HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!: Using an oversized park ticket created for the occasion, Seattle, Wash. resident Andrew DaCosta enters the Magic Kingdom Jan. 1, 2009. After redeeming his registration at 7:31 a.m., DaCosta was the first person in the nation to receive free admission to a Disney theme park on his birthday as part of Disney's "What Will You Celebrate?" On Jan. 1 and 2, Walt Disney World saw several sets of twins redeem their free birthday admission, and even a set of triplets.
CELEBRATE TODAY: Seattle, Wash. resident Andrew DaCosta (second from left) and his family -- daughter Alana (left), wife Carolyn (second from right) and daughter Kathryn (right) -- cheer Jan. 1, 2009 in the Magic Kingdom. Andrew DaCosta was the first person in the nation to receive free admission on his birthday as part of Disney's "What Will You Celebrate?" On Jan. 1 and 2, Walt Disney World saw several sets of twins redeem their free birthday admission, and even a set of triplets.
LET IT SNOW: Actress Brittany Snow celebrates New Year's Eve at the Magic Kingdom with Mickey Mouse on Dec. 31, 2008. Snow is known for her roles in films including "Hairspray," "Prom Night" and "Finding Amanda," and for television shows like "American Dreams" and "Nip/Tuck."
WHO'S HUNGRY?: Andrew Zimmern, host of the Travel Channel series "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern," joins Chef Goofy in the Magic Kingdom Jan. 2, 2009 to enjoy two of the theme park's giant, smoked turkey legs.
A MARATHON WITH 'CHARACTER': Masanari Kamada, of Higashi-Osaka, Japan, dressed as Winnie the Pooh, high-fives Disney character "Chip" as he finishes the 2008 Walt Disney World Marathon. The Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend presented by CIGNA will be held Jan. 8-11, 2009
IT'S SHOWTIME!: Disney's Hollywood Studios raises the curtain on the newest showbiz-themed attraction, "The American Idol Experience." Opening Feb. 14, 2009, all the excitement of the popular "American Idol" TV show comes to life in a first-of-its-kind attraction.
MORE DREAMING IN 2009: Famed television and radio entertainer Steve Harvey will return to Walt Disney World for "Disney Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey" -- a motivational event for teens which will take place at Walt Disney World in Florida Feb. 12-15, 2009.
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME: Spring Training fans at Champion Stadium at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex take in the action at the Atlanta Braves’ home-away-from-home, Disney’s Wide World of Sports. Braves players begin reporting to Spring Training on Feb. 14, 2009. The Braves have called Walt Disney World their spring training home since 1997.
LET THE CELEBRATION BEGIN: Chef Mickey Mouse and Chef Goofy are baking up fun surprises as Disney Parks embraces a new travel trend called "celebration vacations." Disney Parks will lead the growing trend with new entertainment and services that allow guests to turn personal milestones such as birthdays and anniversaries into magical Disney experiences.
FREE ON YOUR BIRTHDAY: It’s party time at Disney Parks during 2009. As part of a special park-wide celebration, everyone who visits a Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort theme park in 2009 gets in free on their birthday.