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 In This Newsletter
From the Authors: Winter Daydreams
Travel Feature: Niagara Falls, New York
"Other" Orlando Feature: Blue Horizons at Sea World
Updates: What's New and Changed
Tips: Pressed Pennys, Texting Tip, Allergy Alert
Captain's Corner: Tongba Shop
PassPorter PhotoPick: Balloons at Magic Kingdom
Q&A: What happens if it rains on our cruise?
Our Sponsors: We Recommend...
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Updates:
What's New and Changed
Here are a few items of relevant news:
On September 27, 2008, Disney's Animal Kingdom will be host to the Expedition Everest Challenge. But this race, a 5k foot race, is not your average 5k! Each team (one or two person teams) will receive an Expedition Passport that they need to have stamped at various sites throughout the park. Registration will begin on February 15, 2008. The registration fee of $100 per individual or $195 per couple includes a Champion Tech-Shirt, a 3-month trial subscription to Men's or Women's Health magazine, a commemorative inaugural finishers medal, admission to an exclusive after-hours party at Disney's Animal Kingdom and a 1-day, 1-park ticket.
Playhouse Disney - Live On Stage! is scheduled to re-open this week with an all new line-up of your favorite Playhouse Disney stars from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, and Little Einsteins.
Disney Grad Nites 2008 will take over the Magic Kingdom on April 18, 19, 25 and 26. Grad Nite is an exclusive, all-night party for high school seniors. The Magic Kingdom will close early on these nights to prepare for this event. This year's featured live performer is Grammy nominated hip hop artist Ne-Yo.
Our thanks to AllEars.net and MousePlanet.com from which we get some of our news leads.
Hear some news? Be a "PassPorter Reporter" and send it to us!
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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:
PRESSED PENNIES
"Before we get ready to go on our Disney vacations, the kids and I save our shiny pennies and quarters in a jar that is Disney decorated. This gets the kids all excited for the 'penny press hunt,' as we call it. I keep a list for each one of us that shows which pennies and quarters we already have. That way, we won't pick the same ones twice. We have the special coin press books that you can buy at the gift shops that we keep our coins in. Each time we go, we just add to our collection. This is a fairly cheap hobby and souvenir at the same time. The kids love finding the machines and new coins. Once you start collecting them, you can't seem to stop!"
-- contributed by Theresa B.
TEXTING TIP
"I thought of a good idea for the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. On a recent trip I tried submitting a joke but I'm not a very fast texter, so I didn't get submitted in time. Next time, I'll be prepared. Write the joke up as a text message before hand and instead of sending it, save it into the drafts folder on your phone. Then when you're corralled into the holding room and the special word (number) you have to send the joke to appears, go back into your drafts folder, type in the word (number) and send! Keep it short, family-friendly, and don't forget your name and where you're from!"
-- contributed by Jyl D.
ALLERGY ALERT
"Traveling with children with multiple allergies can be somewhat of a challenge. Whenever we travel I make it a point to include an 'emergency pack' in each child's suitcase. This way if one of the cases are lost we are not without the medications. I use an empty tennis ball container and pack each one with Tylenol, Benadryl, lozenges, band aids, alcohol wipes, inhalers, tweezers, eye drops, and a thermometer. You never know when an attack will happen. Its also small enough to pack in our bag for the parks as well."
-- contributed by Kelly N.
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:
"Feeling a bit chilly today. I asked around for a good, warm beverage that I could drink to chase away the shivers. An old aquaintance of mine, Tasha, suggested a nice cuppa Tongba. Tashi, as I like to call her, says she just so happens to be operating a Tongba Shop these days. Tashi says Tongba is only for true adventurers, however, and won't tell me exactly where to find her shop. All she'd say is that it was in Serka Zong and that I could also pick up trekking gear at the same time, whatever that means."
Where is Tasha's Trek and Tongba Shop? For bonus credit, locate the photographic evidence in the PassPorter Photo Archive and post a comment with the photo!
Send your full answer to jackskatt@passporter.com -- the winner will be notified by e-mail and announced in a future newsletter, along with the correct answer!
Congratulations to Kristine Jones who was the winner of last week's trivia contest! Kristine was the first person to identify the number of mice gazing up at Cinderella as 5. 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 Jack Skatt. Get more details on "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World" book at http://www.passporterstore.com.
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PassPorter PhotoPick
Each issue we choose a special photo from the PassPorter Photo Archive which highlights something beautiful, interesting, humorous, or timely at Disney or around the world. Here is this issue's PassPorter PhotoPick:
Balloons at Magic Kingdom
contributed by Shell_of_the_South
(click the photo or link to see a larger photo with details)
You can nominate photos as a PassPorter PhotoPick by giving ratings in the PassPorter Photo Archive (you'll need to be logged in to do this). If you'd like to contribute your own photos to the Photo Archive and be considered as a PhotoPick, please read our Photo Upload Guidelines for details and benefits.
