A Magazine Exclusively for WorldMark Owners July 2008 Magical Kingdoms A fantastic voyage to the theme parks of Anaheim and San Diego • BARGAIN GETAWAYS WITH AUTUMN INVENTORY SPECIALS • WORLDMARK GETS GREENER Call Today 1-800-585-4833 With RCI ®, you have more choices More Places. More Experiences. More Vacation. Now there are more places and more adventures for Worldmark owners to choose from than ever before: over 4,000 affiliated resort destinations in 80 countries around the world. Call an RCI Vacation Guide at 1-800-585-4833 to help you find the perfect vacation experience for you and your family.1 RCI offers great member benefits and the flexibility to travel in a wide variety of ways, from resorts around the world and cruise experiences, to rental opportunities2, 3 at special member-only pricing.4 Plus, RCI provides a complete support system for planning your vacation and managing your ownership resources. Call for details on the benefits you’ll get from your Worldmark Ownership and RCI. 1-800-585-4833 Book your RCI vacation today. 1 These exchange vacations are limited. Destinations and travel times are subject to availability and confirmed on a first come, first served basis. Offer includes only accommodations and specifically excludes travel costs and other expenses that may be incurred. Taxes, additional fees and charges may apply. Mexican resorts may charge a mandatory all-inclusive fee. Promotional discounts and offers may not apply to all properties. Other restrictions may apply. Offer void where prohibited by law. 2 EXTRA VACATIONSSM: Prices are based on a seven-night stay. Additional fees, charges and taxes may apply. You won’t have to deposit a vacation week. These Extra VacationsSM getaways are limited and subject to availability. Additional restrictions may apply. 3 LAST CALLSM vacations are limited and subject to availability. These prices are only available online. Additional fees, charges and taxes may apply. Additional restrictions may also apply. 4 Destinations and travel times are subject to availability and confirmed on a first come, first served basis. Offer includes only accommodations and specifically excludes travel costs and other expenses that may be incurred. Taxes, additional fees and charges may apply. Mexican resorts may charge a mandatory all-inclusive fee. Promotional discounts and offers may not apply to all properties. Other restrictions may apply. Offer void where prohibited by law. Resort Rental, LLC and the logo are service marks used under license. All Rights Reserved. Resort Rental, LLC Address: 7 Sylvan Way, Parsippany, NJ 07054 © 2008 Resort Rental, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. COURTESY OF SAN OF DIEGOCOURTESY ZOO ©2008 DISNEY ENTERPRISES ©2008 DISNEY contents JULY 2008 features 12 A Reluctant Mouseketeer A theme park skeptic, along with her fearless niece, venture to sunny Anaheim, Calif., to see what all the Disney fuss is about. 20 Of Creatures and Culture Whether you’re looking to spend a day among the animals of land and sea or scoping out a museum, splendid San Diego is the place to visit. departments 4 FROM THE DESK OF… Dave Akins, Vice President of Resort Operations, goes green. Learn what WorldMark by Wyndham has been doing and is planning to do in the future to help conserve and be envi- ronmentally friendly. 6 YOUR CLUB Inventory Specials for September, Owner Education Calendars for July and August 26 YOUR TRAVEL OFFERS 30 LASTING IMPRESSION ON OUR COVER: Whale and human unite for a Refl ections of Disney magic perfect waltz at SeaWorld San Diego. Photograph courtesy of SeaWorld. from the desk of... Senior Vice President, WorldMark by Wyndham Dave Herrick Editor in Chief Ruth Shively Senior Editor Kelly Hanlon Conservation – Assistant Editor Katharine Davis Creative Director Bill Olivari Art Director Susan Myers-Feeney It Ain’t Easy Being Green Designer Douglas Rickard Deay Production Sheri Russo By Dave Akins, Vice President of Resort Operations Contributors: Stephanie Aardal, Kati Arrubla, Misty Beaupre Zoutte, Sylvia Betancourt, efore being “green” started becoming front page news, WorldMark by Wynd- Maren Culter, Tami Fitch, Amy Godwin, Carol Hanley, Robert Graham, Alyssa Moore, Heidi ham was researching ways to conserve energy and natural resources throughout Rennick, Brian Runnels, Meghan Tillman Bour network of resorts. The objective wasn’t a lofty goal, such as being consid- ered conservation-minded or global warming-sensitive, but one with a more practical Reservations Department 1-800-457-0103 perspective — reducing utility costs. Mon. – Fri., 6 am – 9 pm PT It was a few years ago and California, among other states, was having difficulty keep- Sat. & Sun., 6 am – 5 pm PT ing up with the demand for electricity during the summer months. Rolling brownouts Owner Services were not uncommon and prices began to spike as utility companies purchased energy 1-888-648-7363 from