First Annual TouringPlans Blog Secret Santa Party – Part Three

Finally! The TouringPlans Office Holiday Party has come to and end, and so has our Secret Santa series! We’ve swept up most of the confetti (though we’re cursing whoever brought the glitter). Angela has put down the video camera. And we’re giving the last of our gifts. If you’re just now joining us, pour yourself some eggnog and read Parts One and Two

To Angela from Dani:

She’s our hostess with the mostest. Move over Stacy Aswad, Angela’s here! If I could give Angela a special Christmas wish, I would conjure up a team of Disney’s best media specialists to escort Angela around all of Walt Disney World for a day full of filming at exclusive spots with the best film crew money can buy. In fact, once Stacy, host of “Must DO Disney” on WDW Resort television, gets word of the special celebrity host treatment Angela is getting, she’ll insist on being Angela’s co-host. Of course Angela will kick off her glamourous day of filming with anything her heart desires from the Main Street Bakery & Starbucks.

After a full day of filming the best video segments throughout the Most Magical Place on Earth, it’s time for Angela and her darling family to receive some much deserved pampering. First stop, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique so her two daughters can become the princesses they truly are. Second, it’s glamour time at Senses Spa at the Grand Floridian. Wait, is that Emilio Estevez circa 1992 as her personal masseuse? You bet it is! Nothing but the star treatment for TouringPlansTV’s brightest star!

To Sarah from James:

I am Sarah Graffam’s Secret Santa, and in addition to our love of Disney, Sarah and I evidently also share a love of travel generally, and she’s got a pretty impressive list of places all over the world she’s visited. With that in mind, I thought it would be great to give her something else we’d ALL like to see — a fully realized version of World Showcase, with ALL of the expansion pads filled in with additional country pavilions.

I know many of you are probably wondering, “Expansion pads, what expansion pads? World Showcase is already full, right?” Not at all. It seems like the pavilions blend right into each other, but most of those transitional areas are actually open plots that were originally intended to hold other countries, like Switzerland (complete with Matterhorn), Spain, Russia, Australia and Equatorial Africa! Soooo, we’re going to drop those in (goodbye, Outpost!), and add a few that were never even conceived, like Peru (Machu Picchu would make a nice focal point) and the Czech Republic (incredible old-world castles and architecture). Each new pavilion will feature at least one table service restaurant, one quick service restaurant, a bar/lounge in the style of La Cava del Tequila or Tutto Gusto, and a new attraction themed to that country’s culture. This is Disney, so there will of course be ample opportunities to purchase authentic merchandise from those countries as well.

While we’re at it, we’ll replace the opaque mud in the lagoon with crystal clear azure water and drop one more pavilion themed to the Seychelles right out in the middle, because who wouldn’t love to while the day away on an island completely encircled by World Showcase?!?!? Sarah, there are hammocks and drinks with little umbrellas waiting for you! Merry Christmas!

To Liz from Len:

Liz is clearly a woman of taste and refinement – she’s written blog posts with information for you, dear reader, to personalize your Disney hotel room and your Disney Magic Bands in your own style.

A gift for Liz, then, can’t be something just anyone can get. It should be exclusive and it must have style.

Fortunately, the Magic Kingdom is just teeming with exclusivity these days. In that spirit, my gift to Liz is the most exclusive event of them all: a new Magic Kingdom upcharge I’m calling Mama Odie’s Magic Kingdom Cabanas at Tiana’s Express Riverboat Transportation Party and Ice Cream Social – After Hours.

This event improves on every new added-charge idea that Disney has come up with in the past few months. You know those Magic Kingdom cabanas over in the asphalt of Tomorrowland? People’ll roast like turkeys in those in July. That’s why Mama Odie’s Magic Kingdom Cabanas are built entirely of frozen Mickey Bars.

You want express transportation between parks? You won’t even need to get off the riverboat. Using the Magic Kingdom’s waterways, you’ll glide from the Rivers of America to Bay Lake to all points beyond. And by “all points beyond” we mean the Animal Kingdom, which is the only park with water routes to the Magic Kingdom. But you’ll have a great spot for viewing Rivers of Light when it debuts in Spring 2016 Summer 2016 November 2016 2017.

Mama Odie’s cabanas are available on select nights after the Magic Kingdom has closed to regular guests, Liz, and park admission is required.

To Daisy from Angela:

The first time I met Daisy, she introduced me to my very first macaron. We were in Epcot at the France Pavilion, so it only seems fitting to return the favor.

Get ready Daisy, because my gift to you is a trip to Disneyland Paris!

Er, umm…I’d like to admit that I did the research and I’m not 100% certain that Disneyland Paris still sells those three-packs of macarons.

So, we’ll have to make a trip back to the France Pavilion to pick some up for the plane ride. At least I know you like those ones, right?

To Laurel from Tammy:

My secret Santa gift to Laurel is an all-knowing Disney insider with connections. They’d recognize the immense value and genius of the Touring Plans blog, and make it easy for her to run it in 2017. She’d get front row seats, perfect for bloggable pictures, at every new parade and show. Whenever a menu change was happening, she’d get invitations to a private tasting beforehand. Disney would even listen to her feedback! Pricing changes? They’d send her a list beforehand, of course. Every time something new was coming or something old was changing, Laurel would have plenty of heads up and details. And the proverbial cherry on top? It would all make perfect sense! Disney would send Laurel a private email, explain exactly what was about to happen, and why. They’d give her a few days to write up a blog post with the very detailed information they would send and she’d be able to schedule a post for the second it was official. Maybe even 5 minutes before! She could ask clarifying questions and Disney would immediately answer. Like a partnership! A true Christmas miracle. (Ed. – it’s perfect; I love it!)

So there you have it, the perfect gifts for your favorite TouringPlans bloggers. How about you? What would you like this year? Talk about about it in the comments.

And from all of us to all of you, thank you for a great year and have a wonderful holiday season.