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Updates for March 3, 2010 Brought to you by...
John and Donna Gross "The Full Mickey - At a Discount!" The Wall Street Journal
A World on Its Knees. Click here for a FREE book of prayers for the people of Haiti and those who are caring for them.
By the same author: "100 Prayers of Purity for the Mission of Our Lady of America." The Virgin Mary, Our Lady of America, encourages us to seek Her as our model of purity. The prayers in this book petition God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the great Saints for the grace we need to lead pure and holy lives. Click here to read the book for FREE. "Achieving Weight Loss through the Prayers of the Divine Office of the Virgin Mary." True peace with food can only come from establishing a close relationship with God. Click here to read the book for FREE. "Rosary Meditations: A Bouquet of Roses for Our Lady." Shows the beginner and the highly experienced how to meditate while praying the rosary. Click here to read the book for FREE. Be sure to check out Father Ron Camarda's "Tear in the Desert." It's one of the most spiritual books I have ever read! Christian Peshken, producer and director, is planning to make a film based on the book.
And now ... take small children by the hand and enjoy the ride!
Hi Everyone! Thinking about joining our Affordable Disney family? We'll donate 10% of every new membership fee to the Missionaries of the Poor in Haiti. Click here for more details. 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 Walt Disney World Deluxe Resort Deal: Every second next night is half off with this discount code! -------------------------------- DISNEY CRUISE LINE New dates added to Disney Mediterranean cruises in 2011! -------------------------------- FREE PARK ADMISSION Florida Preschoolers get in FREE for rest of 2010 at this theme park! -------------------------------- ORLANDO THEME PARK RESORT HOTEL VACATION PACKAGE FOR PETS If your pet needs to get into shape, this popular Theme Park Resort has created a package which includes a deluxe room, workout tips for both the guest and their pet, a Zisc dog Frisbee, and a specially-created and veterinarian-approved meal for pets. The package is being offered at this Hotel chain's 17 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada and is available now through May 1, 2010. -------------------------------- MIAMI GIRLFRIENDS GETAWAY April 16 - 18, 2010. Includes two nights deluxe accommodations, daily breakfast, complimentary happy hour, salsa lessons, cooking demos, nightclub specials, goodie bag and more. From $399 per person based on double occupancy.
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NEWS FROM AROUND THE "WORLD" WALT DISNEY WORLD America’s Youth Athletes to Enter All New ‘World’ at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney The inside dirt on the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival Walt Disney World Monthly Calendar -------------------------------- OUTSIDE WALT DISNEY WORLD Company proposes space- and Red planet-themed tourist attraction Fat Tuesday Opens At Universal CityWalk Offering ‘Nawlins-Style Specialty Frozen Drinks CityWalk Calendar And Venue Entertainment - March 2010 SeaWorld review to study how close is too close for a killer-whale trainer SeaWorld trainer tribute: Shamu Believe show resumes with standing ovation SeaWorld to keep Tilikum -- he may even perform again Carnival Cruise Lines to increase price of all summer 2010 sailings on March 22. Right now is Wave Season - the time of year when you can get the best prices on cruises. If you're thinking about taking a cruise in 2010, members should log in and contact Beth for some of her great deals on Carnival and other luxury cruise lines while they're still available! Another bad hidden fee pops up -- a 'health' surcharge at restaurants Legoland Florida Web Site: includes photos, video and job opportunities -------------------------------- DISNEYLAND CALIFORNIA D23 celebrates first anniversary at Disneyland on March 10 -- but no expo this year -------------------------------- DISNEYLAND PARIS -------------------------------- DISNEYLAND TOKYO What's new at Tokyo Disneyland -------------------------------- LAS VEGAS -------------------------------- BRANSON, MO -------------------------------- 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.
Backstage Magic Quick Facts The Backstage Magic tour offered through Disney Institute takes guests behind the scenes to discover onstage and backstage areas of Walt Disney World Resort. Accompanied by an expert guide, guests explore attractions and backstage operations in each of the four theme parks.
When do tours take place?
How long is the tour?
How many people can participate?
Are there age restrictions?
What’s included in the tour price?
Can I take pictures?
What does it cost?
How do guests register?
