The days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve and Day are often uneventful, especially when compared to the exciting, high-energy days leading up to December 25. Thousands upon thousands of Disney fans often try to curb their boredom by visiting the Walt Disney World Resort during that time, and such a visit makes for some truly amazing holiday memories.
But regardless of the date on the calendar, life and time march on, and interesting–and sometimes alarming, unexpected–things are often just a moment away, even at Disney World. Such was the case on Wednesday morning when Guests of Disney’s Contemporary Resort began reporting on social media about a major evacuation taking place at the Resort Hotel.
Twitter user @LostBrosTweets was trying to enjoy breakfast at the Contemporary when he heard about the evacuation. In the short clip he included with his tweet, alarms can be heard in the background. He tweeted, “BRB, the entire main building of the Contemporary Resort is getting evac’d [right now].”
Carla Lemieux (@travelingmom92) was also there to witness some of the action leading to the evacuation of the Contemporary. She tweeted, “Contemporary Resort currently being evacuated into the parking lot, including employees. Fire trucks present, and alarms going off for about 30 min.”
Disney describes the Contemporary Resort Hotel as a deluxe Resort and invites Guests to “retreat to this ultra-modern Disney Resort hotel and discover award-winning dining, spectacular views, and dazzling pools. Whether you’re staying in the iconic A-frame Contemporary tower or the nearby Garden Wing, you can walk to Magic Kingdom’s main gate or catch the Resort Monorail as it breezes through the tower. Inside, a 90-foot-tall mural by Disney Legend Mary Blair—responsible for the distinct look and feel of the “it’s a small world” attraction—celebrates the Grand Canyon and the American Southwest.”
Earlier this year, it was announced that the Pirates of the Caribbean-themed rooms at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort were being discontinued, and the rooms would be redesigned. The rooms fit in well with the laid-back tropical theme of the hotel, and the small details made the rooms truly immersive, but the rooms were not as popular as Disney had hoped — due to their higher price and their distance from the food and merchandise areas of Caribbean Beach.
Now we are getting a first look at the new rooms, and they don’t take Guests onboard a pirate ship. Instead, they take them under the sea! That’s right, the new rooms are themed after the hit Disney film The Little Mermaid.
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort recently added some fin-tastic touches to guest rooms in the Trinidad area of the resort, and cast members were excited to be the first to “sea” them! These new 5th sleeper rooms accommodate more guests and feature special touches inspired by the timeless story “The Little Mermaid.” They are among the newest of the ongoing enhancements happening at our Resort hotels all around Walt Disney World! #DisneyCastLife 🦀 🌊 🌴
Haven’t stayed at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort before? Here’s more on the laid-back tropical paradise that transports you right to the islands, while being close to both EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Discover a world where life slows to a leisurely pace and worries melt away amidst Calypso rhythms. Awash with vibrant colors and lush landscapes, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort transports Guests to a relaxing paradise that captures the essence of 5 distinct islands: Barbados, Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad and Aruba. Celebrate the spirit of the Caribbean with blissful sights and fun-filled activities—including colonial forts, lively markets, pristine beaches, splashy florals and swaying hammocks—sure to awaken the imagination
At this time, we do not know when the new Little Mermaid rooms will be available for booking. The Walt Disney World Resort website allows bookings up through May 18, 2023, and the site has not updated the rooms, so it still says that the Pirate Rooms are unavailable.
Disney Dining will keep an eye out and let readers know when the Little Mermaid rooms open up for Guests.
Walt Disney World Resort’s newest hotel has been met with mixed reviews. Even though Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser only just opened in the Spring of 2022, it seems like Disney has decided to start throwing out discounts to draw in Resort Guests.
With much of the Disney news circulating around the big announcement that The Walt Disney Company has removed CEO Bob Chapek and replaced him with Disney’s former CEO Bob Iger as of November 20, 2022, we can’t help but read into this newest Disney Resort discount as a good sign.
Walt Disney World has announced a 30% discount for Disney Vacation Club Members to experience the Star Wars voyage of a lifetime. Disney Vacation Club (DVC) sent the following message via email:
“AN ENTIRE GALAXY OF POSSIBILITIES: Step into your own epic Star Wars story and enjoy 30% off original Points Chart values on select 2-night Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser adventures! Eligible Disney Vacation Club® Members can book with Points or a combination of Points and cash. Terms Apply*.”
