Global Sales Leader Claire Bilby Named to Top Disney Vacation Club Role

Disney Vacation Club is pleased to welcome seasoned Disney leader Claire Bilby as its new Senior Vice President, with responsibility for all aspects of the business.

Claire succeeds Jim Lewis, who left the company after serving as its president since 2006.

Just in from DVC on Jim Lewis's replacement

Claire has a distinguished history with Disney, starting in marketing at Walt Disney World Resort in 1988 and taking increasing levels of executive responsibility with the company in Florida, California and around the globe.

She recently served as Senior Vice President of Distribution Marketing and Asia Pacific Sales for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Among her responsibilities were leading all sales channel marketing for Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, Disney Cruise Line, Walt Disney Travel Company, Adventures by Disney and Disney Institute. She also served as the top sales leader for Disney Destinations' Asia Pacific Region, with responsibilities for Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney's regional sales office in Tokyo and sales offices in Australia and China. Most recently, Claire led the sales organization at Disneyland Resort Paris on a temporary assignment.

"Claire brings to Disney Vacation Club an impressive track record in global sales, as well as an inspirational leadership style and innovative thinking," said Karl L. Holz, President of New Vacation Operations and Disney Cruise Line, and whose responsibilities include Disney Vacation Club.

Claire's many accomplishments include helping to launch several Disney theme parks and serving as a key leader in the milestone 50th anniversary celebration for Disneyland Resort.

Disney Profits Not Too Bad!!

Disney says it's net income for the 3rd quarter has risen to $1.48 billion, that's 77 cents per share. This is up from $1.33 billion or 67 cents a share, a year ago.

Disney's theme park operations revenue increased 12 percent in the quarter to $3.2 billion. Disney said the boost was because of increased spending and higher attendance at domestic theme parks. Attendance was just slightly up, but guests are spending more money on rooms, theme park attendance, food and merchandise. It has been Disney's strategy over the past year to scale down discounts.

Helping Hand

Enchated Tiki Room - Re-opens Soon

Following the fire at the former "The Enchanted Tiki Room - Under New Management," in the Magic Kingdom theme park, Disney announced that they would close the attraction and just re-do it, by making it a real classic, once again.

"Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room" will re-open on 15th August 2011.
Even better, the revamped show will be the same that is currently showed at Disneyland park in California. This is the original show, that Walt Disney himself knew and loved

Disney Art of Animation Resort

The new Disney Art of Animation resort had a topping out ceremony yesterday.
Disney commemorated the ceremony by placing an evergreen tree at the top of the building for good luck. Disney said its a Viking tradition. The building, though, will be a wing themed after "The Lion King."

The Art of Animation Resort will feature family suites and regular rooms in buildings themed after for Disney films: "The Lion King","The Little Mermaid","Finding Nemo" and "Cars."

The 1,120 family suites will open in May of 2012 and start at $248 per night. The 864 regular rooms will be available the following July and start at $94 per night.

June Disney Tip Free things to do!

Sorry guys for not posting more tips in the last few months, anyway I hope to make up for it by posting a couple of extra tips this month, so if you know of any more tips please feel free to get in touch.

June's Tip
Magic Kingdom

Flag RFlag retreat - Main Street, U.S.A.

At about 5:10 pm each evening, a color guard marches to Town Square, while patriotic music plays.

They take down the American flag from the flagpole, then release a flock of white homing pigeons, symbolic of the dove of peace. The birds fly back to their home, which is behind Cinderella's castle.

Main Street Actors - Main Street, U.S.A.

Appearing throughout the day at 20 minute intervals, including: Mayor Weaver, Town Gossip Tabitha Quidnunk, Reporter Scoop Sanderson, and Socialite Hildegard Olivia Harding.

Grand Marshall of the Parade

You and your group could be chosen after entering the Magic Kingdom to be the Grand Marshall's.

If you are chosen, you will get to ride in the car that precedes the parade.

They will announce your names and home town(s).

You will be given Mickey Mouse ears to wear, and will wave at everyone lined up for the parade.

