Bahia Resort!

Alexandria Zammit (Director of Sales for the Bahia Resort) Is in studio with us to talk about the Bahia Resort!  The Bahia is located just a 1/2 mile from SeaWorld. The Bahia Resort is located on Mission Bay, and within walking distance of the ocean.  The Bahia Resort is a vacation experience your family will treasure!

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---------FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.GETAWAYTODAY.COM----------

 

Get Away Today Travel Show Podcast: Royal Caribbean Cruises

Jennifer Dunyon (Vice President Of Communications for Get Away Today Vacations) Talks about her recent cruise on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.  She Talks about all the fun things to do on a cruise!  Staying true to its name with amazing cruises ranging from four to ten days, Royal Caribbean allows you to experience the best the Caribbean has to offer.  Check out the great deals on cruises through Get Away Today!  Click here for more information on cruises!

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---------FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.GETAWAYTODAY.COM----------

Getaway Today Travel Show Podcast: Sandals Resort

Jennifer Dunyon (Vice President of Communications for Get Away Today Vacations) Talks about her recent trip to the Sandals Resort!  She stayed at the Sandals Resort on the island of St. Lucia. The Sandals Grande St. Lucian is framed by spectacular mountain views and edged by the island's most dramatically perfect beach including a lagoon pool that lets guests swim right up to thier rooms. She talks about the all the different activities that you can do on the island.  The Sandals Resort is the perfect romantic getaway for you!   

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2. If you have iTunes installed on your computer, click the small iTunes logo in this paragraph to connect to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast inside the iTunes store. Once you're there, click the 'SUBSCRIBE' button.  If you don't have iTunes installed on your computer, click here to download the software.  It's FREE!

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Hotel Spotlight: Anaheim Marriott Suites

Located just minutes from the Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Convention Center, The Anaheim Marriott Suites offers a variety of conveniences for both the business and leisure travel. Every suite features the "Revive" bedding package, a living room, and a separate bedroom. Guests will appreciate such amenities as a large, well lit desk, two telephones with data ports, high speed internet access, voice messaging, cable with pay-per-view programing, iron & ironing board, coffee/tea maker, mini refrigerator and room service. Guests can work out on state-of-the-art exercise equipment, then relax in the pool and whirlpool. After a long day, you can dine at the SunSpot, an American cuisine restaurant or indulge in the simple luxuries of the Starbucks just off the Lobby.

WE MAKE IT EASY TO LISTEN:

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2. If you have iTunes installed on your computer, click the small iTunes logo in this paragraph to connect to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast inside the iTunes store. Once you're there, click the 'SUBSCRIBE' button.  If you don't have iTunes installed on your computer, click here to download the software.  It's FREE!

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4.  You can also visit our the Get Away Today podcast page to listen to the travel features we've produced for you.

--------------------START OF PODCAST TRANSCRIPT--------------------

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
Travel news you can use.  This is the Get Away Today.com Travel Show.  Get Away Today is a top provider of affordable, fun family vacations to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Hawaii, San Diego, Beaches, and Sandals in the Caribbean. The travel show is heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com.  And now, here's the host of the travel show.

Patrick Wiscombe:  (Get Away Today - Internet Marketing Manager)  Welcome to the Get Away Today travel show podcast.  My name is Patrick Wiscombe. Thank you for tuning us in and taking us along where ever you’re listening today. Coming up in the next five minutes I’m going to put the Get Away Today hotel spotlight on the Anaheim Marriott Suites near the Disneyland® Resort.  I must say it is a great place to stay if you’re looking for a “suite” hotel.  Each January we take the entire Get Away Today reservation staff to Anaheim and San Diego so they can see the hotel properties for themselves. That way, when you call us they can personalize your vacation for you and your family. Now, I want you to think about this for a second; how many travel companies take their reservation staff to the vacation destinations they actually sell?  I’m willing to bet almost none of them do. A quick reminder before we get started, when you book your vacation or buy your attraction tickets on our web site, www.getawaytoday.com, use promotion code’ podcast’ when you check out so we can give you an additional $10.00 of your purchase.  Cathy Dutton, Sales Manager for the Anaheim Marriott Suites, took the entire reservation staff on a guided tour of the property.  Afterwards she sat down with me to talk about the property.

Cathy Dutton  (Anaheim Marriott Suites – Sales Manager) The Anaheim Marriott Suites in located about a mile from the Disneyland® Resort - just a few minutes down from the road.  It does have the Anaheim Resort Transit that picks up and takes people back and forth to Disneyland® on a regular basis. It also has service to the Block at Orange mall which is a new add on feature with the new ART system.

It is a luxury suite product that Marriott has. There are 371 guest rooms. Each one of them has a bed room and a parlor. They all have the new revived Marriott bedding, which is what we’re famous for. Each one of them has a sofa sleeper in the parlor and has all of the amenities of a full service superior hotel.  Sun Spot is the American restaurant they have on-site.  They serve a variety of American fare.  It is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and they do offer kids eat free program for breakfast.  For every one adult that has the breakfast buffet, one child, 9 years and younger, eats for free either from the buffet or from the kid’s menu. Of course all of the other amenities that you would find in your suites include the mini fridges, coffee makers, irons, ironing board, hair dryers, alarm clocks, radios; it does have a desk with high-speed internet and the duel telephone lines for voice mail.

Pets are also welcome in this particular hotel. There is a reasonable, one time non refundable fee. It won’t cost you an arm and a leg or your first born male child. Keep in mind that it’s probably more reasonable than kenneling your pet that is coming with you.

The family suites accommodate up to 6 people. There are a lot of restaurants within short walking distance including Joe’s Crab Shack, Red Robin, and Outback Steak House. There is also a Target right across street which is so handy in case you forgot to bring your sun block, your swimsuit, or anything else.  It makes it nice and easy to go across the street to Target and to pick up something.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Well, that was obviously the sit down portion of my interview with Cathy Dutton.  She is now going to take all of us on a guided tour of the property.

Cathy Dutton: We have two sides to this health club. You have a whole weight room on this side; more of a body building or strength training or lifting and resistance training.  On the other side you have all the typical equipment which is brand new with the T.V. monitors and ear phones.  Now we’re going to go back around by the game room. We can stand in the game room and look down because that is the way to the pool access so you don’t have to go through the lobby and slip and slide on the marble floor. If you look down here, down the stairway, you can see they have towels ready for you to take out for the pool.  They also have vending machines to take out to the deck and pool area.

This is a family suite which has two beds and a sofa sleeper. It can fit a roll away bed as well. They will get flat screens throughout the year. They will take the tops off the armoires and then put the granite tops on with the plasma screen TV’s. This is your standard king. These beds are so comfy.  My cousin and his wife just stayed here for almost a week because they were getting hardwood floors put in their home and they just couldn’t live with it. They couldn’t thank me enough, they thought it was so comfortable and when they travel they don’t sleep that well.  They said they had a great time.

This is a pet friendly hotel. There is one floor that is specifically for pets with an exterior exit to take them out to grassy areas for their walks. You pay per pet, smaller pets are welcome, and it’s a fifteen dollar, non refundable fee per night.  When you compare that to a lot of places they’ll charge anywhere from $75-$150.00, non refundable, whether you stay one night or ten. It is a really good price for that.  When you segregate a floor like you won’t have an issue if someone is allergic to animals.

Pattrick Wiscombe: My thanks to Cathy Dutton and her entire staff for taking us, the entire Get Away Today crew on a guided tour of the Anaheim Marriott Suites. Two quick reminders before we wrap up. When you book your vacation or you buy your attraction tickets on our website which is, of course, www.getawaytoday.com use promotion code podcast when you check out so we can give you an additional $10.00 off your purchase. Also, make sure you, your friends and your family members are signed up for our "last minute travel alerts."  You’ll want to do that because it is the best way to save money for your next vacation.

