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If you are planning a trip to Walt Disney World during November and December this year then you should definitely make time to join the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

This is a hard-ticketed event that takes place at the Magic Kingdom after hours on select evenings throughout November and December. The special holiday entertainment including Castle Dreamlights, an enchanting parade, a nighttime fireworks spectacular, Disney character greetings, tasty treats, “snow” on Main Street, U.S.A. plus the most popular Magic Kingdom attractions.

The 18 dates for 2008 have been announced as: November 10, 11, 14, 16, 20, 21, 30 and December 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19.  The fun begins at 7 p.m., after regular park hours.

Admission to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party requires a separate ticket but its well worth it.  Tickets purchased in advance for select nights are $42.95 plus tax for ages 3-9, $48.95 plus tax for ages 10 and over. If you’d rather buy a ticket on the day then the cost is $7 more for each ticket; be careful as some of the dates, especially htose closest to Christmas, often sell out. For general information, you can call 407/W-DISNEY or visit disneyworld.com/holidays.

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Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has been awarded Best Theme Park Hotel in the 2008 Theme Park Insider Awards and quite rightly so in my opinion. We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for our honeymoon and fell in love with the place - being able to spend time just watching those beautiful animals is such a relaxing experience. When Disney announced they were building new villas as part of the DIsney Vacation Club programme we decided to make the Lodge our second home and are looking forward to staying there on our 2009 trip.

The runner up awards went to Universal’s Hotel, and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel over at Disneyland.

The Theme Park Insider Awards are voted for by visitors to themeparkinsider.com as part of a year long rating exercise - 75,000 votes were cast this year - here are the other results:

Best Theme Park Restaurant

1. Mythos - Islands of Adventure
2. Le Cellier Steakhouse - Epcot World Showcase
3. The Hollywood Brown Derby - Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Best Theme Park

1. Disneyland - California
2. Islands of Adventure - Florida
3. Busch Gardens Europe - Williamsburg, Va

Best New Attraction

1. The Simpsons Ride - Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood
2. Toy Story Midway Mania - Disney’s Hollywood Studios
3. Nights in White Satin - Hard Rock Park, Myrtle Beach

While I’m happy to see Disneyland in the number one Theme Park spot I’m quite surprised that none of the Walt Disney World parks rank in the top three.

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Image by spakattacks via Flickr

The long awaited Aquatica - SeaWorld’s new water park - has opened for a sneak preview and I’ve managed to track down some Aquatica reviews.

We’ve driven past the site a couple of times and seen the brightly coloured slides peeking over the fences - and we can’t wait for our next trip when we can go and check it out.

This action packed park promises to keep you entertained all day long - with not one but two wave pools, two *lazy* rivers and numerous slides - with one tube even taking you through a lagoon filled with dolphins!

The park opens to the public tomorrow (March 1) - so if you’re heading to Orlando any time soon be sure to add it to your itinerary.

If it’s going to be a while before you can see the park in person then stop by these sites for an idea of what you can expect:

• Aquatica’s website - flash player required
• Kevin’s review over at Mice Age - with photos
• Linda’s review over at allears.net - with more photos

We don’t have a trip planned until 2009 - so I’d love it if you would stop by when you get back and post about your experiences at Aquatica in the comments below.

Tags: Aquatica, Sea World, Orlando, Florida

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Image via Wikipedia

If you’re planning a trip then you’ll need to think about the *best* time to visit - to ensure you take the Disney World crowd levels into account.

Personally we love to travel in the first two weeks of November - as the crowd levels are low - and the weather is good - warm enough for shorts and swimming but not hot enough that you melt when you step outside!

Here’s the lowdown on crowd levels at the parks throughout the year:

Busiest times of year:

• Christmas Day through New Year’s Day
• Thanksgiving weekend (27.11.08)
• President’s Day weekend (18.02.2008)
• Memorial Day weekend (26.05.2008)
• College Spring Break (April)
• Two weeks around Easter (27.04.08)
• Summer months - June, July and August

Least busy periods:

• Week after Thanksgiving until the week before Christmas
• November up until Thanksgiving
• September and October
• January 4 until the first week in February
• Week after Easter until early June

What about the weather?

Best weather months (average daily temps):

• October (late hurricane season - chance of rain) - (75)
• November (68)
• February (62)
• March (67)
• April (72)

Warmest weather months (average daily temps):

• May (77)
• June (81)
• July (82)
• August (82)
• September (82)

Mildest months (average daily temps):

• December (62)
• January (61)

There is a risk of rain at any time due to the tropical climate; usually in the form of scattered thunderstorms. You can expect most rain during the summer months (June to September) though this can be a welcome relief from the heat - a full day of rain is unusual.

More detailed Walt Disney World weather information can be found here.

Travelling in low season

While the weather may be more manageable there are some downsides to travelling in off-season. The parks usually don’t open until 9am and then tend to close earlier than in the summer months (9 or 10pm). Some attractions close for refurbishment during this time - and during the months of November through March only one water park is open instead of two. However the low crowd levels make it easier to tour the parks and lines are definitely shorter.

So there you have it…

Use this information to help you plan your trip - but don’t worry - if you have to travel during peak season because you have kids in school you can still have an enjoyable trip - in a future update I’ll show you how to beat the lines in the parks - so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it!

Mrs S

Source: Thanks to The Unofficial Guide^® to Walt Disney World^® 2008 (Unofficial Guides)for the information included in this update. If you are interested in crowd levels for specific weeks of the year be sure to pick up a copy of this book.

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