Quick Tips For the Family Travelling to Disneyland

The happiest place on earth gets even happier when the day goes well! If you're planning on taking the whole family out for a memorable day at Disneyland, there are a few things you'll want to prepare in advance so that the day can run as smoothly as possible. So make sure your daughter has decided if she wants to dress as a Cinderella princess or a Snow White princess, pull out the park map, and get ready for a few quick tips on how to make your day an extra special, and sane, one.

Where will we go? This is one of the most important decision to make, and is typically best done before you even head to the park. Having a general idea of how your family wants to interact with the park will help they day be less chaotic. If you have older children, you may want to split up in the morning, and meet up for lunch and spend the remainder of the day together. Do your kids want to spend more time in TomorrowLand or in their princess Disney costumes shopping in the Sleeping Beauty castle?

Check out a Disney map online if you can. If not, check with your kids. See if the family will be splitting up, and suggest meeting together for a meal. You can discuss the latter half of the day over lunch. The Pizza Parlour by Space Mountain is a popular place for kids to eat.

Before entering the park, make sure the family has agreed on a designated meeting place if anyone gets lost or separated from the group. There is a "lost children" place in the park, if you choose that as your destination.

What should you wear to the park? To wear a princess Disney costume or not? Little girls love to go to Disneyland in their Cinderella princess costumes or in a Snow White princess dress. While you don't want to get the let Cinderella princess or Snow White princess dress get dirty, letting your daughter dress in her princess Disney costume brings an added benefit of fun for your little girl. She'll love having her picture taken at the Sleeping Beauty castle and when she meets a Princess in the park she'll sure to be excited that she's in a princess Disney costume too.

Don't worry about the dress getting dirty, you can keep an eye on it during the day, and the memories of your daughter truly feeling like princess all day will make up for the wear and tear on the dress.

For the rest of the family, check the weather before going, and make sure to encourage family members to wear hats and sandals or light jackets, whatever the weather is predicting. You want everyone to be as comfortable as possible! Having a second layer (a light coat or a long-sleeved t-shirt) is a good idea if you plan on staying in the park during the evening as temperatures cool off.

An enjoyable necessity, eating at Disneyland adds to the enjoyment of the day. If you're looking to keep on a budget, pack your snacks and plan on eating out only for meals. There are a variety of restaurants to choose from at Disneyland, from casual hot dog stands to the fine dining cuisine inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. To enhance your experience, choose one place that your family is comfortable with (like a casual hot dog place) and another than may put you out of your comfort zone, like Ariel's Grotto or another fancier restaurant.

Just remember to have patience, take pictures, and get ready for an enjoyable day together as a family!

Disneyland Hotels - Map Out Your Holiday

Whether you are in the middle of planning a Disneyland trip or you are just trying to get some ideas for the future, it is a good idea to get a hold of a Disneyland hotels map. When looking at taking a vacation to Disneyland, you want to make sure that you are as prepared as humanly possible. With so much to do and so much to get ready for you need to make sure that you have a good idea of what your options are when it comes to hotels that are right around Disneyland.

Since this is a popular vacation destination there are going to be a lot of choices for you when it comes to picking just the right hotel. This is a great thing as it means that you should have no problem finding the hotel you want and need and for a price that you can easily afford. Most people tend to think that staying as close to the theme park as possible is always the best way to go. Something that you want to keep in mind though is that the closer you are to the park the more expensive the rooms are. Upon looking at a Disneyland hotels map you may find that a nice room can be found a lot cheaper just a block or two further away. Even if you have to walk a little bit further you will find yourself with better room rates.

Every step you take away from Disneyland, the cheaper the rooms are going to be. And this does not mean that they will be low quality rooms either. Of course you will have to watch for some of those lower class rooms but that are just about anywhere you travel to. Also, when thinking about which hotel you should go for you will want to consider just exactly how much time you think you will be spending in the room. Since you will probably be in the park all day and eating out, you will basically just need the hotel room for showers and to get some much needed sleep.

