Adventures by Disney Announces 2024 River Cruise Itineraries

Posted on January 11, 2023January 11, 2023 by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Adventures by Disney is pleased to announce its return to three of Europe’s most iconic rivers for the 2024 travel season. With 22 river cruise departures planned, Adventures by Disney guests will once again experience the unparalleled beauty of European landscapes and vibrant culture with sailings on the Rhine River, the Danube River and the Seine River. Each itinerary will offer Disney’s signature storytelling with the convenience of hassle-free travel and attention to detail provided by a team of Disney-trained Adventure Guides.

Headlining the 2024 lineup is the new “Danube River Cruise: Magical Holidays,” departure which marks the first time the guided group travel company will offer a themed river cruise voyage during the New Year’s holiday. Guests will sail on the Danube River in a beautifully designed river cruise ship, ring in the new year with a celebration and champagne toast and explore famous and picturesque sites and landmarks across Germany, Austria and Hungary.

Bookings for 2024 River Cruises open to the public on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, with early booking available for the following travelers:

Jan. 17, 2023 – Adventure Insiders with 3+ previous Adventures
Jan. 18, 2023 – All Adventure Insiders
Jan. 19, 2023 – Disney Vacation Club Members, Disney Cruise Line Gold & Platinum Castaway Members, Golden Oak Residents
Jan. 20, 2023 – Bookings open for general public

Travelers interested in booking a 2024 River Cruise can take advantage of Adventure by Disney’s early booking offer when they book before April 18, 2023, with savings up to $750 per person on select departures. Click here for more details on the early booking offer.

Additionally, travelers on all 2024 River Cruise departures can also save 50% per person on the nonrefundable deposit required at booking when they book before April 18, 2023. Click here for more detail on the reduced deposit offer.

New in 2024: New Magical Holidays-Themed Departure, Plus Favorite Seasonal Sailings Return

In late December 2024, Adventures by Disney will invite guests to ring in the new year with an adventure like none other as they set sail on the “Danube River Cruise: Magical Holidays” departure. Guests will board the ship in Munich and be greeted with an authentic German welcome, including oompah music. The ship will transport guests to Austria where they will enjoy privately guided tours in Mondsee with views of the Austrian Alps, a visit to the Benedictine Abbey in Melk, and more. Following the Christmas holiday, the city of Schonbrunn will transform its traditional Christmas market into a special New Year’s market where guests will experience the beauty and splendor of a European winter. The voyage continues with onboard and in-town activities, plus ice skating in Vienna before sailing to Hungary for enriching tours, carriage rides and making and eating goulash. Throughout the trip, special Disney magical moments are enjoyed along the way.

Returning favorites join the 2024 lineup, including the seasonal Oktoberfest and Christmas Markets river cruises — and the popular Food and Wine sailings feature delectable meals, desserts and beverages local to the region.

River Cruising with Disney: Sight-Seeing from the River and Up-Close on Land

Guests become part of the story on an Adventures by Disney river cruise, and itineraries are designed for everyone in the family. The masterful narratives, knowledge of the places visited and the culture and history are brought to life by the Adventure Guides. Through these experiences, families discover real world magic in a way only Disney can do. They include:

Dashing through the Black Forest on an Alpine toboggan ride (Rhine River Cruise).

Admiring the Notre-Dame Cathedral and imagining life nearly 900 years ago when its construction first began (Seine River Cruise).
Exploring the historic Schonbrunn Palace and its immaculate terrace garden named The Orangery (Danube River Cruise).
Dreaming of ballrooms and glass slippers while marveling at picturesque castles along the Rhine Gorge (Rhine River Cruise).
Gazing at the nighttime skyline view of the Eiffel Tower in the City of Light (Seine River Cruise).
Twirling on a hilltop and visiting the beautiful Mirabell Gardens (Danube River Cruise).
Honoring history by visiting the Normandy beaches, including Omaha Beach, the American cemetery and Les Braves Memorial (Seine River Cruise).

Not only will the sights from aboard the ship or walks through towns and villages take center stage, scenery is also explored up-close through optional bicycle excursions. Pedaling through the provincial towns in France, touring the quaint town of Rudesheim, Germany and surrounding wine country, or biking to the Klosterneuburg Abbey or along the Danube River in Vienna further enhances the travel experience.

