Special 4-Park Magic Tickets available in 2019

December 20, 2018 ~ mm57me ~ Leave a comment

The Mature Mouse™ has just learned that Walt Disney World will be offering a new 4-park ticket in 2019. Blow is a reprint of the news from Disney Parks Blog.

Tue, December 18, 2018

Attention Planners and Resolution-Makers! Experience Walt Disney World Resort in 2019 with Special 4-Park Magic Tickets

by Jeremy Schoolfield, Managing Editor, Walt Disney World Resort Public Relations

As we turn our calendars to 2019, our thoughts turn to new year’s resolutions. Now, more than ever is the time to get away from it all and spend time with friends and family, making memories that last a lifetime.

A visit to Walt Disney World Resort is the perfect place to make these resolutions turn into reality, and special 4-Park Magic Tickets will help you experience the new fun and excitement heading to all four theme parks this coming year.

Starting Jan. 18, 2019, you can purchase 4-Park Magic Value Ticket for $85 per day, plus tax (total price $340, plus tax) that include one day of admission to Magic Kingdom Park, one day of admission to Epcot, one day of admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and one day of admission to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, for a total of four admissions over four separate days*. The 4-Park Magic Value Ticket is valid for admission Jan. 18 – March 1, 2019, and must be used within seven days of first use or by March 1, 2019, whichever comes first.

Two additional types of 4-Park Magic Tickets will also be available at higher price points and may be used on various dates through Sept. 30, 2019. For more information about the 4-Park Magic Tickets, visit Disneyworld.com/parkmagic.

2019 will be a fantastic year to visit Walt Disney World, with new shows, parties, character experiences and more debuting at all four theme parks, starting Jan. 18:

Anything can happen during Mickey & Minnie’s Surprise Celebration at Magic Kingdom, including the new “Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party,” featuring those true originals, Mickey and Minnie Mouse. (Jan. 18-Sept. 30)
Pixar pals will party with guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios during the park’s 30th anniversary year, featuring The Incredibles, Mike and Sulley from Disney•Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc.” and Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the gang at the new Toy Story Land.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Disney animated classic “The Lion King,” Rafiki and Timon will help guests let their inner animal loose on the dance floor during the “Hakuna Matata Time Dance Party” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
As part of the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, the Disney on Broadway Concert Series expands to seven days a week, providing more opportunities than ever before for guests to hear pairs of Disney on Broadway stars sing favorite tunes from award-winning productions. (Jan. 18-Feb. 25)

*One theme park per day and the tickets can be used to enter each theme park only once. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable and exclude activities/events separately priced. Higher-priced tickets are valid for use on dates with a lower price. For more information about the 4-Park Magic Tickets, visit Disneyworld.com/parkmagic.

MagicBand is on the way

March 17, 2018 ~ mm57me ~ Leave a comment

The Mature Mouse™️ received a little bit of Disney Magic this morning.

29 days and counting!

Days 4 & 5 WDW Solo Trip Recap

April 29, 2016April 29, 2016 ~ mm57me ~ Leave a comment

The fourth day of my solo trip was a busy one, and the next two days were spent traveling home and visiting family. Then, I headed back to work. I finally have a moment to give you a recap of my last days at Walt Disney World.

The Mature Mouse^TM took advantage of the Extra Magic Hour at Epcot, arriving at 7:45. After a ride into the past on Spaceship Earth, I enjoyed several of the exhibits of the Flower & Garden Festival. Very few Future World attractions, restaurants, and stores are open during Epcot’s Extra Magic Hour.

My afternoon and evening were spent in Adventureland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom. I had planned my three visits to the MK to focus on specific areas of the park. This minimizes walking, and allows for flexibility in experiencing these areas.

Mark Twain once described golf as “a good walk spoiled.” The Mature Mouse^TM finally rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. And, to paraphrase Mr. Twain, BTMR is a well themed attraction spoiled by a thrill ride. This rollercoaster never slows down long enough to enjoy the scenery created by Disney’s Imagineers.

