Pirates & Princess Party

For those who want to experience the princess lifestyle, the Walt Disney World Resort offers the Perfectly Princess Tea Party, the Princess Storybook Dining at Epcot, Cinderella's Grand Feast, the Wonderland Tea Party, the Biddidi Bobbidi Boutique, and special meals at Cinderella's Castle: "Once Upon a Time Breakfast," "A Fairytale Lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table," and the "Dreams Come True Dinner." (Sorry, PassPorter friends, I am not having a makeover at the Biddidi Bobbidi Boutique and writing an article on it. They can't pay me enough to do it!) You can also experience rides and attractions based on Disney princess, such as Cinderella's Golden Carrousel and Snow White's Scary Adventures at the Magic Kingdom, and the shows "Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage" and "Voyage of the Little Mermaid" at Disney-MGM Studios.

If pirates and princesses generate this much money and attention for Disney, why not combine these two cash cows? These two Disney properties come together at the Pirates and Princess Party at the Magic Kingdom. This hard-ticketed event began in January 2007 and returns on select nights from August 11, 2007 to September 3, 2007. I had visited the event on its last night during the spring: March 8, 2007. The event hours during my visit were 7:30 PM to 1:00 AM. On the select nights in August and September 2007, the hours are 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM. Ticket prices from Walt Disney World's website are as follows:

Pirates & Princess Party Advance Price: Ages 10 and over: $38.95 + tax Ages 3-9: $32.95 + tax

Pirates & Princess Party Day of Event Price: Ages 10 and over: $45.95 + tax Ages 3-9: $39.95 + tax

Advanced tickets can be purchased on www.disneyworld.com or by calling 407-W-DISNEY.

The Pirates and Princess Party follows a similar format to another hard-ticketed event, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The party has a parade and fireworks. Stations scattered around the Magic Kingdom hand out candy. Nearly all the rides and attractions are open, except for rides such as the Jungle Cruise in Adventureland. Guests are allowed, even encouraged, to come dressed in princess or pirates costumes. On the night of my visit, one guest came dressed up as the red head from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride!

With your Pirates and Princess Party ticket, you can enter the park as early as 4:00 pm without regular park admission. If you enter early, you can catch the rides and attractions not open during the event. Additionally, during spring event times, you might be able to catch the Wishes fireworks show before the Pirates and Princess Party (if Wishes is scheduled during your visit). You can see two fireworks show for the price of one ticket (assuming you've never seen Wishes before). Sadly, Wishes is not scheduled for any of the fall Pirates and Princess Party dates.

When you enter the park, you're given a small bag to collect candy from around 13 "Treasure Spots" scattered around the Magic Kingdom. The bag is made of velvet, has the Pirates and Princess Party logo emblazoned on the front, and is a little smaller than your hand. The Pirates Bazaar at Adventureland has similar bags that you can stuff full of "precious" stones.

The Magic Kingdom laid out red carpets at the entrance. You really feel like royalty when you walk on this carpet! Be sure to pick up an event map to find your way around the park, to see the show times, to locate the "Treasure Spots," and to see when other activities are scheduled through the night.

The event has the two things that Disney does best; parades and fireworks. The "Disney's Enchanted Adventures Parade" begins at Frontierland and winds its way across Liberty Square and down Main Street U.S.A. You can see royal knights on horseback, court dancers, and Disney princesses such as Ariel, Snow White, Belle, and Cinderella. The pirates' portion of the parade has a 39-foot pirate ship, a treasure float with Jack Sparrow, and Peter Pan with his gang fighting Captain Hook and his cronies. My favorite area for parade viewing is in Frontierland in front of the Country Bears building. This area has enough light to videotape and photograph without excessive problems. You can find other well-lit spots along the parade route in Frontierland.