Hello Everyone!

I am amazed and very excited at the number of “Scoopers” that will receive this month’s newsletter! (Yes, I fondly refer to all of you as “Scoopers”!) The number of subscribers has grown exponentially since the first issue. I really want to extend a sincere welcome to all of you newbies and send a special thanks to those who have been here since the beginning.

I would also like to thank all of you who have sent me special notes or greetings. I have received many emails from people expressing their ideas, thoughts and suggestions for the website. Thanks especially to Mark, Mike, and Ally!

Please let me know what you think by using the contact form. Remember, you can always send reviews, tips, ideas, suggestions, photos, or just a note to say hello. I really enjoy the feedback! (Use the Submit a Tip Form to submit your best tips.)

Just a quick reminder to anyone traveling to Disney World in October. Your 180 day window is quickly approaching! Prepare to make all of your dining reservations and set your alarm for 7 am eastern time on your reservation day!

For those going before then, hopefully you have already made all of your desired reservations. I’d be willing to bet that many of the restaurants are already booking up with people who have been tentatively planning with the hopes that Free Dining will be offered again this year.

Keep planning your Disney vacation, but make sure to get outside to enjoy the Spring!

Oh – one more thing before we get started. Recently I’ve been getting lots of direct requests for the planning spreadsheet files, so I am assuming there must be some kind of downloading problem. I have posted the files in a new location on an external web host. Hopefully this will fix any issues. If you need the files or feel like experimenting with something new, you can get them here. As always, if you have any feedback regarding this problem please let me know.

The mothers and the babies are all doing well and are expected to rejoin their herds on the savannah at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge in the coming weeks.

Disney’s Enchanted DVD and Soundtrack Review

Have you purchased a copy of Disney's Enchanted DVD and Soundtrack yet? If not, I recommend that you read my recent reviews. The film really is an instant Disney Classic like it was advertised. It is a beautiful combination of animated and live-action scenes coupled with an outstanding musical score and soundtrack. There is no doubt in my mind that they both are must-haves for all ages!

CMO Update

Voting has now closed in the search for the Disney Parks CMO: Chief Magic Official. Just in case you haven’t seen them, you can still view the submission videos for top 10 candidates. They are really cute and pretty entertaining as well. I was impressed with the creativity and technological savvy shown by a few of the candidates. The field will be narrowed to three finalists, who will be announced in early April. In mid-April we will find out more about the final CMO competitions which will take place at the Walt Disney World Resort. So, take a few minutes to check out the contestant videos.

• Check the Discounts page for up-to-date Disney specials and discount codes.
  

• There is a great sale going on at Disneyshopping.comThe sale offers tiered savings...the more you spend - the more you save!
  

• Free Dining Rumors and My Personal Thoughts

  PLEASE NOTE: This is just speculation!! Rumor has is that information regarding Free Dining will be released on or around April 10th. No more details are known at this point, but keep your eyes on the News and Discounts page for updates.

  Now I would like to share my thoughts with you about the Free Dining offer.

  Free Dining is a great deal that can’t be beat, but it is not the only deal out there. It seems like Disney offers some kind of discount for every time of the year except for the major holidays.

  Last year the Free Dining period was a lot shorter than in previous years – it didn’t start until August 26th in 2007 and also ended a bit earlier. My guess is that Disney takes a look at the hotel occupancy rates and adjusts their discount offerings accordingly.

  So, all those people out there who booked their rooms in the hopes of getting Free Dining may actually be hurting their chances of getting it! My suggestion is to just book your vacation for the time frame that you want to go – and at a level you can afford. That way, if you are able to apply a discount you’ll feel like you got a deal. Don’t book in the hopes of getting a discount – you’ll be sorely disappointed if you don’t get one. That’s no way to plan what should be a magical vacation experience.

  I have friends who stayed at the Beach Club last August. They were scheduled to check in a few days before the Free Dining period started. It was too late to change dates and not worth it to book two packages. Needless to say they were more than a little disappointed. However, we were able to find them a discount code that saved them approximately 40% off their room rate, which was significant since they were booked at a deluxe resort. The overall savings fell just short of what Free Dining would have saved them, but if you ask me they got the better deal. They didn’t have to put up with the crazy crowds, overloaded restaurants, and the frenzy to secure dining reservations.

I hope you enjoy the most recent additions at the Plan a Magical Vacation website:

• September 2008 Park Hours have been added.
  
  
  • Magic Kingdom Hours
  • EPCOT Hours
  • Disney Hollywood Studios Hours
  • Animal Kingdom Hours
  • Blizzard Beach Hours
  • Typhoon Lagoon Hours
  
  
• The Extra Magic Hours were updated to include September dates.
  
  
• Check out my own personal review of the Enchanted DVD and movie soundtrack.
  

• A page devoted to the Disney Wishes Fireworks Lyrics was added.
  

• An explanation of Disney Transportation Collector Cards was added for all of you who may be interested in some free souvenirs!
  

• New items added to the Disney News and Discounts section:
  
  
  • Animal Kingdom Babies born at the Park
    
  • Disney Magic Connection
    
  • Disney American Idol
    
  
  

• Some new tips sections and pages include:
  
  
  • Disney Crowd Tips
    
  • Disney Weather Tips
    
  • Dining Reservation Tips
    
  • ”Waiting for the Trip” Tips
    
  • Souvenir Tips
    
  • Have Water delivered to Disney
    
  
  

• A new Tickets and Packages section was created. It includes the following items:
  
  
  • 2008 Disney Ticket Prices
    
  • Magic Your Way Tickets Overview
    
  • Annual Pass Overview
    
  
  

• Leave some reader feedback on my updated Squidoo Lens!