Here are my picks for the Top 10 gifts for that Disney fan in your life:

1. Disney Flanel Pajamas (King of Prussia is the closest Disney Store).

2. Disney Dollars or Disney Gift Card for anyone who has a trip planned.

3. Walt Disney World Passporter (guidebook) at www.passporter.com.

4. Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (another great planning book. I buy both).

5. Walt Disney World Annual Pass! Great gift for anyone taking multiple trips or
spending more than 14 days in Disney in a 12-month time period. Your 12 months
doesn't begin until your card is activated on your first day of arrival!

6. Disney Ornaments of your favorite characters available at the Disney Store and
all Hallmark stores.

7. Personalized Fleece throw blanket at www.disneyshopping.com (these are currently
on sale for just $9.99).

8. A trip to Disney World! You can still book a trip for travel from Jan. 2 to June
27th and receive the buy 4 get three free promotion. This is almost half off!

9. Antenna toppers make a great stocking stuffer! Just make sure the person you're
buying them for has an antenna! (most newer cars don't!)

10. If you're fortunate enough to be visiting Disney this holiday season, don't miss
the life-size gingerbread house on display at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
You can purchase table top size replicas of this adorable gingerbread house
which makes a great centerpiece for your holiday gatherings!

If you're in Disney this Christmas season you must see the Osborne Spectacle of Lights at Disney Studios. Colored lights drench the buildings from top to bottom and twinkle to Christmas music that fills the air on the Streets of America. It's the most beautiful display of lights.
During my December visit last year, we were walking through the streets admiring the lights, falling snow and music when I noticed everyone was singing. I don't just mean some people...everyone I walked passed was singing the song they were playing - Rockin Around The Christmas Tree.
The light display is so elaborate that Disney workers begin hanging the lights in September!
The Osborne lights open tonight and run through Jan. 2. The show begins at dusk and goes until the park closes. There is no extra charge to see this display, just the price of the park admission.

I know it's not quite Thanksgiving and I'm already blogging about Christmas events in Disney but there are so many exciting things to see and do, I have to get an early start.
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is a ticketed event that takes place in the Magic Kingdom on certain nights from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. throughout the holiday season.
The ticket cost per adult is between $48.95 and $55.95 (depending on the night you go) but it's well worth it for this special celebration. Disney only sells a certain amount of tickets for this event and when those tickets are gone it's sold out! Throughout the park you can get free cookies and hot cocoa. Ride lines are shorter and special shows and parades are held.
In the Tomorrowland Theater located near Space Mountain is the performance of "Twas the Night Before Christmas." This show is only performed during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. You won't want to miss this show and be sure to get there early (about a half hour before the show begins).
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade runs twice during the party and is also a must see event. Cinderella's Castle is draped in icicles and it snows on Main Street during the party. You'll also find many characters wandering around the park!
There is so much to see and do in Disney during the Christmas season that I will be blogging about some of those events over the next few weeks. In addition, watch for my Top Ten Disney Christmas Gift list which will be posted later this week!

The Beach Club is one of the Epcot area resorts and has been on my "to do" list for a while. The launch of Disney's buy 4 get 3 free promotion gave me the perfect opportunity to try this resort at an affordable price. I love the idea of walking to Epcot. Especially since Epcot's International Flower and Garden Festival will be in full bloom when we arrive in May. You can also walk to Disney Studios from the Beach Club but it's about a 15 minute walk.
You can always expect a little bit more at Disney's deluxe resorts. They will have queen and king size beds rather than full size. The rooms are larger also.

Storm Along Bay is a pool that is more like a mini waterpark that both the Yacht Club and Beach Club guests share. It includes a water slide, lazy river and a sand bottom pool.

Bus service is available to all the parks except Epcot. The entrance to Epcot from the Beach Club (walking) is in the World Showcase which doesn't open till 11 a.m. but I'm told, Epcot resort guests can still use that entrance and a cast member will guide you to the open area of the park - Future World.
The Beach Club rooms have recently been renovated and the pool (Storm Along Bay) area will be renovated in phases from Janurary to April 2009.

Disney is teaming up with Verizon Wireless next year and launching an application Verizon customers can download on their cell phone that will enable them to find their way around the parks with the help of their cell phone, according to an Associated Press story.
The application will also allow them to find wait times for rides, located shows and characters, receive messages from characters and play mobile Disney games!
For those who don't have Verizon Wireless, there will be limited services to all cell phone carriers. It would be my hope that just like every new cell phone launched initially belonging to one of the major carriers, that the others follow suit and offer something similar.
It would be nice if everyone-regardless of cell phone service-could use this service because it's a time-saving value. For first-time visitors visiting Disney, the parks can be overwhelming. For ride times and to locate shows and show times it's a value to everyone!

