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| Hi Everyone!
Many thanks to John Matarese at Cincinnati's Channel 9 for recommending us in his story on January 31, "Disney World Savings," as a "great website [that] lists dozens of ways to save" at WDW. Thanks also to our new member, Suzanne, who brought the report to my attention: Suzanne writes: "I saw this on Cincinnati's Channel 9 last night and thought it looked pretty cool." Now... Lean back, prop up your feet, and take a Disney break!
Deals and Updates as of February 03, 2005 We continuously update our information and you can find the latest additions in our Addenda:
WALT DISNEY WORLD:
DISNEYLAND, CALIFORNIA
LAS VEGAS:
Log in today for more details. Not a member? Join our Disney family here.
News From Around The "World" Disney.com has given a make-over to the Walt Disney Family Museum. Disney has big plans for expansion overseas. (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 02/02/05) Disney is now taking reservations for the Epcot International Flower and Garden Mother's Day Brunch.
Date: May 7-8
Menu: "The Epcot International Flower and Garden Mother's Day Brunch is part of the annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival held this year from April 15 to June 5... The festival is included with regular Epcot admission." DISNEYLAND The House of Blues at Downtown Disney now has a late night happy hour on Wednesdays featuring karaoke and food and drink specials.
Location: The Voodoo Karaoke lounge Closed for rehab: Jungle Cruise - February 28 - May 3, 2005 (Source: Promotional email from Disneyland® Resort and Walt Disney World® Resort 02/01/05) 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. -------------------------------- JOIN AFFORDABLE DISNEY'S BLOG! We publish important time-sensitive notices right away to our blog, so you don't have to wait until the newsletter arrives!
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Renea sent us this trip report: "Hello John: In your newsletter "Kim" reported that while on her trip she went to Downtown Disney via a boat? Which boat is she speaking of? >> She must have been referring to the boat from Port Orleans to Downtown Disney. It's one of our favorite rides. I would like to tell you and your readers about our trip to Disneyworld in June. We stayed at the Hotel Royal Plaza on a travel zoo special for only $69 per night with a free upgrade to a tower room. I usually stay at the Grand Floridian my entire stay usually at Thanksgiving time. We split the week up by staying at the Plaza some nights and the Floridian the other nights. We only took carry on luggage. We found last year this works much better then checking bags because it take too much time waiting in line for your luggage when you get off the plane. We want to start our fun as soon as we arrive! >> Disney has solved that problem with their new Magic Express service that delivers your luggage to your hotel while you start having fun! Of course, you must be a WDW resort guest. We rented a full size car with a free upgrade to a premium car with the coupon found in the Entertainment book. >> Renea is referring to the Orlando Entertainment Book. It's full of coupons on travel, groceries, shopping, movie tickets, and more! For a limited time, get $10.00 off! For details, click here. When we arrived at the Avis counter in MCO (Orlando International Airport) the registration went well. We went downstairs to the garage to get our car. The gentleman was taking a very long time to get our car for us. Eventually he was entering data into the computer again. He came over with the keys, apologized that he couldn't find our car and asked if another upgrade to a Lincoln Continental was o.k. We grabbed the keys and ran! This car was pure luxury, leather inside, plenty of room for 6 people and drove like a cloud. I recommend Avis, they have great service and nice cars. We checked in at the Hotel Royal Plaza around 7:00 p.m. They upgraded us yet again to a whirlpool tub room. The room was on the 16th floor with really nice views of downtown Disney and the fireworks at night. When I asked the clerk if children ate for free like next door at the Holiday Inn, she said they stopped that promotion but she had coupons left over and gave me one for our entire stay. There is also a coupon in the entertainment book for a free dinner. We got 3 dinners and 2 kids meals and only had to pay for 2 adult meals! We did eat breakfast next door at the holiday inn because it was much less $ for the adults to eat there and kids also eat for free. The room was o.k. but could of been spruced up. The hotel staff was extremely nice and the maids kept the room nice. There was a basket of goodies on the desk (way too expensive). There was also free coffee and tea (no cream though). Keep in mind Disney charges for coffee in their rooms. The pool was nice and the Jacuzzi was small. they also have a small outside bar there too. >> Disney is now equipping the Deluxe and Moderate resorts with coffee makers and providing free coffee and condiments! We would stay again if we did another unexpected, quick trip to Florida. I hear they are closed now, maybe it will be a crown plaza. it could use the renovation! They offered transportation to the parks via the bus. We arrived 5 days later at the G.F. This is my favorite resort in Disneyworld. We have stayed at the All-Star resort, the Caribbean beach and the Polynesian. Our room wasn't ready yet, but about 1/2 hour later it was. We stay in the sugar loaf building which is a concierge building with food and beverages all day long. we stay and pay the extra because there are 3 children in