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PassPorter News
News, Announcements, Updates, and Tips
November 16, 2006 * Issue 6.44
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: Jet Lag
Disney Extras Feature: Splash Down at Disney's Water Parks
Disney Feature: Pros & Cons of the Magic Your Way
Premium Plan
Updates: What's New and Changed
Tips: Magic Mickey Memories, Reality Check, An Envelope Each
Captain's Corner: Free Kittens
Q&A: Any
advice on trip insurance?
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FROM THE AUTHORS: Jet Lag
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Hi, {{user("firstname")}}!
We had a delightful and exhausting research trip to
Southern California. In the span of a few days we were on hand for
record-setting high temperatures and
record-setting lows. But hey, we live in Michigan, and travel frequently to
Orlando and the Caribbean, so for us, those SoCal "extremes" seemed
quite manageable. Jet lag, on the other hand... We've been back home for nearly
four days, and we're still on West Coast time.
While not all that much has been changed or added
since we last visited Disneyland, Alexander has come a long way, so much of our
park time was spent exploring Disneyland (and LEGOLAND) through a toddler's
eyes. He had a blast, and so did we!
While at Disneyland we held a PassPorter meet near
Haunted Mansion. Well, it started at Disneyland, but Veterans Day weekend
crowds were so thick we abandoned all intentions to ride Haunted Mansion
Holiday and Pirates of the Caribbean. We crossed the Esplanade to Disney's
California Adventure and spent the afternoon experiencing Monsters Inc: Mike
and Sulley to the Rescue, Turtle Talk with Crush, Aladdin at the Hyperion
Theater, and wrapping up (for those remaining) with Block Party Bash,
Disneyland's evening "parade." A great time was had by all! I'd like
to thank everyone who joined us: Iris, Carol, Sean, Pamela, PassPorter Guide
Laurabelle, Stacy, Dana, Samantha, Robert, Jody, Bradley and Andrea.
We also had a fabulous time at MouseAdventure,
MousePlanet.com's all-day scavenger-style hunt throughout Disneyland park. As
first-timers we participated in the "open" category, and our
two-member team (plus Alexander, who tagged along like the trooper he is)
placed 29th out of 104 teams. Not at all bad! Of course, nearly every other
team finishing ahead of us had three or four adult members and didn't have to
attend to the needs of a toddler. (Spin-meister? Moi?) Watch out, MousePlanet.
Next time, Alexander will be older and we'll recruit
a couple of extra team members. Woo, woo, woo!!!! Go, team! (Sorry, the
excitement over the impending Michigan - Ohio State game is getting to us).
Just before we headed home, we hooked-up with the
folks from MiceChat.com at their
weekly meet at Disneyland's Hub. We met a whole bunch of wonderful folks, and
ran into our old buddy, Judimouse. Maybe we can talk them into joining MouseFest
next year?
Announcer: Jennifer and Dave, you've finished your
research trip to Disneyland. What are you going to do next?
J&D: We're going to MouseFest!
(Oy, will we ever get a day off?)
In other
happy news, PassPorter Walt Disney World 2007 is in stock
and orders from the PassPorter Store are shipping on the next business day.
That means there is still some time to order a new PassPorter if you are
planning to attend MouseFest! Place
your order today at http://www.passporterstore.com/store/2007.aspx . And don't
forget to use the 20% off coupon code at the bottom of this issue of PassPorter
News!
PassPorter Public Appearance Calendar
Here's an update on where you can see/hear/meet
PassPorter's authors in the upcoming months:
Coming soon:
12/3 - 12/11/2006
MouseFest 2006
See the MouseFest web site for the full schedule
Appearing: Jennifer, Dave and Alexander Marx, Deb
Wills
Be sure to bring your books for autographing
Books will also be available for sale at the
MegaMouseMeet, Saturday 12/9, at 1:00 pm.
