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INTERCOT Insider
January
2005
- Edition One |
Brought to you by
INTERCOT's network of sites:
INTERCOT - Walt Disney World
Inside & Out
INTERCOT West - Disneyland Inside
& Out
INTERCOT's WebDisney - Guide to
Disney on the Internet
INTERCOT's MousehutMail - Free Web
Based Email
INTERCOT's Thrillride
Experience - Thrill Ride Parks & Attractions
This newsletter and other past issues can also be read online at;
http://www.intercot.com/interactive/insider/archive
<< Introduction >>
Happy New Year!
It's time to get your 2005 Walt Disney World vacation planning into full
swing, and we are here to help! Throughout the year, the Insider provides
great planning tips and the latest news about the Walt Disney World Resort.
Reading the Insider, and participating in the INTERCOT discussion boards,
are great tools for planning that perfect getaway. Get comfortable and enjoy
the first INTERCOT Insider of the new year!
<< Disney World Events with DisneyWizard >>
Changes are happening at Walt Disney World, and most are involved in the new
Magic
Your Way packages. Be sure to stay tuned to the News, Rumors, and
Imagineering discussion forum and especially to
Info Central.
We are constantly updating new information regarding the events happening!
- Disney offers Magical Express Service -
Disney will soon offer a new, free, bus service from the Orlando
International Airport to all of the Disney-owned hotels. After guests using
the service tag their own luggage the luggage will then be picked up upon
arrival at Orlando, loaded onto a
Magical Express bus, and delivered to their room at their destined
hotel. The service begins during the Happiest Celebration On Earth and is a
part of the Magic Your Way plan.
“I can't believe they didn't think of this years ago…I really hope this
lasts.” –DunkieKong
“If you are at the mercy of stopping at all the other resorts I don’t know
if I’d take advantage of it or not...I liked early flights and going
straight to my resort.” –Crow
“Even if it does take a little extra time out of my day, it is okay... with
the money I save we can stay another night!” –Here we go again…
Discussion and Details
- New dining options with Magic Your Way -
A new meal-plan will premiere interlinked with the new Magic Your Way
package. Offered with Disney hotel packages, the Magic Your Way Package Plus
Dining allows guests to include a variety of meal options for only $35 per
night per adult ($10 per night for children). Each day a full service and
quick service meal will be offered, as well as a snack. Check below for the
new Info Central page on this feature.
“I really like this plan. The reason that I most like it is that in planning
the trip I can budget a fixed amount for dining.” –hope2survive
“I'm really missing my Silver wishes right about now…” –robyn221
“I'm all for the new dining plan.” –Dr. Disney
Details
and participating restaurants
<< Carol's Communicore >>
Happy
January, Everyone.
- Disney Dining Experience for Passholders -
Walt Disney World Annual Passholders now have the opportunity to
join the Disney
Dining Experience. This allows them 20% off a vast array of Disney World
restaurants throughout their use year. Annual Passholders are also entitled
to a $25 discount and can purchase this dining perk for $50. Info Central's
Annual Passholder page has been updated to include this new incentive as
well as listing all of the 2005 benefits currently being offered.
2005 Annual Passholder Benefits
- Princess Storybook Meal Extended -
Due to popular demand the Princess Storybook Breakfast is *not* just for
Breakfast anymore. The Princess Storybook characters will be available for
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner at Restaurant Akershus beginning mid April. Our
sources tell us lunch and dinner is going to be served family-style instead
of via a buffet. The food will still have the Norwegian flare but will offer
items that children will also find palatable. More details as they become
available.
Discussion
- Second Annual "ESPN The Weekend" -
ESPN and the Walt Disney World Resort are once again joining together to
offer fans the opportunity to see and hear some of their favorite ESPN
personalities and athletes during the second annual "ESPN The Weekend". The
event is presented by Speed Stick 24/7, and will take place at Disney-MGM
Studios on February 25-27, 2005. The 2005 theme is "It's A Sports World
After All". The "Weekend" will feature on-site telecasts, star motorcades,
Q&A sessions and much, much more. Our very own INTERCOTee vz9p57 (Scott)
will be attending and has promised to share his photos of the event - so
stayed tuned to the page below for more.
Event Details Here
- Stitch's Great
Escape Update -
The height requirement for
Stitch’s Great Escape! has been changed from 35 inches to 38 inches.
Parents should be advised that the attraction includes brief periods of
total darkness, loud noises and over-the-shoulder seat restraints; some
effects may frighten young children.
Ride
Height Requirements Page
Park Hours
and Events are currently posted through March. Visit Info Central to
fine-tune your vacation plans.
Park Hours &
Events
See
you next month. Happy Planning!
<< Bytes & Pieces with
TiggerRPh >>
News, Rumours and Imagineering…what is it? Well, the INTERCOT boards
describe it as, “The latest Disney news, information and rumours. Find out
what is currently going on with the Disney Company and what is in the
Imagineering pipeline.” Okay….but what does this all mean in regard to
discussions on the boards?
