Want to take a vacation, but having difficulty saving for it? If so, why not try this 52 week Vacation Savings Challenge?
It isn’t too late to start! Just put $15.00 in your account this coming week and you will be all caught up!
Good luck!
Want to take a vacation, but having difficulty saving for it? If so, why not try this 52 week Vacation Savings Challenge?
It isn’t too late to start! Just put $15.00 in your account this coming week and you will be all caught up!
Good luck!
For those of you who are fans of Disney history there is a new Facebook page just for you!
My sweet friend, and former Disney Store co-worker, Andrea just launched a new page, My Disney Experiences. She shares great Disney Company history, as well as some antics from her past Cast Member days. Andrea logged 15 years with Disney and has some great stories to share. She is also a wealth of information and an all-around awesome gal!
Good evening Disney fans!
I finally finished my Animal Kingdom Lodge video from Thanksgiving! (Things have been more than a little crazy).
This video primarily features Kidani Village, and our one bedroom villa. We loved the resort, but really wished it wasn’t so far away from everything!
What do you think?
Want a chance to win these adorable limited-edition ears?
Head on over to my Facebook page! Like the page, and don’t forget to hover over the “Like” box and select “Show In News Feed”. I’ll be announcing the criteria for winning later tonight!
I received my awesome Streampunk Mickey Ears this week! They are so cute! These limited edition Mickey Ears are 1 of 5 styles released for Disney Parks January Year of the Ears promotion.
What do you think?
Hey there Disney fans!
I’m pretty excited about this Limited Time Magic Promotion! Although I won’t get to see it in person, I’m looking forward to seeing pictures from others!
For one week only, January 21-27th, you will be able to meet some Classic Disney Characters at Walt Disney World. Characters scheduled to appear include: Robin Hood & Friar Tuck, Clarabelle Cow & Horace Horsecollar, and perhaps the Three Little Pigs. Characters will be appearing at Magic Kingdom Park, so be sure to have your cameras prepped and ready for this Limited Time Magic Experience!
Yesterday I posted an article regarding the new enhanced Disney Guest Experience program, better known to Disney Fans as the NextGen project, but formally called MyMagic+. Since the initial announcement yesterday morning there has been additional information released by Disney, and quite a bit of speculation voiced by Disney Fans.
The NextGen project was originally pitched back in 2010 as a way to revolutionize the guest experience. Between then and now, very little was leaked regarding what exactly the project was going to entail, only that the cost of the project was astronomical and Disney was taking their time to develop the program before the launch date. Fast-forward a few years and we start to see a sprinkling of pixie dust around the websites and parks; the announcement of PhotoPass+ and FastPass+, and the My Disney Experience app and website are only the first components of the launch. You can even consider the development of New Fantasyland & Disney’s Art of Animation Resort at Walt Disney World, Carsland, Buena Vista Street & the rest of the California Adventure refurb at Disneyland, and the Disney Dream & Disney Fantasy key pieces in the launch of the ultimate MyMagic+ program; after all, you need these key new attractions and locations to attract new visitors and keep the regulars from getting bored. The Disney Parks spent a few years feeling a bit stagnant, and then Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, we have a year full of announcements and then a year full of premiers. Pixie Dust. But, how does all of this enhance the guest experience, and what will it mean to those of us who visit the parks fairly regularly? How much change will we see, and how quickly?
Disney has slowly been rolling out components to the program. The information about FastPass+ was announced this past summer, with the PhotoPass+ in mid-fall. The My Disney Experience ap was ready this summer as well, though it didn’t really do much at its initial launch but allow you to look at the parks maps. Now we are seeing even more with these programs, as well as new initialives.
The wristbands, or MagicBands as they are deemed, were explained today. It appears as though Disney is doing away with the Key to the World cards and going for the wristband approach.
The wristbands will have the following capabilities.
It seems like a slightly more convenient and enhanced version of the Key to the World card. I’m a bit torn on it, as I’m not sure I want to have to wear a bracelet on my wrist in the Florida humidity and have it in all of my pictures. But, on the flip side, I am far less likely to lose a wristband! I’ve taken large student groups to Disney and they always manage to lose keys and tickets… (No word yet on how this program will be implimented into the Disney YES and Disney Performing Arts programs).
MagicBands will be available to those staying at a Disney Resort, Annual Passholders, and guests who pre-purchase a PhotoPass package. Other guests will be able to purchase the MagicBand.
My biggest question about the program deals with the Disney PhotoPass program. Having recently visited Walt Disney World, and utlized the new PhotoPass+ program I’m left wondering why they created the PhotoPass+ card if the MagicBand will now serve as such? The PhotoPass+ card was on a lanyard and was punched with your dates of availability. The card itself identified you to photographers as having purchased the PhotoPass+. I’m curious to see how the two technologies are melded together.
Now the other side of the launch. Shortly after the announcement went out via email this morning news programs started reporting on Disney Parks and Cruise Line lay-offs. This reaction was fueled by Disney’s announcement of their fiscal year numbers. I’m not certain we can immediately say that the two are connected. However, one fan messaged me stating that her understanding was they they would be laying off cashier employees in merchandise locations since guests would now be able to utilize the “touch and pay” feature on either their MagicBand or new enhanced ticket. From a loss-prevention viewpoint this would seem like the opposite of a good decision, as eliminating cashiers and merchandising cast members would result in a higher theft rate, and then eliminate any cost saving measures. But I suppose that only time will tell! One thing is for certain though; if Disney chooses to lay-off Cast Members at it’s Parks and Resorts you will see a downturn in quality, and a less unique experience (which is ironic since the point of the program is to provide guests with a custom and unique experience in itself). But that’s just my two cents on the subject of lay-offs!
Before I give the Disney 5, as posted on their website Babble, I’ll provide you with my final thoughts.
The jury is out for me on the NextGen project. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by the enormity of the experience, and want to gather additional information and hear from those who have been privy to using bits of it already.
What are your thoughts? What has your wristband experience been like at other resorts? Do you like the idea of having all of your various cards rolled into one device? Leave a comment below or send me an email!
Now that you’ve heard my take on the new Magic+ or NextGen project, here is the information Disney wants you know straight from the mouse’s mouth!
Shared via Babble, courtesy of Disney
Disney’s MyMagic+: 5 Things You Need to Know
Quiet mutterings about the Walt Disney Company’s “Next Generation Experience,” known among mouse-eared circles as the “NextGen” project, have been going on since 2010, when word on the street had it that more than $1 billion – roughly the cost of building twoDisney Cruise Line ships – had been committed to… something. Something very hush hush, but obviously cool and magical.
Further whisperings pointed to a major technology initiative aimed at radically transforming the way guests enjoy access to the parks while in the parks, leading enthusiasts to believe that radio-frequency identification – like that used in wireless devices – would be used in wristbands.
And they were right.
Meet MyMagic+.
Called a “more immersive, more seamless and more personal experience for each and every guest who spends time with us,” by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman, Tom Staggs, MyMagic+ technology will be rolled out in phases over the next several months.
What you need to know:
“We know that some people like to plan every aspect of their Disney vacation in advance while others like to plan very little, letting their day unfold spontaneously. No matter where guests fall in that spectrum, ‘My Disney Experience’ gives them the flexibility to plan as much or as little as they’d like to create the exact Disney experience they want,” Staggs says.
Sounds promising.
Stay tuned for more details as they become available.
Photo credit: Disney Parks Blog
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