Affordable Walt Disney World Vacation
THE DISNEY NEWS
August 2, 2006
Copyright © 1999 - 2006 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 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 - deals for our members in November and December are being finalized!
* The latest news from around the "World" - the end of "Cinderellabration" at the Magic Kingdom
* Jen writes about her recent trip to Walt Disney World
* Shawn writes about Disney's 5 oz silver coins
=================================================
We continuously update our information and you can find
these current specials in our Addenda:
SPECIAL FOR AFFORDABLE DISNEY MEMBERS FROM OUR TRAVEL AGENT BETH!
Coming soon! An exclusive deal at the WDW resorts for Affordable Disney Members this November and December!
Beth, our travel agent, is working on a special at Port Orleans Riverside in November and Disney's Contemporary in December! (Source: Become a member today so you'll be ready to pounce on this deal as soon as it's announced.
--------------------------------
NEW SWEEPS
* Win a 4-night trip for four to Orlando!
* Win a Dream Team Wedding at Walt Disney World!
We now list over 20 Sweepstakes to win a Walt Disney World/Florida vacation!
--------------------------------
WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT DISCOUNTS!
* Value resorts - up to $20 off!
* Moderate resorts - up to $45 off!
* Deluxe/Home Away from Home resorts - $75 off!
--------------------------------
MORE CURRENT SPECIALS
* Kids go to SeaWorld FREE when you book this vacation
package!
* Receive a 5th Day FREE when you purchase a Walt Disney
World 4-Day Magic Your Way Base or Hopper ticket with 14 day
Expiration!
* Deals for the military, teachers, government workers,
nurses, Florida residents!
* Buy one, get one free tickets to Universal Studios and
Islands of Adventure!
* All you can eat at Universal Studios or Islands of
Adventure for less than $20!
* Save up to $40.00 per ticket to Disneyland California!
* Special discounted rates for vacation packages at
Disneyland Paris!
* Las Vegas Hotels & Casinos from $79 per night!
* Cruises to Europe and the Caribbean from $599 per person -
even during the holidays!
--------------------------------
DISNEY CRUISE LINE
The latest Magical Disney Cruise Rates have been posted.
Book early and save!
--------------------------------
VEGAS
Enjoy Fall at this luxury Hotel & Casino: Offer available August 1 - October 31, 2006. Rates start at $79! Includes:
* Room Upgrade
* 2 FREE Drinks
* 2-for-1 Breakfast
* 2-for-1 Lunch
* Admission for 2 to the Spa
* and more!
--------------------------------
If you are not a member, you can join our Disney family here. Members can use the following URLs to log in:
Lifetime Deluxe Member
Lifetime Basic Member
Deluxe Member
Basic Member
=================================================
NEWS FROM AROUND THE "WORLD"
WALT DISNEY WORLD
Services like BAGS will tag your luggage and have them cleared by security. However, fees can run as high as $20 per person. WDW uses BAGS and Disneyland California is thinking about using the service there. (Source: latimes.com, 07/30/06)
For learn more about BAGS, call 407/447-5547 or visit their website at http://www.airportbags.com .
--------------------------------
"Cinderella and her entourage soon will leave the stage in front of her castle at Magic Kingdom. Walt Disney World has announced that the outdoor show "Cinderellabration," which was launched in May 2005 as part of the "Happiest Celebration On Earth" campaign, will end Sept. 16 to make way for new attractions under the 'Year of A Million Dreams' campaign." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 07/27/06)
--------------------------------
Walt Disney World Monthly Calendar.
=================================================
OUTSIDE WALT DISNEY WORLD
"A juvenile dolphin may be heading back to school after biting a 6-year-old Georgia boy Sunday night at SeaWorld Orlando's dolphin-petting attraction, Dolphin Cove."
(Source: WOrlando Sentinel, 08/02/06)
--------------------------------
All Marriott hotels in the United States and Canada will become 100% smoke-free by October 15, 2006... Designated smoking areas will be made available outside of the hotel for our guests who smoke." (Source: Marriott Email Blast, 07/31/06) Click here for more info.)
=================================================
DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA
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.
=================================================
Jen writes about her recent trip to WDW from June 1 - 5, 2006:
"My husband and I just returned from our 2nd trip together to Walt Disney World. We loved it. I have got to say that if you are on the borderline of whether or not to go with the dining plan.... GO FOR IT!!! We weren't sure about it, but since we had it we were able to try many of the places and foods that we didn't before due to price. The first day we would have spent over $200 per person for the whole day. We made sure to make reservations at Le Cellier [at Epcot] for lunch and it was amazing! Every day we tried to go to a 'table-service' restaurant that had good reviews and we did try to get the ones that were more money since we wanted to milk our dining plan... lol. We did 4 character meals and they were all great:
O'Hana's [at the Polynesian] was our first and I was weary due to some reviews of it saying that it was hard to get the characters to come over before you were done eating. Well, we had a 7:30 am reservation and literally within 2 minutes we were visited by Pluto and Stitch... shortly afterward followed by Lilo and Mickey... Mickey sat at our table and told us the reason for his big eyes was because he drank so much coffee that day. I have to add during this whole trip that we were a party of 4 adults... all in our late 20's and early 30's and we were still visited by all the characters and had the same amount of time spent with us.
