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The Disney Scoop, Issue #021-- Disney Discounts, News, Tips, and more....
August 02, 2009


Hello Everyone!

Well, I just got back from a fantastic week at the Jersey Shore! Lots of relaxing and fun in the sun with Mike and the boys. If a Disney trip is out of reach I whole heartedly recommend a visit to one of the many beach towns along the Jersey coast – our favorite of course is Ocean City.

On the Disney front, there are new discounts for fall, holiday announcements and of course…ticket price increases! After all, this is August!

Once again, I’d like to quickly mention the weather in Orlando in the summer. The temperatures and humidity are high and the sun is extremely strong. Please be prepared if you will be visiting Disney World in the next month or two. Be smart, pack sunscreen and stay adequately hydrated. For these and more tips, check out the Weather Tips and Crowd Tips.

As always, before we jump into the news, I have a couple of housekeeping items to get out of the way. First, a friendly reminder to anyone traveling to Disney World in November. Your 90 day window is quickly approaching! Get ready to make all of your dining reservations and set your alarm for 7:00 am eastern time on your reservation day! Or you can try the new online system at http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/. For those going before then, hopefully you have already made all of your desired reservations.

If you use Facebook and you’d like to become a fan, leave a note, or even start a discussion, go to Plan a Magical Vacation on Facebook. Maybe post some interesting photos from your trips.

Once again, I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to all those who made a donation to the website this month – they are very much appreciated. Remember, your donations help defray the costs associated with creating and maintaining the site. See the Chip In section to donate or to learn more. Thanks again.

Finally, if you are in the early stages of planning your trip, or don’t even know where to begin, I suggest you start with the Disney Vacation Plan Step by Step Guide.

If you haven’t already, I suggest that you download the Disney planning spreadsheet. It is a simple spreadsheet that makes planning out your Disney days super easy! Since posting the spreadsheet files, they have been downloaded over 10,000 times! Read more about the spreadsheet or go directly to the download.

Lastly, if you are a new subscriber to the Scoop and have some extra time, you can catch up on old issues.

In this month's Disney Scoop

As always, if you have any feedback or questions, please send me a note.



Okay, on with the news!




Disney World News
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Disney World Ticket Price Increase
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A one-park-one-day ticket to any of the Disney World Theme Parks now costs $79.00. This is an increase of $4.00 per ticket. The prices of multi-day and hoppers have also increased accordingly.



2009 Candlelight Processional Narrators Announced
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Candlelight Processional at Epcot 2005

The ever popular Candlelight Processional dates and narrators for 2009 have been announced. They are:

  • 11/27 – 11/29: Isabella Rossellini
  • 11/30 - 12/02: John O'Hurley
  • 12/03 - 12/05: Steven Curtis Chapman
  • 12/06 - 12/08: Anika Noni Rose
  • 12/09 - 12/11: Andy Garcia
  • 12/12 - 12/14: Vanessa Williams
  • 12/15 - 12/17: Abigail Breslin
  • 12/18 - 12/20: Whoopi Goldberg
  • 12/21 - 12/23: Brian Dennehy
  • 12/24 - 12/26: Edward James Olmos
  • 12/27 - 12/30: Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance

Disney usually offers a Candlelight Processional Dinner Package that guarantees you a reservation at an Epcot restaurant and reserved seating at one of the three daily shows. The packages should be available very soon for booking (last year they started on June 23rd).

Read complete details about the Candlelight Processional and Dinner Package.



Free Dining Offer for travel dates 9/27/09 – 12/17/09
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Well, the title says it all! Disney is once again offering a Free Dining Promotion for most of the remainder of the year…but there is a twist! For details, see the specials section below.



2009 Food and Wine Information Released
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The 14th Annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival will run from September 25th through November 8th, 2009. This year’s theme is “Cities in Wonderland”. Admission to Epcot is required – but no additional admission is charged. Appetizer-sized portions of food from around the world are available for purchase and range from $2 to $5 each. For convenience, you can purchase a F&W gift card to use while sampling your way around the World Showcase.



Park Merchandise now available for order online!
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“Ever admired a pair of customized Mickey Mouse ears or a Disney Princess castle toy while on a Disney vacation, and later regretted not buying it once you returned home? Or wished you could travel to Disneyland wearing a Disneyland t-shirt en route? Now, for the first time ever, you can purchase select merchandise from Disney's domestic theme parks and resorts outside of the parks and online only at DisneyStore.com and/or DisneyParks.com/store.”



Start or expand your Disney DVD collection
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Looking for a quick and easy way to expand your Disney DVD library? A great way to do that is to join the Disney Movie Club. Right now, you can get 4 Disney Movies for $1.99 Each, plus FREE SHIPPING! Disney DVDs are a wonderful way to bring the magic home - and a nice way to pass a lazy summer day!



