Get Ready to Book Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa Ko Olina, Hawai‘i

Illustration (c) Disney

Last year I mentioned that Disney had bought property in Hawaii with a view to building a resort there... well plans are obviously coming to fruition, as it was announced today that we will be able to book this amazing family destination resort, starting at the beginning of August for travel starting in the fall of 2011.

The resort promises to showcase the culture and beauty of Hawaii, through the magic of Disney, offering kids programming, adult activities, cultural experiences and much more.

If you love Disney (and the way they do things) and/or if you are interested in exploring Hawaii, you should consider being one of the first families to travel to Aulani. As always when Disney launch a new travel product, there will be strong demand!

Bookings open the first week in August 2010 for Disney's new family resort on the shores of O‘ahu.

Aulani connects you to all that's magical about Hawai‘i through storytelling and amazing cultural experiences as only Disney can deliver.

Learn more at the Aulani's resort webpage.

Final piece of the new "Disney Dream" cruise ship now in place!

The exterior of the newest Disney Cruise Line ship, the Disney Dream is now complete! Interior fitting out continues, with lots of cool innovations... especially interesting to me is the industry-first "virtual porthole" for inside staterooms! 

To learn more about the Disney Dream, be sure to check out the interactive Web site
it's really cool!
 

The following article's source - DisneyTravelAgents.com

 

The final building block for the newest Disney Cruise Line® ship, the Disney Dream™, is now in place at the Meyer Werft shipyard, signaling completion of a major milestone in the ship's overall construction. The final block was a 260-ton portion of the ship's bow, complete with the signature Disney Cruise Line golden filigree. With all 80 building blocks for the Disney Dream now in place, the focus shifts to outfitting the interiors spaces that include the whimsical, Disney-infused children's spaces, dynamically chic adult nightclubs, spectacular restaurants and elaborate theatres.
The Disney Dream will expand the one-of-a-kind family experience you will enjoy while on a Disney Cruise Line vacation. Some of the highlights:

• The ship will feature a first-of-its-kind water coaster, AquaDuck, which will send Guests racing above and around the upper decks of the ship.
• Animator's Palate restaurant will magically transform into an undersea wonderland with live, impromptu interactions with Crush, the animated sea turtle from Disney•Pixar's "Finding Nemo."
• Elaborately themed children's spaces will immerse kids in their favorite Disney stories and feature some of today's most innovative technology.
• A nighttime entertainment district just for adults will be filled with sophisticated, trendy, fanciful and fun-filled venues.
• Inside staterooms will have a "special" view thanks to a cruise-industry first, the Virtual Porthole

The Disney Dream is scheduled to set sail on its maiden voyage Jan. 26, 2011. It will sail alternating three- and four-night cruises to the Bahamas and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. During summer 2011, the ship will sail four- and five-night itineraries with two stops at Castaway Cay.

Last time I tried to book a client on the maiden voyage of the Disney Dream it was sold out, but there are still dates with availability in the months that follow. Come, be one of the first cruisers on what promises to be the newest, bestsest, family cruise ship afloat! Give me a shout! alex @ lttk.ca

"Adventures by Disney" 2011 Packages Now Available to Book

Still relatively unknown (especially in Candada, where there has been no real consumer advertising that I have encountered) is the latest travel offering from Disney - Adventures by Disney.

Now in its 5th year of operations, this niche product has grown from small beginnings to offering 25 fantastic worldwide tours done as only Disney can do it! And the 2011 tours are available to book as of yesterday (21st July).

New this year - Egypt!

Check out the website - Adventures by Disney... (you may need to turn your speakers down!)

The Value of Adventures by Disney

It’s all included.
Travel with Adventures by Disney and get more than you’d ever imagine. More than you’d expect. And more reasons why the only way to see the world, is to see it with Disney.

VIP Experiences

* Private events and privately guided tours
* Backstage access
* Entertainment and special performances
* Bypass the lines at popular museums and attractions
* Fun surprises and gifts throughout your vacation

Immersive Events and Activities

* Disney-trained Adventure Guides
* Activities with local experts
* Special thrills for Junior Adventurers
* Interaction with historical character
* Immersive activities for everyone

Dining and Resorts

* Outstanding accommodations
* Most meals
* Dinner or movie night especially for kids
* Adult dining experience with wine tasting
* Taxes and gratuities

Hassle-Free Travel

* Airport meet and greet and transfers to/from hotel
* Transportation within your trip
(including flights, trains, etc.)
* Snacks and refreshments en route
* Luggage service
* Concierge service to help plan free time
* Travel taxes

Admissions

* National and regional park entrance
* Tickets and admission to events and attractions
* Nature and wildlife educational programs

Contact me for more info, or to book your tour. There is availability on 2010 tours too, and don't forget the new "gateway" tours which offer a little bit less, for a lower price...

"Basic Packages" are now available for 2011 travel to Walt Disney World...

Some of you will know that we have been waiting to get proper pricing for bookings for 2011 at Walt Disney World. "Packages" (tickets, meal plans etc) are not yet available (and will probably not be out til some time mid-August)...

Well, as of this past weekend we now are able to offer "basic packages" which, slightly confusingly, are almost like room-only bookings, but not quite.

• Up to this point any bookings made for 2011 - and I have made several already - have had fictional pricing, based on high-season room pricing.
• Now with the basic package, we can now offer correct room pricing (based, correctly, on the actual dates of the booking).
• We still can't price packages including meal plans and/or tickets. 

FYI: For my clients that were booked before this changeover, I do not plan to swap you all over to the basic package, seeing as I will swap you over to the full packages of your choice once they are available in August. There just is no need to do all the work twice more...

Come take a virtual tour of Disney's Private Island

One of the definite highlights of my family's Disney Cruise vacation was the day we spent on Disney Cruise Line's private island, Castaway Cay.

To give you a bit more of an idea of what you might expect to see there when you take one of their awesome cruises (all Caribbean and Bahamian cruises spend at least one day here), Disney have created a new "mini-website" with various virtual tours of the island.


It's a fun way to see the beaches, attractions, kids activities and more. If you want to see the whole thing, click on the "Grand Tour" link for a 10 minute video treat...

Free Dining - dates extended!

Hello again, Disney Fans!

Just announced: the "Free Dining promotion" has been extended for many dates right up to Dec 21st 2010. There are blackout dates, and the number of rooms are limited. (Yes, I know they are always limited, but the agent I spoke to today explained that there are fewer rooms available on this promo than other similar ones, so it sounds like it will be worth booking early.) Today it took well over an hour on hold to even get to speak to a Disney reservation agent, so people are already booking for sure...

The extended dates are:

• Aug 15th-Oct 7th
• Oct 22nd-Oct 28th
• Nov 12th-Nov 18th
• Nov 27th-Dec 2nd
• Dec 10th-Dec 21st

So let's get booking!!