|
||||||
Hi Everyone! NOTE: The Disney Promotion for the General Public for check-ins October - December, 2007 must be booked by September 26. Now on with the show...
In this issue...
Now... lean back, prop up your feet, and take a Disney break!
NEW THIS WEEK
WALT DISNEY WORLD
OUTSIDE WALT DISNEY WORLD
DISNEY CRUISE LINE
DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA Those living in these California zip codes can use our discount code and stay on Disney property from $149 per night in November an December!
VEGAS
Hotel and Casino Elite Sensational Winter Offer
Available on select dates between November 18, 2007 and February 28, 2008.
OTHER CURRENT SPECIALS Below are just some of the deals drawn from OVER 50 PAGES OF CURRENT SPECIALS posted at our password-protected members-only site:
WALT DISNEY WORLD
OUTSIDE WALT DISNEY
WORLD
DISNEY CRUISE LINE
DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA
DISNEYLAND PARIS
VEGAS
BRANSON, MISSOURI Free Accommodations for the military! This luxury Branson golf resort community is offering two FREE nights - no strings attached - to active-duty U.S. military personnel on leave from the Middle East. Located just off the Branson Strip, it is conveniently situated between international award-winning theme park, Silver Dollar City, and Branson’s 49 live music theaters. Reservations will be accepted until January 1, 2008 for stays occurring before February 1, 2008.
CRUISES
Affordable Disney Members should log in at our password-protected site (The Disney Reading Room) to access the particulars about the above mentioned specials. Members can use the following URLs to log in:
Lifetime
Deluxe Member If you are not a member, click here to join our Disney family!
|
Resources
 Affordable Attraction Tickets
Orlando's Weather
|
|||||
NEWS FROM AROUND THE "WORLD" WALT DISNEY WORLD -------------------------------- "Pressed by fans, Walt Disney World is expanding its observance of Epcot's 25th anniversary by providing company-sponsored public events to go along with private celebrations already set for Oct.1." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 09/18/07) -------------------------------- "Epcot scientists want to create a new rootstock for pear trees that would stunt the growth of the trees, making them shorter and easier to grow and harvest... And they are doing so by genetically altering the cells of pear-tree rootstock specimens." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 09/15/07) -------------------------------- "For the first time, Disney will move the Night of Joy experience from the Magic Kingdom to Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM), starting with the 2008 Christian music festival, which will be Sept. 5-6. Already confirmed: MercyMe, tobyMac, Chris Tomlin and Rush of Fools." (Source: blogs.orlandosentinel.com, 09/12/07) -------------------------------- Scheduled to appear this year at Epcot's Candlelight Processional:
Nov. 23-25: David Robinson (Source: blogs.orlandosentinel.com, 09/13/07) -------------------------------- "Returning on a trip from Albuquerque to Burbank, I found a note inside my bag when I got home that said my suitcase had been inspected. The note also said that because my suitcase was locked, they had to break the lock..." The lock was TSA-approved, Now how do you get your money back for a defective lock? (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 09/13/07) -------------------------------- "Now, the Polynesian is a mega-super-very-very seriously family-friendly resort, but indeed, they do have bars, and we found one, with the help of an uber-friendly cast member, right upstairs in the main building..." (Source: blogs.orlandosentinel.com, 09/12/07) -------------------------------- Walt Disney World Monthly Calendar -------------------------------- DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA "Beginning September 21 through January 6, 2008, Ariel's Grotto, in Disney's California Adventure, will be available as a Character Breakfast dining experience. Breakfast will be served from 8:30 - 11 a.m. for $25.99 for adults and $13.99 for children and priority seating can be made, through Disney Dining (714-781-DINE)" (Source: laughingplace.com, 09/14/07) -------------------------------- "Disney, owner of about 26,000 hotel rooms nationwide, also announced Tuesday that it will expand its Grand Californian Hotel & Spa in Anaheim to increase the accommodations there by more than 30 percent. The expansion, expected to be completed in late 2009, will add more than 200 hotel rooms and 50 vacation villas with kitchens, Disney said." (Source: Orlando Sentinel, 09/19/07) See Press Release below for more details. -------------------------------- "Midway Games near California Screamin' roller coaster have shut down to clear space for the under-construction Toy Story Mania! ride - based on the animated movie "Toy Story" - which is scheduled to open in summer 2008. A firm date has yet to be announced." (Source: ocregister.com, 09/13/07) -------------------------------- -------------------------------- DISNEYLAND HONG KONG "Hong Kong Disneyland, a major showcase of Disney entertainment for mainland China, celebrated its second anniversary Wednesday amid disappointing attendance and alleged labor problems. The park, which opened on Sept. 12, 2005, drew 5.2 million guests in its first year, 400,000 short of its target of 5.6 million." (Source: abcnews.go.com, 09/12/07) -------------------------------- 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.
