INTERCOT Insider April 2006 - Edition One

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<< Introduction >>

Welcome to the latest edition of the INTERCOT Insider! Sorry we're a tad late. What's happening at Walt Disney World you ask? The 'World' is blooming, as one of the most loved annual events, the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival, is now underway. In this edition, we're bringing you more updates, along with all the board happenings. Let's not delay!

<< Special Offer! >>

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The commemorative Pixar stock certificates that have been in great demand since Disney announced it was buying the company will soon be a thing of the past. With the sale of Pixar to Disney expected to finalize in early May, OneShare.com announced that it will stop selling shares of Pixar stock on April 30th. Act quickly and remember to use this new coupon: Save $12.50 on every Pixar order, use code: pixardeal

Buy A Share Of Pixar Stock Now!


<< Walt Disney World Events with Mel >>

Two new Nemo attractions, Pirates opening mid-rehab for the busy spring break season, Star Wars guests and continued free airport transportation highlight our Events section this month. 

- Magical Express to Continue Through 2011-
Orlando International Airport & Walt Disney World have reached a five year deal extending the shuttle and baggage service, Magical Express, through 2011. The Magical Express program was introduced last May as part of the Happiest Celebration on Earth. Magical Express will be relocated to the B Side of the airport. Uniformed greeters can be found in the terminal's second level to help passengers find their way to the shuttles. The service will remain complementary.

"I'm glad they're extending it. I think it's a great service. Yes, it'll hurt the taxis but they are ridiculously priced anyway. For a special trip we'll still use Happy Limo, but I'm very glad to have the option of both." – Strmchsr

"Glad to hear that MME is staying around for a few more years. We used it on our last trip and were very happy with it. I wouldn't mind if there was a fee, as long as the service is still good." - vizsla

Discussion Here

- Two New Finding Nemo Attractions Coming to Disney World -
During the Grand Opening of Expedition Everest, Disney announced the arrival of two new Finding Nemo attractions. Finding Nemo - The Musical will debut later this year in the former Tarzan Rocks! location at Animal Kingdom. The show will bring the undersea world to life in a stage spectacular featuring original songs by Tony Award winning composer Robert Lopez. Another new arrival is The Seas with Nemo & Friends. The attraction is scheduled to open this Fall in the Living Seas Pavilion. It will feature the stars of "Finding Nemo" swimming among the live marine life of the huge aquarium in an adventure that picks up where the movie left off.

"This may be Nemo overkill to some degree ... but hey ... I welcome ANY new attractions. Especially at the Living Seas, which was dull beyond dullness before. Any new reason to visit will be okay by me." – WDWacky

"I applaud Disney anytime they try something new in the parks. The new attractions might work, or they might not, but give them a chance." - joelkfl

Press Event Coverage

- Pirates of the Caribbean Opens Mid-Rehab -
The classic Disney theme park attraction Pirates of the Caribbean has reopened during mid-rehab to accommodate Peak Season crowds. At this time no noticeable changes to the attraction have been done. The attraction will be open from April 8-30. It will go back down for rehab on May 1st to complete the updates in time for the opening of the new film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. At which time Captain Jack Sparrow and his nemesis Barbossa will be woven into the attraction's most familiar scenes. New special effects will also be added to enhance the Pirates of the Caribbean theme park experience.

"I am glad that things are going as planned so far. I can't wait to see the new changes when we go down this summer." – CanadianWDWFan

"Yes, yes, yes we (DH and I) get to ride it next week!! And we'll be savoring the ride, since it will be all 'movied' up the next time we see it!" - disneymother

Attraction Details & Concept Art
Discussion

- Star Wars Weekend Guest List Announced -
Warwick Davis will be hosting all four Star Wars Weekends. 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, Jake Lloyd, Temuera Morrison and more. Star Wars Weekends blast into orbit May 19 and will be held four consecutive weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) through June 11, 2006 and are included with regular theme park admission.

Event Details & Schedule
Discussion

<< Carol's Communicore >>

Happy April, Everyone! Lot's of exciting discounts, special and events have been released.

Character Dining Returns to Hollywood & Vine
Beginning June 25, 2006, Character Dining will return to MGM-Studios' Hollywood & Vine Restaurant. Guests can dine, get autographs, sing and dance with Playhouse Disney pals JoJo & Goliath, and June & Leo from Little Einsteins. The character dining experience is available for breakfast and lunch. Dinner will remain a non-character meal and a dining option for the Fantasmic! Dinner Package. Reservations are available for booking starting today, April 25th.

