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Hi Everyone! Our Last Issue... This is the last issue that non-customers will receive. Next week we are going to begin delivering our newsletter in HTML format - the format of web pages. Current Customers
We invite all those who currently have paid access to our online book to
send us the following information so we can verify your membership and add
you to our new mailing list:
Once we have verified your current membership, we will email you a link that you will use to subscribe. Ezine Director will send you a follow-up email asking you to click on a link in that email to verify that you want to join our list. Not a Customer Yet? We invite all non-member readers to purchase access to our online book so they will continue to receive our newsletter. The basic version only costs $29.95. Our newsletter is worth more than that and it's included free with your membership! To join our Disney family, click here. Good luck and God's blessings to those who are leaving us for good. All others: See you real soon! Note: Be sure to add our email address to your address books so our newsletter is not blocked by any spam filter! Now... Lean back, prop up your feet, and take a Disney break!
Deals and Updates as of February 9, 2004 We continuously update our information and you can find the latest additions in our Addenda. Current specials include:
Walt Disney World:
Disneyland California:
Disneyland, Paris:
Las Vegas, Nevada: Stay at this resort on select dates in February from $89.95. Includes spa passes and $25 dining credit. Branson, Missouri: A stay at this hotel includes: 2 nights accommodations, tickets to 2 shows, and Hotels taxes. Starting at $153 per person, double occupancy.
Hot International Spring Specials:
Other Vacation Specials: Affordable Hawaii: Cruise: Beth writes: "[This] is an upscale cruise line, and [this ship is one of their newest ships. (She's gorgeous, too!) Often, the airfare to get to and from a Hawaiian cruise is almost as expensive as the cruise itself - partly because of the distance and partly because the cruises tend to start and end at different places. This reduced-air add-on offer makes the air extremely reasonable, even from the East coast, so it's a great chance to do a really nice Hawaiian cruise without breaking the bank!" London Air Special: This airline will let you get away to London for as little as $99 each-way. This fare has been extended until February 12, 2004 for travel until April 4, 2004. Beth writes: "OK, so London is a little chilly in the winter, but if you're going to be cold anyway it might as well be on vacation! And for the price, you can hardly afford to stay home! :-)" Log in today for details. Not a member? Click here to join our Disney family. |
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News From Around The "World" "Starting this summer, Amtrak stations in Boston, Providence, New York, Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore will be Wi-Fi enabled to allow wireless access to the Internet..." AT&T customers get free access; others will pay $9.99 for 24 hours of use. (Source: Travel Weekly, 02/05/04) For more details, click here. Disney is tightening the rules for its Guest Assistance Card. This article about similar changes at Disneyland, California will shed some light on the situation: "After years of freely issuing passes to people who said they couldn't stand in the regular lines because of an ailment or disability, Disney is asking a lot more questions now before allowing anyone to head to the front of the line... Instead of issuing one pass that fits all - from a broken arm to mental retardation - new cards ["guest assistance cards"] with up to eight stamps will offer various levels of assistance." (Source: OCRegister.Com. 02/05/04) For the whole story, click here. "The Grosvenor Resort at Walt Disney World, weakened by the recent tourism downturn and unable to repay about $51 million in debt, filed this week for bankruptcy reorganization in Orlando." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 02/02/04) For the rest of the story, click here. 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.
4-Day Park Hopper Pass Special Purchase Get them for $9.00 less than Disney charges at their site! It comes with all the bells and whistles of a normal 4-Day Park Hopper, but it expires 14 days from its first use. However, for people who plan on going just 4 days, it's a great deal. This pass is only available for advance order purchasing. 4-Day Park Hopper Plus Pass Our ticket agent writes: "I have acquired the new Disney 4-Day Park Hopper Plus Pass. It is not sold at the gate or AAA. You get 1 "plus" day for the Water Parks or Pleasure Island. It has no expiration date." You must purchase this pass in advance. So order early! "I thought I knew all the tips for saving money at WDW, even being a member of the Magic Kingdom Club for over 15 years, but just learning about [your ticket agent] saved our family over $300!!! Thanks." Janet Handy, Bel Air, MD Details on how to purchase these special passes will be provided with your Disney access codes as soon as you join our Disney family.
Booking Groups at WDW - Part 2 Beth continues her article about group bookings: "Option two is Leisure Group Sales (LGS). Again, there's a 10- room minimum (on at least one of the nights) and Disney used to stick with that without wavering; however, in the last two years, I've had several groups drop below the 10 rooms and the contract price was still honored. The key word in that sentence is "contract." You sign a contract and make a one night plus tax deposit per room held in the block. You are given until a specific date to drop space. After that, you can only drop a certain percentage without penalty, and only until another specific date. Any and all rooms dropped after that, or rooms dropped that exceed the percentage, will still be charged. If Disney can resell them (don't count on it, but it's possible) then they will refund some of the money after you travel. LGS also has access to special length tickets at special prices, private event planning, etc. You do get a small room discount, too. This is a great option when you need to hold a set amount of space for a long time (more than two weeks) in order to get your planning done, group sign-up done, money in, etc. or if your group isn't a youth group. Be aware, though, that despite the relaxed enforcement of group contract rules, you can still get stuck with mighty big penalties and that forces you to know pretty much exactly what your needs are by about 45-60 days prior to arrival. You do not get discounts for planners or group escorts on rooms or tickets." CONTINUED NEXT WEEK
Are You Suffering Withdrawal From WDW? You know ... that empty feeling you get when you arrive back home from your vacation at WDW and realize it may be a while before you experience that Disney magic again? We have had that feeling ourselves many times. Yet, we always seem to feel better when we read about the experiences of others who share their trip reports with us. It's almost like being there again. We invite you, our readers, to send us some feedback about your experiences during your latest vacation at WDW. Reports on Disney weddings, honeymoons, cruises, and resort vacations on and off Disney property are all welcome. Email us at johngross@affordabledisney.com . Thanks!