All of this is what you are going to want and going to need to take into consideration when you are looking over the Disneyland hotels map. You would be surprised at all of the money that can be saved just by staying at a hotel that is not right at Disneyland. The money that you save can help pay for the trip or allow your kids to grab some extra souvenirs. No matter what you end up doing with the money that you save it is much better then having to spend it on a room. Also make sure that you are contacting the various hotels around the area to see which ones offer discounts. If you are in the military or if you are a member of a roadside assistance club, you may be eligible for discounts which will make your room rates that much cheaper.

Hong Kong Disneyland

In the early 1950s, Walt Disney dreamed of creating a place where children and grown-ups of all ages could have fun together. The result was the world's first theme park, a magical kingdom of fantasy, imagination and adventure called Disneyland, which opened in 1955 in Anaheim, California, U.S.A. Now, this world of Disney fun and family entertainment is coming to Hong Kong.

Opening in 2005/2006 at Penny's Bay on Lantau Island, Hong Kong Disneyland will feature classic Disney attractions, unique shops and restaurants, themed resort hotels, dazzling live entertainment and all the magic and imagination people have come to expect from Disney parks around the world. At Hong Kong Disneyland, you'll leave the world of today and enter magical worlds of imagination and adventure in which enchanting stories and timeless places literally come to life right before your eyes. Here, fantasy becomes real and reality becomes fantastic. You'll discover medieval castles and futuristic mountains, encounter jungle elephants and elephants that fly, hear snakes that hiss and bears that talk, and ride both old-time fire engines and space-age rockets. And, of course, you'll be able to meet all your favorite Disney characters: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Cinderella, Aladdin, Buzz Lightyear, Mulan and many others. Hong Kong Disneyland is modeled after the original Disneyland in California. It will also feature some of the best design elements from other Disney parks around the world, including the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida, U.S.A., Tokyo Disneyland in Japan and Disneyland Paris in France. The result is a familiar yet entirely fresh Disney experience. Hong Kong Disneyland is divided into four lands, each transporting you to another place and time. You can then continue your magical journey at two uniquely themed resort hotels.

Hong Kong Disneyland Fact Sheet

Facts and Figures for Hong Kong Disneyland:

Project Overview: The Hong Kong Disneyland project was announced in November 1999 as a venture between The Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong SAR Government and scheduled to open in 2005/06. The opening day program will include a 5.6 million annual visitor Disneyland-style theme park, two hotels and retail, dining and entertainment uses. The Phase I build-out includes a 10 million annual visitor Disneyland-based theme park, 2,100 hotel rooms, and a 28,000 square meters (300,000 square foot) retail, dining and entertainment complex.

Size: 126 Hectares (310 acres).

Location: Overlooking the water at Penny's Bay, and on a main transit route from the new Hong Kong International Airport, the project will position Lantau Island as a world-class tourist destination. The Disney resort site will take advantage of the location's easy access by rail, highway and ferry to attract guests to the park. It is located 10 minutes from the new airport (also on Lantau Island) and 30 minutes from downtown Hong Kong.

Current Project Status: Over the past 18 months, The Hong Kong SAR Government has completed the land reclamation and building the preliminary infrastructure work that will support the entire Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, including the roads and support systems to accommodate the thousands of workers and activity taking place on the construction site. Walt Disney Imagineers have been working on the theme park for the past two years with preliminary designs taking place at the Imagineers headquarters in California. The design work has been supported by local Hong Kong architectural firms and has recently been transferred to Hong Kong in preparation for construction.

Benefits and Employment Status: The project is estimated to create 18,000 new jobs at opening -- both from Disney and other employment opportunities, rising to 36,000 once the first park reaches build-out. The Government economist estimated that the first phase of the project will generate a present economic value of HK$148 billion (US$19 billion) in benefits to Hong Kong.

The tendering process for the development of the project has been underway for several months with three construction contracts already secured, and the remainder to be awarded over the next 18 months. In total, the project will award 15 to 35 contracts for large-scale and specialty work that will result in significant job opportunities in the construction industry throughout the two-year theme park construction process.

