Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Affordable Walt Disney World Vacation

THE DISNEY NEWS
January 25, 2006
Copyright © 1999 - 2006 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved.
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=================================================
Hi Everyone!

In this blog...

* Deals and specials - including a possible Disney cruise to
France in 2007!
* The latest news from around the "World" - including
the debut of Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom
* Maria responds to Natina's letter of complaint to Disney
about crowds in the park
* Beth, our travel agent, writes about her recent visit to
Universal
* Kate writes about buying used Disney tickets
* Ludo writes about places in California related to Walt
Disney
=================================================
We continuously update our information and you can find
these current specials in our Addenda:

DISNEY CRUISE LINE

For Affordable Disney members.... an update!

Beth, our travel agent, writes:

"Disney Cruise Line is still being very hush-hush about their
plans for summer 2007, but I have it on very good authority
that the official announcement (and the ability to book)
will come Tuesday, April 4. While DCL will still not admit
that the Disney Magic is doing anything "special" for the
summer of 2007, rumors about Hawaii, Alaska, and even the
Mediterranean have been around for months.

The truth is that Hawaii would be a very difficult cruise
for Disney to do because of certain restrictions regarding
ports of call. Also, Disney will be continuing the
Adventures by Disney program this summer which includes
phenomenal packages to Hawaii, so they already cover that
market. The real contenders are Alaska and the Med. This is
backed by a June survey that went out to many people asking
them to evaluate the attractiveness of several itineraries,
including a few for both Europe and Alaska as well as a
Mexican cruise from LA, but nothing for Hawaii.

Gut feeling from those in the know: start brushing up on
your French. Tom McAlpin, DCL president, was recently asked
to confirm the French Consulate's report that Disney would
be in a French port eight times during the summer of 2007.
He remained tight-lipped, but there seems no doubt now that
there IS something special coming.

In preparation for the big day, I've started a list of
interested people. That original list was faxed to
inventory control and those individuals will likely be
assigned something to suit their needs either just before
the cruises are released to the general public, or
immediately afterward - thus ensuring the lowest possible
pricing and best possible cabin assignments. If you were
not on that list, Disney has stopped taking faxed requests
now, but you can still send me your information and I'll get
you what I can on the 4th. In either case, you'll be
advised what I'm holding for you and have a few days to
decide whether or not you want to deposit on that cruise."

Affordable Disney Members should log in at our password-
protected site (The Disney Reading Room) for Beth's contact
information and the list of personal details she needs from
you to put you on the list.

If you're interested in finding out more about Adventures by
Disney, the land-based holidays for summer 2007 which last
year included Hawaii and Wyoming, members should contact
Beth and she'll let you know as soon as they release more
information.

--------------------------------

Disney's Halloween Pin Trading Cruise is now available for
booking! Features gifts, games and pin events.

--------------------------------
If you are not a member, you can join our Disney family here.
=================================================
NEWS FROM AROUND THE "WORLD"

WALT DISNEY WORLD

Disney buys Pixar Animation Studios for $7.4 billion!

"With Tuesday's agreement to buy industry pioneer Pixar
Animation Studios, Walt Disney Co. sent a clear signal that
it not only needs to fix its own ailing animation unit but
also that it aggressively plans to be at the forefront of
Hollywood's digital future." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 01/25/06)
--------------------------------
"On Saturday Walt Disney World brought down the curtain on
the live Tarzan Rocks! show [at Animal Kingdom] that has run
since 1999, the park's second year.

Disney officials said they closed the show to renovate and
enclose the 1,450-seat Theater in the Wild to better shield
against Central Florida weather. However, the show is not
returning. Disney plans to reopen the theater with a new,
yet to be announced, show after the renovations are done
late this year." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 01/24/06)
--------------------------------
Expedition Everest debuts at Animal Kingdom

"Walt Disney World called it nahtazu in its TV ads --
striving to define its Animal Kingdom as anything but a
plain old zoo.

But now, Disney is about to try a shot of steel-railed
adrenaline to drive home that message in an attempt to
attract more -- and younger -- visitors who want a little
more of a rush along with the lions, tigers, shows and
themed rides.

It's called Expedition Everest, Disney's first large outdoor
roller coaster that opens to annual- and seasonal-pass
holders late this week and other guests intermittently for
the next month." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 01/22/06)

"The Nepalese Coke bottles, pot-bellied stoves and a few
Buddha statues are real, imported from Asia. The tattered
handbills and intricate woodwork are handcrafted, in some
cases by Himalayan artisans, to meet Disney's needs. The
200-foot-high mountain range and robotic abominable snowman
are designers' dreams brought to reality.

Detail is what people get for the kind of money Walt Disney
World spent building Expedition Everest, the new mega-ride
at Disney's Animal Kingdom." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 01/25/06)

"I'd call it a pumped-up mix of Space Mountain and Big
Thunder Mountain Railroad with a furry audio-animatronic
Muppet lurking somewhere inside. A ride that blends
disorienting darkness with dizzying heights and speed
thrills for a trip that's equal parts 'ooh-ahh' and 'woo-
hoo.'" (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 01/25/06)
--------------------------------
Walt Disney World Monthly Calendar.
=================================================
DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA

Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue attraction opened
Monday at Disney's California Adventure:

"...when an errant little girl nicknamed 'Boo' accidentally
enters the child-averse world of Monstropolis, fun and
mayhem ensue.

For the new attraction, guests climb aboard waiting taxis
and hit the streets of Monstropolis to follow the film's
stars Mike and Sulley on their mission to safely return Boo
to her bedroom." (Source: ocregister.com, 01/23/06)
--------------------------------
Smoking Policies

Six Flags: no smoking except at designated areas

Disneyland in Anaheim: no smoking except areas:

* outside the main gate
* by Big Thunder Trail and Frontierland
* by the Spanish fountain (entrance to the Haunted Mansion)
* Disneyland railroad station walkway

Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park: no smoking except at
Camp Snoopy, eateries and stores.
(Source: ocregister.com, 01/20/06)
--------------------------------
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.
=================================================
Maria responds to the letter we published last week from
Maryann, who took Natina to task for complaining about the
crowds during her October, 2005 vacation at WDW in issue
#302 (See The Disney News Archive for that issue):

"I totally agree with Maryann about Natina's letter. My
family went down to WDW last July in the midst of the crowds
and heat and managed to have a wonderful time because of the
planning I did on your site along with a few others. Thanks
for all of the helpful information."
=================================================
Beth, our travel agent, visited Universal last week and sent
us a trip report:

"Universal Orlando - A Disney Lover's Review

We arrived at the Portofino Bay Resort after dark, so my
first impression of the resort was of a dimly lit parking
garage. Happy that my 6'4" husband was in tow, we lugged our
small amount of luggage through the area to the elevator -
only to realize as we waited for the doors to open that the
signage we'd followed to get to it also told us we'd need to
bring our parking ticket inside.

