Many Happy Returns ‘Give a Day, Get a Disney Day’ Anchors a Year of New Beginnings

With a turn of the calendar comes a twist to the celebrating: In 2010, Disney Parks will join in the celebration, saluting those guests who devote their hearts and hands to make their communities better places.

One million people who perform volunteer service for a participating organization in 2010 will receive a free one-day admission ticket to a Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort theme park.

The program, called “Give a Day, Get a Disney Day,” anchors a year when ground will be broken on the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history, Disney sports becomes more invigorating than ever, Disney Cruise Line introduces new entertainment and activities, and Walt Disney World theme parks and Downtown Disney present 2010 editions of popular festivals and events.

Here’s a brief look …
“Give a Day, Get a Disney Day” (beginning Jan. 1) – Disney hopes to inspire families to volunteer in their communities during 2010 through this first-of-its-kind program that “rewards” volunteer service with admission for a day to a Disney theme park. To enable people to sign up for an eligible volunteer project, Disney is working with HandsOn Network, the nation’s largest volunteer network. Starting Jan. 1, 2010, guests can go to www.DisneyParks.com for the United States and Puerto Rico or www.DisneyParks.ca for Canada to search for volunteer opportunities available in those areas through HandsOn Network and sign up for a day of volunteer service. Many of the opportunities will be for projects that entire families with children age 6 or older can participate in together.

Disney’s Honorary VoluntEARS Cavalcade (beginning Jan. 8) – Each afternoon just before the daily parade at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (and at Disneyland Park in California), Muppets characters and parade dancers will join special floats and vehicles celebrating volunteerism and presenting Honorary VoluntEARS serving as Grand Marshals of the parades. Kermit, Miss Piggy and Sweetums will be part of the merriment, while the dancers will be donning outfits that celebrate the work of volunteers.

Fantasyland expansion – An early-2010 groundbreaking will mark the beginning of a three-year construction project that will result in a vastly expanded Magic Kingdom Fantasyland. When the project is completed (tentative timetable is 2013), guests will be able to:
visit a Disney princess in her castle, cottage or chateau to share a dance with Cinderella; celebrate Sleeping Beauty’s birthday with the Good Fairies; or join Belle in an enchanting story performance in the Beast’s castle library.

“Be Our Guest” and dine in one of three enchanted rooms inside the Beast’s castle.
Fly with Dumbo high above brand-new circus grounds, twice the size of the existing attraction with a new interactive, three-ring circus tent.

Journey under the sea with Ariel, the Little Mermaid, in her very own attraction.
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex relaunch (February 2010) – A re-imagining project involving ESPN and the Disney sports complex, the leading multi-sport venue in the nation, aims to create immersive and entertaining sports experiences for athletes, coaches and fans by incorporating signature elements of ESPN in ways that will connect athletes and coaches with their favorite ESPN programs, personalities and elements. Guests will discover a new welcome center, a digital center where video captured by 44 cameras across the 220-acre sports campus is edited for display on 40 video screens and two “jumbotrons” throughout the complex as part of a veritable “Wide World of SportsCenter,” and the new ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, technical staff will continue work in the Innovation Lab to develop ground-breaking ESPN on-air products – using the action throughout the complex as a real-world testing environment.

Disney Cruise Line Castaway Cay enhancements (by summer 2010) – Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line’s private island paradise in the tropical waters of the Bahamas, is getting an extra dose of pixie dust – providing guests with more water-based family-fun, additional conveniences and a slice of beachside luxury all designed to complement the idyllic island setting. Here’s a snapshot of what’s in store:

Guests can slide and splash at a new water feature called Pelican Plunge, a 2,400-square-foot floating platform located within swimming distance from shore and featuring an enclosed corkscrew waterslide, a 140-foot-long open waterslide, a giant water-filled “bucket dump” and four water cannons.

A brand-new, 2,400-square-foot water play area called Spring-a-Leak helps guests cool off while immersing them in what appears to be the remnants of a washed-away beach dwelling. The watery fun begins as guests enter the storm-ravaged structure, greeted by dripping pipes, broken plumbing and hissing misters, exposed and twisted by the tropical tempest that wiped out the original structure.

