Alright future wizards... Its time to grab your Hogwart's supply list and head over to Diagon Alley at Universal Studios!

Coming in 2014, Diagon Alley will build upon the wildly successful Wizarding World of Harry Potter- Hogsmeade at Universal's Islands of Adventure.  The two areas will be connected by Hogwart's Express-- a train allowing guests with Park-to-Park tickets to really immerse themselves in the Harry Potter experience.

The anchor attraction for Diagon Alley will be Gringotts Bank-- the bank of the wizarding world operated by goblins.  Clues from current concept art hint at the attraction being based on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," featuring a dragon chase through the bank's vast vault.

Keep an eye here for the latest information on Diagon Alley at Universal Studios and call us at 877-899-8912 to book your Universal Studios- Orlando vacation!

Treat your family to a free dining plan!

You can now receive a FREE Disney dining plan when you purchase a non-discounted Magic Your Way room and ticket package at select Walt Disney World® Resort hotels valid for arrival most nights September 2 - September 25, 2013.

Disney's FREE dining plan offer is a significant savings and a much anticipated discount!  Disney Visa Cardholders can book now and according to this site, this offer will become available to the general public on May 9th!

But that's not all! Disney has also released a room discounted offer as well!  Save up to 30% when you stay at a select Walt Disney World® Resort hotel for arrivals most nights August 15-September 28, 2013. 

Did you know that sometimes Disney's FREE dining plan offer is not the lowest rate!?!  You may actually save more money by booking the room discounted offer! Contact us now as we offer free discount monitoring to ensure you are receiving the lowest possible rate for your travel dates! Even after you have booked, we continually track your reservation to make sure you have the lowest rate for your travel dates (only one discount per reservation allowed).

Call us now at 877-899-8912 or visit us online for your free vacation quote!  Don't delay! Disney will offer a limited number of rooms with these discounts and they will fill quickly!

Well friends its now time to start planning for one of my favorite times of year at Walt Disney World-- Christmas season!

During the holidays each of the four major parks has some type of amazing holiday celebration and my personal favorite is Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party inside the Magic Kingdom.

Held select nights in November and December, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party offers cheer and enchantment for all ages and interests.

During the event you can see a special holiday lighting of Cinderella's Castle, watch Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Parade, see a special holiday version of the Wishes firework show, get down at the Totally Tomorrowland Christmas and much, much more!

And here are a few tips for your visit to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party:

• This is a Hard Ticketed event, meaning your regular park ticket won't get you in.  You will need to purchase a special ticket-- but book soon if you are looking for some of the busier nights.
• Believe it or not, Florida can get a bit chilling in November and December, so be sure to pack a jacket or sweater and take advantage of the hot chocolate included in the event!
• The event begins at 7pm, but your ticket can get you in as early as 4pm.  Get there right at 4, enjoy a few rides and then grab a quick bite to eat before the party begins.  I highly recommend Cosmic Rays Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland.
• As the sun goes down the castle lights up... Its an amazing sight to see so grab a seat near the partner statue for a great view.
• Wish you could experience snow? Well you will! Check it out on Main Street at various times throughout the evening.  Its an amazing sight to see!

Jenn Whitney, a Disney College of Knowledge Graduate, is a wife and mother of four children. Jenn first experienced Disney on her honeymoon and since then she has been hooked-- doing adult-only trips, large family gatherings and even traveling to Disney while seven months pregnant!  She specializes in providing best-in-class service to clients seeking vacations to Disney Destinations, cruises and the Caribbean.  Follow her on Twitter at @JennCMTravel and contact her at Jenn@WhiteGloveDestinations.com.

I highly recommend this fun party held on select nights at Magic Kingdom in September and October! Enjoy a night of family-friendly Halloween activities that include a special Halloween parade, themed fireworks, trick-or-treating, and costumed-wearing Disney characters plus you get to dress up too!

Magic Kingdom goes all out with these special parties.  The entire park is decorated for Halloween. You will find a "ghostly" decorated Main Street U.S.A and spooky music playing.  Not only is the park decked out with Halloween decorations but the attractions are open (well, most of the attractions), and there are scheduled activities like face-painting and special character meet-n-greets like The Wicked Queen from Snow White, Jafar from Aladdin, Maleficent  from Sleeping Beauty and Cruela DeVille from 101 Dalmatians.


