Apology for absence

Dear loyal readers (all 7 of you),

Based on the last few months of absence (yes, months...) you could be forgiven for thinking that

1. I don't love you any more
2. Disney simply has no news worth sharing.

Obviously, neither of these is true.

1. I do still love you all, deeply, but have been preoccupied with booking lots of you to various Disney destinations, and the many other non-Disney places that I also send folk (as some people are weird enough that they don't want to travel to Disney every year)... and
2. Disney have made lots of recent announcements that I am itching - nay, aching - to tell you about.

Here's a sampler of the articles I'll be posting about today or tomorrow:

• New promotional codes at Disney World
• A long-overdue update on Aulani, Disney's resort in Hawaii, which is already open for business. 
• 2013 sailing itineraries are available for all the Disney Cruise ships.

And there'll probably be more. Watch this space...

Disney Cruise Line – Canadian Resident Offer

This is something that might appeal more to those from the West Coast, as it applies to the Mexican Riviera cruises out of Los Angeles... though we have had East Coast clients that did this cruise this year - and loved it...

Why not consider visiting California - maybe take in Disneyland in Anaheim at the beginning or end of your vacation and enjoy the Disney Wonder cruise ship down to the Pacific coast of Mexico. Go at the quieter time of year and enjoy excellent "Canadian Resident" discounts.


Offer Details

Canada residents can save 25% off prevailing rates on select Mexican Riviera sailings on the Disney Wonder from Jan. 8 - Feb. 26, 2012

• This offer is only available for Canada residents.
• This offer is valid for stateroom Categories 4A - 11B. Excludes category with restriction IGT, OGT and VGT

Sail dates: Jan. 8, Jan. 15, Jan. 22, Jan. 29, Feb. 5, Feb. 12, Feb. 19 and Feb. 26, 2012.

Booking code : CAN ( must be quoted at time of booking )

Contact me to take advantage of this offer... 613 594 5633 or alex@lttk.ca

Free dining is back! Dates through Sept NEXT YEAR!!

After an extended silence from me - sorry about that - I wanted to ensure that you are aware of the newest Walt Disney World Offer. Like last year the Disney Travel Company is offering Free Dining for an e-x-t-e-n-d-e-d set of dates in 2011 and 2012.

And if the next year is anything like this year (and it probably will be) they won't re-introduce the free dining again once the booking deadline has passed. That means that people willing to pre-plan will get the best deals. Waiting til next year will be TOO LATE - at least for this deal (which is typically their best offer of the year)...

Here's the scoop on the dates and booking deadline... (please note that the dates have changed just a little since Disney first announced them). This is the corrected list.

Magic Your Way plus Free Dine

Booking Window : August 3 – December 17 , 2011

Travel Window (valid for arrival most nights) :

• Oct. 1-6, 2011
• Oct. 22 - Nov. 3, 2011
• Nov. 12-17, 2011
• Nov. 26 - Dec. 1, 2011
• Dec. 10-15, 2011
• Jan. 8-12, 2012
• Jan. 21 - Feb. 2, 2012
• Feb. 11-16, 2012
• March 3-8, 2012
• March 24-29, 2012
• Aug. 19 - Sept. 29, 2012

Get the Quick Service Dining Plan FREE at a Disney Value Resort (you can upgrade to the Disney Dining Plan or Deluxe Disney Dining Plan at reduced rates)

Get the (regular) Disney Dining Plan FREE at a Disney Moderate, Deluxe,  Deluxe Villa Resort or Cabin.

You should definitely consider booking early for next year. Contact me to do so...

Unbelievable news about free dining at Walt Disney World

In what is a completely unprecedented move (in my 11-year memory at least!) Disney seem to have gone nuts and are offering free dining right through select dates in SEPTEMBER 2011! Yes, you read that right - more than a year of potential free dining dates to book!

We already knew that the free dining promotion was valid for arrivals most nights most dates up to the end of December this year:

•  Oct. 1-7, Oct. 22-28, Nov. 12-18, Nov. 27 — Dec. 2 and Dec. 10-21, 2010,

But here are the new dates for 2011...

