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             PassPorter News

 

   News, Announcements, Updates, and Tips

 

       May 24, 2007 * Issue 7.21

 

  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: Remembrance

 

Travel Feature: Taking A "Greener" Trip To Walt Disney World

 

Disney Feature: Food & Wine Festival

 

Updates: What's New and Changed

 

Tips: Guide of the Day, Great Groceries, Memo Memories

 

Captain's Corner: Jack's Play

 

Q&A: What should we do with our bags on rides?

 

Our Sponsors: We Recommend...

 

 

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FROM THE AUTHORS: Remembrance

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Hi, {{user("firstname")}}! 

 

Memorial Day Weekend is nearly upon us. Whether you travel out of town or stay home and dodge record prices for a gallon of gas, whether school just let out for the summer or classes resume on Tuesday, we wish you a good holiday. May the memory of the men and women who sacrificed all out of love for their country be honored and respected not only this weekend, but every day of the year.

 

To mark the occasion, we're holding a "little" Memorial Weekend Sale with 20% off ALL books in the PassPorter Store ... and you can use a coupon on top of these discounted prices for excellent savings. For example, if you use the PassPorter Newsletter Subscriber coupon code (look at the very bottom of your e-mailed newsletter for the code), you can get a copy of PassPorter Walt Disney World 2007 spiral (or pre-order a 2008 spiral) for just $17.21. And if you already have a PassPorter and you register it to get a coupon, you can get those same spiral editions for a mere $14.92. This sale ends on Monday, May 28 at midnight ET. For details, visit http://www.passporterstore.com/store/memorialsale.aspx

 

PassPorter's Club Update

* Nearly 600 vacationers are now enjoying access to all our e-books and e-worksheets -- thank you for your continued support!

* THREE new e-worksheets -- Daily Highlights, Souvenir Tracker, and Budget Comparison -- are available for download in the Club. We now have more than 30 e-worksheets in our library.

* Passholders can enter our contest for the most creative e-worksheet idea -- winner receives a free e-worksheet commission and a free month in the Club. Learn more in the Parlor!

* More details at http://www.passporter.com/club

 

Peer reviewer and friend Bruce Metcalf continues his live trip report of his trans-Atlantic crossing cruise on the Disney Magic. To read his live reports, visit 25 Days on the Disney Magic at http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/sharing-your-adventure-disney-cruise-reports/127931-25-days-disney-magic-europe.html

 

Meet us in person: Will you be at July's sold-out MagicMeets event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania? We sure will! We'll be on hand to meet, greet, and maybe put on a presentation or two.

 

In this issue, Beverly Carr and Craig Jackson describe how you can "offset" the carbon dioxide released as you travel to Disney in Taking a "Greener" Trip to Walt Disney World, and Newsletter Feature Columnist Cheryl Pendry describes some of the tasty morsels to be had at fall's Epcot Food and Wine Festival. Enjoy!

 

Jennifer and Dave

PassPorter Publishers and Authors

 

 

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DID YOU KNOW?

 

Great Cruise Rates are available at

MouseEarVacations.com!

 

Disney Cruise Line¨ Special Offer

 

Dec. 2-6, 2007 - MouseFest Cruise -

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compared to current Disney pricing.

 

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*Savings based on double occupancy. Ships' Registry: The Bahamas

CST2058090-40 www.MouseEarVacations.com 800-886-8601

 

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TRAVEL FEATURE: Taking A 'Greener' Trip to Walt Disney World

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by Beverly Carr and Craig Jackson, PassPorter Guest Contributors

 

The flights are booked, our Beach Club Villas studio is confirmed and the dining reservations are made. I am in Disney planning heaven! My husband and daughter share my passion and excitement for everything Disney. However, my excitement is tinged with a little guilt. I love my Walt Disney World annual trip. I love sharing happy times with my family and friends, but I'm not being a friend to the environment.

 

I am told that airline flights are among the fastest growing sources of global warming gases. Our trip in August will include a return transatlantic flight of 8,455 miles. Each one of us will add about a ton and a half of CO2 to the atmosphere. Obviously, the greenest option is not to fly at all -- I could sell my Disney Vacation Club points and holiday much closer to home ... but I love Walt Disney World!