River Cruising with Disney: A Taste of the Destination

On every adventure, guests are invited to tap into all the senses, including taking part in hands-on culinary activities for a true flavor of the destination. In Vienna, Austria, a traditional apple strudel tasting transforms into a cooking demonstration and baking lesson. At the Chocolate Museum in Cologne, Germany, chocolate sampling becomes a create-your-own chocolate bar activity. In Strasbourg, France, macaron cookie ingredients magically transform into fine delicacies as guests become baking experts.

River Cruising with Disney: Unpack Once and Explore Europe in Style

With Adventures by Disney, guests sail on elegant ships offering stunning views and world-class service, all in collaboration with AmaWaterways. With the added convenience of knowing their “hotel” travels with them, guests unpack only once. Staterooms are artfully designed with luxury and comfort in mind, the expansive windows provide optimal viewing and internet access and in-room entertainment are available for families to enjoy. Most meals are provided, as locally sourced cuisine and wine are served onboard. Itineraries are planned to balance adventures and excursions with wellness activities and relaxation, and special activities are planned just for kids, aka “Junior Adventurers.”

TRON Lightcycle Run Opens April 4 at Magic Kingdom Park

Posted on January 11, 2023January 11, 2023 by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Magic Kingdom

TRON Lightcycle / Run presented by Enterprise officially opens April 4 at Magic Kingdom Park!

The story of TRON Lightcycle / Run picks up after “TRON: Legacy” where Kevin’s son, Sam Flynn, has opened a second gateway into a digital world called the Grid. The first portal was built at Shanghai Disneyland with the original TRON Lightcycle Power Run.

When guests enter the queue at Magic Kingdom, they’ll feel as if they’ve been digitized and transported to the Grid for a special Lightcycle race. It’s your Team Blue against the Grid’s menacing Programs, Team Orange. Your goal is to be the first to race through eight Energy Gates and secure victory. The attraction will be one of the fastest coasters at any Disney theme park in the world.

Before the attraction officially opens, cast members will be the first to enter the Grid during special previews. And we heard preview opportunities are coming for guests too, including Annual Passholders and eligible Disney Vacation Club Members.

See you in the Grid.

Family Loses $7K After Airline Cancels Flight to Disney

Posted on January 10, 2023January 10, 2023 by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Uncategorized

Jade Rodriguez and her family were all packed to go on their ultimate Japanese vacation. Her son had asked for the trip for his 21st birthday, and it included time at one of Disney’s top Resorts, Tokyo Disneyland. The family planned out their “surreal” vacation, ready to take Japan by storm and have the best time. Unfortunately, when it came to booking their dream trip, they decided to fly with Southwest Airlines.

Now, they are out more than $7,000 and looking for some answers.

Rodriguez spoke to Business Insider and said that when they arrived at the airport in Tuscon, Arizona, their flight didn’t have a crew, but they were still told that they should check their luggage.

“It was just a lot of miscommunication. One attendant was saying, ‘We’re not getting to LAX,’ another was saying to check in our bags,” Rodriguez said. “It was utter confusion.”

After all the conflicting information, Southwest finally canceled the flight altogether about seven hours before their American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo was scheduled to take off.

The drive from Tuscon to Los Angeles is about seven and a half hours, so if the family had been informed of the cancellation earlier, they would have made the long drive in order to make their connecting flight. They tried to book another flight that would get them to Tokyo from Tuscon, but Rodriguez said that the family was unable to make it work.

The big problem was that Southwest could not get them on another flight for nearly a week. And even then, they would be traveling for more than 20 hours and most of their trip would be nearly half over by the time they finally made it to Japan and the Disney Park.

Now, the family is struggling with more conflicting information as they try to get as much of their money refunded as possible. Sadly, it is unlikely they will get much from Tokyo Disney, as they don’t typically issue refunds for their theme parks. Per Business Insider:

Now they are trying to get as much of the trip refunded as they can, including from Southwest, American Airlines, the hotel in Japan, and Tokyo Disney — where they had already purchased tickets — among other expenses.

Rodriguez said they have received conflicting information from Southwest, with one email saying they would be getting a full refund, and another saying they’d only be getting flight credits to be used in the future.

They are still hoping to reschedule a trip for next year, depending on how much they can get refunded or rescheduled, but are unsure when they will be able to make a trip work for the whole family.

Sadly, the Rodriguez family was not the only one affected by Southwest’s massive failure. Many airlines experienced cancellations over the holidays because of storm systems throughout the country, but none of them were as big of a mess as Southwest. Southwest canceled more than 60% of its flights and, of the flights that weren’t canceled, more than 80% of those were delayed.