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
You can book your Get Away Today vacation package right now by going to Get Away Today.com or calling one of our friendly reservation agents at          (866) FUN-TRIP       .  This has been the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com

--------------------END OF PODCAST TRANSCRIPT--------------------

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Hotel Spotlight: The Disneyland Hotel

Today we put the Get Away Today hotel spotlight on the Disneyland Hotel. We’ve featured the Disneyland Hotel before, but never like this. I’ve mentioned in previous podcasts that we just got back from a business trip to the Anaheim area. While we were in southern California, we were invited to take a guided tour of the Disneyland Hotel. What you’re going to listen to during the next 12 minutes is an in-depth tour of the hotel from the one person who knows the Disneyland Hotel the best. You won’t hear this content anywhere on the web.

WE MAKE IT EASY TO LISTEN: 

Listening to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast is simple.  There are four different ways to do it: 

1. Just press the PLAY button.  (14:33)

2.  If you have iTunes installed on your computer, click the small iTunes logo right here in this paragraph to connect to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast inside the iTunes store. Once you're there, click the 'SUBSCRIBE' button.  If you don't have iTunes installed on your computer, click here to download the software.  It's FREE!

3.  Download the audio.  To download, right-click on this MP3 File link.  Select the 'Save Target As' option to download the file.

4.  You can also visit our the Get Away Today podcast page and listen to all of the travel features we've produced for you.

--------------------START OF PODCAST TRANSCRIPT--------------------

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
Travel news you can use.  This is the Get Away Today.com Travel Show.  Get Away Today is a top provider of affordable, fun family vacations to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Hawaii, San Diego, Beaches, and Sandals in the Caribbean. The Travel Show is heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com.  And now, here's the host of the Travel Show.

Patrick Wiscombe:  (Get Away Today - Internet Marketing Manager)
Welcome to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast.  My name is Patrick Wiscombe.  It’s Wednesday, January 16, 2008.  Thank you as always for tuning us in and taking us along wherever you’re listening today.  Coming up in the next few minutes, I’m going to put the Get Away Today Hotel spotlight on the Disneyland® Hotel.  Now we’ve featured the Disneyland® Hotel before, but never quite like this.  I’ve mentioned in previous podcasts that we’ve just gotten back from a business trip to the Anaheim area. While we were down there we were invited to take a guided tour of the Disneyland® Hotel.  Dave Lay, Senior Program Director for all of the Disneyland® Hotels, was our tour guide.  What you are going to listen to right now is a 12 minute in-depth tour of the hotel from the one person who knows the Disneyland® Hotel the best.

Guest Name: Dave Lay (Disneyland® Hotel – Senior Program Director)
Even though it is the very first Disney Hotel, it did open in 1955 the same year the Disneyland® Park opened.  Disneyland® Park opened in July, the hotel opened in October.  Walt basically used all of his money to open Disneyland® Park so he approached a good friend of his named Jack Rather. They met in the television industry because Jack also created family friendly television. He did The Lone Ranger, Lassie, and Sergeant Prestons of the Yukon.  Since they were in the same line of business they became good friends.  Walt said, “Hey, Jack, I got the land but just don’t have money to do the hotel.  I will lease you the land for 100 years and I will also lease you the Disneyland® name if you build and operate the hotel.”  And that is exactly what happened.  Then in the early 80’s, after Jack and his wife had passed away, the company was being run by other people and there were some concerns about the up-keep of the Hotel.  Disney went in and said, “We’re going to buy the entire Rather Corporation simply to gain ownership of this property.” We bought the Rather Corporation and secured this hotel as our own, and then we’ve sold off the all the remaining parts of the Rather Corporation that were of no interest to us. So from 1986 to current this Hotel has truly been ours.

So this is the main lobby and the main check in.  Over here is the Steak House 55 which is one of our fine dining.  It has primarily steak and a little bit of sea food. Hook’s point, also a fine dining restaurant, is heavier on the seafood and less on the steak.  Then this is Goofy’s Kitchen.  This is the premier character dining experience on the property.  Goofy’s Kitchen is very difficult to get into especially now that we do the 60 day out priority dining where guests can call 60 days out and book all of our dining arrangements. Ever since we started doing that, walk-ups are almost non-existent.  If you try to do a walk-up you will probably wait anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours to get in.  Please recommend to your guests that they take advantage of the 60 day Disney dining hot-line.  It’ll make a world of difference for them.

We are now kind of sandwiched between the two pool areas here at the Disneyland® Hotel.  To my right we have the Neverland Pool complex which is, unofficially, the family pool area.  That is where most families and the kids just choose to hang out. We have the area all themed to Neverland from the movie Peter Pan.  They can go up into the top of the misty mountains - that is where they catch the waterslide. The waterslide wraps through the misty mountains and dumps down into the lagoon. Captain Hook’s pirate ship is over there.  Ticktock the crocodile is over there. We have a little jet spa area that is themed to Mermaid Lagoon from the movie. It is highly themed, a lot of fun and the guests love it.

Bruce Stratford: (Get Away today – CFO)
On the pool facilities from the three hotels, do you have to stay at the hotel to use that pool?

Dave Lay: (Disneyland® Hotel – Senior Program Director)
There is no pool hoping at all.  You are limited to use the pool of the hotel you are staying at. The only time that changes is, let’s say for instance, you are staying at Disney’s Paradise Pier® Hotel and they are performing maintenance on their pool for some reason.  We would then make a determination about it and cut the guest’s key in such a way where they could go to a different hotel property and utilize their pool.  In normal, everyday usage, however, you have to use the pool that is at the hotel where you are staying and that is it.

Then on this side we have what is known as a “Coe-Four area.”  This is where we have a sandy beach, volley ball court, pool and jet spa. This is actually, kind of unofficially, the adult pool area. Kids can go over there and hang out if they want, but it really hasn’t evolved into that. Most of the adults just hang out over there.  It’s a little more quiet and relaxing.  Also in that green structure over there is where the Team Mickey workout facility is.  The guest laundry facility is located over there as well.  The QSR, or the Quick Service Restaurant, for this hotel is Crocks, Bits and Bites.

  I really like this hotel.  Considering that it is 53 years old, I think it is in really good condition and because of the year the hotel was built the hospitality industry standard room size was much, much larger than it is today so they have really good sized rooms. The Imaginears, when we gained ownership of this hotel, decided to really give it a true Disney identity.  Because it was named after the Disneyland® Park we thought it should be a natural extension to your Disneyland® Park experience. One of the easiest ways to do that is imagery of what you would normally see inside the park.  So for the art work we have copies of the original conceptual drawings that were done by the Imaginears for the various theme park attractions that you find inside Disneyland® Park. On the bed spread we have images of the attraction facades themselves; Main Street train station, the Haunted Mansion, the Mark Twain, the interior scene of Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Tea Cups are all here. The Imaginears also loved to pay special attention to the details.  The details are what really sets us a part as a company because this hotel is named after Walt Disney’s very first theme park and is really the only park in which he encountered or had anything to do with. It is very special to the history of our company.