 

So, this year, part of my Disney-obsessed vacation planning took the form of investigating ways to help the environment in exchange for us taking those flights. A fitting choice seemed to be to offset the CO2 from our flights, so I began checking out various web sites. It transpired that a friend and colleague of mine is a regular transatlantic Disney-goer too! He'll be in Orlando again this year and has already offset the carbon emission for his flights. He knows what he is talking about, too. He's an architect who specializes in environmental design, so he understands the issues behind carbon emissions and climate change and the effects that we can have on the environment in our day-to-day lives. I asked him to explain the technology behind my proposed solution.

 

In an ideal world we'd be able to hop across the 'pond' in aircraft that gave out no emissions, but we live in the real world so have to be a little bit more imaginative in our approach. Carbon offsetting is one of those imaginative approaches and one that a 'light' green like me can get behind. It's still a bit controversial because it doesn't stop harmful emissions taking place, but it does invest money in technologies and projects to counteract (or offset) those emissions.

 

Offsetting works like this. We know that a UK to Orlando flight produces around 1.5 tons of CO2 per person. A simple online calculation estimates the monetary cost of preventing 1.5 tons being emitted somewhere else to balance things up. There are lots of ways in which CO2 can be offset. Your money could be used to plant new trees to help absorb CO2, or it could be invested in renewable technologies like hydro-electric power stations or even something as simple as providing additional insulation in houses.

 

But before we all rejoice at such a simple solution let me sound a note of caution. Sites are springing up all over the web offering to stamp out your carbon footprint at the click of a mouse. "Deep" greens will tell us carbon offsetting schemes don't work and that all we're doing is lining the pockets of a few dot com entrepreneurs who appease our guilt at flying by taking our cash. So we need to be aware that not all carbon offsetting sites are necessarily the same.

 

It's very important to do your research before you part with your money and make sure that the measures you are paying for really are going to make a difference. They are using your money, so only give it to those who will use it wisely.

 

Look for sites with a wide range of carbon offset projects where your money can be invested. Make sure they have a strong verification processes and are regularly reviewed and audited independently. Good sites will have a clear Corporate Responsibility statement where you should be able to check these things out.

 

Another good sign is if the site follows the Carbon Neutral Protocol. This is currently a voluntary standard, but it's likely to form the basis of the UK Government's independently regulated Code of Practice early in 2008.

 

Once you've done your research, actually offsetting your carbon is easy. It's just like booking your park tickets online. You tell the site where you're traveling from and it'll work out the cost. All you need then is a credit or debit card! At the moment, we in the Western World are using up natural resources at such a rate that we need three whole Earths to support us. In the future we want our children to be able to enjoy their own visits to Walt Disney World and to introduce their own children to the magic. They have a much better chance of being able to do that if we all make a few simple changes now.

 

About the Authors: Beverly Carr is the Finance Manager for a Housing Association in Sheffield, UK. She is Disney Vacation Club member and with her annual trip planned for August 2007 she's already getting rather excited. Craig Jackson works with Beverly in the Architects Department and is a Disney novice in comparison. His next visit in late August will be only his fifth since 2000!

 

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Did you enjoy this article? Have questions? E-mail us at news@passporter.com or visit http://www.passporterboards.com to discuss your Disney travel plans. Also check out our Article Collection at http://www.passporter.com/articles for more great information!

 

 

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Did You Know?

 

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~Walt Disney World¨ Resort -- 4 nights ~

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If this doesn't quite fit your needs

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*Per person/dbl occupancy, subject to availability - CST207807440

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DISNEY FEATURE: Epcot's Food & Wine Festival

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by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Feature Columnist

 

We all know that Disney loves to celebrate. Whether it's a birthday, anniversary or family gathering, Disney will do all they can to make it especially magical. So when you think about Epcot's annual Food and Wine Festival, immediately you just know that Disney will do something to make these things, which many of us hold dear to our hearts, extra special. That's what I discovered on our first real exploration of the Festival last year.