At the peak of construction approximately 4,000 workers will be on site to help build the theme park resort which does not include the thousands of jobs created industry-wide to support the logistics and production of this large-scale development project.

In preparation for the operations of Hong Disneyland, Disney is actively hiring for key management positions over the next six months and the vast majority of hiring of up to 5,000 Cast Members (Disney's term for employees) taking place in 2004.

Construction Fun Facts: In order to create this theme park resort, the site will contain the following:

* 57 kilometers (35 miles) of pipeline

* 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) of cable

* 1,000 manholes

* 2 million cubic meters (2.5 million cubic yards) of topsoil created solely to support the extensive landscaping on the site.

Walt Disney Imagineering: Walt Disney Imagineering is the master planning, creative development, design, engineering, production, project management and research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company. Its talented corps of Imagineers is responsible for the creation - from concept initiation through installation - of all Disney resorts, theme parks and attractions, real estate developments and regional entertainment venues. It is headquartered in Glendale, California.

Specifics of Hong Kong Disneyland:

Hong Kong Disneyland will be the fifth Disneyland-styled theme park in the world, the eleventh Disney park ever built and the first to recreate many of the exact designs of the original Disneyland in California including its Sleeping Beauty Castle. Guests visiting Hong Kong Disneyland will leave the world of today and enter a fairytale kingdom that celebrates the spirit of fantasy, the world of tomorrow and a sense of adventure.

Along with the classic Disney stories and attractions, Hong Kong Disneyland has the distinction of featuring original attractions designed specifically for Hong Kong, as well as entertainment and parades that will celebrate local culture.

Main Street U.S.A.: Guests will first enter Hong Kong Disneyland through Main Street, U.S.A., designed after quintessential small town America and evoking a time gone by when the gas lamps was giving way to electricity and "horseless carriage" was the latest novelty. Its nostalgic design will help transport guests from the real world into a "magic kingdom" where they can then venture into several different lands.

Fantasyland: Sleeping Beauty's Castle is to be the gateway to Fantasyland. Here the guests will find a magical place where their favorite Disney stories come alive; they can fly to Neverland with Peter Pan, take a spin in a teacup, or meet many of the beloved Disney characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Snow White and the head mouse himself, Mickey Mouse.

The centerpiece of Fantasyland will be the brand new, one-of-a-kind attraction, Fantasy Gardens -- unique to Hong Kong Disneyland.

Adventureland: In Adventureland, guests will begin a journey into the exotic regions of the Asian and African jungles. Adventureland will also showcase some of the most spectacular trees and plant life ever assembled in one place. Here guests can take a daring ride on a jungle river cruise, and explore many other attractions including a whole island devoted to the "King of the Jungle." Adventureland will also include one of the largest, in-door theaters in the world that will be home to a classic Disney live-entertainment show.

Tomorrowland: Tomorrowland will be a world filled with science fiction and soaring space adventures. Taking a whole new approach to Tomorrowland that will be different from any other Disney theme park, Walt Disney Imagineers have created and entire land that becomes an Intergalactic Spaceport - and every restaurant, shop and attraction will be filled with robots, rocket ships and floating planets. Guests will be treated to the warp-speed adventure of "Space Mountain," as well as fly their own flying saucer in the attraction "Orbitron."

Hotels:

Two themed hotels evoking the spirit of fantasy, excitement and adventure, will be built just minutes from the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park.

Hong Kong

Disneyland Hotel: Nestled along the waters edge, the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel recalls the elegance and romance of the hotels at the turn of the 20th century, but with all the advantages of the 21st century living. The luxurious six-story Victorian-style resort features 400 rooms and includes restaurants, lounges, a tea cafe, a retail shop, a "kids Club" child care facility, a full-service fitness center and beauty salon, a garden wedding gazebo and ample convention and meeting space.

Disney Fairytale Weddings will be a featured offering at Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, allowing guests to host their wedding in true Disney fashion at the theme park resort.

