A MAGICAL NEW YEAR

Hi everyone!!

I know, I know... it's been TOO long! We had quite a setback here at Pirates and Pixie Dust Vacations once Superstorm Sandy came but we've relocated until our home is back up and running and we're settled in our new digs! To celebrate not only being back up and running,  but the ringing in of the NEW YEAR, I'm hosting a giveaway!

You can enter for your chance to win a $50 Disney Gift Card from Pirates and Pixie Dust Vacations! Yep, that's right! A $50 Disney Gift Card! To win all you have to do is go HERE  (yes, click the word HERE ) and follow the directions!

 There's a lot of magic happening in Disney World this year. From the newest promotions to the year of Limited Time Magic! I'll be posting about all of it during the upcoming week but for now, don't forget to enter to WIN!!

 Happy New Year! We hope it's a MAGICAL one for everyone!

~~Chrissie

Disney World Free Dining Offer is here for Late Fall/Early Winter

Walt Disney World has announced a new round of the Disney Free Dining discount for the travel dates listed below. This is their Late Fall/Early Winter Free Dining Offer released on 7/12/12: 

You must check in during one of the following range of dates:

• September 30 – October 4, 2012
• October 19 – November 1, 2012
• November 9 – 15, 2012
• November 23 – 29, 2012
• December 10 – 13, 2012

Please remember, in order to qualify for the free dining offer, your must check in on one of the available dates. Your stay can extend outside of the available dates and you will still receive the free dining for your entire stay. For example, you can check in on November 15th and stay through November 22nd and still receive the Free Dining Offer for your entire stay.  

Also remember, availability is extremely limited, and not all resorts may be available. 

Guests staying at a Disney World Value resort will receive the Quick Service Dining Plan for free. The Walt Disney World value resorts include All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, All-Star Movies, Pop Century and Art of Animation. Art of Animation Standard Little Mermaid rooms are NOT included in this Free Dining Offer. Guests do have the option to upgrade to either the Disney Dining plan or the Deluxe Disney Dining plan by paying the price difference.

Guests staying at a Disney World Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe Villa resort will receive the Disney Dining Plan included for free. Disney World guests at moderate, deluxe and villa resorts will also have the option to book the Free Disney Dining Plan, and upgrade to the Disney Deluxe Dining for the normal price difference.

Availability is extremely limited, and vacations must be booked by September 29, 2012. All suites, campsites and 3 bedroom villas have been excluded from this offer, as well as the standard Little Mermaid rooms the new Art of Animation Resort. All other Disney resorts, including the family suites at All-Star Music and Art of Animation, as well as the other value resorts are included in the offer. 

There are a few requirements to book your stay with this offer:

• Three night minimum stay required
• Maximum stay of 14 nights is allowed per reservation
• You must also purchase a minimum 2 day basic park pass per person per reservation to qualify.
• As always, all members of the traveling party in the same room MUST be booking the same vacation tickets and dining options

To request a free quote for your Free Dining at Disney World Vacation (or any other Disney vacation!) please visit Pirates and Pixie Dust Vacations and Request a Quote today! You can also e-mail  Chrissie@piratesandpixiedustvacations.com or call 347-909-0893

Have a MAGICAL day!! 

Chrissie

Happy Birthday America!!

Happy Birthday America! Happy Independence Day! Happy 4th of July!

Thank you to all of the service men and women... past, present and future who have given so much of themselves!

If you're spending time at Epcot, listen to and watch the Voices of Liberty sing the National Anthem and the Spirit of America Fife and Drums play a patriotic tribute! Both of these amazing performance groups can be seen in Epcot at the American Pavilion in World Showcase

Click the links below to see Voices of Liberty sing the National Anthem and the Spirit of America Fife and Drums!

Voices of Liberty

Spirit of America

Have a Happy, Safe & Magical July 4th!!

I've got the 'Keys to the Kingdom'!! :)

 Hi everyone!!

