Affordable Walt Disney World Vacation
THE DISNEY NEWS
October 12, 2005
Copyright © 1999 - 2005 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved.
=================================================
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Hi Everyone!
In this blog...
* Deals and specials - Exclusive deal for subscribers to The
Disney News! Get FREE access to our members only website for
the rest of the year!
* The latest news from around the "World" - including the
publication of The Haunted Mansion comic book series!
* Suzan sent us a trip report of her WDW vacation in August.
* This week's money saving tip!
=================================================
We continuously update our information and you can find
these current specials in our Addenda:
WALT DISNEY WORLD:
A reminder...
* An exclusive deal for Affordable Disney members only at
Walt Disney World's Port Orleans French Quarter and
Wilderness Lodge November 27 thru December 18 (inclusive)!
Rates are too low to publish in our newsletter!
"Hi John, I just joined your affordable Disney group. My
wife and I have been planning a trip to Disney World in
December. When we saw the prices we were just awed."
For those who like to wait until the last minute... Beth,
our travel agent, must have the final payment for your
reservation by October 21! So you need to book this week!
--------------------------------
EXCLUSIVE DEAL FOR SUBSCRIBERS TO THE DISNEY NEWS!
Become an Affordable Disney Basic Member by October 18 and
we'll extend your membership through December, 2006 at no
extra charge! That will give you access to all our money
saving information from now until the end of the year for
free! Then you will enjoy another 12 months access at no
additional charge. Now you can be ready for Disney's deals
this January (which will be announced soon) as well as
specials for Spring, Summer, Fall, Thanksgiving and
Christmas, 2006!
This special is for our newsletter subscribers only. Be sure
to join by October 18. Enter the promo code: "Disney news"
in the comment box on the order form.
To see all the benefits of an Affordable Disney membership
and to join,click here.
=================================================
DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA
Disneyland Hotel Special for this group from $89 in
November!
=================================================
DISNEYLAND PARIS
Free Nights And Days! Get 1 Extra Night & 1 Day Free!
Take a truly magical 3-night break to Disneyland Paris and
get an extra night including breakfast in your Disney Hotel,
plus an extra day to explore both Disney Parks - absolutely
free!
=================================================
LAS VEGAS
Indulge yourself at this Hotel & Casino October 4, 2005 -
October 31, 2005 from $79 per room, per night, based on
single or double occupancy! Book by October 14, 2005. Book
your stay during BONUS DAYS and receive:
* Deluxe Upgrade
* 2 for 1 lunch
* 2 free drinks
* 2 Day Passes to The Spa
* Book online and receive a $10 Starbucks Credit and 10% off
spa services!
=================================================
OTHER FLORIDA SPECIALS
Spend Christmas at this beautiful luxury resort November 19
- January 2. Two-night Family Holiday Package starts at just
$259 including:
* Florida view room accommodations
* Milk and Cookies delivered to your guest room
* Gourmet breakfast for two adults and two children
* Two adult and two children's tickets to their spectacular
winter show!
* One souvenir photo at the show
* Priority entrance to the show
* 10% discount at the on-site programs that cater
specifically to kids.
Beth writes: "John - As you know, I'm a huge fan of [this
resort], and while I haven't seen their [winter] attraction,
I hear it's really fabulous. Note that you do NOT have to be
staying there to go to [the show]. The resort is just a few
minutes from Disney property... easy if you have a car,
cheap cab ride if you don't."
=================================================
Affordable Disney Members should log in at our password-
protected site (The Disney Reading Room) to access the
particulars about the above mentioned specials.
If you are not a member, you can join our Disney family here.
=================================================
NEWS FROM AROUND THE "WORLD"
WALT DISNEY WORLD
The Orlando Sentinel did a profile of the local miniature
golf courses. Here's one you may be familiar with:
"Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course
The look: Two 18-hole courses, two very different styles,
one common theme: lots of imagination, not enough
maintenance. We opted for the Gardens Course, a colorful
Disney spin on classic mini golf with scenes from Fantasia.
The Fairways Course actually looks like a pint-sized golf
course." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 10/03/05)
--------------------------------
"Foolish mortals everywhere will have reason to host their
own swinging wakes when SLG Publishing, in partnership with
Disney Publishing Worldwide, releases the first issue of The
Haunted Mansion, a comic book anthology based on the classic
Disney E Ticket attraction. Scheduled for an October 2005
release... SLG's Haunted Mansion comic book will draw from
the strong visual elements of the ride for it's stories and
will not be based on the feature film...
The comic, in a series of stories that will run through the
first several issues, will create a new back story for the
Mansion and tell the intertwining stories of The Ghost Host,
Madame Leotta, and the Bride who resides in the attic. How
they all came to be in the mansion, and the mansion's
powerful attraction to spirits and ghouls, will all be
revealed...
Haunted Mansion will be a 32 page black & white comic book
with a cover price of $2.95. Covers will be by Roman Dirge.
Haunted Mansion will be available at better comic book
stores and select book stores this October as well as on
Amazon.com and at Hot Topic stores. The comic will also be
available through the publisher's web site at
www.slgpublishing.com.
