Disneyzone News - March 2001 Issue - TEXT VERSION This is the text-only version of the DZ News. This version will not include any photographs, special charts, calendars, or graphs. Please note that Disneyzone is not affiliated with Disney in any way. We are a group of Disney World enthusiasts who want to assist you in making the most of your next Disney World vacation Newsletter and content Copyright © 2000 & 2001 Disneyzone - Please do not alter or copy any or all of this material, or use it on a website, or printed media without prior written permission, from Disneyzone or from the individual article's author.. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Who Wants to be a Millionaire? There's a new set in Soundstages 2 and 3 at the Disney-MGM Studios theme park at Walt Disney World. ABC TV's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire has been re-created here in Florida right down to the dramatic lighting and insistent soundtrack. But this time it's not somebody else in the hot seat -- it could be you. First up, the million dollar question: can you win money just like on TV? Well, no. Guests play for points, not dollars, to earn prizes that range from pins and hats to a grand-prize trip to New York City to view a taping of the ABC-TV game show. Everybody gets to play. First person in the Hot Seat is either a hold-over from the previous show or chosen from the entire audience by a Fastest Finger question. As that guest answers questions the audience plays along on their keypads, earning points for speed and accuracy. If the on stage player gets a question wrong and vacates the hot seat, the member of the audience has the highest score gets to come down and start a new game. As on the show questions are asked on a wide range of subjects, although there's a heavy sprinkling of Disney trivia in this version. There's also a time limit on answering to keep things rolling along -- 15 seconds to start on the easy questions, then longer as the questions get harder. You also get three lifelines: "50:50", "Ask the Audience" (easy since they're already playing along), and "Phone a Complete Stranger". That's right; they can't expect everybody in the audience to have a friend standing by the phone at home, so you get to call another randomly selected Disney-MGM Studios theme park guest. Usually it will be someone who happens to be passing by on the Studio Tour overhead. Hopefully, it will be someone who knows the answer. Regis Philbin makes a token appearance on the video monitors to open the show, with in-studio hosting duties handled by one of six Regis fill-ins -- personable actors and actresses with the style, the gestures to the camera, and the spiffy suits requisite to earn the name Regis: the next generation. The set is identical to the original, although there's about three times the audience capacity -- a good thing since the interactivity and replayability of this new attraction are going to be filling those seats. Hey, when you're just one away from the hot seat you've got to try it again, right? Article copied directly from About.com travel section - ThemeParks! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Making an Itinerary isn’t Too Hard By Carole Itineraries are important parts of planning a trip, especially to Walt Disney World. There is so much to see and do, that if you don’t have at least a suggested plan of attack, you may be overwhelmed and miss some of the things that are important to you. Make a Trip Calendar, either get a large calendar (with large areas to write in) or make one for your time at WDW. See below for an example. You may not want to plan in too much for your arrival and departure days. So write down the time you think you will arrive, and need to leave. Make sure to allow plenty of travel time! Next, think of whether you would like to take advantage of Early Entry, or if you would rather sleep in and avoid the Early Entry parks. Make note of which park is early entry for each day. I like to put it below my calendar until I decide. Write in the parks you think you would like for each day. Do this on your computer, or in pencil because you will probably change your mind a few times during the planning process. I like to put down approx. times, too. Just so I don’t plan in too much for each day. It can be very easy to do, remember that there is travel time inbetween parks. It can easily take an hour to park hop from one park to the next. When planning days for parks it is sometimes helpful to have an idea where you want to eat. Priority Reservations can be made at every WDW restaurant, and making them really reduces the amount of time you have to wait for tables. We like knowing that we have a plan for at least one meal a day, and we can wing it the other meals. One nice thing about PSs is that you can miss them without being penalized. If you know you are not going to use your PS, please cancel it so that others can use your time, however. If you want more information on PS’s and how they work, go here: http://home.twcny.rr.com/pscalc/ Scott has made a great program that allows you to put in your dates and restaurant choices, and it tells you when you can call to make your PS reservations! Make note of your PS reservation times on your chart. It helps you plan where you need to be and when. If you are going to park hop that day, put notes in about that. Even if you don’t make PS Reservations, you can note on your itinerary chart the places you would like to have meals. Remember that this is just a ‘plan’ and it does not need to be adhered to! You can use it as a guide, things happen and you