When I went on my 'Mommy time' trip to Disney World I decided to treat myself and take a tour that I've wanted to take for a while. I took the Keys to the Kingdom tour! It really was a great experience! I was the only single person on the tour, there were 5 honeymoon couples, 2 retiree couples, 2 couples there whose kids were back at the hotel room and me, but I was surprisingly ok with that :)

I took the 8:30am tour and was traveling from Coronado Springs Resort to get to MK by 8:15. I was worried the first bus of the morning wouldn't get me there in time so I took a cab from Coronado Springs to Contemporary Resort and walked over to Magic Kingdom!! I LOVE that walkway! That's where I got this great picture of Monorail Gold. :)

Anyway, I digress... early morning, pre-park opening is my favorite time in Magic Kingdom! There's something so magical about seeing the hustle and bustle on Main Street getting ready for a day full of Pixie Dust moments so I wanted to get myself on the earliest tour possible. We met at City Hall, where Package Pick up is located and were each given a name pin and an earpiece so that we could hear each and every word that the tour guide spoke and so that the tour guide didn't have to speak any louder than their normal voice allows. While we were waiting for the tour to start we were given a lunch menu and were told to place our lunch order and there was coffee, tea and bottled water available for us to drink there or to take on the tour with us!

Our tour guide was amazing. Her name was Rae and, I have to tell you, she made the tour even greater than it would have been with another guide. She was full of energy and love for all things Disney. She knew history and stories and the most wonderful little trivia tidbits about Walt Disney, Roy Disney, the history of the Disney Company, Disney Land, Disney World and so much more. She was so great to listen to and I found myself falling in love with Disney all over again because of her! :)

While we were walking the Magic Kingdom we bumped into the Mayor, Honorable Christopher George Weaver. The interaction between Rae and the Mayor was great! 

We did get to ride The Jungle Cruise in the morning part of the day. Anyone who knows me, knows that the Jungle Cruise is my son's favorite ride so I was happy to be riding it. :) Instead of the Jungle Cruise skipper's 'punny' ride, Rae took over! She had some one-liners that could compete with the best of the Jungle Cruise skippers!

We got to go behind the scenes in some parts of the Magic Kingdom that morning and see the staging area of the parades. That was pretty amazing to see behind the scenes and where the pixie dust is sprinkled to make the magic in the park happen.

We were able to break for lunch at Columbia Harbor House. Lunch was included in the price of our tour and we were brought upstairs to the 2nd floor dining area. I love it up there in CHH. Our lunch was waiting for us at the table and right in front of my plate sat this:

This is what was inside:

My very own KEY TO THE KINGDOM!! :) LOL Not really, it's really a pin but I love it and still have not taken it off of the card it came on! 

The afternoon was the part of the tour I was looking forward to the most! We rode The Haunted Mansion and spent some time in Fantasyland and then, it was time. We went into the Utilidors! Can you say absolutely incredible?!?! 

For anyone who has no idea what the Utilidors are, it's a fancy word for tunnel!! The utilidors occupy 392,040 square feet of space under the Magic Kingdom and are bustling with action. Beside navigation information the walls are covered with motivational information, such as the 7 rules of a Cast Member, guest feedback and other items to insure that your stay is magical and some amazing original pictures of the building of Magic Kingdom and DisneyLand and other Disney historical moments and memorabilia. This is the secret underground world where the magic is born. Pixie Dust is bottled up here and spread through the whole Kingdom by thousands of cast members who converge here every morning! It was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of the tour and an amazing way to end the day at the Magic Kingdom!

Here's some information on the Keys to the Kingdom tour:

The Keys to the Kingdom Tour is an approximately 4.5-hour walking tour that explores the stories behind the remarkable creation and growth of Magic Kingdom theme park. You will hear the intriguing story of Walt Disney and learn how his innovative ideas, revolutionary visions, creative philosophies and amazing accomplishments brought the Theme Park to life. The journey includes stops at backstage facilities and a variety of favorite attractions. The cost of the tour is $74.00 and it is for guests ages 16 and over. There are 3 tours daily. 

If you are taking a trip to Walt Disney World and have 5 hours (plus travel time) without your young children this is DEFINITELY a tour that I would recommend! :) 

Pirates, Pixie Dust, Lucky and HOPE!!