Yet again I was thankful my husband was with us! He ran back
to the car while my daughter and I loaded the elevator and
then held the doors. When they opened again, we found we had
to drag our bags past the convention entrance and over to
the main doors. Not a long walk, but we were already tired
from the drive. The idea of valet parking had occurred to
me, but even self- parking is $10 a day at this resort (more
for those not registered as guests) so with wallet in mind,
we opted for the walk.

We quickly found the front desk, and the lengthy line in
front of it. There were three desk clerks checking in the
main line and one checking in members of the chain's
frequent guest program. There was no one in the Loews First
line other than the couple being helped, so we went to the
head of the line and waited, glad that I'd joined the
program awhile back. It turned out that we'd have been
checked in faster waiting in the much longer regular line.
Live and learn.

When it was finally our turn, the first thing the person
behind the counter told me was that they would not honor the
Loews First perks for me because we were on a travel agent
rate. Now, I am truly not one of those agents always trying
to squeeze favors and benefits out of suppliers. In fact, I
don't really have to try because most of them bend over
backwards trying to impress agents without being asked. Not
this resort, though. I have to say that it's the first time
that my frequent guest benefits have been denied by ANY
chain just because I was traveling on a discounted rate.

Well, it took less than 10 minutes to check us in. Although
the reservation was for two adults and a child, they'd
failed to notice the "child" part of it. Nonetheless, we'd
been assigned a room with two beds so that was fine. The
verbal instructions we were given to the West Wing sounded
more like instructions for walking to Montana. No map was
used, so I did my best to memorize the instructions on
finding the arch marked West Wing.

It was dark, though, and there were a LOT of arches out
there. After asking two employees for directions (they
didn't know) and wandering around for about 20 minutes, we
finally stopped a couple walking their dog. (Many guests
were taking advantage of the pet-friendly rules.) We asked
if they'd seen the West Wing on their travels around the
property, and it turned out their own room was there. They
said it was too hard to explain where it was, so they led us
there. If we'd arrived before the sun went down we'd have
probably seen it pretty easily, but at night especially, the
resort needs to use printed maps.

So up to the third floor we went, down the hall, and into
our room. The bay view room was really very lovely. It's
about the size of a Yacht/Beach Club room with a BIG
bathroom. There were two queen beds, and the resort has
rollaways available. Although the window was large, it did
NOT open out to a balcony as the Disney deluxe resort rooms
do. I have to say that I missed that feature.

There was a frig, but it was already full of every beverage
imaginable. Fortunately, it's not the sort or frig with
those nasty sensors. We removed a bunch of the stuff so that
we could put our self-provided water bottles inside. The
prices on the frig items as well as a number of munchies and
other things (sewing kit, rain poncho, etc.) in a drawer
were as expensive as you'd guess they would be, so we
reminded our daughter not to even think about eating or
drinking anything... most especially the $7 bottles of
water! Free of charge, though, were some nice lotions,
soaps, and shampoos, coffee to use in the 4-cup coffee
maker, and some small packages of q-tips and cotton balls.

A sign on the bathroom counter advised that there was a long
list of things they'd loan us - a belt, a bow tie, a reading
light, a portable CD player, etc. - if we found ourselves in
need. The TV had a DVD player hooked up, and the alarm clock
had a CD player built in, so I have to say that the resort
gets high marks on their attempt to think of everything you
might need.

Off to find food. There was no shortage of dining locations,
but many were serving a bigger and more formal dinner than
we were after. We ended up at a deli which also made pizza.
It was very crowded and understaffed, but they said they
were unexpectedly hit hard (sort of like the front desk when
we checked in) and it did quiet down pretty quickly. After
12 minutes in line and another 15 minute wait at the table,
the pizza finally came. $18 got us a very good - but small -
pizza and three iced teas. (Maybe the size of a Dominoes
medium.) Still hungry, but too tired to care, we strolled
back across the piazza and enjoyed the cool evening on our
way back to the West Wing for a little TV and a great
night's sleep. (More later.)"
=================================================
Kate writes:

"Hi John,

love your newsletter! we're flying again to Orlando at the
end of January, flights and villa already booked, now we're
wondering about attraction tickets. Last time we were there,
some folks from our rental came over and offered us a deal
to "share" tickets with other families staying in their
rentals. This meant 1) getting the 7 or 10 day price for
just one day (plus a small commission of course) and 2) the
possibility to park hop though we were visiting the park for
just one day. We were really happy to have been offered this
deal though it probably was less than kosher... Have you
heard of this kind of thing? Do you guys do any kind of
family matching up perhaps?"

Disney now scans your fingers when you activate your ticket.
They will then scan your fingers each time you enter a park
so they know you are the one who bought the ticket! If the
tickets you want to buy have already been scanned, Disney
will confiscate your ticket when your scan doesn't match the
scan that goes with the ticket you bought.

Moreover, you have to trust the seller that there are days
still left on your tickets. There is no way to be sure
unless Disney scans your ticket. The only loophole I've read
about is Disney does not scan the fingers of children under
10. But you still don't know if the child ticket has any
days left on it.
=================================================
Ludo writes:

"I followed your advice and booked a very interesting offer
via the Disneyland website... I started searching and found
the following locations [relating to Walt Disney] which we
all visited."

DISNEY LOCATIONS LOS ANGELES

Walt Disney Studios
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91505
http://www.seeing-stars.com/Studios/DisneyStudios.shtml

First Disney Studio
2719 Hyperion Avenue (near Los Feliz Boulevard)
East of Downtown LA

Providence St. Joseph Medical Center (where Walt died)
(opposite the Walt Disney Studios)
501 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91505

Walt Disney home
355 Carolwood Drive
Beverly Hills

Forest Lawn Glendale (where Walt is buried)
1712 South Glendale Avenue
Glendale
http://www.seeing-stars.com/Buried2/ForestLawnGlendale.shtml

Will Rogers State Park (where Walt played polo)
1501 Will Rogers State Park Road (at Sunset Boulevard),
Pacific Palisades
http://www.seeing-stars.com/Live/WillRogersPark.shtml

LA Steamers - Carolwood Pacific Historical Society (Walt’s Barn)
Griffith Park LA
5202 Zoo Drive
Beverly Hills
http://www.carolwood.com/

Gordon R. Howard Museum (history of the Studio and Disneyland)
1015 West Olive Avenue
Burbank, CA 91506
http://www.burbankhistsoc.com/new.htm

Walt Disney Concert Hall
111 South Grand Avenue
Los Angeles CA 90012 (Downtown)
http://www.musiccenter.org/wdch/

El Capitan Theatre
6838 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/el_capitan/index.html

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
6925 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood
http://www.seeing-stars.com/Awards/ChineseTheatreCeremonies.shtml

ABC Television Centre Studios
4151 Prospect Avenue
Hollywood

Hollywood Walk of Fame
6925 Hollywood Boulevard: Mickey Mouse
7021 Hollywood Boulevard: Walt Disney

Thank you, Ludo, for sharing the results of your search with
us!
=================================================
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! 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!
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! Donna and I
bought a beautiful 5-piece set of Samsonite luggage for our
daughter for Christmas for $144! 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.
=============================================

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Affordable Walt Disney World Vacation

THE DISNEY NEWS
January 18, 2006
Copyright © 1999 - 2006 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved.
=================================================
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icon: Subscribe with Bloglines

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Add to My MSN!