(Source: SLG Publishing Press Release, 10/05/05)
--------------------------------
"Walt Disney Studios is hoping that the same kind of church-
based campaign that helped turn 'The Passion of the Christ'
into a blockbuster will convert C.S. Lewis' children's
classic 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and
the Wardrobe' into a big-screen franchise - with "Lion
King"-sized profits." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 10/05/05)
--------------------------------
"Walt Disney World heads to Houston this week for a
Hurricane Katrina job fair... SeaWorld Orlando spokeswoman
Becca Bides said that, while SeaWorld is not participating
in the Houston job fair, the park does have about 125 part-
time and seasonal positions open right now... Universal
Orlando also is not participating in the Houston job fair,
but company spokesman Tom Schroder said Universal has
already hired about 70 people from the New Orleans area who
attended Orlando-based job fairs for hurricane victims."
(Source: Orlando Sentinel, 10/05/05)
=================================================
Walt Disney World Monthly Calendar.
=================================================
DISNEY CRUISE LINE
"Authorities are investigating accusations of indecent
exposure on [the Disney Wonder.]"
(Source: WESH.com, 10/07/05)
=================================================
DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA
Disneyland's Candlelight Procession and Ceremony will be
held December 3 and 4. Dick Van Dyke will be the guest
narrator.
--------------------------------
New Tour
Cruzin’ Disney's California Adventure Tour starts November
7, 2005. Includes a souvenir pin and a one-hour training
course on a Segway vehicle. Once trained, you'll take a ride
through Disney's California Adventure!
--------------------------------
Disneyland Resort Calendar
=================================================
NOTE: Links to newspaper articles change quickly and without
notice. If you receive a "File Not Found" error message,
search the newspaper's archives for the story. Certain
newspapers require a free registration to view their
articles online. If web addresses are broken into more than
one line, copy and paste all lines.
=================================================
Suzan visited WDW August 22-26, 2005. Here is her trip
report:
Day 1: Arrived at the Coronado Springs to check in around
3:30 pm. A lot of rooms had already been taken. We had a
reservation and got a room a bit further out than I would
have liked, but all the rooms are nice, and ours was
convenient to one of the 'quiet pools.' We walked around the
grounds, swam a bit, and got ready for dinner at the Mayan
Grill (using our Dining Plan).
Although a bit of an upscale restaurant, they were very
accommodating to children. The meal was exceptional!! The
appetizers, entrée, and dessert were all perfect. We had
salmon, mahi-mahi/filet combo, and our son had plain pasta
with sauce on the side. After dinner we headed to the Magic
Kingdom for a look around. We were able to get in quite a
few rides before the parade and fireworks. It was crowded,
but we still found nice places to stand for all the action.
Day 2: MGM here we come!! This is my favorite park. They
didn't have extended magic hours, so we tried to get there
as soon as we could. We planned to eat all of our breakfasts
in the room, to save on time and money. And that worked out
extremely nicely. My son didn't have to sit still in a
restaurant and we could still get things together without
rushing out. (We bought yogurts, granola bars, cheese,
grapes, and crackers at the local grocery store.)
We grabbed a map and schedule to make certain we caught as
many shows as possible. We also began our search for
characters to autograph my son's book and take photos. It
didn't take us long before we found Woody, Buzz, and
friends. My son's eyes were huge!! We saw the Disney
Playhouse show-very kid friendly and involved the audience.
The Muppet 3-D was awesome! We also caught Ariel's show. We
didn't get to Beauty and the Beast which I heard was
fantastic. The stunt show we caught was 'Indiana Jones'.
That was terrific. We sat right in front, had no problem in
any line. It was really rather fascinating. It does take
awhile to get from one show to another, so make certain you
account for that time.
We had lunch at 'Pizza Planet' using our meal plan. It was
very crowded so we sat with another family. (Everyone was
doing this.) It does have stairs to the main seating area.
There is an elevator, but it is very slow and busy with
strollers. We caught many more characters at this park and
they were all visible for long periods of time. We spent a
bit of time in the 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids' park. My son
really enjoyed that, but we didn't want to take too much
time there. So much to see!
We had 4:30 dinner reservations at Hollywood and Vine for
the Fastasmic Dinner package (not included in the dining
plan). This was worth it. The meal was good (buffet with
Flank steak, peel and eat shrimp, stew, ice cream bar, kids
selections, etc.) and we were provided a different entrance
to the Fantasmic area.
They request that you arrive between 6:30 an 8:00. However,
much before 7:30 is too early. You run out of things to do
while you wait. And the kids just want to buy light-up toys.
We kept busy with the bucket of green army men we bought
earlier in the day. Fantasmic was FANTASTIC. Unless you have
a great camera, don't waste time taking pictures, they don't
come out great - and we were in the front row. The show is
amazing. Leaving the show takes awhile and the park is now
closed so you really can't stop to do anything on the way
out.
Day 3: This was going to be a big day for us. We scheduled
breakfast with Pooh and his friends and dinner with Mickey
and the gang. Breakfast was in the Magic Kingdom at 10:30.
So we got to the park a bit early to get some pictures and
watch the Cinderellabration at the Castle. What a fabulous
show. We also had time to plot out a few more things to do
after breakfast. The breakfast was covered under our meal
plan. We saw Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger. They each
came around to the table, spent time signing autographs and
taking photos.
