

Magic Your Way Premium Package

Again, very little has changed with the premium package, it now includes:

• Breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus two snacks, per person, per night. Available 100 Walt Disney World restaurants (includes tax but not gratuities, unless otherwise noted). More information is found in the brochure below
• One resort refillable mug per person per stay
• Unlimited selected recreation, including Golf, Miniature Golf, Water Sports, Archery, Tennis, Guided Fishing Excursions, Cane Pole Fishing, Horseback Trail Rides, Pony Rides, Carriage Rides, Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides, Bike Rental and Watercraft Rental. Some restrictions may apply and advance reservations may be required, and are suggested. More information is found in the brochure
• One admission per person to Cirque du Soliel La Nouba
• Unlimited use of Disney Children’s Activity Centers
• Unlimited admission to selected theme park tours
• Preferred fireworks viewing areas for Wishes at the Magic Kingdom and IllumiNations at Epcot. (Advance reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance and voucher is required.)

The cost of the Premium package is $179 per night per adult (10 and older), and $129 per child (3 – 9). That is in addition to the standard cost of a Magic Your Way package. There is now a 3 night minimum stay required in order to book the premium package.

Brochure: Magic Your Way Premium Package

Magic Your Way Platinum Package

Similar to the premium package above, the Platinum package is the ultimate in luxury. The Magic Your Way Platinum package is only available at the Deluxe Disney resorts. It includes everything the premium offers, plus:

• One Disney’s Photopass CD
• Private in-room child care (4 hour minimum, 6 hour maximum, gratuity is not included)
• One selected spa treatment per person
• Fireworks cruise (one per reservation, everyone on your reservation is included)
• Reserved seating at Fantasmic! (one per person)
• Nightly turn-down service
• Personalized pre-arrival itinerary planning
• Richard Petty Drive along experience
• Exclusive keepsake (one per room)

The cost of the Platinum package is $239 per night per adult (10 and older), and $170 per child (3 – 9). That is in addition to the standard cost of a Magic Your Way package. There is now a 3 night minimum stay required in order to book the platinum package.

Brochure: Magic Your Way Platinum Package

Disney Wine and Dine Plan

There is currently not any mention of the Wine and Dine plan for 2012. If information becomes available, I will update this post.

For all of the packages above, there are a few things to remember:

• Everyone in your room must be on the same dining plan/package
• Dining plan credits expire at midnight the day you check out
• Dining plan credits are based on the number of nights you stay
• You must purchase the dining plan for your entire stay
• Dining plan credits and park passes are not transferable

From the Disney Parks Blog today:

We wanted to let you know that ticket prices are increasing at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. The new prices go into effect on June 12, 2011.

Tickets at the current prices are available until June 11. Starting June 12, the prices will increase across the board at all US Disney theme parks. One day park passes at Disney World are increasing to $85 for adults, the current price is $82. It appears that all tickets are increasing $3 per day of your ticket, so a 10 day ticket will be about $30 more than the current prices.

The cost for all admissions are increasing as well, including water parks, Disney Quest, Annual Passes, etc. All new prices are available here: Magic Your Way Passes Facts

Disneyland tickets are increasing slightly as well:

Disney has made a special Disneyland ticket page available with the new information: Disneyland Ticket Prices. Any reservations already booked, whether at WDW or Disneyland, will not increase in price due to this change. Only package and tickets purchased starting June 12 will reflect the new prices.

Walt Disney World is set to announce new Royal Guest Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter resorts. These special rooms will be available for stays starting in March, 2012, 512 of these room will eventually be available for guests.

The story behind these lush rooms is that Princess Tiana from “The Princess and The Frog” invited some of her royal pals – Belle (“Beauty and the Beast”), Jasmine (“Aladdin”) and more – for a vacation getaway. Princes and princesses of all ages can enjoy their luxurious lodging quarters, which will include ornate beds that feature headboards with fiber-optic special effects, and gold and crystal accents. Guests also can enjoy artwork and special mementos left by Tiana’s royal friends.

These rooms will join the fantastic Pirate rooms at Caribbean Beach. More Specialty Rooms will be added to the collection when Disney’s Art of Animation Resort debuts in May 2012. Pricing will be similar to the pirate themed rooms at Caribbean Beach

Update May 18, 2011: Today, Disney World is showing off the new Royal Guest Rooms at WDW to press, and a few new photos and bits of information have emerged:

The Royal Guest Rooms feature gifts from the Disney princesses to the resort guests, including:

• The carpeting in the room includes a gift from Jasmine, her magic carpet.
• Jasmine has also contributed to the bathroom sinks. The faucets are gold genie lamps.
• A coat rack on the wall is a gift from Cinderella, adorned with her pumpkin carriage.
• Belle has provided her enchanted footstool for the room.
• The shower curtain has Ariel’s contribution to Tiana’s royal guest room: It is adorned with her “whozits and whatzits” from her collection, like her fork and a starfish.
• Tiana even left a special letter to all the little princes and princesses on the table in the room welcoming them and explaining many of the gifts in the room.

For more information about these wonderful new rooms, please contact our sponsor Mouseketrips.