=================================================
Hi Everyone!

In this blog...

* Deals and specials - including free ticket add-ons at
Universal!
* The latest news from around the "World" - including an
article about Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort
serving as a substitute for the real "Big Easy" post Katrina
* Melissa asks about Disney's Extra Magic Hours schedule
* Rosie asks about entry after 2 PM tickets at WDW
* Maryann reacts to Natina's letter of complaint to Disney
last week
* Deb sends us a note of praise for Beth, our travel agent
=================================================
We continuously update our information and you can find
these current specials in our Addenda:

WALT DISNEY WORLD:

5 new ways to win a Disney/Florida vacation!

--------------------------------

Buy four tickets to Universal and get the fifth ticket free!
Plus! Get three additional days free!

--------------------------------

Discounts on tickets to Canadians at this popular Florida
park! Expires April 30, 2006

--------------------------------

DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA

Paradise Pier starting at $109; Disneyland Hotel, $119; and
Grand Californian, $199. Valid through 03/02/06.

--------------------------------

Discounts on tickets to Canadians at this popular park!
Expires April 30, 2006

--------------------------------

DISNEYLAND PARIS

Discounts for UK residents on tours, food, merchandise,
green fees and transportation!

--------------------------------

VEGAS

Resort & Casino Special!

From $79! Plus!

* $25 Dining Credit (per stay)
* $25 Entertainment Credit
* $15 Spa Credit

Promotion Runs January 10, 2006 - March 6, 2006.

--------------------------------

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

Tourism Officials Applaud New U.S. Border Entry Plan

"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Homeland Security
Secretary Michael Chertoff on Tuesday announced the three-
part plan, which calls for an easing of the process to
obtain certain travel visas and a more welcoming attitude in
U.S. airports.

The plans are the result of the national travel industry's
efforts to work with federal officials to fight a perception
that the United States has grown hostile to foreign visitors
and put up obstacles to crossing its borders in the wake of
9-11." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 01/18/06)
--------------------------------
"Orlando's theme parks are often a major lure for the
nation's most-attended and biggest-spending conventions and,
in turn, reap the rewards of deep-pocketed corporations
trying to top competitors...

On Friday night, Disney planned to host a nearly 400-person
party and dinner at Animal Kingdom's African village with a
private showing of the park's Festival of the Lion King for
Window Classics, a window and door company in town for the
International Builders' Show." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 01/14/06)
--------------------------------
"Port Orleans Resort [is] a place that duplicates the Big
Easy right down to its lampposts, wrought-iron railings and
hurricane cocktails... It seems that in this post-Katrina
world, some people who can't get to the real New Orleans are
opting for the next best thing." (Source: NY Times, 01/13/06)
--------------------------------
Lifeguarding at Disney World in the Disney College Program

"Eight hours a day, Chad Friesz patrolled the water's edge
at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Friesz spent his fall semester in Orlando, Fla., instead of
Moorhead, Minn., participating in the Disney College
Program. He is a graduate of Mandan High School and attends
Minnesota State University at Moorhead. He is a sophomore
elementary education major." (Source: Bismarck Tribune, 01/12/06)
--------------------------------
Walt Disney World Monthly Calendar.
=================================================
DISNEYLAND HONG KONG

"Media reports that claim Disney is building a park in
Beijing are inaccurate and not based on fact. Disney has no
plans to build a park in Beijing at this time," Disney said
in a statement." (Source: Associated Press, 01/17/06)
--------------------------------
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.
=================================================
Melissa writes:

"I’m really anxious to make the dining reservations because
each year that we go to Disney my daughter misses out on
dining at Cinderella’s Castle for breakfast. I am determined
to make sure that I get her there for our upcoming trip; but
I don’t want to make reservations without knowing the
schedule. We’re not utilizing the hopper tickets so my plan
is to visit theme parks on the days that they’ll be open up
to three hours after closing. So my question is, do you know
if Disney will be releasing their schedule for May anytime
soon? Thanks!"

For Disney's extra magic hours schedule click here.
=================================================
Rosie writes:

"As our flight doesn't arrive until 12 noon, we have been
hearing about entry after 2PM tickets. Do you know anything
about these?"

SeaWorld offers it to conventioneers.

"From what I'm finding [at Disney's site], theirs must also
be for conventioneers."

Yes, those are convention tickets and they are not available
to the general public. You have to call them to buy these.
They're bound to ask for convention ID.
=================================================
Last week we published a letter from Natina complaining
about the crowds during her October, 2005 vacation at WDW.
Maryann sent us her reaction to Natina's comments:

"Wow! I find it very hard to believe that Magic Kingdom was
so packed on October 27, 2005 as I was also there during
that time. There were many rides that you could get right
onto or had a no more than 15-20 minute wait. We rode Splash
Mountain 2 times in a row and then went on Thunder Mountain
with a 15 minute wait - wasn't even that long - we walked
almost all the way to the train before we stopped. I don't
think Natina read up on anything from your site or any
others.

If she thinks it's packed in October, which it isn't, she
should try going in the middle of the summer! Now that's
packed. She didn't seem to have any idea how to get around
the park. I do agree that maybe a few rides had long lines -
like Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and the three Mountains -
if you didn't use Fast Pass. Why should she be upset that
people were walking right by in the Fast Pass line when she
didn't utilize the same system that was available to her?

First of all, it doesn't sound like she planned a place to
watch the Electrical parade. Sure, if you're on Main Street
it's packed and people line up for good spots way ahead of
time. She had that same option and sounds like she chose to
ignore it and just expected "there to be room for her right
there up front for whenever she decided was a good time for
her." My 84 year old mother is wheelchair bound and has
gone to Disney with us multiple times. There are special
spots available for the handicapped. Why didn't she make use
of them?

