Free dining "Memories Vacation Package"

Tentative details are emerging about a new "free dining" special for travel to Walt Disney World (in select Walt Disney World resort hotels) in late August-late September.

This offer is valid for stays for most nights between 28th August  2011 and 24th September 2011.

This new package - the "Memories Vacation Package" - includes:

• Accommodations in a select Walt Disney World resort hotel (3 nights minimum)
• Walt Disney World theme park Tickets (2 days minimum) - the Base Ticket is included in the offer, but this can be upgraded to the Park Hopper or Water Park Fun and More, at additional cost
• A Disney's PhotoPass Photo Book. Please note that this required item adds about $100 USD to the total cost of this package.

• If you stay at select Disney Value resorts you will get the Quick Service Dining Plan for FREE.
• If you stay at select Disney Moderate, Deluxe and Deluxe Villas resorts you will get the regular Dining Plan for FREE.

You must book by 8/27/11, though the number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited and many dates will sell out well before this cut-off date. No group rates or other discounts apply.

Disney Park Ticket prices go up TOMORROW!

Not much notice, I agree.

Disney actually announced this officially yesterday, quietly. I missed it 'til today.

All tickets are going up. We mostly sell Walt Disney World, and their ticket prices are going up approx 5% (an increase of between $2 and $22 per ticket depending on duration). This is for travel in the remainder of 2010 and onwards. Tickets ALREADY PURCHASED (including tickets purchased as part of a package) will be honored at the price originally paid. (No supplements will be charged.)

So if you are in the market for a Disney trip in 2010 and have been sitting on the fence - you'd best buy today and save a few dollars!

As package prices for 2011 have not been announced yet, there is no sneaky way to avoid the price increase for 2011 that I can think of.

In the last month I had quoted a few clients "guesstimated prices", based on an estimated 5% increase in price, which turns out to have been pretty accurate. Though I am wondering why a 5% increase when inflation in the USA is only just above 1% right now, and hasn't been above 3% since the end of 2008...

Anyway...

Here's the official Disney Blog announcement

and here is a chart showing the new Walt Disney World prices