After breakfast we headed to Frontierland. We took the
Liberty Boat around Tom Sawyer's island. That was a nice way
to scoop out our next adventure-The Haunted Mansion. There
was no line whatsoever. My son was a bit scared at first,
but really enjoyed the 'ghosts' hopping into our car at the
end. We also rode the tea cups and got a few more autographs
of Tweedle Dee and Dum and White Rabbit.
We saw the Hall of Presidents and then headed for 'It's a
Small World' as it looked like rain. We waited in line for
about 15 minutes and it was indeed raining after we left. We
knew it would be over soon. We had an umbrella (preferred
over the hot poncho). By the time we got to the castle (to
head out for our afternoon swim) the rain had stopped.
We got back to our resort and swam for awhile. We had dinner
with Mickey (Chef Mickey's) at the Contemporary at 7:10 pm.
We had to plan our travel out as we had to take a bus to
Magic Kingdom and then the monorail to the Contemporary. We
were on time, but still waited for about 25 minutes. They
take your picture there. However, it's not with any
character and the package was over $25. Again, this was a
buffet with a variety of food. We were visited by Chip,
Dale, Goofy, Minnie, and Mickey. Donald stood around and
signed autographs and posed for photos near the buffet area.
This was nice, but took a bit longer than we would have
liked.
We saw the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the monorail as we
were heading back to the Kingdom for the extra magic hours.
We went right to the new Stitch ride. The line was extremely
long and they were not accepting Fast Passes at this point.
We waited for approximately 1 1/2 hours. The ride was
relatively short and not worth the time it took. My son
enjoyed Stitch's burps; but that still wasn't worth that
wait.
We headed to Mickey's Philharmagic where there was NO line
whatsoever. This was another fantastic 3-D show. We all
really enjoyed this one. We then went to learn how to fly
with Peter Pan. This line was quite long (although they were
taking Fast Pass-we didn't know that). We waited for about
45 minutes, but the ride is really quite nice. After that we
ran to catch the Country Bears and then headed back to the
resort. It was definitely a long day-and my son's legs were
feeling the affects."
Suzan's trip report continues below.
=================================================
DISNEY SECRETS NOW IN HARD COVER!
The Hard Cover/CD version of our "Secrets To An Affordable
Walt Disney World® Vacation" is now available with a Deluxe
Lifetime Membership!
These professionally printed works (weighing over 6 1/2 lbs)
come in two beautiful 3- ring binders with inside pockets.
You can easily add more pages to the binders in the future,
if you wish, and keep important documents in the inside
pockets where you can quickly access them.
Plus! Our book and all our reports are now available on CD!
You'll be able to access our book and reports on your
computer without paying for costly Internet access or trying
to figure out how to download!
Plus! We'll donate $25.00 of each new Deluxe Lifetime
Membership to the American Red Cross to help those suffering
from Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi and
Alabama.
You can subscribe to our Deluxe Lifetime Membership here.
=================================================
SeatGuru.com has great info about airplane seating and in-
flight services. It provides details on:
* seats: legroom; if it reclines; if it's quiet
* compares seat pitch and width of First, Business and Coach
Class
* laptop power and the type of adapter required
* in-flight entertainment and movies
=================================================
Suzan's trip report concludes:
'Day 4: We're ready for EPCOT. They have extended Magic
hours, so this is another long day for us. We started in the
Land of Tomorrow at EPCOT after eating breakfast in our room
and arriving by bus. We headed for The Living Sea, which we
found was closed for renovations. We went into the Living
with the Land and got a fast pass for the ride. We then went
over to Innovation to see 'Honey, I Shrunk the Audience.' It
was really good, but is getting a bit dated. The other 3-D
adventures were much better productions. We then went back
for our fast pass for the ride in Living with the Land. It
was a nice smooth boat ride and quite informative. It showed
some of the projects being worked on by the scientists in
EPCOT.
After that we headed for the World Market. We took a ferry
over to Morocco where we noticed it was about to rain. We
ate a fantastic lunch at the 'Tangerine Café.' The rain had
slowed by the time we were done, so we started looking
around Morocco. We met up with Aladdin and Jasmine. Being
five, my son was not very interested in meeting Jasmine, but
wanted her autograph. So, I was elected to get this and a
picture of them as well.
We then headed toward France to work our way out of the park
for our afternoon break. We saw Princess Aurora (Sleeping
Beauty) and later the Beast (from 'Beauty and the Beast').
We got a few more photos and signature (Beast doesn't sign
and Belle was busy in the 'castle.') From there were headed
to United Kingdom and Canada. We caught the band 'Off
Kilter' as they were about to start. A great rock-n-roll
band that plays the bag pipes and wears Kilts!! They were
terrific.
We headed out of EPCOT after Canada and headed back to the
hotel for some pool time and relaxation. This scheduled
worked out very well. Although it does take longer to get
out of the parks then we had anticipated. After our swim we
took a short nap, got ready, and headed back to EPCOT.