I find most of her comments to be way out of line as far as
Disney goes. A long wait to get on the monorail - yes if you
expect to get right on. Don't plan to leave the park as soon
as the parade or fireworks are over. Stroll back a little
and let the crowd move, grab an ice cream and sit and people
watch. By the time you finish your ice cream, you can
navigate wheelchairs and even strollers much easier. Take
the ferry instead of the monorail. The queue seems to move
faster.

Actually, it appears she didn't do ANY pre-planning and just
winged it. Seems funny that the kids were okay but the
adults weren't. It's usually kids that have low attention
spans and don't like to wait. She sounded tired and REALLY
cranky. Maybe she should have taken a break during the day.
I'm not sure what she expected but sounds like she thought
she should be treated better than anyone else there. Disney
is a magical place and you should leave everything behind
when you walk thru the turnstiles.

A 45 minute wait for the Crystal Palace? Maybe because it's
a large party? Was the whole party there at the same time?
Did they get there early and expect to get in right away?
Were only some of them there and did they expect to go in
and wait for the rest at the table? The most we've ever
waited at any eating establishment has been no more than
15-20 minutes for a party of 6. And we've tried the majority
of them over the years. You do have to take into
consideration that some people seated ahead of you might eat
slower than you do. It's no different there than at any
other restaurant outside Disney.

We have taken MANY trips to Disney over the past 20 years
starting while I was in high school. And if anything, Disney
cast members go out of their way to accommodate. Our most
special memory is eating at the Rose and Crown about 8 years
ago when my children were 4 and 8. Our waiter sat down with
us as we were his last customers. At first we didn't even
realize he was the waiter and thought he was just someone
from another dining party. He sat with us while we ate and
talked about how he came to work in Disney and what he did
back in England. He even took the kids outside to watch
Illuminations close up and talked with them the whole time
they were out there. They are now 12 and 16 and just last
night started talking about 'Paul.'

Just a note that we are not locals and travel down from
Massachusetts.

I enjoy your site and feel that Natina should have reviewed
it and others before she left home..."
=================================================
Deb writes:

"Dear John,

Thank you for getting in touch with Beth for me. She has
contacted me several times now with detailed, helpful
advice. She possesses great patience with overwhelmed,
confused, undecided customers. Her advice has been wise and
helped us consider things that we'd deemed unimportant.

For example, we'd assumed that we would save more by staying
off-Disney and figured that the extra hours that resort
guests receive were not that big a priority for us. Beth
advised us to reconsider the benefit that early morning and
evening hours would bring in terms of dealing with the heat.
I'm so grateful that she brought that to our attention as it
will make a tremendous difference in our enjoyment of the
park.

I look forward to working with her more as we nail down our
vacation plans. Thank you for finding such a great travel
agent to assist your customers. Beth is the BEST!"
=================================================
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! 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!
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! Donna and I
bought a beautiful 5-piece set of Samsonite luggage for our
daughter for Christmas for $144! 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.
=============================================

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Affordable Walt Disney World Vacation

THE DISNEY NEWS
January 11, 2006
Copyright © 1999 - 2006 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved.
=================================================
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icon: Subscribe with Bloglines

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=================================================
Hi Everyone!

In this blog...

* Deals and specials - including great news that Disney has
returned to its former Annual Pass Discount Program!
* The latest news from around the "World" - including an
article about the man who died at the end of the Walt Disney
World Half-Marathon on Saturday
* Misty sends us a trip report
* Kim writes about getting autographs from the Disney
characters
* Beth, our travel agent, writes about her visit next week
to Universal
* Natina shares with us her letter of complaint to Disney
regarding crowds at WDW during her recent vacation
* Jerry asks for advice about staying inside the park with
the elderly
=================================================
We continuously update our information and you can find
these current specials in our Addenda:

WALT DISNEY WORLD:

Disney has returned to its former Annual Pass Discount
Program! Log in for the inside scoop and the latest deals!

--------------------------------

WDW Hotel Discount for Florida Residents!

--------------------------------

A new Walt Disney World vacation contest!

--------------------------------

Discount at SeaWorld and Discovery Cove

--------------------------------

Discount at Wet 'n Wild Water Park

--------------------------------

5 days at Universal for the price of one!

--------------------------------

DISNEY CRUISE LINE

Receive a Disney Cruise Line Onboard credit per each
stateroom booked!

--------------------------------

Win a 3-, 4- or 7-day Disney Cruise!

--------------------------------

DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA

Kids fly free on this airline!

Substantial discounts at Disneyland and Disney's California
Adventure for local residents.

Discounts at Universal Studios California: An annual pass
for $55!

SeaWorld San Diego: An annual pass for $53!

2006 Discounts on tickets to Knott's Berry Farm, 6 Flags,
SeaWorld San Diego, SeaWorld Wild Animal Park, and Universal
Hollywood!

--------------------------------

VEGAS

2 RESORT & CASINO WINTER SPECIALS!

Valid December 13, 2005 - January 29, 2006. Rates from:
$79 Sunday - Thursday
$149 Friday - Saturday

Includes:

* Deluxe Upgrade
* 2-for-1 drinks
* $20 FREE PLAY
* and more!

Offer expires January 29, 2006.

--------------------------------

Valid January 8 - 11, 30 - 31 and February 1 -2, 2006 at
these exclusive Sunday - Thursday rates:

* Deluxe Room - $159/Night
* Salone Suites - $249/Night
* Penthouse Suites - $499/night

Upgrade any suite to Lakeview for only $50/night!
Offer expires February 2, 2006.

--------------------------------

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

"Saturday Night Live's John Belushi. The man in black,
Johnny Cash. JFK. Screen heartthrob Johnny Depp. Monty
Python's John Cleese.

Focusing on celebrities named John may seem an
unconventional way to begin a weekly Bible study based on
the New Testament's Book of John. And 9:20 p.m. on a
Wednesday may seem an equally strange time for worship. But
both appear to work for about 25 college students -- most of
them Disney interns -- who have come for the weekly
gathering of "The Vista" at Lake Buena Vista Baptist Church."
(Source: Orlando Sentinel, 01/09/06)
--------------------------------
Shamu Remake at SeaWorld

"The new Shamu show, which will feature new interactions
between the whales and their trainers, is scheduled to debut
in May...