There's so many options for people planning a Disney vacation when it comes to planning where to stay. And depending on how many people are going, that sometimes dictates the accommodations.
But anytime someone asks me if they should stay inside or outside Disney parks, I always recommend inside and I always recommend a Disney-owned resort.
There are many reasons why I recommend this but one of the most important (to me)is the safety and security of staying at a Disney resort.
Recently, an article in the Orlando Sentinel reported that some vacation homes outside of the Disney parks have been targeted for crime. The thieves are stealing flat screen TV's, computers and cash. They aren't even waiting till night to burglarize these homes, they're doing it during the day - most likely because that's when vacationers are in the parks. Some property owners are installing alarm systems and security cameras but one said that even after that, they were burglarized.
This, and the convenience of not having to drive in any traffic to and from the parks, is why I always stay on-site.
Each Disney resort has a security gate at the entrance road to each resort. And the doors to the resort rooms are accessible by room key card. Although that serves as your room key and park pass, your room number is not on the card. Neither is your resort. Just your name. And if lost, you can go immediately to guest services at any park and they'll deactivate the lost card so no one else can use it.

This resort is one of my favorites so far. It reminds me of the Wilderness Lodge but with animals to watch at any time of day or night. And yes, you can watch the animals at night. There's an area of the resort where you can put on these night goggles and view the animals. A cast member is there to answer any of your questions.
I stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge last December. We were unable to book a Savannah View room because they were all booked. However, we ended up getting a standard view room that overlooked a smaller area where they kept some animals that were not on the Savannah. It was like getting the view without the added cost. Every day we saw zebras and giraffes and many other animals I would not have been able to identify without the nice map and animal description page we got upon check in.
Even if you don't book or get a room with a view of one of the Savannah's, there are plenty of deck areas in each wing of the resort where you can sit and enjoy the animals on wooden rocking chairs.
The lobby (pictured above) is stunning when you see it for the first time. The hardwood floors are gorgeous and the entire resort has that rustic feel to it.
It's the kind of lobby you could just sit in for a while and relax. They sometimes have children's activities going on in the lobby and they have a fireplace with seats all around it where a fire is always burning. At night, outside the resort, they have a campfire where cast members tell stories to guests.
The only thing I found strange at this resort was that you had to go outside near the pool (but under cover) to get to the food court. This wasn't a problem but in the months where it's cooler in the morning, you need to wear a light jacket or sweatshirt to go down for your morning coffee.
One of the great benefits of a deluxe resort is the close proximity to the buses that take you to the parks and the fact that there is only one bus stop. This is a blessing when you have a sleepy child. Though some deluxe resorts do share buses with other deluxe resorts, Animal Kingdom Lodge doesn't.
If you're ever on the fence about this resort, I recommend giving it a try.

Disney is updating it's reservation system and currently is only taking reservations up to March 22. The exception to this is reservations for Victoria and Alberts, Cinderella's Royal Table and Chef Mickey's. So you can still reserve those restaurants 180 days out. For the rest of us traveling after March 22, we will have to watch for the new system to be up and operational because once it is, it will be like opening the flood gates! The new system is expected to be up and running by mid December but, it could be up and running ahead of time. Once in place, you will be able to make your dining reservations online in addition to calling 407-WDW-DINE.
Normally, I'd be very flexible with my dining reservation. But this trip we arrive on our 5th wedding anniversary. I want to reserve the California Grill (atop the Contemporary Resort) for a time close to the start of the Wishes fireworks.
I'm certain that restaurant fills quickly, especially for those times! So I will be diligently watching for the changeover. And of course, I'll post it here~

Disney has several options for Dining Plans that can be added to your reservation at one of the Disney-owned resorts making your vacation have a more all-inclusive feel to it. The two resorts that do not offer any dining plan are the Swan and Dolphin resorts in the Epcot area. Those resorts are not Disney-owned.
The most popular dining plan Disney has is the plan which gives you a table service, a counter service and a snack, every day. The cost of this plan is $39 per person per day. You need to know that you get credits for your meals which are tallied on your room key/park pass. When you include dining in your reservation you get those credits for each night of your stay, not each day.
The regular dining plan is a great way to experience Disney's large assortment of restaurants. Your table service dinner will include entree, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage. The tip is not included so you'll have to pay for that out-of-pocket. For your counter service meal which many people use for lunch, it includes a combo meal, beverage and dessert. Now while breakfast isn't included in this plan, many people use their snack credit for breakfast. You can get almost anything at the Main Street Bakery in the Magic Kingdom and use a snack credit. You can also use the credit at your resort food court and get a bagel, yogurt, fruit, or one of many other items. The food courts have a DDP symbol that shows what is permitted as a snack credit. Though this may sound complicated, it's not.
In 2009, Disney will offer a quick service dining option. With that plan, you pay $29.99 for each person per day and receive 2 counter service meals, 2 snacks and your refillable mugs at your resort for free! That is a great deal considering your refillable mugs alone total almost half the price of a day on that dining plan.
I was tempted to try the new quick service plan for my upcoming trip in May but since we booked the buy 4 get 3 free, the cost difference is only $65 and for that, I'd rather have the table service dining plan. Just a reminder of you do book a dining plan, make your table service reservations as soon as you can (407-WDW-DINE), which is 180 days from the day of the reservation. This way you will have a good chance of getting the restaurant you want in the time frame you want.
Also, some signature restaurants such as the California Grill atop the Contemporary Resort require 2 table service credits for one meal. When booking, cast members will remind you that it's 2 credits. And since you can't buy more days of dining than nights you are staying, you'll have to pay out of pocket for one night of dining.