The Castaway Family Beach is being extended by more than 700 feet for families to enjoy the pristine white sand, build sand castles, relax in the shade under an umbrella and take a dip in the warm azure waters of the lagoon. Dotting the expanded Castaway Family Beach are 16 new family cabanas offering the privacy and luxury of a deluxe beach retreat.

Disney Cruise Line spectacle “Villains Tonight!” (March 27 premiere) – The first full-scale musical production dedicated to the Disney villains, the show is a family-friendly, fun-filled musical extravaganza that places these famous characters in some irreverent funny moments. “Villains Tonight!” features a “Who’s Who” of the Disney villains, including Disney’s newest crook, Dr. Facilier from “The Princess and the Frog.” The show also features classic divas and scoundrels such as Ursula (“The Little Mermaid”), the Evil Queen (“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”), Captain Hook (“Peter Pan”) and Scar (“The Lion King”). The revue-style show initially will be showcased on the Disney Magic and then will delight guests aboard the new Disney Dream cruise ship in early 2011.

Disney Cruise Line European Season Port Adventures (summer 2010) – To help families better explore the culture and wonder of Europe, Disney Cruise Line is working closely with local tour operators to create family-friendly Port Adventures for 10- and 11-night Mediterranean voyages and 12-night Northern Europe cruises in summer 2010. Developed specifically for Disney Cruise Line guests, these adventures feature Disney touches designed to entertain and inspire both children and adults while providing an impeccable level of guest service that pays close attention to the special travel needs of families. While every port of call will offer Port Adventures for families to enjoy together, many tours integrate separate activities for children and adults. While kids are engaged in age-appropriate activities supervised by youth counselors from the ship, parents are given the opportunity to explore cultural sites and points of interest in greater depth. Examples, depending on voyage:

A Prince and Princess Ball in St. Petersburg, Russia, at the majestic Catherine Palace hosted by Disney princesses such as Cinderella, Snow White and Belle. Arriving by horse-drawn carriages, the princesses and their princes will entertain guests in the gilded Grand Ballroom. Live musicians and royal courtiers resplendent in period costumes and powdered wigs add to the ambiance and lead guests in song, dance and regal revelry.

Sidi Bou Said Treasure Hunt in Tunis, a family-friendly quest that brings to life the culture, sites, sounds and flavors of this destination by following a series of clues. During this adventure, families visit a traditional Tunisian house, learn about the origin of Sidi Bou Said from a local storyteller, receive a hand-painted henna tattoo, bargain with local merchants for a keepsake water vessel, sip freshly prepared mint tea and get their name written in Arabic as a souvenir.
Tuscan Cooking School in La Spezia, where an Italian chef provides one-on-one instruction and guides the hands-on preparation of an authentic Tuscan meal. Guests enjoy their culinary creations such as antipasto, grilled meats, pasta, focaccia and cantucci – traditional Tuscan almond biscotti – while sampling wines bottled onsite at the farmhouse.

Walt Disney World “signature” events and festivals (throughout 2010) – The 2010 editions of eight guest-favorite theme park special events and the longest-running Walt Disney World special event, at Downtown Disney, plus the return of marquee sports events will dot the calendar throughout the year. In fact, there will be at least one special event happening on more than 160 days. Guest celebrities – from horticultural gurus to culinary wizards to national recording artists to stars of the stage and screen to heroes of courts and fields – will participate in events such as ESPN The Weekend, Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, Star Wars Weekends, Night of Joy, Epcot International Food & Wine Festival and Holidays Around The World. More than 100 award-winning visual artists from across the country will “show off” at the 36th annual Festival of the Masters at Downtown Disney.

Disney’s iconic “big cheese” will host Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on select evenings. Stars from the top tier of professional baseball, professional golf and college basketball will compete when Walt Disney World Resort plays host to the Atlanta Braves’ baseball spring training, the Children’s Miracle Network Classic for PGA TOUR players, and the Old Spice Classic college basketball tournament.