Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party runs on 24 nights from September 14 through November 1, so there are plenty of chances to get your fill of Halloween at the Magic Kingdom. This year’s 24 party nights are September 14, 18, 21, 23, 25, 28, 30, October 1, 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, and November 1. The event is “hard-ticketed,” which means that you need a separate ticket from your regular park admission to attend.

An advance purchase discount price of $53.95 plus tax (adults) and $47.95 plus tax (children ages 3-9) is available for all but five nights (October 8, 22, 28, 29 and 31). Annual passholder discounts are also available for most nights. Day-of-event prices are $59.95 plus tax (adults) and $53.95 plus tax (children ages 3-9). Due to high demand, this year there is a premium price for the two most popular nights, October 29 and 31, where you’ll have to pay $64.95 plus tax (adults) and $58.95 plus tax (children ages 3-9) to attend.

You can buy your tickets in advance via the Internet or by calling 407-W-DISNEY (407-934-7639).

The fun includes trick-or-treating locations located throughout the park, including the Alice & Mad Hatter Treat Party along the walkway near the railroad tracks between Mickey’s Toontown Fair and Tomorrowland. In fact, there are trick-or-treat locations in every land except Main Street, U.S.A. (but you may just find some friendly cast members under the train station on your way out, ready to give you one last bit of candy before you exit the park).

The Boo-To-You parade steps off in Frontierland at 8:15 and 10:30 p.m., led off by the ride of the amazing Headless Horseman and featuring some of the catchiest parade music that Disney’s come up with. The parade features your favorite Disney characters in their favorite costumes, as well as special parade units from the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and more!

The Happy HalloWishes fireworks light the skies at 9:30 p.m. with the Disney villains taking over the show, including Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas, with a rollicking soundtrack designed to get your feet dancing.

Speaking of dancing, there are character dance parties, character meet-and-greets throughout the park including the wonderfully entertaining characters of Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella (Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters), and even a Villains Mix and Mingle

You owe it to yourself to try the Party at least once. You just may end up getting hooked on it.

For more information go to disneyworld.com/halloween.

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The team of Disney experts at MousePlanet.com bring you the benefit of their hundreds of days at Walt Disney World® Resort to provide one of the most comprehensive trip-planning sites on the Internet, including news, features, reviews, trip reports, podcasts, discussion boards and more!

To begin, guests of Orlando hotels near Walt Disney World can stop by the Festival Welcome Center to plan their day. There, visitors from Disney hotels will find the Festival Wine Shop and the Wonders Bar. After a quick stop for some wine or souvenirs, guests of hotels near Walt Disney World will head out to the World Showcase Promenade, where they can sample beers, wines, and culinary delights from around the world.

Throughout the Promenade, visitors from Orlando hotels will find marketplaces along the way that will serve up tapas-sized portions of food. Guests from Disney hotels can browse through over 25 different marketplaces featuring culinary bites from places such as Ireland, South Africa, Argentina, China, Puerto Rico and many others. And of course, visitors from hotels near Walt Disney World can also choose from hundreds of recommended wines and beers to go along with their food selections.

In addition to eating and drinking, visitors from Orlando hotels can also choose from a variety of other events to attend throughout the Festival. The “Eat to the Beat” concert series entertains visitors from Disney hotels with daily shows where acts include Taylor Dayne, Sugar Ray, Air Supply, Boyz II Men, Rick Springfield, Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy, and many other nationally recognized talent. Guests from hotels near Walt Disney World may also attend special seminars and demonstrations featuring some of the country’s most well-known celebrity chefs.

For more information on the events at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, visitors from Orlando hotels can visit http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ or contact their Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotels concierge.

Halloween just isn’t the same without costumes, so families from Orlando hotels are encouraged to dress up in their favorite Halloween attire. Throughout the park, visitors from Disney hotels can also trick-or-treat for candy. To allow guests of hotels near Walt Disney World to truly get into the spirit, the Magic Kingdom will be transformed into a not-so-scary haunted park with special lighting and music.

