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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 August 17, 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." ABOUT TO EXPIRE... Enjoy FREE Disney Dining at Walt Disney World with this deal. A family of 2 parents and 2 children 10-17 will save over $800.00 on a 5-night/6-day vacation! Beth, our travel agent, has Group Rates for Concierge Service at Animal Kingdom Lodge! Beth writes: "A fellow agent has a few rooms in the concierge level of Animal Kingdom Lodge for October 13, 14. and 15 at wonderful group rates." Last minute Disney Cruise Line Special. Price just reduced again! 4-day resort stay and 3-day cruise on the Disney Wonder in August from $969! 7-Night Mexico cruises on the Disney Magic are still available through August, 2005! -------------------------------- The early bird catches the worm! Disney and other Florida venues will be announcing their winter deals soon! Join our Disney family today and you'll be ready to grab a deal before they're all gone! -------------------------------- DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA Save up to $40.00 on tickets to Disneyland! -------------------------------- 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
Passport Requirements For U.S. And Canadian Citizens "In April 2005, the U.S. Department of State announced details of the proposed 'Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.' If enacted, U.S. and Canadian citizens will be required to carry a passport for travel to or from certain countries/areas that were previously exempt. [Note the following dates]: Beginning December 31, 2005, a passport or other accepted document* will be required for all air and sea travel to or from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central and South America. Beginning December 31, 2006, a passport or other accepted document* will be required for all air and sea travel to or from Mexico and Canada. Beginning December 31, 2007, a passport or other accepted document* will be required for all air, sea and land border crossings. *Although other valid documentation may be sufficient in some circumstances, the United States Department of Homeland Security has not yet made a final determination as to which forms of documentation may serve as a valid alternative to a passport." (Source: Email from Holland America Cruise Line, 08/11/05) Get your passport now! For more helpful information, see:
Obtaining a
Passport in the U.S.
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Resources
 Affordable Airfare
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NEWS FROM AROUND THE "WORLD" WALT DISNEY WORLD "Freedom Airlines will begin flying out of Orlando International Airport in October as a contract carrier for Delta Air Lines giving travelers from Orlando new nonstop service... The new nonstop destinations are Austin, Texas; Charlottesville, Va.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Fayetteville, Ark.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Jackson, Miss... Freedom will add service between Orlando and more than a dozen other destinations throughout the South and Midwest by December." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 08/11/05) -------------------------------- Disney Liquidators "In one short year, Mouse Surplus has become one of the premier clearinghouses of Disney memorabilia, artifacts, signage and one-of-a-kind items anywhere. In addition to selling items on eBay, Mouse Surplus just opened a showroom in south Orlando where you can hunt through its warehouse and even walk through its 2-acre lot full of artifacts." (Source: Yahoo! News, 08/11/05) -------------------------------- Caution: The following videos contain spoilers! Here's actual video footage from some of the fun rides you'll experience at Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Adventure Park! "SeaWorld's plan to build a new water theme park effectively won approval from Orange County government Wednesday, all but clearing the way for ground breaking this fall." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 08/11/05) -------------------------------- CLOSED FOR REFURBISHMENT
Magic Kingdom
Epcot
Disney-MGM Studios
Disney's Contemporary Resort
Disney's Yacht Club Resort
Disney's Boardwalk Resort
Disney's All-Star Music Resort
Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort (Source: Walt Disney World Mailer) -------------------------------- DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA "'Disneyland Resort Express' offers hassle-free, convenient, and on-time transportation between the Disneyland Resort and Los Angeles International (LAX) or John Wayne/Orange County (SNA) airports." Disneyland Resort Express does not transfer your luggage to your hotel room like Disney’s Magical Express at WDW. (Source: Promotional Email from Disneyland® Resort, 08/16/05) -------------------------------- "Ride operators at Disney's California Adventure told Anaheim authorities that the California Screamin' roller coaster was functioning normally before the July 29 collision that hospitalized 17 people with minor injuries. The statements were contained in police and fire reports released Tuesday. The ride remains closed as state investigators try to determine what caused one train to rear-end another that was stopped." (Source: latimes.com, 08/10/05) -------------------------------- Here's a 360 degree tour of Walt Disney's apartment in Disneyland with commentary. (Source: ocregister.com, 08/11/05) -------------------------------- DISNEY CRUISE LINE
Repeat Disney Cruisers are entitled to the benefits of Disney's Castaway
Club:
(Source: Promotional Email from Disneyland® Resort, 08/16/05) -------------------------------- HONG KONG DISNEYLAND "In this photo released by Disney, performers lead a giant puppet figures featuring Disney character Mickey Mouse during the first parade on the 'Rehearsal Days' of the Hong Kong Disneyland in Hong Kong Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2005." (Source: Yahoo! News, 08/16/05) -------------------------------- "A set of special stamps would be issued to mark the grand opening of Hong Kong Disneyland on Sept. 12, 2005, Hong Kong Postmaster General Allan Chiang announced on Monday." (Source: chinaview.cn, 08/15/05) -------------------------------- "Hong Kong Disneyland has rejected a request to install air and noise pollution monitors around its Penny's Bay site to gauge the effects of the theme park's nightly fireworks display, a government environmental advisory body said Monday." (Source: The Standard, 08/16/05) -------------------------------- 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.
