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January 18, 2007 * Issue 7.03 |
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 In
This Newsletter
From the Authors:
Message Board Upgrade
Travel Feature:
Los Angeles
Disney Feature: How
Young Is 'Too Young?'
Updates: What's
New and Changed
Tips:
Checking On Charges, Water Woes, Character Cards
Captain's Corner: Pigskin Journal
Q&A: How
can I be sure my bags made it from the plane to the cruise?
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Updates:
What's
New and Changed
Here are a few items of relevant news:
Walt Disney World announced increases to the rack
room rates at their resorts, effective January 11, 2007. This is the rate
that is charged for the room not including any discounts. Value resort rates
rose approximately $4 per night, Moderate resorts rose approximately $6 per
night, Deluxe resorts, DVC properties and Ft. Wilderness rose approximately $10
per night.
The price for valet parking at Walt Disney World Resorts has increased to
$10 per day.
Disney Cruise Line was expected to announce special summer itineraries
for 2008 on Wednesday, January 17. Well it didn't happen, but it just may happen
today (Thursday). Check our
Disney Cruise Line message board forum - we'll post the news there, as soon
as it comes across the wire!
Two of Epcot's Behind the Scenes tours are being discontinued. Hidden
Treasures of the World Showcase will no longer be available after April 27, 2007
and Gardens of the World will no longer be offered after June 9, 2007.
Our thanks to AllEars.net
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
Our readers deliver a wealth of information! Here
are the winners in this month's tip contest:
CHECKING ON CHARGES
"While staying at a Walt Disney World resort, I like to take advantage of
charging all purchases on my Room Charge. In order to keep track, I keep a
"running total" each day on the bottom of my PassPorter pockets. I collect all
receipts for the day and at night in the room, I add them all up and write on
the bottom of the pocket for that day "Running Total As Of Today is $ _____".
Sometimes it is easy to get carried away with the spending, so this keeps me in
order and on budget without any surprises. Then after a few days, I either call
to the front desk or ask for a copy of my bill to check and make sure that the
totals match. Then, the express checkout option is easier too. This keeps my
finances in order and it is much easier to check out, knowing that all is right
in "The World."
-- contributed by Ami G.
WATER WOES
"Have people in your group who hate to get wet? Bring in trash bags folded
small. Make head and arm opening right before going on the ride (for example
Splash Mountain). Then after the ride simply throw away. Saves on bringing dry
clothes to carry."
-- contributed by Linda W.
CHARACTER CARDS
"When I was five my family drove two days to Disney World. My mom knew this
would be an awful drive if I did not have something to channel my excitement. So
she gave me some colors and a notepad and told me to write notes to all of the
characters that I would be seeing on our vacation. I spent time writing little
notes and coloring pictures for Mickey, Minnie and the gang. Each day my mom
took the notes to the park with us. When we'd see a character, I'd give them the
note. It gave me something to hunt for as we walked all over the park and the
characters loved it... at least it seemed like they'd spend a little more time
patting my head or taking a photo. 17 years and many trips since I still
remember the joy I had seeking out and delivering my special messages."
-- contributed by
Katie B.
>Notes: Send
us your tips ! You may see them in this newsletter and win a copy of
PassPorter!
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 or the PassPorter store. 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.
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Captain's
Corner:
Treasure Hunting Game
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:
"I'm becoming desperate in my search for a new journal to record my musings. Today at lunch I snuck a few
extra napkins at Backlot Express and used them as note paper. Oh, the shame. I later stopped by Dr. Honeydew's lab in the
hope he could get one of his fancy-schmancy machines to make me a journal, but his assistant was not available --
something about finding wall dough. Sounds dreadful. My old pal Sweetums saw me wandering about the labs and offered
to make me a pigskin journal, but I politely declined. I knew someone who would strenuously object. In the end, all I got out of my visit to the labs was a pair of
old 'sunglasses' that don't even keep the sun out of my eyes."
Where are the labs that Jack visited?
