Hi,{{user("firstname")}} -- Here's a copy of the latest PassPorter newsletter, per your subscription request

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PassPorter News

News, Announcements, Updates, and Tips

January 28, 2005 - Issue 5.2

PassPorter.com - http://www.passporter.com

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Welcome to PassPorter News, an online newsletter

about PassPorter travel guidebooks, the

Walt Disney World Resort, and Disney Cruise Line.

PassPorter News is available by free subscription

to all readers and friends of our labor of love --

PassPorter Travel Guidebooks.

Learn all about them:

http://www.passporter.com/aboutpassporter.htm

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In This Newsletter:

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* From the Authors: Deep Freeze and Warm Thoughts

* Travel Feature: Seeing the “Other” Florida: The Space Coast

* Disney World Feature: That’s a Scrap! Preserving Your Disney Vacation Memories

* What’s New and Updated at Walt Disney World

* Tips: Protecting Park Passes, Baby Basics, Wonderful Wet Wipes

* Q&A: Cell Phone Service on Disney Cruise Line

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FROM THE AUTHORS: Deep Freeze and Warm Thoughts

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Hi, {{user("firstname")}}!

Remember that brief trip we were taking to Orlando? :::blink::: It's over! We did have a great time while we were there. Baby Alexander got a few more Disney rides in under his belt, but he's got a way to go before they'll allow him on Test Track. He also got to meet his aunt, uncle, and cousins from Georgia, who drove down to meet us. But the cold weather followed us down, and things have only been worse since we got back home. It's probably all for the good - we've been hunkered down in the office, working on the new edition of PassPorter's Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line and daydreaming of all those warm ports of call - especially the 14-night Los Angeles to Port Canaveral Panama Canal repositioning itinerary for the Magic, since we'll be on it! That thought helps keep our toes warm, even on nights like tonight when the local temperature is supposed to dip to minus 11° F.

2005 EDITION UPDATE: We're also in good spirits because the 2005 Edition of PassPorter Walt Disney World is finally on the move again. The 40-foot container full of books from our printer in Hong Kong has finally left the pier in Los Angeles and was last seen riding the rails through New Mexico (anybody wave at it as it passed by?). If all goes well we'll finally start shipping books to folks sometime next week!

We also want to take a moment to recognize the amazing work of our newsletter editor, Sara Varney. Her hard work, dedication,

and organizational skills are to thank for all the wonderful newsletters of late. Like us she has an infant at home, and we're

mighty proud of her ability to find such excellent article contributors and pull together all the elements that make up the

PassPorter newsletter. If you've been thinking about contributing an article, this is a great time to do it -- see our

"Want To Get Published?" sidebar at the bottom of the newsletter.

Well, back to work!

Your friends,

Jennifer and Dave

Authors, PassPorter Travel Guides

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DID YOU KNOW?

Save 35% off our Disney Cruise Guide -- Paperback Edition!

It's the end of the year and we've got a great deal on our popular Disney cruise guide. Enter code LOVE2CRUISE (just as shown, no spaces) to get 35% off the list price of our paperback edition. It's a great deal, but it won't last! We have only a limited quantity of paperbacks left.

Order today at:

http://www.passporterstore.com/store/deluxecombodeal.aspx

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TRAVEL FEATURE:

Seeing The "Other" Florida: The Space Coast (Part Two of a Three Part Series)

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By Maureen Austin, PassPorter Guide and Co-Owner, Grand Getaways Travel

Looking for a day-long break and something different from Disney or Universal? Believe it or not, a whole new world awaits you at the end of a quick 45 minute drive towards the east coast of the Sunshine State. Florida's Space Coast welcomes visitors who are on a mission of a different sort without ever leaving the ground!

The most popular spot on the coast is the John F. Kennedy Space Center, often referred to as KSC. NASA's launch center doubles as a wildlife refuge, and its size is impressive. The space center's Visitor Complex offers a variety of walk-through attractions including a rocket garden as well as Space Shuttle Plaza, where you can get up close and personal with the most well known space vehicle outside of a Star Wars TIE fighter. "Mad Mission to Mars" is an attraction that puts guests into the role of astronaut trainees, led by a wacky professor. KSC is also home to not one but two IMAX theaters showing two different yet equally exciting and pulse-pounding IMAX films. You surely will also want to visit the Astronaut Memorial - a moving tribute to our fallen heroes who bravely soared into space but could not return home. KSC also offers opportunities to meet astronauts at live Q and A sessions- bring your questions, autograph books and a camera! Be sure to take time out to visit the Astronaut Hall of Fame a few miles down the road towards Titusville, featuring incredible artifacts and information on these amazing pioneers (you can get combination tickets that get you into both attractions). Kennedy Space Center is open most days throughout the year. Admission prices vary, based on the type of access you desire - you can visit http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com for more detailed information.

