The festivities are getting ready to begin to celebrate the 2011 Holiday Season at the Disneyland Resort!  Celebrate the holidays starting on November 14, 2011 and running through January 8, 2012.  Disney always has some new surprises up their sleeves for every celebration, and this year is no different.  We can expect things to shine and glitter, and a visit to any Disney destination during the Holiday Season will definitely delight everyone!  Disneyland is no exception.  Don’t miss the nightly lighting of Sleeping Beauty’s Winter castle in Disneyland Theme Park, for starters, and that is just the beginning of the fun.

So, what is new this year?  Disney has released a few of the exciting holiday experiences you can expect if you visit Disneyland.  Disney is ready to welcome their guests and promises you will feel the holiday glow everywhere in Disneyland.

• Mickey’s Toontown will debut an 18-foot cartoon-style Christmas tree in front of Toontown City Hall, and Mickey’s House and Minnie’s House will each have their own Christmas trees.
• At The Disney Gallery on Main Street, U.S.A., “All Aboard for A Grand Circle Tour of the Trains of Disney!” will display vintage and new art celebrating Walt Disney’s love of trains.
• In Disneyland California Adventure park, a holiday addition to the “World of Color” nighttime water spectacular will feature Lanny and Wayne, Santa’s techno-savvy elves from the “Prep & Landing” holiday specials.
• Phineas and Ferb will be throwing a rockin’, rollin’ holiday party on the streets of Disney California Adventure park, inviting guests to join in the fun.

Disneyland has some all time favorites that are traditions for families, and those will return, of course.  Guests will still be able to experience  “A Christmas Fantasy” parade, the nightly snowfall on Main Street, U.S.A, “it’s a small world” Holiday, Haunted Mansion Holiday,  and Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle will also be returning this year.

Also, Disneyland guests can create cowboy-inspired holiday gifts, decorate holiday cookies and join in line-dancing and sing-a-longs in Frontierland. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there, and they are bringing their reindeer.  It is a Holiday Ho-Ho-Ho Hoedown!

New at Disneyland California Adventure for the Christmas season this year; Santa will be at Paradise Pier resting before his big night.  You can visit him at his gazebo and get a picture with him!  If you want to experience Christmas through a bug’s eye, you can do that at Disneyland California Adventure ‘ a bug’s land’, where you will feel as small as a big looking at HUGE ornaments.

It is guaranteed that there will be nothing but sugar plums dancing in your head when you leave Disneyland after a visit for the holidays.  You will be filled with Christmas spirit!!

Disney is creating lots of magic these days, and The Disneyland Resort area is seeing some fun changes.  Disney California Adventure Theme Park has undergone lots of changes recently.  The newest addition is Buena Vista Street.  This area of Disney California Adventure recalls the first place Walt Disney encountered, when he arrived in California in 1923.

Prepare for a journey through the 1920′s and 1930′s, as you walk down Buena Vista Street, entering Disney California Adventure.  Storytellers, a statue depicting a young Walt Disney, with Mickey Mouse will greet you as you arrive.  You will relive some of Walt’s earliest memories, and some of Disney Studios history, too.

Of course, what you can expect, as you enter any Disney theme park, is lots of shopping options!  Disney California Adventure has created an amazing shopping experience on Buena Vista Street.  Among the stores is Elias & Co, shown in the rendering to the right.  It is the building that rises above the others.  I think it is safe to say that the storefronts will be fun to see, with lots of Disney imagination and history used in their creation.

Elias & Co will be the main merchandise location in the area of Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure.  It will have four different sections.  The main area of Elias & Co is inspired by the old department stores of the era depicted that were found along L.A.’s Wilshire Blvd; quite grand, with lots of beautiful stone.  You will see lots of lighter-toned, pinkish-hued marble as seen in the rendering to the left.

There will be a very fluid feel, inside and out, when you walk down Buena Vista Street, or visit any of the stores.  Disney uses color interestingly in each area to differentiate the feel of the merchandise for sale.  For instance, on the right is the artist rendering of the accessory section of Elias & Co, which will feature warm earth tones.  This allows you to feel comfortable browsing through the many accessory type items that will be featured there.  When you visit the area that sells Disney jewelry, you will find it to be all sparkly, and have the look of a jewelry box.