Since this park is located in California the Imaginears wanted to acknowledge that. So here on the bed spread, intentionally designed into the image of the bed spread, are these flowers. Now these flowers are poppy flowers and they are the state flower of California.  So these are California poppies intentionally incorporated into the design of the bed spread because of the significance of California to the history of our company. Pay attention to the images that you see on the head board as well as the furniture piece you see over there. Those are very significant to the history of our company because these are images of the two conceptual drawings that were taken to the bankers by Roy Disney, Walt’s brother.  These two images are what sold the concept of Disneyland® Park and what was able to allow us to get funding for this property. The one that you see here is the image of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle.  It’s a very good example of how many times the conceptual drawing and the final product will look very similar, if not identical, to each other. The drawing over there is a good example of how many times the final product doesn’t look like the conceptual drawing when it’s finished. If you were to look closely at that drawing you would notice that the Castle in Fantasy Land is designed and set up very differently. Also, Adventure Land is located on the right side of the street as opposed to the left side of the street.  That’s originally how we were going to build the park, but when we started doing site preparation this whole area was encompassed by orange groves and walnut groves. In the walnut and orange groves, the grove operators would plant these huge rows of eucalyptus trees and fichus trees to serve as wind breaks from the severe Santa Ana winds to protect the fruit and the crops. As we were doing site excavation we noticed that there were very mature, developed row of eucalyptus trees and fichus trees and Walt Disney said not to tear them down. Walt said, “Let’s make some changes and flip-flop Adventure Land to the other side and use all those trees right there to be incorporated to be used in the Jungle attraction. That will instantly give the Jungle Cruise attraction a since of maturity and permanence like it’s been there for a long time.”  That is exactly what happened. If you go into Disneyland® Park today and you stand in Town Square and look back behind City Hall you will still see those same eucalyptus and fichus trees.  They have not been removed and they’re still strong and healthy and have been growing all of these years later.  There is just a little bit of Disney trivia for you.

I recommend guests staying in this hotel because as I said before, when these towers were built the hospitality industry standard room size was just much larger than it is today. Now days when someone builds a hotel you try to get as many rooms in as possible.  Back then the rooms were just bigger. Typically families want to stay on this property. This is really the property that caters to the families with kids running around and you need more space.  This is really the hotel that is great for accommodations for our families because the space is there. This hotel and the Disney’s Paradise Pier® Hotel do not have the third option, which is the queen bunk bed option. That is the only hotel, over there [Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa], that has it. Both the other two hotels just have the queen-queen and the king with a pull out sofa.

Do you know about the pixie dust in the room? If you notice, you see Tinker Bell is right over here and her pixie dust trail goes around the perimeter of the room. Depending on how long you have your room lights on or depending on how much sunshine is coming into the space during the day, this pixie dust receives a charge and then at night when you shut off the lights it glows. If it received a good charge during the day it’ll glow approximately 45 minutes before it fades out so it is a perfect way for the kids to go to sleep.  All the rooms were converted over to this room design mostly in 2000 and some in 2001 just before we opened Disney’s California Adventure® Park.  These rooms are basically going on close to seven or eight years.  It has been eight years we are now looking at what the next design going to be because we like to switch our designs out and refresh our rooms about every eight to nine years.

In front of each bank of elevators we have what is referred to as a “welcome rug.” In this “welcome rug” we have incorporated classic Disney design. When you first step out you will notice there is the cursive Disney D. In the four corners we have our Disney characters. Right here is Goofy: here is his eye and this is his nose and the black ball on his nose this is his hat and then this is his big ear.  Here is Pluto right here, facing me. This is the top of his head; this is his nose and his ear coming down. Donald should be around here somewhere.  Yep, here’s Donald.  I was just standing on him.   Here is his face, his up-top beak, his bottom beak, his hat, and the feather that comes off the top of the hat. Down here we have Minnie Mouse.  Minnie is facing you.  Here is her nose, her face, her ear, and her bow on the top of her head. Right here is Mickey: head, nose and his two ears.

This is our view.  It is a great place to watch fireworks and is also a good place when the storm moves out and when it clears you’ll be able to see our mountains covered in snow and they’ll be beautiful.  Everyone will want to go up and go skiing; it’s just a great place. If you look directly out to the Tower of Terror and just to the left of the Tower of Terror you will see kind of the red spike coming up, that is the red of the red “A” at Angle stadium. Then to the left, if you look through those power poles you kind of see a pink and green building with a big white roof. That’s the Honda Center, formally known as the Arrow Head Pond, which is home of the Mighty Ducks.

Patrick Wiscombe:  That’s Dave Lay the Senior Program Director for the Disneyland® Resort hotel. You’ll be able to hear more from Dave here in the next few days. Two quick reminders before we begin to wrap up: when you book your vacation or buy your attraction tickets on our web site, which is of course getawaytoday.com, use promotion code "podcast" when you check out so we can give you an additional $10.00 off your purchase.  Also, make sure you, your friends, and your family members are signed up for our free, last minute travel alerts.  All you need to do is go to getawaytoday.com and look for the last minute travel alerts sign-up box at the very top of the home page.  It’s really is the best way to save money and get great vacation deals for your next vacation.

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
You can book your Get Away Today vacation package right now by going to Get Away Today.com or calling one of our friendly reservation agents at (866) FUN-TRIP.  This has been the Get Away Today Travel Show Podcast heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com

--------------------END OF PODCAST TRANSCRIPT--------------------

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Hotel Spotlight: Anabella Hotel

The Anabella Hotel is an old California Spanish mission-style hotel contained within seven acres of lush, landscaped grounds. The property is located across the street from the Disneyland® Resort.  Their elegant décor is perfect for a romantic get away, but comfortable enough for a fun-filled family vacation.

WE MAKE IT EASY TO LISTEN:

Listening to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast is simple.  There are four different ways to do it: 

1. Just press the PLAY button.  (9:55)

2. If you have iTunes installed on your computer, click the small iTunes logo in this paragraph to connect to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast inside the iTunes store. Once you're there, click the 'SUBSCRIBE' button.  If you don't have iTunes installed on your computer, click here to download the software.  It's FREE!

3.  Download the audio.  To download, right-click on this MP3 File link.  Select the 'Save Target As' option to download the file.

4.  You can also visit our the Get Away Today podcast page to listen to the travel features we've produced for you.

--------------------START OF PODCAST TRANSCRIPT--------------------

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
Travel news you can use.  This is the Get Away Today.com Travel Show.  Get Away Today is a top provider of affordable, fun family vacations to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Hawaii, San Diego, Beaches, and Sandals in the Caribbean. The travel show is heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com.  And now, here's the host of the travel show.

Patrick Wiscombe:  (Get Away Today - Internet Marketing Manager)
Welcome to the Get Away Today Travel Show Podcast.  My name is Patrick Wiscombe.  Thank you as always for tuning us in and taking us along wherever you’re listening today.  Coming up in the next few minutes, I'm putting the Get Away Today hotel spotlight on the Anabella Hotel which is on the south end of the Disneyland Resort.  Just a quick reminder before we get started, when you book your vacation on our website, Get Away Today.com, make sure you use promotion code ‘podcast’ as you're checking out so we can give you an additional $10 off your vacation.  Kelly Guinn, Corporate Director of Sales and Marketing for the Anabella Hotel, is on the phone with me right now to talk about the property.  Kelly, thanks for being here.  Let’s talk about the types of rooms you offer.

Kelly Guinn:  (Anabella Hotel - Corporate Director of Sales and Marketing)
We have several room types.  Our first room type is our standard guest room that has two queen beds.  We also have our Casita suites.  The suites have two separate rooms but only sleep three travelers.  The Casita Suite are great for young couples or two people that like to have a little bit of privacy and space.  Our standard room has a queen bed and the back bedroom has a day bed.  We also offer concierge level rooms.  We have two buildings on the Anabella Hotel property dedicated to club level rooms.  The club level rooms are in an L shape.  They have a king bed and a double bed and at the end of the King bed.  It’s a small single sleeper sofa.  These rooms are ideal if you have five travelers in your party.  They also get continental breakfast, late checkout, and turn down service.  Each guest gets a robe and slippers.  Get Away Today guests get these extra services when they book the club rooms.  All of our guest rooms at the Anabella Hotel, regardless of the bedding options, will have the same amenities.