If you time your visit really well, you might be able to catch a shuttle launch. Currently, the next mission is scheduled for May of 2005. If you are interested, you can sign up for automatic email information updates at the KSC website. Launches are a gamble - they often are rescheduled. In the event this occurs, in most cases, tickets to one launch are not transferable to another launch. If you do decide to plan a day around a launch you can purchase a complete ticket package - that will provide bus transportation out to the launch site as well as an all day admission to the KSC visitor complex. To get as close as possible, this is the best option. My family and I trekked out to KSC several years ago at 4:30 am for a morning launch - the bus was efficient and the viewing site excellent. While the launch did not go off as planned (the engines shut down almost immediately after the countdown began) we still made a great day at the KSC and we got an excellent view of the Space Shuttle on the launch pad from a vantage point most KSC guests don't get to see.

There's more to see and do once you return to earth. Check out some of the wonderful beaches the Space Coast has to offer. Cocoa Beach is just one of many beach-front resort areas offering the warm sands, blue water and relaxation found only on the coast. A variety of public access stretches offer grills, showers, rest rooms, playgrounds and much more. You can pick out an ideal spot by visiting the Space Coast's tourism website at: http://www.space-coast.com .

Eco-tourists and nature lovers will feel very much at home on the Space Coast. People aren't the only residents on the Space Coast beaches - each year between May and August, sea turtles lay eggs along this golden surf. You can see this amazing natural attraction on a Sea Turtle walk. Conducted by a professional guide, these walks are overseen by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. You can call 321-676-1701 or 321-589-2147 for more information on this incredible experience.

If you've got a fisherman in the family, they will flip over the great variety of species and places to reel in the "big one." Pier and deep sea fishing are extremely popular but river fishers will find plenty of offerings throughout this area as well.

Sports lovers will also find paradise on the Space Coast! Baseball fans can get their fix by visiting Space Coast Stadium, a new facility home to the Montreal Expos during spring training season. Golf enthusiasts can tee off at some of the best courses in Florida, including Baytree National - designed by Gary Player.

A wide variety of accommodations are available for every budget and taste. You'll find hotels, resorts and motels as well as vacation home/condo rentals. Visit the Space Coast website for helpful links and offers.

No matter what kind of adventure each member of the family is looking for, the Space Coast has something to offer everyone. Blast off and plan your next mission!

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Look for Maureen's upcoming article on the Tampa/St. Petersburg area. Maureen is the Co-Owner of Grand Getaways Travel.

Did you enjoy this article? Have questions? E-mail us at news@passporter.com or visit http://www.passporterboards.com to discuss your vacation plans.

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WALT DISNEY WORLD FEATURE:

That's a Scrap!: Preserving Your Disney Vacation Memories

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(Part One of a Two Part Series)

by Bay Loftis, Guest Columnist and Scrapbook Aficionado

Five years ago as I was preparing for my family's biggest, longest and most luxurious Disney trip to date, I stumbled across a whole new obsession. I already had shoe boxes full of pictures we had taken at Walt Disney World: The 1996 trip, when we stayed at the All Stars; the 1998 trip, when we stayed at Port Orleans and saw a space shuttle launch; and a very old shoe box with a few pictures from our first trip in '89.

All these photos were just gathering dust, but as we prepared for our big day, my kids started going through the old photos and talking about them. And that's when it occurred to me, "Hey, maybe I should do something with those pictures."

Lucky for me, I had a friend on the old AOL Disney boards who knew exactly what to do. "You should start a scrapbook," she told me, and thus began an affair that nearly rivals my love for all things Disney.

If you've already been to Walt Disney World, you know what it's like. You come home with at least 8 rolls of film, and the pockets of your PassPorter are stuffed with memorabilia. When you unpack, you put all these things in a safe place, either a shoe box or a photo album.

And the next time someone asks you about your vacation, you whip out your shoe box and start shuffling through the things. "Here's little Emily on Dumbo -- OK, you can't really see her, but she's there -- and there's Woodrow with Pluto -- right, you can't really see him, but that's his elbow on the other side of Pluto's ribs." It's enough to make a Disney freak cry real tears of frustration.

But if you put all those photos and resort IDs and menus in one scrapbook with a few paragraphs of explanation -- well! That just solves the whole problem, doesn't it?

I knew you'd see it my way. It was just a matter of time.

So here are a few tips to help you get ready for your next Disney scrapbook -- or trip, or whatever. And the preservation of your memories is just a little easier than all the planning you're doing for the actual vacation!

