Marvel Land Coming to Hong Kong Disneyland

While introducing his annual financial budget at the city’s legislature on Wednesday, John Tsang Chun-wah said Disneyland Hong Kong’s Marvel section will be “the first of its kind in the world” when it is launched within “the coming few years.”

Hong Kong Disneyland is 52% owned by the Hong Kong government. According to Tsang the park will pay for the project with it's operating surpluses. 


According to some members of the Hong Kong press, the Marvel-themed area will be completed by 2017.

This is great news for the world's smallest Disney theme park. They've had quite a few new projects recently including the new Toy Story Land and Grizzly Gulch. This Marvel expansion will hopefully help increase the profits for the park and help draw in an older more affluent crowd.

What do you think about the news? Are you excited? Does this make you want to plan a trip to Hong Kong? What Marvel characters would you like to meet in the Disney parks?

Contact me for more information about all of the Disney destinations.
Kerri@mickeysdreamvacations.com

Drinking Around the World (showcase)

I have had a lot of friends and clients ask me if Walt Disney World is a fun vacation for adults without kids.
OF COURSE IT IS!
My husband and I do not have children and we have been to Walt Disney World 7 times since New Year's Eve 2008/2009. We never run out of awesome and fun things to, but we're kids at heart so for my introduction to my "Disney, not just for kids" series I'm going to focus on an adult ONLY activity.

Welcome friends, to Drinking Around the World! (Referred to from here on out as DATW)

DATW is a fun game many adults (21 and older please) play at the World Showcase at EPCOT. The goal of the game is to drink an alocholic beverage in it's entirety at each pavillion. There are 11 countries total during standard operating weeks. (I will be doing a special DATW - Food and Wine Edition post in October)

There are no real rules, as it is not a sanctioned event. The goal is to have fun and to be safe. Some people use a check list they find online. Other's just drink a beer in each country. I did things a little differently.

I asked a cast member from each country the following question:
"If you had to suggest only one alcoholic beverage that best represents your country, which one would it be?"

Then I drank it. To make the event more fun I purchased an Epcot passport and had it stamped at the KidCot location for each country and I had the cast member who poured my drink sign the passport and write a fun message. 

I did all 11 countries in 6 hours, with a short break between country number 8 and country number 9 for the DVC Merry Member Mixer. I definitely could have done it quicker, but I probably should have done it a little slower. I was worried about the time. When I do it again in September/October I will be sure to start earlier and take my time especially since there will be 30 countries. 

My favorite countries were Mexico (shots of tequila), France (Grand Marnier & Grey Goose Orange Slush), and Canada (Torontopolitan). 

My least favorite countries were Japan (a horrible Sake, the name of which I forgot, but I also tried my husband's and his was gross too. While the feeling you get after drinking sake is quite nice, the torture to drink it was not worth it), China (Tsing Tao - a beer, totally average and nothing special), and Norway (Linie Aquavit - it's like a vodka except it tastes like all of the licorice in the world was put into a single shot. I hate licorice and that's the only reason this made my least favorite list, the price was right and the strength was great.) 

Germany also had a delicious beverage and earns an honorable mention. Apfelkorn Schnapps is a delightfully light and sweet schnapps that was perfect for a post Thanksgiving pre-Christmas holiday drink. (The fact that it was only $2 a shot made it even better!)

In the UK I had Magner's Pear Cider. Quite refreshing and enjoyable, I will definitely drink it again.
I drank the Sangria in Morocco which was fine, but nothing to write about ;-)
I was a bit disappointed with the choices at the USA pavillion. I drank a Frozen Red Stag Lemonade which was strong but not very tasty. If I could have broken the "rules" I would have had a glowtini from Coral Reef instead because the "American" drinks were boring by comparison. 

Here is a photo montage of all of my drinks with my passport stamped and signed. The photos are numbered so you can tell how I was feeling by the time I hit China. I did the countries a bit out of order because I had dinner reservations and the Merry Member Mixer to attend.
1- Mexico 2- Norway 3- Germany 4- Italy 5- USA 6- Japan 7- Moracco 8- UK 9- France 10- China 11- Canada

When I let the cast member in Canada know what I was doing and that I was on my last drink of DATW she got so excited that she came to pose for a photo with me. So did some random Canadian guy who was proud of me (and may have been doing a bit of drinking around the world himself!) it was a fun way to celebrate the end of my journey. 