In this issue of the newsletter first-time
newsletter contributor Jean Cotting takes us for a dip at Disney's Water Parks, and
PassPorter Guide Dawn Erickson analyzes Disney's Magic Your Way Premium
vacation package. Enjoy!
Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Authors and Publishers
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DISNEY ÒEXTRAÓ FEATURE: Splash Down at DisneyÕs
Water Parks
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by Jean Cotting, Guest Contributor
Your feet have swollen to twice their normal size,
the "Stand By" lines are all 90 minutes, you canÕt get the "its
a small world" song out of your head, and you're convinced that Chip and
Dale are stalking you. Now what? Well, let me tell you about one of the best
ways to spend a day away from the major theme parks when visiting the Walt
Disney World Resort - water parks! Before I get too far into this article I
have to post a disclaimer - I am a wimp! I will not be able to enlighten you
with any first-hand accounts of the more intense water park experiences. I love
gently curving water slides and tube rides. I am fond of bouncing around in
wave pools. I am too big a coward to go on any of the
death-defying-ninety-degree-straight-down-drop-to-certain-peril sort of water
slides. Also, I have my eight year old son in tow, who is not a very strong
swimmer. There are many fine books and web sites that can give you those
details (like PassPorter, for instance).
First, a history of water parks at Disney. The
original water park, River Country, closed a few years ago. You can still see
remnants of the slides if you take the boat from the Magic Kingdom to Fort
Wilderness. Some of my fondest recollections of childhood trips to Disney
involved barreling down the flumes at River Country. Compared to modern water
parks, River Country would probably be considered rather quaint - a few water
flumes, a tube ride, and not much else. However, for the late 70s / early 80s
it was state of the art. Every so often rumors circulate about Disney using the
space for something new, but nothing has come to fruition so far.
Of the two water parks currently in operation,
Typhoon Lagoon is the older. As you drive into the entrance of the park there
are a series of driftwood signs explaining the story behind the Lagoon. I don't
want to include any spoilers, but basically it explains just exactly how that
boat, the Miss Tilly, got stranded on top of Mount Mayday that far inland.
(Hint: It involves a typhoon.) There are all sorts of cute references to the
story in terms of the theming. The general feel of the place is sort of
tropical island, sort of Gulf Coast. The central area of the park is the wave
pool and it is a fantastic pool. The pool alternates in half-hour long shifts
between gentle bobbing waves and heavy duty body-surf quality big waves. The
big waves are pretty intense and my son generally prefers to wear a life vest
when the big waves come. After a shift of big waves we are usually sufficiently
fatigued to either go lounge in our lounge chairs or go off in search of the
wimpy slides. We are very partial to Keelhaul Falls and May Day Falls, which are twisty-turning
tube flumes. There is also a very entertaining family tube ride, Gang Plank
Falls. For those of you looking for more exciting thrills there are plenty -
the Crush-n-Gusher (a roller-coaster style slide), Humunga Kowabunga, and the
Storm Slides. I've never been on them but have heard the shrieks of
terror. (Just kidding ... kind of.)
Blizzard Beach is the newer of the two parks, and I
have a confession. I visited it for the first time only a week ago. I had heard
that it was the more dare-devil of the two parks and had decided to defer
visiting until my son was a bit older. I have to admit that I was pleasantly
surprised. There are plenty of the drop-to-your-death variety of slide but
there are many diversions for the less adventurous souls. As the name would
imply, there is a blizzard theme. Again there is a story behind the theming --
a freak blizzard in Florida, resulting in a ski resort. The landscaping is sort
of Swiss Alps; I kept expecting to see a lonely yodeling goatherd. It's worth
going just for the background music alone: Beach Boys and other surfin' music
alternating with polka music and Christmas carols. We went this year on the
last day of the season before it closed for rehab. It had been chilly and
rained in the morning, so we practically had the entire place to ourselves. My
absolute favorite thing about this park is the chair lift which takes you to
the slides. You can pack in a lot more runs down the mountain when don't have
to climb to the top each time. The chair lift gives you a lovely view of the last
split second before those poor masochistic fools descend down Summit Plummet.