Breakfastosaurus [at Animal Kingdom] was our second character meal and my husband and I have been here before and the food is great. Again, the characters came by and were very animated. They were very fast, but still made you feel like they spent enough time with you and we did see them many times after that.
Liberty Tree Tavern [at the Magic Kingdom] was our last character meal and, again, the meal was fabulous! The characters came by quickly and over and over again and our waiter, while not overly friendly, was attentive and courteous. Pluto even licked me when I called him cute and rubbed his belly.
After every table service I always said I am glad I had the meal plan... otherwise there would be no way I could have done all the meals I did. And by-the-way, it is a lot of food. It may not sound like a lot when you hear it, but the portions are plentiful and when you sit down you think... I still have a counter service left and I am too full... lol. But, if you are creative or if your room has a fridge in it, this is a great way to have snacks for the next day.
There was one problem we had while at WDW. I have been here myself plenty of times and never encountered this, but the ladies restrooms in several locations over the 5 days we were there were dirty and some even smelled pretty bad. I was really surprised at this since I am used to Disney being clean. Every other time there was always someone in there cleaning. I may have just hit the bathrooms at the wrong time. It was June and crowded after all... but I have seen worse too... lol.
There is a new tip for those going who want to make sure they get all their water in... buy a water bottle with a filter built in or even the culligan replacement filter for their water bottle. I bought 2 from waterfilters.net. The product I purchased was the SB-2R replacement filters as they fit on most 16 oz. water bottles. It saved me money since a good sized water in the park is a reasonable $2 but I figured how much water myself and my husband would need would be a lot so we bought these.
It's not that bad of a price as we did comparisons and the ones out there right now can cost up to $70-100! The only 2 bottles that were cheap are the brita water bottle and the culligan... I would strongly recommend you give it a shot... especially if traveling with little ones... you want to make sure they stay hydrated. Plus, the tap water here is not great and you can definitely taste the chemicals.
We stayed at All-Star Music and it was good. It is a value resort and nothing special. But, we really only needed it to sleep in. Some of the buildings are pretty far from a parking lot and we ended up in one of those. We were at the very far side of the Country building and it was quite a haul to our room and it was even harder at the end of the day, but it was worth it. The pool by our room was the piano pool. The theming here is well done and it was clean.
Downtown Disney was also pretty good. We were able to use our dining plan at our favorite restaurant... Wolfgang Puck's cafe where, I might add, I got the $35 steak! We also had to make a stop in all the stores, but we love the World of Disney store.
If you ever get a cast member who you think went above and beyond, just go to the customer service desk in any location and ask for a 'fan fanatic' card. While I was in this store a cast member saw I had pins on a lanyard and asked if I wanted to trade... I only collect Pluto pins and he said he had a special one that he did not have on but if I came back in 30 minutes he might be able to help me out. I came back in 30 minutes and he said he couldn't find another one but then asked another cast member to help him out. They asked if I minded waiting, which I didn't... it was for Pluto!... lol. I waited for about 20 minutes and they came back with it. This is a very rare Pluto pin that was made for Disneyland and they didn't make too many of them.
I felt that these 2 cast members went well above and beyond the norm and told them that and had said to someone else I wish I had a thank you card. I was told to go get a fan fanatic card... I did. You fill out the cast member's name and why you want to thank them and put just your name on it. They do receive these cards and I have no idea if they get anything for it, but I felt better letting them know in writing how much I appreciated it.
I also left one for a lady at the Magic Kingdom guest relations. We needed to print our flight boarding passes. She said, 'I can let you into the back office on one of our computers and you can log in and print them out.' We thought this was awesome... we got to go behind the counters and behind locked doors! This is Disney Service at it's best.
I want to go again and soon... now all I have to do is work on my husband wanting to spend the money again... lol"
=================================================
Shawn writes:
I'm writing to find out how i can buy some of the Disney 5 oz silver coins. if you can help that would be great. thanks."
The only place I know you can buy them is from Ebay.com. Make sure you buy from a power seller who has excellent feedback to avoid being ripped off.
=================================================
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! 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.
Get FREE shipping on the new 2007 book for a limited time!
--------------------------------
Affordable Disney Movies and CD's
Save 40-70% on your favorite Disney Movie or CD! Cheap shipping, too! 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.
Save 25% on all stock certificate frames, use code: frame25. Expires 8/15/2006.
=============================================
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.