Southwest is currently working with thousands of travelers to refund the money they had to spend to get where Southwest could not take them.

Disney Debunks Closure Rumors

Posted on January 10, 2023January 10, 2023 by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks

As Disney fans prepare for the permanent closure of the beloved Splash Mountain water ride at Magic Kingdom Park, the fear of another Disney water ride being permanently closed caused rumors to form among the Disney fandom. Have no fear! Disney has set the record straight.

Not only is Splash Mountain preparing to close forever on January 23, 2023, to make way for the retheme of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, but several other attractions and experiences have landed on the refurbishment list for January and February 2023.

Currently, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been unexpectedly listed as “temporarily unavailable” for multiple days. We’re also preparing for the refurbishment closure of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom Park and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Even the Disney Skyliner will be closed temporarily for refurbishment soon.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park has been the center of attention in the news recently as a popular water ride, Kali River Rapids, prepares to undergo refurbishment. Listed on the refurbishment calendar beginning January 9, 2023, the lengthy, indefinite closure has created rumors predicting the attraction’s permanent closure.

But have no fear, Walt Disney World Resort fans! Disney has debunked any rumors of the attraction permanently closing.

According to a recent report, Disney has confirmed that Kali River Rapids WILL REOPEN in the month of March 2023. Currently, Disney has yet to release a specific reopening date, but we’re still thrilled to hear of its “March” reopening timeframe.

Spring 2023 will be a great time to visit Walt Disney World Resort! TRON Lightcylce / Run roller coaster at Magic Kingdom Park is scheduled to open in the Spring. Disney has also revealed several Resort Hotel discounts and a dining promotion for the late Spring into early Summer. Now, we know we can count on the return of Kali River Rapids this Spring as well!

James Cameron Calls Partnership With Disney “An Arranged Marriage”

Posted on January 10, 2023January 10, 2023 by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Director James Cameron recently opened up.candidly about what he calls an “arranged marriage” with Disney. The ‘Avatar’ Director has been daunted in the past, no one expected ‘Titanic, to be a success and it ended up becoming the highest grossing ever, (you’re welcome, Mr. Cameron. As a 7th grade girl full of …whatever 7th grade girls are full of…I saw it in theaters 8 times). The film held that title for over a decade. Then along came Avatar and smashed ‘Titanic’s’ record in 2009. ‘Avatar’, of course, is another James Cameron masterpiece. It holds that title to this day, but he’s hoping (with Disney’s help) to unseat that achievement and blow past it with ‘Avatar: The Way of Water‘.

Cameron made ‘Avatar’ for Fox in 2009. Before the sequel was filmed, Disney had bought Fox which put the director directly in the hands of the Mouse. How did he feel about that? Positive…for the most part.

“We sort of were led to believe that the ‘Avatar’ overall was one of the jewels in the crown of what Disney was acquiring, so we expected them to be leaning forward and wanting to see what we were all about,” says Cameron. “They were excited by the potential of the new films, especially as it was planned out to be a series of films, a saga over time played out in four movies.”

Cameron excitedly went to work with Disney. In a recent interview he said, “They knew exactly what they were buying on paper, but they didn’t really know us as a production company, and they didn’t really have the really granular ins and outs of how an ‘Avatar’ movie gets made.” So he invited Disney executives on set and was transparent with them about everything that was happening. They developed a good working relationship.

Then Bob Iger left the company and the director was subject to the creative direction (or lack thereof) of Bob Chapek. “Of course, we were always curious about what the new emphasis would be, and whether we’d get caught in the vortex of Disney+ and talking about shortening windows and all that sort of thing,” he said referring to the extremely short length of time Disney has allowed movies to run exclusively in theaters before sending them to Disney+. This, in Cameron’s eyes, would’ve been disastrous for the film because due to budget overruns, the film needs repeat theatrical views to be a success.

Luckily, by the time ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ debuted, Iger was back on top. “I don’t want to overplay it, but [Iger and I] always sort of saw eye to eye, so we’re definitely pretty happy with the way things are working out right now,” he states. “For an arranged marriage, I would say it has gone about as well as you could conceivably ask for.”

The film is currently smashing records but not yet where it needs to be. The film currently has grossed $1.5 billion worldwide, which is no small chunk of change but considering the fact that it had a $2 billion budget, it’s still got a long way to go. You can see ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ in theaters now.