The new show is the product of three years of work now in
the final editing stage and will feature music written
specifically for the whales and their movements as well as
new underwater shots and monitors."
(Source: Orlando Sentinel, 01/09/06)
--------------------------------
"Preliminary autopsy results might be released today on the
man who collapsed after crossing the finish line at the Walt
Disney World Half-Marathon on Saturday."
(Source: Orlando Sentinel, 01/09/06)
--------------------------------
Downtown Disney's World of Disney Celebrates Its 10th
Anniversary

"the huge store will soon be opening a kiddie salon. The
50,000-square-foot outlet of all things Mousy is adding a
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique -- named for the song that
Cinderella's fairy godmother sings -- for girls who want to
get their hair, nails and makeup done like a princess...

Details:

* Opens April, 2006
* Includes 10 chairs
* Full treatment - gown, hairdo, manicure, cosmetics and
photo: $100

Visitors will also find more princess merchandise and
pirate/superhero related items for boys.
(Source: Orlando Sentinel, 01/04/06)
--------------------------------
Walt Disney World Monthly Calendar.
=================================================
DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA

Here are some photos of the repairs going on at Disney's
Grand California Hotel which caught fire recently.
)
--------------------------------
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.
=================================================
Misty sent us this report:

"This past May my husband and I brought our two children,
ages 4 and 6, to Disney World for the first time. I was 27
years old and it was my first time to Disney World as well.
We were all so excited. I probably watched the free video
10 times just trying to plan my whole vacation.

We booked our room at the Pop Century Resort, which was
excellent. We didn't really feel that we needed the park
hopper tickets (especially since it was our first time
there), so we bought 2 adult 10 day tickets with the magic
plus option for the water parks and such. We bought 2
children's 7 day tickets with the magic plus option as well.

I will never forget how excited we all were as we pulled
into the parking lot of our hotel. It was one of the neatest
things I have ever seen. Our room was in the fifties
section, and everything they had done to the outside of the
hotel was wonderful. We got to the hotel before check-in, so
we loaded onto the bus for Magic Kingdom.

It was truly a magical day. My children were so excited to
see all the Disney Characters. And I must admit that I was
pretty excited too. The service at the parks was wonderful.
The Fastpass was awesome. I am so used to standing in line
at amusement parks, so I was surprised how little we had to
wait with the fast pass. However, one of our tickets was
eaten by the fastpass machine. While we were waiting for
someone to come and retrieve it, they gave us a fastpass to
use right then for all four of us, plus when we got our
ticket back we still had a fastpass to use.

We spent the entire day at Magic Kingdom and still didn't
see half of what we wanted to. We spent an entire day at
Animal Kingdom, which was probably my favorite park. I loved
the Safari and trails. Plus, they had plenty of fun rides.

We spent an entire day at Epcot, each water park, MGM, and
another full day at Magic Kingdom. We went to Downtown
Disney 2 nights, and it was so pretty there with all of the
lights. A lot of people told us it wouldn't take us a couple
of hours at Epcot with two kids. No one thought that they
would enjoy it, but we ran out of time. Of course we were
there when they had all of the flowers. The characters cut
into the flowers and shrubbery was one of the most
spectacular things I have ever seen. Next time I come I am
bringing my mother (she's an avid gardener).

Anyway, we did the trip around the world, which our kids
loved. They had to stop at each of the Kidcot stops. We were
also doing the penny presses, and we got a bunch at Epcot.
The new ride Soarin' was awesome. My daughter was just tall
enough for the 40" requirement for most rides. She even rode
the Tower of Terror at MGM.

All in all, it was the best vacation I have ever had. We
can't wait to come back. It will probably be a few years
before we can afford it again, but it was a trip that was
well worth the money it cost."

Thank you, Misty, for the great feedback!
=================================================
Kim writes:

"In all the 4 times we have been to Walt Disney World, my
kids now ages 9 & 14, wanted autographs. We bought our
Disney Autograph books at our local Disney store, and on our
first night we always go to Chef Mickeys where the
characters stop at your table for pictures and autographs.
That way we have quite a few the first night and its not a
big line to get them. Any of the character meals are a great
way to get autographs."
=================================================
Beth, our travel agent, writes:

"My husband and daughter have decided to take me to
Universal Studios next weekend as a birthday gift. Now, we
KNOW that it's them that really wants to go, but it's been
awhile for me and I book a lot of Universal, so it's good
that I should go from time to time. You can guess who has to
do all the planning for this gift, but that's OK, too. And
YOU get to take a peek into my thought process as I do it!

Being a travel agent has its benefits. I was able to get us
three nights in a "bay view" at the Portofino Bay, the most
posh of the onsite hotels, for $140 per night + tax.
Amazingly, this was $10 a night less than the Hard Rock, and
Royal Pacific wasn't available at all for our dates. We
won't be arriving until 7-ish Friday night, so it's good
that we are at a great resort. I joined the Loews frequent
guest program so that we will get a free upgrade when we
check in (if available, and if they will honor it for travel
agents). We've already cut out our "free dinner and a movie"
coupon from the Entertainment book, and while we don't plan
on seeing a movie that night, we're hoping to spread a
little pixie dust north of Disney by bestowing our movie
pass on someone else. We may also give away the meal,
depending on how crowded (and expensive) the free meal place
turns out to be. Not sure if all this will work out, but
we're looking forward to trying it.

I've purchased my tickets [to] Universal [in advance]. (See
Affordable Disney for the best places to purchase your
Universal tickets at a discount.) We will be doing "kiosk"
pickup, and it costs nothing extra. You have to use the same
card you used to buy the tickets, and you swipe that card
through something that looks like an ATM machine near the
entrance to either park. Then you have to have photo ID to
use with the tickets at the turnstiles; but before we head
to those, we'll be stopping by the Guest Services window
outside the park. You get one free coupon booklet
(reportedly full of BOGO - buy one get one free - coupons)
per ticket transaction, and I did my ticket order in two
transactions to get two booklets.

Once inside the park we'll be taking a few minutes to go
over the booklet and evaluate the usefulness of the coupons.
I've already printed out the menus (with pricing) of most of
the dining locations in both parks, and we'll quickly be
able to see if the All You Can Eat deal is better for us or
not... (See Affordable Disney for the details on this dining
plan.) I'm thinking that the BOGO coupons wouldn't get us
through three meals each at under $50 total, but I'll do the
math and see once I've gotten a look at those coupons. (I'm
wondering if I can find a list of those coupons online
somewhere. If not, I'll make one when I get home and at
least Affordable Disney readers will be "in the know!")

I've already printed out my Orlando Magic Card to get $5 off
a $20 food and beverage purchase at the Hard Rock Cafe, even
though I don't know that we'll be going there. I'll be in
search of other coupons this week as well. I think I've got
an awesome rate on the hotel, and staying on site has the
bonus or not only convenience, but going to the front of the
line at attractions! I'm happy with the [Universal] ticket
deal... So the food is the challenge now, and we've made a
good start.