Two days ago I took advantage of Disney's buy 4 get 3 nights free offer. I booked the Beach Club which is walking distance to both Epcot and Disney Studios.


If anyone else has booked in the past couple days and hasn't received their e-mail confirmation yet, you should receive it within 72 hours of making your reservation (if you booked through Disney). Apparently, do to the popularity of the new promotion, it's taking longer to get the confirmations out.
When I received mine this morning I also found out what else is included in my package.
In addition to 7 nights at the Beach Club, 8 day park hopper passes with Waterparks Fun and More option, and the Disney Dining Plan, we also will receive a voucher for a discount on a Sea Ray rental. Those are the 2-person boats you see around cruising around the Bay Lake area. We also will get a voucher for a free game of minature golf, an arcade voucher, and a $15 voucher and a merchandise voucher for Planet Hollywood.
If you booked the table service dining plan, make sure you book your table service meals as soon as you are able (180 days from the day you want to make a reservation). When Disney has a popular promotion that includes dining, it's difficult to get reservations at some of the more popular table service restaurants.
The choices for table service restaurants between the parks and the resorts are overwhelming, it may be difficult to decide. Allearsnet.com has a list of all the restaurants and their menus on their website.

I called Walt Disney World reservations at 4:55 p.m. Thursday in hopes that I could get through and learn the truth about the rumor that if you book 4 nights you get 3 free.
And YES!!! It's true! Not only THAT, but if you bought 5-day park hopper passes, you get 3 days free! And if that's not enough...you can add either the table service or quick service dining plan the same way; buy 4 days and get three free.
I booked the Beach Club resort. This is a resort I've always bypassed in the past because the price is pretty high. My husband always wanted to stay there and I figured there was no better opportunity than through this new promotion.
We will have 8 day park hopper passes and table service dining. The package total: $2,851.48.
Barrett - the nice Disney Cast Member who told me I was his first call under the new promotion - said this package was actually worth in the price range of $8,000.
I didn't run the numbers but I plan to and will blog the results.
Since Barrett was finding out about the promotion as he was booking my reservation, he couldn't tell me if there were any blackout dates - but it sounded like you could visit anytime between Jan. 3 and June 27th.
If you are considering a trip in 2009 (or maybe you're like me and wasn't really planning but can't resist a great deal) you can call Disney reservations at 407-939-6244.
If you do take advantage of this offer...leave a comment and let me know how good your deal is!

UPDATE!: Ran the numbers as if I was paying for the trip at regular price. Though my numbers don't amount to the $8,000 value Barrett told me it was, I am saving about 26% or $1,010.38.

I'm going to preface this by saying this is right now JUST A RUMOR! HOWEVER, this source has been consistently correct with Disney rumors!
Here goes:
Today (Thursday) there's supposed to be a big announcement from Disney at 5 p.m.
It's supposed to be a great offer for those planning to visit the first half of 2009.
This is supposed to be the best deal Disney has ever offered!
My reliable source says for every 4 nights booked at a Disney resort, you get 3 nights free. And for every 4 days of park tickets, you get three days free. There's also supposedly a $200 Disney gift card included if you stay between January and March.
***Again! This is right now at the rumor stage!**** But my source has always been right on target.
If this is the case, that's a significant savings and will probably launch me into Disney planning mode!
I'll be dialing Disney reservations at 5 p.m. and I'll let you know if the rumor is true!

Now that November is here, everyone has started thinking about Christmas. If you're like most of us Disney-obsessed people, you like to inject Disney into every holiday.
Even if you haven't been to Disney lately, you can still take your photos from your trip and upload them to Disneyphotopass.com and create some very unique Christmas gifts and cards. I personally like the Disney mousepad you can order with one of your favorite Disney or non-Disney photo. What a great daily reminder of your trip!
They also have photo frames, mugs, T-shirts, stickers, and lots more.
I know for me, each year it becomes harder to find unique gifts for those on my Christmas list. This makes it easy! As long as the photo is on your computer and can be uploaded to Disneyphotopass.com, you can create your own unique Christmas cards and gifts.