INTERCOT Insider  June 2005 - Edition Two

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<< Introduction >>

Summer is in full swing and there couldn’t be more to talk about! From the amazing fundraiser that just ended for Pixie Dust for Sam to the new addiction known as Virtual Magic Kingdom (or VMK as it’s called). So try to unglue yourself from the boards, and from VMK, and read on. We are excited to announced the details and events for the Happiest Gathering on INTERCOT, Ron offers some great new trivia, viewing tips for Wishes! from Jason, another wonderful dining review with Jamie and Rob, plus Jane’s always-fabulous Off Topic review (delayed from the last edition).

<< Happiest Gathering On INTERCOT >>

Bringing people together is what INTERCOT does best, so it’s only appropriate that a monumental gathering of guests, staff and family come together to celebrate “The Happiest Gathering on INTERCOT”, and you’re invited! The three-day event, October 7-9, will bring together people from all over the globe, to share and celebrate their common love of Walt Disney World, and their favorite online community, INTERCOT!

More Information
Discussion Here


<< History & Trivia with WDWdriver  >>

Last month in this space I talked about the doorway that opens behind one of the second floor windows on Main Street USA. Most of us at INTERCOT are aware that the business names and advertisements on the second and third floor windows are actually tributes to many individuals who played a role in creating Walt Disney World.

The next time you stroll down Main Street look closely at the windows above you. You will see the names of Disney executives, animators, musicians, wardrobe managers, financial experts, construction leads and more. There are also tributes to Walt’s father and other family members, and finally a tribute to Walt himself.

My favorite window is the one over the Main Street Market House that reveals how Disney managed to buy up more than 27 thousand acres of Central Florida land without anyone realizing what was going on. The window lettering says:

M. T. Lott Co.
Real Estate Investments
A Friend in Deeds is a Friend Indeed
Donn Tatum President
Subsidiaries
Tomahawk Properties
Latin American Development
Ayefour Corporation
Bay Lake Propertie
Reedy Creek Ranch Lands
Compass East Corporation

The late Donn Tatum was the former president and Chairman of the Board of Walt Disney Productions, and the first non-family member to head the company. The subsidiary companies listed are skeleton or dummy companies set up by Disney to make the initial land purchases. So a land owner selling his property to Ayefour (as in I-4) Company would not know that the actual purchaser was Disney. This allowed Disney to keep most of the land purchase prices relatively low.


<< Wishes Tips with Figment!   >>

The 4th of July is quickly approaching and that means across the U.S.A. firework displays are drawing near. While outside of Walt Disney World fireworks are a special occasion, inside Walt Disney World they are a common event. One frequent occurrence of these nighttime spectaculars is Wishes! at the Magic Kingdom. Wishes! is a 12-minute spectacle of brilliant bursts of color and light above and around Cinderella Castle that tell a thrilling, heart-tugging story about making wishes come true. While at your local 4th of July fireworks display there may only be one place to view the fireworks from, at the Magic Kingdom there is a multitude of places to view Wishes! from; so lets take a look at some of the best spots to view this nighttime spectacular.

In the past guests would crowd onto Main Street to view the old fireworks display Fantasy in the Sky, and while Main Street still holds a number of great viewing spots for Wishes! lets look at some spots off of the main drag. The Tomorrowland bridge holds a close encounter of the Tink kind for those viewing Wishes!. From the bridge, Tink will make her flight above you to Cinderella Castle. Choose your spot on the bridge wisely though there are some trees that could obstruct your view of the castle depending on where you are standing on the bridge. Another neat spot to get some close Tink encounters is the Rose Garden. In this location you are close to the castle and Tink will make here flight directly overhead! Another place offering a great view are the benches in front of the Crystal Palace.

Despite some of the unique advantage points gained by these off the beaten path locations, many INTERCOTee’s agree that the show is meant to be viewed from Main Street and the most complete views can be found there. Most INTERCOTee’s have found that staking out a spot about ½-3/4 of the way down Main Street is an ideal location to take in the whole show. Another popular location is to view this spectacular is around the Ice Cream Parlor. In fact this location even earns INTERCOT’s own Main Street Jim’s seal of approval, “Best place to see [Wishes] is anywhere along the street from Casey's/Ice Cream parlor up to the Castle. Get there about an hour and a half early, send someone to get some food/snacks/drinks, people-watch for a while, get to know your neighbors, and enjoy!.”