Patrick Wiscombe:  For Get Away Today guests that aren’t familiar with the Anabella Hotel, where is the hotel in relation to the Disneyland Resort theme parks?

Kelly Guinn:  The Anabella Hotel is on Katella Avenue.  There are three main streets near the Disneyland Resort.  Once street is called Katella Avenue and the other street is Harbor Blvd.  Disneyland Drive is on the west side of the park.  Those are the three main streets that surround the Disneyland Resort.  The Anabella Hotel sits on Katella Avenue so we face Disney's California Adventure Park.  We are directly across the street from the California Screamin’. That's the roller coaster inside Disney’s California Adverture Park that has the big Mickey Mouse ears.  During the peak season times, there’s a pedestrian entrance on the south end of the park so guests can walk across the street and go through the pedestrian entrance.  After they walk through the pedestrian entrance, they’ll walk another 100 feet or so and get on the Disneyland tram which is free.  The tram will take the guests to the Disneyland Resort esplanade.

Patrick Wiscombe:  So, Katella Avenue runs east and west, Harbor Boulevard runs north and south and is on the east side of the Disneyland Resort.  So, based on what you just told me, people don't need to go to the main Disneyland Resort entrance on Harbor Blvd.

Kelly Guinn:  That’s correct.  Guests staying at the Anabella Hotel that don't want to walk or drive, they can take the Anaheim Resort Transit System, or ART, to get to the Disneyland Resort.  Guests can ride the tram all day.  It's a nice way to get between the Anabella Hotel and the Disneyland Resort.  They can take the trolley over to the parks in the morning and come back during the day if they want to take a break.  They can take a nap, take a dip in the pool, freshen up, drop off the bags of souvenirs you’ll buy while you’re down here so you don't have to carry them around.  After you've taken your break, you can get back on the ART shuttle to go play at the Disneyland Resort parks for the rest of the day.  Let me share another secret with you.  When you come out of the Anabella Hotel you'll be facing north.  Turn left and go to Disneyland Drive.  Disneyland Drive runs north and south on the west side of the park.  When you get to the light, turn right and begin walking toward Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel and the Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel.  Many of the guests I talk with at the Anabella Hotel tell me they walk through the lobby of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel which puts them in Downtown Disney.  From there, they can make their way to the main gates of Disneyland Park and Disney's California Adventure Park.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Do you have a pool at the Anabella Hotel?

Kelly Guinn:  We have two pools.  One pool is for everybody staying at the Anabella Hotel.  We have another pool that’s specifically for adults.  The adult pool, for those ages 18 and up, is more like a lap pool.  Adjacent to the adult pool, we have our fitness area.

Patrick Wiscombe: Many Get Away Today guests drive to the Disneyland Resort.  Does the Anabella Hotel charge for parking?

Kelly Guinn:  No.  Parking is free for all Get Away Today guests.  That’s a great benefit which can save guests a lot of money.  However, if  a Get Away Today guest brings two cars, we will you charge the guest for the second car.  Think of it this way, one car per reserved room.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Let’s talk about food for a minute.  Does the Anabella Hotel have an on-site restaurant?

Kelly Guinn:  Yes.  We have our fabulous Tangerine Grill and Patio.  The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  They also provide room service to our guests.  The restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.  The restaurant features California cuisine.  We off a lot of tangerine flavored dishes with a tangerine sauce in certain salads and many of our meat dishes.  I'm told that people come from all over for our famous guacamole.  We have fabulous guacamole and salsa.  People simply love it.

Patrick Wiscombe:  What other restaurants are near the Anabella Hotel?

Kelly Guinn:  Coco’s is near the hotel.  It’s a family restaurant.  There's also another family restaurant down the street call Tiffy’s.  Tiffy’s is known for their homemade ice cream.  The Anaheim Garden Walk is near the hotel also.  It’s located on Harbor Boulevard which is on the east side of the hotel.  The Garden Walk houses restaurants, retail outlets, and new hotels.  We're really excited to have those new restaurants near the hotel.  In addition to the new Anaheim Garden Walk, guests can still go to Downtown Disney which also has a lot of restaurants.  So to answer your question, we have plenty of restaurants around the hotel.

Patrick Wiscombe:  How close is the new Anaheim Garden walk to the Anabella Hotel?  Did you say it was two blocks away from hotel?

Kelly Guinn:  When guests come out of the hotel, they’ll be facing north.  What they'll need to do is turn right and walk to Harbor Blvd. The Garden Walk is literally on the corner of Harbor Blvd. and Katella Avenue.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Who owns the Anaheim Garden Walk?  Is it owned by the Disney Company?

Kelly Guinn:  As far as I know, Disney has nothing to do with the new Garden Walk.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Do you offer guest laundry services?

Kelly Guinn:  Yes.  We have three or four coin operated washing machines and dryers.  We also sell detergent, fabric softner, and dryer sheets.  It’s a nice way to get your laundry washed before you go home or continue on to your next destination.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Many of our Get Away Today guests need to conduct business even though they’re still on vacation.  Do you offer internet access or a business center?

Kelly Guinn:  Yes, we have a business center.  The business center is $6 a day.  You’ll get your access key from our front desk.  The key is activated for 24 hours.  Guests can use the internet access in the business center.  We have a copier and fax machine.  If you don’t want to go the business center to use our internet access, we offer wired and wireless internet access throughout the entire property.  The internet access is $9.99 a day up to $24.99.  When a guest logs on, we ask them if they want internet access for one hour, one day, or for the entire week.  Our Internet access is not free, but we make it available to all Anabella Hotel guests.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Kelly, thank you for being part of the Get Away Today Travel Show Podcast.  That's Kelly Guinn, Corporate Director of Sales and Marketing for the Anabella Hotel, located on the south side of the Disneyland Resort.  Just a quick reminder before we conclude this podcast, when you book your vacation on our website, Get Away Today.com, make sure you use promotion code ‘podcast’ as you're checking out so we can give you an additional $10 off your vacation.

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
You can book your Get Away Today Vacation right now by going to Get Away Today .com, or calling one of our friendly reservation agents at (866) FUN-TRIP.  This has been the Get Away Today Travel Show Podcast, heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com

--------------------END OF PODCAST TRANSCRIPT--------------------

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Hotel Spotlight: Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn (Universal Studios Hollywood)

Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn at Universal Studios Hollywood is the ideal hotel from which to explore all that Los Angeles has to offer! Enjoy the excitement of Hollywood's Walk of Fame, Universal Studios Hollywood, City Walk, Dodger Stadium, Disney Studios, Warner Brothers Studios, Beverly Hills, and many more attractions just minutes from the hotel.

WE MAKE IT EASY TO LISTEN:

Listening to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast is simple.  There are four different ways to do it: 

1. Just press the PLAY button.  (8:52)

  2.  If you have iTunes installed on your computer, click the small iTunes logo in this paragraph to connect to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast inside the iTunes store. Once you're there, click the 'SUBSCRIBE' button.  If you don't have iTunes installed on your computer, click here to download the software.  It's FREE!

3.  Download the audio.  To download, right-click on this MP3 File link.  Select the 'Save Target As' option to download the file.