Someone has to be chosen any reason it can't be you :)

EPCOT
Fountain of Nations - See a water ballet every 15 minutes at this large fountain in Innoventions Plaza. The water sprays in time to music, and colorful lights play over the water sprays, making this a delightful show

Walt Disney World Ticket Price increase AGAIN

Walt Disney World has announced that ticket prices will increase on Sunday, June 12, anywhere from 1.9 percent up to 11.1 percent. A one day ticket price will increase from $82 to $85, which amounts to a 3.7 percent increase. The long-term tickets will have a much steeper increase; a 10-day pass will raise 11.1 percent from $272 to $291. This is the 2nd increase in under a year, the last increase was around August last year A list of the ticket prices is below:

2 Day ticket child(3-9) $155, adult(10+) $168
3 Day ticket child(3-9) $214, adult(10+) $232
4 Day ticket child(3-9) $224, adult(10+) $243
5 Day ticket child(3-9) $232, adult(10+) $251
6 Day ticket child(3-9) $240, adult(10+) $259
7 Day ticket child(3-9) $248, adult(10+) $267
8 Day ticket child(3-9) $256, adult(10+) $275
9 Day ticket child(3-9) $264, adult(10+) $283
10 Day ticket child(3-9) $272, adult(10+) $291

Annual passes
child(3-9) $478, adult(10+) $519
Premium Annual Pass
child(3-9) $598, adult(10+) $649

Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach
1 Day ticket child(3-9) $41, adult(10+) $49
Annual Hopper child(3-9) $80.50, adult(10+) $99.95

DisneyQuest
1 Day ticket child(3-9) $37, adult(10+) $43
Annual Pass child(3-9) $71, adult(10+) $89
+Water Parks Annual Pass child(3-9) $99, adult(10+) $129

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
child(3-9) $9.34, adult(10+) $13.55

Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba
child(3-9) $57-$99, adult(10+) $71-$124

Star Wars

Star Wars Weekends 2011 will be held at Disney's Hollywood Studios every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 20-June 12. In addition to the launch of a new star tours experience, there will be special Star Wars parades, trivia challenges, Jedi Training, limited-edition merchandise and memorabilia, behind-the-scenes presentations, and star conversations.

Celebrity Hosts for the event this year are James Arnold Taylor (voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Ashley Eckstein (voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars). Ashley will host "Clone Wars: Behind the Force," a closer look inside the popular animated TV series. James will present another event-first: he will star in a one-man show that showcases some of the many voices he has performed throughout his career, including those from The Clone Wars.

Celebrity lineup:

MAY 20-22

• Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
• Daniel Logan (Young Boba Fett)
• The Clone Wars Special Guest: Dave Filoni (Supervising Director)

MAY 27-29

• Anthony Daniels (C-3PO)
• Bruce Spence (Tion Medon)
• The Clone Wars Voice Talent Guest: Dee Bradley Baker (Captain Rex)

JUNE 3-5

• Ray Park (Darth Maul)
• Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett)
• The Clone Wars Voice Talent Guest: Matt Lanter (Anakin)

JUNE 10-12

• Ray Park (Darth Maul)
• Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)
• The Clone Wars Voice Talent Guest: Tom Kane (Yoda)

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2011

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is a special event held each winter on select nights at Magic Kingdom theme park. Purchase of an additional event admission ticket is required to attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. This festive celebration is filled with live entertainment, spectacular fireworks and an oh-so-jolly holiday parade.

Celebrate the magic of the season in the holiday wonderland of Magic Kingdom theme park. Gather with loved ones for a festive sight- and sound-filled special event that is sure to make you merry!

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party features:

• The enchanted Castle Dream Lights on Cinderella Castle
• Mickey's Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, complete with a special appearance by Santa Claus himself
• An exclusive holiday fireworks extravaganza — Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season
• Live entertainment featuring Disney Characters
• Meet and greet opportunities throughout Magic Kingdom theme park with some of your favorite Disney Characters
• Complimentary cookies and hot cocoa
• A magical snow fall on Main Street, U.S.A.
• Many of the most popular Magic Kingdom attractions

DATES

November: 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 27, 29, 30, 2011

December: 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 2011

PRICES
Advance purchase price:

• Adults 10 and Up- $60.66
• Children 3-9 $55.33
  
  

Purchased day of event:

• Adults 10 and Up- $67.05
• Children 3-9 $61.72

Discounted tickets for Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members:

• Adults 10 and Up- $56.40
• Children 3-9 $51.07

*Prices include tax

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2011

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is a Halloween-themed special event held on select dates in Magic Kingdom theme park. Purchase of an additional event admission ticket is required to attend Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

The event is held on select nights September - October 2011. Check back this summer for more information.

During Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Guests of all ages are encouraged to dress up in their favorite Halloween costumes. Even better, you can collect delicious candy as you trick-or-treat around Magic Kingdom theme park.

In addition to many favorite Disney attractions, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is filled with special entertainment, including:

• Mickey's "Boo-to-You" Halloween Parade—including Disney Characters and the stars of the Haunted Mansion attraction. The parade begins with a spook-tacular ride by the Headless Horseman.
• Happy HalloWishes—a spectacular fireworks show where the Disney Villains go trick-or-treating in the sky.
• Many favorite Disney Characters and Disney Villains in special Halloween costumes.
• Special lighting, music and theming effects transforms special areas of Magic Kingdom theme park into happy haunted hollows.

