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|  Brighter Lights, Extra Nights and Extraordinary Delights: Walt Disney World Resort Unwraps Plans for 2006 Holiday Season LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. -- Guests to Walt Disney World Resort will find their holidays even merrier with a bigger, brighter celebration this season. New features for 2006 include: - More nights of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Holidays Around the World and Candlelight Processional
- New celebrity narrators at Candlelight Processional at Epcot
- New choreographed “dancing” lights at The Osborne Family's Spectacle of Dancing Lights
- New shopping options at World of Disney at Downtown Disney Marketplace
Here's a preview of the holiday merriment in store beginning as early as mid-November: More Nights of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party -- Magic Kingdom has added four more nights for the park's annual celebration -- meaning there will be 18 evenings brimming with holiday magic: Nov. 13, 17, 27, 28, 30 and Dec. 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22. Beginning at 7 p.m. (after regular park hours), guests with tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party can enjoy a holiday celebration featuring festive live stage shows, the famous "Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade," Disney characters in their holiday best for meet-and-greets and the nighttime spectacular "Holiday Wishes--Celebrate the Spirit of the Season," a winter wonderland of dazzling fireworks set to classic holiday tunes. No holiday celebration would be complete without snow -- even in Florida, where the weather outside is hardly frightful. At Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party there is a 100 percent chance of flurries on Main Street, U.S.A each party night. And just in case the sight causes a chill: Complimentary hot cocoa and cookies are served. In addition to the holiday fun, guests can enjoy many of the most popular Magic Kingdom attractions. Admission to the party requires a separate ticket. Tickets are $45.95 plus tax for ages 10/up and $37.95 plus tax for ages 3-9 (but with advance purchase, guests can save $6 per ticket for select dates). Note: Many party nights have sold out in advance. To purchase tickets, guests can call 407/W-DISNEY or visit disneyworld.com.
Epcot Presents Holidays Around the World -- With one extra event date this year, Epcot World Showcase transforms into a splendor of international holiday traditions and storytelling beginning Nov. 24. Holiday icons who delight children around the globe -- such as France's Pre Nol and Italy's La Befana -- make special appearances in their respective countries, while Santa Claus himself pays visits to the American Adventure showcase. Guests see holiday traditions and legends as they are observed around the world, with Hanukah and Kwanzaa customs on display as well. At 6 p.m. nightly, Mickey Mouse and his friends host a giant tree-lighting ceremony, complete with music and storytelling, in World Showcase Plaza. A dazzling synchronized light show -- "The Lights of Winter" -- illuminates a canopy adorning the World Showcase breezeway bridge. The Epcot evening spectacular of lights, lasers and fireworks, "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth," completes the celebration with a magical holiday finale. As an added bonus, guests with a long holiday shopping list will discover one-of-a-kind gifts with international flair throughout World Showcase. The special holiday fun takes place daily, Nov. 24-Dec. 30, and is included with regular Epcot admission.
Sparkling Candlelight Processional at Epcot -- A highlight of Holidays Around the World, the traditional Candlelight Processional at Epcot treats guests to a grand musical performance featuring a mass choir and a full orchestra accompanied by a celebrity narrator who retells the beloved story of Christmas. Celebrity narrators scheduled to appear include (subject to change): - Nov. 24-26 - NEW! David Robinson (former NBA player, San Antonio Spurs)
- Nov. 27-29 - John O’Hurley (TV’s “Seinfeld” and "Dancing With The Stars")
- Nov. 30-Dec. 2 - Rita Moreno (“West Side Story”)
- Dec. 3-5 - Chita Rivera (Broadway’s “West Side Story”)
- Dec. 6-8 - Brian Dennehy (“Tommy Boy,” TV’s “The 4400”)
- Dec. 9-11 - Stephen Curtis Chapman (Christian music’s most-decorated artist)
- Dec. 12-14 - NEW! Maureen McGovern (Broadway singer and recording artist)
- Dec. 15-17 - NEW! Kirk Cameron (TV’s “Growing Pains”)
- Dec. 18-20 - Neil Patrick Harris (TV's "How I Met Your Mother")
- Dec. 21-23 - NEW! Cuba Gooding Jr. (“Jerry Maguire” and “A Few Good Men”)
- Dec. 24-26 - Gary Sinise (“Forrest Gump” and TV’s “CSI: NY”)
- Dec. 27-30 - Marlee Matlin (TV’s “The West Wing”)
Presentations of Candlelight Processional are daily, Nov. 24-Dec. 30, at 5, 6:45 and 8:15 p.m., and are included with regular Epcot admission. Candlelight Processional lunch and dinner packages, available for an additional charge, include preferred seating for a performance of Candlelight Processional as well as dinner at a select Epcot restaurant. To make reservations for these packages, guests can call 407/WDW-DINE.