Plenty of special events also take place during the party, including the Boo-to-You parade—a popular sight among kids staying in Orlando hotels. The parade features your favorite Disney characters dressed up in their costumes and a spooky ride by the Headless Horseman. At the end of the evening, visitors from Disney hotels will be treated to a “spook-tacular” fireworks show.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is the perfect way for families from hotels near Walt Disney World to celebrate the fall season. And the party is appropriate for children of all ages. Guests of Orlando hotels should note that a separate ticket is required for admittance to the party and that dates often sell-out far in advance.

For more information about ticket pricing and dates, visitors staying in Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotels should contact their concierge.

Many people talk about heading to Downtown Disney for a meal, for some shopping, or just to kill a few hours. But did you know that you can spend a whole day there and not experience all there is to see, do and eat there?

The Walt Disney World’s Downtown Disney District is actually composed of three areas, all of which have plenty to occupy your time. You can start off your day in the Downtown Disney Marketplace, where it all started. (The Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village opened in 1975 with all sorts of shops, including Miss Merrily’s Madness, Carolyn’s Couture, Conched Out, and (a personal favorite) Sir Edward Haberdasher. The area was later known as Walt Disney World Village until 1989, when Pleasure Island opened. At that point, the whole complex became Downtown Disney, and this area became the Disney Village Marketplace. With the opening of the West Side in 1996, it finally became the Downtown Disney Marketplace.

In any case, Downtown Disney Marketplace is a great place to start, with a variety of shops and some great places to break for lunch, including Earl of Sandwich, Rainforest Café, and the often overlooked Cap’n Jack’s Restaurant. The former McDonald’s is under renovation and will soon re-open as Pollo Campero.

Some of the shopping highlights of the Marketplace include Once Upon a Toy (the place for all playthings), Disney’s Wonderful World of Memories (scrapbooking and other Disney-themed supplies and Disney art-related books), Hanes Design-A-Tee, Disney Pin Traders (the central pin sales and trading location for the resort), LEGO Imagination Center and Disney’s Days of Christmas. On the high end, you can check out Arribas Brothers, Tren-D, Basin and The Art of Disney (where you’ll find Disney artwork for your walls). Oh, and you can’t miss the huge World of Disney store, the largest Disney store in the World. It’s even got a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique inside, where your little princess (or big princess) can get turned into the real thing with hair, makeup, and even complete costumes.

If your small children are getting fidgety, there are a small train ride and a small carousel that may be just the ticket to let them get a little ride in before moving on to the next adventure. The Marketplace even has an amphitheatre at the water’s edge where there may just be a performance while you’re strolling by.

Need a snack? How about Goofy’s Candy Kitchen, where you can design your own treats?

If you haven’t eaten yet by the time you’ve reached Pleasure Island, then there are plenty of places for you to stop, starting with T-Rex, Fulton’s Crab House and Portobello, followed by Raglan Road and its adjacent counter service location, Cooke’s of Dublin, as well as Paradiso 37 and Planet Hollywood. Whew, that’s enough food to stuff an army, and we haven’t even gotten through all of the Downtown Disney eateries.

But you’re getting tired of eating and shopping and you’re looking for something different to do. Well, how about riding in a gondola attached giant tethered balloon that rises 400 feet over Downtown Disney? You can see all of the Walt Disney World theme parks from that height on a clear day! The Characters in Flight balloon is moored along the water just over the bridge from Pleasure Island in Downtown Disney’s West Side. You can buy your tickets at the ticket booth that formerly sold Pleasure Island tickets when it was a hopping nightspot. Ready for some seated, air-conditioned entertainment? Why not catch a movie at the AMC Pleasure Island 24 complex? See the latest films in a great environment before heading out for some more Downtown Disney fun!

Ready for more shopping? The West Side has a bunch of small boutique-style shops, including Mickey’s Groove, Little Miss Matched, Disney’s Candy Cauldron, Hoypoloi, PoP Gallery, Magnetron Magnetz, Magic Masters and D-Street (the official home of Vinylmation collectibles).

But what if you’d rather have some more activity? How about checking out DisneyQuest, Walt Disney World’s indoor theme park? You can read much more about it in the article that I wrote here (link: http://downtowndisneyhotels.com/orlandotravelguide/?p=177). You could stay busy for hours there.

