Hi Everyone! Beth, our travel agent, writes: "I’ll be doing a ship inspection of the amazing OASIS OF THE SEAS in Ft. Lauderdale on May 1. If you have anything specific you want me to check out, ask, or take pictures of please let me know as soon as possible and I’ll do my best!" -------------------------------- Remember: If you want to visit Walt Disney World when there is no deal for the general public, you will need to follow the discount strategies that are revealed in our online book, "Secrets To An Affordable Walt Disney World® Vacation," to make your vacation affordable. -------------------------------- 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 Discounts at Restaurants near Disney! This company offers money saving dining certificates to restaurants in Orlando, near Walt Disney World, in Anaheim, near Disneyland California, and all across the US. Get $25 certificates for $4! Plus! Receive a FREE $10 gift certificate with every order! Offer expires April 15, 2010. -------------------------------- UNIVERSAL DEALS # Save up to 42% at Universal's Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel® and Royal Pacific Resort. Rates starting at $143! # The Wizarding World of Harry PotterTM - Exclusive Vacation Package. Book by April 30! Get four nights in a 4-star onsite hotel, 3-day park tickets (one park per day), Universal Express “skip the line” ride access, early park admission, one breakfast per person at Three Broomsticks, and one commemorative GRAND OPENING ticket per person. Rates start at $645 per adult for onsite resorts ($285 per adult for off-site hotels and no Express line access). Members should email Beth for the flyer with details. -------------------------------- LUXURY CRUISE LINE DEAL Book select sailings on this luxury cruise ship in May and June, 2010 and get a Balcony Stateroom for an Oceanview price! Book by April 25, 2010. Starting at $779 for an 8 day cruise. -------------------------------- FLORIDA GULF COAST CONDO SPECIAL Fully-furnished 2-bedroom/2 bath condos on Sanibel Island (Southwest FL) available from $119/nt + 11% tax with 5-nt stay. Private screened patios or balconies. Condos sleep a max of six people. No pets allowed. Rate is for garden view. Great rates on other views and other trip lengths as well. Rate applies April 18 – August 31, 2010. -------------------------------- HOLIDAY CRUISES Choose from two tropical holiday voyages with this luxury cruise line and receive $500 per person spending credits. - For every 6 guests who sail together, receive pre-paid gratuities, a $500 credit toward a Private Adventure, FREE berths for kids 17 and under, and more. - Sail with 10 guests and receive all the above perks, plus one additional FREE berth!
Applicable Voyages:
Plus, Kids sail FREE on their 14-day Caribbean Holiday departing December 21. Beth, our travel agent, writes: "Awesome premium cruise line, awesome deal." -------------------------------- GREAT WOLF LODGE WILLIAMSBURG, VA
Save 20% off their best available rates with this discount code when reserving
a two night stay!
-------------------------------- ANNUAL MEXICO EXTRAVAGANZA Starts today and runs through April 30. Save up to 65%. Three-night packages with air and transfers start at just $345 per person and include extras like free nights, spa, food and beverage credits, room upgrades, and kids stay and eat for free deals. Beth writes: "We’ve got TONS of 2010 and 2011 cruise group space booked, giving you access to lower rates and deposits, onboard credits, and other great stuff. Don’t believe what you read online at those cruise “mega sites; ” they’re NOT the only ones with awesome deals!" -------------------------------- FUNJET VACATIONS Savings of up to 50%! Destinations like Hawaii, Mexico, Florida and the Caribbean. Book by April 22. -------------------------------- LUXURY CRUISE LINE SPECIAL
Book an ocean view – get a FREE upgrade to a balcony cabin on select
sailings! Must book by April 25.
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!
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NEWS FROM AROUND THE "WORLD" WALT DISNEY WORLD Fact-Checking 5 Epcot Rides That Predicted the Future Last Gooding’s supermarket in Chapter 11, faces eviction Here's a webcam to watch the Disney Dream cruise ship being built! Walt Disney World Monthly Calendar -------------------------------- OUTSIDE WALT DISNEY WORLD Star Trek gets a LIVE stage show starting this summer at Kennedy Space Center Florida Harbor Nights Primavera at Loews Portofino Bay hotel at Universal Orlando set for Friday, April 23 Universal and SeaWorld weigh future of Flex passes How to get to Sesame Street? West on I-4 at Busch Gardens iPad users may breeze through security Star Wars Celebration V - 125 days and counting -------------------------------- DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA Celebrity chefs, tapas tastings join Disney festival Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival Celebrates the ‘Art of Flavor’ at Disneyland Resort -------------------------------- DISNEYLAND PARIS Disneyland Paris resort hit by staff suicides -------------------------------- DISNEYLAND TOKYO What's new at Tokyo Disneyland -------------------------------- DISNEYLAND HONG KONG What's new at Disneyland Hong Kong -------------------------------- LAS VEGAS -------------------------------- BRANSON, MO -------------------------------- BEAU RIVAGE RESORT & CASINO BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI Beau Rivage Entertainment Schedule -------------------------------- NOTE: News sources remove their articles rather quickly. If you receive a "File Not Found" error message, search the source's archives for the story. Certain news organizations require a free registration to view their articles online.