Before You Start Scrapbooking

I'm going to tell you a secret. Scrapbooking is easier than we insiders make it out to be. If you pick up a scrapbook magazine, chances are good you're going to freak out at the time and labor that goes into a page for the magazine. The illustrations and ideas you see in scrapbooking publications are the crème de la crème, the best of the best, the top of the heap, the Tinker Bell at the top of the Castle... Wwell, you get the picture.

You don't have to spend $20 and twenty days on a single scrapbook page. The entire purpose of a scrapbook is simply to get photos and mementos into a safe environment with a few words that tell the story behind the stuff. If art is your thing, the sky's the limit; but if you really just want to get the photos organized and neatly into a book, then it's just a matter of archival materials and some time.

So before you go to Walt Disney World, do yourself a favor: Check out a book on beginning scrapbooking at the public library. Some titles you may want to consider are:

"Simple Scrapbooks: 25 Fun & Meaningful Memory Books You Can Make In A Weekend" by Stacy Julian,

"Mastering Scrapbook Design with Michele Gerbrandt," "Budget Scrapbooking" (a Memory Makers Books publication), and "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Scrapbooking" by Wendy Smedley.

If you're the sort of person who wants to have lessons with an expert, call a nearby local scrapbook store and ask for a class schedule, or check with the nearest craft chain store like Michael's, Joann Etc., or AC Moore. All of these businesses will be happy to help you get acquainted with the basics of the craft, and the better acquainted you are with the possibilities, the better equipped you'll be to discern what you need from what you merely want. (Knowledge will come in handy when you get to Downtown Disney and discover what's available in the way of scrapbook supplies onsite!)

Before You Go To Walt Disney World

There are a few things you want to think about before you get to Orlando, just to make the organization of your photos easier when you get home.

As you read through your PassPorter and decide which attractions are must-visits and which ones are "missable", go ahead and think a bit about what might be "scrappable".

You may love Pirates of the Caribbean more than any other ride in the Magic Kingdom, but, of course, flash photography is not allowed in this dark ride. Make a note to yourself -- either mentally or in writing -- to get a quick picture of your entire party outside, near the ride's entrance. Think of photo ops that may not occur to others -- do your twin girls love to play with pirate swords? Flash photography is allowed in the gift shop!

There are lots of things available in the way of memorabilia -- Fast Passes (ask a CM for an expired Fast Pass; I've known more than one to let me have one for a time period that's already passed), postcards, bumper stickers, stickers, brightly colored fake parrot feathers, and lightweight, faux, pieces of eight!

These are the sorts of things that you want to think about before you get there, because when you're in the midst of the magic, you don't want to be looking around and thinking, "What can I grab for the scrapbook?" If you leave it to the last minute, you'll be making a scrapbook comprised entirely of the same old stickers and printed papers that everyone else is using.

While you are considering these possibilities, now is as good a time as any to consider your photography needs -- and your skills. You don't want to try out a new camera at Walt Disney World. Oh, if you're a skilled photographer with your own darkroom, sure, go for it. But otherwise, make sure you know your camera and its limitations -- as well as your own -- before you embark on your vacation.

I, myself, am a terrible photographer. Ask anyone who knows me. Ask my poor husband, who appears in my scrapbooks to resemble Papa Gepetto, despite the fact that he's years younger than the old toy maker. (Sometimes he looks a lot like Goofy, but that's another story.)

I have taken photos all over the parks and resorts, and I can tell you without the slightest humility or reservation that the vast majority of my shots look alarmingly like the murky, smoky images at the base of Spaceship Earth. And interestingly, many of my subjects look a lot like the cavemen in those same tableaus.

Because I was wasting tons of money on film development that yielded about 5% useful photos, I recently switched to a digital camera. It's not a fancy digital camera -- on today's market, it would cost about $175. But it has improved my photography skills immensely, because I only get prints of the photos that are actually focused enough to show the subjects clearly.

I highly recommend an affordable digital camera before you run off to Disney. The Kodak photo centers in all the parks now offer memory card readers that will download your photos, print, and even make a CD of photos that you can take home with you. It's an invaluable service, and it offers the sort of instant gratification that makes everyone happy, especially grouchy three-year-olds who want to sleep with the picture of them with Minnie Mouse at Chef Mickey's.

But if you can't afford a new digital camera or even a new point-and-shoot automatic camera, don't hesitate to purchase disposable cameras. I've gotten great shots out of those, and even some underwater photos at Blizzard Beach.

