Disney: Eat for free in Orlando

We've learned that the Southern California CityPass will go on sale at West Coast supermarkets in June. The news made us wonder: Is the Southern California CityPass worth buying? And what would be the cheapest way to buy it? The CityPass covers three days at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure Park as well as one day each at Universal Studios Hollywood and SeaWorld San Diego. You can also spend a day at either the San Diego Zoo or San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. The CityPass costs $247 per adult and $199 per child ages 3 to 9, at participating theme parks. (That's a slight increase from last year's prices.) You can also buy it at citypass.com, but you'll have to add at least $10 for shipping. Budget Travel Tip: Members of Costco can buy the CityPass for $217 per adult and $174 per child at Costco.com. If you’re ambitious enough to visit all the parks within 14 days, the CityPass can save you up to $99 per adult or up to $87 per child as compared to buying tickets at a main gate to a participating park. Even if you buy tickets online, you’ll save up to $79 per adult or $67 per child. Buying through Costco.com and occasional sales on coupon-code sites such as FatWallet.com, can save you even more. But back to the news: Folks in Northern California will see the pass for sale at full price many Safeway grocery stores, starting in June. Residents of Las Vegas, Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, and Seattle will also start seeing the pass for sale in many local grocery stores, such as Albertsons, Bashas’, Fry’s, and Kroger.* Southern Californians should still look for resident-only promotions (available at Disney Stores and at disneyland.disney.go.com) that can tack on an extra day in the price of a single-day ticket to either Disneyland or California Adventure. CityPass should be in select supermarkets shortly after the new Simpsons Ride debuts at Universal Studios Hollywood. Opening in mid-May, the six-minute virtual ride will feature Homer, Bart and 27 other Springfield characters—including Krusty the Clown—projected on an 80-foot domed screen. Woo-hoo! *CLARIFICATION 3/24: Due to an editing error, this post originally said that Albertsons, Bashas’, Fry’s, and Kroger can be found in Northern California, when, in fact, they are located elsewhere.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has recently announced the launch of a new slate of programming for 2008 for Disney Travel on Demand, its on-demand travel content available on two cable systems nationwide—Time Warner Cable and Cablevision. Originally launched in 2007, Disney Travel on Demand adds three new programs, each an episodic series with a travel bent. One of them, What's Cooking With Cat Cora, is a cooking show hosted by the first female American Iron Chef, Cat Cora. In it, she helps take families into some of Disney's restaurants to provide tips on how to spice up their day-to-day dining options at home. We recently sat down with Cat to ask her about some of her travel experiences, in our latest installment of "Window or Aisle." The real highlight of this partnership, though, is the interactive capability of the channel if you're a Cablevision digital cable subscriber. Using your remote control, you can order a vacation planning DVD from the comfort of your own living room. If you're really revved up by what you're watching, you can use it to access the "Talk to Agent" feature to request a call back from a Disney Vacation Planner. Within minutes, a Disney representative will be on the phone with you to help you book your next trip. I don't have Cablevision where I live, so I haven't had the chance to try it. But if this technology takes off—according to numbers released by Disney, 23 percent of subscribers who used the "Talk to Agent" feature actually booked a vacation—it could certainly open some interesting possibilities in the future. Don't be surprised to see it spread to other cable carriers, or even other networks. Imagine watching a special on Hawaii on the Travel Channel and being able to book a trip to what you're seeing…without getting up off your couch. Would you be interested in such a feature? Would you be more inclined to book a vacation? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, a federal judge has dismissed a potential class-action lawsuit against Walt Disney World that would have allowed disabled guests to use their own Segways at the theme parks. We first posted about the lawsuit back in November. Disney's contention has been that the theme parks offer alternative methods of transportation for the disabled and that Segways are a danger to the safety of its visitors if they're not operated properly. Currently, only trained employees are allowed to use the device in the parks or guests on specialized tours when the parks are closed (pictured to the right). It's important to note that U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell dismissed the case because the plaintiffs had shown no intention to actually visit the resort in the future—not necessarily because he agrees that Disney should not allow Segways. Did he make the right call? It's tough to say. On my many trips, I've been banged around not just by wheelchairs and motorized scooters, but strollers and scampering children, too! During busy periods, navigating a theme park can be an arduous task at best. But from what I've read, Segways are faster and more difficult to control than the above items (expect maybe the children), which can make them a risky proposition. So you tell us. Where does Disney's obligation to the safety of all of its guests end—and the rights of its disabled guests begin? Image: Epcot guests take a spin on a Segway during morning hours before the area opens (Disney)

American Idol is coming to Walt Disney World as part of the major revamp of Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly Disney-MGM Studios). Due to open later this year, the attraction will closely follow the format of Fox's popular singing competition. Each day, amateurs aged 14 and older will compete, and winners will face-off in a Grand Finale show nightly. Top performers who are 16 to 28-years old will get to enter a regional audition for TV's American Idol on another day. No word yet on whether Scrooge McDuck will play the role of the obnoxious judge. Image: Artist's rendition of the new American Idol attraction (courtesy and © Disney) And here's news from elsewhere around the Disney-verse: Toy Story Mania: As part of the changes at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Toy Story Mania! will open this summer at the new Pixar Place. (The 3-D attraction will also open at Disneyland's California Adventure.) To coincide with this, Disney-Pixar has announced that Toy Story 3 will be coming to theaters in 2010, while parts 1 and 2 will be re-released in 3-D in 2009. The Year of the Mouse: Taking corporate synergy to a whole new level, Disneyland is celebrating the "Year of the Mouse." For those not in the know, last week was the Chinese New Year and marked the beginning of the "Year of the Rat." (But don't ever call Mickey that!) Meanwhile Hong Kong Disneyland has announced that the first baby boy and girl who were born in the new year in Hong Kong will receive lifetime passes to the Disney theme parks in Hong Kong, Paris, and the States. Flower Power: In Florida, Epcot's International Flower & Garden Festival begins March 19, and will run for 75 days—15 days longer than last year's festival. This year's theme is a day at the beach for Mickey and Minnie. Much like Epcot's Food & Wine Festival, the celebration will include guest speakers, seminars, exhibits and concerts. For more information, check out the redesigned disneyworld.com.