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.
Catherine writes: "I have a lifetime membership to the affordable disney site, unfortunately I recently had a computer crash and all of my presets and password information was lost. I was hoping you can email this info to me so I can get back into the site. I go there nearly every day and I am having withdraw!!!! By the way, I can never say enough thank yous for sending us Beth the travel agent!!! And the great rates she was able to get for members for this November and December!!!!" Thank you, Catherine, for your kind comments about Beth. She's one of the jewels in the Affordable Disney crown!
With the Orlando Entertainment Book, you can save big on travel, groceries, shopping, movie tickets, restaurants near WDW, and more! For details, click here.
Jim sent us some comments about his April vacation at WDW: "Disney Dining Experience Card: I noticed some inconsistency in the use of this card. SO why do I get 2? One as a back-up? I thought so but when I went to Chef Mickey's I was told if I had both cards I could have used them for all 13 in my party. I only took one card with me that day but had both of them for the next meal at Sci-Fi. I had one Priority seating number with two tables and got 20% off for all 13 of us. At 'Ohana and 1900 Park Faire I only got the discount for 10. If you get two tables (with less than 8), sometimes you are not charged the automatic gratuity of 18-20 %. I saved over $200 on that trip. If you are an educator, check out the Disney YES Program. It is great! (The DDE is for Florida residents and AP holders. See Beth's comments below about the DDE. See our book for info on Disney's Yes Program.) Disney Characters: I have never seen more characters out than this time at WDW. On the Wednesday night when MK was open 3 hours later, the characters poured out at 9:00 PM. There was no Spectromagic parade that night do I don't know if there was any connection there. American Adventure: The EPCOT Vybes and Voices of Liberty are now performing back to back for 15 minutes each before the American Adventure begins. They are as good as ever. Kevin (former Voice of Liberty) is now a Dapper Dan. He was the voice at EPCOT in the late 80's and early 90's. Every night before Illuminations you could hear his voice all around the World Showcase Promenade saying "Ladies and Gentlemen, in just 15 minutes..."
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!
Beth, our travel agent, writes about the Disney Dining Experience: "I've been a member for about 6 months. I was told at the time that I joined that I'd get a 'companion' card. It's apparently meant for someone else in your household, but they said I could put anyone's name on it so I used my stepmother's because she sometimes goes without me. (She actually lives elsewhere in Florida, though.) On our first trip there were several occasions when she went through one line and I went through another so it was nice to have two cards... So yes, you do get two cards and there are plenty of handy uses for that second one. As to the discounts, my cards came stuck to a piece of paper that clearly indicated on the back what all the discounts were and where the cards were good... For the most part, it's good at table service locations, but they are also good at the food courts at the value resorts and PO Riverside and French Quarter. The rules clearly state that it's only good for up to 10 people and only one card per table, but the few times that we used both cards at our table (for separate bills) the servers didn't seem to have a problem with that - and your reader's experience would suggest that he found the same was true for him at some places. My understanding of group gratuities is that the restaurants that have a policy of automatically adding it on for bigger groups say as much right on the menu. I guess if you divide into two tables you could ask for two checks and then not only avoid the automatic gratuity, but also you could use both your dining cards and get the discount for everyone. Having never eaten with a group large enough to think about such things (other than groups where we were all pre-paid) I don't have enough personal experience to say much more than that on this subject."
Money Saving Tip The Butcher Shop Steak House: 8445 International Drive, Suite 140 (at The Mercado), Orlando, FL 2819. Phone: 407/363-9727. Fax: 407/447-2662. Voted one of the top 10 steakhouses in Orlando! Opens daily at 5:00 PM. Reminds you of an old Chicago-style steak house. Customers can choose their own cuts and help the chef cook their own steaks. Has three dining rooms and large bar. Specialties include 2-inch-thick filet mignon and 30-ounce T-bones. Get $10.00 off dinner for two 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
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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