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Q & A:
With Jennifer and Dave
Enchanted asks: "I'm looking ahead to our Jan. 31st cruise and see it may be rainy in Nassau and Castaway Cay. I'm not afraid of getting wet mind you, but am curious to know: Will they divert the ship to sunnier waters?"
Dave and Jennifer answer: "Rain is usually in the daily forecast in any ocean/island area. There's lots of water to evaporate, lots of clouds to form. Usually, though, that rain will be localized and brief. If the forecast is showing an 80%-90% chance of rain, expect a rainy day. If it shows 30%-40% - that's just business as usual.
On a day at sea the ship may just tweak its course a bit to follow a patch of sun, but they aren't going to divert the ship from a port of call unless the situation is much more serious. Safety first, but when safety isn't the issue, they're not going to mess with things like shore excursions, finding an empty berth in an alternate port, etc."
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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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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Our Sponsors:
We Recommend...
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):
Mouse Fan Travel -- Decade of Dreams Offer
MouseEarVacations.com -- Disney Cruise Line Special Offers
Quicksilver Tours & Transportation -- Save $5 off airport round-trip transportation in a town car
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From the Authors: Winter Daydreams
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For all of us currently living under winter's spell (OK, all you Aussies and others in the tropics and south of the equator, stop smirking!), this is a season for daydreaming about warm places -- especially warm places touched by Disney's magic. Even South Floridians must have been touched recently when daytime temperatures barely climbed out of the 50s. We're certainly no exception. Imagine a full-time (well, more than full-time) job where you have to work on books about tropical cruises and Southern California theme parks while snow falls outside your window (as we are at the moment). (We're sure all you Disney-specialist travel agents out there know what we mean!) Is it any wonder that this is the single biggest season of the year for travel guidebook sales in the U.S.? (PassPorter's Walt Disney World guidebook set a new record by rising to #12 on the travel bestseller list for two weeks in a row!) Who knows how many folks are curling up by the fireplace (if they have one) or snuggling under a nice, thick quilt with a good book, to dream about warm sunshine in faraway places? We're right there with you!
If you'd rather curl up in front of your computer or iPod, check out this week's MouseStation podcast (episode #129), which contains an interview with yours truly!
Chapter 3 of our Disney Cruise guide is now available in the special electronic preview file, available with every pre-order of PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line and its Ports of Call. The preview version of the guidebook is available to everyone who pre-orders a new cruise guide through our PassPorter Store. As of this evening, chapters 1-3 are included in the preview file -- chapter 4 will go up soon, too. If you already pre-ordered, you can download the updated preview file by returning to our store, signing in, checking your order history for your cruise guide pre-order, and clicking Download Now. To pre-order and start reading right away, visit the PassPorter's Disney Cruise Pre-Order Center.
We continue to be amazed and honored by all the folks joining us for the PassPorter's Decade of Dreams Tour. The Decade of Dreams Tour celebrates all of our dreams by going "on tour," coast-to-coast and online! We're planning everything from online events with contests to one-day parties (meets) to grand, multi-day group trips. Our once-in-a-lifetime group trips include a 7-night Disney Cruise to Tortola, a 4-night celebration at Walt Disney World, and a Disneyland visit that includes park time and an Adventures by Disney expedition, with travel arranged by our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. To get all the details and reserve your spot on the limited-availability trips, visit the Decade of Dreams Tour Overview. Everyone is invited and welcome! Will you join us?
PassPorter's Club Update
Nearly 1150 vacationers are now enjoying access to all our e-books, e-worksheets, and super-sized photo archive images. Subscriber rolls are up by more than 12% this month -- thank you for your continued support!
We have a new e-worksheet for you to use to plan your next trip (click the link to go directly to them): the Food Hit List helps you keep a running list of the foods you don't want to miss while you're on your trip. Space is provided for the food name, eatery, location, price, type, rating, and notes. There's also a checkbox so you can mark off a food when you've actually had it!
Our latest e-book, "PassPorter's Festivals and Celebrations at Walt Disney World" by Thomas Cackler, is available for Club Passholders to download free of extra charges.
More details at http://www.passporter.com/club
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In this issue, Guest Contributor and Niagara Falls devotee Michelle Kosloff returns to report on, what for her, is The Other Side of the Falls: Niagara Falls, New York. Then, theme park and amusement park enthusiast Barry Horn is back with a review of the new dolphin show, Blue Horizons at Seaworld Orlando. Finally, Jack Skatt is back with a brand-new Walt Disney World Treasure Hunt. Enjoy!
Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Publishers and Authors
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Travel Feature:
The Other Side of the Falls: Niagara Falls, New York
by Michelle Kosloff, PassPorter Guest Contributor
(Check out Michelle's article on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls in our August 30, 2007 issue.)
Whenever I think of Niagara Falls, I think of the Canadian side with its noise, glaring lights, and in-your-face tourist grabs. Don't get me wrong, I like it. It's sort of like Las Vegas - Canadian style. There is something to see around every corner. However I recently discovered something a little quieter and somewhat different -- Niagara Falls, New York.
There are not nearly as many hotels on the New York side of the Falls as there are on the Canadian side. Choose wisely and remember that for the most part you get what you pay for. At the top of the price range is the Seneca-Niagara Casino, for the fully pampered experience. It was a little out of our price range but someday we'd like to try it. And from there you can go all the way down to a little motel. Be careful though, the area where the motels are located is not the nicest and some of the motels looked a little dodgy.
We used Priceline.com to bid on our hotel because we didn't really care where we stayed (within reason) and in the 3-star range we were bidding in there were only 2 hotels and either would have been fine. We won our bid at the Sheraton Four Points.
I had read mixed reviews of this hotel and in truth they were warranted. The staff was fabulous, the rooms were fine. The lobby and restaurant were very nice. The pool was nice and big but the pool deck needed painting and had a shabby appearance. The elevators could have used a good cleaning. The views are not nearly as nice as the hotels on the Canadian side. If I had paid full price in the summer, I am sure I would have been disappointed, but after paying a rock bottom price, we were ok with it. On the plus side, on our second night there we told the desk clerk it was our anniversary and she upgraded us to a Jacuzzi suite! The view was a smidge better in our original room (view of the Canadian skyline) but it was still quite nice. The room was much bigger and of course it had a Jacuzzi -- ahhhh, what heaven after a day of shopping!
The best part about our hotel was that we were able to walk to the falls in minutes. The route we took led us along the river leading up to the falls themselves. The power of the river was awesome. My husband thought it would be fun to white water canoe along it -- I thought he must have a screw loose!
The falls and the land surrounding them is all a State Park. There is a free trolley throughout the park (which includes Goat Island), a 40 minutes IMAX movie about the history of the falls and several different tours (Cave of Winds, Gorge tour -- different prices) as well as the classic Maid of the Mist boat ride right up to the falls. You can get a package to do several of the options -- movie, Cave of Winds, etc. -- for a discounted price. (For information and pricing, check out the Niagara Falls State Park web site.) However, one thing to keep in mind - if you go during the off season like we did, some of the attractions may be closed or have shortened hours. On the plus side, it was not difficult to enjoy a perfect view with nobody around!
Probably our biggest draw to this side of the falls was shopping. We did the short drive to Buffalo to go to the Walden Galleria (and ate at the Cheesecake Factory -- Yum!) and also shopped at the Boulevard Mall (not as big but nicer). The Fashion Outlets in Niagara Falls was also one of our destinations and it did not disappoint with bargains. We made several trips back to the car with our "deals." We also visited the Summit Mall in Niagara Falls for a trip to the Steve & Barry's there (one of my new favorite stores). We bought a ton of clothes there and in truth, this store there was nicer than the one in Walden Galleria! We probably didn't even have to make the trip to Buffalo because almost everything we were looking for (except the Cheesecake Factory) was right there in Niagara Falls.
Finally, our last destination on this side of the falls was the Casino. We are new to gambling, but we wanted a nighttime diversion and this seemed like a good idea. It was a nice casino -- not my favorite but not bad. On the plus side, the restaurants are outside the casino areas so if you did have kids you could still eat there with them. The casino area was bright and there were lots of different options. On the minus side (because I am a non-smoker), smoking was allowed pretty much everywhere. I am used to Ontario where smoking is not allowed indoors. (I guess this would be a plus if you were a smoker!)
Had it been my first visit to either side of Niagara Falls, I might have been disappointed. However as a seasoned Falls visitor, our trip to the other side was refreshing and seemed like a whole new adventure.
About the Author: Michelle previously contributed an article on Prince Edward Island to PassPorter News. She is a Computer Programmer from Woodstock, Ontario, Canada and is married with two children.
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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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The "Other" Orlando Feature:
Blue Horizons at SeaWorld Orlando
by Barry Hom, PassPorter Guest Contributor
For many years, the Key West Dolphin Fest at SeaWorld Orlando entertained and delighted many park guests. Now that show is a memory. The Key West Dolphin Fest departed to make way for the new Blue Horizons show, which opened in May 2005. On a recent trip, I decided to take a look at this new-to-me production.