There will be an ice cream parlor, of course!  What 1920′s 1930′s era street would not have one of those?  Disney will feature Trolley Treats and Clarabelle’s Hand-Scooped Ice Cream on Buena Vista Street.  The colors and materials being used to enhance the experience at this fun location were imagined around the ice cream and candy treats that will be served there.  The tiles on the wall of Trolley Treats will look like NECCO Wafers and the colors on the walls of the ice cream shop will be reminiscent of neapolitan ice cream.  On the left is the artist rendering.  It looks yummy!

I am so excited about all of these fun changes!  Disney has certainly been busy, and no matter which Disney vacation you choose, you are guaranteed to find something new to experience!  Disneyland especially now, is coming alive with lots of changes.  Don’t miss the fun!

The newest vacation deal from Disney is for Disneyland.  Let’s face it, we all love to visit Disney vacation destinations and experience the magical vacation experiences that Disney provides for us.  Whether you are visiting Walt Disney World, Disneyland, taking a Disney Cruise, or experiencing Adventures by Disney, the vacation magic can start before you are even on your way to your destination, when you can find good deals and save money.  OLP Travel always finds the best deals for their clients, and I am happy to share those deals here.  It is great to have a wonderful, fun vacation, but it is even better when that vacation doesn’t break the bank, right?

If Disneyland Resort is your vacation destination, you may be able to save up to 30% on a stay at one of the Hotels of the Disneyland Resort, for arrivals most nights Oct. 2 – Dec. 24, 2011.

Offer Details: For arrivals starting October 2 up to December 24, 2011, can be booked starting September 13 though December 10, 2011.

Save up to 30% off a room-only reservation at Disneyland Paradise Pier Hotel.
Save up to 25% off a room-only reservation at the Disneyland Hotel or the Disneyland Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.

This offer is not available for travel Nov. 23-25, 2011, and travel on this offer must be completed by Dec. 25, 2011.

This offer is available for the dates of Mickey’s Halloween Party, which is a special event not to be missed.  Stay right at a Disneyland Resort Hotel, and be right next to all the fun and activity.

The new statue of Mickey Mouse and Walt Disney, that is being created for the Disney California Adventure Theme Park, has a name!  Storytellers; a perfect name!  Disney imagineering always seems to come up with such great ideas.  Isn’t Walt Disney all about telling a story, and Mickey is his main character!  Disneyland is the heart and soul of the stories.

I love Halloween!  I loved to dress up in costume when my daughter was little, and take her Trick-or-Treating with all the neighbors.  We had such fun!  Well, Disney loves Halloween, too!  They take the concept of Trick-or-Treating, and plus it!  The Disneyland Theme Park in Disneyland is going to be ready for Halloween this year!  Mickey’s Halloween Party will be held on specific nights starting September 30 and running through October 31, 2011.  This theme park is really a special place to go for Halloween.  This year you can expect a little Trick-or-Treat style surprise!

There will be new Trick-or-Treating locations at Mickey’s Halloween Party this year!  These locations will be in areas that are not usually accessible to guests; areas we have not explored before.  So, any ideas where those might be?  I sure would like to know!

The Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in Disneyland will be closed for renovation during the dates of Mickey’s Halloween Party.  Apparently the pirates weren’t happy not being included in the fun and there is a mutiny planned!  That’s right!  The pirates will be taking over Frontierland in Disneyland!  I can only imagine the frivolous pirate fun that will go on!  Jack Sparrow will be there along with Goofy, Chip, Dale and Pluto, who will lead guests in a variety of pirate games

Look for the expected Mickey’s Halloween Party traditions, and expect the unexpected at them!  Disney always decorates the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland for Mickey’s Halloween Party.  This year is no exception, and you will enjoy each detail, and will want to go through the attraction a few times to see everything.  The Haunted Mansion will be ready for guests on September 16, 2011, with all the Halloween decorations ready.  This is the tenth year that Disney has featured a Freaky Gingerbread House as the centerpiece for the Ballroom in the Haunted mansion.   It is more than 500 pounds of gingerbread!

For the first time at the Disneyland Resort, you will be able to meet Phineas and Ferb at Mickey’s Halloween party!  The little ones will love that!  Of course, the usual face painting and coloring stations will be available; lots of fun activities for the younger Disneyland guests.

Attention to detail.  That is what sets Disney aside from all other vacation destinations.  Don’t miss this year’s Mickey’s Halloween party in Disneyland, known for it’s fun and not so scary atmosphere.  When you arrive at Mickey’s Halloween Party, be sure to get your boo!tiful park map; it will list where everything is located, and the times of the special party events.   Here is a quick run down of what is happening.