TerryJo, like many of us, was deeply affected by the events of 9/11: "This may [have happened too long ago] to interest anyone, but I wanted to share it. My little sister took me to Disney with her FORD Stock Check they get each spring. Luckily we went that year as you well know their checks are not as big since this one. We took off for the airport, so excited! You see this was the first time we would be going without kids! It was so exciting! she was 23, I was 37.......off we went to have a blast. It was my sister's 24th birthday the day we arrived. The Disney Cast were just wonderful. No matter where we went I would "slip" and mention it being her birthday and they would always do something so nice for her. I did this everyday we were there, hehe. The weather was great, even though it rained the first two days. Anyone who has been to Florida knows this is a given, you will get soaked at least one day, lol. We were having such a wonderful time, even though we were starting to miss our children. Imagine my surprise and glee when on our fourth day of our trip as we were sitting enjoying breakfast before going on a shopping trip to downtown Disney, my oldest daughter calls me on my cell phone. Excitement soon to turned to horror as she recounted the news she had just heard. A plane had just crashed into the Tower in New York! Well not knowing yet what this meant, my sister and I decided to carry on our plans to go shopping. We were in the bathroom when the announcement came to the employees to usher all guests out of the parks, stores, etc. and back to their Hotels. When we walked out of the bathroom there was a lady on the phone arguing nastily with someone on the other end about "what am I supposed to do now? I am just stranded here?" Looking at each other we walked slowly through a ghost of a store, not knowing what had happened to everyone, until a security guard approached us and explained it. We quickly got on a bus and returned to the Disney Resort we were staying at. ON our return ride it suddenly dawned on us.....we were flying out the day after tomorrow! Our deluxe package that we had been on for the last four days ran out that day and we were close to being out of money! We went down to the front desk and explained our predicament. Well since the airports were closed Disney had already started putting up guests for another night. We were relieved to find out they were extending our package one more day, and as if that weren't enough the wonderful young man from Ireland stayed on the phone making arrangements with our airlines to get our flight rescheduled! I can't tell you how that trip has affected our lives. We were lucky, that if nothing else had been done, we had family further north who were ready to come and get us if need be. So many people I saw sleeping in the airports waiting. So many people lost loved ones that day. I haven't been able to get back to Disney due to finances but each year I go online and plan a trip for us. I will get back, but I won't go without my kids this time. I really loved being there with my sister! But the feeling of being 1000 miles away from my children and husband at a time like that is not a feeling I ever want to experience again. TerryJo. Disney nut since her mom took her the first time in Oct 1971."
Send Free (I)nternet Post (Cards) From WDW You can send free Internet post cards ("i-Cards") from our site, complete with graphics, text and music. You can choose from 18 languages and can send i-Cards to 10 people at the same time! You can even add your own photos and music! We've uploaded pictures of a theme park/beach motif that makes the service ideal for sending greetings from the parks or the beach to your family and friends! Or you may just want to use our cards to say hi to someone special while you're at home or the office. To send a free i-Card now, click here.
Terri writes: "I absolutely look forward to your newsletter every Monday morning. I just have one question for you. I'm hoping you can help me with it. Our family goes to Disney World at least once or twice a year. My husband is a diabetic and has to drink diet and caffeine free drinks. We noticed when we were there in December that they are not to easy to come by. Is there someone we can contact about this problem. Diabetes is a fast growing problem and quite a few people have it. Water gets old after a while. I'm hoping Disney will soon get with the program. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated." You can find several ways to contact Disney here. When you arrange Priority Seatings (407/WDW-DINE), let them know about your special needs. A call to the restaurant a day before you arrive to eat can allow the chef to prepare for your meal. Be sure to ask for low-carb/sugar-fee desserts if your menu doesn't list any. Servers will try to accommodate you.
February Promotion! The 2004 Orlando Entertainment Book includes discounts on Restaurants and Hotels near WDW; Movie Tickets; Swan and Dolphin hotels; Universal Orlando Hotels and Tickets; and Car Rental Agencies! You can also get your money saving coupons online with the Orlando Entertainment Book "Savings Subscription!" Donna and I downloaded over $100.00 in coupons for our last WDW vacation! For a limited time, all Entertainment books are $10 off with Free Shipping. This is the second biggest discount of the year (and probably the best value, as there is still so much time to save money in and around one's hometown, on vacations, trips, etc.). Click here for details.
Chris writes:
Money Saving Tip Improv Comedy Theater and Restaurant: 125 W. Church Street, Orlando, FL 32801. 321/281-8000. Save $2.00 on admission with this coupon.
Well, that's it for now. The Disney News is only available to current customers of Affordable Walt Disney World Vacation. See You Real Soon! John
http://www.affordabledisney.com
Disclaimer: We cannot assure 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. Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and other companies mentioned on our site and in our newsletter are registered trademarks of their respective companies. The use of these trademarks is for editorial reasons only. No endorsement by the Walt Disney Company or any other company is implied. |
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