Walt Disney World Resort - March 2012 Special Events, Ride Closures, Crowd Levels, and Attraction Refurbishments.

Crowds will get heavy around mid-March as people enjoy their Spring break at Walt Disney World. The early part of the month will have low to moderate crowds. Low crowds mean shorter hours and fewer shows so plan accordingly.

Fantasmic! (Disney's Hollywood Studios) - Great news! Fantasmic! is being offered almost every night in March - the only night without a performance is March 21st. This is a very popular show and we highly recommend it - arrive 60-90 minutes early, if you do not have a Fantasmic! Dinner package. Disney may add a second, later performance on certain evenings as we get close to Easter and most of the country's spring breaks - if they do, the later showing of Fantasmic! will always be less crowded than the earlier one Warning: This show is excellent but it does feature villains for a good 8-10 minutes. The scene is fairly intense and can be frightening to small children.

Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade (Magic Kingdom) - This wonderful nighttime parade is not offered every night and the Magic Kingdom will be more crowded on days featuring a Main Street Electric Parade. The Main Street Electric Parade will be presented on March 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 ,19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31. If Disney offers a second evening parade, the later parade will be less crowded than the earlier. Any day that the Magic Kingdom offers both an Extra Magic Hour(s) and Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade will be especially busy.

Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival - March 7 - May 20, 2012. This event is included in the price of admission and is beautiful. Even non-gardeners will enjoy the topiaries and gorgeous flower beds in Epcot during the festival. Weekends at Epcot will be busier as locals come to enjoy this event. Try to visit Epcot on a week day - Mondays are always a great day to visit Epcot.

Extra Magic Hours - (Special hours only available to Disney resort hotel guests) - We strongly recommend that everyone avoid the Extra Magic Hour park of the day during Spring Break. Disney has 33,000 hotel rooms and no one goes to Disney alone - that means too many people are pointed in the same direction at the same time. You'll have a much nicer time by going to a less busy park. This is doubly important if you are not staying at a Disney resort - you don't want to get to the theme park and find a bunch of Disney guests in line in front of you.

At Build A Better Mouse Trip, we are convinced that everyone can benefit with good touring plans - this is even more important during holiday travel seasons. During busy times, a good plan will absolutely keep you ahead of the crowds and out of the lines - our clients typically wait less than 20 minutes for rides, even thrill rides and headliners. During less crowded times, a good plan factors in shorter park hours and fewer performance times. But the most important benefit of a good plan is that everyone gets to ride and see the things that they are looking forward to because everyone's priorities are included in a plan that tours the parks efficiently and effectively.

We offer three great options for touring plans at no extra cost to you when you book your Disney vacation through Build A Better Mouse Trip:

1. The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World is an excellent guide book with great standardized plans. A great resource.

2. Tour Guide Mike Subscription - this fantastic website is a great option for anyone who loves travel planning.

3. TouringPlans.com - A fantastic resource with great touring plans and line apps for your phone. The best option for busy people who need things quick and easy.

Contact us today to start planning your Disney Vacation:
Build A Better Mouse Trip Travel
Toll free: 877-815-6515

Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival - March 7 - May 20, 2012. No extra ticket needed - included with your park admission. Expect Epcot to be in full bloom with flowers, topiaries, gardening demonstrations, and special activities. The Flower Power concerts are a very popular part of the Flower and Garden festival. We'll update as more information becomes available but here's a tentative list of this year's performers:
March 9 - 11: Jose Feliciano
March 16 - 18: Starship starring Mickey Thomas
March 23 - 25: The Guess Who
March 30 - April 1: The Spinners
April 6 - 8: Chubby Checker & The Wildcats
April 13 - 15: Paul Revere & The Raiders
April 20 - 23: The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie
April 27 - 29: Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night
May 4 - 6: The Orchestra Starring Former Members of ELO
May 11 - 13: Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone
May 18 - 20: Mickey Dolenz
Dates & performers are subject to change.

The Following HGTV celebrities will make presentations during the festival:

March 9 - 11: John Gidding, from "Curb Appeal: The Block"
March 16 - 18: Sabrina Soto, from " The High/Low Project"
March 23 - 25: Jason Cameron: "Desperate Lanscapes" and "Man Caves"
Mar 30 - Apr 1: Camille Styles, HGTV.com
April 6 - 8: Dan Faires, Season 6 of "HGTV Design Star" and HGTV.com's "DanMade"
April 13 - 15: Brandon Johnson, "My Yard Goes Disney"
April 20 - 22: Meg Caswell, "Meg's Great Rooms"
April 27 - 29: Monica Pedersen, "HGTV Dream Home Tour 2012" and "Designed to Sell"
May 4 - 6: Antonio Ballatore, "The Antonio Treatment"
May 11 - 14: Carter Oosterhouse, "Million Dollar Rooms"
May 18 - 20: Genevieve Gorder, "Dear Genevieve" and "HGTV Design Star"

All dates and performers are subject to change.

Magic Kingdom - Ariel's Grotto & Pooh's Playful Spot have closed to make room for the big Fantasyland expansion project.

Mickey's Toontown Fair (Magic Kingdom) is now permanently closed. A new area is being constructed in this space. The Walt Disney Railroad will continue to run but the Toontown station will be closed during construction.

Magic Kingdom - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed Janurary 9 - May 27, 2012.

Magic Kingdom - Dumbo closed January 9 - March 31, 2012.

Magic Kingdom - Plaza Ice Cream Parlor closed January 4 - March 27, 2012.

Epcot - Honey, I Shrunk The Audience 3D (Epcot) has been replaced by "Captain EO.

Epcot - Tutto Italia Ristorante closed January 7 - April 30, 2012

Disney's Hollywood Studios - Studio Backlot Tour- closed February 13 - March 9, 2012

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park - Closed for Annual Refurbishment from December 4 - March 17, 2012. The Blizzard Beach Water Park will be open at this time.

Disney's All- Star Music Resort - Piano Pool closed from February 6 - March 16, 2012. The Calypso Pool will remain open.

Disney's Boardwalk Resort - Inn Leisure Pool closed March 19 - 22. The Luna Park Feature Pool will remain open.

Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort - Pool Slide at Bay Cove Pool will be closed March 19 - 22, 2012. The pool itself will remain open.

Disney's Coronado Springs Resort - Ranchos Leisure pool closed March 11 - 14, 2012. The Lost City of Cibola Feature Pool at The Dig Site will remain open.

Disney's Polynesian Resort - Nanea Valcano Pool Slide closed from February 2 - March 16, 2012.

Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort - Alligator Bayou leisure pool near 16, 17, 18 closed 3/12/2012- 3/15/2012. Alligator Bayou leisure pool near buildings 36 and 39 closed 3/19/2012- 3/22/2012. The feature pool at Ole Man Island will remain open.

Disney's Magical Express (Airport Shuttle Service) - New luggage procedure for late night arrivals. Luggage service will no longer be available for arrivals to Orlando International Airport after 10:00PM. Collect your luggage at baggage claim and take with you to the Disney's Magical Express check-in desk.