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Hi Everyone!
In this issue...
Now... lean back, prop up your feet, and take a Disney break!
Deals and Updates as of July 13, 2005 We continuously update our information and you can find these current specials in our Addenda:
WALT DISNEY WORLD
"Hi John, I just joined your affordable Disney group. My wife and I have
been planning a trip to Disney World in December. When we ... saw the prices
we were just awed."
Beth, our travel agent, writes: "Prices are at least $50 per cabin below Disney's current pricing, it's a short cruise over a weekend so you don't have to take a lot of time off work, you can easily combine it with our great room rates, and the ship is all decked out (so to speak) for the holidays." -------------------------------- FLY TO FLORIDA FOR $39! Fly on this airline to Orlando for $39 to $149 one-way with 14-day advance purchase! Additional taxes, fees, and restrictions apply. 14-day advance purchase required. Purchase through August 4, 2005, midnight Pacific Time. Travel to/from all Florida markets valid August 18 through September 29, 2005. Travel to other markets: August 18 through October 28, 2005. Fares are one-way and can be combined with other fare types. Example: Maryland to Orlando roundtrip: $91.16 + tax or $116.00 total per person! -------------------------------- In Florida 07/23/05 to 07/31/05? This tip will save you 6.5% on souvenirs. -------------------------------- If you're looking to add accommodations before or after a 3- or 4-night cruise, you can book hotel accommodations at these Deluxe resorts on Disney property. Valid through Dec. 23, 2006. Starting at just $229 (tax included) per night. Plus! Book two or more nights prior to your cruise and you can check-in for your cruise at the Disney Cruise Line Resort Hospitality Desk rather than the terminal and enjoy the health club at the resort. Applies to categories 4-12 on the ship. Blackout dates apply. -------------------------------- Special for Teachers, Nurses and Government Workers (including Amtrak, military, and Canadian Provincial employees) at these Deluxe Resorts on Disney property. Rates start at $99/night! Valid August 21 - October 2, 2005. Hurry! You must book by July 15, 2005. -------------------------------- LAS VEGAS Enjoy Tower rooms at this Hotel & Casino from $40! Valid July 9, 2005 - September 8, 2005. Hurry! Offer Expires July 15, 2005. --------------------------------
Hotel & Casino Summer Splash! Starting at $109 per room! Enjoy
award-winning restaurants, pools and spa, as well as must-see shows. It's
time to give yourself a vacation from the ordinary. Includes:
Offer valid 7/10/05 through 09/29/05 Sun - Thurs only. Book by July 28, 2005. -------------------------------- 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.
Universal Entertainment MasterCard® from Chase Bank
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Resources
 Affordable Airfare
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NEWS FROM AROUND THE "WORLD" Walt Disney World "A British teenager suffered cardiac arrest after she rode Twilight Zone Tower of Terror on Tuesday, leaving her in critical condition and prompting Disney to close the ride and call in state inspectors." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 07/13/05) -------------------------------- "The Holy Land Experience may seem like just another theme park, with its $30 admission charge, $5 parking fee and souvenir shops. But, ending a four-year legal battle, a judge has ruled that the religious-themed attraction deserves the same tax-exempt status given to churches and museums. The ruling spares its owner from paying a delinquent property-tax bill that would have climbed to more than $1 million by the end of the year." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 07/12/05) -------------------------------- "On the eve of the actual 50th anniversary of Disneyland (July 17, 2005), Disney celebrates 50 years of theme park magic by announcing the results of a national consumer survey, conducted by independent research firm, Directive Analytics, that reveals what America loves most about Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida... According to the survey, Disney theme parks bring out the kid in all of us with nearly half of respondents (46 percent) admitting to wearing the park's iconic Mickey Mouse Club "Ears." Nearly 3 out of 4 Americans (72 percent) can sing a chorus of "It's a Small World (After All)." At the "summit" of America's list of favorite Disney theme park attractions was Space Mountain (63 percent), followed closely by Pirates of the Caribbean (62 percent) and the Haunted Mansion (49 percent). Parents most appreciate the family focus of attractions such as Mad Tea Party (Tea Cups), and the perennial Fantasyland favorite, Dumbo the Flying Elephant." (Source: Directive Analytics, 07/12/05) For the rest of the survey results, click here. -------------------------------- ESPN's Great Outdoor Games will take place July 13-16 and will be telecast on ABC (WFTV-Ch. 9) on July 16-17. "None of the entrants...is used to competing in Central Florida's dog days, with heat indices in the 100s." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 07/08/05) -------------------------------- The choice of London as the site for the 2012 Olympics brought a mixed reaction from the French and British at Epcot. "At Walt Disney World's Epcot on Wednesday, a morning meeting of employees who staff the park's United Kingdom attraction erupted into applause at word of London's victory... The jovial mood in the United Kingdom area dissipated as tourists moved over a bridge and in view of Disney's mock Eiffel Tower." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 07/07/05) -------------------------------- "The Walt Disney Company and the nephew of the company's founder announced yesterday that they had patched things up, enabling the new chief executive, Robert A. Iger, to quickly put behind him one of the biggest potential challenges to his leadership." (Source: The New York Times, 07/09/05) -------------------------------- Disney's free transportation program, Magical Express, is taking a toll on transportation services in the area. "... some in Orlando's tourism industry say Magical Express is causing not-so-magical financial distress for cabbies, limo drivers and the other little guys who could always count on the bucks they make from Disney visitors. Some cab drivers report losing as much as 90 percent of their business, and limo services say business is down by more than a third. There's even evidence that car-rental agencies have been affected." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 07/06/05) -------------------------------- Closed for Refurbishment Disney's Contemporary Resort South Garden Wing: May 30 - Oct. 31 -------------------------------- HONG KONG DISNEYLAND "Walt Disney Co. said Friday its immediate focus is to open the Hong Kong Disneyland -- its first theme park in China --later this year and that it is unlikely to open a second park in China before 2010... The company said in February that it was considering a theme park in Shanghai but would first expand the Hong Kong park, which is scheduled to open in September." (Source: CNN Money, 07/09/05) -------------------------------- "The Wicked Queen will not know what hit her. Snow White is about to be transformed into a martial arts epic with Shaolin monks replacing the seven dwarves of the original Grimm Brothers fairytale. In a sign of the times, Walt Disney is behind the kung fu retelling of its 1937 animated classic, which is part of an intensifying strategy to make inroads into the Chinese cinema market ahead of Hollywood rivals." (Source: The Guardian, 07/05/05) -------------------------------- "Hong Kong Disneyland has given 20,000 free tickets to poor families and the disabled to visit the new theme park before it opens to the public, officials said Saturday." (Source: firstcoastnews.com, 07/05/05) -------------------------------- "... some critics say Hong Kong is overspending on the park. Disney will invest $316 million for a 43% stake. The Hong Kong government, by contrast, will get 57%, but it will pony up more than $2.9 billion for the park and infrastructure improvements related to it." Repeat visitors may be hard to come by: "A day pass for a typical family of two parents and one child will start at $103 -- a princely sum even in booming Guangdong province, across the border from Hong Kong, where the average urbanite's disposable income is just over $1,500 a year." (Source: businessweek.com, 07/11/05) -------------------------------- 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.
Terry writes: "My family and I and another family recently stayed at the [Port Orleans] Riverside (6/14/05 to 6/22/05). We had problems getting our Magical Express tags (we finally received them 1 day before the trip). The service at the airport went flawlessly and we arrived at our hotel within an hour of getting into the airport. The grounds of the Riverside were very nice, but the bus transportation from the resort was horrendous. We had a character lunch at the castle booked and the bus was so late (1 hour and 15 minute wait) that we had to sprint through Magic Kingdom just to make it to the reservation. During our time at Disney, we had 4 waits for a bus that were an hour or more. One of these was from Blizzard Beach back to the resort and the others were all from the East bus stop going to a water park, magic kingdom and an MGM bus. The other family we were with also had these problems. The buses seem to be better at the main bus stop, but that is a major walk. The food court wasn't that great either (we actually liked the food court better at Pop Century last year). Other than these problems the vacation was fun, but the parks did seem a lot busier than they were at the same time last year and the prior year." We book our room near the South depot (the main bus stop next to the store) and we rarely wait longer than 15 minutes. An hour wait is unacceptable.
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. Exclusively for Affordable Disney Readers: Save $5.00 on an order of $35 or more! Coupon code: bookcloseouts; Coupon password: bargainbooks. Expires December 31, 2005. Click here to check out the bargains.
Colleen from Canada writes: "I just wanted to drop you a line to tell you that your site has saved us over 250.00.on a mini van rental. We just came back from Disney... and I couldn't believe how much your website can save. We are planning another trip to Orlando in October and [are] definitely checking your site weekly..... Thanks for your help."
Here's a great deal on the 2005 Edition of the Orlando Entertainment Book, which can save you thousands on travel, groceries, shopping, movie tickets, and more! All 2005 Entertainment books are FREE when you pre-order the exciting 2006 edition! Offer expires July 31, 2005. For details, click here.
Andrew writes: "John, Thoroughly enjoying and making the most of your website as we near our trip to Disney World. Can you tell me up to what time can we check in at All Star Movies? I can see the start time of 4:00 p.m. but no close time. We land at Orlando International late on the afternoon of Sunday April 3rd. Is there a limit to what time we can check in?" Official check-in at All Star is 4 pm. For arrivals during the day... If your room is ready earlier, they'll let you check in then. If you arrive before your room is ready, you can preregister and leave your luggage at Guest Services (no charge) so you can start having fun right away. GS will give you a claim check that you use to reclaim your luggage when you return later. For arrivals during the night... We've arrived at all hours of the night. Disney is always ready to welcome guests, no matter how late they arrive. Glad you are enjoying the site!
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 NBA City Restaurant: 6068 Universal Blvd., Orlando, FL 32819. Phone: 407-363-5919. Fax: 407-351-2889. NBA City offers its guests award winning cuisine, exclusive NBA, WNBA and NBA City merchandise and an interactive basketball game area for fans of all ages. Save 10% on food and non alcoholic beverages with this coupon.
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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