 

The most important thing you need to know about the Food and Wine Festival, so that you're not disappointed, is that the vast majority of food, wine, and activities offered during that time will cost you more money on top of your park admission. Sure, there are some things that you can do for free, which we'll touch on in a moment, but the food and wine booths that you'll see scattered around the World Showcase lagoon definitely aren't free. We saw the booths on our honeymoon in 1999 and I remember being very disappointed that the items they offered weren't free samples being given away, but that you had to pay for.

 

Having said that, where else can you sample food from around the world to see if you like it or not? Last year's samplings, which ranged in price from $2 to $6, included such varied items as kiwi and custard rolls from New Zealand, spicy beef empanadas from Argentina, sauteed corvine from Chile, lingonberry mousse from Scandinavia, and vegetable curry with jasmine rice and lemon grass from Thailand. The beauty here is that if you take a bite of something and decide you don't like it, you haven't wasted a fortune on it.

 

And let's not forget the wines that accompany all the wonderful food at these booths. From green tea plum wine in China to sake in Japan, and Irish Cream, unsurprisingly found at the Irish booth, there was something for all tastes. As for wine, whether you prefer white, rosŽ, or red; dry or sweet, you won't be disappointed. The Australian wine walkabout was a particular favorite of mine at last year's festival, allowing you to buy a certain number of samples of wine and then pick them as you walked about -- hence the name!

 

Beer drinkers aren't left out either, with various offerings at the different booths, along with a hops and barley market and great beers of the world, highlighting some familiar -- and perhaps not so familiar -- names. It seems that there aren't many people who are fans of champagne, at least judging by the bottles still chilling in our fridge. But if you are a fan of the bubbly, don't miss the champagne booth and the delightful pairing with chocolate truffles, a must for anyone with a sweet tooth.

 

Although the Food and Wine Marketplace food booths are the most common way for visitors to Epcot to enjoy the festival, there's much more to it, depending on how much money you're prepared to spend on food. If the answer to that question is "nothing," then don't despair. There are a number of free events during the festival, but you may just find you have to give up park time to wait in line for them.

 

Last year saw complimentary cooking demonstrations, book signings, and even tasting sessions of both food and wine. As you can imagine, these are exceptionally popular, especially the ones that involve some eating and drinking for free! If you want to try any of these out, grab a festival program as soon as you can and work out which ones interest you, then be prepared for a long wait. You'll need to get in line at least 30 minutes before the event you want to see gets underway.

 

Another free event during the Festival is the Eat to the Beat concert series, staged three times a night at the America Gardens Theatre. If any of the acts performing while you're there appeal to you, arrive early to guarantee a seat, although we were able to catch some of the final parts of Gloria Gaynor's performance on her last night, standing at one side of the theatre.

 

Of course, if you love your food as much as I do, then you might want to spring for some of the more expensive options during the Festival, but be warned, when Disney calls them the "exclusive wine and culinary programs," it's for a reason. These events are not cheap and the prices would make many people faint! However, as you'd expect from Disney, if you do attend any of these events, you'll have an amazing time. We went to the Party for the Senses last year and I'll be reporting on our experience there in an upcoming issue of PassPorter News, but let's just say it was worth every penny and definitely something we'd do again.

 

In previous years, other special events have included the Food and Wine Pairings, offering three tasting-sized portions of food, along with their paired wines for $40 per person. If you prefer cakes and pastries, then you could enjoy those at Sweet Sundays, with three dessert items created for you by a celebrity chef, at $65 per person.

 

You could enjoy a three-course lunch with a celebrity chef at The Cook, the Book, and the Bottle for $150 per person, while the Chef's Showplace allowed you to learn from the experts as you create a themed lunch with a visiting chef for the same $150. If money is no object, then the Exquisite Evenings would set you back $195 per person, but for that, you would get a team of chefs, some celebrity and some from around the Disney resort, preparing an amazing five-course feast for you.

 

All prices are from 2006 and did not include tax. These prices may increase for this year's Festival and the events are subject to change. As you can see though, there's certainly something for everyone to suit all budgets, from free to megabucks.