More Information 

2006 Holiday Party Tickets Go On Sale May 1st
"Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" and "Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party" tickets go on sale May 1. These are hard ticket events. Guests must purchase separate admission to attend. Walt Disney World limits the number of tickets sold in order to keep the crowds down and many dates sell out in advance. Purchase tickets by calling (407) W-DISNEY.

"Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party" will be celebrated on; September 15, 22, 29
October 2, 5, 6, 10, 12, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 26, 27, 30 & 31

"Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party" will be; November 13, 17, 27, 28 & 30
December 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19 & 21

Radisson Resort Offers Summer Discounts
The Radisson Resort Orlando - Celebration is offering visitors of INTERCOT an exclusive 15% discount for guests vacationing from April 23 - September 30, 2006. Reservations must be booked by May 15. 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.

More Information
Reserve a Room Now

“Stay, Play & Dine” Vacation Package Returns
Disney has announced a Stay, Play & Dine Package for guests vacationing from August 13 through September 30, 2006. Book a 5-night, 6-day Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining at a select Disney Value Resort for just $435+ per adult. This special opens to Disney Visa Card Holders on April 1 for advance booking. The package is available to the public on April 4. This offer must be booked by June 4, 2006. For more details on this and other specials call INTERCOT's Official Travel Agency, Magical Journeys at 1-570-785-3283, or visit their web site and fill out a quote form.

Disney Introduces Magical Beginnings Program
Disney has announced a new, breakthrough program devoted to families traveling with toddlers or preschoolers. Walt Disney World Resort has created a seven week travel period filled with savings, concerts, special entertainment and events for little ones. From August 13 to September 30, these families can enjoy a new package that offers free dining for the entire family. For more details on this and other specials call INTERCOT's Official Travel Agency, Magical Journeys at 1-570-785-3283, or visit their web site and fill out a quote form.

Discussion & Details 

Liberty Inn at the American Adventure Pavilion has been added to the Rehab list for May. It will be closed for refurbishment from May 1-21, 2006. Also, Universe of Energy will be closed for rehab from May 1- 14, 2006. Check here for the latest closing as they are announced.

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

Park Hours, Events & Extra Magic Hour.

See you next month. Happy Planning!

<< Vacation Club Question of the Day! >>

Presented by THE TIMESHARE STORE, INC.

Does your use year matter?

The "use year" refers to the month the points go into your account each year. All Disney Vacation Club (DVC) properties are deeded a use year. January, May, July and November are the only months that were not given a use year.

Some people prefer specific use years, because they travel the same time every year. To understand this concept you need to understand the banking rules (please speak to your associate for specific banking rules). If you vacation during the same month EVERY year and plan on doing so for the next 35 years or so, then you might pick a use year right before or during the month you travel, for one reason only: If you need to cancel one year, you are still within your initial 100% banking window that Disney designates as the first 6 months of your use year.

However, if you travel during various times of the year, like most DVC members, the use year should not be a consideration for you. We recommend you look for the best resale value at the property you want to own and disregard the use year reference.


<< Across the Boards with Figment! >>

Welcome back to another installment of Across the Boards. Well, Spring is here and that means lots of new things are on the way, flowers, warm weather and … new INTERCOTee’s. So for the benefit of those just now joining us on the boards (and those who may have forgotten) let’s look at some common FAQ’s about the INTERCOT boards.

Q: Where do I go to change my avatar, signature and other posting options?
A: To change or pick an avatar (the picture by your username), create or edit a signature and change other posting options click on “User CP”, this option is to the far left at the top bar of every page. Once in your “Control Panel” you will notice a list of options on the left hand side under the header Settings & Options. Clicking on these options will take you to a specific part of your control panel. These options are fairly straight forward as to their purpose with choice like “Edit Signature”, “Edit Profile” “Edit Options”, “Edit Avatar” etc.

Q: I noticed a field called “Message Editor Interface” in my control panel, what is this feature for?
A: This feature controls the mode that you post in. Each mode offers the user a different level of control over the posts.

Basic Editor
The Basic Editor only offers a subject field and a reply field, this is the most simple editing option. This mode does not have any short cut buttons, so any formatting will need to be inputted by their specific code using what are called “tags”. If you are unfamiliar with typical message board coding, but like to use formatting this is not the mode for you. If you like to post with quick unformatted replies, this mode is a good choice.

Standard Editor
The Standard Editor is most similar to the posting mode on the “old boards”. This mode uses buttons for all of the formatting and provides input fields from there. While there are some new features and some differences between this mode and the old posting mode, this is the mode that should feel most familiar to those used to the old boards. When using formatting, the code for the formatting appears in the reply field. While this does allow you to easily change the coding for those in the know, it can make posts appear quite messy if lots of formatting is used.