Be watching to see how this all turns out!"
=================================================
Natina was not happy with the crowds at WDW during her
recent vacation. She sent us a copy of the letter she sent
to Disney. Here are some excerpts:

"I would like to inform you of our family experience (there
were 12 of us total) that took place at Disney’s Magic
Kingdom located in Orlando, Florida on October 27, 2005. I
am normally not one to complain, nor take the time to sit
and type a letter or to file a complaint about service; but
feel that I can offer you a solution to my complaint which
might be different from other letters you receive...

My children, niece, nephew and little sister had an absolute
blast at Magic Kingdom in spite of the overwhelming
attendance that we drowned in while visiting Disney.
However, it was an absolutely miserable day for us (the
adults). The entire day of constantly fighting the crowd,
and waiting 45-50 minutes at Crystal Palace with the Pooh
characters... and we had 2:15 reservations, only riding a
few rides because of the dreaded long wait in line for the
rides and the hour wait to get on the mono rail just to
leave the park.

My mother had knee surgery, so she had rented a scooter and
that line to return the scooter was about 40 minutes. We
spent a lot of money for tickets just to get in for one day
and my immediate family alone paid $77.00 for lunch that was
very good food, but we were in a corner and the characters
made us feel very rushed just to get a couple pictures. They
didn’t like us taking pictures of the kids by themselves and
wanted us to keep them in a group.

The Parade of Lights was so crowded that we spent 2 hours
not being able to go forward or backwards and push two
strollers through an absolutely unbearable crowd. My mother
was literally trapped on her scooter the entire time of the
parade. We couldn’t turn around even if we wanted to...

Also, we witnessed several verbal feuds among your guests
complaining about the Fastpass. It seems like it’s a nice
feature, but really needs to be modified or someone is going
to get hurt; people were getting so frustrated waiting in
lines and those others would walk up and get directly on the
rides.

We all looked so forward to visiting Disney. However, if you
would have told me that Disney was over 100% of their
capacity to hosts guests...WE WOULD NOT HAVE WENT!! We could
have taken the $1000.00 (just my family, which is 4 of us)
we spent at Disney and done several other family fun
vacation events that would have been just as fun for us All.

My proposal to Disney to perhaps correct some of the above
mentioned problems is as follows. Disney can post a capacity
% at the gate, or give a number for guests to call and hear
an estimate on the capacity % of the park. For example, the
particular day we went was probably 130% capacity which
would have caused us to call upon another park and check its
capacity. If it was at 75%-85% we would have went inside to
Magic Kingdom. We live in Indiana, and our Dome for Sporting
events and concerts can be estimated on its capacity. If
Indiana can do it; Disney can do it!

The Parade of Lights was only viewed by children that are in
the front row and there were many children present that did
not get to see any lights. Perhaps Disney can create
portable bleachers for a lot of the guests to rise up in
layers instead of the way it is currently done. I can’t
think of a better way to enhance your Fastpass feature, but
maybe Disney can rethink that one.

I could only hope this was an isolated incident because of
Hurricane Wilma and is not a normal course of business. If
so, it’s not one that I want to do business at."

We understand your frustration, Natina. Please let us know
if and how Disney responded to your letter.
=================================================
Jerry writes:

"We are planning to bring our 84 year old great-grandmother
with us. Do you have any insight/suggestions for staying
inside the park with elderly parents (65 y/o) and our great-
grandmother?"

I would follow our advice in the book for young children. Be
sure to get a room near the bus stop, keep cool, leave the
parks during the day to rest and relax, and return in the
evening, and take a day off now and then to skip the parks
and shop, swim and relax. Rent a wheelchair or scooter if
necessary. Be sure to follow our Customized Tours of the WDW
Theme Parks, paying particular attention to our comments on
the suitability of certain rides for those with physical
limitations.
=================================================
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! 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!
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! Donna and I
bought a beautiful 5-piece set of Samsonite luggage for our
daughter for Christmas for $144! 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.
=============================================

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Affordable Walt Disney World Vacation

THE DISNEY NEWS
January 4, 2006
Copyright © 1999 - 2006 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved.
=================================================
To subscribe to Affordable Disney's blog, click the following
icon: Subscribe with Bloglines

Or copy and paste the following URL into your RSS Reader:
http://affordabledisney.blogspot.com/atom.xml

: My Yahoo! users can instantly add our blog
content 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 - stay at this 3-star hotel near Disney
from $60, including FREE breakfast and tax!
* The latest news from around the "World" - including the
new 2006 ticket prices at WDW
* Robyn sent Beth and us a "thank you" note
* Dr. Heatherley sent us a review of the "Terror Rides of
the World"
* We've got the discount codes for tickets to Orlando's
World's Fair For Kids and deals at nearby hotels!
=================================================
We continuously update our information and you can find
these current specials in our Addenda:

WALT DISNEY WORLD:

Three-Star Hotel Special in Universal area! Includes FREE
buffet breakfast! Valid January - March, 2006. From $60
including tax!

Three-Star Hotel Special in Lake Buena Vista area! Includes
FREE Continental breakfast! Valid January - March, 2006.
From $62 including tax!

--------------------------------

Walt Disney World Resort Discounts for Florida residents!

--------------------------------

Drawing for a FREE 6-day/5-night stay at this luxury resort
on Disney property!

--------------------------------

DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA

Paradise Pier Hotel and Disneyland Hotel from $89!

--------------------------------

Discount tickets for California residents!

--------------------------------

OTHER VACATIONS

If you sailed on a cruise ship in 2005 or plan to sail in
2006, you can get one NIGHT FREE at this resort in the
Bahamas, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Curacao.

--------------------------------

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.
=================================================
ORLANDO - WORLD'S FAIR FOR KIDS

Beth, our travel agent, writes

"A number of Orlando-area attractions have gone together to
create the World's Fair for Kids, taking place April 15-23,
2006. There will be an interactive stadium featuring a
different sport each day; the World of Adventure where you
can learn about dinosaurs, participate in a fossil dig, meet
the first kid scheduled to go into space, and more; the
World of Creativity with movie- and book-based events that
encourage imagination and creativity; World of Entertainment
with interactive play featuring current TV and movies as
well as your chance to be part of a symphony (no musical
experience necessary!); the World of Health and Fitness
featuring information and activities centered around healthy
eating, staying active, etc.; the World of Technology with
its glimpse into the future; and a Special World of Toddlers
especially for the youngest attendees that features live
stage shows with Caillou and characters from Big Comfy
Couch. There will also be a "mall" where you can purchase
commemorative t-shirts, souvenirs, etc.