4.  You can also visit our the Get Away Today podcast page to listen to the travel features we've produced for you.

--------------------START OF PODCAST TRANSCRIPT--------------------

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
Travel news you can use.  This is the Get Away Today.com Travel Show.  Get Away Today is a top provider of affordable, fun family vacations to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Hawaii, San Diego, Beaches, and Sandals in the Caribbean. The travel show is heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com.  And now, here's the host of the travel show.

Patrick Wiscombe:  (Get Away Today - Internet Marketing Manager)
It’s Friday, welcome to the Get Away Today Travel Show Podcast. My name is Patrick Wiscombe; thank you for tuning us in and taking us along wherever you’re listening today.  Coming up in the next few minutes, I’m putting the Get Away Today hotel spotlight on the Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn at Universal Studios Hollywood.  Yeah, that's a mouthful.  We’ll also going to give you an additional $10 off your vacation if you book it on our website, Get Away Today.com.  Use promotion code ‘podcast’ as you’re checking out to get the discount.  Stella Pack, Sales Director for Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn is in the Get Away Today studio with me right now.  Why is the name Beverly Garland so familiar?

Stella Pack: (Beverly Garland's Holiday Inn – Sales Director)
Most people will remember her as the mother in the television show “My Three Sons.”  She owns the hotel and purchased the land from Gene Autry.  The hotel sits on seven acres in the North Hollywood area and has 255 rooms.

Patrick Wiscombe:  You’re near Universal Studios Hollywood.  If you love movies or television, you’ll definitely enjoy Universal Studios Hollywood.  How did you get involved with the hotel?

Stella Pack:  I have been with the Holiday Inn brand for a long time, almost ten years.  Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn is one of the properties I wanted to work at because it’s different than other Holiday Inn hotels.  So, when I got the opportunity, I took it.

Patrick Wiscombe:  How close is the hotel to Universal Studios Hollywood?

Stella Pack:  Were about a half mile away.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Oh, so your pretty close.

Stella Pack:  If you could roll down the hill from Universal Studios Hollywood, were right there.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Tell us about your hotel.

Stella Pack:  Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn is spread out.  It covers 7 acres of land.  We have a comfortable small lobby.  As you enter the hotel, you’ll see the front desk and a mural of the Hollywood area that was created by Miss Beverly Garland.  You’ll see posters of her movies throughout the entire property.  We offer two queen size beds or one king size bed in the suites.  We renovated all the suites, it’s awesome.  The new room smell is great because it’s like the new car smell.   

Patrick Wiscombe:   That’s a good smell.

Stella Pack:  Yes it is.  It’s the most expensive smell you can buy.  [Laughter]  We have changed all of the mattresses in the rooms because our beloved Miss Beverly Garland stayed at a Hilton hotel and slept on one of the their pillow top mattresses and thought we needed to have them at our hotel.  So, we just got new pillow top mattresses in all of our rooms and we’ve converted our full size beds to queen size beds.

Patrick Wiscombe:  So, you only have queen and king size beds?

Stella Pack:  Yes.  We also offer 5 kid suites and 2 deluxe kid suites at Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn.  Each room can sleep up to six people.  When families go on vacation, family members need room so we have a little area where the families can play games.  We’ve also put microwaves and refrigerators in our guest rooms.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Well, it sounds like you’ve got it covered.

Stella Pack:  Yeah, we try hard.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Let’s talk about some of the standard Holiday Inn amenities.  Let’s go down the list so people know what to expect when they arrive at Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn.

Stella Pack:  Well, each room has little mini size bottles of shampoo, conditioners, lotion, and plenty of towels.  If you forgot your toothbrush or toothpaste, we will them available at the front desk or we can deliver them to your room.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Just before we started recording this podcast, you were talking about a pillow menu.  I’ve never heard of a pillow menu.

Stella Pack:  We have about four types of pillows.  Our standard pillow is in the room and has a medium firmness.  That’s the standard for all the Holiday Inn hotels, but not every human being is standard [laughter] so we have different types of pillows.  We have a feathered pillow to a very firm pillow.  Housekeeping and bell service employees will gladly deliver the type of pillow you need to your room.

Patrick Wiscombe:  What else do you offer?

Stella Pack:  We have a tennis court.  Rackets are available in the gift shop.  All you need to do is give us your room key.  The new fitness center is next to the pool.  More and more people want to exercise while they’re on vacation so we wanted to make sure we met those needs.  Our exercise room is 1,200 square feet.  The pool is 80 degrees at all times and is near the sauna.  We serve a breakfast buffet every morning from 7 am to 11 am.  We’ve also renovated our splash bar and installed really nice leather seats, another good smell. [Laughter]

Patrick Wiscombe:  I was reading that kids 12 and under eat free with a paying adult, is that right?

Stella Pack:  Definitely, that’s another standard benefit at all Holiday Inn hotels.  The Holiday Inn brand is very family friendly.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Since you’re so close to Universal Studios Hollywood, let’s talk about transportation.   I’m assuming you offer some kind of transportation to and from Universal Studios Hollywood.

Stella Pack:  Of course.  We offer shuttle service to and from Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Metro Link which is the Los Angeles subway system.  A shuttle service schedule is available at the front desk.  We also stop at the Metro Link which is like a subway in the Los Angeles and is one stop away from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  It’s very convenient so our guests don’t need to pay for parking or deal with any traffic. 

Patrick Wiscombe:  Stella thanks for coming in.  That’s Stella Pack, Sales Director for Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn.  Just a quick reminder as we start to wrap up, when you book your vacation on our website, Get Away Today.com, remember to use the promotion code ‘podcast’ as your checking out and we'll give you an additional $10 off your vacation.

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
You can book your Get Away Today Vacation right now by going to Get Away Today .com, or calling one of our friendly reservation agents at (866) FUN-TRIP.  This has been the Get Away Today Travel Show Podcast, heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com

Hotel Spotlight: Peacock Suites

In this episode of the Get Away Today Travel Show, we put the Get Away Today hotel spotlight on the Peacock Suites.  They just completed a full renovation of the entire hotel.  The suites can accommodate between 1 - 8 guests and they offer a free breakfast every morning.  The Peacock Suites is also within walking distance of the Disneyland Resort.

WE MAKE IT EASY TO LISTEN: 

Listening to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast is simple.  There are four different ways to do it: 

1. Just press the PLAY button.  (6:28)

  2.  If you have iTunes installed on your computer, click the small iTunes logo right here in this paragraph to connect to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast inside the iTunes store. Once you're there, click the 'SUBSCRIBE' button.  If you don't have iTunes installed on your computer, click here to download the software.  It's FREE!

3.  Download the audio.  To download, right-click on this MP3 FILE link.  Select the 'Save Target As' option to download the file.

4.  You can also visit our the Get Away Today podcast page to listen to the travel features we've produced for you.

--------------------START OF PODCAST TRANSCRIPT--------------------

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
Travel news you can use.  This is the Get Away Today.com Travel Show.  Get Away Today is a top provider of affordable, fun family vacations to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Hawaii, San Diego, Beaches, and Sandals in the Caribbean. The travel show is heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com.  And now, here's the host of the travel show.

Patrick Wiscombe:  (Get Away Today - Internet Marketing Manager)
This is the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast.  My name is Patrick Wiscombe; thank you for tuning us in and taking us along wherever you're listening today.  Coming up in the next few minutes, I'm going to put the Get Away Today hotel spotlight on the Peacock Suites located near the Disneyland Resort.  They just renovated the entire property, so everything is new.  They have a two room suite that can accommodate up to eight people, a huge benefit for families.  The Peacock Suites also offers a free continental breakfast each morning.  Just a quick reminder before we get started, when you book your vacation on our website, Get Away Today.com, make sure you use promotion code ‘podcast’ as you're checking out so we can give you an additional $10 off your vacation.  Tina Jurkowski, Sales Manager for Peacock Suites, is in the Get Away Today studio with me right now to talk about the property.  Where would you like to start?