 

It's worth knowing that the Food and Wine Festival is a very popular event these days, especially with locals. We found Epcot to be packed out on Friday and Saturday nights in particular, meaning long waits at many of the food booths. If you want to experience the festival at a quieter time, try heading for Epcot during the week and at lunchtimes. Whatever you do, if you're heading to Walt Disney World during the Food and Wine Festival, don't miss it -- there really is something for everyone to enjoy there!

 

Note: The 2007 Food and Wine Festival runs from September 28 through November 11.

 

 

About the Author: Cheryl and husband Mark live in England and love to travel, particularly to America. Their last visit to Disney World was in the fall, when they enjoyed both the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot and the Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom.

 

 

 

Did you enjoy this article? Have questions? E-mail us at news@passporter.com or visit http://www.passporterboards.com to discuss your holiday plans. Also check out our Article Collection at http://www.passporter.com/articles for more great information!

 

 

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DID YOU KNOW?

 

ALL STAR Vacation Homes -

Experience the ALL STAR Difference

 

Choose from more than 150 homes within 4 miles of Disney World. Game Rooms, Home Theatres, Multiple Master Bedrooms, Computers, Kitchens and More. All for the same price or less than staying in a hotel! PLUS free heated pool & Disney ticket specials with every reservation!!

 

Special for PassPorter News readers: http://www.allstarvacationhomes.com/passporter_walt_disney_world.asp?ovchn=AD&ovcpn=PassPorter+eNewsletter&ovcrn=May+24&ovtac=EMAIL

 

 

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UPDATES: What's New and Changed

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Here's a few relevant news items:

 

Cell Phone Service is now available on the Disney Magic. The service is only available in guest staterooms and is provided by a wireless cellular network that supports over 340 cellular providers including Cingular, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Alltel. Users are billed by their cell service provider and rates vary according to plan. The service will be available on the Disney Wonder by mid-summer. 

 

Jiko, the signature table service restaurant at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, will be hosting two Signature Wine Dinners during this year's Food & Wine Festival on October 4 and November 1, 2007. The cost for these dinners is $150 per person (including tax & gratuity). Reservations can be made by calling 407-WDW-DINE.

 

Major League Baseball will hold the 2007 First-Year Player Draft at Disney's Wide World of Sports on June 7, 2007. The Draft will be telecast live for the first time ever on ESPN2 from 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm ET. The Draft will then continue until 8:30 pm once the live telecast has concluded. This event is open to the public.

 

 

Our thanks to AllEars.net and MousePlanet.com from which we get some of our news leads. 

 

>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:

 

GUIDE OF THE DAY

"My family of 15 will be traveling to Disney in August. In order to get everyone involved in the planning for our upcoming trip we designate "Guides of the Day." We pair up the adults and children and then each group is in charge of planning the daily itinerary for a different park during our stay. Then when we arrive, they act as our tour guides leading us to attractions, shows and keeping us on schedule for our meals. 

Not only does this get everyone more excited prior to our trip, it also takes some of the burden off of the main trip planner and gives everyone a turn at leading the crowd."

-- contributed by Lois L. 

 

GREAT GROCERIES

"On our recent trip to Walt Disney World we were traveling with quite a few little ones. We decided to order from GardenGrocer.com to have extra food and snacks in the room. When we checked in our items were waiting at the front desk. We had ordered bottled water, yogurt, juice, snacks and fresh fruit. The prices were comparable to home, and now that most of the Disney resorts have refrigerators in the room at no extra charge this was a great money-saving and time-saving route! The fruit was fresh and nice, and we could pack extra snacks and beverages in our daily backpack before heading out. This is something we will definitely do again!"

-- contributed by Laura B.

 

MEMO MEMORIES

"When staying at a Disney resort, we take a photo of the memo board on the lifeguard's chair. The board is usually themed with artwork to go along with the hotel. They list the park hours, that day's weather, etc. It makes a great addition to our vacation scrapbooks."

-- contributed by Teresa W.