Disney's Hollywood Hotel: Playing on the theme of Hollywood in the golden era of the 1930s and 1940s, Disney's Hollywood Hotel will capture the fun of movie-making with allure of Hollywood's famous Art Deco architecture and style. This stylish eight-story hotel features 600 guest rooms, dining, shopping, and a garden courtyard that unfolds like a map of Los Angeles with popular and well-known Hollywood streets, landmarks and icons.

Main Street, U.S.A., is a trip back in time to America at the turn of the 20th century. The United States was at the crossroads of an era as the discoveries of the late 1800s were changing people's way of life. The gas lamp was being replaced by the electric light, the newfangled automobile was challenging the horse-drawn carriage for the right of way on the town's roads and the slower pace of those times was gradually giving way to the hustle and bustle of modern life. This is the world that Walt Disney grew up in as a boy and it's the era that he looked back on fondly throughout his life as a time of carefree pleasures and happy memories.

Adventureland features adventurous journeys to mysterious, far-off places, both real and imagined. It is strange, exotic and unknown, giving people like you the chance to experience far away locales where "danger" lurks around every bend and surprises appear from every direction. Adventureland at Hong Kong Disneyland also finds inspiration in the world of modern-day Disney animated movies, such as Tarzan and The Lion King.

Fantasyland brings to life characters and stories from Disney's animated movies and television shows. This is literally the place in Hong Kong Disneyland, situated within the walls of a storybook castle, where childhood dreams come true. It's as if the classic stories of our youth have tumbled out of the pages of a storybook and come to life right before our eyes, bringing to reality the make-believe worlds of such endearing characters as Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo the Flying Elephant and many other Disney favorites.

Tomorrowland serves as a space oasis, a curious, lighthearted look at what life might be like on an intergalactic outpost that will take you to infinity and beyond. Here, you'll get the very real feeling that you're blasting off into outer space, while nearby you can embark on fanciful adventures with superheroes like Buzz Lightyear. As Walt Disney once said, "Tomorrow can be a wonderful age. Scientists today are opening the doors ... achievements which will benefit our children and generations to come." But tomorrow is also for dreamers, the people with big ideas and rich imaginations. Tomorrowland at Hong Kong Disneyland has room for both in its world of fantasy and reality.

This 400 room Victorian themed hotel is sited prominently between the sea and the Disneyland theme park near the center of the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. The hotel's gabled and turreted roof forms, balconied facades and lush landscaping with multiple garden courtyards will ensure an engaging, gracious and entertaining resort experience for all guests. The richly detailed exterior and gardens reminiscent of the bygone Victorian era are carried through into the soaring interior of the reception lobby and the major public spaces within the hotel. The subtle, and not so subtle, use of Disney characters, icons and artworks woven into the overall Victorian architecture and interior design themes create a one of a kind experience for our guests. Extensive conference, banquet, spa, pools and restaurant venues within the hotel and its extensive grounds will cater to every wish of the Disney guests choosing to experience this exclusive themed resort property.

This 600 room Art Deco themed hotel sits expansively on its generously landscaped site facing the sea. A legacy of art deco design icons drawn from the United States, southern California and Hollywood in particular, are combined with the rich resource of Disney icons and artworks from this period covering the early to mid 20th Century. These elements are melded together to create a distinctive "Disney Deco" ambience throughout the hotel and its grounds, with a little Hollywood playfulness thrown in for fun. Traditional strong horizontal and vertical art deco design elements are contrasted and softened by the use of an overlay of familiar and distinctive Disney themes. Dramatic lighting integrated into both building exterior and interior spaces is another attribute of art deco designs that is being incorporated into this hotel. A highly themed Chef Mickey buffet is the primary restaurant venue here. The adjacent Lobby Lounge provides sweeping views into a lushly landscaped courtyard and the sea beyond. This courtyard includes an outdoor pool, gardens and paths whose design theme is based on a playfully abstracted Hollywood street map with various Hollywood follies placed throughout to entertain our guests.

You can see photos of the Groundbreaking Ceremony and artists renderings of the park at mydisneymagic.com [http://www.mydisneymagic.com/hong-kong-disneyland/hong-kong-disneyland]

Disney World's Polynesian Resort

Disney has 3 luxurious hotels that are a Monorail's ride away from the theme park. These are namely the Floridian, the Contemporary and the Polynesian. Although they are a bit pricey, there are certain benefits you get being a guest.