Tina Jurkowski:  (Peacock Suites - Sales Manager)
Our hotel, Peacock Suites, was completely renovated last year so everything is new.  We have flat screen televisions in each of the suites and there’s a DVD player on each television.  Lots of families travel with movies so the DVD players make it convenient for the family to watch movies.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Do you have the regular DVD players or did you purchase the blu-ray or HD-DVD players?

Tina Jurkowski:  We offer the regular DVD players.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Before we started recording this podcast, you were telling me that Peacock Suites offers a free breakfast for all Get Away Today guests.  That's a huge benefit for any family.

Tina Jurkowski:  Yes, it’s a major benefit for any size family, especially for large families.  We offer a free continental breakfast for Get Away Today guests.  Breakfast is served starting at 7 a.m. and runs until 10 a.m.  It’s a great way to get the day started.  The continental breakfast includes breakfast cereal, toast, juice, milk, coffee, Danish, donuts, hard-boiled eggs, and oatmeal.

Patrick Wiscombe:  How far is Peacock Suites from the Disneyland Resort?

Tina Jurkowski:  Peacock Suites is only a 15 to 20 minutes walk away from the Disneyland main entrance, so it's within walking distance but we also offer the Anaheim Resort Transit trolley for guests who would rather take a shuttle.  The trolley will pick you up right in front of the Peacock Suites.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Let's talk about the Anaheim Resort Transit trolley's.

Tina Jurkowski:  ART stands for Anaheim Resort Transit.  It’s a trolley system that picks up guests at all of the hotels then drops you off at the Disneyland Resort main entrance.  After you get off the trolley, all you need to do is pick up your tickets at one of the ticket windows or go to the turnstile if you already have your tickets.

Patrick Wiscombe:  I was looking at your list of accommodations at Peacock Suites, you have 1, 2, and 3 bedroom suites and your rooms can accommodate up to eight people.

Tina Jurkowski:  That's right.  Our suites can sleep between six and eight people and Get Away Today guests can book our suites on your website, Get Away Today.com.  If your family has more than eight people, contact Get Away Today at (866) FUN-TRIP and one of your reservation agents can call us to see if those larger size suites are available.  Most of the time they are.

Patrick Wiscombe:  So the single suites can be booked on our website, Get Away Today.com, and if yo need a two room suite, guests need to call our toll-free number (866) FUN-TRIP.  Is that right?

Tina Jurkowski:  Yes, that's right.

Patrick Wiscombe:  No vacation is complete without a swimming pool.  I'm assuming you have a pool.

Tina Jurkowksi:  Yes, we do have a swimming pool.  We have an outdoor pool and we also have two jacuzzis.  We also have a sundeck on our fourth floor if you want to sunbathe.  Get Away Today guests will have a great view of the Anaheim area up there.  We also have a radio on the fourth floor so you can listen to music.  Oh yeah, we have misters as well.

Patrick Wiscombe:  What is a mister?

Tina Jurkowski:  It's a water system that sprays a light mist of water on you.  It's a way to keep our guests cool on a hot day.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Do you offer Internet access at the Peacock Suites?

Tina Jurkowski:  Yes, we have Internet access at the Peacock Suites.  There is a fee for it, but we offer wired and wireless internet access throughout the property.

Patrick Wiscombe:  You were talking about the fitness room just before we started recording this podcast.  Let’s talk about the fitness room.

Tina Jurkowski:  We have a fitness center at the Peacock Suites.  It has all new equipment like a stairmaster and treadmill.  We also have a weight machine.  The fitness center has been completely remodeled in the last year.

Patrick Wiscombe:  I’m looking at a picture of the rooms at Peacock Suites.  Do you have king size beds?

Tina Jurkowski:  Yes, we do.  The majority of our suites are one-bedroom suites that have two queen size beds and a queen size pullout sofa sleeper.  Those rooms can sleep up to six people.  W also have a king size bed and a queen size pullout sofa that can sleep up to four people.  We don't have rollaway beds.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Most hotels have at least one television in the room, but you have two televisions in each room.

Tina Jurkowski:  We have flat screen televisions in each of the rooms.  All of the television sets are new.  When we completed the renovation, we decided to put flat screen TV’s in each of the rooms.  All of the bedrooms have a 27 or 29 inch flat screen TV and a regular DVD player which we talked about at the beginning of the podcast.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Do you have an onsite restaurant at the Peacock Suites? 

Tina Jurkowski:  No, we don’t have an on-site restaurant.  However, there's a new complex being constructed right now called the Garden Walk which will have lots of restaurants.  It’s one block away so it’s close.  I really hope that Get Away Today guests will consider staying with us at the Peacock Suites.  We love working with Get Away Today and the guests you send us.  I hope this information will assist you when you come to the Disneyland Resort.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Tina, thank you for coming to Get Away Today.  That's Tina Jurkowski, Sales Manager for the Peacock Suites.  Just a quick reminder before we wrap up, while you're booking your Disneyland Resort vacation on our website, Get Away Today.com, remember to use promotion code ‘podcast’ as you're checking out so we can give you an additional $10 off your vacation just for listening.

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
You can book your Get Away Today vacation package right now by going to Get Away Today.com or calling one of our friendly reservation agents at         1-866-FUN-TRIP       .  This has been the Get Away Today Travel Show Podcast heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com

Hotel Spotlight: Desert Palms Hotel & Suites

The Desert Palms Hotel & Suites is situated in the heart of the Disneyland Resort area.  The property opened in 2004 and is located next to Disneyland Resort.  If you would like to learn more about the Desert Palms Hotel & Suites, please take a few minutes and listen to the Get Away Today Travel Show Podcast with Patrick Wiscombe and Marie Enriquez, the Sales and Marketing Manager for the hotel.  We've also provided a transcript of our conversation for your convenience.

WE MAKE IT EASY TO LISTEN: 

Listening to the Get Away Today Travel Show is simple.  There are four different ways to do it: 

1. Just press the PLAY button.  (5:40)

2.  If you have iTunes installed on your computer, click the small iTunes logo right here in this paragraph to connect to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast inside the iTunes store. Once you're there, click the 'SUBSCRIBE' button.  If you don't have iTunes installed on your computer, click here to download the software.  It's FREE!

3.  Download the audio.  To download, right-click on this MP3 FILE link.  Select the 'Save Target As' option to download the file.

4.  You can also visit the Get Away Today podcast page and listen to all of the travel features we've produced for you.

--------------------START OF PODCAST TRANSCRIPT--------------------

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
Travel news you can use.  This is the Get Away Today.com Travel Show.  Get Away Today is a top provider of affordable, fun family vacations to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Hawaii, San Diego, Beaches, and Sandals in the Caribbean. The Travel Show is heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com.  And now, here's the host of the Travel Show.

Patrick Wiscombe:  (Get Away Today - Internet Marketing Manager)
Welcome to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast.  My name is Patrick Wiscombe.  Thank you for tuning us in and taking us along wherever you're listening today.  Just a quick reminder before we get started, when you book your vacation on our website, Get Away Today.com, be sure to use promotion code ‘podcast’ as you're checking out so we can give you an additional $10 off your vacation.  Coming up in the next few minutes, I'm putting the Get Away Today hotel spotlight on the Desert Palms Hotel and Suites.  Marie Enriquez is in the Get Away Today studio right now to talk about the property.  It's good to have you here. 