Enhanced Interface
The Enhanced Interface is the newest to the boards. This mode is also known as the What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) Editor, due to the fact that all formatting in your post appears in the reply field as you apply it. In this mode when you copy and paste something from another source, the same formatting from the source carried over into the reply field. For example if you copy the word “INTERCOT” which is bolded and the color blue when you paste it into the reply field the word ‘INTERCOT” will still be bolded and the color blue; in the other modes this formatting would have been lost. While this mode does offer some advantages it also is the most complicated and has the most chance of being incompatible with your browser.

To check what mode you are currently in or to change you mode follow this procedure:
1) Click on “User CP”, this option is to the far left at the top bar of every page
2) Once in the Control Panel (CP) look on the left hand toolbar for a choice called “Edit Options”, click on this choice
3) Once on this page scroll down to the bottom of the page, there is a field labeled “Miscellaneous Options” and contains the field “Message Editor Interface”
4) The current option displayed in this field is the mode you are currently in.
5) To change your mode, click on the down arrow button next to select a different mode from the drop down list
6) Then click on the “Save Changes” button below this field.

Q: How do I insert Smilies?
A: Smilies are inserted by viewing a list of the smilies and clicking on the one you want to use to insert it into your post. In the Standard Editor a menu is displayed to the right of the reply field that displays several smilies, to view all smilies click on the link that reads “More” in the bottom left hand corner of this menu. In the Enhanced Interface a drop down menu is accessed by clicking on the button with the picture of a white smiley face. The men will display several smiles, to view all the smilies scroll to the very bottom of the list and click in the area displaying the text ‘show all smilies”. Note that smilies can not be inserted in Basic Mode, unless you know the code for each smilie.

I'll be back next more with more FAQs. Until then, happy browsing around the boards and see ya real soon!


<< Off Topic with ChipDale >>

Whether it was in like a lion or a lamb for you, at least we know March signals one thing: the coming of Spring! I hope you all enjoyed your St. Patrick’s Day and your Spring Break!

There’s an old saying that it’s the little things in life that are important. A Big Kid asked INTERCOTees what were some of the “little things” that bring joy to their lives. For daparish, it’s folded over potato chips. For poohluva, it’s holding a sleeping baby. Jimenyfan likes the center of a cinnamon bun, and conorsmom2000 likes to open a fresh jar of peanut butter. For Dopey’s Girl it’s the sound of hockey skates on fresh ice. And what is A Big Kid’s that prompted him to start the topic? Well, Mike’s is being the first one to open the box of Kelloggs Rice Crispy Treats cereal and getting all the big chunks at the top! Like he said, it’s the simple things.

Jamie’s Friday parties for March included the End of the Week Wine-Down, the Put It Off ‘Til Tomorrow Procrastination Party, The Official INTERCOT St. Patrick’s Day Party, the Make Up Your Own Celebration Celebration, and the Fools But Not Foolin’ Festival. Come to the Water Cooler every Friday to see what sort of party Jamie and Nigel are hosting!

TXrose asked the question, “If you could spend one day with anyone from history, who would it be?” Many INTERCOTees said they’d like to spend the time with Jesus, while others, like Melanears, Jeri Lynn and Munch chose Thomas Jefferson. 4ubie1, WDWacky and janebanks would spend it with Walt Disney, and Mr. Tom Morrow picked Samuel Clemens. So, who would you choose?

Special congratulations to BrerGnat on the birth of her new son Lucas Benjamin (a St. Patrick’s Day baby)! And also to Beach Club Babe’s daughter Ashleigh and her team on winning the EPYSA Indoor State Cup Championships! Way to go girls!

March posting milestones were reached by PolyGirl40 – 34,000 posts, ChipnDaleGal – 18,000 posts, Granny Jill A – 1,000 posts, threeh – 1,000 posts, bellemom – 500 posts, Mickey’sGirl – 500 posts, amyn2610 – 500 posts, Amy_617 – Senior Cast Member, PrincessCandaceMarie – Senior Cast Member, alpro2 – 200 posts, mickeys_princess – 100 posts, bucky at disney –100 posts, PrincessErin – 100 posts, Ms.Disney – 100 posts, TINKERBELL_82 – 100 posts. Congratulations everyone and remember, it’s not the quantity that counts, it’s the quality!

That’s it for March, see you next month!


<< Conclusion>>

Thanks to all who contributed to this issue of the Insider, and thank you for reading. Check your mailbox in a few weeks for our next issue, and in the meantime, be sure to join us on the discussion boards! .

Don't forget that we'd love to hear from you! Please send suggestions, advice, experiences and/or memories to newsletter@mousehut.com.

 
<< 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
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