“Be a part of the most immersive Star Wars story ever created. From wielding a lightsaber to engaging in secret missions alongside new and familiar Characters – there’s something for everyone on this unforgettable journey. Check DisneyVacationClub.com for participating voyage dates and other important offer details.”
Is this a good sign that the new CEO, Mr. Iger, is already hard at work?
Disney CEO Bob Iger has his plate full as he has arrived into several missteps taken by the former CEO Bob Chapek. Iger has already sent out a heartfelt message to Cast Members, made it clear he is here to work his magic, and has already diagnosed Disney’s issue is that it was losing its “soul.”
Whether or not offering the first-ever discount on Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser was already in the works prior to Iger’s arrival, we think it was a decision that needed to be made.
Unfortunately, the newest Disney World Resort Hotel has been met with mixed reviews. The cruise-like itinerary and Star Wars storytelling experience is exceptional, but definitely has a target market audience for Star Wars fans and those willing to pay thousands of dollars for the experience.
Hopefully, this 30% discount for Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser will help fill the hotel, but only time will tell if Disney Vacation Club Members are interested and willing to spend the Disney vacation budget or DVC points on such an experience.
Interested in booking a stay as a DVC Member on the Starcruiser? Details about the 30% on select voyages in 2023 include:
“Eligible Disney Vacation Club Members can enjoy 30% off original Points Chart values on select 2-night voyages. This offer can be booked with Points or a combination of Points and cash. Terms Apply*. This offer applies to the following departures in the winter of 2023:”
January 11 – 13, 2023
January 17 – 19, 2023
January 19 – 21, 2023
January 21 – 23, 2023
January 25 – 27, 2023
January 31 – February 2, 2023
February 12 – 14, 2023
February 28 – March 2, 2023
March 2 – 4, 2023
Review important offer details:
Members must be eligible for Membership Extras to take advantage of this special offer. Limit one cabin per offer.
Points must be used to pay for at least one Member; a combination of Points or cash may be used to book additional Guests. Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts, is not transferable or redeemable for cash, and may be modified or withdrawn without prior notice.
Activities, entertainment and Characters are subject to change.
Reservation must be made prior to the last 4 months of your Use Year for stays during that Use Year.
Reservation is subject to Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Terms and Conditions—which can be found on the Booking Confirmation Email received after booking—and the Disney Vacation Club Cancellation Policy.
Offer is only available for standard cabins and not valid for suite accommodations.
Offer dates are not guaranteed and are subject to change without notice.
*A nonrefundable $95 transaction fee applies per confirmed Disney Collection reservation. You will receive a call requesting payment within 72 hours of completing your booking. If payment is not received within 72 hours following this call, Disney Vacation Club reserves the right to cancel the reservation.
Check out all the details about this 30% discount and book on Disney’s website here.
Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary is slowly winding down to a close and will end in March 2023. If you want to get in on the fun there’s still time to visit and now Disney has made it easier than ever! Discounts for ticket and hotel packages this winter and spring have just been released and this is a great deal!
Beginning December 11, 2022 you can save up to $400 on your resort hotel stay when you book a room and ticket package. The deal goes through March 30, 2023 and even includes Christmas Day! In the past, Christmas has been excluded from discounts making us wonder if Disney expects lower than average crowds this holiday season.
Unlike Disney’s other recent discounts, this one is available to anyone, you don’t need to be a Disney+ subscriber or an Annual Passholder to take advantage of it. Some exclusions apply, namely that the offer excludes the week after Christmas and New Years Day. Also the offer is only available Sunday-Thursday in January and February (but includes weekends in December and March). Ready to see the savings? Check it out below:
Save $100 Per Night
For stays most nights December 11, 2022 through December 25, 2022. For stays most Sunday through Thursday nights January 2, 2023 through February 28, 2023. For stays most nights March 1, 2023 through March 30, 2023
Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Riviera Resort
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Save $40 Per Night
For stays most nights December 11, 2022 through December 25, 2022. For stays most Sunday through Thursday nights January 2, 2023 through February 28, 2023. For stays most nights March 1, 2023 through March 30, 2023
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort – Family Suites
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort Resort
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
Save $20 Per Night
For stays most nights December 11, 2022 through December 25, 2022. For stays most Sunday through Thursday nights January 2, 2023 through February 28, 2023. For stays most nights March 1, 2023 through March 30, 2023
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
The offer is valid for 4-night, 4-day Walt Disney Travel Company room-and-ticket packages and the number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. That means you’ll want to hurry if you plan to take advantage of this great deal because it won’t last.