Each area has all sorts of activities planned - too many to
mention here. There will also be performances by
entertainers such as Billy Ray Cyrus, Raven, Sarakasi,
Riders in the Sky, the Bellamy Brothers, Everlife, Christy
Carlson Romano, and more. The whole thing takes place at the
Orange County Convention Center - conveniently close to Walt
Disney World. Disney World, by the way, is not "directly" a
sponsor; however, Family Fun magazine (which is published by
Disney) is a sponsor as is Radio Disney.

Tickets are available for one, two, or nine days. There are
discounts for groups of 20 or more, and some groups qualify
for complimentary chaperone tickets. We've got the codes for
getting discounted prices, too! Tickets for one day are
$28.70 (including tax), $44.68 for two days, and $60.65 for
nine days. You can also purchase a 1-day ticket for the
regular price of $31.90 and get a free ticket to the Florida
State Fair (which takes place in February, so you can't do
it on this same trip). Without the code, tickets are about
$3 more, and there's no discount for kids. Starting January
15 there will also be a VIP pass available which gets you
preferred access for shows, admission to the VIP lounge,
discounts on merchandise and special character meet and
greets.

We've got deals on the "official" hotel for you! The Fair
website (www.wfkids.com) has the Rosen Plaza for $125 a
night + tax, but we can get it for $95.20 a night INCLUDING
tax! We also have the Rosen Centre (right next door and
slightly better rated) for $98.66 with tax, and a LOT more
great hotels as well."
=================================================
Robyn writes:

"We returned on Dec. 21 from a 5 day trip to Disney World.
Thank goodness we stumbled across Affordable Disney and
Beth. We never once were left hanging waiting for info. Our
deal at Port Orleans was excellent, and Disney honored it
when we were moved from French Quarter due to overbooking.

Beth's tips that she has shared were greatly appreciated.
The parks were crowded and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas
Parade was not as exciting as in the past due to sold out
crowds. But.... we knew what was worth seeing, what could be
skipped and how to move about thanks to all the info we
received from Affordable Disney!"

Thanks again, Robyn, for your generous comments!
=================================================
NEW 2006 TICKET PRICES

Beth, our travel agent, writes:

"There is NO CHANGE to pricing on water parks, Disney Quest,
or Pleasure Island admissions. The admission to Wide World
of Sports actually dropped a little bit.

Florida resident rates range from no increase (on 4-day
tickets) to $10 (on 5-day tickets), with nominal increases
otherwise. The offer to get the third day free when you
purchase two days still applies. The PARK HOPPER option has
dropped to $20, regardless of the ticket length (as opposed
to the 2005 price of $35). The WATER PARK OPTION has dropped
to $40 rather than $45. This makes a 3-day Florida resident
ticket with hopping and water park admission $180 plus tax
compared to the general public price of $271 plus tax. Now
THAT'S a deal!

Annual pass rates have increased about $24 for ages 10+, $37
for ages 3-9. Premium annual passes are up $20 for ages 10+
and $29 for ages 3-9.

Now for non-residents and non-passholders it gets a little
more complicated. In 2005 there were advance purchase
discounts for ALL tickets of 5 days or longer provided you
bought them before you arrived (or added them to your
reservation). For 2006, the advance purchase discount is for
4-days or longer - but only on the add-on portion of the
ticket (hopping and/or water parks). So it's still worth
buying in advance if you're going to have a 4-day or longer
ticket with an add-on, but the add-on discount doesn't make
up for the generous 2005 discount on the base part of the
ticket so the overall effect is that the price is up.
(Surprise, surprise!)

The gate prices on base ticket prices are up from $4-$10 for
ages 10+ and $4-$12 for ages 3-9, depending on the length of
the ticket. As with resident tickets, the largest increases
are for 4- and 5-day tickets. If you consider, though, that
the advance purchase rates on base tickets appear to be
gone, that means the price on a 5-day advance purchase
ticket is up $13 for adults - $16 for a 7-day ticket - so
the prices really increased more than it would first appear.

HOPPING, which was previously $35 regardless of ticket
length, has increased to $40. If you buy in advance, though,
it drops to $38 for 4-day tickets, $35 for 5-day tickets,
$33 for 6-day and $32 for 7-10 day tickets.

WATER PARKS & MORE admissions have increased to $50 per
ticket compared to $45 last year. Again, there is a small
drop in price if you buy in advance: $48 for 4-days, $45 for
5-days, $43 for 6-days, and $42 for 7-10 days. BUT... you
now get an extra day of water park admission on tickets of
3-days and more. It used to max out at 5 admissions for
tickets 7-days or longer, and that's up to 6 admissions now,
with shorter tickets having a decreasing number of
admissions.

And it's going to cost you a little more to make those
tickets into non-expiring ones, too. While there is no
change for tickets up to 3 days in length, it's now $5 more
on 4-, 5-, and 6- day lengths to $20, $40 and $50
respectively, $10 more on the 7-day tickets (up to $65), and
you'll pay $110, $130, and $135 respectively to make 8-, 9-,
and 10-day tickets not expire. (It used to be a flat $100
for all three.) Ouch!

What's the bottom line? Although the hopping and water parks
prices for 5-day advance purchase tickets didn't change, the
cost of the base ticket itself is up, as is the no-
expiration option. The 2005 price on a 5-day non- expiring
hopper with water park admission was $320.57 with tax if you
purchased from Disney in advance. It's now $339.74. And for
those of you that liked to get the 10-day nonexpiring
hoppers with water parks so you'd be set for the next visit,
you'll now pay $444.11 - $42.60 more than last year!

I would hope that at some point Disney will reinstate the
discount on longer tickets when purchased in advance. I find
the varying discounts on the add-ons to be tedious and it
will cause confusion for the general public. The old
discount on the base portion of the ticket was much easier
to explain to people. I'm also very disappointed that the
increase on children's pricing is larger in some cases than
that on adult tickets. Disney's previous thinking always
seemed to be that they'd make it affordable for the kids.
Guess they've changed that thought process! I do, however,
applaud the new Florida resident pricing, and hope that they
will soon make the dining plan available to residents as
well."
=================================================
NEWS FROM AROUND THE "WORLD"

WALT DISNEY WORLD

"After Independence Air shuts down Thursday, airfares in
many of the more than 30 cities it serves could double or
even triple, airfare experts predict."
(Source: USA Today, 01/03/05)

Beth adds:

"Passengers with roundtrip tickets are being contacted to
see if they can return to their points- of-origin before the
shutdown. Independence Air will ask a bankruptcy court to
give refunds to those who cannot, as well as to people who
booked flights for Friday and beyond. There will be no
refunds for vouchers or free tickets. People holding tickets
on Independence Air for flights from Thursday onward should
contact the airline if they haven't yet heard from them."
--------------------------------
"Water skiers and costumed Southern belles helped make
Cypress Gardens famous. And as Central Florida's oldest
theme park prepares for its 70th anniversary celebration
Monday, the revamped attraction is going back to its roots.
(Source: Orlando Sentinel, 01/01/06)
--------------------------------
Walt Disney World Monthly Calendar.
=================================================
DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA

"The fire at Disney's Grand California Hotel in the 1600
block of South Disneyland Drive was reported at about 3
a.m., according to Anaheim Fire Department spokeswoman Maria
Sabol.