• Jan. 1-5, 
• Jan. 9-13, 
• Jan. 21 — Feb. 3, 
• Feb. 11-17, 
• Feb. 25 — March 3, 
• May 27 — June 2 and 
• Aug. 19 — Sept. 29, 2011.

CRAZY!!!

Booking window is from today through 20th December, but, as always with the Free dining promos, the number of rooms is limited, so it is better to book earlier. There is no down side to booking early...

And that's not all.

In subsequent posts, I'll summarise a couple of more limited offers also announced today, that also may appeal to you. Although these other offers cannot be combined with the free dining, they fill in some of the dates that are not offered with free dining.

Free Dining - dates extended!

Hello again, Disney Fans!

Just announced: the "Free Dining promotion" has been extended for many dates right up to Dec 21st 2010. There are blackout dates, and the number of rooms are limited. (Yes, I know they are always limited, but the agent I spoke to today explained that there are fewer rooms available on this promo than other similar ones, so it sounds like it will be worth booking early.) Today it took well over an hour on hold to even get to speak to a Disney reservation agent, so people are already booking for sure...

The extended dates are:

• Aug 15th-Oct 7th
• Oct 22nd-Oct 28th
• Nov 12th-Nov 18th
• Nov 27th-Dec 2nd
• Dec 10th-Dec 21st

So let's get booking!!

Kids Sail Free in Northern Europe - hurry though, sail dates are fast approaching!

Many of you know that two of our agents have sailed with Disney Cruise Lines. Their cruises are a family vacation experience like no other.

To be absolutely frank with you, probably the only downside to a Disney Cruise vacation is the fact that they tend to be on the expensive side. So, when your kids get to travel for free - it makes sense to check out how that might work for you...

This summer, for the first time ever, Disney Cruise Line sets sail on an enchanting 12-night cruise of Northern European Capitals, including Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm and St. Petersburg, Russia. You can be part of this historic voyage - and save too - when you book this family-friendly offer.

To find out much more...

• Offer Details:
  Kids ages 17 and under can sail free* on select Northern European cruises departing June 12 and June 24, 2010, when traveling with two full-fare Guests in the same stateroom. This offer applies to stateroom Categories 8-11. Government Taxes and Fees not included. 
• Travel Window:
  June 12, 2010 (itinerary includes Helsinki, Finland)
  June 24, 2010 (itinerary includes Tallinn, Estonia) 
• Onboard Credit:
  You would receive a US $25 onboard credit when you book through us. 
• Additional Details:
  Verification of age is required within 48 hours of booking for children who will be 17 years old by the sail date.

For more info check out this flier (Adobe PDF).

Also, don't forget great rates are still available on select Mediterranean cruises departing in August and September 2010.

*Government Taxes and Fees and Port Adventures not included. This offer applies to new bookings only and is non-transferable. The number of staterooms allocated for this offer is limited. Other offers, discounts or onboard credits do not apply (including without limitation the Mediterranean Thank You Onboard Credit offer). Changes to the vacation date or category may result in a loss of any offer. Offer is only available to U.S. and Canada residents. See Disney Cruise Line website for applicable details and Terms and Conditions.
Ships' Registry: The Bahamas

Other specials still on at Walt Disney World - late summer room-discounts

There's even one more!! For the same dates as the Free Dining offer, there is also a reduced room rate special which could actually be better value for some people. With room-discounts up to 40% off the rack rate, the smaller your party size and the longer your stay, the more likely this promotion will work for you...

If you are getting bamboozled, wondering which promotion would work best for you - please contact us...

Late Summer Room Offer
You can stay at a select Walt Disney World Resort hotel and save up to 40%* with special room-only rates.

• Offer Details:
• You can save 40% off the non-discounted price when you stay at select Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts for stays most nights Aug. 15 - Oct. 2, 2010. Plus, there are other great savings at other resort categories.
• Booking Window:
  May 3 - Oct. 2, 2010
• Sample Pricing:
  * 30% savings at select Disney Value Resorts; book for as little as US $58 per night (plus tax) in a standard room for stays most Sunday through Thursday nights Aug. 15 - Sept. 30, 2010.
  * 30% savings at select Disney Moderate Resorts; book for as little as US $108 per night (plus tax) in a standard room for stays most Sunday through Thursday nights Aug. 15 - Sept. 30, 2010.
  * 40% savings at select Disney Deluxe Resorts; book for as little as US $144 per night (plus tax) in a standard room for stays most nights Aug. 15 - Sept. 30, 2010.
  * 40% savings at select Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts; book for as little as US $177 per night (plus tax) in a studio room for stays most nights Aug. 15 - Sept. 30, 2010.

