#800

by Debra Martin Koma
AllEars® Senior Editor

Feature Article

This article appeared in the January 20, 2015 Issue #800 of ALL EARS® (ISSN: 1533-0753)

Yes, you're reading that right — this is issue number 800 of the AllEars® weekly newsletter.

I can't imagine it, can you? It hardly seems possible that 800 weeks — 800! — have passed since we published the first AllEars® on September 19, 1999, with just a few paragraphs about the debut of Walt Disney World's Millennium Celebration openings.

As we are prone to do every time we reach a double-zero milestone, we'd like to take a few paragraphs to pause and reflect on where we've been and how we got here. It's very fitting that this milestone should occur in January, at the start of a brand new year, as we are also anticipating where we're headed.

Back in issue #700, I wrote about the growth of social media, and pondered whether it was making this newsletter obsolete. But 100 issues later, with our subscriber base consistently growing, I think it's clear that it is not. We seem to be as in-demand as ever! This of course makes us very happy, as all of us involved here are still enthusiastic about our role as provider of Walt Disney World information, and also information about the rest of the ever-expanding Disney Universe. We are eager to continue our journey of both informing and entertaining you, while attempting to sprinkle you with a little pixie dust along the way.

Over the past 100 issues, this newsletter has featured in-depth looks at some of Walt Disney World's major annual events, such as the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival and the Food and Wine Festival. It's also run a series of historical features — Jim Korkis' insightful "Walt Disney World Chronicles." We've shared numerous first-hand experiences from those who have visited Walt Disney World, but beyond that, we've had reports from vacationers on the Disney Cruise Line and even those who have ventured further afield, to the Disney Parks in France and even Asia!

We know that, like us, many of you are serious vacation-planners, and so we have tried to look at the planning process from a variety of angles, representing a variety of interests, such as planning from a solo traveler's perspective and planning a vacation when running in a Disney race. We also have tried to reflect the experiences of the many different demographics found in our subscriber base, from seniors to young adults, from travelers without children to parents with young children and multi-generational families. We strive to be a resource that helps ALL Disney trip-planners, no matter what their individual needs and interests are.

Also, in the course of the last 100 issues an amazing thing happened — we turned 15 (in September 2014)! So many of you were kind enough to share your thoughts on our anniversary and offered congratulations that were very much appreciated:

"Thank you for a wonderful newsletter, I read it faithfully every week. It always helps us with our trips to Walt Disney World."

"I would like to thank you and your staff for 15 years of a great newsletter. I enjoy reading it every week with all the great news and updates. I use your newsletter every time I plan my trip to Disney World."

"I just wanted to take a minute and thank you for the weekly dose of sunshine, via your AllEars® newsletter and website. I've been receiving it, and before that, Deb's Disney Digest, since 1997 or so… "

That's just a sample of the mail we've received, and I have to say it's pretty humbling. To think that you may have been reading what we've been writing for 15 years is amazing, not to mention a bit daunting. We really hope we've earned your confidence in us!

So… where do we go from here?

We don't want to stagnate or rest on our laurels, so we are always searching for new ways to be ever-more useful to you. We're developing new featurette ideas, and have an editorial calendar planned that we hope will offer you entertaining and enlightening stories, tips and advice, to help you derive the biggest "bang" from your Disney vacation bucks. Watch for more details on Disney's newest projects, like so-called "Avatarland" in Animal Kingdom, changes at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and the construction at Downtown Disney — I mean, Disney Springs! We'll also be taking closer looks at other Disney vacation tools, like FastPass+, MagicBands and the Disney Dining Plan. Wherever Disney goes as it keeps evolving and forging ahead in new directions, we intend to follow and bring you all along for the ride with us! And if you ever have any suggestions or comments, we encourage you to please send them along.

Because this issue marks a such an auspicious occasion, we want to take some time to let everyone responsible for helping to produce this newsletter know how much we appreciate them. Some of these names you'll know from the AllEars.Net website, but some work quietly behind-the-scenes. They deserve a special mention, as well.

First, thanks to all of our regular feature and featurette writers: Disney Historian Jim Korkis, Kristin Ford, Alice McNutt Miller, and Hidden Mickey Guy Steve Barrett, as well as our friends at Disney Food Blog and DVC News, who supply us regularly with tidbits of information we might not otherwise hear. We also want to acknowledge our many guest columnists, readers who are generous enough to share their stories for publication. (Guest columns are always welcome, by the way — hint to any aspiring writers who would like to get involved!)

We can't forget to mention our other contributors — they proofread, take and select photos, answer mail, and provide so much support (editorial and moral) that might otherwise go unnoticed: Jason of disneygeek.com, Linda Eckwerth, Erin Blackwell, Glo from Miami, Lee Zimmerman, and all-around Jack-of-all-trades, Jack Marshall, with a special nod to Cathy Bock, who diligently worked "backstage" for many years, but had to retire recently. We also thank AllEars.Net bloggers Laura Gilbreath, Jeanine Yamanaka, Scott Thomas and Gary Cruise whose work is sometimes also featured in this newsletter.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our advertisers, whose ongoing support permits us to distribute this newsletter to you free of charge. They are a big reason we are able to continue to do what we do, so we hope you join us in thanking them, too.

Finally, there is one group of people who deserve the biggest thanks of all. That would be YOU, our wonderful subscribers. Quite simply, we would not be talking about our 800th issue if we hadn't had your support for the previous 799 weeks. Your continued trust and belief in us, along with your feedback and positive energy, encourage us to go on, as we try to put out a useful publication worthy of your precious time.

Thank you.

Here's to the next 100 weeks, and issue #900!

= = = = = = = = = = = = =
RELATED LINKS
= = = = = = = = = = = = =

Find past newsletters in our Newsletter Archives:
http://allears.net/ae/archives.htm

And if you're not already a subscriber, be sure to sign up! It's free!
https://secure.campaigner.com/CSB/Public/Form.aspx?fid=1512645

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Debra Martin Koma, AllEars® Editor, fell hopelessly in love with Walt Disney World on her first visit there — when she was 35! She's lost count of how often she's returned to her Laughing Place in the ensuing years, but she still isn't tired of it. (And doubts she ever will be.) Neither is she tired of editing the AllEars® Newsletter, even though the weekly deadline makes for some Terrible Tuesdays in the Koma household! She hopes that the end result is always worth the effort.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Editor's Note: This story/information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all current rates, information and other details before planning your trip.