Disneyzone News - July 2002 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 & 2002 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.. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Warm Weather Tips Summer is upon us and that means that many families are heading to Disney World for their vacations. With summer’s warm weather comes special advice for those visiting during this time. My name is Kathleen and I am a Disney veteran. I have been to Disney World 14 times in the past 9 years. Kimmi asked me to write an article about how to handle the heat of Florida during the summertime. First of all you must understand that there is no way to avoid the heat, but there are many strategies to keep yourself from overheating. Depending on the time of summer, you can have temperatures in the 80s or the 90s for the most part. What really makes it miserable is the humidity. The higher the humidity, the hotter it feels. Florida does have rain most days during the latter part of summer. The rain usually doesn’t last long, and it comes late afternoon/early evening. If you plan for it, it really wont put a damper on your vacation. Bring light rain ponchos. You can buy them for just a couple dollars at places like Walmart. Look in the camping section. Here are some ways to stay comfortable. First of all, and most importantly - drink lots of water! It is very easy to get dehydrated. So that is my first tip to you, drink lots of water. By the time you feel thirsty, your body is on its way to dehydration. The water in Florida tastes odd to some people. Bottled water is readily available! Also during very warm days it is very important to set aside time to cool off. Disney has tons of cool areas. Just step inside a store, go into the shade, experience an inside ride or attraction. Most people who end up with heat stroke are those who stay out in the heat all day. You must try to cool off. Another great thing to do is hit the parks first thing in the morning, as soon as they open. Then as the day heats up, leave and go back to your hotel to relax and cool off, go swimming, or take a nap! Then as it cools in the evening, head back to the parks. Wear light colored clothes, a hat to block your face from the sun, and change socks often. Light colored clothes will keep you cooler. The hat will help keep your head/face and neck shaded a bit. It may sound odd, but just putting on a fresh pair of socks will invigerate your feet! If you wear sandles, dont forget to put on sunscreen every few hours, on your body and your feet. Sunburned feet really hurt. With just a little planning and a hot weather strategy, you will be fine and enjoy your days so much more! Happy Planning! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit the Message Boards! One of the most popular sections on DZ just happens to be the Message Boards! You can post questions/answers/advice or just hang around and read what others say! We have a very friendly, helpful group on the boards! Give it a try www.disneyzone.net click on the FORUMS link! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Like Trivia? Visit the message boards !! The RustyScupper offers an ongoing trivia contest! There are prizes, some tough questions and lots and lots of fun! www.disneyzone.net/boards.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Park Hours Theme Park Hours will be omitted from the DZ News for the next few months, or until Disney goes back to a regular schedule. Park hours are being released a few weeks ahead of time. I suggest calling (407) WDISNEY prior to your trip to get current hours for the parks! You can also check their site: www.disneyworld.com July E-Ticket nights are scheduled for the follwoing nights: 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30 Call to verify dates, they may be cancelled or changed without notice. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Really good advice from DZ Visitors Eddie, NJ - When you call to make your priority reservation be sure to tell the person if you are celebrating any special occasions. They note it on your reservation and then they may do something special for you. We got a birthday card, signed by some characters, and a tray of little candies delivered to our table while a few of the waitresses sang Happy Birthday. Tina - Always bring lots of film. Last trip we brought 12 rolls for our 7 day trip. After day 4 we ran out and had to buy it there. It cost a lot more buying it there. So just bring extra, if you dont use it all you can use it at home. Same thing with batteries! Laura & Kyle - if you want to get engaged at Disney there are tons of special services available. My husband proposed to me in a gorgeous area by the castle. We got a glass slipper with the date engraved on it. They took a video, too. It was a wonderful experience! Sharon, NY - make a reservation early. You can always change it later if you get a better deal. Dont wait to the last minute and then not have the hotel you want available. Ashley, TX. My tip is to bring lots of shiny pennies for the penny pinching machines. These are great souvenirs and they are cheap. 