*The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Minimum length-of-stay requirements may apply for Friday or Saturday arrivals. Savings based on the non-discounted price for the same room. Additional per-adult charges apply if more than two adults per room. This offer excludes suites and 3-bedroom villas. No group rates or other discounts apply.

Other specials still on at Walt Disney World - up to 30% off the room rate

Another promotion is still on for travel in the summer too. This one can actually provide a saving that is as good as the Free Dining promotion (if you intend staying for a somewhat extended stay at a Deluxe Category resort, for example) as it is based on a 20%, 25% or 30% saving off the prevailing room rates.

Again, the travel dates available on this special are very wide - from now 'til August 14th (when the free dining kicks in...)

For more details...

Summertime is Family Time!

You can stay at a select Walt Disney World Resort hotel and save up to
30%* with special room-only rates.

Just add Theme Park tickets to take advantage of all the summer fun, including the return of Main Street Electrical Parade, which is now more dazzling than ever.

Offer Details:

• You can save 30% off the non-discounted price when you stay at select Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts for stays most nights May 2 - Aug. 14, 2010. Plus, there are more great savings at other resort categories.
• Booking Window:
  March 29 - Aug. 14, 201
• Sample Pricing:
  * 15% savings at select Disney Value Resorts - Book for as little as US $90 per night, plus tax in a standard room for stays most Sunday through Thursday nights May 2 - June 3, 2010.
  * 20% savings at select Disney Moderate Resorts - Book for as little as US $140 per night, plus tax in a standard room for stays most Sunday through Thursday nights May 2 - June 3, 2010.
  * 25% savings at select Disney Deluxe Resorts - Book for as little as US $180 per night, plus tax in a standard room for stays most nights July 18 - Aug. 14, 2010.
  * 30% savings at select Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts - Book for as little as US $207 per night, plus tax in a studio room for stays most nights July 18 - Aug. 14, 2010.

*The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Minimum length of stay requirements may apply for Friday or Saturday arrivals. Savings based on the non-discounted price for the same room. Additional per adult charges apply if more than two adults per room. Excludes suites and 3-bedroom villas. No group rates or other discounts apply.

* Download this flier (Adobe PDF 3.17MB) for more details.

Other specials still on at Walt Disney World - Kids Stay Free

There's been a fair bit of hoop-la over the super-popular 'Free Dining' promotion which was announced recently for late summer this year. Because of that you may have missed that there is also another promotion (not so spectacular, but offered over a much wider range of dates throughout the Spring and Summer) if travel after August 15th is not on the cards for you this year...

Families Stay and Play for Less

Kids ages 3-9 stay and play FREE* when you purchase a 4-night, 5-day Magic Your Way vacation package at a select Disney Value Resort at the Walt Disney World® Resort for stays most nights May 2 - October 2, 2010.

For full details...

Offer Details:

• This Walt Disney Travel Company package includes accommodations at a select Disney Value Resort and Walt Disney World Resort theme park tickets.
• Booking Window:
  April 8 - August 14, 2010
• Travel Window:
  May 2 - October 2, 2010

Sample Pricing:
US $499 per adult, based on adult double occupancy for this 4-night, 5-day Magic Your Way Package, at a select Disney Value Resort in a standard room for stays most nights May 2 - June 3, 2010.

*The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Tickets valid for one Theme Park per day and must be used within 14 days of first use. Child must stay in same room with adult. Maximum of four Guests per room. No group rates or other discounts apply. Advance reservations required.


Ask about other select Walt Disney World Resort hotels and packages for other lengths of stay.

Free Dining is Back at Walt Disney World!

Well we've been waiting for a while to see if Disney would put the "Free Dining" offer back on - and they just did!
As usual, I'll be changing over my clients' files (those that qualify) - just as soon as I get through to Disney! For the first time that I can remember I have only been able to get a busy signal on the Disney Travel Company phone lines!

