INTERCOT Insider August 2006 - Edition Two

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<< Introduction >>

Summer is winding down, school is back in session and one of the most exciting times of the year is approaching at Walt Disney World. In fact, the fall season is becoming a more and more popular time to visit, and the holidays are right around the corner. In this issue, the Insider has all the new Disney World happenings and specials, along with our regular monthly articles. We’ll catch you up with what’s going down (down in Florida, that is).


<< Walt Disney World Events with Mel  >>

The Cinderella Castle Transformation
The transition of Cinderella Castle from the "Happiest Celebration on Earth" into the "Year of a Million Dreams" promotion is slated to begin September 10, 2006. Cranes and other equipment will reportedly be brought into the park, but little work is scheduled to be done during normal operational hours. The project will consist of repainting, the removal of decorations and the preparation and installation of the "Year of a Million Dreams" Royal Bedchamber. In conjunction with the transformation the current stage show Cinderellabration, gifted from Tokyo Disney as part of the "Happiest Celebration on Earth", will make its final bow on September 16, 2006.

Well, I saw the Pepto pink birthday cake castle and hated it. I saw the Happiest celebration on Earth castle and loved it. I'm intrigued to see what they come up with next. – TooGoofy
With the exception of the giant mirror, I enjoyed all of the HCOE decorations on Cinderella Castle, but I'm ready to see it returned to its original look. – SpecJoeMagic
Just get MY royal bedchamber ready!!! - disneyarula

Details & Discussion

Candlelight Processional Narrators Announced
The Narrators for the 2006 Candlelight Processional have been released. The list of celebrities this year include; Cuba Gooding Jr., Steven Curtis Chapman, Kirk Cameron and Gary Sinese. Dinner packages go on sale August 15. The packages for the Candlelight Processional include a meal at a select Epcot restaurant and special reserved seating at the American Gardens Theater. There will be three daily showings from November 24 through December 30 at 5:00, 6:45 & 8:30 PM.
I'm surprised to see David Robinson on there, since he isn't in show business. I can see him doing a great job, though. – Lightning McQueen
Glad to see Gary Sinese is back for Christmas Eve and Day. Last year he took a break. Broke a lot of people's hearts. Even though I'm not going this year, I still get excited about it all! – DisneyDudet
Woo Hoo!! I will be there from David Robinson and John O'Hurley. I think we will probably try and see them both with the CP Dinner Package. November is so close yet so far away... – Clay Ransone

More Information

New Fall Entertainment at Magic Kingdom
As part of the "Year of a Million Dreams" celebration this fall, Disney is planning to bring new outdoor shows to Magic Kingdom. New entertainment includes; "High School Musical Pep Rally," a "Royal Court Academy," a "Woody's Cowboy Camp," a yet-to-be-named castle forecourt show and morning parade along Main Street U.S.A.. Year of a Million Dreams begins October 1, 2006. Official dates for the new shows have not been announced. Stay tuned to the News forum for further details as they are released.

DS is going to LOSE HIS MIND over the High School Muscial thing. Cute idea, and great way to utilize the most wasted piece of real estate in the parks! - Disnlse
I'm even a little bit interested in the High School Musical pep rally . . . our boys love the movie & it's kinda catchy. – momof2boys

Discussion Here

<< Accommodation Savings  >>

-Radisson Resort Discounts-
INTERCOT visitors vacationing September 3-30th can get exclusive discounts at the Radisson Resort Orlando – Celebration. The special End of Summer room rate is $59.95. Interested guests should book as-soon-as-possible while rooms are still available.

The Radisson Resort Orlando is a Disney Good Neighbor Hotel and is located only 1.5 miles from Walt Disney World. The resort provides shuttles to Disney, Sea World and Universal Studios, 718 remodeled guest rooms, 3 sparkling pools with waterfalls, 2 whirlpools and a 40' water slide, 5 on site food and beverage outlets. Visit the links below for details on pricing and to make reservations.

-Walt Disney World Package Specials-
Walt Disney World has announced a "Season of Dreams" package special for guests vacationing between October 1 - December 23, 2006. Enjoy a 5-night, 6-day package for as little as $355 per adult, $217 per junior (ages 10-17) and $176 per child (ages 3-9), based on adult double occupancy at a select Disney Value Resort, standard room. This Magic Your Way Package includes accommodations and theme park tickets and must be booked by September 30, 2006. Disney has also announced  discount rates on packages for Disney Visa Cardholders vacationing during those same above dates. Ask for code ZBC for Magic Your Way or code ZBD for Magic Your Way Plus Dining. The number of rooms available at these rates are limited, so be sure to visit INTERCOT's Official Travel Agency, Magical Journey's web site today and fill out a quote form or call (570)785-3283 for more details.