The Mature Mouse^TM also had the opportunity to ride the Liberty Square Riverboat, something I have not done since my first visit in 1972. This ride down the Rivers of America afforded me a great view of Frontierland and Haunted Mansion.

I make every attempt to make appropriate FastPass+ selections each day of touring the parks. Because I used one of my FP+ for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and the other two were used for the Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise, I had to wait about 15 minutes in the stand-by line for Pirates of the Caribbean. This attraction is always worth the wait.

The morning of my last day at Walt Disney World was spent roaming All Star Music Resort. If you are planning a WDW vacation with a very tight budget, All Star Value Resorts are a good choice. I did not take advantage of the pools or play areas, but many of the guests did and they looked to be enjoying themselves.

The Mature Mouse^TM will be posting more detailed reports from my experiences during this trip.

Please use this link to visit The Mature Mouse™ store for logo merchandise. Many of the items would make great gifts for the Disney fan in your life.

Make sure you consult Jennie Nowers about your next Disney vacation. She will assist you in all your vacation planning. Tell her that The Mature Mouse™ sent you and receive a special gift from Jennie with your next booking.

Day 2 WDW Solo Trip Recap

April 19, 2016April 20, 2016 ~ mm57me ~ Leave a comment

Day 2 was an adventurous one for The Mature Mouse™. My morning began with a safari in Africa and ended in a galaxy far, far away. More details to come in posts after my trip, but here are a few pictures to pique your interest.

The Mature Mouse™ prepares for Walt Disney World

April 16, 2016 ~ mm57me ~ Leave a comment

The Mature Mouse™ will be back at Walt Disney World in just two days. I plan to post a short recap of each day. See you in the parks!

Walt Disney World Planning

February 24, 2016April 11, 2018 ~ mm57me ~ Leave a comment

The Mature Mouse™ is now 54 days away from his return to Walt Disney World. All plans, including my dining and FastPass+ reservations, have been made. As I stated in my post, The Mature Mouse™ returns to Walt Disney World, the first thing I do in planning my trip is review various crowd calendars to determine which park to visit on each of the days of my stay.

Here are three calendars, each from a different source, for the week of my visit. You will notice that there does not seem to be an agreement between each of these sources.

The first image comes from Touring Plans. I subscribe to the site, which is minimal cost compared to the amount of assistance you receive in planning your trip. I use the site to develop touring plans for each park I visit. I do not necessarily stick to the plan, but it allows me a guide, as well as the flexibility to make the most of my stay. Touring Plans, created by the authors of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, uses both quantitative and qualitative data to build their calendars and touring plans.

Screen Shot 2016-02-24 at 1.21.04 PM — WDW Prep School

The second plan comes from WDW Prep School.

And, the final image is from Easy WDW. Both of these sites utilize primarily qualitative information from the site creators.

Easy WDW

Ultimately, my decisions are based on the purpose of my visit. This trip is geared toward experiencing Epcot^® International Flower & Garden Festival. So, I planned my week around time in Epcot, while still finding time to hang out in the other three parks. I had originally thought I would be unable to spend time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but I reconsidered and will be spending a morning in that park. My plan is to experience attractions I have not seen during my previous visits and to view some of the construction happening around DAK. Another goal of this trip is to meet some of the characters in the various parks.

The Mature Mouse™ does not understand why people do not plan for their Walt Disney World vacations. Maybe it is because they think a Disney Park is like any other amusement park. “Let’s drop by Disney for a day of rides, carnival games, and junk food.” It could be that many visitors to Walt Disney World do not realize the size and scope of this resort.

Would you make a plan to visit a city, like San Francisco? Even if you had visited there before, wouldn’t you plan your next visit? Where to stay? Where to eat? What attractions you would want to experience during your stay? Although I have never been to San Francisco, I assume that it is not possible to see and do everything in this unique destination during a single trip.