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 William Hayes who was the winner of
last week's treasure hunt game! William correctly identified
the signpost as being located in the queue of The Seas with Nemo & Friends at
Epcot. To view the original clue, see
last
week's newsletter.
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. Get more details on "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World" book
at http://www.passporterstore.com.
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Q
& A:
With Jennifer and Dave
WFMA asks: "I'm using the Disney Cruise
Line airport transfers. When you get on the ship are your bags in the room
already or do you have to wait? What happens if one is missing? Do they put them
on the same bus as us? Can I verify that they made it off the plane?"
Dave & Jennifer answer: "The
only way to verify that your bags made it off the plane is to not use the
luggage tags, and collect your own luggage at the baggage carousel. You can then
bring the baggage down to the Disney Cruise Line (DCL) shuttle yourself.
Whether you use the luggage tags, or deliver the bags to DCL yourself, they will
be loaded onto a truck - they won't be loaded on your bus.
No matter how your luggage gets to the cruise terminal, it is then checked
again, X-rayed, brought on board by longshoremen, and distributed to staterooms
by the ship's crew (it'll be left in the hallway outside your door). It will not
be waiting for you (unless you spend a bit of time at lunch, etc. before
visiting your room for the first time) -- you can get on board faster than the
luggage can be distributed by the crew.
If something turns up on X-ray that is not permitted on board the baggage is
hand-inspected, and any item(s) not allowed (like knives, tools, etc.) will be
removed and held for you at the terminal (it can be reclaimed at the end of the
journey). This process can delay delivery of that piece of luggage until after
the ship has sailed (it's loaded on board very close to departure time, and it
may take a while for it to make its way from the cargo hold up to your room).
If you do use the DCL luggage tags (and let them collect your luggage at the
airport), if there's a missing bag (due to airline or baggage handling error),
it may take a day or more to be reunited with that luggage -- it'll be flown to
the first practical port of call (typically, Nassau) and delivered to the ship.
If a bag does go missing, report it immediately to Guest Services on Deck 3.
Whether it's an airline error or the cruise line's, they'll handle all the
details.
For these reason, we always recommend that you bring a day bag (carry-on) that
has a change of clothes that will be appropriate for dinner."
Have a question? Check out our new "Ask PassPorter" Q & A blog at
http://ask.passporter.com. We're still working on getting the blog ready
for prime time, but we welcome your comments and questions! You can also 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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Future
Newsletters:
Want
To See Your Name in Print?
PassPorter News is published
weekly, and this means we're always in need of articles! We're on the lookout
for guest columnists who want to contribute articles to this newsletter.
No professional writing experience is 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 for use at
www.passporter.com.
For details and our article submission guidelines,
please e-mail news@passporter.com.
Articles about Disney and general travel are welcomed!
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From
the Authors: Message Board Upgrade
Hi, {{user("firstname")}}!
We lost our high speed Internet access here for
a couple of days due to the recent ice storms, but that has barely slowed us
down!
Message Board Upgrade: The
next big thing in the PassPorter pipeline is an overhaul of our popular
PassPorter Posts message boards community.
On Saturday, January 20, we'll be closing the message boards temporarily so we
can upgrade them. Please make a note now of your display name and password so you
can log in after the message boards are upgraded. You may also want to save a copy
of your profile information, signature, avatar, and any other images. Jennifer
has more details on the upgrade and can answer your questions in our
Using Your PassPorter forum.
New E-Book: Last week we introduced a brand-new e-book,
PassPorter's Sidekick to the
Walt Disney World Guidebook, and the response has been fantastic! This 109-page Adobe Acrobat (PDF) file is
bursting at the seams with new planning worksheets (including eight "Stuff To Do
Before You Go" pages), journal pages in a variety of designs, an electronic
version of PassPorter Walt Disney World's Web Site Index (so you can click the
links and go), duplicates of every planning worksheet and checklist in
PassPorter Walt Disney World, luggage tags, and much more! What's really
exciting (at least, to us) is that most of these pages are completely
interactive -- you can type-in your information (the budget worksheet even does
the math for you!) and check-off your check list
items on your computer, then print-out the filled-in pages to insert in your
PassPorter. As with all our e-books, these pages are formatted to be printed-out
to fit a PassPorter deluxe ring binder, and will fold and fit neatly in your PassPorter's PassPockets.