=============================================
August 2, 2006
Copyright © 1999 - 2006 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 - deals for our members in November and December are being finalized!
* The latest news from around the "World" - the end of "Cinderellabration" at the Magic Kingdom
* Jen writes about her recent trip to Walt Disney World
* Shawn writes about Disney's 5 oz silver coins
=================================================
We continuously update our information and you can find
these current specials in our Addenda:
SPECIAL FOR AFFORDABLE DISNEY MEMBERS FROM OUR TRAVEL AGENT BETH!
Coming soon! An exclusive deal at the WDW resorts for Affordable Disney Members this November and December!
Beth, our travel agent, is working on a special at Port Orleans Riverside in November and Disney's Contemporary in December! (Source: Become a member today so you'll be ready to pounce on this deal as soon as it's announced.
--------------------------------
NEW SWEEPS
* Win a 4-night trip for four to Orlando!
* Win a Dream Team Wedding at Walt Disney World!
We now list over 20 Sweepstakes to win a Walt Disney World/Florida vacation!
--------------------------------
WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT DISCOUNTS!
* Value resorts - up to $20 off!
* Moderate resorts - up to $45 off!
* Deluxe/Home Away from Home resorts - $75 off!
--------------------------------
MORE CURRENT SPECIALS
* Kids go to SeaWorld FREE when you book this vacation
package!
* Receive a 5th Day FREE when you purchase a Walt Disney
World 4-Day Magic Your Way Base or Hopper ticket with 14 day
Expiration!
* Deals for the military, teachers, government workers,
nurses, Florida residents!
* Buy one, get one free tickets to Universal Studios and
Islands of Adventure!
* All you can eat at Universal Studios or Islands of
Adventure for less than $20!
* Save up to $40.00 per ticket to Disneyland California!
* Special discounted rates for vacation packages at
Disneyland Paris!
* Las Vegas Hotels & Casinos from $79 per night!
* Cruises to Europe and the Caribbean from $599 per person -
even during the holidays!
--------------------------------
DISNEY CRUISE LINE
The latest Magical Disney Cruise Rates have been posted.
Book early and save!
--------------------------------
VEGAS
Enjoy Fall at this luxury Hotel & Casino: Offer available August 1 - October 31, 2006. Rates start at $79! Includes:
* Room Upgrade
* 2 FREE Drinks
* 2-for-1 Breakfast
* 2-for-1 Lunch
* Admission for 2 to the Spa
* and more!
--------------------------------
If you are not a member, you can join our Disney family here. Members can use the following URLs to log in:
Lifetime Deluxe Member
Lifetime Basic Member
Deluxe Member
Basic Member
=================================================
NEWS FROM AROUND THE "WORLD"
WALT DISNEY WORLD
Services like BAGS will tag your luggage and have them cleared by security. However, fees can run as high as $20 per person. WDW uses BAGS and Disneyland California is thinking about using the service there. (Source: latimes.com, 07/30/06)
For learn more about BAGS, call 407/447-5547 or visit their website at http://www.airportbags.com .
--------------------------------
"Cinderella and her entourage soon will leave the stage in front of her castle at Magic Kingdom. Walt Disney World has announced that the outdoor show "Cinderellabration," which was launched in May 2005 as part of the "Happiest Celebration On Earth" campaign, will end Sept. 16 to make way for new attractions under the 'Year of A Million Dreams' campaign." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 07/27/06)
--------------------------------
Walt Disney World Monthly Calendar.
=================================================
OUTSIDE WALT DISNEY WORLD
"A juvenile dolphin may be heading back to school after biting a 6-year-old Georgia boy Sunday night at SeaWorld Orlando's dolphin-petting attraction, Dolphin Cove."
(Source: WOrlando Sentinel, 08/02/06)
--------------------------------
All Marriott hotels in the United States and Canada will become 100% smoke-free by October 15, 2006... Designated smoking areas will be made available outside of the hotel for our guests who smoke." (Source: Marriott Email Blast, 07/31/06) Click here for more info.)
=================================================
DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA
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.
=================================================
Jen writes about her recent trip to WDW from June 1 - 5, 2006:
"My husband and I just returned from our 2nd trip together to Walt Disney World. We loved it. I have got to say that if you are on the borderline of whether or not to go with the dining plan.... GO FOR IT!!! We weren't sure about it, but since we had it we were able to try many of the places and foods that we didn't before due to price. The first day we would have spent over $200 per person for the whole day. We made sure to make reservations at Le Cellier [at Epcot] for lunch and it was amazing! Every day we tried to go to a 'table-service' restaurant that had good reviews and we did try to get the ones that were more money since we wanted to milk our dining plan... lol. We did 4 character meals and they were all great:
O'Hana's [at the Polynesian] was our first and I was weary due to some reviews of it saying that it was hard to get the characters to come over before you were done eating. Well, we had a 7:30 am reservation and literally within 2 minutes we were visited by Pluto and Stitch... shortly afterward followed by Lilo and Mickey... Mickey sat at our table and told us the reason for his big eyes was because he drank so much coffee that day. I have to add during this whole trip that we were a party of 4 adults... all in our late 20's and early 30's and we were still visited by all the characters and had the same amount of time spent with us.