Marie Enriquez:  (Desert Palms Hotel and Suites  - Sales and Marketing Manager)
Thank you for inviting me.  The Deseret Palms Hotel and Suites is located next to the Disneyland Resort.  It's about 200 yards from the south entrance.

Patrick Wiscombe:   So, you’re that close?

Marie Enriquez:  It’s very close.  We also offer the Anaheim Resort Transit which picks guests up right in front of the hotel.  We're right on the corner of Harbor Blvd. and Katella Avenue.  Most people don’t know there’s an entrance on the south side of the Disneyland Resort.  That south side entrance is about 200 yards from our hotel.  The entrance is located on Katella Avenue, which runs east and west on the southeast side of the resort.  During the summertime, the entrance is open for guests.  When they enter the Disneyland Resort south entrance, they’ll take Disney's transit system to the Downtown Disney area.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Let’s talk about the rooms.

Marie Enriquez:  The Desert Palms Hotel and Suites is a unique property in the Anaheim area.  We have eight different suites.  We have Mojave Mini Suites that can accommodate up to six people.  We have kid suites that have bunk beds.  The Yuha Kid Suites can accommodate six people.  We also have suites that have four queen beds.  Those rooms can also accommodate up to eight people.

Patrick Wiscombe:  So, basically you can accommodate any party between two and eight people.

Marie Enriquez:  Yes.  Aside from the eight different types of suites, we also have four different honeymoon suites.  For couples, we have a Jacuzzi available for them as well.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Inside the rooms obviously.  They're not outside in the hallway.

Marie Enriquez:  They are definitely inside the room.  [Laughter]

Patrick Wiscombe:  How many rooms do you have?

Marie Enriquez:  We have 188 rooms.  All of the rooms are non-smoking rooms.

Patrick Wiscombe:  If one of our Get Away Today customers has special needs, I'm assuming you can accommodate their needs?

Marie Enriquez:  Yes.  We have a total of eight handicap rooms.  Six of those rooms have handicap accessible showers and two of the rooms have roll-in showers.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Many Get Away Today guests drive to the Disneyland Resort area.  Do you charge for parking?

Marie Enriquez:  No, we don't charge for parking.  We offer free parking.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Do you have a pool?

Marie Enriquez:  We have an outdoor pool that's heated year-round.  The Jacuzzi  is next to the pool.

Patrick Wiscombe:  If Get Away Today guests want to work out while they're on the road, does the Deseret Palms Hotel and Suites have a workout facility?

Marie Enriquez:  Yes, we have a fitness center inside the hotel.  Let me talk about our rooms again for just a minute.  We have a refrigerators, coffee makers, iron and ironing boards, high speed Internet access, voicemail, hair dryers, alarm clock radios, in-room safes, as well as cable TV.  We also have pay-per-view movies and the Disney Channel.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Do you charge for your Internet access?

Marie Enriquez:  Yes, we charge for our high speed Internet access.  It's $9.95 per day.  We offer wired and wireless access throughout the property.

Patrick Wiscombe: Let’s talk about food for just a minute.

Marie Enriquez:  The Desert Palms Hotel & Suites has so many different dining options.  We offer free continental breakfast every morning.  Aside from that, Quiznos is on-site as well as the Sandbox Bar and Grill which is open for breakfast lunch and dinner.  There are two convenience stores nearby.  The first convenience store is 7-11 and a second convenience store is ABC where you can stock up on your snacks for your kids.

Patrick Wiscombe:  By the way, thanks for lunch.  No wonder we had Quiznos for lunch today.  You probably have a Quiznos sandwich every day.

Marie Enriquez: you're welcome.  Yes, I have a Quiznos sandwich almost every day.

Patrick Wiscombe:  We’ve already talked about the accommodations inside each of the rooms, but let's talk about the different suite types. 

Marie Enriquez:  The Desert Palm Hotel and Suites is a desert themed hotel.  We named all of the suites after the deserts of the world.  One of the suites inside our hotel is called the Borrego suite.  That suite has two queen beds and a sunken living room with a pullout sofa sleeper.  The Borrego suite can accommodate up to six people.  We have two televisions in that room, a refrigerator, and a microwave.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Most hotels definitely don’t have a sunken living room.  What a unique feature.

Marie Enriquez:  It's something very unique to the Anaheim area.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Yeah, but it's pretty cool.

Patrick Wiscombe:  You're talking about the desert themed rooms; I'm assuming that the heat is not included.

Marie Enriquez:  No, heat is not included.  [Laughter]  Each room has an air conditioning unit. 

Patrick Wiscombe:  Let's talk about the Sahara Suite for a minute.

Marie Enriquez:  The Sahara Suite is also a very unique hotel room in the Anaheim area.  It has a full living room with a pullout sofa bed; it has a bedroom with two queen beds and a full kitchen.

Patrick Wiscombe:  I'm assuming all of your rooms have the same amenities.  Is that correct?

Marie Enriquez:  Yes, that’s correct.

Patrick Wiscombe:  So, Get Away Today guests can choose the type of room they want to have while they're on vacation.

Marie Enriquez:  Yes.  Our kid suites have two queen beds, bunk beds, and a pullout sofa bed.  Our kid suites also have a king size bed in addition to the bunk beds

Patrick Wiscombe:  That's Marie Enriquez, the Sales and Marketing Manager for the Desert Palms Hotel and Suites.  The property is located on the corner of Harbor Blvd. and Katella Avenue.  Those two streets intersect on the southeast corner of the Disneyland Resort.  Just a quick reminder as we begin to wrap up, if you book your vacation on our website, Get Away Today.com, make sure you use promotion code ‘podcast’ as you're checking out so we can give you an additional $10 off your vacation.

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
You can book your Get Away Today vacation package right now by going to Get Away Today.com or calling one of our friendly reservation agents at 1-866-FUN-TRIP.  This has been the Get Away Today Travel Show Podcast heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com

--------------------END OF PODCAST TRANSCRIPT--------------------

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EXCLUSIVE: The New Finding Nemo Ride at Disneyland

In this episode of the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast, we give listeners an EXCLUSIVE preview of the new Finding Nemo submarine ride at the Disneyland Resort. If you haven't been able to visit Disneyland this summer and wondered if you should go experience the ride, the answer is an enthusiastic YES! 

WE MAKE IT EASY TO LISTEN: 

Listening to the Get Away Today Travel Show Podcast is simple.  There are four different ways to do it: 

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--------------------START OF PODCAST TRANSCRIPT--------------------

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
Travel news you can use.  This is the Get Away Today.com Travel Show.  Get Away Today is a top provider of affordable, fun family vacations to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Hawaii, San Diego, Beaches, and Sandals in the Caribbean. The Travel Show is heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com.  And now, here's the host of the Travel Show.

Patrick Wiscombe:  (Get Away Today - Internet Marketing Manager)
Welcome to the Get Away Today Travel Show podcast.  My name is Patrick Wiscombe; I’m the Internet Marketing Manager for the Get Away Today website and blog.  Coming up in the next few minutes, we’re going to be talking about the new Finding Nemo ride at Disneyland.  I invited Shari Butler, our amazing graphic designer here at Get Away Today, to talk with her about her experience on the brand new Finding Nemo ride which opened on June 11, 2007.  She was lucky enough to be one of the very first people to ride the new attraction at Disneyland.  So, if you haven’t been able to get down to Disneyland yet and you’re wondering what the ride is like, let’s take you to Disneyland right now.  I started my conversation with Shari by asking her when she went on the ride.