The SeaWorld Orlando web site describes Blue Horizons as such:
"Venture beyond the horizon in an experience that takes you into a world of acrobatic dolphins and whales, soaring birds and leaping water with a spirit all its own. Blue Horizons - an all-new theatrical performance about the place where the sea meets the sky."
After reading the description and other information on Blue Horizons, it reminded me of the Viva! dolphin show at Sea World San Antonio. Viva! is best described as a mix between a dolphin show and Cirque du Soleil. As unusual as that may sound, the show actually worked and was entertaining. The only problem I found with Viva! was that it was too much Cirque du Soleil and not enough dolphins. The show was about Cirque du Soleil and dolphins. If Blue Horizons is a mixture of the same two mediums, would it encounter the same problem as Viva? We shall see...
The story of Blue Horizons revolves around Marina, a young woman dressed in pink. Marina wants to dance on ocean waves with Dolphus, the spirit of the sea, and soar through the air with Aurora, the spirit of the sky. She dives out of her bedroom window to a wondrous place - the Blue Horizons. I don't know about you, but if I dove out of my bedroom window, I'd hit prickly bushes. But I will suspend reality for a moment and enjoy the show.
The show begins with the "Blue Horizons" theme song, which you will probably be humming throughout the park after you hear it. The show is divided into three acts. The first act was the appearance of Marina. Marina meets Dolphus, a man in a gray wetsuit with a dolphin's tail emblazoned on his chest, during this act. Dolphus and Marina hold hands as they watch the dolphins perform their tricks. If you sit in the first few rows, watch out! The dolphins will splash water on you.
In the second act, the dolphins step aside and the show begins to resemble a Cirque du Soleil production. Performers portraying birds perform an aerial act while others dive on and off a platform.
During the second act, the evil performers broke up the good fun. I knew that they were evil because, in theme park show tradition, they were dressed in black. There is even a vulture that landed on stage to accentuate their evilness. Marina, Dolphus, Aurora, and the trainers run away when the bad guys appear on stage. The bad guys strap themselves onto bungee cables. They bounce and flip around in the air as water cannons spray in front of them. Two false killer whales swim around and perform for the audience. The bad guys end their show by diving into the water.
Marina and the rest of the "good guy" performers return to the stage in the last act. The finale features the dolphins pulling out all the stops. After the dolphins do numerous tricks, the music swells, the other performers appear and wave huge flags, and we we're treated to a spectacular dolphin jump.
Did Blue Horizons suffer the same problem as Viva? Viva! used a lot of human performers, so I think to use them in the most effective way, they needed to be seen many times during the show. Blue Horizons has a smaller number of human performers, so they can be used more sparingly and the dolphins take center stage. Blue Horizons seems about 1/3 of Cirque du Soleil and 2/3 dolphins.
Blue Horizons could have the dolphins on stage more often, but I have to think about the other dolphin shows I've seen. If we look at the grand tradition of dolphin shows from Sea World and other theme parks, Blue Horizons is following the three-act tradition. The three acts in dolphin shows consist of act one of dolphins, act two is something else on the stage as the dolphins take a break to smoke or eat junk out of the vending machines (kidding, just kidding...), and the dolphins return in act three for the finale.
The dolphin tricks and performances are pretty amazing. One thing of particular note is that the dolphins seem to be behaving on their own. In other Sea World shows, the trainers give bold and sweeping hand signals, so you know that the marine animal will soon perform a trick. I didn't see the trainers give overt hand signals or any indication that they were signaling the dolphins to do a certain trick. If they are giving signals, they must be very subtle or perhaps using audio signaling.
If you want to see a Cirque du Soleil show, you might want to buy tickets for the actual thing at the Walt Disney World Resort. Overall, though, I found the Blue Horizons entertaining and an enjoyable way to spend its 20-minute show time. I do miss the Key West Dolphin Fest, but in exchange, I hummed the Blue Horizons theme song for the rest of the day!
[Jennifer's Note: Interested in the "Other" Orlando? Check out the excellent The Other Orlando guidebook by Kelly Monaghan, which we carry in the PassPorter Store]
About the Author: Barry is a roller coaster and theme/amusement park enthusiast. So far, he has ridden 471 roller coasters and visited over 80 theme and amusement parks in many U.S. states, France, United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, and Japan. He is also a columnist and a moderator for the website IOA Central (http://www.ioacentral.com). He is looking forward to the opening of the Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, SC in Spring 2008.
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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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Special! $5.00 off airport round-trip
Use Discount Code: PassPorter News
Call 888-GO TO WDW
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