The magic of a Disney theme park Resort is that it’s not only just attractions and characters and Mickey Mouse merchandise, it’s nostalgia and memories and a place where family, friends, couples, and groups can share magical moments with each other.
That is what Walt Disney World Resort was to Joyce and Gordon Jackson from Wales, United Kingdom. And that is why Joyce Jackson, 78, wanted to bury some of her late husband’s ashes on the Disney property — until it all went wrong.
Walt Disney World means a lot to a lot of people. Despite recent controversies surrounding rising prices, Park Passes, and trouble for Annual Passholders, the Disney Resort in Orlando, Central Florida draws millions each year. From long-planned family vacations to spur-of-the-moment trips to Disney Springs, Disney World retains its Most Magical Place status, at least judging by the sheer volume of Guests that attend the theme parks year after year.
For Joyce Jackson, her memories of Walt Disney World Resort are special, thanks to her husband, Gordon. Unfortunately, Mr. Jackson suffered a tragic accident and lost his life. To honor his memory and celebrate the many trips they had to the Disney Resort, Mrs. Jackson planned a trip to the United States in order to bury some of his ashes, along with their wedding rings, in one of the gardens of their favorite Disney hotel Resort — “Gordon loved it there.”
But the plans to make this new memory at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort would end in an upsetting disaster for Mrs. Jackson, as the airline on which she traveled to Florida would lose her suitcase. Mrs. Jackson told North Wales Live (via Manchester Evening News):
“Gordon absolutely loved it there. He would talk to the characters. It wasn’t a pilgrimage but I wanted to bury some of his ashes and our wedding rings there.”
The widow went on to explain the events that led to her arriving at Orlando International Airport (MCO) without her treasured items:
“At Manchester Airport I was told I had to use the self-service bag drop. I did that and got a luggage label. A man put it on. It wasn’t a sticky label where you loop it round a handle and stick both ends together. It was more like a paper one. But it must have come off.
“But the worst thing about it was the ashes and rings were in the suitcase. I know you can’t take a person’s ashes with you so I only had a few ashes and our wedding rings. I was going to bury them in a garden at Caribbean Beach Resort. The main ashes are in a rose pot in our garden.”
Mrs. Jackson, a self-confessed light traveler, did not even have a toothbrush or spare change of clothes on her upon landing in Florida and realizing her suitcase was over 3,000 miles away. The 78-year-old said that Virgin Atlantic “didn’t care” about the mishap and instead it was Disney that helped the Guest.
“I had to wash my underwear every night with shower gel. But Disney were very good, considering it was not their problem. They gave me a toothbrush and arranged for a taxi to take me to a supermarket so I could buy hairspray and toothpaste. I also bought three dresses, a T-shirt and a bag.”
Despite believing this was her last chance to bury the ashes in Florida — she said, “I can’t go back because I can’t afford it and I’m 78,” — and keep her husband’s memory alive in the Sunshine State and at the Disney Park, Mrs. Jackson plowed on with her Disney vacation, an action that she says her husband would have been proud of her for.
“I couldn’t stay in a hotel room. I did go out every day. I had to enjoy it. I went on the boats and the cable cars – I went to the places that we loved. It was not a pilgrimage. It was not sad until they lost the suitcase then it was sad.”
Joyce and Gordon has been married for 57 years until tragedy struck last June when Mr. Jackson suffered a fainting episode outside and fell, fracturing his skull. He never woke up.
As for Virgin Atlantic, the airline has apologized to Mrs. Jackson and is investigating what happened to her suitcase at Manchester Airport.