Breakfastosaurus [at Animal Kingdom] was our second character meal and my husband and I have been here before and the food is great. Again, the characters came by and were very animated. They were very fast, but still made you feel like they spent enough time with you and we did see them many times after that.
Liberty Tree Tavern [at the Magic Kingdom] was our last character meal and, again, the meal was fabulous! The characters came by quickly and over and over again and our waiter, while not overly friendly, was attentive and courteous. Pluto even licked me when I called him cute and rubbed his belly.
After every table service I always said I am glad I had the meal plan... otherwise there would be no way I could have done all the meals I did. And by-the-way, it is a lot of food. It may not sound like a lot when you hear it, but the portions are plentiful and when you sit down you think... I still have a counter service left and I am too full... lol. But, if you are creative or if your room has a fridge in it, this is a great way to have snacks for the next day.
There was one problem we had while at WDW. I have been here myself plenty of times and never encountered this, but the ladies restrooms in several locations over the 5 days we were there were dirty and some even smelled pretty bad. I was really surprised at this since I am used to Disney being clean. Every other time there was always someone in there cleaning. I may have just hit the bathrooms at the wrong time. It was June and crowded after all... but I have seen worse too... lol.
There is a new tip for those going who want to make sure they get all their water in... buy a water bottle with a filter built in or even the culligan replacement filter for their water bottle. I bought 2 from waterfilters.net. The product I purchased was the SB-2R replacement filters as they fit on most 16 oz. water bottles. It saved me money since a good sized water in the park is a reasonable $2 but I figured how much water myself and my husband would need would be a lot so we bought these.
It's not that bad of a price as we did comparisons and the ones out there right now can cost up to $70-100! The only 2 bottles that were cheap are the brita water bottle and the culligan... I would strongly recommend you give it a shot... especially if traveling with little ones... you want to make sure they stay hydrated. Plus, the tap water here is not great and you can definitely taste the chemicals.
We stayed at All-Star Music and it was good. It is a value resort and nothing special. But, we really only needed it to sleep in. Some of the buildings are pretty far from a parking lot and we ended up in one of those. We were at the very far side of the Country building and it was quite a haul to our room and it was even harder at the end of the day, but it was worth it. The pool by our room was the piano pool. The theming here is well done and it was clean.
Downtown Disney was also pretty good. We were able to use our dining plan at our favorite restaurant... Wolfgang Puck's cafe where, I might add, I got the $35 steak! We also had to make a stop in all the stores, but we love the World of Disney store.
If you ever get a cast member who you think went above and beyond, just go to the customer service desk in any location and ask for a 'fan fanatic' card. While I was in this store a cast member saw I had pins on a lanyard and asked if I wanted to trade... I only collect Pluto pins and he said he had a special one that he did not have on but if I came back in 30 minutes he might be able to help me out. I came back in 30 minutes and he said he couldn't find another one but then asked another cast member to help him out. They asked if I minded waiting, which I didn't... it was for Pluto!... lol. I waited for about 20 minutes and they came back with it. This is a very rare Pluto pin that was made for Disneyland and they didn't make too many of them.
I felt that these 2 cast members went well above and beyond the norm and told them that and had said to someone else I wish I had a thank you card. I was told to go get a fan fanatic card... I did. You fill out the cast member's name and why you want to thank them and put just your name on it. They do receive these cards and I have no idea if they get anything for it, but I felt better letting them know in writing how much I appreciated it.
I also left one for a lady at the Magic Kingdom guest relations. We needed to print our flight boarding passes. She said, 'I can let you into the back office on one of our computers and you can log in and print them out.' We thought this was awesome... we got to go behind the counters and behind locked doors! This is Disney Service at it's best.
I want to go again and soon... now all I have to do is work on my husband wanting to spend the money again... lol"
=================================================
Shawn writes:
I'm writing to find out how i can buy some of the Disney 5 oz silver coins. if you can help that would be great. thanks."
The only place I know you can buy them is from Ebay.com. Make sure you buy from a power seller who has excellent feedback to avoid being ripped off.
=================================================
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! 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.
Get FREE shipping on the new 2007 book for a limited time!
--------------------------------
Affordable Disney Movies and CD's
Save 40-70% on your favorite Disney Movie or CD! Cheap shipping, too! 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.
Save 25% on all stock certificate frames, use code: frame25. Expires 8/15/2006.
=============================================
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.
=============================================
posted by AffordableDisney.Com at 7:42 AM
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