We tried to catch the ferry again to take us to Morocco, but
it had just left. We had reservations for dinner at
'Teppanyaki' in Japan for 7:10pm. They still honored our
reservation although we arrived a bit late. We were seated
with four other people. Our meal was great-and another great
opportunity for the Dining Plan. We had Filet Mignon,
Chicken, and Sirloin along with fabulous Sushi appetizers
and a nice fruit plate for dessert (our choices).
We were just in time for the fireworks show on the lake. We
had a great view from the balcony just outside the
restaurant. It was incredible. Afterwards, we headed out of
the park in the other direction catching the USA, Germany,
China, ending in Mexico. We got to see the drawbridge raised
for the boats on our way through as well. We took a little
boat ride through Mexico and then started a quicker paced
journey out of the park. It was around 11:30pm by the time
we got to the bus area. We got back to the room and began to
pack for tomorrow.
Day 5: Our last day. We only have time for a half day at
Animal Kingdom. We finished packing and had the bell service
take our luggage to the holding area for our departure. We
did express check-out so didn't have to worry about that
aspect. We got to Animal Kingdom and walked a far way to
Africa to catch the Safari. It was really wonderful. There
was absolutely NO LINE-they were waiting for us.
After that we wanted to make certain to catch the Lion King
show so we ran down toward Mickey and Minnie's area where
the show was about to begin. Again, we got right in with
absolutely no waiting. The show was really spectacular. It
was about 20 minutes long. We caught a few more autographs
right outside the Lion King of Donald Duck, Mickey, Minnie,
etc. (We had some of these already, but my son wanted them
again.)
We took the train to Rafiki's Planet. This was a nice
relaxing way to travel. We took photos with Rafiki and
Stanley (getting their autographs as well). They have a Kid
activity to do at a variety of locations throughout the park
(They did at EPCOT too). The kids get a card (at EPCOT it
was a mask) and they do an activity at every station and get
a stamp, an attachment, etc. on their cards/mask etc. This
keeps the kids busy, but got a bit tiresome for us.
After visiting the nature building there, we headed back on
the train to Africa. We didn't have time for Asia, or any of
the other areas, as we were limited on time. We did a bit of
shopping and headed back to the Coronado Springs for lunch
in the Pepper Market. Again, a great meal on the dining plan
and we had time to do some picture taking around the resort
and a bit more shopping.
The Magical Express Bus came a few minutes late to get us-
but got us to the airport with plenty of time to spare. The
bus was extremely comfortable-my son even took a short nap.
The airport had another store to check out the Disney
merchandise. We looked around there, headed to our gate, and
our plane boarded about 20 minutes later.
We're home now. We took a few days off before actually
getting back to work and school-which was a great idea!!!
Our pictures are developed and put into the album. We've
looked at our Disney Photo Pass Pictures, but haven't yet
decided if we want any or not. We do only have 30 days to
look at them, so we will decide soon. They are about $14 a
print, but are all very nice!"
I asked Suzan if she was a member. She replied:
"I am indeed a member. As a matter-of-fact, I recommended
the site to several friends. One has already been in touch
with Beth and has been using the site quite a bit over the
last few weeks. It's terrific and help tremendously!"
Thank you, Suzan, for the great trip report and your kind
comments!
=================================================
MONEY SAVING TIP
Hawaiian Rumble Adventure Golf
8969 International Drive
(Next to Wonder Works)
Orlando, FL 32819
Phone: 407-351-7733
Fax: 407-355-3311
Buy 1 mini golf get second at 50% off. Good for 18 or 36
holes. Buy 1 draft beer and receive second FREE. High speed
internet computers on site. Click here for coupon.
=================================================
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Don't Leave Home Without It!
Universal offers special deals to Universal Entertainment
MasterCard cardholders. Apply now and receive a movie ticket
with your first purchase! For more details, click here.
--------------------------------
Affordable Disney Books
Disney and other new books 50-90% off the list price.
Hundreds of books under $1.00! Plus! Over 700 videos have
been marked down to $1.99!
Exclusively for Affordable Disney Readers!
Save $5.00 on an order of $35 or more!
Coupon code: bookcloseouts
Coupon password: bargainbooks
Expires: December 31, 2005
To check out the bargains, click here.
--------------------------------
Got Coupons?
With the Orlando Entertainment Book, you can save big on
travel, groceries, shopping, movie tickets, and more!
Receive a FREE $5.00 gift card from Target when you order
the 2006 version. Coupons in the 2006 book are valid through
11/01/06. Save at hotels and restaurants near Walt Disney
World, on car rental, airfare, admission to Universal
Orlando, SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa!
For details, click here.
--------------------------------
Affordable Accommodations
Get the guaranteed lowest prices at the Downtown Disney
Resorts as well as at hotels, condos and vacation rentals
outside Disney property. Plus! Receive up to a $100.00 rebate! For hotels, click here.
--------------------------------
Affordable Car Rental
Just enter in your travel dates, select the kind of car you
want, and receive a list of car rental prices at over 12
companies starting with the cheapest price! Click here.
Cheryl writes: "I saved over $200.00 on my mini van rental!!!"
--------------------------------
Affordable Airfare
This service delivers as many as 230 flight options in a
single search - more options than any other travel site.