non-traditional sources, often at a tremendous cost. Several resorts were directly [email protected] Mon. – Fri., 8 am – 6 pm PT impacted, and we began looking at the steps we could take to reduce our consumption. (Closed Tue., 2 – 3:30 pm PT) We began by testing the technologies that were readily available. Solar pool heaters Sat. & Sun., 8 am – 5 pm PT were installed, one at a desert resort and another at a temperate climate resort to com- WorldMark by Wyndham Travel pare how the equipment would work in two completely different settings. We took 1-800-953-5511 advantage of available rebates and converted some resorts to compact fluorescent (CF) Mon. – Fri., 8 am – 8 pm PT bulbs in common area fixtures since, at the time, CF bulbs would not last if they were Sat., 9 am – 4 pm PT (Closed Wed., 2:30 – 4 pm PT) switched on and off repeatedly as would occur inside a typical unit. Over time, knowledge grew and we began to perform trials with tankless hot water Loan Payments, Maintenance Dues, Finance 1-800-779-0760 heaters, water restrictors and energy management systems to determine if any of these concepts were truly cost effective and practical. At the same time we began providing ® RCI recycling facilities for WorldMark owners and guests to use at resorts in those commu- 1-800-585-4833 nities that supported the practice. At this time, over 90% of the resorts have recycling Interval International (II) programs in place. Service line: 1-877-678-4400 Flexchange recording: 1-800-722-1747 This year, even though the technology surrounding energy conservation is constant- ly evolving, we are determined to identify which of the concepts mentioned above Destinations Editor 8427 SouthPark Circle work and what rebates are being offered by local utilities to facilitate conversion. This Orlando, FL 32819 will enable us to create a sustainable conservation plan that can be phased in over the (407) 370-5200 next 1-3 years. [email protected] In the last year or so, we have introduced phosphate-free, scent-free laundry deter- Visit the WorldMark Web site at gent for use in the units and we began using Greenseal-certified cleaning products for www.worldmarktheclub.com housekeeping. Although the process takes a while, we are striving to select proven, cost- © 2008, WorldMark, The Club. All rights reserved. effective methods that will provide immediate benefits, provide years of trouble-free Vol. XVIII, No. 6, July 2008. Destinations is published monthly except January by WorldMark, 9805 Willows service and be unobtrusive to your vacationing experience. This approach will enable us Road NE, Redmond, WA 98052. Destinations is an official to transition gracefully to a green-based program that we can all be proud of. WorldMark publication. Subscriptions are covered by dues paid by owners of WorldMark. Non-owner subscription price of $11 per year, including state sales tax. Canadian ARE YOU GOING GREEN? If you prefer to Reminder: The 2008 World- Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement #40870507. Postage paid at Vancouver, BC. POSTMASTER: Send ad- read your Destinations online (posted by Mark Annual Owners Meet- dress changes to Owner Services, 9805 Willows Road NE, Redmond, WA 98052. Canada Post: Publication Mail the fi rst of each month) and would like to ing will take place Thursday, Agreement No. 40870507, Postage Paid at Vancouver, BC. discontinue receiving a copy by mail, please Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Destina- October 23 at the Meydenbauer tions c/o Mailing Department, 3999 Henning Drive, e-mail [email protected]. Center in Bellevue, Wash. suite 100, Burnaby, BC V5C 6P9. 4 DESTINATIONS | July 2008 HERE ARE YOUR your club SEPTEMBER SPECIALS: September – Midweek Only Bear Lake, Utah INVENTORY Bargain Getaways, Fantastic Fun Galena, Ill. Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. Pinetop, Ariz. Celebrate Autumn Wolf Creek, Utah utumn is a time for beautiful foliage and smaller crowds. Commemorate September – Midweek and Weekends Athe season by taking your family — or just yourself — on a fun and Big Bear, Calif. economical vacation with Inventory Specials. To help promote greater owner Birch Bay, Wash. SPECIALS use, selected unreserved WorldMark units can be booked for just 4.6 cents Bison Ranch, Ariz. per credit ($30 per-night minimum), up to 60 days in advance. Low cost, a Branson, Mo. WHAT’S THE COST? longer booking window and great destinations — it all adds up to a terrifi c, Canmore-Banff, Alberta You can find a resort’s Eagle Crest, Ore. super-cheap way to get away. Grand Lake, Okla. credit values in How inexpensive is it? WorldMark Canmore-Banff , nestled in Alberta’s your Daily Vacation Indio, Calif. Credit Values book- Bow Valley just 70 miles from Calgary, is in White Season for select weeks New Orleans, La. let or through the in September. A 2-Bedroom unit, Monday through Th ursday, is $50.60 per Pinetop, Ariz.