Don’t spend too long, though, because you’ll want to try out one of the amazing dining locations on the West Side. You’ve got Wolfgang Puck Café and Dining Room, Bongo’s Cuban Café and  House of Blues, all waiting to ply you with delicious meals. (If you’re looking to start your day at the West Side on a Sunday morning, check out the extremely popular Gospel Brunch at House of Blues.) After dinner, catch a concert at House of Blues, or be awed by the wonders of Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba! What a great, exciting way to end an evening!

Of course, if you finish up early enough, you can shop your way back to the Marketplace before the short walk to your Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotel. The stores are open fairly late year-round, with some extra-late hours depending on the season. You can check at your hotel or at Downtown Disney’s Guest Services to find out how late they’re open during your stay.

Who says you can’t enjoy a full day at Downtown Disney?

Here are some great places to go for more information:

• Downtown Disney in general
• House of Blues concert schedule
• Cirque du Soleil tickets
• Characters in Flight

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The team of Disney experts at MousePlanet.com bring you the benefit of their hundreds of days at Walt Disney World® Resort to provide one of the most comprehensive trip-planning sites on the Internet, including news, features, reviews, trip reports, podcasts, discussion boards and more!

Guests of hotels near Walt Disney World who are in the mood for a movie need to look no further than the AMC Pleasure Island Theatres Complex. Located on Downtown Disney’s West Side, visitors from Disney hotels can choose from a variety of first-run flicks playing on the theatre’s 24 screens. Guests from Orlando hotels can relax in loveseat-style stadium seating while the THX Surround Sound fills the theatre.

Guests from hotels near Walt Disney World who are interested in a stage production should not miss the chance to see Cirque Du Soleil’s La Nouba. Visitors from Disney hotels will enjoy this beautifully produced stage show that features over 65 acrobats, athletes and performing artists. The show treats guests of Orlando hotels to colorful costumes and exciting music.

For those visitors from hotels near Walt Disney World who are looking to working off some energy, the DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park is a great option for not just adults, but the entire family. Families from Disney hotels will find five floors of exciting gaming action, including virtual reality and 3D technology.

Finally, before you head back to your Orlando hotel, make a stop at the House of Blues. Guests from hotels near Walt Disney World will find the best in live music, as well as Cajun cuisine and other Southern favorites. Visitors from Disney hotels will find music ranging from gospel and blues to jazz and reggae.

For more on what Downtown Disney has to offer, guests of hotels near Walt Disney World should contact their concierge.

Visitors from Orlando hotels will find the Seas Aqua Tour in Disney’s 5.7-million-gallon saltwater tank—one of the largest of its kind in the world. Guests of Disney hotels who are 8 years or older can participate in this one-of-a-kind experience, which puts guests right in the tank to snorkel and swim along the water’s surface. Visitors from hotels near Walt Disney World will be equipped with a supplied-air-snorkel system, which does not allow users to dive below the surface.

From their position along the top of the water, guests from Orlando hotels will enjoy a beautiful view of the creatures below. In all, visitors from Disney hotels will find themselves among 6,000 sea animals representing a total of 60 species. Swimming along side of kids from hotels near Walt Disney World could be angelfish, sea turtles, dolphins, eagle rays, and even sharks.

In addition to approximately 30 minutes of swim time, guests of Orlando hotels will also enjoy a backstage tour of the massive infrastructure that makes up the saltwater tank. For those visitors from Disney hotels who are interested in actually scuba-diving the tank, Disney’s Epcot DiveQuest program is an option.

For more information on swimming in Disney’s Seas Aqua Tour, guests of Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotels should contact their concierge.

Worried about the heat at Walt Disney World during the summer? Don’t worry! There are plenty of ways to cool off in addition to your hotel’s pool. Walt Disney World has two amazingly-themed water parks in Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach that just happen to be the two most-attended water parks in the world, according to the most recent attendance report from the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM  Economics. In fact, they’ve been in the top two spots for a very long time, for very good reasons.

The two parks, in addition to having a tremendous capacity and a location right in the heart of Walt Disney World, have great theming, thrilling water slides, relaxing wave pools and lazy rivers, good food and more.