Get all the details at
http://www.passporter.com/wdw/sidekick.asp Tip: If you've already got this e-book and
downloaded it on or before Saturday, January 13, we've updated the e-book with more interactive features! Log back into the store
and download
the e-book again to get the latest and greatest version.
Great Offer: For a limited time, you can
get a free copy of the above e-book with your purchase of a
PassPorter Walt Disney
World 2007 guidebook when you buy it from our online store. (Offer good
through January 25, 2007.) What a deal!
Cruise Guide Arrived Earlier: The new edition
of PassPorter's Field
Guide to the Disney Cruise Line is now in our warehouse, and pre-orders are
shipping now! That's a full week ahead of schedule. We'll need a couple of days to
catch up with all the pre-orders, but by early next week new orders of the
guidebook will be shipping out next-business day. This is the biggest edition of
our Disney Cruise Line guidebook ever, with more than 70
brand-new pages, most of them dedicated to this summer's Mediterranean
itineraries. To be among the first to get your copy, order now at the
PassPorter Store.
Bestselling!!!: Sales of PassPorter Walt Disney World
2007 are setting new records in the bookstores! For the first two weeks of 2007 our
little baby has been #18 on the Bookscan Travel Bestsellers list, which measures
actual in-store book sales. The list, compiled by the A.C. Nielsen Company
(famed for its TV ratings), includes guidebooks, map books and travel narratives
(like Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods"). If you subtract the literature and
road atlases, we come in at #9. Pretty darned cool, and cooler every week!
PassPorter Public Appearance Calendar
Here's an update on where you can see/hear/meet PassPorter's
authors in the upcoming months:
Coming soon:
Friday, January 26, 2007 at 1:10 pm -- PassPorter
co-author Dave Marx will be a guest on The Charlie Profit Radio Show, on WXCT AM
990 in Southington, Connecticut |
In this issue of the newsletter,
our globetrotting Brit, Cheryl Pendry, takes us for a tour of some of the many
sights of Los Angeles, and newsletter Editor Sara Varney
helps parents with that perennial question, "How young is 'too
young?'". Enjoy!
Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Authors
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Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World
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- As to Disney artwork: ©Disney
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Travel
Feature:
Los Angeles: City of Angels - And Stars!
by
Cheryl Pendry, Guest Contributor and PassPorter Message Board Guide
Los Angeles -- those
two words invariably get people thinking. Perhaps of the thousands of movies
that have come out of the city, perhaps of the designer names scattered
throughout Beverley Hills, that famous Hollywood sign, or maybe the smog and the
traffic congestion.
Whatever it is you think of, Los Angeles certainly makes its mark on people, whether they've visited the city or not, and
with good reason. It's the second largest city in America with a population of
more than four million people, spread over something like 500 square miles -- and
that's just in the city! It's reckoned the Los Angeles metropolitan area is home
to another 13 million people. If you're heading to California, it's one of
those places you have to visit -- and of course it's easy to get to for anyone
visiting Disneyland.
But where to
start? Nearly every tourist heads for Hollywood Boulevard and it's easy to see
why. The sight of Mann's Chinese Theater
is one that's immediately familiar to any Disney fan that's seen it's likeness
at the Disney-MGM Studios. When you see the real thing for the first time
though, you're immediately struck by how much vision and showmanship Sid
Graumann had. This place really is unique and certainly doesn't blend in with
anything around it, but that's one of its attractions! And of course another
attraction is the handprints in front of the
theater.
It's worth arriving early to get any photos, as this place gets mobbed later in
the day.
Hollywood Boulevard
is also home to the Walk of Fame, and while not as prestigious as getting your
handprint done, it's really fun to find your
favorites -
be sure to print off a list before you leave home. The Walk of Fame literally
goes on for miles and you do need to have an idea of where to find the star that
you’re looking for. A couple that Disney fans should keep an eye out for include
Walt Disney at 7201 Hollywood Boulevard, Roy O. Disney at 6833, Mickey Mouse at
6925, Donald Duck at 6840 and Snow White at 6910.