In order to get the best experience out of this party, here are a few tips to help you along:

• The party starts at 7pm, but with your special event ticket ( and you don't need regular park admission to get into these parties) you can enter as early as 4pm! Take advantage of this time by riding some rides that will not be open during the party like Jungle Cruise. Then grab a bite to eat, maybe at Peco's Bill, before the trick-or-treating and Halloween activities begin.
• If you can, attend one of the parties that is further out from Halloween. The closer you get to Halloween, the busier these parties will be. I went last year in mid-September and I never waited to ride any rides plus I got a load of candy and enjoyed the Boo-to-You parade and fireworks!
• Try to take it easy the day of the party. Maybe go to Downtown Disney for some shopping or hang out by your resort pool. Trust me, your feet will thank you at midnight if you rested during the day.
• Candy, Candy, Candy! I found the best place and some of the best characters you will find during this party is in-between Toon Town and Space Mountain. There is a little trail tucked back there, take this trail and you will find several candy stops and several characters too!
• Talking about candy--don't wait in line if you don't have to. If you see the line for candy is long, just wait a bit, go ride a ride, grab a snack and then head back for the candy. The line will probably be shorter and you'll get more candy towards the end of the night as the castmembers tend to be more generous when the party is winding down.
• There will be 2 parades at this party. I suggest attending the later parade as the crowds will be thinning.  I sat at Sleepy Hollow snacks and enjoyed a delicious ice cream sandwich while watching the parade.
• Plan the day after the party to be a relaxing day as well. The party ends at midnight so by the time you get back to your resort and wind down from all that sugar it will be mighty late and you will want to sleep-in the next morning.  

Find Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party Dates and Pricing here

Interested in attending this fa-boo-lous party?! Contact Heidi today for pricing and to order your tickets. Click here or call now 281-380-3437!!

Heidi Marlowe is a Disney College of Knowledge Graduate and CLIA Accredited Cruise Counselor, but most importantly a wife and mother of two daughters.  She has been experiencing Disney vacations since her childhood and has taken her family on magical Disney vacations since her daughters were little princesses themselves.  Heidi specializes in providing best-in-class service to clients seeking vacations to Disney Destinations, cruises and Hawaii.  Follow her on Twitter at @Disney_Diva and contact her at Heidi@WhiteGloveDestinations.com.

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.

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.

Event Dates:
September: 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 27, 29
October: 3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 14, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 27, 29, 31
Nov 1

Ticket prices range from $54 to $73 and we do recommend pre-purchasing these tickets as some party dates will sell out and you will save money by pre-purchasing as well!

Interested in attending this fa-BOO-lous party?  Check out our party tips and tricks and contact us at 877-899-8912 for more information.

For the longest time, Italy was one of those countries that I always wanted to visit but never thought it would happen. It's one of those things that are on the "Someday…." list.  When my sister Debra, my friend Lisa, and I finally made the decision that we were going to go, the research immediately began. I definitely didn't want to tackle Italy on our own. Even though my sister had been there before, she agreed as well. So the search for a tour company was on.

As a Disney fan, Adventures by Disney® was at the top of my list. But this wasn't just my trip, so I didn't want to force it on the other two. So I made sure we looked at other tour companies like Perillo, Gate 1 Travel, etc, but we all agreed on Adventures by Disney®. We all liked the itinerary and felt that the service that we know, love and expect from Disney at the Parks and at the Resort Hotels would carry over to Adventures by Disney®. I'm happy to say we were not wrong.

The specific tour we did was called Viva Italia. This offered a visit to Rome, Florence, and Venice and lasted 9 days and 8 nights.

Once we arrived in Italy, we didn't have to lift a finger. They make sure your luggage gets to where it needs to be. They take care of all the transportation when going from one city to another. Gratuities for housekeeping, drivers, and dining room staff (for meals with the tour group) are included in the price of the tour as well. We had 3 children in our group and they were very well behaved (though adult only packages are available). If traveling with children, the guides have planned activities just for them, so they will not be bored. We had two Adventures by Disney® guides, Marco and Vincenzo, who answered any questions we had and went out of their way to make sure everyone was happy and having a great time.

There's also a great balance of scheduled time with the tour group and free time to wonder on your own which was something I really appreciated. The guides were there to offer up suggestions on where to go and what to do on your free time.

