Kick Off Summer with Some Disney Magic from Access

I have a confession to make.

I’m 31 years old (almost 32 actually) and I LOVE Disney more now than I did as a kid.

In fact, here’s a little list of all my Disney favorites:

Favorite Disney Character - Snow White

Favorite Disney Movie - The Parent Trap (Hayley Mills version)

Favorite Disney Channel Show – Lizzie McGuire

Favorite Disney Ride - Space Mountain (with Splash Mountain as a close 2^nd)

Favorite Disney Park Food - Chocolate-covered Mickey Mouse ice cream bar

Favorite Disney Memory - On a family trip to Disney World, we did a character breakfast and my little brother had to be taken out of the room because he was terrified of Jafar.

Favorite Disney Apparel - An oversized Mickey sweatshirt I’ve had since elementary school that is still my favorite thing to wear to bed.

I’m sure there are a lot of Disney fanatics out there who can relate and have lists of their own Disney obsessions.

Well, for all you Disney lovers out there, we at Access have some BIG news around upcoming summer attractions and exclusive magical savings to the happiest place on earth.

Opening Soon: New Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Attraction

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens at Disneyland® Resort in California on May 31^st and at Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando on August 29^th.

Rumor has it the new Star Wars themed parks on the east and west coasts will each consist of 14 acres of unbelievable fun, and will be Disney's largest single-themed attraction to date.

If you’re a fan of the ever popular science fiction franchise, you’ll be able to not only visit, but pilot a replica of the Millennium Falcon spaceship on a daring smuggling mission.

Fans will enjoy an immersive experience set on planet Batuu, where they’ll interact with "real" Batuu residents, like smugglers, bounty hunters and rogue adventurers.

And for those looking to take home a special keepsake of their experience on Batuu, you’ll be able to build your own custom lightsaber and/or droid, find and collect rare artifacts and shop for the perfect apparel to remember your adventure by.

In the near future, fans will also be able to go on the Rise of the Resistance attraction to experience an exciting battle against the First Order.

Bursting with excitement yet?

What Else to Expect at Disney this Summer

And if the epic opening of the new Star Wars attractions wasn’t enough, here are some other noteworthy happenings you can look forward to this summer.

NBA Experience at Walt Disney World – Opening August 12^th at Disney Springs, this will be an NBA fan’s biggest dream. It’s an immersive experience that puts you on the court, in the middle of the action. With an NBA arena replica, locker room, and tons of games and challenges, visitors will be courtside to all of their slam-dunkiest basketball fantasies.

Lion King Celebration – Disney’s new Lion King movie opens July 19^th in theaters. As a tribute to the film remake, there will be a celebration “honoring the spirit of Africa” with music, crafts and more.

Aladdin Sneak Peak – With the debut of the new live-action film, you’ve got until May 27^th to head over to the Main Street Opera House at Disneyland to enjoy clips of Disney’s Aladdin. It’s a whole new world of fun!

Experience More Magic for Less with Access

Access couldn’t be happier to offer our members a newly engineered online ticket-buying interface, seamless at-the-gate redemption experience, and one of the most exclusive discounts that Disney Parks has to offer – anywhere.

Our current Disney, members-only offers include:

• Walt Disney World^® Tickets - Save up to $60 off the gate price

• Disneyland^® Resort - Save up to $111 off the normal gate price

So what are you waiting for? If you’re an existing Access client, encourage your members to take advantage of this magical offer for summer.

And if you’re not a client – well, maybe it’s time to look a little closer at the Access discount network for your organization. We specialize in member benefits, employee discount programs, alumni discount programs, premiums and incentives, loyalty clubs, revenue-generating upsell products, youth fundraisers and a lot more. Reach out to your rep today and find out how Access can help with your member loyalty and customer engagement efforts.

Disney Park Tips & Tricks from Our Resident Expert - Tracie Ellis

For those of you who will indeed be taking Access up on these amazing offers, we have a special surprise for you. Tracie Ellis, VP of Partnership Marketing at Access, not only works closely with Disney to bring clients and members the best Disney parks discounts around – she's also a self-proclaimed Disney expert when it comes to making the most out of your theme park experience. Here are a couple of quick tips to help Disney-goers get started on maximizing their time at Disney theme parks.

Tracie recommends to first download the Disneyland or Walt Disney World app before starting your Disney park experience. Set up an account, upload your payment information and link your park pass to make your park experience as convenient as possible.

From the app, you can book fast passes to minimize the time you stand in line for rides, pre-order food and pick it up at a quick service dining station to eliminate extra waiting time, make dining reservations, check entertainment schedules (like parades, shows, fireworks and character greetings), have all your PhotoPass pictures linked to one central place in the app, and access a map of the park that shows current wait times for rides.

But when you do have to wait in line for attractions, Tracie encourages park goers to make it fun by downloading the Play Disney Parks app. The app offers trivia games, unique activities that interact with attraction queues and fun features that unlock as you pass specific points in line for rides.

And if you have kids that are too small to go on some of the rides, or you just have guests in your party that don't want to participate in some attractions, she encourages that you take advantage of Rider Switch. Rider Switch allows one adult to wait with the person(s) not riding the attraction while the first adult rides the ride. Then, when the first adult returns, the adult that waited can use the Rider Switch to ride the attraction right away instead of having to wait in line again. Pretty cool!

What Better Way to Celebrate Memorial Day & Summer than with a Little Magic

Memorial Day is next week and the official first day of summer is exactly one month from today on June 21^st. There is no better way to kick off the long holiday weekend and celebrate the end of the school year than with Mickey Mouse himself.

There are rides to be ridden, fun to be had, food to be eaten, memories to be made and characters to take selfies with at the wonderful world of Disney.

Everyone could use a little more magic in their life.

Wishing you all a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend and a wonderfully warm summer!