It's possible to save as much as 80%! To compare prices, click here.
--------------------------------
Affordable Luggage
Save up to 60% on Luggage, Backpacks, and more! Click here.
--------------------------------
Own a piece of the Magic Kingdom
Disney framed stock certificates are works of art. They
feature Walt Disney and the Disney characters. Unlike stock
brokers that require you to purchase several shares of
stock, OneShare sells one share of stock and mails you the
certificate. You can frame the stock certificate yourself or
OneShare will frame if for you at a nominal cost. Click here.
=============================================
See You Real Soon!
John
AffordableDisney.Com.
johngross@affordabledisney.com
=============================================
Disclaimer: We cannot guarantee the accuracy of information
contained in THE DISNEY NEWS. Always check to be sure. The
views and opinions expressed by others in THE DISNEY NEWS do
not necessarily reflect the views of AffordableDisney.Com.
=============================================
October 12, 2005
Copyright © 1999 - 2005 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved.
=================================================
To subscribe to Affordable Disney's blog, click the following
icon:
Or copy and paste the following URL into your RSS Reader:
http://affordabledisney.blogspot.com/atom.xml
: My Yahoo! users can instantly add our blogcontent to My Yahoo! Add My Yahoo!
: You can also subscribe to our blog at MSN! Add to My MSN!
=================================================
Hi Everyone!
In this blog...
* Deals and specials - Exclusive deal for subscribers to The
Disney News! Get FREE access to our members only website for
the rest of the year!
* The latest news from around the "World" - including the
publication of The Haunted Mansion comic book series!
* Suzan sent us a trip report of her WDW vacation in August.
* This week's money saving tip!
=================================================
We continuously update our information and you can find
these current specials in our Addenda:
WALT DISNEY WORLD:
A reminder...
* An exclusive deal for Affordable Disney members only at
Walt Disney World's Port Orleans French Quarter and
Wilderness Lodge November 27 thru December 18 (inclusive)!
Rates are too low to publish in our newsletter!
"Hi John, I just joined your affordable Disney group. My
wife and I have been planning a trip to Disney World in
December. When we saw the prices we were just awed."
For those who like to wait until the last minute... Beth,
our travel agent, must have the final payment for your
reservation by October 21! So you need to book this week!
--------------------------------
EXCLUSIVE DEAL FOR SUBSCRIBERS TO THE DISNEY NEWS!
Become an Affordable Disney Basic Member by October 18 and
we'll extend your membership through December, 2006 at no
extra charge! That will give you access to all our money
saving information from now until the end of the year for
free! Then you will enjoy another 12 months access at no
additional charge. Now you can be ready for Disney's deals
this January (which will be announced soon) as well as
specials for Spring, Summer, Fall, Thanksgiving and
Christmas, 2006!
This special is for our newsletter subscribers only. Be sure
to join by October 18. Enter the promo code: "Disney news"
in the comment box on the order form.
To see all the benefits of an Affordable Disney membership
and to join,click here.
=================================================
DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA
Disneyland Hotel Special for this group from $89 in
November!
=================================================
DISNEYLAND PARIS
Free Nights And Days! Get 1 Extra Night & 1 Day Free!
Take a truly magical 3-night break to Disneyland Paris and
get an extra night including breakfast in your Disney Hotel,
plus an extra day to explore both Disney Parks - absolutely
free!
=================================================
LAS VEGAS
Indulge yourself at this Hotel & Casino October 4, 2005 -
October 31, 2005 from $79 per room, per night, based on
single or double occupancy! Book by October 14, 2005. Book
your stay during BONUS DAYS and receive:
* Deluxe Upgrade
* 2 for 1 lunch
* 2 free drinks
* 2 Day Passes to The Spa
* Book online and receive a $10 Starbucks Credit and 10% off
spa services!
=================================================
OTHER FLORIDA SPECIALS
Spend Christmas at this beautiful luxury resort November 19
- January 2. Two-night Family Holiday Package starts at just
$259 including:
* Florida view room accommodations
* Milk and Cookies delivered to your guest room
* Gourmet breakfast for two adults and two children
* Two adult and two children's tickets to their spectacular
winter show!
* One souvenir photo at the show
* Priority entrance to the show
* 10% discount at the on-site programs that cater
specifically to kids.
Beth writes: "John - As you know, I'm a huge fan of [this
resort], and while I haven't seen their [winter] attraction,
I hear it's really fabulous. Note that you do NOT have to be
staying there to go to [the show]. The resort is just a few
minutes from Disney property... easy if you have a car,
cheap cab ride if you don't."
=================================================
Affordable Disney Members should log in at our password-
protected site (The Disney Reading Room) to access the
particulars about the above mentioned specials.
If you are not a member, you can join our Disney family here.
=================================================
NEWS FROM AROUND THE "WORLD"
WALT DISNEY WORLD
The Orlando Sentinel did a profile of the local miniature
golf courses. Here's one you may be familiar with:
"Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course
The look: Two 18-hole courses, two very different styles,
one common theme: lots of imagination, not enough
maintenance. We opted for the Gardens Course, a colorful
Disney spin on classic mini golf with scenes from Fantasia.