The tone of the event is, well, "Not-So-Scary", and is appropriate for children of all ages.

Dates / Times:

September: 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30, 2011
October: 2, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 31, 2011
November: 1 2011
Hours: 7:00 pm – midnight, Parade at 8:15 pm and 10:30 pm, Fireworks at 9:30

General Pricing

• October 28 and 31, 2011
  Adults: $67.95 plus tax - ages 10 and up
  Child: $62.95 plus tax - ages 3 - 9
  
  
• September Dates - Advance Purchase
  Adults: $53.95 plus tax - ages 10 and up
  Child: $47.95 plus tax - ages 3 - 9
  
  
• October (Advance Purchase): 2, 6, 10, 11, 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 27
  November (Advance Purchase): 1
  Adults: $56.95 plus tax - ages 10 and up
  Child: $51.95 plus tax - ages 3 - 9
  *Excludes October 28 & 31
  
  
• September Dates - Same Day Purchase
  Adults: $59.95 plus tax - ages 10 and up
  Child: $53.95 plus tax - ages 3 - 9
  *Pricing based on availability
  
  
• October and November Dates* (Same Day Purchase)**
  Adults: $62.95 plus tax - ages 10 and up
  Child: $57.95 plus tax - ages 3 - 9

*Excludes October 28 & 31

**Pricing based on availability

Passholder and DVC Discounted Pricing

• September Dates
  Adults: $49.95 plus tax - ages 10 and up
  Child: $43.95 plus tax - ages 3 - 9
  
  
• October: 2, 6, 10, 11, 16, 18, 20, 23, 25
  Adults: $52.95 plus tax - ages 10 and up
  Child: $47.95 plus tax - ages 3 - 9

Disney's Hitchhiking Ghosts

Disney unveiled the newest addition to the Haunted Mansion attraction at Magic Kingdom in Orlando.

The Hitchhiking Ghosts that use to climb into the doombuggies with guests at the end of the ride were removed whilst renovations took place.

The Ghosts are now back and they are better than before, with new technological advances, Disney’s Imagineers have created more lifelike and fun ghosts than ever before seen in the ride. The ghosts no longer just sit next to you as they previously did. Now you will find the ghosts playing tricks like swapping heads and faces with guests.

Changes to Marathon at Disney

The 2012 Disney World Marathon weekend will have some changes from previous years.

Disney World is celebrating it's 15th anniversary of the Half Marathon and will be creating a special anniversary edition of it's Donald Duck finisher medal.

Another change is the addition of a relay option where each team member will run 13.1 miles, first starting at EPCOT and the second at the Magic Kingdom. There will be a special finisher medal depicting Chip and Dale.

Registration for Disney marathon weekend in Orlando is now open. Disney Marathon weekend runs 6-8 Jan, 2012.

Disney recall watches

Disney along with the U.S. Consumer Safety Commission has announced the recall of approximately 12,000 Children’s Light-up Watches which have been sold at the The Magic of Disney Shop located at Orlando International Airport along with Walt Disney World Resort and Parks retail locations.

There have been six reports of the watch battery interacting with the nickel in the watch’s stainless steel back. This can cause skin irritation and/or burning sensations to children who are allergic to nickel. The products involved in the recall are Buzz Lightyear, Tinker Bell and Lightning McQueen brand light-up watches. All have a light up function that enables a child to press a button to illuminate lights on the dial of the watch.

Splash mountain gets Lap bars

isney's Magic Kingdom log flume ride, Splash Mountain re-opened on tuesday after several weeks of renovation.

Apart from Disney's general re-painting work one of the main differences that guests will notice is that the Splash Mountain logs have now been fitted with Lap Bars.

"From time to time, we have had guests attempt to prematurely exit the ride vehicle. It is our hope that the new lap bars will prevent this from happening in the future," said Walt Disney World spokesman.

Disney Star Wars Weekend

Disney has confirmed the dates for the Star Wars weekends to be held at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Disney's Star Wars Weekends is an annual special event at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park that celebrates the legendary Star Wars Saga and the animated television series, The Clone Wars.

Weekend 1 : 20-22 May
Weekend 2 : 27-29 May
Weekend 3 : 03-05 June
Weekend 4 : 10-12 June

More Info can be found on the Disney website here

Member-exclusive Vinylmation™ available

Vinylmation, the collectibles phenomenon that morphs 3- and 9-inch vinyl Mickey Mouse figurines into a vibrant array of tributes to everything from Disney animation and Theme Park characters to envelope-pushing urban artwork, has introduced a Disney Vacation Club® Member-exclusive design.