Free companion air ticket? Really? Beth, our travel agent, writes: "This morning I opened my email and the very first one I read was from one of my favorite stores telling me that if I buy $100 worth of merchandise on from their website within the next five days I’ll get a certificate for 'free companion air' to any of dozens of major cities in the continental US. I rolled my eyes and felt a wave of disappointment that this store would stoop to this level to attract customers. Sadly, though, plenty of people will fall for it and will anxiously await that certificate so that they can get rolling on the vacation of their dreams. Trust me on this one, though, folks: this is a perfect example of, 'If it sounds too good to be true…' Here’s how this particular deal works. You locate your city of departure on a chart that lists seven zones. Then you locate the zone for the city you want to go to. Next, you refer to a second chart to see how much that first ticket will cost you. I chose several city pairs for a bogus one week vacation in August and looked up the prices on Southwest and one or two other carriers for my chosen dates. I also made note of the taxes and fees on each fare because, with the companion certificate, you still have to pay those even on the 'free' fare (plus up to $9.95 per ticket processing fee). Then I compared what it would cost me to just buy two tickets outright compared to using the 'free companion' certificate. Not surprisingly, I found that while there were a couple cases where the companion deal MIGHT be slightly better, it was usually the same or even higher than buying directly with the airlines - sometimes MUCH higher. More importantly, in each market that I looked at, there were nonstop flights available with many great arrival and departure times. If buying direct, I could get those great times and schedules even at the lowest fares. However, I read numerous articles on the subject of 'free companion fares' and they were all in agreement that you nearly always get lousy times with one or more connections each way. In fact, the consensus is that 70% of the time - or more - there’s no availability at all with the free companion fares for the date/city combo you’re after. That seems to be particularly true where travel in and out of Florida is concerned. The certificate deal also has black-out dates and readily admits that the cost you end up paying may not only be higher than what’s on the chart, but also higher than internet fares (which they don’t have access to). Bottom line: don’t buy something you didn’t want anyway just to get the free companion certificate. Chances are, that certificate isn’t going to work for you at all, and if it does work then it may cost you more to use it than it would have cost to book better flights online. If nothing else, first read a list of sample terms and conditions. Pay particular attention to items 6 through 12. If you decide to move ahead anyway, tread cautiously - and may you be one of the minority that gets a truly awesome deal!"
Want to Treat Yourself to Some Fall Fun? Eat, Drink and Be Mirthfully Merry as Walt Disney World Resort Presents a Season of Sights, Sounds, Smells and Very Good Tastes LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - New treats for the taste buds await Walt Disney World guests this fall - a season that also will feature treats for the ears of music-lovers, treats for the eyes of art-lovers and sports fans, treats that make good “scents” and lots of just plain trick-or-treats. Fall is traditionally a season of special events at the Vacation Kingdom, and 2010 will be no exception as the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, Night of Joy, Festival of the Masters, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, the Children’s Miracle Network Classic for PGA players and the Old Spice Classic all return - to be joined by an all-new running event. And to top it off: There will be new dining adventures, new digs for Fido, and a place to make a "new you." Here’s a snapshot of what’s in store, beginning with what’s "all new": New adventures in dining During fall 2010, new culinary adventures coming to the Vacation Kingdom include an authentic Neapolitan pizzeria and a Latin chicken restaurant, while a popular Mexican restaurant reopens with a fresh menu and expanded seating: * In Italy at Epcot World Showcase, Via Napoli, an authentic Neapolitan pizzeria operated by the Patina Restaurant Group, will feature wood-burning ovens - and will import water from a source that most resembles the water in Naples, Italy, home of some of the world’s best pizza dough. This 300-seat pizzeria will feature a menu inspired by the famous pizzerias of southern Italy. The menu also will feature pastas, salads, sandwiches and Italian wines. The Patina Restaurant Group also operates Tutto Italia Ristorante at the pavilion. * At Downtown Disney Marketplace, Pollo Campero, an international Latin chicken quick-service restaurant chain, has partnered with franchisee Levy Campero to deliver a new restaurant concept. The restaurant will showcase Pollo Campero’s signature Latin chicken (which features the taste of lime and orange juices, red bell peppers and a special blend of Latin herbs and spices) as well as a new fresh concept named Fresh A-Peel (featuring fresh