-Annual Passholder & Florida Residents Discounts Announced-
Disney has released room-only discounts, at select resorts, for Annual Passholders and Florida Residents vacationing between October 1 - December 23, 2006. Annual Passholders must ask for code FBZ. This code gives you a flat discount off from rack rates; $20 off Value resorts, $40 savings on Moderate resorts and a $75 savings on Deluxe and Home Away From Home resorts. The number of rooms offered at these rates is limited. The Florida Resident code is FBY. 

-Fall Vacation Specials from ALL STAR Vacation Homes!-
The Stay 7 days, Pay for 6 Fall Special includes free pool and spa heat. This special may be redeemed with any new reservation for stays between August 1 and October 31, 2006. Check out the Properties of the Week and ALL STAR’S newest communities, for other vacation specials by clicking the link above.


<< Carol's Communicore  >>

-Options Added During "Free Dining" Dates-
To accommodate the additional guests vacationing during the 2006 "Free Dining" promotion period, Disney is making a number of changes to their Dining Operations and the Disney Dining Plan. Through October 1, 2006 Disney will be offering extended hours at various restaurant locations, the new Tomorrowland Terrace Café will offer a special dinner buffet, Chef Mickey’s will be serving lunch, additional Dinner shows on select dates and dining plan guests can trade in one Table-Service credit for one Counter-Service Meal credit and one of three alternative credit options. The free dining promotion is part of the “Stay, Play & Dine” package announced in May and had to be booked by June 25, 2006.

Details & Discussion

-Hidden Treasures & Magical Surprises Guide-
In our continued efforts to help INTERCOTee's better plan their vacations, we have added a brand new section to INTERCOT info Central; The Hidden Treasures & Magical Surprises Guide.

This guide helps INTERCOTee's seek out non-published entertainment offerings (magical surprises) and those special extra touches (hidden treasures) that make Disney Theme Parks in a class of their own. You can help make this guide even more informative. Do you have pictures of any of these experiences you would like to share with your fellow INTERCOTee's? If so, send them into [email protected] so that we may add them to our guide for other INTERCOTee's to see.

-Walt Disney World Food Photos-
Thanks to INTERCOTees, our food photo pages are constantly growing. Have you checked out the section lately? Yum! As they say; "A picture is worth a thousand words". We think that rings true for taste buds too. The INTERCOT's Food Photo Section is designed to give you a sampling of the variety of cuisine served at the Walt Disney World Resort.  Thanks to all of the contributors for sending in their photos. Please keep them coming. Photos can be sent to; [email protected]

Walt Disney World Food Photos

Living with the Land, Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki Restaurant and Hall of Presidents have been added to the list of upcoming rehabs for Walt Disney World. Living with the Land will be closed August 20 - September 16, 2006 and the Hall of Presidents closes for rehab September 11-24, 2006.Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki Restaurant in World Showcase's Japan pavilion will be closed from January 15 - May 25, 2007 while the pavilion undergoes major renovations. Check here for the latest closing as they are announced.

Park Hours, Events and Extra Magic Hour schedules are currently posted through February. Visit Info Central to fine-tune your upcoming vacation plans.

Park Hours, Events & Extra Magic Hour

See you next month. Happy Planning!

<< Across the Boards with Figment!  >>

Welcome Welcome Back to Across the Boards .... burrrrring.

No, that's not your phone--that's the Insider school bell sounding off, signaling that schools have started to go back in session. With this annual time of year in mind, in this installment we present you with the Across the Boards Pop-Quiz. Don’t worry though all of the answers can be found at the end of the quiz. ;) So with out further adieu, lets a-do this quiz.

Question One
To quote a post on the message board you should do which of the following?

a) Click the warning sign icon in the top right hand corner of the post you want to quote.
b) Click the quotations mark icon in the bottom right hand corner of the post you want to quote.
c) Click the avatar of the user you want to quote, on the post you want to quote.
d) Sprinkle pixie dust over your keyboard.

Question Two
True or False?
Once you make a post, you cannot make edits to it.

Question Three
Fill in the Blank
You cannot add smilies or active countdown clocks to your signature, because p______ are not allowed in signatures and ____L code has been disabled in signatures.

Question Four
True or False?
The only color font available to post in is black.


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Answers:

Question One
The Correct answer is b, clicking the quotations mark icon in the bottom right hand corner of a post will take you to a reply page with the text of the desired post already formatted as a quote in the reply field.

Clicking the warning sign icon reports a post to the moderators of a forum. This feature should only be used to report spam, advertising messages, and problematic (harassment, fighting, rude etc.) posts.

Clicking the avatar of another user opens a drop down menu allowing you to contact the user, open their profile or find posts by that user.