We rode the family tube ride several times, Team Boat Springs, which we enjoyed
immensely. This is a very long slide and I think you pick up a lot more speed
and spinning than one generally does on a group ride. This is still not a slide
I would call scary. The Toboggan Racers are also delightful. They are very,
very fast, and at a few points I was convinced I was airborne. It's a double
hump racing slide, no twists or turns, sufficient run-off at the end so that
you've stopped before hitting the end, and it's only a few inches of water so
it's good choice for timid swimmers. There is also a lovely wave pool. It does
not have the rotation of really big waves like Typhoon Lagoon, just continuous,
gentle, bobbing waves.
I have been to Typhoon Lagoon a number of times and
Blizzard Beach only once, but based on my experience so far I would say I have
a slight preference for Blizzard Beach. Here is some general advice for both
water parks: Get there early if you want a chair. They go early. There are
plenty of counter service dining opportunities, beverage stations, and of
course, souvenir shops. I strongly recommend renting a locker. The parks are
huge and you won't want to leave your belongings unattended. The refillable mug
program is a fairly good deal. Up until last year one had to wait in line at
counter service restaurants to get refills and it really wasn't worth the
aggravation. They now have sticker on the mugs which you scan at beverage
stations, no waiting, which is a much more efficient arrangement. Each of the
parks does close down for a month or so in the winter, but they stagger it so
at least one of the parks is always open. The water is heated and one can use a
Plus Option for admission on the premium park admission tickets. Even paying
for a ticket out of pocket I think it's one of the best values for your
dollars.
So grab your towel and water-wings, I'll see you on
the slopes!
About the Author: Jean Cotting is a first-time
contributor to PassPorter News. She is looking forward to planning her next
trip to Walt Disney World and perhaps working up the courage to try Humunga
Kowabunga! (Ok, not really...)
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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.
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DISNEY FEATURE: Pros and Cons of the Magic Your Way
Premium Plan
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by Dawn Erickson, Guest Contributor and
PassPorter Message Board Guide
There are so many decisions that are made when
planning a Walt Disney World vacation. How you are going to get there? Where
you are going to stay? Where you are going to eat? When planning my most recent
trip with my husband to "the World," we decided to go all out and
chose the Magic Your Way Premium Plan.
The
Premium Plan includes your resort accommodations, Magic Your Way park passes
with Park hopping and the Water Parks and Fun Option for the length of your
stay, and breakfast, lunch and dinner at over 100 Walt Disney World
restaurants. The recreation options available on the Premium plan are spectacular.
You could play 18 holes on one of the many championship golf courses or
participate in water sports, including parasailing and water-skiing. Some of
the other options include a round of golf at one of the two miniature golf
courses, watercraft rentals, bike rentals, horseback trail rides, guided
fishing excursions, and tickets to Cirque de Soleil's La Nouba. For those with
children, there is unlimited use of the Children's Activity Centers.
Reservations are required for all recreation activities. Last but not least,
you can book as many tours as you want throughout your package stay. Choose
from a wide variety of options like the Keys to the Kingdom tour at the Magic
Kingdom, Disney's Backstage Safari at the Animal Kingdom, and the Undiscovered
Future World tour at Epcot.
The
main reason we chose the Premium Plan was for the dining options. We wanted to
leave for this trip knowing we did not have to pay for any meals out of pocket.
With the plan, we received breakfast, lunch, and dinner at over 100 restaurants
on Walt Disney World property. Just like under the regular Dining Plan,
alcoholic beverages, souvenir mugs, glow cubes, and in-room mini bars are
excluded from the plan. A nice feature is that many of the restaurants that are
two (2) dining credits on the Magic Your Way Dining Plan, like Hollywood Brown
Derby and Cinderella's Royal Feast, only used one (1) credit on the Premium
Plan. We also were able to dine at Fulton's Crab House in Downtown Disney,
which is not offered on the Magic Your Way Dining Plan. We were able to dine at
restaurants we normally overlooked for one reason or another and took advantage
of seven character meals. Since the meals were paid for, we also enjoyed
appetizers and desserts at most table service meals.