Start Your Own Web Business!
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During the past few months, I’ve had numerous people inquire about my website – like how I started it, how income is generated, and what’s all involved in getting a site up-and-running. I thought I would share a couple of things with all of you about this topic.

In this time of economic upheaval, an internet business is a great alternative or replacement for a traditional office job. Think about it. You get to share your thoughts and opinions on a topic near and dear to your heart – and you can do it all from the comfort of your own home – even in your pajamas if you wish!

What about you? Do you have something that you are passionate about? Are you looking for a way to make some extra money each month? Are you a student, a retiree or maybe a stay-at-home mom who needs a creative outlet?

Why not start a website? I know it sounds intimidating, but hear me out. I knew NOTHING about website building when I started… so I really needed a “Website-Builder-for-Dummies” kind of thing – and guess what? I found it. It is called Site Build It! It is a wonderful service that does all of the behind-the-scenes work for you – leaving you to focus solely on the content of your website.

Please feel free to ask me about it or just go check it out for yourself!



Discounted Tickets
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If you are not using a Disney vacation package, you can either purchase your park tickets directly from Disney at the gate, or you can get discounted Disney World tickets from an outside vendor.

These vendors buy tickets in bulk and pass the savings on to you – the consumer! I recommend buying your Disney tickets or tickets for other Orlando attractions from Maple Leaf Tickets. In addition to Disney tickets, they also offer discounts on many Orlando area shows, attractions, dinner shows, and theme parks.

They offer competitive pricing paired with over twenty years of industry experience. They’ll even deliver your tickets to your resort hotel or directly to your home before your vacation!

More Info:



Give the Gift of Disney Stock
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I’ve always heard about the deal where you can give (or get!) a share of Disney Stock as a gift. I just thought I would pass along the idea to all of you. Now is a great time to buy stock – considering the state of the markets today. So, check it out. You can even buy a Framed Share of Walt Disney Stock
through the My First Stock Program – that would make a really unique gift for a baby shower or a graduation, or even a birthday or Valentine’s Day! 		Own a Share of Disney Stock!




Find the Cheapest Airfare
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If you are looking to find the best price you have got to check out Kayak.com. If you have ever booked your own airfare, you know what a pain it is to manually check all the different airlines for the best deal. Kayak is a travel tool that searches 140+ travel sites all at once and finds the cheapest fares for you – for flights, hotels, and even rental cars. After you get all of the results for your desired travel dates, you can then compare the results from all of the sites together – and there are many ways to filter and sort the results – all done instantly! Hotels searches are also offered, so check it out if you are planning to stay offsite in an Orlando area hotel. You can even buy direct from the airlines or agencies - Kayak is not a travel agent. And of course, Kayak is free!



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

FREE Disney Dining Plan!

When you purchase a minimum 3-night Magic Your Way hotel and theme park ticket packages, your family will enjoy the Disney Dining Plan, Free.

However, there is a twist this time!

Your choice of resort determines which level of the Dining Plan you’ll receive. Guests staying in value resorts will get the Quick-Service Dining Plan for free, while those staying in moderate resorts, deluxe resorts, and villas will receive the Basic Dining Plan free. You can always upgrade to a higher level plan at additional cost.

  • More Info:



    Tip of the Month
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    Start with the Train…

    Once again, this month’s tip comes directly from one of your fellow “Scoopers”! Thanks to Crystal for this great tip.

    “When visiting the Magic Kingdom right when it opens, hop on the train and take it to first stop. You will get off in the back of the park right by Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. You can usually ride these two "sought-after" rides while everyone else is hanging out on Main Street meeting characters, renting strollers, or walking to the front sections of the park.”

    Be sure to visit the Tips sections for more great ideas!





    What’s New
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    To stay up-to-date with the recent additions, please visit our What’s New page. If you have a Disney or vacation-related idea that you wish to share with all of us, or if there is some topic you would like more info about, please contact me!



    Until Next Time…
    Well, that’s all for this month. Be sure to bookmark or add us to your favorites so you can stay informed of all of the changes at www.plan-a-magical-vacation.com.
    Enjoy planning your magical Disney World Vacation!
    Best regards,

    If you like this newsletter, please feel free to forward it to a friend. Also, please share your thoughts or suggestions with me. I always appreciate feedback and I am very interested in making each and every newsletter edition as helpful and meaningful for you as possible. If a friend did forward this to you and if you like what you read, please subscribe by visiting The Disney Scoop.Be sure to visit us again to Plan a Magical Vacation!
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