What makes the Polynesian Resort different from the two is that you feel like you are staying in one of those islands in the South Pacific. The hotel has a total of 853 rooms each with a Hawaiian motif. These are located in eleven two and three story A-frame long houses that have exotic names such as Autearoa, Fiji, Hawaii, Niue, Rapa Nui, Rarotonga, Samoa, Tahiti and Tokelau.

Each of these buildings are scattered over the grounds that have more than 75 species of dense vegetation. There are three white sanded beaches dotted with hammocks for you to lie in as well as lounge chairs. At night, pathways are torch lit and you can hear soft Hawaiian melodies playing nearby.

There are a lot of things you can do at the resort. You can jump in and cool off at the pool or the beach, have fun at the arcade, eat in one of the fine restaurants, borrow a camera, have someone come over to babysit the kids, shop, exercise, fish or borrow one of their watercraft rentals for an extra fee. Every major credit card is accepted so you can save your cash for use in the theme park.

Some of the places you can eat here include the Polynesian Luau, Ohana's Feast, Captain Cook's Snack Co., the Kona Café, the Tambu Lounge and the Barefoot Pool Bar.

The standard room is 407 square feet and can accommodate up to five adults and a child under the age of 3. Here, you get to sleep in one of two queen size beds while king size beds are available if you choose to stay in a suite.

Aside from the kind of bed in the room and the size, the rest is the same. You get to have a bathroom, avail of turndown service which is only available upon request, irons, safe, minibar, some furniture, newspaper delivery, air-condition, fan and a refrigerator that can be rented for $10 a day.

Regular check in at the Polynesian Resort is at 3pm while checkout is at 11am. If you take a morning flight, you will be given a temporary room and then be told to transfer once the room you booked for is ready.

The Disneyland Hotel - Your Chance to Live in Never Land in the Heart of the Magic Kingdom

If you're looking for the ultimate Disneyland experience do yourself a favor and stay at the Disneyland Resort Hotel. It's the original Disney Hotel, located in Downtown Disney.

Its three high rise towers offer 990 guest rooms and all of them are astounding. You have your choice of standard rooms or suites and each has either two queen size beds or a king size bed, room service, phones, a refrigerator, an iron and ironing board, a hairdryer, a safe and make up mirrors.

If you need a crib or roll away beds they're available. And you have your choice of smoking or non-smoking rooms.

With the family? Then consider a one-, two-, or three-bedroom suite. And of course they have all of the amenities of the standard rooms.

The Concierge Service

Your concierge is there to make your vacation as enjoyable and as trouble-free as possible and the Concierge Service at the Disneyland Hotel is tops.

The Concierge Service entitles you to priority check-in, a continental breakfast, admission to an exclusive lounge and an evening wine and cheese reception.

You will also be pampered with a nightly turn-down service, complimentary movies and DVD players, as well as an unlimited supply of soft drinks and bottled water.

Living in Never Land

The finest Disney touches are everywhere. You'll feel like you're living in Never Land. Even the swimming pool has a Never Land theme.

You also have a choice of several cove pools and a sandy beach at the Disneyland Hotel.

The kids can be occupied at the children's playground and there are Koi ponds and a volleyball court.

The recreational area at the Disneyland Hotel is 5,000 square feet and was inspired by Peter Pan. There you'll feel like you're in the tropics, with all the foliage, scenic waterfalls and mysterious caves scattered about.

And if you feel the need to work out there's state of the art gym equipment at the Team Mickey work out room.

Stay at the Disneyland Hotel and your vacation goes on and on, even long after your day's sight seeing and park attractions are done. Remember - at the hotel you'll be going asleep and awakening in the Magic Kingdom that is Disney.

General Article About Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris Holidays are very popular with European holiday-makers and the resort receives greater than fifteen million visitors every year. Disneyland Paris is a Walt Disney Business, the biggest media plus entertainment company globally.