The Fairways Course actually looks like a pint-sized golf
course." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 10/03/05)
--------------------------------
"Foolish mortals everywhere will have reason to host their
own swinging wakes when SLG Publishing, in partnership with
Disney Publishing Worldwide, releases the first issue of The
Haunted Mansion, a comic book anthology based on the classic
Disney E Ticket attraction. Scheduled for an October 2005
release... SLG's Haunted Mansion comic book will draw from
the strong visual elements of the ride for it's stories and
will not be based on the feature film...
The comic, in a series of stories that will run through the
first several issues, will create a new back story for the
Mansion and tell the intertwining stories of The Ghost Host,
Madame Leotta, and the Bride who resides in the attic. How
they all came to be in the mansion, and the mansion's
powerful attraction to spirits and ghouls, will all be
revealed...
Haunted Mansion will be a 32 page black & white comic book
with a cover price of $2.95. Covers will be by Roman Dirge.
Haunted Mansion will be available at better comic book
stores and select book stores this October as well as on
Amazon.com and at Hot Topic stores. The comic will also be
available through the publisher's web site at
www.slgpublishing.com.
(Source: SLG Publishing Press Release, 10/05/05)
--------------------------------
"Walt Disney Studios is hoping that the same kind of church-
based campaign that helped turn 'The Passion of the Christ'
into a blockbuster will convert C.S. Lewis' children's
classic 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and
the Wardrobe' into a big-screen franchise - with "Lion
King"-sized profits." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 10/05/05)
--------------------------------
"Walt Disney World heads to Houston this week for a
Hurricane Katrina job fair... SeaWorld Orlando spokeswoman
Becca Bides said that, while SeaWorld is not participating
in the Houston job fair, the park does have about 125 part-
time and seasonal positions open right now... Universal
Orlando also is not participating in the Houston job fair,
but company spokesman Tom Schroder said Universal has
already hired about 70 people from the New Orleans area who
attended Orlando-based job fairs for hurricane victims."
(Source: Orlando Sentinel, 10/05/05)
=================================================
Walt Disney World Monthly Calendar.
=================================================
DISNEY CRUISE LINE
"Authorities are investigating accusations of indecent
exposure on [the Disney Wonder.]"
(Source: WESH.com, 10/07/05)
=================================================
DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA
Disneyland's Candlelight Procession and Ceremony will be
held December 3 and 4. Dick Van Dyke will be the guest
narrator.
--------------------------------
New Tour
Cruzin’ Disney's California Adventure Tour starts November
7, 2005. Includes a souvenir pin and a one-hour training
course on a Segway vehicle. Once trained, you'll take a ride
through Disney's California Adventure!
--------------------------------
Disneyland Resort Calendar
=================================================
NOTE: Links to newspaper articles change quickly and without
notice. If you receive a "File Not Found" error message,
search the newspaper's archives for the story. Certain
newspapers require a free registration to view their
articles online. If web addresses are broken into more than
one line, copy and paste all lines.
=================================================
Suzan visited WDW August 22-26, 2005. Here is her trip
report:
Day 1: Arrived at the Coronado Springs to check in around
3:30 pm. A lot of rooms had already been taken. We had a
reservation and got a room a bit further out than I would
have liked, but all the rooms are nice, and ours was
convenient to one of the 'quiet pools.' We walked around the
grounds, swam a bit, and got ready for dinner at the Mayan
Grill (using our Dining Plan).
Although a bit of an upscale restaurant, they were very
accommodating to children. The meal was exceptional!! The
appetizers, entrée, and dessert were all perfect. We had
salmon, mahi-mahi/filet combo, and our son had plain pasta
with sauce on the side. After dinner we headed to the Magic
Kingdom for a look around. We were able to get in quite a
few rides before the parade and fireworks. It was crowded,
but we still found nice places to stand for all the action.
Day 2: MGM here we come!! This is my favorite park. They
didn't have extended magic hours, so we tried to get there
as soon as we could. We planned to eat all of our breakfasts
in the room, to save on time and money. And that worked out
extremely nicely. My son didn't have to sit still in a
restaurant and we could still get things together without
rushing out. (We bought yogurts, granola bars, cheese,
grapes, and crackers at the local grocery store.)
We grabbed a map and schedule to make certain we caught as
many shows as possible. We also began our search for
characters to autograph my son's book and take photos. It
didn't take us long before we found Woody, Buzz, and
friends. My son's eyes were huge!! We saw the Disney
Playhouse show-very kid friendly and involved the audience.
The Muppet 3-D was awesome! We also caught Ariel's show. We
didn't get to Beauty and the Beast which I heard was
fantastic. The stunt show we caught was 'Indiana Jones'.
That was terrific. We sat right in front, had no problem in
any line. It was really rather fascinating. It does take
awhile to get from one show to another, so make certain you
account for that time.
We had lunch at 'Pizza Planet' using our meal plan. It was
very crowded so we sat with another family. (Everyone was
doing this.) It does have stairs to the main seating area.
There is an elevator, but it is very slow and busy with
strollers. We caught many more characters at this park and
they were all visible for long periods of time. We spent a
bit of time in the 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids' park. My son
really enjoyed that, but we didn't want to take too much
time there. So much to see!