As far
as dining goes, I found two cons with the plan. The first con is that this is a
lot of food. Even my husband, who is a big eater, thought the amount of food
was too much. There were a couple of days where we cancelled our reservations
as we just were not hungry. The second con is in regard to the lack of snack
credits that are normally offered on the regular Magic Your Way Dining Plan.
The snack credits are a plus for those bottles of water in the park, those
Mickey Bar cravings, and during the Food and Wine Festival, those tasty
offerings at all the booths throughout the World Showcase. We were unable to
exchange any of our credits for what are considered "snacks" under
the Magic Your Way Dining Plan, so we did incur some out-of-pocket expenses
because we enjoyed the offerings during the Food and Wine Festival.
Of all
the extra amenities included on the Premium Plan, we only took advantage of
three on our trip. We took the Keys to the Kingdom tour at the Magic Kingdom
($120.00 value for both). This is a spectacular tour and one of the highlights
of our trip. We also reserved tickets for a showing of La Nouba in Downtown
Disney ($162.00 value for both). We had excellent seats in section 202, row AA,
seats 1 and 2. Finally, we played a round of golf at Fantasia Gardens near the
Swan/Dolphin resorts. The total value was $21.50 for both of us.
We
booked our vacation package through AAA and received the AAA discount.
The prices I am giving to you are based on that information. It will differ for
each individual or family. To give you an idea on the cost of the Premium Plan,
we calculated what the cost was per day for each of us and compared it to the
total cost of our meals and extras. Based on our cost, it was approximately an
extra $161.66 per day for the both of us ($969.96 for 6 nights). On our dining
alone, we would have spent $984.14. The extras would have cost us $303.50.
Grand total: $1287.64. Difference: $317.68 to our advantage.
Overall, the Magic Your Way Premium Plan worked well for us
on this trip. We were unable to experience everything it had to offer but it
truly made this trip something to remember. We did not have to worry about
out-of-pocket expenses except for snacks and souvenirs. I recommend if you are
considering the Premium Plan to do some research and see if you can fully take
advantage of everything it offers and weigh the cost.
A full
breakdown of all the amenities available on the 2007 Premium Plan, as well as
the participating restaurants, can be found on the Walt Disney World web site at
http://www.disneyworld.com
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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 holiday plans.
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UPDATES: What's New and Changed
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Here's a few relevant news items:
El Rio del Tempo, the boat
ride in Mexico's pavilion at the World Showcase, will be closed for
refurbishment from January 2, 2007 - April 2, 2007.
The new restaurant set to open in July 2007in Asia
at Disney's Animal Kingdom, has a name: Ying and Yak. The restaurant
located near Expedition Everest will feature both a table service section as
well as a counter service location.
Are you an Annual Passholder for Disney or any
other Orlando-area theme park? Between now and December 24, Cypress Gardens in Winter
Haven, Florida is offering free admission to anyone with a current Annual Pass
to theme parks such as Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.
Our thanks to http://www.allearsnet.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:
MAGIC MICKEY MEMORIES
"I'm always looking for a way to relive the magic of the
parks until our next trip. so this last trip I purchased a bunch of little
inexpensive souvenirs like key chains, magnets, small toys, etc. (A great place
to find these is at "Mickey's Mart: Everything Ten Dollars and Under"
in Downtown Disney.) I put them in small Mickey bags, sealed them shut with the
Mickey Mouse stickers that the cast members hand out, and when I got home I put
them in a box in an out of the way spot. Now when I'm having a bad day or just
need a little Disney Magic I go to the goodie box, pull out a bag, and it takes
me right back to my favorite place in the world."
