From the Authors: New Books Happy Dance!

Travel Feature:  Washington D.C. 

Disney Feature: Travels with Nonny - Walt Disney World with your Grandchildren

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips: Clap for Clips, Mini-Meals, Bring Binoculars

Captain's Corner: The River in a Circle

Q&A: How do you schedule your meal times?
 

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Updates:
What's New and Changed

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

The Walt Disney Company has agreed to acquire Pixar Animation Studios, the studio responsible for such hits as "Toy Story" and "The Incredibles." The deal is expected to be complete this summer. 

World of Disney in Downtown Disney will celebrate it's 10th anniversary with the opening of three new sections -- the Bibbiddi Bobbiddi Boutique, which opens on April 5, is where your child can feel like a Princess while having her hair  or make-up done. From there, she can proceed to the Princess Room for all the latest in Princess fashions. In more of an adventurous mood? Then head over to the Adventure Room to create your own pirate hat, explore cowboy, pirate and space gear or try your hand at a video game.

Tarzan Rocks at Theatre in the Wild (Disney's Animal Kingdom) held is final performance last week and is now closed. The theatre will be getting a makeover (including air conditioning) and is expected to re-open in October, possibly with a show based on the "Finding Nemo" movie.

>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:

CLAP FOR CLIPS
"Small but useful items to bring are medium or large binder clips! They are great for closing up snack bags, which get stale quickly in the Florida humidity. They are also great for corralling bills/papers, hanging up towels or clothes to dry, holding a blanket closed over a stroller etc. They are much sturdier and more secure than any of the other bag fasteners I have seen, and probably have many more uses, if you put your mind to it!"
-- contributed by Colleen Trapp-Warner (cgwarner@...)

MINI-MEALS
"Split meals! My husband and I would agree on eating the same thing and we would split it.  We would then be able to walk around the park without feeling so full. Smaller meals work out great, and it ends up saving you money!"
-- contributed by Jennifer 

BRING BINOCULARS
"If you have some lightweight binoculars, bring them along!  You can use them to look at the parades, fireworks, characters, and use them to "look around" your resor, especially if you stay at or visit Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge."
-- contributed by Leanne P. 

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

Want more Disney tips? We've collected 500 of the tips submitted by readers over the past six years -- most have never been published before. All have been edited for accuracy and categorized. The "Disney 500" are available in e-book form for immediate download. For details, visit the PassPorter Store. 

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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 upcoming 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 treasure from Captain Skatt's Journal:

"My latest adventure was to Mt. Everest -- truly a sight to behold as it rises in the distance! But I digress. My journey began when I enlisted the services of my dear friend Manesha Gurung, properietor of Kali River Expeditions. Bless his soul, he obtained a sturdy raft for me and 11 other lucky adventurers. Together, we hurtled down the turbulent waters of the ............ River. (river name obscured by water spray)

So, what is the name of the river?

Congratulations to Cindy Lamb who was the winner of last newsletter's treasure hunt game last week! Cindy correctly identified the first rule of behavior on the Kilimanjaro Safari as "The Animals have the right of way." To view the original clues, see the last newsletter.
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!

To view the original clues, see the last 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. We will release the book -- "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World" -- in April 2006. You can pre-order the new book today at http://www.passporterstore.com.

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Q & A:
With Jennifer and Dave

pthomas asks: "As I read about how to go about planning Advance Dining Reservations, Character Meals, etc. I can't help but wonder how to know what time would be best? Other than trying to plan a table service restaurant dinner during a particular fireworks display I wouldn't have a clue what time to schedule reservations. Especially lunch! How do you choose your meal times?"

Jennifer and Dave answer: "This depends on your normal family rhythms. You don't want a bunch of hungry, ornery kids (big or little). If you're early risers, try to keep on that schedule. Most full-service lunch spots open at 11:30 am, and between avoiding the noontime crush and the early riser's normal needs, that's a perfect time for lunch. Ditto for dinners -- 5:30 pm is the typical time for first dinner seatings. Come noontime and 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm, reservations (and counter service) will be in especially high demand, the restaurants will be noisiest, servers the most overburdened... If your bodies normally want food at those hours, consider an earlier snack and delay your meal an hour or so.

We tend to be late risers around here, so we usually dine a bit past the most popular meal times.

Note that if you're crossing time zones, "usual" mealtimes for your body clocks may be very different that the time on the clock on Cinderella Castle. Consider adding mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks to your plans."

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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Future Newsletters:
Want To See Your Name in Print?

Big News! PassPorter News will be going weekly beginning this month. This means we need more articles than ever! We're on the lookout for guest columnists 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. 

For details and our article submission guidelines, please e-mail news@passporter.com. Articles about Disney and general travel are welcomed!

Washington D.C. : Monumental Moments
by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Message Board Guide and Guest Contributor

Certain cities are known for certain things. Los Angeles means movies to most people, New York City is known for its fast pace of life and its shops, while Boston’s the place to head to for Colonial history. It’s the same thing with Washington DC. Think of the city and the chances are that certain things will come to mind. Politics perhaps – after all, it’s home to the White House and the Capitol, as well as much of the federal government. Maybe it makes you think of museums, with the Smithsonian specials lining the Mall. For me though, D.C. is all that and much more. 