The resort was opened on April twelve in 1992 in Marne-la-Vallee, a new town inside the commune of Chessy in Seine-et-Marnein in the east bounds of Paris, France. It currently consists of two theme parks and 7 hotel resorts that have been constructed in the initial phase of development when Disneyland Paris opened in April 1992.

Since opening, six resort hotels have been added to the complex with plans to construct extra in the years to come.

The resort is open all year round and, if you look carefully, it is generally feasible to pick up a cheap package holiday bargain at nearly all times throughout the year.

The second and more recent theme park is the Walt Disney Studios park and you should set away time to visit and revel in the fantastic attractions here also.

Paris is definitely a popular destination in terms of quick breaks and with the joy of Disney too, family holidays there are also a complete must. The sheer number of attractions and rides available in the two complexes means that there is something to do for everyone.

Micky and Friends

Needless to say Micky, Daffy and pals are all waiting to give you a tremendous, friendly greeting whenever you get there. All of your favorite Disney characters are very much at home in the resort thus seeing your favorite is never any problem.

Booking

You usually do not need to book your Disneyland Paris Holidays ahead of time, for the reason that passes may be obtained at visitor information centres and RER ticket offices. Buying your pass in the rail station might prevent queuing when you arrive in the resort.

Best Time To Visit

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays frequently are the quietest days to visit if you want to stay away from queues.

Getting There

Disneyland Paris is simply a 40 minute train journey from Paris.

Take the RER A-4 ligne (destination Marne La Vallee-Chessy, which is the final stop) directly to Disneyland Paris. A day return pass costs the exact same total as the single day MOBILIS Zone 1-5 travel pass, so buy the travel ticket (at any RER or Metro station) and the rest of the days travel (on RER, Metro, Bus, Tram, Funicular, within Paris) is at no additional cost.

Entry and Tickets

A 1 day ticket is around 48UKP for adults and 41UKP for children between ages 3 and eleven. This day pass allows for unrestricted access to either Walt Disney Studios or Disneyland Park.

Meals and Catering

At lunchtimes the cafes and eating places could be incredibly hectic, in particular through the holidays. Now and then, there just isn't sufficient seats, so it is best to eat earlier or else later than normal and steer clear of the rush.

Being a relatively inexpensive and fun holiday choice for families, it's no surprise that Disneyland Paris Holidays still continue as trendy as ever.

Disney Cruise and Land Vacations

Can't decide between a Disney cruise and spending time at the world-famous theme parks? So plan a vacation that has both. You can actually arrange a vacation package that has the theme parks and a cruise bundled together. Your luggage will move from your resort to the ship, and back again without any hassles. If you are staying at a Disney resort, you will even be able to use the same room key at your hotel and for your cabin on board.

They've recently changed how the "Land and Sea vacations" work, so you don't have to be staying at the pricier resorts in order to get a good cruise cabin. You can pick and choose what level of accommodation you want in your resort as well as on the boat.

Disney on Land

There is a reason why the Walt Disney World family of parks has been the top vacation destination in the USA for the past 30 years. You can enjoy the varied sights and activities of:

- Hollywood Studios - where movies come alive

- Epcot - centre for technology and the future

- Animal Kingdom - to see wildlife up close

- Magic Kingdom - the classic original Disney theme park

In addition to the parks, there are beaches and swimming at Blizzard Beach and the Typhoon Lagoon. For the most convenience, plan to stay at one of the many hotels and resorts that are located right on site.

Disney on the Water

Disney has been offering cruises since 1992, and they are doing it well. All their cruises get high ratings and rave reviews. There are 3, 4 and 7 day cruises to choose from, all that travel from Florida down to the Caribbean islands. The shorter cruises are on the Disney Wonder, and the 7-day one is on the Disney Magic. Each one is filled with Disney entertainment for the kids, and nightlife for the adults. During the holiday season, there are special 11-day cruises that spend more time farther south in the Caribbean.

If you thought that taking a cruise with small children was a bad idea, you haven't checked out a Disney cruise. They are designed with kids of all ages in mind.