Typhoon Lagoon, the mythology goes, was created when Hurricane Connie blew through Walt Disney World decades ago, tossing the shrimp boat Miss Tilly, out of Safen Sound, Florida, onto the top of Mt. Mayday. More wreckage was strewn about the area, decorating the area around the “ramshackle shacks” that make up the dining and merchandise locations for the park. Water continues to pour down the sides of Mt. Mayday, where the streams have been repurposed into water slides.

From the straight-drop slides of the Humunga Kowabunga to the Storm Slide body slides called the Jib Jammer, Stern Burner and Rudder Buster to the single-rider raft rides of Mayday Falls and Keelhaul Falls and family raft ride Gangplank Falls, thrills are definitely not lacking at Typhoon Lagoon. And the recent addition of the Crush ‘n’ Gusher water coaster lets you experience the excitement of a roller coaster with the splash of a raft ride.

If you’d like something a little more relaxing, Castaway Creek is a lazy river that winds its way around the park with multiple entrances that let you use the river to get around the park. The 2.5-acre Typhoon Lagoon wave pool periodically alternates between gentle bobbing waves and body surfing waves, with Miss Tilly’s stack whistling to warn you of the change. Of course, the little ones can enjoy Ketchakiddie Creek’s kid-sized water slides, fountains and more.

Still not enough? Wander over to Hammerhead Fred’s where you can borrow snorkeling gear and swim through Shark Reef along with butterfly fish, tangs, groupers, French angels, and – oh yeah – nurse sharks. But don’t worry, the gentle nurse sharks are well-fed so that they will have no interest in you. Not up for getting in the 362,000 gallon salt-water tank with the sharks? You can walk through the keel of a “wrecked” ship and look out at the swimmers, fish and sharks in the tank through portholes.

A slightly more thrilling adventure awaits at Blizzard Beach. Also supposedly created by a weather cataclysm, the park started when a freak winter storm dropped a huge amount of snow in the area. Work quickly began on Florida’s first ski resort. However, plans were abandoned when the snow began melting. When a resort operator spotted “Ice Gator” sliding down a ski run, the plans were hastily changed to create a ski-themed water park. Ice Gator remains a park mascot.

The ski jump down Mt. Gushmore was turned into the Summit Plummet water slide, where you’ll go up to 55 mph on your way down. Adjacent to that is the Slush Gusher, which takes a slightly slower plunge down the mountain. But there are so many other different ways to race down the mountain.

Three Snow Stormer body slides let you race down the mountain, while you can head down in an inner tube on the three Runoff Rapids slides. Families can take a six-passenger raft down Teamboat Springs, the world’s longest family raft ride at 1,200 feet. Wanna race? The 8-lane Toboggan Racer and the 2-lane Downhill Double Dipper let you race your friends down Mt. Gushmore’s slopes.

Getting too tired to climb back to the top? What good ski resort doesn’t have its own chair lift? Take a pleasant ride up to the peak on a bench seat under an umbrella. Want something even calmer? Blizzard Beach’s lazy river is called, appropriately enough, Cross Country Creek. Again, you can use it to travel around the park in addition to just riding it around. The 1-acre wave pool of Melt-Away Bay has only gentle bobbing waves, none of Typhoon Lagoon’s surfing waves.

Wee ones can enjoy Tike’s Peak, with tiny-sized water slides, spray cannons and more water fun. For the slightly older crowd, there’s Ski Patrol Training Camp, which has bigger slides, a T-bar drop, and even a walk across mini-“ice floes” with a cargo net overhead to help keep your balance.

Both parks also feature several eateries and merchandise locations, lockers, and shady spots with lounge chairs and tables. To get the prime spots, though, you need to get there when the parks open first thing in the morning. If you’d rather not wait and would prefer to pay for a premium spot with amenities, you can rent one of six Polar Patios at Blizzard Beach or one of six Beachcomber Shacks at Typhoon Lagoon. Those spots include upgraded furniture, towels, a private locker, all-day drink mugs, a cooler with ice and bottled water, and a private waiting who will go to the food locations for you and bring back your order. Pricing varies by date and time. For more information and to make reservations, call 407-WDW-PLAY (407-939-7529).

One day’s admission to either Typhoon Lagoon costs $46 plus tax for adults, $40 plus tax for children ages 3-9. The Water Park Fun and More option for your Magic Your Way pass costs $52 per person, regardless of age or length of pass, so if you’re planning multiple visits it’s a good deal to get the option. Water park annual passes are available for $99.95 plus tax (adult) or $80.50 plus tax (children).

