March 2008 Special Events, Activities and Alerts.

CROWD RELATED WARNINGS:

Spring Break:   The crowds will start building around March 8 th and will continue into early April.  Easter week is also a holiday week and will experience crowds of “9” or “10” on a scale of 1-to-10.  The rest of Spring break will see crowds at about an “8” on a   scale of 1-to-10.   You can manage these crowds and still have a great vacation by having a good touring plan.   We create custom touring plans that keep you ahead of the crowds and out of the long lines and we can even do it completely free of charge when you book your trip through us.  It may still be possible to get free plans if you booked your trip yourself – just contact us and ask about the possibility.  For more information see Our Custom Theme Park Touring Plans & Disney Itineraries Page

Spring Break Dining:    We are well into the dining reservation window for your trip and some popular restaurants may already be completely booked.  Please contact me right away about making dining or hotel reservations.

Extra Crowds during Nights with SpectroMagic at Magic Kingdom:   The Magic Kingdom closes early on nights with   Pirate & Princess Parties (see note below) limiting the nights that the SpectroMagic parade is offered.  Nights with the SpectroMagic parade will be busier as the afternoon progresses because guests with park-hopper tickets will make their way over to the Magic Kingdom for this popular parade. 

EVENTS:

January 21, 26, & 29 / February 2, 5, 9, 14, 22, & 26 / March 1, 6, 11, 14:  Pirate & Princess Parties at the Magic Kingdom ~ 7:00 PM to Midnight.  This event requires a special ticket - your Magic Your Way ticket won't get you in.  Tickets are $45.95 + tax for adults and $39.95 + tax for children.  It is a fun event but it costs a chunk of change so use your own judgment as to whether this is a "must do" event for your trip.  Just call (877-815-6515) and we'll be happy to answer your questions or to book those tickets for you.  TIP : If you are not doing this event, you will want to be aware that the Magic Kingdom closes early  - at 7PM - on the nights of the  Pirate & Princess Party and they generally won't have the SpectroMagic Parade those nights.

February 27 th – March 27th:  Disney's Wide World of Sports – Atlanta Braves Spring Training.   Tickets on sale now.   See: Atlanta Braves Spring Training Ticket Information.

February 29 th – March 2nd:  Disney's Hollywood Studios ~ ESPN The Weekend.  On-site ESPN telecasts, star motorcades, and special Q&A sessions with athletes &  ESPN personalities, etc. This event is included with regular admission to the theme park.

Sunday, March 23rd:  Easter.

March 19 th – June 1:  EPCOT ~ 15 th International Flower & Garden Festival.  You'll enjoy beautiful floral displays, amazing topiaries, and special gardening demonstrations.  This event also includes some special Flower Power Concerts (included with park admission) – performers include:

March 19 - 22 The Guess Who
March 23 - 24 Petula Clark
March 25 - 29 Paul Revere and the Raiders
April 6 - 9 Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone
April 10 - 12 The Grass Roots Starring Rob Grill
April 14 - 16 The Happenings
April 17 - 18 Peter & Gordon
April 19 - 23 Starship Starring Mickey Thomas
April 24 - 26 The Ventures
April 27 - 30 B.J. Thomas
May 4 - 5 The Searchers
May 6 - 10 The Tokens
May 11 - 15 Davy Jones
May 16 - 17 Jose Feliciano
May 21 - 24 Gary Puckett
May 25 - 27 The Cowsills

RIDE & ATTRACTION Closures:

Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly called Disney-MGM Studios) Theme Park:

• Journey into Narnia will be closed from January 2 - May 23, 2008

Epcot Theme Park:

• Nine Dragons Restaurant in the China Pavilion will be closed from January 6th - November 30th, 2008 for major renovations.

Magic Kingdom Theme Park :

• Liberty Square Riverboat will be closed for refurbishment from February 24 th  - March 1, 2008.
• Peter Pan's Flight will be closed for refurbishment from February 28 - March 11, 2008.
• Tinker Bell's Treasures Gift shop will be closed for refurbishment from January 6 - March 16, 2008.

Blizzard Beach Water Park will be closed for annual refurbishment from January 6 - March 8, 2008

Caribbean Beach Resort  -  Old Port Royale Feature Pool will undergo refurbishment from January 7th - Mid-September.   The resort's two smaller pool will remain open during the refurbishment.

Coronado Springs Resort  -  The Jaguar Pool Slide will be closed from March 31 – April 18.  The Lost City of Cibola pool will remain open during the refurbishment.

Polynesian Resort  - The Nanea Volcano Pool will undergo refurbishment from February 11th - Mid-February.   The Beach Pool will remain open during the refurbishment.  G uests may also use the Pool at the Grand Floridian resort at during the refurbishment.

Port Orleans French Quarter Resort  - The Doubloon Lagoon Pool will undergo refurbishment from January 28th - Mid-March.   Guests may use the pools at the nearby Port Orleans Riverside resort resort at during the refurbishment.

Disney's Beach Club Resort  -  The Tidal Pool (quiet pool) will undergo refurbishment from  March 31 – April 18th.    Guests may use the pools at the nearby Port Orleans Riverside resort resort at during the refurbishment.

Disney's Boardwalk Resort  -  The smaller “Quiet” Pool will undergo refurbishment from March 31 - April 18th.  

Cirque Du Soleil ~ La Nouba ~ No performances on the following  March 2008 dates:

• March 2 & 3
• March 9 & 10
• March 16 & 17
• March 23, 24, & 25
• March 30 & 31

There are 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM La Nouba performances on March 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, & 28

Disney tries to schedule pool refurbishment during the cooler months to minimize the impact to guests.  Please contact us if these pool closures will be a disappointment during your trip -we will try to have your reservation switched to another resort (subject to availability).

I can't stress enough how important a good touring plan is during times of heavy crowds.   It is also important to get your room reservations and dining reservations right away.  Your price will be the same as if you did the work yourself and we offer some services that we believe will truly make your trip better and the planning process much less stressful.  We're available to answer questions, provide information, and make suggestions.  We will make dining reservations on your behalf, and we provide custom theme park touring plans to minimize your time spent in lines.  We can easily reduce your time in lines by 2 to 3 hours per day, when you spend all day in a theme park.   You can request a quote or order services by using this Online Form.

It is our joy and privilege to make your family vacation better.  Please contact us with your questions - we're here to help.

Sincerely,

Stephen

Build A Better Mouse Trip

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