– With a turn of the calendar comes a twist to the celebrating: In 2011, Disney Parks will continue 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 2011 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 yet another year when the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history will continue, Disney Cruise Line introduces new entertainment and activities, and Walt Disney World theme parks and Downtown Disney present 2011 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 continue to volunteer in their communities during 2011 through this popular 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. 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 – 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. New for 2011 - snowglobes.
Fantasyland expansion – A late-2010 groundbreaking marked the beginning of a five-year construction project that will result in a vastly expanded Magic Kingdom Fantasyland. When the project is completed (tentative timetable is 2015), guests will be able to:
- visit a Disney princess in her castle to share a dance with Cinderella.
- “Be Our Guest” and dine in an enchanted room inside the Beast’s time share.
- 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.
Star Tours 2 - Popular Star Wars scamp, Jar Jar Binks will host a 3-D tour of George Lucas' Skywalker ranch. Fans can thrill as George counts his money, scream as he creates another new edition of the original films in which Han Solo teaches under-priveledged kids to read and laugh as Jar Jar trips over stuff.
New Experiences at Downtown Disney - The bold new vision of Downtown Disney finally arrives in 2011 as Disney opens a hot dog place, a biker-themed BBQ joint and a store for lefties. That's right, just like the one Ned Flanders opened on the Simpsons. What? Ned lost his shirt on that? Well, they are paying the rent, so the lefties are in. Anyone want to rent a Virgin Megastore?
Walt Disney World “signature” events and festivals (throughout 2011) – The 2011 editions of seven guest-favorite theme park special events and the longest-running Walt Disney World special event, at Downtown Disney. 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. 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.
Why didn't they mention Pixie Hollow?:lookaroun