Spectacle of Lights Transforms Disney-MGM Studios -- The Streets of America backlot area sparkles with millions of twinkling lights beginning Nov. 13 and continuing through Jan. 7, 2007, during The Osborne Family's Spectacle of Dancing Lights presented by Sylvania. This year, the spectacle has been enhanced to include choreographed “dancing” lights which swirl and soar to an exhilarating medley of holiday music every 15 minutes, thanks to electronic wizardry featuring more than 400 dimmers. Every building faade, all the trees, wreaths, bells and holiday figures dance to classic tunes among “Florida snow” flurries. Also bringing the Disney-MGM Studios backlot to life are three-dimensional and motion-based displays – some originally created at the Osborne home in Arkansas by businessman Jennings Osborne as a holiday display for the delight of his daughter. After the home exhibit grew larger and brighter over the years, the million-light display was transported to Disney-MGM Studios in 1995, where the spectacle continues to grow larger and brighter each year. Some of Osborne's original creations still sparkling brightly at the park today are a giant Mickey Mouse light, dozens of flying angels and Santa Claus light designs. The "Hollywood Holly-Day Parade," a festival of favorite Disney characters dressed in their dazzling holiday best, jingles down Hollywood Boulevard this holiday season as well.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Decked for the Holidays -- Jolly jingle will fill the jungle as Disney's Animal Kingdom is spiritedly transformed for the holiday season from Nov. 13 through Jan. 7, 2007. A luminous 65-foot tree sparkling at the park's entrance sets the stage as the holiday season goes on safari with "Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade" daily. At Camp Minnie-Mickey, guests can meet Disney characters dressed in their holiday best while carolers fill the air with renditions of favorite seasonal classics at Santa Goofy's Holiday Village. The ornamentally decorated village features Christmas and character trees, live entertainers and holiday photo opportunities. DinoLand U.S.A. also takes on a festive flair and Donald Duck decks the halls of Donald's Breakfastosaurus, the daily character breakfast experience presented at Restaurantosaurus. For more information or reservations, guests may call 407/WDW-DINE.
Downtown Disney Shopping Spectacular -- Downtown Disney, with unique gift opportunities of every kind, is a favorite spot for holiday shoppers who are treated to holiday-themed display windows, colorful light displays and photo opportunities with Santa Claus himself. World of Disney, located in Downtown Disney Marketplace, recently unveiled new interactive elements for young pirates and princesses as part of the store's shopping experience. Other popular Downtown Disney stores include Once Upon a Toy, Team Mickey sports shop, Virgin Megastore, LEGO Imagination Center and Disney's Days of Christmas holiday shop.
Ring in the New Year, Disney Style -- Walt Disney World Resort offers many options for celebrating the official kickoff of 2007 -- from ringing in the New Year at a special party at Downtown Disney Pleasure Island to getting festive in the parks. - Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney features music, street dance parties and a countdown to midnight during a New Year's Eve extravaganza that has become a Walt Disney World tradition. Partygoers for the special-ticket event must be 21 or older to participate. For more information or to order tickets, guests may call 407/W-DISNEY.
- Epcot celebrates the New Year "around the world" with DJs and evening dance parties located throughout World Showcase and lasting late into the evening, as well as a special presentation of the "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth" lights, lasers and fireworks display.
- Disney-MGM Studios celebrates New Year's Eve not only with multiple presentations of "Fantasmic!" a spectacular of Disney movies and music, but also with a special "Lights! Camera! Happy New Year!" fireworks spectacular, as well as a DJ dance party around the Sorcerer Hat Stage. Park guests have the opportunity to experience Disney-MGM Studios right up until the New Year officially gets underway at midnight.
- Magic Kingdom features special presentations of the "SpectroMagic" parade and multiple nighttime fireworks displays. "Holiday Wishes" lights up the sky early in the evening, and guests who make it to midnight can see "Fantasy in the Sky" fireworks, which begins just before the New Year kicks off.
For additional information about Walt Disney World Resort or to make reservations, guests can visit disneyworld.com. Reservations are also available by calling 407/W-DISNEY or through local travel agents.
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