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<< Introduction >>

With Memorial Day approaching fast and the smell of charcoal starting to waft through the air, Summer feels just around the corner! And what better way to kick-off the summer season than a trip to Disneyland or Walt Disney World? In this edition we bring you more Disney news from both coasts, get the scoop on some recent updates to the discussion boards, find out the latest buzz in info Central, get some great tips on how to save big on vacation pictures, and recap INTERCOTee milestones for March and April. Hang on them hats and glasses, cause this here’s the most informative ride on the internet!

<<Coast to Coast Disney with Mel>> 

From changes announced for the Wide World of Sports, to Julie Andrew was being by Disneyland, to the “The Clone Wars� being announced to debut this year’s Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Read all about it!

Star Wars Weekend Guest List Announced

Warwick Davis will be hosting all four Star Wars Weekends this year. Davis played the Ewok hero Wicket in Return of the Jedi and Anakin's young friend Wald in Episode I. Other celebrities appearing during the event are Peter Mayhew, Jeremy Bulloch, Daniel Logan, David Prowse and more. Star Wars Weekends blast into orbit June 6 and will be held four consecutive weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) through June 29, 2008 and are included with regular theme park admission.

>>Event Details

Julie Andrews Honored 

In beloved recognition and gratitude for her service as Honorary Ambassador of Disneyland’s 50th anniversary celebration, Disneyland Resort Cast Members have presented legendary star Julie Andrews with a unique dedication that will forever ensure her place in Disneyland’s storied history. This dedication shines in a most appropriate place, on King Arthur’s Carrousel in Fantasyland. Jingles, the lead and most popular horse on the attraction, was painted gold for Disneyland’s special milestone and Julie was photographed with the horse during the festivities. To acknowledge Julie’s role as an honorary cast member, Disneyland Resort has given Jingles a magical makeover and is dedicating the cherished horse in her honor. 

>> Discuss This News 

"Yeti" Footprint Presented to Animal Kingdom 

Happy 10th Birthday, Animal Kingdom! Josh Gates, ost of the Sci-Fi Channel series “Destination Truth,â€� presented a cast of what is believed to be a “yetiâ€� footprint to Joe Rohde, Vice President & Executive Designer of Walt Disney Imagineering at the Expedition Everest attraction. Gates and his expedition team found the footprint while filming an episode of “Destination Truthâ€� in Nepal in November 2007. The cast will soon be placed on display at Expedition Everest, a Himalayan-themed, high-speed, coaster-like attraction where guests come face-to-face with a yeti. 

>> Discussion Here

Disney's Wide World of Sports to be Re-branded

Walt Disney World Resort and ESPN are joining forces to re-brand Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex with the ESPN brand, creating an entertaining and immersive experience for the nearly 2 million athletes, coaches and spectators who come through the Disney sports complex each year. "This is a natural and exciting pairing of two powerful brands to create a one-of-a-kind, immersive sports venue that will enable athletes, coaches and guests to experience sports in a whole new way," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts. "This project builds on our collaborative successes and positions us to explore more opportunities with ESPN to create new experiences for guests at Walt Disney World Resort."

This sounds like a really good move on both Disney and ESPNs part, I wonder why it took so long for it to happen. – GrumpyFan

…from the standpoint of someone like myself who is only mildly interested in sports in general this is just a big yawn!! - Jasper

>> Discussion Here

Star Wars Weekends to Celebrate the Release of "The Clone Wars"

Among the features at this year's Star Wars Weekends will be "Behind the Force -- Experience THE CLONE WARS," an exploration of the new, CG-Animated Adventure from Lucasfilm Animation. Star Wars Weekends at Hollywood Studios will offer fans an exciting, in-depth look at the making of the big screen epic, set for an August 15th theatrical release. The special weekends run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from June 6 to June 29, 2008 and are included with regular admission to Hollywood Studios. 

>> Discussion Here

<<Across the Boards with Figment!>>

Welcome back to Across the Boards. Tag you're it! Okay well not that kind of tag, but there is a new tag feature that many INTERCOTees have noticed on the board. So let's take a look at the board's FAQ section for this new feature.

What are tags?

Tags are a useful way to search for threads with similar subject matter and content. This compliments the normal search system, which searches only for certain words or phrases and/or posts by specific users.