Walt Disney World covers more than 40 square miles, which is approximately the size of San Francisco, or twice the size of Manhattan. As of 2013, Walt Disney World employed over 62,000 people, making it the largest single-site employer in the country (Today.com). If you visit the resort website, you will see that there are hundreds of dining options throughout Walt Disney World, which includes both the parks and resorts. And, according to TouringPlans.com, there are over 30.4 thousand rooms, in different types of resorts. Given the scope of Walt Disney World, why wouldn’t you plan your vacation? It is impossible to see and do everything while at Walt Disney World. Planning gives you a guide to make the most of your time at WDW.

Make sure you consult Jennie Nowers about your next Disney vacation. She will assist you in all your vacation planning. Tell her that The Mature Mouse™ sent you and receive a special gift from Jennie with your next booking.

Please use this link to visit The Mature Mouse™ store for logo merchandise. Many of the items would make great gifts for the Disney fan in your life.

I need Disney in my life!

February 21, 2016 ~ mm57me ~ Leave a comment

The Mature Mouse™ returns to Walt Disney World

February 5, 2016February 5, 2016 ~ mm57me ~ 1 Comment

Magical News: The Mature Mouse™ returns to Walt Disney World this April. This will be another solo trip that will feature my first experience at the Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival. I have heard that this springtime event has incredible Disney themed flower and garden displays, along with live concerts and unique food offerings. Although the displays contain Disney characters, it appears to be geared toward the older Disney guests.

As much as I would enjoy sharing my trips to WDW with family and friends, that cannot happen as often as I wish to visit. A solo trip offers an inexpensive way for me to return to WDW more often. There are numerous articles about the pros and cons of taking a solo trip to Walt Disney World on the net, like this one by Zach Basler on the WDW Prep School website. I do not want to focus my blog on the reasons why you might want to consider a solo trip.

I will share my steps in planning for this solo trip over the next few months. Hopefully, my steps in preparing for my visit will help you prepare for your next trip, regardless of what type of Disney vacation you will be taking. Of course, I will be posting reports while at WDW, and I will be gathering information, photos, and videos to share after my visit. Although I cannot promise, I might try Periscope while in the parks.

Normally, one would begin their planning by deciding when to visit Walt Disney World. However, as a high school teacher, my choices are confined to school vacations. I have now traveled to WDW twice in June. As I have researched WDW for this blog, I have considered a visit in April to enjoy the cooler weather, the Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival, and, hopefully, “lower” crowd levels. April vacation can be a very hectic week at WDW, especially if it falls in the calendar around Easter. This year, Easter is early, so the crowd levels during the third week of April are lower, normal (if there is such a thing at WDW). An additional incentive for traveling to WDW this April is that Disney is offering a spring discount.

Not having to decide when to visit, my first step in planning for this trip to WDW began with setting a budget. This decision would guide the decisions for my length of stay, type of a resort, possible meal plan, and flight options. My goal was to put a package together that would fit my budget of $1500. Yes, it is possible to make a trip to WDW for so little. A low vacation cost is a major perk to a solo trip. Of course, to assist me in this endeavor, I made a call to my travel agent, Jennie Nowers. Given her knowledge and experience with Walt Disney World, Jennie knows the best way to create a vacation package to meet each guest’s unique requirements.

My original goal was a 5-night/6-day trip, but this was not possible with my budget. To keep costs low, I realized that I would need to stay at a value resort, but which one was the question. So, after some research and many email discussions with Jennie, I settled on a 4-night/5-day trip, and booked my stay at Disney’s All Star Music Resort. I considered returning to Pop Century, but it cost almost $10 more a night than the All Star resorts. When dealing with a tight budget, it all adds up. I was in a position to include the quick-service meal plan, which worked well for me during my last solo trip. I also included park-hopper tickets to afford me flexibility in developing touring plans. So the final package, before adding the cost of round trip flights, was just under $1000.

Fortunately, after a lot of online research, I was able to purchase round trip airfare for just under $600. Here is a tip: Google Flights. All things considered, even though I broke my budget of $1500, it is still a very inexpensive trip. Searching for, and booking flights first can be helpful. Being able to adjust your trip dates affords you the opportunity to find the best price on flights. However, as in my case, I have a fixed window of travel days.