So, the moral of this story is that yes Virginia, Walt Disney World is a fun destination for adults traveling without children. I will be sure to share more of my favorite activities in the near future.

If you have any questions about adult only trips to any of the Disney Destinations, I'm you're gal.
Contact me for more information or to book your trip today!
Kerri@MickeysDreamVacations.com
Twitter - @LadynWonderland
Facebook - Facebook.com/MickeysDreamVacationsbyKerri

This is so my life

Merry Christmas!

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom - Introduction

Well hello there Disney fans! A lot of you may already know about Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (referred to as SOTMK for the rest of this post) but I have been asked by more than one person to explain this new(ish) attraction in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
Since I just returned from a very productive trip where I made it a mission to complete the main part of my deck, I figured this would be the perfect time to introduce everyone to my newest Disney obsession. I will be discussing SOTMK in a series of posts because there is  A LOT of information to cover. This is post number one, the introduction.

What is Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom?
SOTMK is an interactive attraction at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom that debuted in February of 2012. Hades is trying to take over the land and Merlin recruits you to help him put a stop to the evil villain. While you are helping Merlin, Hades has recruited the other villains to help him take over the Magic Kingdom. You need to stop him by recovering the four missing crystals that Hades henchmen, Pain and Panic have lost.

That sounds exciting! How do I get started?
You will need to visit one of two kiosk stations.
The main kiosk station is the Fire House next to Guest Relations on Main Street at City Hall.
The second kiosk is behind Old Ye Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square. It is next to the character greeting area for The Princess and the Frog.
When you go to the kiosk you must present your park ticket and the cast member will give you a portal key that is matched up with your park ticket. You will also be given a pack of randomly sorted cards and a map of all of the portal locations with their corresponding symbols.
If this sounds a bit overwhelming, don't worry. The cast member will train you at a training portal located near the kiosk.

Cards, Maps, Training... sounds great, but how much is this going to cost me?
Believe it or not, the experience is almost completely free. There are 60 cards that you can get for free. The remaining 10 cards (Lightning Bolts) can only be obtained by purchasing a SOTMK booster pack. This is not necessary for general game play. I will discuss the booster packs further in a future SOTMK post.

How often can I get a new pack of cards?
Everyone with a park ticket can pick up one pack between official park opening and one hour before official park closing. Sorcerers can also pick up an additional pack when you beat Hades and Merlin congratulates you.

How long does it take to complete the attraction?
It takes about 2.5 hours to complete on the first level. This can vary based on what location you are given, where you are starting out for the day, what you choose to do between portals, and how many other sorcerers you come across at your portals.

2.5 Hours?!? That's longer than the wait for Peter Pan or the New Test Track! Is it worth it?
YES. It is. It is a great adventure for both the young and the young at heart. It's awesome for those guests like myself who visit Walt Disney World frequently and feel as though they've "done everything". It's also fun for those guests who are not so frequent or even first time visitors because it is completely interactive and it lets you see different areas of the Magic Kingdom.
The best part is that it does not have to be 2.5 hours straight through in one day. You can start your missions and then return to the designated portal the following day/week/etc. This attraction works for people who like to have something to do every minute of their trip as well as for people who like to simply go with the flow.

Even if you don't decide to PLAY the game. The cards are awesome, make for a fun collection, and best of all, are FREE. How often does anyone, let alone Disney, give us something so awesome for FREE?!?

So, now that you've gotten the basics, get out there and save the Magic Kingdom!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

This is the one purchase from my last Disney trip that I am having any guilt about. Not my new Dooney & Bourke, not my new pick a pearl necklace and setting, not my Disney Precious Moments collectible dolls... Nope. This.
My Limited Run, 3 color, Epcot 30th Anniversary, Figment original sketch with matte and frame.

I LOVE it!! But I have nowhere to put it right now so it's just going to sit in its box for a while.
This makes me feel like I didn't need it but not to the point of buyer's remorse!

Figment and I both celebrated our 30th year of existence this year and this is a great way to commemorate it.

Have you ever felt guilty about a purchase at Disney?

Walt Disney World's New Fantasyland

Full review of New Fantasyland and Be Our Guest restaurant coming soon!
For now please enjoy this sneak peak!