These are just some suggested locations based off of INTERCOTees’ past experiences, there may be some new great locations yet to be discovered so feel free to explore or play it safe and try out one of these locations, no matter what you decide when you are viewing Wishes!-- just enjoy!

<< Dining with MickeysGirl and Dr_Nigel_C  >>

Welcome, your royal highness, to another installment of Dining Out! This month, we’re reviewing Cinderella’s Royal Table, located inside Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom! That’s right, you too can dine like royalty with views overlooking Fantasyland. Who wouldn’t want the enchanting experience of being treated as a lord or lady of the castle? I know we never pass up the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of the castle nor the great food that goes along with it.

Check-in is at ground level at the rear, Fantasyland side, of the castle. Once you and your party are checked in you enter the castle into the lobby, which has a huge faux fireplace, and a gigantic blue throne where your prince or princess (or the king and queen) can get their picture taken. And to make your experience extra magical, sometimes the Fairy Godmother is there as well to offer hugs and advice! When your table is ready and your royal name has been called, you head upstairs for seating and your dining experience begins!

Cinderella’s Royal Table offers reservations for all of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner seatings. For breakfast, an offering of standard breakfast fare is available, as can be seen here. Current price for the king and queen is $21.99 and $11.99 for the prince and princess. Items include eggs, bacon, French toast, waffles & much more. Please note that due to high reservation volume, a deposit for each adult and child is required, and non-refundable if you do not show up. However, it is usable toward the cost of the meal total. Due to the newly added Princess Lunch, the menu has recently changed. As with the breakfast, lords and ladies are $23.99 per person while princes and princesses are $12.99 per person, with a selection of menu items including sandwiches, pasta and the signature prime rib. Currently, the dinner remains as a non-character meal. Dinner children’s menu items begin at $4.99, and adult entrees are in the $15.00 to $30.00 range, and include prime rib, salmon, roasted chicken and more.

Definitely not the typical adult fare here, for sure! Try the prime rib; you’ll be pleasantly surprised! And don’t forget to try the special “Happy Ending” dessert prepared specially for the 50th Anniversary Celebration. This chocolate slipper filled with chocolate mousse sitting on an angel food cake pillow is to die for! Yummy! Admission to the Magic Kingdom is required for dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table, and Advanced Dining Reservations are highly recommended, especially for breakfast and lunch, as those meals feature the Disney Princesses! To the benefit of most visitors, Cinderella’s Royal Table is included in both the Magic Your Way with Dining Plan and the Disney Dining Experience Plan.

There’s something here for everyone. Kids love the thrill of eating inside the actual castle and the possibility of meeting their favorite princess. Adults can use this as a romantic getaway from the hustle and bustle of the park, while looking down at a moonlit Fantasyland from above. To top it off, a unique view of Wishes could happen just for you! If you are lucky to get a table next to the window, make sure you look up, it’s pretty amazing. Just try and schedule your meal for about 30 minutes before the fireworks show is set to begin. They lower the lights, and pipe in that magical music. It is truly a spectacular experience! We hope you have learned a lot about the different experiences offered at Cinderella’s Royal Table, and get a chance to add it into you next trip planning. Until next time, Happy Dining!


<< Off  Topic with ChipDale >>

I hope that our April showers brought you all beautiful May flowers! School’s winding down and we had the Memorial Day weekend to officially kick off the summer!

Did you do something special for your mother on Mother’s Day? Many INTERCOTees shared their Mother’s Day plans with us. Terra did an “Evening in Paris” for her mother, Flower took her mother and her mother-in-law to Tea at the Grand Floridian, Melanears took her mom to an Atlanta Braves, Lizzy took her mom and dad out to breakfast, Disney Diamond took her mom to Olivia’s Café and a carriage ride around Port Orleans Riverside, Pongo went to her mom’s to cook her a special lunch. Whatever your plans included with your mom, I hope you all had a wonderful day!