To use tags, you add words or phrases to threads to help describe the content. For instance, if the subject matter is 'photography' then you can add the tag 'photography' to the tag list. But you could also add tags like 'digital image', and 'camera' (depending, of course, on the nature of the thread).

This will categorize this thread with all other threads that have matching tags, whether or not they have the word 'photography' in them.

Who adds the tags?

Tags are initially added to threads by the user who started the thread. Other users may also be able to add and remove tags.

How do I use tags?

Tags are displayed in a box near the bottom of a thread page. Clicking on a tag will allow you to view other threads that have the same tag - and which may be related. Clicking on the word 'Tags' in the top of the box will take you to an overview page with a 'tag cloud.'

This cloud allows you to see which tags are the most popular - the larger the word, the more times it has been used on threads within the board. There is also another tag cloud on the advanced search page that shows you the tags that have been searched for (or clicked on) the most.

Until next time, Happy Browsing Around the Boards!

<<Picture Perfect>>

by Stan Kelley Photography

While Stan’s portrait sessions are a good value, he understands folks may not have a lot of excess cash floating around in their Orlando vacation budget to pay for them. Here are a few ideas from Stan to help make his services even more affordable:

~ Use the photo CD to save on prints
~ Sign a photo release and save $30
~ Take advantage of Stan's "selected portrait spots" offer and save an additional $20
~ Combine portrait sessions with another family or group

Call or email Stan to discuss portrait possibilities and he can "pencil in" a tentative place and time for your portrait session- no deposit required. When the date gets closer, you can firm up plans and adjust as needed. Last minute? ...are you already at Disney World? Please don't assume it's too late. Stan actually kind of likes calls like "Hey, all 25 of us are here at the Caribbean Beach Resort- any way you can come do our photos tomorrow morning?"...sometimes that kind of thing actually works.

>> Contact Stan!

<< Inside info Central>>

Park Hours Delayed for November 2008 

The Walt Disney World Resort has yet to release it's Extra Magic Hours, Operating, and Event schedules for November 2008. As soon as this information is released it will be added to the Park Hours, Extra Magic Hours and Event sections.  In the meantime, Guests traveling during November 2008 can look back at past November hours to get an idea of the schedules to expect during this time of year.

>> Historic Park Hours Archive

What's Updated?

INTERCOT info Central has recently updated the following sections to keep you up-to-date as you plan your Disney World Vacation. 

>> Closing & Refurbishment Schedule

>> Historic Temp Averages by Day  

>> ABC Super Soap Weekend

>> Star Wars Weekends

<< INTERCOTee Milestones >>

March and April posting milestones were celebrated by: 

19,000 posts: Jeff
12,000 posts: disneydeb
10,000 posts: dlpmikki and alpro2
8,000 posts: wendy*darling and ElenitaB
7,000 posts: offwego
6,000 posts: mrsgaribaldi, disneydrmr, and Marker
2,500 posts: ibrowse17 
1,800 posts: LarryBoy 
1,300 posts: wdwgrl377
900 posts: Ms.Disney
800 posts: BriarRose0708
700 posts: Duchess99 and kaerbear178
500 posts: TBY2225
400 posts: elmjimmlm and ncscgirl2005

March & April status milestones were celebrated by: 

Senior Cast Member: sorarail, lightyearfan, wedway fan, and WinnipegDisneyFanatic
Team INTERCOT Cast Member: Mousefever, IloveDisney71, Lacy, ibelieveindisneymagic, McGoofy, GoinGoofyPlanninThisTrip, and BluewaterBrad
Senior Team INTERCOT Cast Member Gold: KylesMom and LittleSpirit02
Senior Team INTERCOT Cast Member Platinum: MsMin

Congratulations to all and keep up those quality posts!

If you have reached a significant posting milestone or title change this month, share the details in the May Milestone Party for all to celebrate. 

>> May Milestone Party

<< Conclusion >>

Just like Spring, this edition of the Insider is coming to a close. As we head into the start of the summer season we'll be bringing you several editions of the Insider aimed to help you get the most out of a Summer vacation to the Walt Disney World or Disneyland resorts. Keep your eyes peeled and lightsabers handy, the next edition will preview the first big event of the Summer at Disney World--The Star Wars Weekends. See ya real soon!

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