We had 4:30 dinner reservations at Hollywood and Vine for
the Fastasmic Dinner package (not included in the dining
plan). This was worth it. The meal was good (buffet with
Flank steak, peel and eat shrimp, stew, ice cream bar, kids
selections, etc.) and we were provided a different entrance
to the Fantasmic area.
They request that you arrive between 6:30 an 8:00. However,
much before 7:30 is too early. You run out of things to do
while you wait. And the kids just want to buy light-up toys.
We kept busy with the bucket of green army men we bought
earlier in the day. Fantasmic was FANTASTIC. Unless you have
a great camera, don't waste time taking pictures, they don't
come out great - and we were in the front row. The show is
amazing. Leaving the show takes awhile and the park is now
closed so you really can't stop to do anything on the way
out.
Day 3: This was going to be a big day for us. We scheduled
breakfast with Pooh and his friends and dinner with Mickey
and the gang. Breakfast was in the Magic Kingdom at 10:30.
So we got to the park a bit early to get some pictures and
watch the Cinderellabration at the Castle. What a fabulous
show. We also had time to plot out a few more things to do
after breakfast. The breakfast was covered under our meal
plan. We saw Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger. They each
came around to the table, spent time signing autographs and
taking photos.
After breakfast we headed to Frontierland. We took the
Liberty Boat around Tom Sawyer's island. That was a nice way
to scoop out our next adventure-The Haunted Mansion. There
was no line whatsoever. My son was a bit scared at first,
but really enjoyed the 'ghosts' hopping into our car at the
end. We also rode the tea cups and got a few more autographs
of Tweedle Dee and Dum and White Rabbit.
We saw the Hall of Presidents and then headed for 'It's a
Small World' as it looked like rain. We waited in line for
about 15 minutes and it was indeed raining after we left. We
knew it would be over soon. We had an umbrella (preferred
over the hot poncho). By the time we got to the castle (to
head out for our afternoon swim) the rain had stopped.
We got back to our resort and swam for awhile. We had dinner
with Mickey (Chef Mickey's) at the Contemporary at 7:10 pm.
We had to plan our travel out as we had to take a bus to
Magic Kingdom and then the monorail to the Contemporary. We
were on time, but still waited for about 25 minutes. They
take your picture there. However, it's not with any
character and the package was over $25. Again, this was a
buffet with a variety of food. We were visited by Chip,
Dale, Goofy, Minnie, and Mickey. Donald stood around and
signed autographs and posed for photos near the buffet area.
This was nice, but took a bit longer than we would have
liked.
We saw the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the monorail as we
were heading back to the Kingdom for the extra magic hours.
We went right to the new Stitch ride. The line was extremely
long and they were not accepting Fast Passes at this point.
We waited for approximately 1 1/2 hours. The ride was
relatively short and not worth the time it took. My son
enjoyed Stitch's burps; but that still wasn't worth that
wait.
We headed to Mickey's Philharmagic where there was NO line
whatsoever. This was another fantastic 3-D show. We all
really enjoyed this one. We then went to learn how to fly
with Peter Pan. This line was quite long (although they were
taking Fast Pass-we didn't know that). We waited for about
45 minutes, but the ride is really quite nice. After that we
ran to catch the Country Bears and then headed back to the
resort. It was definitely a long day-and my son's legs were
feeling the affects."
Suzan's trip report continues below.
=================================================
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Walt Disney World® Vacation" is now available with a Deluxe
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Plus! Our book and all our reports are now available on CD!
You'll be able to access our book and reports on your
computer without paying for costly Internet access or trying
to figure out how to download!
Plus! We'll donate $25.00 of each new Deluxe Lifetime
Membership to the American Red Cross to help those suffering
from Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi and
Alabama.
You can subscribe to our Deluxe Lifetime Membership here.
=================================================
SeatGuru.com has great info about airplane seating and in-
flight services. It provides details on:
* seats: legroom; if it reclines; if it's quiet
* compares seat pitch and width of First, Business and Coach
Class
* laptop power and the type of adapter required
* in-flight entertainment and movies
=================================================
Suzan's trip report concludes:
'Day 4: We're ready for EPCOT. They have extended Magic
hours, so this is another long day for us. We started in the
Land of Tomorrow at EPCOT after eating breakfast in our room
and arriving by bus. We headed for The Living Sea, which we
found was closed for renovations. We went into the Living
with the Land and got a fast pass for the ride. We then went
over to Innovation to see 'Honey, I Shrunk the Audience.' It
was really good, but is getting a bit dated. The other 3-D
adventures were much better productions. We then went back
for our fast pass for the ride in Living with the Land. It
was a nice smooth boat ride and quite informative. It showed
some of the projects being worked on by the scientists in
EPCOT.
After that we headed for the World Market. We took a ferry
over to Morocco where we noticed it was about to rain. We
ate a fantastic lunch at the 'Tangerine Café.' The rain had
slowed by the time we were done, so we started looking
around Morocco. We met up with Aladdin and Jasmine. Being
five, my son was not very interested in meeting Jasmine, but
wanted her autograph. So, I was elected to get this and a
picture of them as well.