Disneyland Resort Expanding Disney’S Grand Californian Hotel & Spa First West Coast Disney vacation villas planned Responding to a growing demand for guest accommodations in Anaheim, the Disneyland Resort today celebrated an expansion of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa that will increase accommodations by more than 30 percent and will include the first Disney Vacation Club villas in Anaheim. This expansion, scheduled for completion in late 2009, will involve 300 union construction jobs and result in 100 new hotel jobs. It underscores Disney’s long-term commitment to growing and investing in Anaheim. The expansion also marks the latest in a series of major additions to the Resort that include the newly launched Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s California Adventure. "This expansion underscores our commitment to growing and investing in both the Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Resort Area," said Ed Grier, president of the Disneyland Resort. "These new hotel rooms and villas will give more people the opportunity to enjoy the immersive vacation experience Disney is known for. We know that our guests value being able to stay in the middle of the magic with our world-class theme parks, shopping and dining just steps away." The 2.5-acre expansion on the hotel’s south side will add more than 200 new hotel rooms and 50 two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas. Those vacation villas, to include kitchens, living and dining areas and other home-like amenities, will mark the West Coast debut of Disney Vacation Club, Disney’s innovative vacation-ownership program. "For more than 50 years, the Disneyland Resort has been investing in our community and they have helped us build a world class resort destination in which all of Anaheim can be proud," Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle said. "Thanks to Disneyland and the Anaheim Resort Area, Anaheim boasts one of the fastest growing markets in the country for hotel occupancy." Other elements planned for the project include a rooftop deck for viewing fireworks, a new swimming pool and about 300 underground parking spaces. Peter Dominick of 4240, architect for Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa as well as Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is designing the ambitious expansion. It will reflect the same California Arts & Crafts architecture of the existing hotel, which immerses guests in a turn-of-the-20th-century California experience. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa currently features 745 guest rooms, including 44 suites. Upon completion of the expansion project, the hotel will feature 945 guest rooms, including 44 guest suites, and 50 Disney Vacation Club two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is an architectural and artistic celebration of California’s renowned Arts & Crafts style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of three hotels at the Disneyland Resort (others include Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and the Disneyland Hotel), Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is home to the nationally renowned and award-winning Napa Rose restaurant, where Wine Country cuisine tempts taste buds and expert sommeliers help guests make selections from one of the world’s finest collections of California wines. The nearby Storytellers Café lets kids and adults alike enjoy a dining experience that only Disney can do, complete with an array of popular Disney characters. These dining experiences, coupled with a luxury spa, onsite shopping and other amenities, helped the hotel earn the No. 3 spot on Travel & Leisure Family magazine’s list of the top family-friendly resort destinations. Disney Vacation Club The development of 50 two-bedroom equivalent vacation villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa represents the first dedicated Disney Vacation Club accommodations on the West Coast. Disney Vacation Club is a vacation-ownership program that helps families enjoy flexibility and savings on vacations for decades to come. By purchasing a real estate interest in a Disney Vacation Club resort, families enjoy flexible vacations at Disney destinations worldwide as well as more than 500 other popular Member Getaways vacation locations around the globe. Disney Vacation Club, currently celebrating its milestone 15th anniversary, has grown to serve more than 350,000 individual members from more than 100 countries and all 50 U.S. states. "We are excited to bring our hugely popular Disney Vacation Club to the West Coast for the first time," said Jim Lewis, president of Disney Vacation Club. "Our member community has more than doubled since 2003, which illustrates families’ deep desires to enjoy quality vacations for years to come. Like most Disney fans, our members have great affection for the original Disney vacation destination, and we’re thrilled that this expansion project will allow our members to call the Disneyland Resort ‘home’ for the first time." The expansion project marks the latest growth for Disney Vacation Club, which recently opened the first phases of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The new Disney Vacation Club resort, located at the popular Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, is scheduled to open in phases through early 2009. Construction is already underway on the new Kidani Village building and amenities, with completion scheduled for late 2009. (Source: Press Release, 09/18/07) 
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 Coupon Kids Night Out: 1375 E. Buena Vista Drive, Team Disney - 1South Bldg, Orlando, FL 32830. Phone: 407-828-0920 / 800-696-8105. Fax: 407-828-0918. Childcare provider for Walt Disney World and other Florida hotels and resorts. Receive $5.00 off their services with this coupon.
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. |