Shari Butler:  (Get Away Today - Graphic Designer)
We got to go on Finding Nemo before it opened to the general public.  I have never gone on the submarine ride before.  We didn’t really have a line.  Once we were inside the Finding Nemo subs, we sat in the seats.  The seats are small so you have to scrunch up a little bit if you’re an adult to see out the window.  What I’m told is that the subs still have the old feeling but they’ve updated the look.  You feel like you’re going underneath the water when all of a sudden you hear, “Where’s Nemo?”  As we were going through the ride, you see Bruce the Shark.  He scared me.  You would think that as an adult it wouldn’t scare me, but it did.  All of a sudden you hear Dori snoring away and you go into the jellyfish. It’s amazing how visually appealing the ride is; the colors are vibrant and beautiful.  The ride is 15 to 17 minutes long.  You’ll stand in line for a while but it’s worth the wait.  Your kids will love it and you’ll love it as well.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Another person that works here at Get Away Today was in Disneyland with you.  He told me the ride was divided up into three sections.  You have the beginning of the ride, because you are at the front of the submarine, then you have the middle section, which you were talking about, and the tail section.

Shari Butler:  He’s right.  Because I was in the middle section, we weren’t able to see Nemo and the father reuniting at the beginning but we were able to see them reunite a little bit later.

Patrick Wiscombe:  When you stop and think about it, the Disney Imagineers had to figure out how to engineer this ride into the three different segments even though everyone is on the same submarine.  Everyone has a different experience.  Those who sat at the front of the sub had a different experience.  The people in the middle have a different experience because the audio is timed differently, and then those in the back have different audio.

Shari Butler:  It’s a unique experience and that’s the genius of the Finding Nemo ride.  The Imagineers are amazing at what they do because you have the scary factor at the beginning of the ride, then you have the entire story line, but you get the whole feel of the ride. Then, for those who have special needs, they are able to go into a room where the entire Finding Nemo ride is on a plasma screen.  Those individuals can experience the entire ride without having to get inside the submarine.

Patrick Wiscombe:  That’s cool.

Patrick Wiscombe:  I was inside Disneyland on June 9, 2007.  Disneyland was having the cast party so the employees could go on the Finding Nemo ride.  So, I went up to one of the Disneyland cast members and asked if I could go on the ride.  She was going to say yes before she realized the park was going to close in 20 minutes.  I didn’t get on the ride. 

Shari Butler:  Well, you’re going to have to go again so you can ride it.  We were there after the celebrity party concluded so we walked the red carpet and went to the media party.  We were able to experience Finding Nemo like the celebrities did.  It was so fun to go on the ride.  The graphics were great.  I was very impressed what Disney has done with the new ride.  My husband was able to go with me to the party.  He loved it.  He said kids would love riding Finding Nemo.  He also said that parents need to take them to Disneyland just so they could experience the ride.  He said that kids had a sparkle in their eye when they saw Nemo.  It’s really amazing that Pixar and Disneyland were able to bring this unique ride back.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Wasn’t Disneyland going to pave over the lagoon at one point?

Shari Butler:  Yes.  They were going to pave it over but they decided to make the Finding Nemo ride.  I think this ride goes hand-in-hand with the movie.  They used the original subs.

Patrick Wiscombe:  So, those were the original subs?

Shari Butler:  Yes, and they were the original seats.

Patrick Wiscombe:  As I was watching the Finding Nemo ride go around the lagoon, I noticed the subs stay on the surface.

Shari Butler:  You stay on the surface but you feel like you’re going down into the water.  When the ride begins, its light inside the sub.  Then, all of a sudden, it gets darker and you feel like you’re in the ocean.  I actually talked with a guy named Tom who was the head designer of the Finding Nemo ride.  He said this project was fun for him because he was one of the people who helped build the original submarine ride.

Patrick Wiscombe:  So, he was one of the original Imagineers?

Shari Butler:  Yes.  He used to run the submarines in DisneyWorld.  He was able to help bring the submarines to Disneyland.  He said that it was the kind of ride that could help educate kids about the ocean.  Kids would be able to learn about different species of fish, jellyfish, and sharks.  I don’t like sharks.

Patrick Wiscombe:  So, I guess you’re not a big fan of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week?

Shari Butler:  No, I’m not.

Patrick Wiscombe:  You mentioned that you talked to Tom, one of the original Imagineers.   What did he say that surprised you?

Shari Butler:  The original scuba diver is still there.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Oh that’s right!  I remember seeing the original scuba diver years ago.  I was a little kid.

Shari Butler:  So you’ve got the scuba diver, there’s some treasure chests.  They’ve obviously updated the look and feel.  They have more hidden Mickey’s in the ride than they did before.  But I can’t give you all of the secrets, Patrick.  People will need to go and experience the ride for themselves.

Patrick Wiscombe:  What did he say about coming back to the ride?

Shari Butler:  He says he has a different experience every time he rides it.  It’s never boring to him.

Patrick Wiscombe:  This is coming from the guy that actually designed it.

Shari Butler:  Yes.  He feels the ride is different every time you ride it.  It’s not really different so much as a different experience.  With the old ride, it was always the same experience.  The new Finding Nemo ride is broken up into three segments but you’re going to find something new every time.

Patrick Wiscombe:  What surprised you during the ride?

Shari Butler:  I didn’t expect the jellyfish.  They way they were designed was really cool.  I can’t really explain why.  I went on the ride once and I definitely want to go back.  The shark scared me to death. I was in the front of the submarine.  Unlike the movie where you’re expecting them, they just scare you.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Does Bruce the Shark talk to you?

Shari Butler:  Yes, he talks to you and it looks like he’s going to eat you.

Patrick Wiscombe:  I thought one of the most hilarious parts of the whole movie was where the seagulls say, “Mine, mine, mine, mine.”  Once you hear that, it’s the only thing you hear in the movie theatre.  I noticed there are three seagulls sitting on a buoy in the Disneyland lagoon.

Shari Butler:  Yeah, I forgot about that.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Yeah, but it’s not overly annoying.

Shari Butler:  No, it’s not overly annoying.  The way they created the Finding Nemo ride is simply amazing.  You don’t get annoyed by anything.

Patrick Wiscombe:  The other thing that was kind of interesting about this ride is that all of the underwater rock-work is actually recycled glass.  More than 30 tons of recycled glass was used to create the colored scenery.  If you’re over by the Matterhorn looking into the lagoon, you can see all of the colors.

Shari Butler:  That’s correct. In fact, all of the colors on the ride are custom colors just for Disneyland. The starfish and the little seashells you see during the ride are the originals.  They just updated them. Every ride you see at the Disneyland Resort, if they had a ride there before, there is always something recycled from the ride.  If there is one ride that I would go to Disneyland for this year I would go see Finding Nemo.

Patrick Wiscombe:  Just a quick reminder, anyone who purchases their 3-Day or longer Disneyland tickets through Get Away Today, you automatically receive two early entries which is a Get Away Today exclusive offer.  You won’t find this offer for any other travel company.  The two early entries can be used on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday.  The Finding Nemo ride is open during our two early entry morning so we strongly suggest you use you’re a portion of your early entry time to get on the Finding Nemo ride, that way you won’t need to wait in the incredibly long lines.

Todd Carlson:  (Announcer)
You can book your Get Away Today vacation package right now by going to Get Away Today.com or calling one of our friendly reservation agents by calling (866) FUN TRIP.  This has been the Get Away Today Travel Show Podcast heard exclusively on Get Away Today.com.

--------------------END OF PODCAST TRANSCRIPT--------------------

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