We then headed toward France to work our way out of the park
for our afternoon break. We saw Princess Aurora (Sleeping
Beauty) and later the Beast (from 'Beauty and the Beast').
We got a few more photos and signature (Beast doesn't sign
and Belle was busy in the 'castle.') From there were headed
to United Kingdom and Canada. We caught the band 'Off
Kilter' as they were about to start. A great rock-n-roll
band that plays the bag pipes and wears Kilts!! They were
terrific.
We headed out of EPCOT after Canada and headed back to the
hotel for some pool time and relaxation. This scheduled
worked out very well. Although it does take longer to get
out of the parks then we had anticipated. After our swim we
took a short nap, got ready, and headed back to EPCOT.
We tried to catch the ferry again to take us to Morocco, but
it had just left. We had reservations for dinner at
'Teppanyaki' in Japan for 7:10pm. They still honored our
reservation although we arrived a bit late. We were seated
with four other people. Our meal was great-and another great
opportunity for the Dining Plan. We had Filet Mignon,
Chicken, and Sirloin along with fabulous Sushi appetizers
and a nice fruit plate for dessert (our choices).
We were just in time for the fireworks show on the lake. We
had a great view from the balcony just outside the
restaurant. It was incredible. Afterwards, we headed out of
the park in the other direction catching the USA, Germany,
China, ending in Mexico. We got to see the drawbridge raised
for the boats on our way through as well. We took a little
boat ride through Mexico and then started a quicker paced
journey out of the park. It was around 11:30pm by the time
we got to the bus area. We got back to the room and began to
pack for tomorrow.
Day 5: Our last day. We only have time for a half day at
Animal Kingdom. We finished packing and had the bell service
take our luggage to the holding area for our departure. We
did express check-out so didn't have to worry about that
aspect. We got to Animal Kingdom and walked a far way to
Africa to catch the Safari. It was really wonderful. There
was absolutely NO LINE-they were waiting for us.
After that we wanted to make certain to catch the Lion King
show so we ran down toward Mickey and Minnie's area where
the show was about to begin. Again, we got right in with
absolutely no waiting. The show was really spectacular. It
was about 20 minutes long. We caught a few more autographs
right outside the Lion King of Donald Duck, Mickey, Minnie,
etc. (We had some of these already, but my son wanted them
again.)
We took the train to Rafiki's Planet. This was a nice
relaxing way to travel. We took photos with Rafiki and
Stanley (getting their autographs as well). They have a Kid
activity to do at a variety of locations throughout the park
(They did at EPCOT too). The kids get a card (at EPCOT it
was a mask) and they do an activity at every station and get
a stamp, an attachment, etc. on their cards/mask etc. This
keeps the kids busy, but got a bit tiresome for us.
After visiting the nature building there, we headed back on
the train to Africa. We didn't have time for Asia, or any of
the other areas, as we were limited on time. We did a bit of
shopping and headed back to the Coronado Springs for lunch
in the Pepper Market. Again, a great meal on the dining plan
and we had time to do some picture taking around the resort
and a bit more shopping.
The Magical Express Bus came a few minutes late to get us-
but got us to the airport with plenty of time to spare. The
bus was extremely comfortable-my son even took a short nap.
The airport had another store to check out the Disney
merchandise. We looked around there, headed to our gate, and
our plane boarded about 20 minutes later.
We're home now. We took a few days off before actually
getting back to work and school-which was a great idea!!!
Our pictures are developed and put into the album. We've
looked at our Disney Photo Pass Pictures, but haven't yet
decided if we want any or not. We do only have 30 days to
look at them, so we will decide soon. They are about $14 a
print, but are all very nice!"
I asked Suzan if she was a member. She replied:
"I am indeed a member. As a matter-of-fact, I recommended
the site to several friends. One has already been in touch
with Beth and has been using the site quite a bit over the
last few weeks. It's terrific and help tremendously!"
Thank you, Suzan, for the great trip report and your kind
comments!
=================================================
MONEY SAVING TIP
Hawaiian Rumble Adventure Golf
8969 International Drive
(Next to Wonder Works)
Orlando, FL 32819
Phone: 407-351-7733
Fax: 407-355-3311
Buy 1 mini golf get second at 50% off. Good for 18 or 36
holes. Buy 1 draft beer and receive second FREE. High speed
internet computers on site. Click here for coupon.
=================================================
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Don't Leave Home Without It!
Universal offers special deals to Universal Entertainment
MasterCard cardholders. Apply now and receive a movie ticket
with your first purchase! For more details, click here.
--------------------------------
Affordable Disney Books
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Coupon code: bookcloseouts
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--------------------------------
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Receive a FREE $5.00 gift card from Target when you order
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Own a piece of the Magic Kingdom
Disney framed stock certificates are works of art. They
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=============================================
See You Real Soon!
John
AffordableDisney.Com.
johngross@affordabledisney.com
=============================================
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contained in THE DISNEY NEWS. Always check to be sure. The
views and opinions expressed by others in THE DISNEY NEWS do
not necessarily reflect the views of AffordableDisney.Com.
=============================================
posted by AffordableDisney.Com at 8:37 AM
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