Backstage Magic Fun Facts Here are some interesting aspects of Walt Disney World Resort that guests will discover during the Backstage Magic tour offered by Disney Institute: · Walt Disney World has the largest working wardrobe in the world with more than 2.5 million individual costume pieces and almost 8 miles of costume racks. Disney Creative Costuming has an inventory of more than 3,700 costume designs and uses more than 650,000 yards of fabric each year. · Magic Kingdom is actually built on the “second floor.” The first floor is made up of approximately 9 acres of storage area and offices as well as a “utilidor” (utility corridor) for cast members. This Utilidor System is a tunnel more than a mile long. · Many Audio-Animatronics figures, such as those featured in Hall of Presidents, wear human-hair wigs. Live performers wear synthetic hair wigs. · Thirty-five Audio-Animatronics figures are featured in The American Adventure show, and the rear projection screen at the show is 28 feet high by 155 feet wide. · Cinderella’s Golden Carousel was built in 1917 as the Liberty Carousel and ran for many decades in New Jersey before being acquired by the Walt Disney Company in 1967. The original horses are still used today. · Central Shops is capable of building everything from trash cans to monorails. At 298,000 square feet, you could fit nine football fields inside the Central Shops building. · The Hollywood Tower Hotel structure is 199 feet tall – making The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror one of the tallest attractions on site. Some 1,500 tons of steel and 145,800 cubic feet of concrete were used in the construction of the attraction. · There are approximately 100 acres of browse plants grown for animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The Walt Disney World horticulture team plants more than 2 million annuals each year. · Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened on Earth Day, April 22, 1998. At the center of the park is the Tree of Life, which is more than 140 feet tall and 170 feet wide at the base. · Disney’s Wilderness Lodge was inspired by National Park Lodges, such as Old Faithful Inn (Yellowstone) and Ahwahnee Lodge (Yosemite). Massive pine logs for Disney’s Wilderness Lodge were harvested from standing dead wood at an elevation of 7,000 feet in Oregon and Montana. (Source: Press Release, 03/02/10)
Beth, our travel agent, writes about making special occasions even more special at Walt Disney World: "In case you’ve been living in a cave for the last year or so, I want to make mention of the fact that Disney is REALLY making a big deal out of celebrations these days. You’ve probably seen the 'What Will You Celebrate?" commercials on TV and in magazines, but a lot of people don’t realize how far Disney will stretch the term 'celebration'" In fact, nearly everyone can think of something to celebrate that will qualify. Last weekend, our trip was officially celebrating the great report cards my daughter and her friend got. That counts! When staying at a Disney-owned resort, you can do online check-in starting 10 days prior to arrival. You will be asked if you’re celebrating anything. Be sure to mention whatever it is - and then point it out every chance you get. Wearing a special button makes that easy, and they’re available to everyone, not just Disney resort guests. While some of the hotel desks have them, the buttons are most easily available at the Guest Services window at the entrance to each park (or City Hall in the Magic Kingdom). Buttons include birthday, first visit, graduation, anniversary, family reunion, wedding, honeymoon, volunteer, honorary Disneyland citizen (D’land only), and a generic celebration. The buttons are free of charge, and cast members often go out of their way to do something nice when they see the buttons. You can also go to www.disneyphotopass.com, upload a photo, and have t-shirts for your whole group made. Or try www.zazzle.com where you can pick your favorite character(s), add text (like, Jones Family Reunion) to a huge variety of shirts and sweatshirts. Perfect for a honeymoon couple, group, or even just a birthday boy/girl. Surprise the guest of honor - or the whole gang - with a special cake or dessert by calling the cake hotline at 407-827-2253. Your order can be delivered to any Disney restaurant for a special after-meal surprise, or they can send it to your (Disney resort) room. Speaking of rooms, how about decking it out with balloons, flowers, gifts and more? Visit www.disneyflorist.com to see all the amazing things they can provide. Thinking of something bigger? More 'outside the box?'" Not a problem! If you can think it up, Disney can make it happen. For a price, of course, but if your group is large enough and you divide up the cost then sometimes it’s not as bad as you might think. You can do those cool private dessert parties at Epcot during Illuminations for as little as $30 a person (minimum group size applies, park admission required). You can do private dinners in locations you didn’t even know exist, or book a VIP tour that gets your group front-of-the line at every attraction. About the only thing you can’t do is 'buy' your way into a night at the castle. Otherwise, think as big as you dare to, and then drop me a note and let me know what you have in mind. I’ll find out how to make it work and what it will cost." (Affordable Disney members should log in for Beth's contact info.)
Beth wrote Walt Disney World about the overcharge she received after dining at Epcot's German Biergarten. (See last week's issue #517.) Here is what they had to say: "Rather than emailing, I took the time to write and mail a letter to Disney’s Guest Services department regarding the surprisingly high bill I got during a recent lunch at the Biergarten restaurant in Epcot’s Germany pavilion. I attached a copy of my email dining confirmation as well as a copy of the receipt. It’s been just over a week since I mailed it, so I was surprised to get a phone call so soon from a very pleasant woman who apologized profusely. She then addressed each concern separately. As to being charged incorrectly for the child under ten, she confirmed that we were overcharged for her. To compensate, they are sending me a $25 Disney gift card to help with expenses on my next visit. (I mentioned in my letter that we go frequently; not sure what they’d do for a family that has no current plans to return.) As to the pricing for the lunch on that date, I expected it to be $19.99 for adults, $10.99 for children, plus tax. Apparently, the price at the Biergarten changes frequently and for early February the pricing for lunch had increased by $2 for adults and $1 for children; however, we were (as I suspected) also charged an additional premium because it was Valentine’s Day. Disney acknowledges that the exact pricing for the day you’re dining doesn’t appear on their website, nor is it on the confirmation that you get by email (when doing reservations online), so if you’re not using dining credits and want to confirm pricing for your specific dates, you can call Disney Dining at 1-407-WDW-DINE and they can tell you what the pricing will be - subject to change prior to arrival, though, so I’m not sure exactly how that protects you from unanticipated increases. The cast member added that as a rule, if the date is a 'blackout' on the Tables in Wonderland program* you can count on a holiday premium being charged. (I looked it up after the call and the blackout list includes New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, Mother's Day, Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. No mention of Valentine’s Day, so it’s obviously not a pool-proof method of checking.) Note that she didn’t know for sure about the Valentine’s Day charges for this year and promised to check it out and get back to me. She called back less than 10 minutes later, so she was thorough in her follow-through. Finally, as to the confusing nature of how the suggested gratuities are presented, she acknowledged that pre-figuring 18% and 20% for you (to aid the mathematically challenged) is fine for a regular restaurant, but admittedly higher than most people tip at a buffet location. Nevertheless, it’s presented as a guideline only and you’re permitted to write in anything you want to. In the end, I have to say that I’m not only impressed with the fact that they followed up (so many companies wouldn’t), but that they did so with such speed, courtesy, and professionalism - and with a true indication that they really did want to make it 'right' for me." *Note from John: Tables in Wonderland is a dining program for Florida residents and Annual Passholders. See our book for details.
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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