Jamie’s May Friday parties included Cinco de Mayo Continuado Fiesta, Beer Lovers’ Day, Armed Forces Appreciation Day, and of course the annual INTERCOT Memorial Weekend Barbeque! Stop in this Friday, because you never know what Jamie has cooked up for us!

Looking for a good book to read? Be sure to check out Munch’s popular “What Are You Reading?” topics! You can typically find something that is sure to interest you!

On May 17, JohnY started the INTERCOT Pixie Dust program for Sam. If you have not heard about Sam, please take the time to read the topics in the Water Cooler on harlowandthemermaid’s little boy who is suffering from leukemia. The INTERCOT community really came through and showed it’s true colors in the support of this sweet little boy. As of the end of May, the total raised through bracelet sales and donations was over $5500.00! Tune in for the June INTERCOT Insider where we should be able to report the grand total! Our continued prayers, good thoughts and pixie dust go out to Mel and Sam!

What’s in your backyard? SallyP’s got two alligators! Blfarm saw a bald eagle, Beach Club Babe has squirrels, chipmunks, a black bear, wild turkeys, deer and a skunk! MauiMouse looks out on Saginaw Bay and all the flies and spiders that go along with it, Auntie has cardinals. Many members reported deer in their backyards, including wendy*darling, Melanears, DisneyDog, sportsguy2315, and LorrieP. DisneyMom3 sees the Everglades and TiggTigg5 sees Bullwinkle (the motorhome, not the moose!).

May birthday celebrations were held for: Jillpie, KingdomHearts, goofyluva9293, auntfrannie, tiggerific, disguy, scrappinqueen, cmh502, RainbowBrite5486, KristenNatalya, STADIS, Brer Mickey, Joey, Chris Brown, moochpuppy, Beast_fanatic, Dronator, simpleyred,keys2kingdom, Shugoondola, Anna, fig's disney, DSNY FN, Vito, DarkRider, TracyL, DONALD RULES, DisneyHog, lesliemomma, SimbaandNalasMama,5/20 1981 ll MaJik ll, Sinewiz, mouseketeer85, XoWDW4EverrroX, LarryBoy, JimmyC, mickclub1955, Adam_Sush, Claytonia, CJDDS, pjbs35a, mamacon67, TheAdventurer, wonders10, Dreamin' of Disney, goudaman40, dteed, Dreamer7080, AFDisneyFam, loveswdw, and DisneyMom3. I hope that you all had a terrific day!

May was a very busy posting month! Milestones were reached by: Beast_fanatic – 28,000 post, Melanears – 22,000 posts, WDWacky – 20,000 posts, MNNHFL – 6,000 posts, wendy*darling – 4,000 posts, DizneyFreak2002 – 3,000 posts, drummerboy –2,000 posts, MScholl13 – 2,000 posts, TheRustyScupper – 2,000 posts, LittleSpirit02 – 2,000 posts, GrumpyFan – 1,000 posts, Blfarm – 1,000 posts, DVC2004 – 1,000 posts, buzzandwoodysmom – 1,000 posts, Jeremy Wilcox – 1,000 posts, JabberJaws – 800 posts, mamacon67 – 800 posts, Jonas_Swe – 500 posts, ShakeandLoaf – 400 posts, JakeontheCob – 400 posts, Zawadi Bill – 100 posts. Keep up the good work everybody!

That’s about it for May – I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with the June issue!


<< Conclusion >>

Check out the new Virtual Magic Kingdom forum on the Discussion Boards next time you’re online. Until next time, happing planning!


<< 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!

All Star Vacation Homes
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Happy Limo
Providing ground transportation to the entire state of Florida.
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Magical Journeys
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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.
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Radisson Resort Parkway
Right in the heart of action! Only 1.5 miles from Walt Disney World is an oasis of ponds, beautiful landscaping, serene waterfalls and relaxing options hiding in every corner.
Website: http://orlando.guestselectresorts.com?pid=INTERCOTN

The Timeshare Store
The #1 Disney Vacation Club Reseller in the World.  See how easy and affordable it is to purchase your very own piece of the MAGIC!
Website: http://www.dvc-resales.com/

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