News is a report of an event or a press release of an announcement by
Disney. By definition, news is verifiable. Discussion of news topics
generally centers on whether the event or announcement is good or bad for
the company or for Disney fans or guests. The news items can be about the
Disney Company, Walt Disney World or the other parks. The exceptions would
be that we generally want news items about Disneyland and California
Adventure put in the Disneyland forum and any Disney-related entertainment
news for the most part goes into the TV/Movies forum.
Now, a rumor is according to Webster’s “a statement or report current
without known authority for its truth.” This means that rumors are
unverifiable and therefore cannot be right or wrong. Pretty much all that
can be said about rumors is whether we believe or want them to be true.
Occasionally, we do get inside tips about plans at Walt Disney World. Even
though our sources are very credible and dependable, technically the tips we
receive are still rumors because they can’t officially be verified or Disney
hasn’t officially announced it yet. And as we all know until Disney
officially announces it or starts building, it’s never a sure thing.
For our purposes Imagineering topics are “blue sky” topics. They are what
you’d like to see done in the parks. In other words, if you were in charge
at WDW what you like built or done? Since the sky is the limit and we don’t
have to worry about budgets, we are free to “imagineer” anything, though we
are also free to debate whether it’s likely to ever happen.
So there you go…all you needed or wanted to know about what is news, a rumor
and Imagineering topics for INTERCOT. Aren’t you glad you asked?
<< From the Insider's
Inbox >>
Waiting in the
Insider mailbox around the New Year were two member holiday memoirs. Steffi
and Tina & Chris share their experiences with the Candlelight Processional
and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Thanks for sharing!!
Steffi writes: “Just wanted to let you know that we had a
wonderful time at the Candlelight Processional starring James Caviezel on
12/6. We ate at Italy (a bit pricey...$95 for two) but the food was good. I
would go to a less expensive restaurant next time. We had the last show
reservations and had dinner completed in plenty of time. We were shocked to
see the lines for our show! We went online about one hour ahead of the time
of the show and the line was stretching from the American Pavilion for about
4 countries. I didn't think we'd make it into the show but was relieved when
we finally got in. I don't know if any of the general seating line actually
got in. If they did, I'm sure there weren't too many seats available. The
line for that was extremely long and I think that the cast members should
have told people that they probably would not get in, especially since
people waiting such a long time.
The seats we had weren't that good as I was seated with percussionists in my
view. James Caviezel was excellent. His reading was done with such passion!
The singing and music was phenomenal. I felt moved...elated and peaceful all
at the same time. I would recommend seeing the show but giving yourself
enough time to get into an earlier show or buying the dinner package. It was
well worth the wait. Thank you for your great website.”
Tina & Chris write: “Just wanted to give you our opinion.
We--two adults, no kids--were at WDW this year from 11/28-12/5. We bought
advance tickets for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party that cost--even at
pre-trip price--a total of $78.00. We attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas
Party (MVMCP) the Tuesday night of 11/30. We visited Downtown Disney on
Wednesday, 12/1 and attended the late performance of Cirque du Soliel, La
Nouba, splurged for great seats (10th row/center), and paid $180.00 at the
box office for two seats. While the fireworks at Magic Kingdom for the MVMCP
were nice (Epcot's holiday fireworks/laser beat this hands down!), and
shorter lines for the E-ticket attractions were handy (we walked on Pirates
and Haunted Mansion--no wait) we felt that the Cirque show was more worth
our money.
La Nouba was an AMAZING MUST SEE--to say the least!! If you have been to
Disneyland in California at the holidays, and you've seen their holiday
parade already we highly recommend you skip MVMCP and spend the extra money
to see La Nouba; it's worth every penny (and yes, they have less expensive
price options for seating than what we paid so you could come out ahead
overall). Two other notes...if you're trying to justify MVMCP thinking it's
great for the kids...it isn't. We don't have children yet but I saw plenty
of tired, stressed-out parents with tired, stressed-out, over-hyper and/or
sometimes crying (or sleeping--read: waste of the ticket cost for entry)
young children at MVMCP--which doesn't start it's festivities until 7:00
P.M. As far as less crowded--it's not much less than a daytime crowd at MK
during the post-Thanksgiving/pre-Christmas time of year. Sidenote: I would
not recommend La Nouba for young children (i.e. under age 9) unless they
have the maturity and attention span to last through a 105 minute live
show--with no intermissions.
It's not that we didn't enjoy MVMCP--we did! The MK is lovely decorated for
Christmas and lit up at night! The finale of the parade includes "snow" near
the castle/hub area and on Main Street--very beautiful and a bit magical to
see in Florida! :-) We just thought it wasn't quite all that it promised to
be for the price of the admission.”
