Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

December is my favorite time to visit Walt Disney World. I love the winter holiday season and for me, Disney embodies the spirit of the season. The storytellers around the World Showcase showcasing holiday celebrations from around the globe, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, the Menorah at the beginning of Main Street USA all are evidence of Disney’s attitude of inclusiveness. 

So whether you are celebrating Chanukah, Christmas, Ramadan or Solstice - may you have a happy and healthy holiday season! I will be in and out for the rest of 2009 so I can’t guarantee daily blogs but Sara’s Snippets will be back full-time in 2010 after the madness subsides.

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

December is my favorite time to visit Walt Disney World. I love the winter holiday season and for me, Disney embodies the spirit of the season. < more... >

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

Ya gotta love it. No sooner do I post Disney CEO Bob Iger’s remarks predicting fewer promotions for 2010 than Disney announces, you guessed it… a new promotion for 2010!! 

Planning a trip to Walt Disney World in 2010? Book a 5-night Magic Your Way Package at a Walt Disney World Resort for travel between January 3, 2010 and June 3, 2010 that includes a 5-day park pass and receive a FREE Gift Cards! Value Resorts - Get a $300 Gift Card, Moderate Resorts - Get a $500 Gift Card and Deluxe/Villa Resorts - Get a $750 Gift Card! Blackout dates apply. Must be booked by March 27, 2010.

Contact your favorite Mouse Fan Travel Planner today!

Be well andmake magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

Ya gotta love it. No sooner do I post Disney CEO Bob Iger’s remarks predicting fewer promotions for 2010 than Disney announces, you guessed it… a new promotion for 2010!! < more... >

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

I found an interesting tidbit on MousePlanet this week:

"Disney CEO Bob Iger told attendees at the UBS 37th Annual Global Media and Communications Conference in New York last week. "[W]ith the discount program, our bookings and our attendance are reasonably okay, but we’re discounting to get it," said Iger, who also noted that the discounts are actually attracting visitors that would never have come otherwise, which is generating positive word of mouth and repeat visits.

However, Disney is looking to eventually return to normal pricing without regular discounts. "But we’re not concerned about weaning ourselves in the marketplace at the discount, but we don’t know when we’ll be able to essentially turn it off. So we’ve dialed it back," said Iger. "And I imagine, without committing to this, but given certain trends, that we will be able to continue to dial that back over the latter part of 2010. But we’re not making any commitments yet until we see the marketplace conditions."

What does this mean for Disney trip planners in the coming year? We’ll see. But in the meantime, there is an offer out for Disney Visa cardholders wanting to stay at Old Key West or Saratoga Springs - Save up to 25% off for stays 12/24 - 1/2/10. YES! Over Christmas! So I’m not panicking that there will be no promotions this year. Less than last year? Maybe.

As always, your best bet is to work with a trusted Travel Planner who will keep an eye out for whatever deals are offered.

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

I found an interesting tidbit on MousePlanet this week:

"Disney CEO Bob Iger told attendees at the UBS 37th Annual Global Media and Communications Conference in New York last week. < more... >

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

I apologize for my absence earlier this week. I was out of town due to a death in the family. 

The Disney family also lost a loved one this week. Roy E. Disney, son of The Walt Disney Company co-founder Roy O. Disney and nephew of Walt Disney, passed away yesterday, December 16, 2009 after a year-long battle with stomach cancer. Roy began his work with The Walt Disney Studios in 1953 as an assistant film editor and over his 56 years with the company was instrumental to Disney’s revitalization of animation and as Head of Animation helped usher in the second "Golden Age of Animation" with films such as "The Little Mermaid", "Aladdin" and "Beauty and the Beast."

The official obituary can be found on Disney’s web site. Rest in peace Roy. You will be missed!

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

I apologize for my absence earlier this week. I was out of town due to a death in the family. 

The Disney family also lost a loved one this week. Roy E. Disney, son of The Walt Disney Company co-founder Roy O. < more... >

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

Last up - Disney Hollywood Studios! So if you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m a Disney Coaster junkie. So my first stop at DHS is always Rock N Roller Coaster. Wooo-hoooooo! But I skip Tower of Terror whenever possible. (Which is whenever I’m not with Beci!) I’ll ride it if I have to but I don’t care for it. I’ll go fast, I’ll go upside down, I’ll go high, just PLEASE don’t drop me! That feels like a mistake and my brain doesn’t like it. 

The next must do is Star Tours. Living in a family of Star Wars fans has converted even this sci fi skeptic. And with a new version coming in 2012, get your rides in now so you can compare later! Immdiately following Star Tours is Muppets 3D. (A-net-full-of-Jello anyone?)

And finally, my ultimate DHS must-do - Toy Story Midway Mania!!!!!!! This fast moving, spinning midway style game is a forearm workout for sure but it is worth it. No, I’m never the highest scorer but man, I kick some serious hiney on accuracy!