1 penny and 2 quarters for each one. They have hundreds of these machines spread out all over the place. Half the fun is finding the machines. My kids were having a great time finding the machines and collecting the pinched pennies. We brought the small black film containers to keep them in so they wouldnt be lost. Send your tips to us at DZnews@disneyzone.net ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Restaurant Review Our very favorite restaurant at Disney World is the Liberty Tree Tavern. We visit each time we are lucky enough to go. My twin boys look forward to it, and always ask if we are eating there. The character interaction is some of the best of all the character meals. We have been there a total of 4 times and have always felt like the characters at their dinner meal always spend plenty of time with us. They interact with the kids, play around with them, pose for endless photos, and are cheerful about it. The food is brought out to your table, which is really nice. You sit and relax and they keep bringing food. The food is similar to a Thanksgiving Spread. They have several meats, a salad, veggies, mac & cheese, breads, mashed potatoes, and the best desserts ever! Try this restaurant if you can get a reservation! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Its finally up! The DZ Friends BIO section, its online and ready to use! You can see photos, and info for DZ Friends who have submitted their bios! It’s fun to see what everyone looks like, and to read a little about them. You can add your bio, too! Visit the site, at this link: www.disneyzone.net/friends.htm Can’t wait to read all about YOU :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Choosing the Best Resort In your quest for the best resort, what is it that you look for? What is the most important thing for you? Is the location of the resort the most important thing? Do you want to be able to hop the monorail, or walk to Epcot, or take a boat to Downtown Disney? Certain resorts offer these things. Is price the determining factor? With discounts, without discounts, what is the importance of price? All Stars are inexpensive, and the Grand Floridian is quite expensive! Do you splurge and go for a deluxe, or save your money for souvenirs and things, and go with an All Star? Is the resorts theming important to you? Do you like the Polynesian for its tropical feel? Or the Contemporary for its modernish appeal? Do you like the Mansions at Port Orleans Riverside? Or would you rather have a camping experience? There are many choices, sometimes its hard to choose. What about amenities? Are they the most important thing? Do you really want a resort with valet parking? One with a greeter at the door? One where they have a great food court? Would you rather just sleep in your room and then immediately leave for the parks? If so, then maybe all the ‘extras’ are not worthwhile for you. There are so many things to consider. Its no wonder people have such a hard time choosing a resort. Each family is different, and looks for different things. You could ask 10 people what their favorite resort is, and probably get 10 different replies! The easiest way to determine where to stay is to figure out your budget first, and then compare the resorts that are within your budget. Of those resorts, make your choice. Sometimes special prices are offered, but they are never a guarantee. Select a resort that you can afford. If you get a better deal on a different resort, then switch your reservation. But dont make a reservation hoping for a discount, what if it doesnt come!? Good luck figuring out where you would ike to stay. Its a tough decision, but no matter which Disney resort you choose, how can you go wrong? You are vacationing at the most wonderful family vacation spot on earth! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contests on the Site Did you know there are contests on the DZ site? Each month there is a Trivia Contest run on the message boards. RustyScupper asks multiple questions each week, and the first person to answer correctly gets an entry. Then we randomly pick one person each month, as the winner. It’s a lot of fun! Check it out on the message boards which are: www.disneyzone.net/boards.htm There is another monthly contest that runs on the site. It varies each month, but has great prizes and the contests are usually quite easy! Last months contest asked you to tell why Disney is such a great vacation spot. The winner, Kate Blanchfield of Oreana, IL won a Disneyland USA - Walt Disney Treasures DVD in a collectible Tin! New contest will start any day - so check the site often and maybe you can win a great prize, too! www.disneyzone.net/contest.htm DZ accepts donations for prizes for the contests. In return you may put a link on the contest page of the site. For details, please contact us at: DZcontests@disneyzone.net ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ask the Experts We have a staff of experts who love to answer tough Disney questions! If you have a Disney World vacation planning question, please send it to us. Keep our experts busy! Send them to DZNews@disneyzone.net and put “Ask the Experts” for the subject. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kids Views Hi Im a kid and I have a view. My name is Steven and I am 14. We just got back from our first trip to Disney World as a family. My parents have been before but not me. We had a great time. The only drawback was it was alternate lifestyle weekend during our stay. I got quite an education. I didnt mind as much as my parents seemed to. They were afraid I would see something so we had to leave Magic Kingdom that one day. We ended up having a wonderful vacation once my parents lightened up. We stayed at the Polynesian which is a great hotel. They have an awesome restarant there called O’Hanas. I loved all the parks. They each had some great things. I hope to go back again some day and see all the things we missed during our trip. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Happy Birthday to: Elizabeth, 5, Ashley, Tony, Michael, Mia, 2, Danielle, 6, Rachel, 22, Joshua, 11, Evan, 11, Devin, 5, Ronald, 46, Scott and Louie, Kerry, 31, Jeanne, 34, Douglas, Edwin, Johnny, 11, Vanessa, Lorraine, 40, Dan, Keely, 4, and Annabelle, 1. to have your birthday listed, please send an email to birthdays@disneyzone.net Ages are optional! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THANKS to all the Disneyzone visitors for their help with the newsletter and the site!!! Tell your friends about Disneyzone! They can get their own copy of the Disneyzone News emailed to them each month, all they have to do is go to the site and register. They will automatically be put on the list. If you would rather, you may print it out or forward it. 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.. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CLASSIFIEDS DZ now has a DZ Classifieds section! Please visit our advertisers, and tell them that you saw their ad in the DZ News :) If you are interested in advertising, or would like to comment regarding this issue, please email me at: kimmi@disneyzone.net Articles, restaurant reviews, kids articles always needed for the newsletter! E-mail if you would like to contribute! ***********TRAVEL AGENTS AND COMPANIES ******** MouseEarVacations.com Concierge Service - No Additional Charge! Our clients get best prices, insider tips itinerary planning, our FREE Priority Seating Service & Disney themed gifts! NEW! 2003 Walt Disney World dates & new packages are now available! Disney Cruise - Disneyland - Disney World Visit www.MouseEarVacations.com A division of Cruising Co Etc Free online quotes or call toll free: 800-886-8601 to request that a certified Disney specialist contact you. **********GIFT IDEAS*********************** Disney Character Watches. Mickey, Minnie, Daffy, Donald, Pluto, Movie Themes and More. Wholesale prices available to dealers. Individual watch sales to collectors and retail customers. Visit our site and order on-line. www.watchcloseouts.com **************RADIO STATIONS****************** KMIN980 is an oldies radio station that broadcasts live on the internet. Not the same old songs over and over. Come listen to our Sound Souvenirs while you are surfing on DZ ! www.kmin980.com ***************HOME SERVICES********************* Interior Redesign Industry Specialists. You can have a beautiful, comfortable, and inviting home that is easy on your wallet and you can have it in just one day. Your rooms undergo a stress-free transformation with the finished product being a stunning new look - at a tremendous savings to you! www.weredesign.com Great American Funding One-stop site for info on Home Loans, Refinancing and more. Online calculators, lots of great information, too. No pressure from us! Come visit our site and contact us if you would like any additional info, to be preapproved, or want a firm quote. www.homeloans411.com **************INTERNET SERVICES****************** Website Hosting and Maintenance Do you have a website looking for a home? Do you need someone to maintain your website? Sites hosted $25/per month if you mention DZ when you call! 805-370-8001 www.actusa.net *********DISASTER SERVICES/CHARITIES ************ RED CROSS The Red Cross will continue to need blood and monetary donations as the weeks go by. However small your donation, it all adds up! Please visit their website at www.redcross.org to see how to help! A memorial fund has been created to help provide for the families of police, fire and emergency workers who were killed during rescue efforts. The Twin Towers Fund General Post Office P.O. Box 26999 New York, NY 10087-6999 HELPING.ORG is a website dedicated entirely to helping the victims of the Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks. Relief organizations tell us that they most need cash donations to fund special resources and personnel. To make a donation or learn more about these different organizations visit www.helping.org ********************************************* Put your ad in the DZ News and reach Disney fans! Email us for info! Advertising@disneyzone.net Please note that all ads on this page are paid advertisements and DZ, Disneyzone does not endorse their products or services.