--
contributed by Linda W.
REALITY CHECK
"Realize that it's impossible to see everything in one
trip and to enjoy the things you do see. If you worry about trying to cram in
everything you possibly can, you will miss the important stuff, like enjoying
this time with your family." --
contributed by Sharon A.
AN ENVELOPE EACH
"My children each had a good amount of
spending money for Disney but were too young to safely keep track of it. But it
can get confusing for us to keep up with their different running totals. I now
make a little envelope for each child labeled with their name (and some Disney
stickers of course!) with their money in it, and we simply remove the $ from
their envelope when they make a purchase and return the change. Receipts can
also be placed in the envelope in case there is a need to return something
before leaving." -- contributed by Karen S.
>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
>>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 new 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 weekÕs journal entry:
" "I've been feeling a mite lonely
lately. Should I find myself a good and loyal pet? I do recall a notice
announcing free kittens -- I even took a snapshot of it because I thought the
sign was quite amusing. The notice indicates that the kittens are rather large.
I wonder if I could teach a kitten to ride on my shoulder like a parrot? Alas,
I am probably doomed never to find out because I cannot remember WHERE I was
when I took the snapshot of the sign."
Where is the free kitten sign located?
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 Marsha Bouters who was the
winner of last week's treasure hunt game! Marsha correctly identified the time
machine (the now-defunct Timekeeper attraction) as "the greatest invention
of all time." To view the original clues, see http://www.passporter.com/news/news110906.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 Skatt. ÒPassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World" is
now available! You can order the new book today at http://www.passporterstore.com/store/1587710269.aspx
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Q & A WITH JENNIFER & DAVE
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DaleNChip asks: "I have
tried reading the FAQ on InsureMyTrip.com, but I'm
still confused. I don't know what I should be looking at covering, so I don't
know how to compare what I'm seeing. Does that make sense? I've never used trip
insurance before but want to for my just-booked August 2007 Disney cruise. Any
advice?"
Dave & Jennifer answer:
"Everyone has their own idea of what risks are acceptable, and what are
too great to leave uninsured. However...
You want to be covered in case travel disruptions
cause you to miss the boat - weather, mechanical failures, missed connections,
whatever. If you want to join the ship at its next port of call, you'll be
paying rather stiff, same-day airfares. You may also have to shell out for
hotel, ground transportation, etc. It's also nice to be reimbursed for the
full/partial cost of the cruise if you end up missing some or all of it.
Your medical policy may or may not cover you
outside the US. If you are covered, you'll have to pay the bills up front and
put in for reimbursement. Your regular medical policy will almost undoubtedly
NOT cover helicopter transportation from ship to shore in the case of a serious
emergency. It will not cover the transportation and lodging costs for
family/companions who accompany you to the hospital overseas. If you then need
special medical transport from a foreign hospital back home... If you think
there's a significant risk of something happening (existing medical conditions,
or simply an accident-prone teenaged daredevil), you'll want supplemental
medical coverage including evacuation. While the cost of medical treatments
outside the US are almost always lower than in the States, transportation,
lodging, etc. can make serious illness or injury overseas phenomenally
expensive.
Some other kinds of coverage - lost luggage,
"traveler's aid", etc. are often covered in other ways (such as
credit card benefits), and the travel policies often stipulate that claims must
be made to all other insurers/airline/etc. before you can claim a loss on the
travel policy... that coverage is generally not as essential as the other sorts
I mentioned, but it also is almost impossible to find a policy that doesn't
include it."
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?
===================================
PassPorter News is now published weekly, and this
means we need more articles than ever! We're on the lookout for 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.
====================================
PassPorter News is only sent to those who have
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the time of an order,
registration, survey, or contest.
If this newsletter was forwarded to you by a
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Copyright (c) 2006 - MediaMarx, Inc. / PassPorter
Travel Press, PO Box 3880, Ann Arbor, MI
48106
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