• Mickey’s Costume Party Cavalcade – 8:30 and 10:30 each night
• Halloween Screams fireworks spectacular – 9:30 each night
• Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy and Haunted Mansion Holiday
• Admission to Disneyland park up to 3 hours prior to the party
• Meet-and-greets with Disney Villains
• Treat stations with candy and healthy goodies

Planning to attend Mickey’s Halloween Party, and want information on tickets?

Advance purchase price tickets for $49.00 are available, with the cost at the gate being $59.00, for the following dates.

• Friday, September 30, 2011 – 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
• Monday, October 3, 2011 – 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 11, 2011 – 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 18, 2011 – 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, October 25, 2011 – 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

The regular ticket price of $59.00, with no advance purchase discount, is available for the following dates.

• Friday, October 7, 2011 – 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
• Friday, October 14, 2011 – 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
• Friday, October 21, 2011 – 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Premium price tickets for$64.00, with no advance purchase discount are available for the following dates.

• Friday, October 28, 2011 – 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
• Monday, October 31, 2011 – 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

If Walt Disney World is your Disney vacation destination for the Halloween season, they have Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party there!

The Carnations Plaza Gardens Stage is being replaced, or re-imagined as Disney might put it.  This is an exciting addition that was announced at the D23 event in Disneyland, along with new details about the huge Fantasyland changes at Walt Disney World.  Although the Carnations Plaza Garden Stage will be missed, I think guests will become enamored with the Fantasy Faire concept.

When you enter the new Fantasy Faire at Disneyland you will find yourself immersed in a village square feel, and you will experience stories about your favorite princesses that will be new and unique.  Traveling through the village square, you will see whimsical fairytale cottages and pavilions.   At the heart of the square will be Tangled Tower, inspired by the movie Tangled.  There will be lots of activities to experience, and the mood will be very festive.  A Royal Ribbon Parade will be interactive, and either Rapunzel or Belle joining the fun.

Guests will experience a wonderful meet and greet opportunity with some of the royalty from  “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Tangled.”

This new area in Disneyland will have a stage, The Fantasy Faire Stage, and the shows promise to be filled with fun and laughter.  You will be entertained by heroes and heroines from many of the classic Disney stories.  These stories will come to life on the stage.  Guests, of course, will be invited to be part of the story.

At night The Fantasy Faire Stage will entertain the Disneyland guests with classic music and dance offerings, always enjoyable by Disneyland guests for years and years.

Changes, changes, changes!  Disney is keeping us on our toes, and certainly keeping us anticipating our future Disney vacations.  There is so much new to see, no matter which Disney vacation type you choose!  Certainly, visiting Disneyland is the ultimate, because it is the theme park Walt Disney built.  Disneyland still continues to see changes, which is really what walt was all about.  Keep imagining new things, Disney.  I promise to keep enjoying them.

A Young Walt Disney in 1923 Arrives in California

Buena Vista Street, that is where it all began for Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse.  Disney California Adventure theme park is the focus of some exciting news that is based on the addition of a new area, Buena Vista Street!  The street will tell the story of a young Walt Disney, and an amazing statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, will show the young Walt Disney, in 1923, just arriving in California after a fateful train ride from Kansas.  Mickey Mouse was born on that train ride, born from the never ending and amazing imagination of Walt Disney.

The man in this statue, this young Walt Disney, he portrays ‘everyman’, and in affect is a statement telling us that if you really believe in yourself, you can do anything.  Walt Disney said,”Believe it and you will achieve it.”  The statue will be in the hub of the new Buena Vista Street, which will be completed in 2012.  This statue will be at ground level, so that you can be right up close to Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse.  The photo options will be marvelous, with Carthay Circle Theatre close by.

The new portrayal of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse is the beginning, where it all started, and the Partners Statues, in Disneyland and Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, portrayed Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse when they are successful.  This is Disney way of showing us that Walt Disney’s dream continues and that Walt was just like anyone else.  The thing that made him successful was his desire to keep dreaming, imagining and building.  Walt Disney envisioned a theme park that would always have new additions.  Imagining things bigger than life, and believing in the impossible, Walt Disney was all about creating magic.  I think if he were alive today, he would be pleased with all the new things being imagined.  From the new Fantasyland being built at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, to the amazing World of Color Light show that is already opened at Disney’s California Adventure, and so much more; there are plenty of new vacation experiences provided by Disney.