This area is
also home to the Kodak Theater,
which hosts the Oscars. Part of the
Hollywood and
Highland complex, it's fascinating to walk down the stairs and see the names of
the movies which have taken the Best Picture Oscar each year. If you want to see
more of the theater,
guided tours run daily and can be purchased at the box office. This complex is
also home to shops and restaurants and a very reasonably priced car park, where
parking will cost you up to a maximum of $10 per day -- a good bargain for a
major city!
Let's be
honest -- we're all fascinated by the lives of the rich and famous, otherwise the
press wouldn't cover their every move with such detail. That could explain why
Beverley Hills is such a huge attraction for visitors to Los Angeles. Packed with world famous designer names, this area of the city just
drips with money and of course, there's always a chance you could spot a star
out doing their shopping. It really is worth seeing, just to see how the other
half live! If stars are what you've come to
Los Angeles to spot, then this is
also the area to find their homes. As well as taking a guided tour, you can also
do it yourself with guides to where celebrities live. One guide that's
particularly comprehensive is
Celebrity and Movie Star Addresses.
Although
movies may have made LA famous, they're only half the story for visitors. The
city also has a lot of history that many never see. That history really started
with La Brea Tar Pits, which were formed around 42,000 years ago, when oil rose
to the surface of the earth. Animals became trapped by that oil and their
remains were then fossilized. The Page Museum here allows visitors to learn
about the city during the last Ice Age, when the city was dominated by sabre
toothed tigers, rather than movie stars!
History is
just as evident, but a lot more recent at Olveda Street, the birthplace of Los
Angeles. It's also known as El Pueblo Historic Monument, after the original
pueblo that was built by the 44 settlers of Los Angeles in 1781. Today you can
still find many historic buildings here, including the oldest brick home
in the city and there's also a traditional Mexican-style market to browse. It's
an odd area, set right in the middle of modern downtown, and considering the
development in LA over the years, it's amazing it's survived so well.
A far more
modern structure that's also well worth a visit is the
Hollywood Bowl. The summer home of the LA Philharmonic since 1922, it's a
unique concert venue and it is worth checking to see if anyone will be playing
there
during your trip. Even if there isn't anything that appeals, the museum is open
year round from Tuesdays to Saturdays and is free to visit. Just remember, if
you do get a chance to go to the Bowl, be sure to hike up high enough to get a
photo with the Hollywood sign in the background. It's not an easy climb, but
it's worth it!
And speaking of the
Hollywood
sign, you'll get some superb views of it from
Griffith
Park. Covering 4,210 acres, this park got its name from Colonel Griffith J.
Griffith, who donated the land to the city in 1896. As well as the wonderful
views, the main attraction here is the Griffith Park Observatory that has recently
reopened, following a massive renovation and expansion. One of its main draws is
its superb planetarium and the 12-inch Zeiss telescope, located in a roof top
dome at the east end of the building, allowing people to view the stars and
planets for themselves.
With so much
to see, you might be wondering where to grab some good food. Unsurprisingly, LA
is packed with a myriad of places to eat, but some of the best include the
Farmers' Market which was started during the Great Depression of the 1930's
as a place for farmers to sell their produce. Today the food here is still first
class and you'll be hard pressed to find fresher meals. If you like hot dogs
then don't miss
Pink's at 709 La Brea Boulevard. A family owned hog dog stand since 1939,
you'll see lines around the block at almost any time of the day, even the early
hours of the morning!
There's so much to see in Los Angeles that ideally you'll either need a car to
get around or you can also join a guided tour. As you'd expect, there are many
to choose from -- we went for
Starline Tours and were very impressed with the tour and the knowledge of
our guide. In recent years, with the creation of a new subway system in the
1990's, public transport has become another way to get around Los Angeles. The
metro system includes rail and bus services, which will take you to most of
the major sights.