She called the fire "electrical in nature," saying it
started after employees changed some lightbulbs on the tree
and turned the lights back on."
(Source: NBC 4 NEWS, 12/28/05)
--------------------------------
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.
=================================================
Dr. Heatherley just returned from his three-week WDW
vacation! He sent us the following review:

"The Terror Rides of the World

These rides have gotten some really powerful press, both
from the news media and from people who experience them
personally. I wanted to test them for myself.

Tower of Terror MGM

OOOooooooo, The big old bad TOT!! What a non-nightmare on
Vine Street! This ride uses electronic devices to accelerate
the elevator downwards at a speed greater than free fall.
Way faster than freefall! The first drop was not much of a
surprise. If your mind is still engaged, you will know when
it is going to happen. Since every ride starts with a five
story fall, that part is predictable. (I had my fanny pack
latched around my leg. I watched as it came up to eye level
during this fall). After that, all the motions of the ride
are computer controlled...randomly. My overall impression?
Incredible preshow and buildup. The use of 'ghost images'
and music are a combination Disney has down as an art.
Remember: the elevator is only in motion for 41 seconds! No
fear, but lots of unpredictable motion.

Dinosaur the Ride AK

Super Ride!!! Pre-show was interesting and factual. On the
Time Machine, the ride is in near total darkness. The
vehicle drives over rough terrain past several (not many)
excellent animatronic dinosaurs. Disney says these thrillers
are some of the best on property. My overall impression?
There was just not enough light to appreciate the dinosaurs
and settings. We could just barely make out the forms or the
action. So, we rode a rough ride in the dark.

Test Track Epcot

Okay, you have been warned...It’s the end of the ride that
will make or break this one for you. The 'tests' the car
(and we) are put through are smaller and less dramatic than
the movie the rider is shown. Before the end of the ride the
car accelerates to 65 mph. That is not fast, right? We do
that almost everyday. But remember, you are in a nine seat
go-cart right on the ground. My overall impression? Kind of
rough when going through the paces, but the acceleration is
so low to the ground, seeing the sights is very difficult.
It is all more or less a blur. Suggestion: if you are a
couple, use the 'Singles' Lane. They WILL split you up,
probably in the same car, but the Singles Lane is as good as
FastPass!!!

Aerosmith’s Rocking Roller Coaster MGM

I did not ride this ride. My wife reports loud Music,
incredible acceleration, loop the loops, and a screaming
adolescent boy sitting next to her. She loves Aerosmith and
got laryngitis from singing while riding.

Deciding whether to ride or not??? Remember this single
fact...a ride in a Disney Theme Park is an ATTRACTION RIDE.
It is designed for PLEASURE and NOT TO HURT YOU! These rides
are not even designed as a stress test for the human body.
They are designed to give the rider an opportunity to
experience a new reality by manipulating acceleration,
balance, and negative pressures. Think about it for a
second, at some level you know these rides are only as
dangerous as the rider’s perception. The Imagineers use
acceleration (and of course 'sudden stop') to give you the
feeling of being out of control (we do like to be in control
of our outcomes, don’t we?). They use darkness to disorient
(everyone is afraid of the dark. If you are in an unfamiliar
place, on a ride you can’t control, and do not know what is
going to happen next... see how you could perceive your
environment differently?). Disney also uses smells and
lighting to MAKE IT REAL.

You will react to the rides exactly equal to the threat you
perceive. If you go into a ride believing it is a threat to
you, don’t go on the ride. You could kill yourself with the
fear of the unknown! After all, little kids (40" tall) ride
these attractions...and survive.

Yes, it is true that some medical conditions can cause
problems that a healthy person would not have. But know
this: Those rides are a mental response to a physical
stimulus.

Take your own chances and pay your own dues.
There is always a swap-out.
There are always consequences.

It might interest you to know, I am in my late 50s.

One other insight...of course I am afraid of the
unknown...just like you, but on every single photograph
Disney takes on the rides? I was always smiling or laughing!

Disney = Fun."
=================================================
DISNEY CRUISE LINE CHANGE IN POLICY

Beth writes:

"We saw this coming! Over the last 18 months or so several
cruise lines (most notably, Royal Caribbean and Carnival)
have announced that they will no longer allow travel agents
to pay off a cruise for anything less than the full amount
due. Previously, if a client owed, say, $2500 on their
cruise, but the commission was $300, the agent could call in
a payment of $2450 and the cruise would be considered paid
in full. In this way, the agent was basically rebating part
of the commission back to the client - usually to get the
sale away from another agency.

The cruise lines argued that agencies which have become huge
by rebating practically ALL of their commission in order to
get business (and thus profiting by sheer volume) were de-
valuing the cruises by, in effect, selling the cruises at
greatly reduced rates. Both lines mentioned above have taken
it a step further and added that agents can't even throw in
gifts with cash value. In other words, I can't put the $2500
charge through and then send you a gift card for $50 - or
any other gift, for that matter.

Well, Disney has followed suit - sort of. Effective April 1,
2006, Disney Cruise Line® is modifying its credit card
payment policy. Travel Agents will no longer be able to
charge a Client’s credit card at final payment for less than
the full amount of the cruise purchased. If a client wants
to send us a check or have us process their payment
internally (for a fee) we can then remit an agency check for
the net amount due, though. They also don't prohibit gifting
at this point. As with the other cruise lines, it is still
OK to offer lower rates when you've got a group contract or
are running some sort of "authorized" promotion in
cooperation with the line.

We will continue to run our quarterly promotions with Disney
which offer onboard credits when you book. We will also be
offering promotions in 2006 which will reward cruisers in
other ways as well - Disney Cruise Line or others! So fear
not; Affordable Disney will continue to find ways to bring
you great deals on cruising!"
=================================================
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Don't Leave Home Without It!

Universal offers special deals to Universal Entertainment
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--------------------------------
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--------------------------------
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With the Orlando Entertainment Book, you can save big on
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Coupons in the 2006 book are valid through 11/01/06. Save at
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--------------------------------
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--------------------------------
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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
=============================================
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.
=============================================