Check out Disney’s water parks and stay cool this summer!

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The team of Disney experts at MousePlanet.com bring you the benefit of their hundreds of days at Walt Disney World® Resort to provide one of the most comprehensive trip-planning sites on the Internet, including news, features, reviews, trip reports, podcasts, discussion boards and more!

Guests from Orlando hotels find Osprey Ridge to be one of the most tranquil places on all of the Disney properties. Golfers from Disney hotels will find beautiful trees, including oak, pine, palmetto and cypress, along with the surrounding wetlands and other vegetation. In fact, when golfers from hotels near Walt Disney World play at Osprey Ridge, they are playing on a Certified Audubon Cooperative Wildlife Sanctuary.

Golfers from Orlando hotels playing the course will enjoy the challenging 18-hole course, popular with both serious and recreational golfers. Considered championship-level, the course challenges golfers from Disney hotels with 7,101 yards for a par of 72. For those guests of hotels near Walt Disney World who read Golf Digest, it’s important to note that Osprey Ridge has received 4.5 stars from this highly regarded publication.

Along with a beautiful golf course, Osprey Ridge offers golfers from Orlando hotels additional amenities as well. At the 18th green, golfers from Disney hotels will find the Clubhouse, which overlooks the lake. In the Pro Shop, golfers visiting from hotels near Walt Disney World will find a great selection of merchandise and souvenirs. And after a long day on the course, guests of Orlando hotels can stop by the Sand Trap Bar & Grill for a bite to eat and a cool, fresh cocktail.

Visitors staying at hotels near Walt Disney World can learn more about the Osprey Ridge golf course and inquire about tee times by checking with their Downtown Disney resort hotel concierge.

Families from Disney hotels will find the Dolphins in Depth tour to be both educational and entertaining. Upon arriving, visitors from hotels near Walt Disney World will enter the behind-the-scenes area at the Living Seas aquarium. For the first two and a half hours, tourists from Orlando hotels will spend time with Disney tour guides to learn about the history of dolphins at Disney. Guests from Disney hotels will learn more than they ever knew before about dolphins, their intelligence, and how they are trained.

Toward the end of the tour, visitors from hotels near Walt Disney World will get the chance to get up close and personal with the dolphins. However, guests of Orlando hotels should be aware that this is not the same as swimming with the dolphins—this part of the tour allows families from Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotels to be in waist-deep water with the animals. During this portion of the tour, guests from hotels near Walt Disney World will get to give commands for tricks, play in the water, and get splashed by the dolphins.

Guests of Orlando hotels are not allowed to bring cameras to the tour because it is considered a backstage experience. But, at the end of the tour, each attendee will have their photograph taken while hugging a dolphin. To attend the tour, visitors from Disney hotels must be at least 13 years of age, and it is recommended that reservations are made as far in advance as possible because the experience is only offered once a day.

Guests of Downtown Disney Area Resort Hotels can learn more about the Dolphins in Depth tour at Epcot by contacting their concierge.

When visitors from hotels near Walt Disney World sign up for the Steam Trains tour, they’ll not only enjoy a fun and educational morning, but the tour also includes early admission to the park before it opens to the public—a rare opportunity! Guests from Orlando hotels will begin their day by meeting one of the train engineers at the Main Street railway platform. Here, families from Disney hotels will await the first train of the day while the engineer provides some background information about the park’s trains.

Once the train gets to Toontown and the Roundhouse, guests of hotels near Walt Disney World will listen as crew members explain how a steam engine operates and what safety precautions and checks take place each day. Afterwards, tourists from Orlando hotels will head back to Main Street for a coffee and water break.

During the last part of the tour, guests of Disney hotels will spend an hour or so while their engineer leads a story-telling session. Visitors of hotels near Walt Disney World will learn that the antique trains in the park were built at the turn of the 20th century and have been meticulously restored. Guests of Orlando hotels have been enjoying the trains since Disney World’s opening day on October 1, 1971.

Guests of Downtown Disney Area Resort Hotels can learn more about the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains tour by contacting their concierge.