salads, sandwiches, fruits and healthy snacks) plus vegetarian, gluten-free, sugar-free, low-sodium or organic offerings. * In Mexico at Epcot World Showcase, an expanded Cantina de San Angel restaurant will feature 400 combined seats with al fresco seating for quick-service meals plus a new, air-conditioned table-service restaurant featuring authentic specialty dishes from Mexico created by the talented culinary team at San Angel Inn, LLC., which has operated the food service at the Mexico pavilion for more than 25 years. New digs for Fido and Frisky Slated for a late-summer opening, a full-service luxury pet care facility on Bonnet Creek Parkway across from Disney’s Port Orleans Resort will provide a comfortable home-away-from-home for Fido, Frisky and all their pet pals! The one-of-a-kind facility will be able to accommodate up to 270 dogs in a variety of standard and luxury suites, some with private outdoor patios and play yards. The separate "Kitty City" pavilion will be able to house up to 30 cats in two- and four-story cat condos. A special room is also available for the boarding of "pocket pets," Including pet hamsters and birds. The facility, to be operated by Best Friends Pet Care, will comprise more than 17,000 square feet of air-conditioned indoor space plus 10,000 square feet of covered outdoor runs and play areas. It will replace the five existing pet care facilities throughout Walt Disney World Resort and will be open to both Walt Disney World Resort guests and visitors staying off-property. New ‘Re-treats’ for your skin In time for fall, Givenchy is opening a shop at the France pavilion in Epcot that will be the only retail location in the United States to offer the full line of Givenchy make-up and skin-care products, as well as a large selection of Givenchy fragrances. New ‘ultimate night out’ for runners Imagine a foot race that starts at 10 p.m. and finishes, 13.1 miles later, with an exclusive party replete with culinary delights and specialty drinks from around the world. That’s the scenario for the signature race of the inaugural Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend on Oct. 1-2. The half marathon on Oct. 2 caps a schedule that also includes a two-day expo, 5K fun run and kids races - all during the opening two days of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The full details and registration are at www.disneywinedinerun.com. Let the music play! A star-powered 15-act lineup topped by Casting Crowns, Third Day, mercyme, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder*Band and Family Force 5 will take the stage when Night of Joy returns to Magic Kingdom Sept. 10-11, kicking off the fall season’s special events. The lineup of Christian artists appearing over the two nights runs the spectrum from Rock, Hip Hop and R&B … to Pop, Adult Contemporary and Gospel - continuing a tradition that has been a hallmark of Night of Joy since 1983 when the event began. Admission to Night of Joy requires a special ticket, with concerts taking place during the evening following Magic Kingdom closing. Entry also includes the opportunity to enjoy many of the park’s popular attractions. More information is available at www.nightofjoy.com. At Epcot, the Eat to the Beat! Concert Series will serve up music as an accompaniment to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. A lineup of recording artists is scheduled to perform Oct. 1-Nov. 14 at America Gardens Theatre. Night Ranger, Boyz II Men, Taylor Dayne and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy are among the musically diverse acts scheduled to appear on designated dates (lineup is subject to change without notice). The concerts are included with Epcot admission. More information will be available online this summer at www.disneyworld.com/foodandwine. A grand adventure in good tastes continues When Walt Disney World Resort turned 25 in 1996, it popped the cork on a concept that has grown to become one of the Vacation Kingdom’s signature events: The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The 2010 festival, presented by Vanity Fair Napkins Oct. 1 through Nov. 14, is celebrating "15 years of delicious discoveries" with a focus on outdoor marketplaces where everyone from neophytes to epicures and aficionados can nibble and sip their way around the Epcot World Showcase promenade and across six continents of food and beverage adventures. While specific details are still in development for the 15th annual festival, expect talented culinarians from across America and around the world to be involved with the marketplaces as well as with specialty dinners, tequila tastings, seminars featuring cooking demonstrations and wine tastings, and the popular Saturday night grand tastings - Party for the Senses. The festival also will feature the popular Eat to the Beat! concert series each evening. Details about the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival will be available this summer online at www.disneyworld.com/foodandwine. Hauntingly happy fun is happening If the headless horseman is romping down Main Street, U.S.A. aboard his steed, ghostly apparitions are flitting among the buildings of Magic Kingdom, Cinderella Castle is draped in eerie hues and the night sky is being painted with bursts of orange and green fireworks, it can only mean one