 

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

http://www.passporter.com/wdw/tipsandstories.htm  

 

>>Want more Disney tips? For Walt Disney World fans, we've collected 500 of the best tips submitted by readers over the past six years. All have been edited for accuracy and categorized. For details, visit the PassPorter Disney 500 info page at http://www.passporter.com/wdw/disney500.asp  

 

>>For Disney Cruise Line fans, we have an e-book with 250 cruiser tips, as well as a special cruise line comparison section and seven customized packing lists. For information, visit the Disney Cruise Clues info page at http://www.passporter.com/dcl/cruiseclues.asp  

 

 

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CAPTAIN'S CORNER: Treasure Hunting Game

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Play our fun and quirky treasure hunting game, hosted by Captain Jack Skatt from our book, "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World." 

 

The Captain makes a study of the delightful details -- sometimes hidden, sometimes in plain sight but often overlooked -- at Walt Disney World and aboard the Disney Cruise Line. Using notes from his journals, he will lead you to this "treasure" at Disney with clues, questions, photos, or riddles. Your challenge is to discover the answer by searching your memory, visiting Disney, or even just looking really hard on the Internet. If you think you've found the answer, e-mail it to jackskatt@passporter.com -- the first person to correctly submit the FULL answer will receive a free PassPorter enamel pin or PassPorter name badge pin.

 

Here is this week's journal entry:

 

"Today I bumped into a fellow old salt by the name Jack (common name for sailors, I gather). After catching up on old times, Jack gave me a ticket to some sort of production he's in this weekend. It's probably a silly little play, knowing that old Captain, but I figure I'll give it a look-see. He says it's called "Lands' End" ... no, wait, that was his new jacket. I think his play was called "At World's End" or something to that effect. I wonder if anyone else has ever heard of it."

 

What is the official name of Jack's play and when does it open?

 

Send your full answer to jackskatt@passporter.com -- the winner will be notified by e-mail and announced in the next newsletter, along with the correct answer!

 

Congratulations to Mary Spina who was the winner of last week's treasure hunt game! Mary correctly identified the chair as bring a shoeshine chair located in the Harmony Barber Shop.  To view the original clue, see last week's newsletter at http://www.passporter.com/news/news051707.htm#captain

 

If you enjoy treasure hunts, we've got an entire book with over 100 distinct treasure hunts and over 1500 questions, complete with clues and contributions from Captain Jack Skatt. Get more details on "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World" book at http://www.passporterstore.com/store/1587710269.aspx

 

 

 

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Q & A WITH JENNIFER & DAVE

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jldisney2007 asks: "What should I do with my camera bag and backpack? On our previous visits our children were much younger and we were able to carry our back pack and video camera with us on most rides. However, we plan to ride more aggressive rides and don't know what to do with the camera and backpack. For example, we'll be riding Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, and more. Is there a place close to rides where we can secure items? or should we trust Cast Members to hold our backpacks?"

 

Dave and Jennifer answer: "On the rides other than soaking-wet Kali, the strategy is to place the bags under your seat, behind your legs. I usually also make sure my foot/leg goes through one of the straps. The ride operators may be willing to help you out if you ask, but it's probably a better idea to not ask - they've got so many guest safety issues to attend to, any distraction is probably not a great idea."

 

Have a question? Post questions 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?

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PassPorter News is published weekly and we're always on the lookout for good quality Disney and travel articles! We seek guest columnists who want to contribute articles to this newsletter. No professional writing experience necessary, just a desire to share your experience with others! 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.

 

 

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OUR SPONSORS: We Recommend...

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PassPorter only accepts advertising from services of the highest quality -- we recommend these companies because we use them ourselves. Please support our sponsors and, in turn, support this newsletter! This week's sponsors are (in order of appearance):

 

MouseEarVacations.com -- Disney Cruise Line special offers

 

Mouse Fan Travel -- Magic Your Way with FREE Dining Specials

 

ALL STAR Vacation Homes -- Choose from more than 150 homes within four miles of Disney World

 

 

Thank you, sponsors!

 

 

 

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Copyright (c) 2007 - MediaMarx, Inc. / PassPorter Travel Press, PO Box 3880, Ann Arbor, MI  48106

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