For more details of this year's offer...

Buy this Walt Disney World Resort vacation package with hotel and Theme Park tickets and get a Disney Dining Plan FREE!

• If you prefer to purchase a 5-night, 6-day Magic Your Way Package with accommodations at a select Disney Value Resort you would get a free Disney Quick-Service Dining Plan.

Booking and Travel Window:

• Booking Window: May 3 - Aug. 14, 2010

• Travel Window: Valid for stays most nights Aug. 15 - Oct. 2, 2010

Sample Pricing:

• US $1,843 for a family of four*, staying in a standard room at a select Disney Moderate Resort. That's like paying US $77 per person, per day! 

• US $1,440 for a family of four*, staying in a standard room at a select Disney Value Resort. That's like paying US $60 per person, per day!

Ask about packages for other lengths of stay and accommodations at other select Walt Disney World Resort Hotels.
For more details download this flier (Adobe PDF - 1MB)
* Price based on 2 Adults, 1 Junior and 1 Child. The number of packages available at these rates is limited. Savings based on the non-discounted price for the same package. Tickets are for 1 theme park per day and must be used within 14 days of first use. No group rates or other discounts apply. Offer is nontransferable. Advance reservations required.

** Excludes gratuities and alcoholic beverages. Children ages 3-9 must order from the children's menu if available. Some table-service restaurants may have limited or no availability at time of package purchase.

The promotion is dead, long live the promotion...

As the "7 for 5" & "7 for 4" free night promotions end, a new "gift card" promotion is launched!

And as I am going on vacation in 2 days, I am glad to see that it isn't better than what was originally offered, so I don't have to spend days changing over bookings... phew...

Still it is a decent offer, and it MAY just be better than the last offer if you weren't able to travel the full 7-nights that they last offer required as this one only requires 5 nights... and you plan to spend while at Walt Disney World! (And yes, it can be used for dining...)

In a nutshell, if you stay for at least 5 nights in a value (on a non-discounted package) including passes, and optional dining, then you get a Disney gift card valued at $300. If you stay in a moderate resort, you would get a $500 voucher and a deluxe or home-away-from-home resort you would get a $750 voucher...

You can use this Disney Gift Card at participating locations throughout the Walt Disney World Resort for merchandise, recreation and dining.

This offer is available for stays most nights Jan. 3, Jan. 10-12, Jan. 18 — March 27 and April 11 — June 3, 2010. Book through March 27, 2010. The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited.

Last few days for the Free Night Promotion... must book by Friday

A reminder that this excellent promotion comes to an end this Friday (well actually Sunday, but we aren't around at the weekend!)

Here are the details:
3 nights free if you stay for 7 at Moderate and Deluxe Resorts
2 nights free if you stay for 7 at Value Resorts
for stays most nights 11/1/09 – 11/21/09, 11/23/09 – 11/24/09,
12/7/09 – 12/24/09 and 1/3/10 – 3/27/10

Must book by the 20th December.


Read more in my previous post

The New "Free Night" Promotion - download the flyer...

Now that the Free Night promotion has been officially announced, you can read up on the full details on this flyer.

And yes, March Break is included!

Click here (or on the picture) for the flyer...

End of post

New Walt Disney World Promotion - still not officially announced, but it IS real..........

You probably will not yet have seen much (any?) fanfare about another special promotion that Disney have not yet quite officially announced just yet...

Well, whether you heard about it or not, there IS a new promotion, giving free nights on selected packages on quite a wide range of dates (Nov 1st-Dec 24th and Jan 3rd through March 27th - yes, even March Break).

Briefly, the details are:

• You can buy a 4-night/4 day vacation package at a Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe villa resort, and get a 7-night/7-day package for the same price. (You can stay longer, but the maximum number of free nights is still 3.)
• For the Value resorts you need to get a 5-night/5 day vacation package to get the 7-night/7-day package. (Here again, you can choose to stay longer, but the maximum number of free nights is still 2.)

This new promotion works out well for some (particularly for those booking for the New Year). It is no advantage for others, particularly those already taking advantage of the Free Dining Promotion, though this does depend on the resort, and the party size. I have checked all of my current clients to make sure and have changed those over that saved money. You should have received an email from me, by now, one way or another, whether I could get you something better, or not!

