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Hi Everyone! Lean back, prop up your feet, and take a Disney break!
Deals and Updates as of March 09, 2005 We continuously update our information and you can find these current specials in our Addenda:
WALT DISNEY WORLD
Rates are valid most nights 04/03/05 - 05/05/05. Hurry and book by March
26, 2005. How to join the ESPN Zone MVP Club for FREE and receive a $20 Voucher to any ESPN Zone!
VEGAS
Log in today for more details. Not a member? Join our Disney family here.
News From Around The "World" Eateries at Walt Disney Resort pose health risks. "In an exclusive "Eat At Your Own Risk" hidden camera investigation, CBS 2 News examined the health inspection records of 109 Walt Disney resort eateries and found 75% had at least one critical health code violation in the last year. These are violations that can make you sick."
To name a few, violations were found at:
For a list of the places where it's safe to eat, click here. (Source: cbsnewyork.com, 03/01/05) For the rest of the story, click on the video link here.
Music from the 60's and 70's will be featured this year at Epcot's
International Flower & Garden Festival. The show is scheduled to
take place April 15 through June 5 at American Gardens Theater. Performers:
Closed for rehab: DISNEYLAND Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters is scheduled to open March 17. On July 15, Space Mountain reopens with " a redesigned Space Port, an exciting new soundtrack, "out-of-this-world" new twists, turns and many surprises with amazing new effects." (Source: Disneyland® Resort and Walt Disney World® Resort, 03/08/05) 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.
A visitor writes: "I was recently at the universal studios in FL and wanted some contact info for their guest relation dept. is there an address, tele.# or e-mail address where I can send my thoughts and complaints to?" Click here to access all of Universal's contact info.
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Beth, our travel agent, writes: "A few notes... 1) I'm doing my annual contribution to the community by running the Southwest Florida Model United Nations program for several hundred high school students next week and will be out of the office all day March 10 and 11. I will be checking emails in the evenings, though, and will have emergency contact information on my voicemail. I will get back to everyone over the weekend if not sooner. 2) I am getting no less than 5-6 requests A DAY from people that still want to book spring break vacations at Disney and elsewhere. I cannot stress strongly enough that you will NOT get the best deals if you don't plan ahead. I feel terrible telling people that their March and April vacations are going to cost them hundreds (even thousands!) of dollars more than I'd have been quoting if they'd started planning a few months ago... and I'm sure they don't like it any better than I do! 3) You CANNOT take Disney's Magical Express if you don't have reservations. You need to tie the transportation to your reservation at least 10 days prior to your arrival - and they prefer 21 days so that they have a chance to get your baggage tags to you without express mail. If you don't know your flights when you make your hotel reservations that's OK. Just have them added on when you get them - but don't forget because they WILL turn you away if you're not on the list. 4) Make sure you're not trying to take the lighter that Grandpa gave you on your next plane flight. In fact, don't even stash it in your suitcase. The TSA (those safety people at the airport) will take your lighters away from you now. That's all kinds of lighters, not just little Bics. 5) What's up with the meal plan? Well, I have it on good authority that Disney is reviewing the list of places that it's good for and will probably be making some changes soon. Apparently, the original list that had nearly everything on it was put out prematurely. They didn't actually have the signed agreements in hand, and eventually several places opted out of the plan so they had to revise their list a few weeks ago. The revised list did away with ALL the locations at Coronado Springs and the big-time favorites at Epcot as well. If you are a big fan of Disney restaurants then the meal plan is still a great deal, but not as good as it was when they first announced it. If your favorite isn't on the list anymore, be sure to email Disney and make your voice heard. They DO listen!" Thanks, Beth. To send an email to WDW, click here. To contact WDW by snail mail:
COMPLAINTS AND COMMENTS:
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.
Kim visited WDW in October. She sent us her trip report: "We just returned from a trip to Disney. We stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside. I must say that we would not stay there again. Although the grounds are beautiful and the rooms were ok, the food was horrible and the service was horrendous! It certainly was not up to par with what we have come to know as Disney service. The food court was big, loud, slow and dirty. Most meals were cold by the time we got through the register lines. Every night I had to wade through spills on the floor to get to the beverage area. Once there, we would find most things were empty. In the morning at least 3 of the 4 creamer containers were empty. Most times there were no clean trays up front to use and we had to juggle our food. One evening I stood for 15 minutes to get a pizza and no one even came to the window to take my order. When I finally got someone's attention I was told that I would have to wait. When I responded that I had been waiting for 15 mins already, the employee rolled his eyes and said, "well you'll have to wait a bit longer then." I moved to the burger line and stood in that line for 10 mins and it never even moved! We ended up having cookies for dinner! This was not the best with a cranky 7 year old. One night we decided to go to the food court for ice cream for dinner, figuring that it would be fast and no problem. My daughter wanted a small hot fudge sundae. The women behind the counter said they were only one size. I explained that it would be a waste - just make it smaller and I will pay the same price. She huffed and puffed and commented under breath that "everyone has to cause problems today." At that point my daughter piped up and told the woman to just make whatever she wanted and that my daughter would take it! One night we decided to try the sit down restaurant at the hotel. The selections were nice. We were encouraged. I ordered a salad and soup. My salad never came and by the time we saw our waitress again, the rest of our party was finished and it was too late. My husband ordered beef and it was fatty and cold. My daughter's meal was also cold. The waitress never returned to see how things were and we had to hunt her down for the bill. We also tried the sit down for breakfast - it only opens at 730 am. We arrived at 8am and there was a 45 minute wait!! You don't wait that long anywhere for breakfast! There were a bunch of open tables, so it had to be staffing issue. When we first arrived at the hotel, our bags were whisked away to a holding area. We were told to call from our room and they would get the bags right to us. Once we finally got the rooms (our reservation was screwed up) we called the bell captain area. I gave our name and our room. I was asked for the number of bags we had. We could not remember exactly. I was told to look at the ticket we were given. My husband had the ticket and was not in the room. I asked what difference it made, just give us the bags that have our full names on them. At that point she said that there could be guests with the same name. I got the ticket and told the woman the number of bags. The ticket also had a claim # on it and I asked if she needed that. She told me no that as long as they know how many bags. When I questioned how that fact would help to determine which 6 bags were ours as opposed to another person with our name, she just hung up on me. The whole thing was ridiculous and the woman had a poor poor attitude. It took over 1 hour to get our bags to our room! The overall customer service at this resort was non existent. It appeared that all of the employees felt they did not want to be there or that they were being overworked. None of them were happy or in the "Disney mood" We will never stay there again. We were so dissatisfied that we had friends who have changed their reservations for December to another resort. This was a horrible experience. Last time we stayed at the Best Western at Downtown Disney. It was FANTASTIC! A much cheaper price, food was good and the restaurant and hotel were clean. The employees were happy and helpful. We found the bus rides easy and it was a quick walk to the many shops and food places at Downtown Disney." Kim, I would send a letter of complaint to the manager of Port Orleams Riverside! Here is the address:
General Manager of Port Orleans Riverside You can use this address as well:
COMPLAINTS AND COMMENTS: Let us know how they respond.
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 "HSA (Handicapped Scuba Association) certified divers (proof required) receive a 10% discount at Dive Quest at Epcot's Living Seas. But don't forget-you must ask for it. Divers with disabilities need to inform the reservationists about their specific requirements to ensure maximum enjoyment of the "Dive Quest" experience. For reservations call 407-WDW-TOUR (407-939-8687)." (Source: WetDawg, 03/04/05) For the rest of the story, click here.
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
AffordableDisney.Com. Please forward our newsletter to your friends and family.
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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