In my next post, I will discuss my next steps in the planning process. This involves consulting Touring Plans, and other crowd calendars, to determine which park to visit on each day of my stay at WDW. There will be a lot of time planned for Epcot and World Showcase to experience the Flower and Garden Festival. And, of course, I will plan as much time as possible in Magic Kingdom, just because. I will find time to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios, before the park, as we know it, completely disappears. However, I am considering not taking the time to visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Please use this link to visit The Mature Mouse™ store for logo merchandise. Many of the items would make great gifts for the Disney fan in your life.

And, make sure you consult Jennie Nowers about your next Disney vacation. Tell her that The Mature Mouse™ sent you and receive a special gift from Jennie with your next booking.

Parking Fees Increase at Disney World

October 6, 2015October 6, 2015 ~ mm57me ~ Leave a comment

The Mature Mouse™ is often asked if he prefers staying at a Disney Resort, or offsite in the nearby Orlando area. Although an offsite hotel or motel may offer a less expensive, per-night cost, there are other expenses to consider. By staying off property you may be required to pay for numerous extras, such as car rentals and daily parking fees.

Walt Disney World just raised their parking fees for all their theme parks. According to WDWinfo.com, you can expect to pay the following:

$20.00 – Car/Taxi/Shuttle/Limousine/Motorcycle

$18.00 – Camper/Trailer

$21.00 – Bus/Tractor Trailer

There is also the value you place on convenience to consider when making your resort decision. Disney transportation will take you directly to and from the parks. Yes, you do need to wait with others for the bus, boat, or monorail to pick you up. However, for me, that is a minor inconvenience to parking in one of the numerous parking lots outside the theme parks, not to mention fighting the traffic. It is much easier to return to your resort for an afternoon break if you are staying onsite and using Disney transportation. Although there are shuttles from some of the offsite hotels and motels, most of them do not make regular trips to the Disney Parks.

The Mature Mouse™ enjoys being in the Disney bubble during his Walt Disney Vacations. What about you? Do you prefer to stay onsite or off? Please leave your comments below.

Please visit The Mature Mouse™ store for merchandise. Many of the items would make outstanding additions to your vacation gear and attire. If you are a mature fan of Disney, consider getting an item. Are you a Mature Mouse™?

A travel agent who specializes in booking Disney Vacations is a valuable free resource when planning your next trip, and will assist you in choosing the right resort for your stay at Walt Disney World. I started planning my recent trip by calling Jennie Nowers. When Cool Summer Savings was released, Jennie was up early applying these savings to my trip, which saved me 15% on the price of my resort stay. I did not need to do a thing. Tell Jennie that The Mature Mouse™ sent you and receive a special gift with your next booking.

Details of Disney Magic

August 30, 2015August 30, 2015 ~ mm57me ~ 2 Comments

The Mature Mouse^TM visits Walt Disney World because it is more than a theme park. A tour of a Disney Park is an intensive experience. Plans for Disney Hollywood Studios, announced at the recent D23, reflect the Imagineers plans for intensifying that experience.

During my recent trip to Disney World, I took some time to capture some of those details in the various parks. The magic of a Disney Park is imbedded in those features; it is the quality that makes a Disney Park more than just another theme park. Imagineers went to great lengths to design an atmosphere that enhances the storytelling. This attention to detail surrounds you at Disney’s resorts, four theme parks, and 2 water parks.

Below are images from my recent visit to Walt Disney World. You should also visit The Theme Park Tourist to read their list of 10 Absurdly Intricate Details at Walt Disney World That Most People Never Notice.

Please visit The Mature Mouse^TM store for merchandise. Many of the items would make outstanding additions to your vacation gear and attire. This baseball hat is just one of the featured items available through the store. If you are a mature fan of Disney, consider getting an item. Are you a Mature Mouse™?