Another pre-travel consideration in the film vs. digital debate is the infamous x-ray machine at airport security. Despite lots of controversy among film aficionados, the x-rays aren't actually harmful to ordinary 200-speed 35-mm film. The radiation does affect higher speed films, especially 800- to 1000-speed, but hardly any of us actually use film that fast, anyway. If you're really concerned, carry your film separately, and ask the TSA agents to hand-inspect it.

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Bay Loftis is a free-lance writer whose articles have appeared in publications such as "Better Homes & Gardens Scrapbooks Etc.," "Legacy" Magazine, and "Memory Makers" idea books.

Did you enjoy this article? Have questions? E-mail us at news@passporter.com or visit http://www.passporterboards.com to discuss creating your Disney scrapbook.

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UPDATES: What's New and Changed

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Here's a few of the new developments at Disney·

Beginning in January, film processing is no longer be available in any Walt Disney World theme park or resort. The Camera Centers in each park have been equipped with technology that allows guests with digital cameras to download their photos from their memory cards to a CD. This technology will be rolled out to the resorts over the coming months.

Disney has announced (finally!) that the River Country water park has been closed permanently. No plans have been announced for what will be done with the site.

The Pleasure Island Jazz Club is being replaced by an Irish pub, scheduled to open in May 2005. The as-yet-unnamed pub will serve a full menu as well as solid helpings of authentic Irish atmosphere.

ESPN: The Weekend will be held at the Disney/MGM Studios February 25 - 27, 2005. On-site telecasts by such shows as SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight and Cold Pizza will be featured along with start motorcades, Q&A sessions with athletes and ESPN personalities. There will even be a special sports-themed "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire: Play It!". For more information, check out www.espn.com or www.disneyworld.com.

>Things To Do: Hear some news? Send it to us at

news@passporter.com

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DISNEY TIPS FROM FELLOW READERS

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Our readers are a wealth of information! Here are the winners in this month's tip contest:

PROTECTING PARK PASSES

"Concerned about your paper park tickets and fast passes? Keep them in a hard plastic trading card protector sleeve. These are available wherever collectable cards are sold and will keep your tickets dry the whole trip!"

-- contributed by Brian Brennan (bribren@...)

BABY BASICS

"Don't forget to use the baby center in the Magic Kingdom next to the Crystal Palace! It's a great resource and offers everything from highchairs, rockers, toys, and cribs, to a nursing mothers room. It is air conditioned and staffed by wonderful cast members who are a great help! You can purchase all kinds of child-care supplies there and even get free samples of baby food and cereal and formula (when available). It's also a wonderful place to let a toddler play while you rest in cool comfort!"

-- contributed by Sharon Cornellier

WONDERFUL WET WIPES

"Before our last trip to Disney World, my husband and I purchased a box of 1,000 individually wrapped wet-wipes, or handi-wipes. The whole box was only $14.00 at a local store. We carried a dozen or so in each of our packs everyday and we were able to clean our hands after rides and before eating. We also stashed some in our car glove box. They are very refreshing on a hot day!"

-- contributed by Shannon Steffens

>Notes: Send us your tips! You may see them in this newsletter and win a copy of PassPorter! Visit:

http://www.passporter.com/customs/contest.htm

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Q & A WITH JENNIFER & DAVE

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lvstitch asks: "How well do cell phones work while you are on the Disney Cruises to the Bahamas? I hate to ask this question but my husband owns a business and usually the only way we can travel is if he is able to have some kind of communication with his employees. "

Dave answers: "Here's what'll happen:

First Night - You'll have reception of some sort while you're within sight of the Florida mainland - at least part way through the evening. You'll then be out of range until you sail into Nassau.

Nassau - You'll have reception in port IF your cell provider offers service. Contact them now and ask. Sometimes you already have coverage (although the roaming charges are pretty stiff). Sometimes it costs you nothing to add coverage, and other times.... ouch!

Castaway Cay - No coverage

Day at Sea - No coverage

Last Night - By late night you may have reception again, as you approach the Florida mainland.

Most of us keep track of our businesses via e-mail rather than telephone, using the ship's Internet cafe. It's much more reliable. For critical business communications the ship-to-shore telephone rates (right from your stateroom telephone) are stiff, but for important business it's still cheap relative to losing an important client relationship."

Have a question? Post it at http://www.passporterboards.com -- and if you're lucky, you may find that folks have already asked and answered the same question that's on your mind!

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Want To Get Published?

We're on the lookout for guest columnists to contribute articles to this newsletter. Not only is this a great way to give something back to the PassPorter community, but you get to see your name in "print" and receive a $25 gift certificate. For details and our article guidelines, please e-mail news@passporter.com. Articles about Disney and general travel are welcomed!

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