"But Sara!", you say. "You skipped the shows, the parades, in fact, most of the park!" I know, I know. I even skipped Fantasmic! But these are MY must-dos. Feel free to post your own!

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

Last up - Disney Hollywood Studios! So if you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m a Disney Coaster junkie. So my first stop at DHS is always Rock N Roller Coaster. Wooo-hoooooo! But I skip Tower of Terror whenever possible. (Which is whenever I’m not with Beci! < more... >

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

Up next - Animal Kingdom! Mainly because a bunch of my friends are there right now sending me pictures of them riding Expedition Everest. :: pout :: 

Animal Kingdom is seriously underrated. There is so much to see and do here! So my first must do here is devote plenty of time for exploring! Ok, yes, the first thing you should do is send someone ahead with all your park passes to ger Fastpasses for Expedition Everest, then meet them at the Safari for your first ride of the day. But after those things are out of the way, take time to explore the Pangani Forest Trail, really look at the Tree of Life with all those amazing carvings. Take the train out to Rafiki’s Planet Watch and go inside the building. They are usually doing some really interesting research or even veterinary surgeries!

While I can take or leave Finding Nemo the Musical, The Festival of the Lion King CANNOT be missed. As for rides, I am an EE (Expedition Everest) junkie and have been known to ride it four or five times in a row using the single rider line. I also enjoy Kali River Rapids but only on hot days! I skip most of Dinoland but if you have young children with you The Boneyard is the perfect place to let them run off some steam and dig for fossils.Better yet - grab a Yak Attack (adult beverage) from Yak & Yeti’s bar window and enjoy it while they dig!

Oh, and last but not least, if you see what looks like a moving tree, stop and look carefully. DeVine is a performer extraordinaire.

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

Up next - Animal Kingdom! Mainly because a bunch of my friends are there right now sending me pictures of them riding Expedition Everest. :: pout :: 

Animal Kingdom is seriously underrated. There is so much to see and do here! So my first must do here is devote plenty of time for exploring! < more... >

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

On to Epcot… A day at Epcot is not complete for me without:

- Riding Soarin’

- Riding Spaceship Earth

- Riding Test Track

- Stopping at Club Cool for free Coca-Cola samples

- Riding Maelstrom

- Getting lunch or a snack at Yakitori House in Japan

- Viewing the American Adventure. (I cry. Every time.)

- A Greey Goose or Grand Marnier slushie in France

- Viewing Illuminations!!!

What are yours?

Tomorrow: Animal Kingdom!

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans! < more... >

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

The Magic Kingdom is the quintessential Disney theme park. (Sorry Disneyland fans!) So what are my "must dos" in the "must do" park? For me it all starts with the mountains - Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain. Obvious choices, I know, but for me the thrill of hurtling through the dark on Space Mountain never fades. And I can’t wait to try the rehabbed version in January when I go back!

From there it becomes about the slower rides - the Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Buzz Lightyear and the TTA. The TTA is my favorite place to take a break and rest my weary piggies!

And on to the food! My ultimate indulgence while in Walt Disney World is the ice cream cookie sandwich from the Main Street Bakery. Three scoops of Vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two fresh baked cookies of the flavor of your choice.

I can hear some of you yelling at the screen right now - "But you skipped Jungle Cruise/Dumbo/fill-in-your-favorite-here!" And you’re right! But these are just my favorites. Feel free to comment with yours!

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

The Magic Kingdom is the quintessential Disney theme park. (Sorry Disneyland fans!) So what are my "must dos" in the "must do" park? For me it all starts with the mountains - Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain. < more... >

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans! 

One question I get asked a lot are "What are the ‘must do’ things in the theme parks?" Well, your mileage may vary but this week I’ll be discussing my personal "musts." Some are rides, some are shows, some are just experiences but for me a Disney trip just isn’t complete without them. I would love to hear some of your musts as well!

Tomorrow: The Magic Kingdom - of course!

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans! 

One question I get asked a lot are "What are the ‘must do’ things in the theme parks?" Well, your mileage may vary but this week I’ll be discussing my personal "musts. < more... >

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

There is something about Disney fans, isn’t there? I find Disney Fans, on the whole, to be among the kindest folks around. This was evidenced in my home yesterday by the arrival of a postcard, addressed to my son, signed by Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse. He was thrilled! And while I have my suspicions who the "Fairy Godmailer" (as well call them on the PassPorter Boards) is, the fact is that there are a number of possibilities.

So as you plan your trip or make your way through the parks this holiday season, consider how you may be able to spread the magic for others. One way is to send a holiday card or postcard to

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Be well and make magic wherever you go!

Sara Varney
Travel Planner

Greetings fellow Mouse Fans!

There is something about Disney fans, isn’t there? I find Disney Fans, on the whole, to be among the kindest folks around. This was evidenced in my home yesterday by the arrival of a postcard, addressed to my son, signed by Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse. He was thrilled! < more... >