our family and it cost too much $ to eat out all of the time. when we stayed at the value resort 4 years ago we did bring a suitcase of snacks with us, but we won't do that again. this is very convenient for us. It was 95 degrees everyday so the 2 pools are great to sit in! i ordered room service the last night i was. the prime rib at this resort is great. if you can stay at this resort, i would do it. it is close to the magic kingdom. it is nice to see the fireworks from the magic kingdom at the beach or the dock from this resort. they also have a electric water parade that goes to all the resorts by barge. the kids really like this. we didn't have any problems during our stay to report to you. we stayed in a tower room which is larger with a sitting area, sofa (we ask for a sleeper sofa for more room to spread out), and 2 t.v.'s. we stay on a floor that has a balcony. the last day we were there i went downstairs to get my breakfast on a tray and sat on my balcony watching the maintenance men use a machine that looks like street sweeper to clean the sidewalks! the resort is kept spotless with beautiful flower arrangements everywhere. it is even more beautiful at thanksgiving time when they have all of the Christmas decorations up. they have a 55 foot tree in their lobby with over 75,000 lights on it and a full size, hand made, eatable gingerbread house! the chef shows you how they make it and you can get a free sample as well. The G.F. is a must see if you can't afford to stay there. You can catch the monorail upstairs in the main lobby to the magic kingdom, it is great to keep the kids amused. we flew out of Tampa at night, big mistake. the lightning was so bad that the plane couldn't come to the gate and we had to wait almost 2 hours for the storm to cease so they could get the people off the plane, clean it and board us. everything was closed and it was very difficult to keep 2 small children amused for that long period of time. it would of been better to get stuck in MCO where there is much more to do! Well that is it for this trip. Take care."
4-Day Park Hopper Pass Special Purchase Get them for $10.00 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! Our agent also has great prices on tickets to other popular attractions in Florida. "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 NOTE: Disney's new ticket prices kicked in January 2, 2005, but you still have a chance to purchase tickets at 2004 prices! Our ticket agent writes: "We will have plenty of 4 and 5 day hopper Plus passes and 5 day regular hoppers at the old system and price. Disney will be honoring them... I should have them for a couple of weeks after January 2nd until we sell out." Details on how to purchase these special passes will be provided with your Disney access codes as soon as you join our Disney family.
Disney's Visa® Credit Card from Bank One®
Disney's Visa Card -- a way to take your family on the vacation they've been wishing for sooner and even more affordably than you ever thought possible! For more details, click here.
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. Send your email to: johngross@affordabledisney.com . Thanks!
Money Saving Tip My wife, Donna, writes: "I got this email from my cousin whose husband is currently in Iraq. She got it from an email at the base. I followed the link to the IRS and then to sites of tax preparers who are offering "fee" tax preparation. Interesting... If you can't use it, forward it to someone else." USA Today ran this story on their front page today: This Year, Everyone can File Taxes Free at IRS Website - Jan 19, 2005. "All taxpayers can prepare and file federal returns electronically for free through the IRS Website. Tax software giant Intuit, maker of TurboTax software, has scrapped all restrictions. For now anyone who goes to www.irs.gov clicks on "Free File" and links to TurboTax can prepare and file their taxes at no charge. eSmartTax and TaxACT are also offering their services to all taxpayers for free. To take advantage of the free offers, taxpayers must go through the IRS site. Those going directly to a preparer's Website may be charged a fee. At TurboTax.com a basic federal tax return is $19.95. While the software companies are offering this service for free now, they do have the option of changing their criteria during the tax season. The software companies realize they are taking a risk, but hope those using this free service will be willing to pay a fee to prepare their state taxes. The key is to remember the offer of free service only applies to federal tax returns, not state returns."
YOU CAN AFFORD DISNEY WORLD! If you THINK a Disney vacation costs too much ... WE AGREE! That's why we created the ULTIMATE Disney savings site. Save up to 40% on your total trip. Learn about discounts on tickets, food, Disney merchandise, hotels ON Disney property, travel, parking, and MUCH more. Too much to list here. See it all at here. "We just got back from a great trip ... and thanks to you and your great advice, [we] saved money and time! ... In total we saved about $3,000.00 for our group of 6. We are going back within a year to use our passes again, and think our per person cost will be in the $150-200 range, flights and all." Michael Barrett, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
All for the price of a fast food
Well, that's it for now. THE DISNEY NEWS is a free service provided by
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See You Real Soon! John
http://www.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. 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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