may end up doing completely opposite of what you had planned. The nice thing is, when you pull out your itinerary at WDW, you can see what things you thought you would like to do. Then even if you don’t go by your plan, you will be reminded of the things you wanted to attempt to do or see. There is no right or wrong way to do a itinerary, but this is the way I have found it to work the best. We like to include the whole family in the planning process. We buy a couple guidebooks and read through them. The kids watch the Vacation Planning Video and we sit down and decide what each person really wants to do or see. On another chart, I have each persons name, and the 3 top rides/attractions they want to do/see. I make sure that each person gets to do at least 2 of their items. If you have many different things you need to do in Magic Kingdom, plan more time for that park. We take our printed out itinerary with us to the parks. I print them out on card stock, small enough that they fit in fanny bags. Then we each get one. Last time I went to Staples and got them laminated. Worked out great. Some people get very detailed with their itineraries, and go commando style so that they stay on schedule. I think its more fun to have a loose plan and go from there. I hope this has helped you! There is so much at WDW, its really worthwhile having a Plan of Attack! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Grandma Jeannie hasn’t been feeling well, so her articles will return next month! Please pray that she feels better SOON! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Restaurant Review By Ann P. Want to find a hidden oasis? Then try the Flame Tree Barbecue at Animal Kingdom. It doesnt look like much on the outside--just like a little walk-up fast food stand. The surprise is behind! After ordering our sandwich platters (my mom got smoked beef and I got smoked pork), we went over to the sauce/napkin stand. Noticing seating behind the stand, we went back...and back....and back!! We wanted to find a quiet spot and there were plenty to choose from... little garden areas with 5-6 tables, a larger dining area jutting out onto a lake, tables around a little pool, and all around and above us were beautiful trees and foilage. Another plus--the further back we went, the quieter it became, so that was a welcome break from the crowds. Soon, we were sitting all by ourselves overlooking the lake and surrounded by jungle! Our sandwich meals were quite good--a healthy portion of smoked meat on a good sized bun, a piece of corn on the cob, and a generous serving of cole slaw. Now, I am no cole slaw fan, but this was good...not too sour, milky or mushy. Lunch came to less than $8 each with drink. My only complaint would be the birds!! They were little beggers, and while they didnt get too close, I was a tad uneasy with all of those eyes! We give it 4 out of 5 paws--a great little lunch spot! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kids’ Views By Charlie, age 9 I have not been to disney world yet but I have been to disneyland. I cant wait to go to disney world. I know what its like because I have read books about it and watched movies about it but I don’t know it personaly yet. My dad don’t really want to go but me and my mom sure do. I am sure that he will like it when we get there couse he loves disneyland allot. I cant wait to ride the rides and swim in the pools and things like that. I want to bring my skatebord but my mom says theres nowear to ride it. I been looking on the internet for picures of the places and found some good ones. We are going in june and I cant wait. Unedited, direct from email! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Travel Polls There is a Poll on the DZ Resort Biographies Page on the site. In April it asked you what is most important to you when choosing a resort Here are the results : Price : 49% Amenities: 10% Location: 21% Decor: 9% Reputation: 11% We’ll have a new Poll for May! The more people who participate, the more accurate the poll will be—so visit the link below TODAY and submit your vote! www.disneyzone.net/resortbios.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fun Contests The last contest was a Virtual Suggestion Box! We sure received some wonderful ideas! The prize was a Mickey and Friends Scrapbooking Kit from Hot of the Press. Winner will be annoucned any day now! DZ Contest Page: www.disneyzone.net— click on the NEW contest link to play! New contest will be up soon! All prizes for the contests are donated. A sincere Thank You to the generous contest sponsors. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hey Kids! Complete this sentence: The job I want at Disney World is... Send your replies to us, and some of them will be included in the next, and future newsletters! Include first name and age! Send your replies via e-mail to kids@disneyzone.net ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Happy Birthday to: Lindsey (12), Lois, Erica (4), Samantha (9), Paul, Dennis, Christopher (6), Tyler (13), Megan and every other DZ’er that has a birthday in May! If you would like a birthday announced in the DZ News, send name, and birthday (and age if you want that in, too) to kimmi@disneyzone.net ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THANKS to all the Disneyzone visitors for their help with the newsletter and the site!!! Newsletter and content Copyright © 2000 & 2001 Disneyzone - Please do not alter or copy any or all of this material, or use it on a website, or printed media without prior written permission, from Disneyzone or from the individual article's author..