thing: Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is back! Following Magic Kingdom closing on select autumn evenings between Sept. 14 and Nov. 1, the park reopens for this special-ticket event featuring trick-or-treating throughout the park, "Happy HalloWishes" fireworks spectacular, "Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade" - including Disney characters and the stars of the Haunted Mansion attraction, and the opportunity to experience popular attractions including, of course, Haunted Mansion. Information about dates and tickets will be available at www.disneyworld.com/halloween. Picture this ….. Approximately 150 award-winning artists who turn clay, wood, metals, oils, watercolors and more into creations that treat the eyes - into things such as paintings, jewelry, sculptures and photographs - will show off their works at the 36th Festival of the Masters presented by Sharpie® Nov. 12-14 at Downtown Disney. One of the Southeast’s most highly regarded juried art festivals, Festival of the Masters features live entertainment and family-friendly activities each day. Admission and parking are complimentary. For more information, guests may visit www.disneyworld.com/artfestival. Drama on the links The 40th chapter of a PGA TOUR tradition will be written Nov. 11-14 when the Children’s Miracle Network Classic takes place on Disney’s Palm and Magnolia golf courses. If the latest chapter follows the script of recent decades, it will be filled with drama, as 21 of the last 28 Classics have been decided either by a playoff or a single stroke in regulation. 2009 was no exception, as Canada’s Stephen Ames parred the second hole of a playoff with George McNeill and Justin Leonard to win the $846,000 winner’s share of a $4.7 million purse. The Classic is the final official-money event of the PGA TOUR season, which means some players in the field likely will be hoping for a paycheck big enough to save their careers on the TOUR. More information: www.ChildrensMiracleNetworkClassic.com. Spicing the Thanksgiving feast with basketball Five years ago a new early-season tournament entered the college basketball universe, with Arkansas beating Marist for the inaugural Old Spice Classic crown at Walt Disney World Resort. Since then, North Carolina State, Gonzaga and most recently Florida State have claimed the title. This November a new crop of teams will huddle-up at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex with one goal: the 2010 Old Spice Classic championship. California, Notre Dame, Temple, Texas A&M and Wisconsin - all of which went to the NCAA’s "big dance" this spring - will be joined by Boston College, Georgia and Manhattan for a Thanksgiving weekend basketball feast that will feature 12 games through three days, Nov. 25, 26 and 28. Additional information can be found on the Old Spice Classic Web site at www.OldSpiceClassic.com. For more information about ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, visit www.DisneySports.com. They’re going to Disney World! In TV commercials since 1987, football heroes have beamed and screamed "I’m Going to Disney World!" after they helped their team win a Super Bowl. In a twist on the storyline, about 2,000 football players from across the country have been shouting the same line each year since 1995 - but with the dream that Super Bowl glory will await at the end of the trip. They are the members of the 64 Pop Warner Little Scholars football teams that converge at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex for the Pop Warner Super Bowl each December. To reach the Pop Warner Super Bowl, teams nationwide will battle their way through local and regional tournaments. Teams compete in four divisions based on size and age - Jr. Pee Wee (ages 8-10 yrs.), Pee Wee (9-11 yrs.), Jr. Midget (10-12 yrs.) and Midget (11-14 yrs.). In addition to the gridiron action, the spectacle includes hundreds of squads competing in the Pop Warner National Cheer and Dance Championships. For more information, visit www.PopWarner.com. Music, art, food & wine, PGA golf and more…in one weekend! During a final fling of fall special-events fun, as Walt Disney World Resort transitions into a winter wonderland, guests can experience one very action-packed weekend Nov. 12-14: * The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival * The Festival of the Masters art show * The Children’s Miracle Network Classic for professional golfers * Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. During Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in Magic Kingdom on select evenings in November and December (including Nov. 12), guests can experience the enchantment of Castle Dream Lights on Cinderella Castle plus two special entertainment extravaganzas, "Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade" and the holiday-themed fireworks spectacular, "Holiday Wishes-Celebrate the Spirit of the Season." The special after-hours party, which requires a separate admission ticket, also features live Disney character stage shows, character greetings, cookies and cocoa, and even "snow" on Main Street, U.S.A. More details will be available at www.DisneyWorld.com/holidays. (Source: Press Release, 04/12/10)
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!
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