Sprinkling pixie dust on your keyboard just makes it float around the room; it will not help you with anything on the boards.

Question Two
False, you can edit any post you make by clicking the pencil and paper icon in the bottom right hand corner of every post you make. Clicking this icon will allow you to edit or make correction to your post. If you are the originator of a thread and you wish to edit the title of the thread, you have a 24-hour window to do so. After 24 hours guests are unable to edit the title of the actual thread. If you wish to change the title to note an update or the like, contact a moderator of that forum. A list of moderators for each forum is found in the bottom right hand corner of that forum.

Question Three
You cannot add smilies or active countdown clocks to your signature, because pictures are not allowed in signatures and HTML code has been disabled in signatures.

To preserve the family friendly nature of the site and the simple clarity of the boards, all pictures and all active HTML code cannot be added to one’s signature.

Question Four
False, the boards offer a multitude of colors for you to post in. These colors can be found via the color pallet, by clicking the “A” button when creating a reply or signature. While there are many “lighter” colors available on the bottom rows of the palette, keep in mind that our board uses a very light background. Many of these colors do not show up well so it is recommended to avoid using them when posting or creating a signature.

Buuuuuuuurrrrrrring, well that sound means class is dismissed ….

…. Until next time, happy browsing around the boards and see ya real soon!


<< Off Topic with ChipDale  >>

“In the good old summertime…” INTERCOT’s Water Cooler was hopping with activity in July! We celebrated my favorite holiday, Independence Day and settled into a summer routine of vacations, cookouts and swimming. Here are the highlights of Water Cooler happenings last month:

We experienced one of the hottest Julys in history. Marilyn Michetti polled INTERCOTees on how hot is it where you live? Some of the members who reported in were Surfer Stitch (100 degrees, Myrtle Beach), Vacation Dad (99 degrees, Alabama), Tick-Tock (98 degrees, Denver), jennbunn (95 degrees, Minneapolis), minnie-mouse – (101 degrees, Maryland) and bellemom: “stupid hot” (100+ degrees, Tulsa). So, hopefully all of you have cooled down by now and are enjoying more comfortable temps!

Jamie’s Friday parties for July included the Annual INTERCOT 4th of July Party, the Cherish Your Chocolate Extravaganza, Celebrate the Disney Geek in All of Us party, the Ode to the Mickey Bar Gala, and the Happy Birthday Meag party. Thanks Jamie and Nigel for another fun month of Fridays!

Who is your celebrity look-alike? Melanears shared the MyHeritage site with us – a site that matches your digital photograph with a celebrity. Some of the funnier results were lovewalt’s (Holly) – Gary Cooper, MauiMouse (Mary) – Jim Carey, Piglet822 (Jeanne) – Adam Sandler, and ChipnDaleGal (Donna) – Jason Alexander. Thanks Mel for the laughs!

Special congratulations to Lizzy on your engagement! The entire INTERCOT family is very happy for you! And congratulations angel8783 on your marriage! Best wishes to the Happy Couples!

July posting milestones were reached by Melanears – 28,000 posts, Jeff – 15,000 posts, Disney_nut – 13,000 posts, JanetMegan – 5,000 posts, five-all-the-way – 5,000 posts, Mr. Brass Bonanza – 3,000 posts, dlpmikki – 4,000 posts, mrsgaribaldi – 3,000 posts, ElenitaB – 3,000 posts, harlowandthemermaid – 2,500 posts, Marilyn Michetti – 2,000 posts, Disneygirl2290 – 2,000 posts, DizNee – 1,000 posts, ChrisX2 – 1,000 posts, TheDuckRocks – 1,000 posts, jilwil – 400 posts, mickeys_princess_mom – 400 posts, iheartmickey – 400 posts, Ms.Disney – 400 posts, btharvey – Senior Cast Member, meffy – Senior Cast Member, KAJUNKING – Senior Cast Member, Speedy1998 – Senior Cast Member, amy-rella – 100 posts. Keep up the quality posting but remember, it’s not how much you post, but how well you post!

Only one more month left in summer – get out there and enjoy it while it lasts! See you next month!


<< Conclusion>>

Such exciting things happening at Disney World this upcoming season. If you are planning a trip to partake, please stop by the INTERCOT Discussion Boards for helpful tips and ways to save. We’re waiting for you! Until next time, happy INTERCOTing!

 
<< 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
When you need a home away from home, look no further. From comfort to luxury, All Star Vacation Homes has it all in four series of homes to fit any taste and any budget just moments from the magic of Walt Disney World!
Website: http://www.allstarvacationhomes.com?ovchn=OTHER&ovcpn=Listing+Sites&ovcrn=intercot&ovtac=AD