 

 Remember that blog I wrote a few weeks ago? About my Birthday wish? The way I was going to use my Disney Vacation Planning business to help St. Baldrick's Foundation Conquer Kids' Cancer?? The one that started like this... Since my business' name is Pirates and PIXIE DUST Vacations and I LOVE helping people to create MAGICAL Disney memories I thought it only fit to do something for my birthday that can spread Pixie Dust to families, like mine, that need it.

Well, I wanted to share with you my new friend... LUCKY!! Look at what the Graphic Artists at St. Baldrick's Foundation made for me to use with my Birthday Pixie Dust Promotion!! :) The St. Baldrick's Foundation Mascot is Lucky the Leprechaun and this is the best looking Lucky I've seen (and I've seen more than 70 of them!! lol)!I mean really, is it any wonder that I support them as much as I do?? On top of working daily to Conquer Kids Cancer for my son, Michael, and the 46 kids diagnosed with cancer every single weekday, they made this absolutely adorable Pirates and Pixie Dust Lucky JUST for me to use with my promotions!! :)

For any of you that haven't read my Birthday Wish Pixie Dust blog , I'll give you some info!! :) The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. St. Baldrick’s Foundation currently funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government. As a Volunteer Event Organizer (VEO) I, along with a committee of amazing family and friends, run an event in Rockaway Beach, NY. Last year our event raised over $128,000! I like to tell people we raised over 128,000 glimmers of HOPE for us and the other families who are in this battle with us. St. Baldrick's Foundation is best known for their world-wide signature head-shaving events where individual event where volunteers get bald to stand in solidarity with kids fighting cancer and raise money to support life-saving childhood cancer research.

I run one of these events in September along with the support of our wonderful family and some amazing friends. Our event is called Hope is in the (h)Air. This year we are holding our event on 9/15/2012 at Bungalow Bar & Restaurant in Rockaway Beach, NY. It's going to be another awesome day full of love, support, hope and in honor of 5 amazing kids! These kids are Mikey and his friends, Emily, Eddie, Ty and Evan. Evan passed away on April 16th so our day is not only in honor of these amazing 5 kids but in memory of Evan as well. So, in honor of my birthday (that has, by now, come and gone) I've decided to give myself a birthday present!

To spread some Pixie Dust and HOPE to our families... and to help St. Baldrick's Foundation make my WISH come true, here's my birthday present to me: For every Disney Vacation booked through Pirates and Pixie Dust Vacations between June 1st and August 30th, not only will you get my booking and planning services at NO cost to you but, I will donate 10% of that trip's commission to St. Baldrick's Foundation! I will get to do what I love, helping people plan MAGICAL Disney Vacations, while helping Mikey, his friends and all of the kids diagnosed with cancer have just a little more HOPE!

Don't forget to 'LIKE' my Pirates and Pixie Dust Vacations Facebook Page

With love & HOPE... and a little bit of Pixie Dust,

Chrissie

A little Pixie Dust and some Birthday Magic

Since my business' name is Pirates and PIXIE DUST Vacations and I LOVE helping people to create MAGICAL Disney memories I thought it only fit to do something for my birthday that can spread Pixie Dust to families, like mine, that need it. My 6 year old has cancer. In medical-ese he has 'Unclassifiable LeptoMeningial Disease'. In 'regular terms', they don't know what kind of cancer it is but it's coating his brain and spine. He's a wonderful little boy. He's a fighter and he, along with all of the children diagnosed with cancer, are amazing. Our families need a cure for our kids. The only way to find a cure is through research. While the government cuts research funding for Childhood Cancer and while other foundations allot only $0.10 for every dollar raised to Childhood Cancer there's one foundation has raised the bar on funding Childhood Cancer Research. That Foundation is:

The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. St. Baldrick’s Foundation currently funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government. As a Volunteer Event Organizer (VEO) I, along with a committee of amazing family and friends, run an event in Rockaway Beach, NY. Last year our event raised over $128,000! I like to tell people we raised over 128,000 glimmers of HOPE for us and the other families who are in this battle with us. St. Baldrick's Foundation is best known for their world-wide signature head-shaving events where individual event where volunteers get bald to stand in solidarity with kids fighting cancer and raise money to support life-saving childhood cancer research. I run one of these in September. Our event is called Hope is in the hAir. This year we are holding our event on 9/15/2012 at Bungalow Bar & Restaurant in Rockaway Beach, NY. It's going to be another awesome day full of love, support, hope and in honor of 5 amazing kids! These kids are my son, Mikey and his friends, Emily, Eddie, Ty and Evan. Evan passed away on April 16th so our day is not only in honor of these amazing 5 kids but in memory of Evan as well. So, in honor of my birthday this coming Saturday I've decided to give myself a birthday present! To spread some Pixie Dust and HOPE to our families... and to help St. Baldrick's Foundation make my WISH come true, here's my birthday present to me: For every Disney Vacation booked through Pirates and Pixie Dust Vacations between June 1st and August 30th, not only will you get my booking and planning services at NO cost to you but, I will donate 10% of that trip's commission to St. Baldrick's Foundation! I will get to do what I love, helping people plan MAGICAL Disney Vacations, while helping Mikey, his friends and all of the kids diagnosed with cancer have just a little more HOPE!

So, Happy Birthday to ME!! Contact me TODAY to get started planning your MAGICAL Disney Vacation and know that when you book, you will be helping me spread some Pixie Dust and HOPE to thousands of families just like mine!! Happy Planning and Don't forget... If you keep on believing the dream that you wish will come true Love, HOPE & Pixie Dust, Chrissie

Fun WDW Parks Souven-EARS Gift Bag Giveaway!

Before I left for Disney World I spoke to quite a few of the other agents that I work with through Fairytale Journeys. I offered to do some shopping while I was in the World (not exactly a chore for me, as you all well know ;)) and bring back the purchases that I made to be able to offer a Sounven-EAR Gift Bag Giveaway to all of you! Check out our raffle here... you can enter to win 14 times! :) Be sure to enter... and tell all your friends about the awesome prizes included in our giveaway!! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you all so much!! Good luck to all of you that enter! Have a MAGICAL day! ~~Chrissie

Just one Week...

In 7 days I'm heading to Walt Disney World by myself... yep, you read that right... BY MYSELF!! Yes, I know I have 3 kids and yes, I know I have a husband and friends and family members that could be coming with me but they aren't. I am going to take pictures and taste food that the kids wouldn't want to eat in restaurants that ::GASP!!:: have NO characters! I'm not planning in doing a lot of rides and meet a ton of characters... I'm walking around and taking in the 'street-mosphere' and getting tons of pictures to share with you here and on my Facebook page.

Part of the draw for me going this time of year is that I can spend a lot of time in Epcot. I happen to LOVE Epcot. While I do enjoy the attractions in Future World I miss World Showcase. Having kids too young to appreciate it and my middle guy having sun sensitivity and other health issues has prevented us from spending a whole lot of time in World Showcase the past 2 times we've been to WDW. My kids love the rides... I mean LOVE them... to the point that when we come home from Disney they act out the rides in the living room. They would rather spend the time on Peter Pan, Dumbo, Nemo, Test Track, Splash Mountain, Toy Story Mania than in the World Showcase. When they are with me, I go with it. Next week however...this is MY trip! :)

While Food and Wine Festival is my favorite time to be in Epcot, Flower and Garden Festival comes in a close second!! I can't wait to share all of the pictures of Disney Topiary that the Imagineering Team have created! I have seen so many amazing pictures from other Fairytale Journeys agents and other Disney blogs and sites that I follow so I'm even more excited than I was when I was planning my trip... and making changes... and planning some more! :) This week, I'm all about solidifying my dining reservations and making sure my tour times are all set! Don't worry, I'll fill you in on all my plans this week before I go! :)

If there's a Disney topiary that you would like a picture of please leave a comment here or go to my Pirates and Pixie Dust Vacation Facebook page by clicking HERE and let me know WHO or WHAT you would like to see in greenery!! Also, I've got reservations at Hollywood Brown Derby, Le Cellier, Les Chefs de France, Via Napoli, 'Ohana and Kona for an early morning Tonga Toast... is there a restaurant that you would like reviewed in that group? Is there a restaurant that I don't have a reservation for that I can try to get into and review for you?

Oh, and not to worry... I'll get all the scoop on the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland Expansion for you too!! :)

Can't wait to share my MAGICAL vacation with you!! :)

~~Chrissie