<< Off Topic with ChipDale >>
December always
means talk of shopping, baking and getting ready for the holidays. Water
Cooler conversations covered office Christmas parties, what do your kids
want for Christmas, what to tip at holiday time, what to give co-workers,
what do you want for Christmas, will your holidays be green or white and
much more!
Are you doing research on purchasing something and you want honest opinions,
not just some consumer report? Want to know where to find the item? Well,
the Water Cooler is the place to come to! For example, alphamommy’s daughter
wanted Aqua Doodle for Christmas, SallyP wanted to know about which digital
camera is the best, Melanears inquired about the Mr. Coffee Home Café and
drmduval wanted to get Winx Club dolls for her daughter. By asking
INTERCOTees, they got honest answers and could make informed decisions.
INTERCOTees got some great presents from JohnY this holiday season! Thanks
John for the cute new Santa graemlin and the wreath and snowflakes. We all
appreciate the hard work you put into the site and it really looked festive!
Christmas and Hanukkah aren’t the only holidays celebrated in December.
Lizzy reminded us that in December we also observe Humbug Day on the 21st,
National Dice Day on the 4th, and that the 20th is Mudd Day. Tune in each
month to see what wild and crazy celebrations Lizzy shares with us! And
thanks to Horizons2Space, we had our own little Festivus celebration in the
Water Cooler. We gathered around the pole and witnessed many feats of
strength. It was a Festivus Miracle!
Jamie’s Friday parties for December included Walt Disney’s Birthday party,
Deck the Boards Extravaganza tree trimming party, the Ribbons and Bows Bash
gift wrapping party, the INTERCOT Office Christmas Party, and of course the
office INTERCOT New Years Eve Bash! Thank you Jamie for a year filled with
fun parties. I can’t wait to see what you come up with in 2005!
It simply wouldn’t be December in the INTERCOT Water Cooler without someone
bringing up the Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls! Thanks SgtTigger for reminding us
to get out and purchase our favorite Christmas breakfast treat!
Congratulations to AndrewJackson on the birth of his new son, Luke Golden
Jackson on September 14th!
We wrapped up the year in the Water Cooler with Turkey Leg’s poll: How Do
You Spend Your New Years Eve? 61% of INTERCOTees stayed home, with only 10%
going out to dinner and 13% each going to or hosting a party. However you
celebrated, I hope that everyone had a fun and safe evening!
December birthday celebrations were held for: usafmom, MrToad4Ever,
SpecJoeMagic, Walter E. Disney, Sorcerer_Cippel33, Disney24Seven, We LOVE
Disney, CrknJac, GurgiDC, offwego, disneyfan7777, poohbear813, markb,
Melanears, Little Round Bale, Chip Carlton, rt207, HooksLeftHand, brownie,
Munch, DisneyDudet, ALLABOUTME, PoohGirls2, tad_tad, mktiggerman, WDW crazy,
BAMABOY, trackbarroness, Nuts4Disney, missouridisney, Blfarm, stitch626,
HollyB, Diznee4Me, SheLovesDisney, AtlBrav, cheshirecollector, Doc Marc,
goofyfanatic, GA girl, Howdy Partner, DisneyFreak1228, TheMartellFamily (mr),
ParkHopper, and Disney-Nut. I hope you all had a wonderful day!
Posting milestones were reached by: WDWacky – 19,000 posts, Melanears –
19,000 posts, (what are the odds of two people hitting 19K in the SAME
day?), faline – 11,000 posts, MauiMouse - 8,000 posts, JohnD – 2,500 posts,
rt207 – 2,000 posts, Here we go again… - 1,000posts, Mscholl13 – 1,000
posts, grimley1968 – 1,000 posts, winky – 1,000 posts, frakers – 1,000
posts, Diznee4Me – 1,000 posts, Marilyn Michetti – 600 posts.
Congratulations everyone!
That about wraps it up for 2004 in the Water Cooler! See you next month!
<< Conclusion >>
That’s all we
have for this first issue of 2005! We welcome and encourage any suggestions,
comments or vacation memoirs to be sent to
[email protected].
You may see your suggestion in a future Insider, and be of help to someone
planning their special trip. See you at the end of the month with more great
Walt Disney World information!
<< INTERCOT Would Like To Thank>>
The INTERCOT Insider and INTERCOT.com
are supported by the following sponsors who in turn, help us bring the Magic
to you!
Magical Journeys
Magical Journeys is your Disney Vacation specialist. Start planning your
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Website:
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Happy Limo
Providing ground transportation to the entire state of Florida.
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The Official Ticket
Center
Walt Disney
World’s, Universal Studios and Sea World’s #1 guest service provider for the
last 3 years. The Official Ticket Center has been servicing vacationers for
more than 7 years now and sells tickets only, at a discount price.
Website:
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The INTERCOT Insider
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© 1997-2005 Levelbest
Communications - All Rights Reserved
Comments or questions may be sent to
[email protected]
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