About the Author:
Cheryl and husband Mark live in England
and love to travel, particularly to America. Although they're regular visitors to Walt Disney World,
their travels have also taken them to Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Boston,
and Washington DC in the last year or so!
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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 travel plans. Also check out our
Article Collection for more great information!
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Did
You Know?
Great Cruise Rates are available at
MouseEarVacations.com!
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Disney Feature:
How Young Is Too Young?
by
Sara Varney, PassPorter News Editor
By far, one of the most frequently
asked questions on our message boards and of me personally is, "When should I
take my child to Walt Disney World? How young is too young?" My usual quick
answer is, "There's no such thing as too young!" but in reality this is much too
important a question for a quick answer.
There are a number of
things to consider when figuring out that magic age for taking your child to see
Mickey. I'll try to break down some of the most important factors for you so you
can make a more informed decision. After all, you want to vacation to be magical
for everyone, not just your young one!
The first and most
important thing to consider are your expectations for this trip. Is this
your first trip to Walt Disney World or are you old pros? Do you want to see as
much as possible, knowing that this is a once in a lifetime trip, or do you just
want to sit back and let the magic happen, knowing that you will be back to
experience more as your child grows? Our son is two and has already visited Walt
Disney World twice --
once at 19 months and once at 28 months. Both trips were wonderful and I
wouldn't trade those memories for anything, but for the most part they are my
memories, not his. If this is a once in a lifetime trip, I recommend waiting
until your child is a little older so that they can experience more and will
have more first-hand memories of the trip.
Another consideration is
cost. And this is where taking a younger child becomes a benefit! Children under
three do not require park admission. Not only that, but you can go during the
less expensive times of year when older children are in school. This can equal
HUGE savings on hotel rooms! Also, there is no charge for children under three at buffet meals. This includes such popular character meals as
the Crystal
Palace, where your toddler can dine with Pooh and friends, and Hollywood & Vine,
which features JoJo, Goliath and the Little Einsteins at breakfast and lunch.
Watching my son run into Stitch's arms while dining at Ohana is one of my
favorite memories from his first trip. That moment may have been worth the cost
of the trip alone!
Then you have to consider
logistics. Traveling with a younger child requires STUFF -- strollers, car seats,
sippy cups, diapers, snacks, etc. Your child may still be napping requiring a
trip back to the hotel in the middle of the day. (Not such a bad idea for anyone
actually...) Is it easier to travel with an older child? Maybe. But keep in mind
that as they get older, the strollers may STILL be necessary; car seats become
booster seats if you rent a car, and "other stuff" becomes iPods and Gameboys.
Let's face it; traveling with kids requires a lot of stuff no matter what their
ages!
Finally there is the "X"
factor. And that is your child. You know him or her best! Be honest with yourself. Is
your child a bit of a runaway? If she has a tendency to wander off at home,
know that this tendency will be multiplied tenfold at Disney. Does he melt down
mid-day without a nap? Take that into consideration. Is your child shy or timid?
Some children are overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds at Disney. It can be
a bit much at times, even for adults! There are kids for whom it would be better
to wait until they are better able to process what is going on around them.
There is something magical
about a toddler seeing Walt Disney World for the first time, because they "get
it!" Everything is real. Mickey is the best friend that they've been seeing
every day on
"Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," Dumbo really flies and so does Tinker Bell.
Exploring Disney with a toddler is a whole new way of seeing "The World." It's a
slower pace that involves stopping to splash in every fountain, checking out
every play area, stopping at every restroom you pass if potty training, and
waving at every character you see. And while this can be difficult to adjust to
for former commando tourists like me, the benefits are well worth it. You spot
details you never would have seen before, find the fun in the most mundane parts
of Disney, and rediscover the magic in a way a grown-up never could. So just
like you're never too old to experience the magic, you're never too young
either!
About the Author:
Sara is the Editor of PassPorter News and Online Coordinator for MediaMarx Inc.
She and her family are looking forward to their third trip together to Walt
Disney World for MouseFest 2007.
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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 vacation plans. Also check out our
Article Collection for more great information!
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Copyright
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