On this tour we got to visit historic locations in Rome like the Coliseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. When visiting these places, I felt like Adventures by Disney® had their own version of the Fastpass. We did not have to wait in any long lines.  

In Florence, we each had our own spacious villa to stay in and enjoyed a Pasta-Making class and a Wine Tasting, got to see Michelangelo’s "David" and do some shopping.

In Venice, we got to experience a gondola ride and make our own Venetian masks and stroll by the beautiful canals.

Regardless of which city we were in, there was one constant….the food! So delicious and fresh and don't get me started on the yummy gelato and other desserts.

This is the only Adventures by Disney® tour I've experienced, but I hope to do more in the future. Whether you're looking to plan a trip abroad or right here in the USA, Adventures by Disney® has a tour just right for you.

Trust me, you will not be disappointed. I've made friendships on this tour that still exist today. I was surprised how close we all got in such a short time. There was not a dry eye in the place on our final night. Some of us still keep in touch on Facebook and we all agree this was the best vacation ever!

Marc Acosta is a client of White Glove Destinations and a lifelong Disney fan who loves to spend his vacations making magical memories with family and friends.  Follow him on Twitter for lots of great insight about Disney Parks and vacation- @MarkyMarc70

Check out this great video of Marc's 

There are always amazing experiences that take place at Walt Disney World and with "Limited Time Magic" going on you never not what might happen on your family's vacation.

Well, we do know of one amazing experience happening on May 11th-- Merida, from Brave, will have her coronation as a Disney Princess take place at Cinderella's Castle inside the Magic Kingdom!  Merida will become the 11th princess to receive the official Disney Princess title!

The event will kick-off at 9:30am and will certainly feature other Disney Princesses and even a few stars are rumored to be coming.

And if you are a fan of Merida and the movie Brave check out the amazing Brave Adventure through Scotland offered by Adventures by Disney.

As the mother of three boys I have become a regular pilgrim to the annual Star Wars Weekend at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Now word is out that a special Star Wars experience will be planned for May the 4th, or "Star Wars Day" for those not indoctrinated into the fan culture!


This “Limited Time Magic” celebration features special Star Wars entertainment, characters, commemorative merchandise, a Star Wars dance party and a Star Wars-themed fireworks show to cap off the day.

This is another example of the amazing experiences Walt Disney World and Disneyland have in store for you this year through "Limited Time Magic".  So be sure to get over to Disney's Hollywood Studios and take in this one-of-a-king Star Wars experience you cannot find anywhere else!

Jenn Whitney, a Disney College of Knowledge Graduate, is a wife and mother of four children. Jenn first experienced Disney on her honeymoon and since then she has been hooked-- doing adult-only trips, large family gatherings and even traveling to Disney while seven months pregnant!  She specializes in providing best-in-class service to clients seeking vacations to Disney Destinations, cruises and the Caribbean.  Follow her on Twitter at @JennCMTravel and contact her at Jenn@WhiteGloveDestinations.com.

After weeks of rumor the facts have come out-- Disney Cruise Line will be re-imagining the Disney Magic into an amazing new experience on the high seas!  Guests can begin experiencing these new offerings this fall as the Disney Magic sets sail from Florida!

Check out the highlights!

Disney-Pixar and Marvel Characters Join the Fun

Disney’s Oceaneer Club, open to 3- to 12-year-old children, is a completely reimagined area that transports children to magical realms.

• Marvel’s Avengers Academy features fun new experiences with Marvel characters – the first time Super Hero icons from the Marvel Universe have been introduced on a Disney Cruise Line ship.
  
• Other new spaces include: Andy’s Room, Pixie Hollow and the Mickey Mouse Club.
  
• Disney’s Oceaneer Lab is a new pirate-themed area, for 3-to-12-year-old children. 
• For the youngest cruisers – ages 3 months to 3 years – there’s a new It’s a Small World Nursery.
  

New Water Play Areas

Everybody's favorite monster, Mike Wazowski, just made an amazing announcement... Beginning 6am on May 24th, Magic Kingdom, Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure will be open for 24 hours!

That's right friends... 24 hours of fun at THREE parks!

Check out the amazing announcement below... And be sure to contact us to book your Memorial Day weekend trip to Walt Disney World (which can include Star Wars Weekend) and Disneyland Resort.