The new 3-inch figurine, pictured above, is inspired by the Disney Vacation Club logo and comes packaged in a similarly inspired Member tin. It's available for $12.95 plus tax while supplies last at D-Street stores, located in the Downtown Disney® areas of both the Disneyland® Resort in California and Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida, as well as at merchandise shops at Disney Vacation Club Resorts.

As this is a Member exclusive, you won't find it on the store shelves. Simply present your Disney Vacation Club Member ID card at the counter and ask the Cast Member to kindly retrieve the little guy from his hiding place.

DVC Annouce Change for Resale Purchases

New Policy Announced for Re-sale Purchases

Disney Vacation Club® has announced a new policy that limits access to certain Member Getaways exchanges for Ownership Interests purchased on the secondary market (also known as the re-sale market).

Under the new policy, Members who purchase from anyone other than Disney Vacation Development, Inc., on or after March 21, 2011, will not be eligible to use those Vacation Points to make reservations within the Concierge Collection, the Disney Collection or the Adventurer Collection. Those Vacation Points will instead be valid only for reservations at Disney Vacation Club resorts, as well as for RCI® exchanges, Club Cordial and Club Intrawest.

The affected collections are special Member benefits programs offered by Disney Vacation Development, Inc., and are not part of Members' Ownership Interests. That said, Members who purchased on the secondary market prior to March 21, 2011, may use those Vacation Points for all Member Getaways.

Note that the policy doesn't impact banking, borrowing or transferring Vacation Points. All Members will continue to have the ability make such transactions, regardless of where they purchased their Ownership Interests.


Thoughts on the Changes? leave a comment and let us know

By Popular Demand - D23 Has Extended Their DVC Member Discount!

D23, the official Disney fan club, is offering Disney Vacation Club® Members a 10 percent discount off the purchase of new Gold and Silver D23 Memberships!

Named in honor of the company's birth year and created to give fans an inside look at all things Disney, D23 peels back the curtain on everything from Disney Theme Parks to Disney film, television and stage productions to the legendary Walt Disney Archives. In addition, Gold Members receive the quarterly Disney twenty-three magazine — plus a special gift with each magazine! Stay in the loop through a feature-filled website, attend a variety of special events and, perhaps most importantly, meet new friends who share their affection for Disney. As an added bonus, fans who join D23 in 2010 receive "Disney Undiscovered: A 23-Month Calendar of Disney's Unrealized Masterpieces," featuring rare and unreleased images from never-completed Disney film and Theme Park projects.

Make every day a Disney day with D23! To become a D23 Member, visit www.disney.com/d23, click "join D23" and be sure to enter promotional code D23DVC at checkout to receive your discount.

Point Inside - One of the best Apps on the Ipad,Ipod & Android

looking for a map of the airport? or the next Mall you will be visiting? Then point inside could be just up your street or mall!

The FREE iPhone, iPad, iPod & Android App provides indoor smart maps of hundreds of malls & airports around the world. It allows users to instantly locate 250,000+ stores, guest services & more.

I know we will be using this app to guide us around the Malls when we next visit Orlando.

Simply download the maps you will need before you leave and no internet connection is required.

Check it out here at the website:

http://pointinside.com/#view=Home

Or in the Appstore.

Let's us know your thoughts on the app and if you find any malls you want added just let the developers know.

THEDIBB.CO.UK

This is one of the best forum's on the net for Disney planning information and a great source for all things Orlando.

THEDIBB.CO.UK

Take 5 minutes to visit them today

January's Free Disney Tip

Hi guys 2010 was a light year for posts ...But I hope to get back to posting more in 2011.

To get started I though a good idea would be to post a tip a month about something that can be done while visiting Walt Disney World that doesn't cost anything or as near to nothing as possible.

Anything here is the first of many:

MAGIC KINGDOM

Main Street Bakery

Note the old fashioned phone on the wall. Pick it up and listen carefully to the conversation.

So this is the 1st tiny tip but keep coming back and after a while you will have lots of good idea's that I hope will add to your time in the parks

Let me know your thoughts on this please

Disney Magic Kingdom Fantasyland Expansion

confirmed to to include Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Princess Fairytale Hall, The Great Goofini.

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction will feature animated figures from the film, guests will have an exciting ride as their ride vehicles will swing as they travel by.

Snow White’s Scary Adventures will close and be replaced by Princess Fairytale Hall which will be home to Aurora, Cinderella, Rapunzel and lots of other Disney Princesses.

In Toontown the current Barnstormer roller coaster will be staying but will receive a new look and be re-named The Great Goofini.

The new Storybook Circus will be home to two new circling carousels of Dumbo the Flying Elephant.