Can you say lucky? 

My Husband won a stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite located in the New Orleans section of the park…  Meaning we got to sleep inside Disneyland.  Maybe I should reword that to “stay” inside Disneyland… You’ll see what I mean. 

Our stay was over the Labor Day weekend, 2010.  We were able to bring 2 more people to stay with us and we ask our friends and the owners of Our Laughing Place Travel to be our guests.  We were met at the Disneyland Hotel in the afternoon and escorted to the Dream Suite, just above the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction inside the park.  We felt very special as we were shown around the incredible suite and given instructions on how to exit and re-enter the suite.  There are several features in the suite that put on little shows in the bedrooms, the hallway, and in the formal sitting room.  So cool!

I choose to stay in the Frontierland Bedroom.

The Frontierland room also had a train that ran around the top of the room periodically, and the theming was incredible!
 

I gave Ahnalira and Alan the Adventureland Bedroom with the Fantasyland bathroom.

Ahnalira loves her tubbies, so I thought it would be nice for her to have the nicest tubbie in all the land.  There is a light show across the ceiling with magical music.

We also knew a few friends, Lazar and Aidee, that were visiting Disneyland so we arranged for them to come and see the Dream Suite before dinner at the Blue Bayou.  After dinner, two more friends, Beth and Rudy,  were able to come by check out the Dream Suite and enjoy the most awesome view of Fantasmic ever; off the Frontierland bedroom is a balcony that over looks New Orleans Square and the Rivers of America. 

We felt like Celebrities up there on that balcony.  Disney set up directors chairs, and supplied us with popcorn and sodas.  There was no one blocking our view, and the show was amazing.  I will never be able to view Fantasmic that way ever again.. breathtaking!

After Fantasmic we were able to catch the fireworks from behind the castle.  Then we all retreated into the formal sitting rooms were we tried to get Up to work on the big screen but it wasn’t working too well.  The park was about to close and our guest had to be out of the park so we said goodbye and rested for a little while.

Before the park closed JJ and I went to take a picture in front of the castle because no one would be around.

We turned in for the night, expecting fairtytale dreams… but were awakened instead to the fire alarms going off in the wee hours of the morning due to maintainence on the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.  We were warned that this could happen - but it hadn’t in a while - so I guess we were lucky to get the whole affect of staying in the Dream Suite.  It was a false alarm so we didn’t have to leave the Dream Suite,  but the alarms went off long enough to make sure we were good and awake.

I still say we were lucky to have experienced staying inside the park and the Dream Suite is a once in a lifetime event to experience.  We were treated the four of us to breakfast the next morning at The Plaza Inn.  It is a character breakfast, and we had a wonderful time playing with the Fairy Godmother who remembered Lazar from his days as Prince Charming in Disneyland Tokyo.

If you are ever lucky enough to stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite, plan on having the time of your life…  and take a nap; >)

What a nice view from this hotel.   I was very impressed with Paradise Pier.  Being known as the less expensive of the 3 Disneyland Hotels, you can not go wrong with this hotel.  The location is right across the street from the Grand Californian Hotel so it’s a quick walk to Downtown Disney and California Adventure. 

The rooms are inviting and spacious.  There is a nice couch, a small refrigerator and a nice desk area.

I do have to say my favorite part of this hotel though is the view.

I had the chance to stay in one of the newly renovated rooms at the Disneyland Hotel, in September 2010.   Let’s just say some magic is happening in here.  Rooms are bright in color and the beds are super comfy.

These rooms seem classy, compared to the old rooms that were classic.

Disney did a great job and I think they got everything just right.

You have a small refrigerator, a couch, a small chair, a desk area and a nice dresser.   Don’t forget to look for the hidden Mickeys.

The bathrooms remind me of the DVC resort in Walt Disney World Bay Lake Towers.  Very contemporary.

Bright lights, standard tub, double sinks and a separate area for the toliet with a private door.

Unlike the Walt Disney World Resorts, the sinks are inside the bathroom not outside in the room.

So it can slow down the process of getting ready for the day if someone is showering.

Now the magic happens when you close the curtains and turn off all the lights.  You get a show, the head boards light up and there is a music box that plays, ” A Dream is a wish your heart makes.”