Off to Neverland Travel® Disney Vacations Blog

Have you ever dreamed of sleeping in a room themed to Mickey Mouse? Or would you like to drift off at night in beautifully adorned surroundings fit for a Disney Princess? A new option at the Disneyland® Hotel may be your dream come true.

The historic hotel now offers “Character Quarters,” 19 themed Guest rooms that connect to an adjacent standard Guest room. These special rooms – decorated either with a Mickey Mouse or Disney Princess motif – feature two twin beds along with highly-themed furniture, decor, linens, carpets, light fixtures and amenities, and even flat screen televisions. Plus, Guests should be sure to keep their eyes open for some extra special sprinkles of Disney magic!

These “Character Quarters” are available when booked with an adjoining standard Guest room — making them an excellent option for parties of five or more – especially families traveling with younger children.

Anaheim, CA – The interior of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland will open in time for the December holiday season, offering guests a “reawakened” version of its classic walkthrough presentation kissed with vibrant scenes of Aurora, her charming prince, the evil Maleficent and other characters from the beloved fairy tale film.

“It is fitting that we are announcing the return of a classic on the 53rd anniversary of Disneyland,” said Tony Baxter, Senior Vice President of Creative Development for Walt Disney Imagineering, who unveiled a model of the castle on July 17, the birthday of Disneyland park.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty,” and the excitement generated by the anniversary of the motion picture spurred interest in the return of the Disneyland attraction.

Also celebrating the milestone 50th Anniversary of “Sleeping Beauty” is Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, which will release a two-disc Platinum Blu-ray™ Hi-Def disc, making “Sleeping Beauty” the first Walt Disney animated classic title to be released in high definition, as well as on two-disc Platinum DVD. A bonus feature on the new release will be “The Original Sleeping Beauty Walk-Through Attraction With Walt Disney Imagineering,” an immersive experience recreating the original castle walkthrough.

On April 29, 1957, nearly two years before the premiere of Walt Disney’s animated feature “Sleeping Beauty,” the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough opened with an in-park ceremony featuring Walt Disney and actress Shirley Temple who, some 20 years earlier, had presented Disney with his special Academy Award – one Oscar and seven little ones – for “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

The crafting of the 1957 walkthrough show fell to Walt Disney Imagineer Ken Anderson and animation art director and color stylist Eyvind Earle, credited with giving the motion picture “Sleeping Beauty” the distinctive and colorful look of storybook illustrations in medieval style. An entirely new look appeared in 1977 when the attraction’s redesign featured miniature dioramas, including moving figurines similar to the window displays in the shops on Main Street, U.S.A.

When the attraction is unveiled later this year, the “show” will differ from the dioramas of the 1980s and ‘90s, returning to the unique style of the original 1957 show and motion picture. Enhanced with new scenes and special effects magic, the re-Imagineered attraction will employ technology not available in the 1950s to represent scenes from the story of Sleeping Beauty, including the magic of good fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather, and the more sinister spells of the evil Maleficent.

For the first time, guests who are unable to climb stairs or navigate the passageways of the Castle will be able to experience the walkthrough “virtually” in a special room on the ground floor of the Castle.

MousePlanet’s David Koenig reports that Disney is going to re-open the Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-through attraction, which was closed almost seven years ago due to post 9/11 terrorist concerns.  While no date has been announced, sources speculate that the attraction could re-open sometime early next year.  While some of the original attraction cannot be restored because of recent updates to other shows, we are sure to see a wonderful new walk-through for young and old princesses alike.  Stay tuned to the Off to Neverland Travel Dreams Blog for updates!

Starting September 1, you’ll receive a 4th Night FREE when you buy a 3-night or longer Disneyland® Resort vacation package with tickets—and the timing couldn’t be better! Two of the Resort’s most magical seasons are just around the corner.

Beginning in late September, Halloween Time at the Disneyland® Resort treats you to favorite Disney Characters in their silliest Halloween costumes—and more fall fun than you can shake a broomstick at! Then it’s time for Holidays at the Disneyland® Resort, when the entire Resort becomes a winter wonderland, complete with falling snowflakes in Disneyland® Park!

Learn more about the 4th Night Free in Disneyland Special! 

Step right up and compete in an interactive “Toy Story” adventure like no other. It’s Toy Story Mania!—a brand-new 4-D attraction inspired by Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story” films, debuting at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ in Florida in late May and at Disney’s California Adventure® Park in Anaheim June 17, 2008. It’s one more magical reason for your Clients to visit Disney Parks during The Year of a Million Dreams celebration!

Guests will don 3-D glasses before boarding a carnival tram ride vehicle and zipping off into a world of midway-style games hosted by favorite characters like Woody, Buzz, Rex and Hamm! It’s a high-energy adventure that puts Guests right in the action as their game play triggers fun surprises that provide a fourth dimension of fun.

The carnival tram ride vehicles stop to face a series of game booths — high-tech yet rooted in classic midway games of skill — and Guests aim for 3-D animated targets using their own on-board spring-action shooters. Players pair up and sit side-by-side for a friendly competition that delivers an ever-changing variety of targets and surprises.

As they play, Guests can actually see the “virtual” objects they’ve launched leave their spring-action shooters and hit (or miss) the targets. And thanks to 4-D special effects technology, they may sense objects whirring past them as they pop out of the 3-D scenes. Play is energized by the spirit of the “Toy Story” characters cast in games that best suit their very animated personalities.

Toy Story Mania! raises the bar for interactive ride-game attractions and engages Guests in a whole new way with favorite characters from the “Toy Story” films. The Toy Story Mania! games are designed to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages and skills, from beginners to experienced gamers. And no matter how many times Guests return to ride and play, they can be sure every ride-through will seem different!