While this is not necessarily the most spectacular promotion Disney have put on, it works out particularly well for:

• couples or smaller families
• people looking for deluxe properties
• those looking for exactly one week of vacation.

I encourage you to call (613-594-5633 x103) or email me "alex AT lttk.ca"

New Free Dining Plan Update

In the small print on the latest "Free Dining" offer, it states

Ask about other package offers with the Disney Dining Plan at select Disney Moderate Resorts, select Disney Deluxe Resorts and select Disney Deluxe Villa Resort Hotels.

There is a distinction to be made here that is not all that clear...

To clarify:
With the Moderate category of resorts, and up, the Free Dining that is offered is actually the regular "Disney Dining Plan". The "Quick Service Dining Plan" is offered as standard only at the "Value" resorts in this promotion (and even there could be upgraded by paying the difference).

This makes this promotion even better than it first appeared, particularly if your were interested in Moderate, Deluxe or Home-Away-from-Home accommodation at Walt Disney World.

Just thought you would want to know...

Free dining plan has expired. Long live the NEW FREE DINING PLAN!!!

One day after the much-vaunted "Free Dining" promotion ended, the Walt Disney Travel Company have announced another "Free Dining" promotion at Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida!

The new promotion includes the less-expensive, "Quick Service Dining Plan" - not the regular dining plan - but you will be able to pay the difference to upgrade to the regular plan (which is significantly better value in our opinion) if you so desire.

• New travel dates are most nights Sept 29 - Nov 24th, and Nov 29th - Dec 17th 2009.
• The new "book-by" date is Sept 26th.
• Please check out this flyer for details.
• If you are not familiar with the Quick Service Dining Plan, you can find out more about it with this flyer; you can compare with the "regular" Disney Dining Plan by referring to this flyer.
  

Please note that the number of packages available at this rate is limited.

We will be swapping over all "Let's Take the Kids Travel" clients that already are booked in these dates and whose package qualifies...

Last few days on the "Free Dining" promotion for Walt Disney World

Hello dear reader,

Just another quick reminder - there's now LESS THAN TWO WEEKS LEFT TO BOOK the FREE DINING promotion at Walt Disney World - click for flier

It's a great deal, and well worth considering. Nobody knows how long these kind of specials will continue to be offered, but it surely won't be forever...

CALL ME & BOOK IT (613-594-5633 x103)!

Pay for 4 - stay for 7 promotion extended for dates into the summer!!

In a move that I think is unprecedented (at least in the last 7 years since I've been selling Disney vacations) Disney is offering a great promotion right through their normal "high season" summer vacation dates.

They are continuing the promotion that has been so successful (for them) and such great value (for their clients) for dates right through to the middle of August...

This offer is valid for stays most nights Feb. 15—March 9, March 17—April 4 and April 19—Aug. 15, 2009.

For my clients that are already booked, I'll be trying to swap you over today (though as you may expect, wait times are long on their phone lines). For those of the rest of you that were holding off to see if anything special would come along, wait no longer. THIS IS IT!!!

Contact me to start off you Disney vacation planning... and/or please read my popular "How to do Disney" section of our agency's website, as a "primer" for your trip. While this section of the website is "general" i.e. it doesn't mention this particular special, the same principles apply... it's just even better value now!

As this is our busiest time of the season for "sun" bookings, I have not posted some other Disney articles explaining some aspects of Disney's latest "Celebration" that I am working on yet, but I hope to do so soon, so watch this space.

Last few days to book "7 for 3" promotion

Disney's 3 free nights promotion (having been extended once already) is now finally coming to an end. This excellent special ends as of the 24th Jan (this Saturday). So if you are hummin' and hawin' about whether to book, you're going to need to decide this week!

Briefly, if you book a 7 night package for dates up til June this year (some blackout dates apply) Disney will give you 3 nights of accommodation for free. This can save hundreds and hundreds of dollars. And you will save the most if you stay at the deluxe resorts (so maybe this year would be a good year to see animals out your window at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, or watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from your balcony at the Polynesian...) Passes and dining plan are at regular prices.