Whenever I think of the city, I think monuments. There surely can’t be another city in the world that can boast so many memorials, some to former Presidents, others remembering those who gave their lives in war. It’s a collection that seems to grow every time we visit D.C. and best of all; it’s a collection that can be visited either on foot or by Tourmobile which is authorized by the National Park Service. 

The best starting point on the tour, appropriately enough, is the memorial to America’s first President. Completed in 1885, the Washington Monument is the simplest looking in the city, an obelisk built of marble, granite and sandstone, but building it wasn’t a simple task. Started in 1848, the money ran out and construction was halted only one third of the way up. The centenary of the Declaration of Independence brought additional funds and allowed work to resume more than 20 years later. 

Since its completion, the Washington Monument has undergone several restorations, the most recent a major two year program of repairs and cleaning in the late 1990’s, which saw the Monument encased in specially designed scaffolding. Although it made for some unique photos at the time, I prefer the refurbished Monument, which now looks far cleaner than it did a decade ago. 

The improvements made during that refurbishment aren’t just external. The elevator on the way down now slows at points and the lights inside dim, so that you can see a selection of the commemorative stones in the exterior wall, which were donated by individuals, states and nations during the monument’s construction. Of course, that’s not the only reason to visit the Washington Monument. It’s superbly placed in the center of the capital, offering stunning views to all four sides, with the Jefferson Memorial to the south, the Lincoln to the west, the White House to the north and the Capitol and Mall to the east. Be sure to bring your camera and video camera and plenty of film or digital storage. You’ll always take more photos here than you think.  

Once at the top of the Monument, you can stay as long as you like, but getting there can be a challenge. Same-day tickets are available free of charge from the ticket kiosk at 15th Street and although there’s little problem with walking up and being handed a ticket out of season, peak time visitors might want to reserve their tickets for a $1.50 service charge and $0.50 shipping charge. For more information, visit http://www.nps.gov/wamo 

From here, you’ve got two options to tour the rest of D.C.’s main monuments. Either buy a ticket for Tourmobile, which allows free all day re-boarding, or the other option is to put your best foot forward and walk. It’s not a walk for the faint-hearted however and appearances can be deceptive. Memorials have a habit of looking closer than they are, trust me, I speak from bitter experience about that! 

Heading west from the Washington Monument, you quickly come across the newest addition to the collection. With a pool and fountains in its center, the World War II Memorial, opened in 2004, has two pavilions at each end, one representing the Atlantic and other the Pacific, symbolizing how the war was fought across both oceans. Four thousand gold stars in the middle commemorate the 400,000 Americans who died in the war, while sculptures at each side of the entrance recall scenes of America at war. 

In the walk down to the Lincoln Memorial, there are more tributes to those who have lost their lives in combat over the years, in the shape of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, two long triangular black walls, covered with the names of those gave their life in this conflict. This is perhaps the simplest of Washington’s war memorials, but one of the most striking, with families often leaving flowers by the names of their loved ones. 

 The Korean War Veterans Memorial is nearby and depicts 19 soldiers on patrol, with a black granite wall to the south, etched with the images of more than 2,000 veterans. Although all of D.C.’s monuments are lit up at night and all well worth a visit, it is this one that sticks most in my mind. The statues appear as if they are coming out of nowhere as you walk up to the memorial and that’s perhaps exactly the idea this was meant to convey. 

In between these two war memorials is the Lincoln Memorial, surely one of D.C.’s best known spots, thanks to its many cinematic appearances. Before this was built, the whole area was a very different site, with the swampy area around the building drained when work started in 1914. Overlooking the Reflecting Pool and facing toward the Washington Monument and the Capitol, there’s nowhere better to sit down and rest from all that walking than on the steps of this grand memorial. Inside, the impressive 19 foot marble statue of Lincoln watches over the city, surrounded by 36 columns, the number of states during Lincoln’s Presidency. 

Head south-east from here and you’ll find the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial on the banks of the Tidal Basin. The most recent Presidential tribute, this open-air memorial takes you through four distinct rooms, each representing one of the President’s terms of office. Each room has granite “walls” with quotations from FDR inscribed in them and a theme throughout all the rooms is water, sometimes in quiet pools and other times cascading. It’s quite a sight to see it frozen over in winter, making the whole place eerily quiet. 

Continuing southwards around the Tidal Basin, you find another of the Presidential monuments, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. This is the furthest out of the main city and it’s a quite a walk to get here, but it’s well worth a visit, particularly in the springtime, when the Japanese cherry trees are in full bloom around the Tidal Basin.  

A walk, or bus, back to the starting point at the Washington Monument will take you past the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, another place to stop and remember the terrible events of years gone by. 

Now where else in the world can you travel back over 300 years in time, stopping at so many different places to remember steps along that journey? That’s why D.C. is all about memorials and monuments for me and may that never change. 

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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.

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Travels with "Nonny": Walt Disney World With Your Grandchildren
by Jane Buie, Guest Contributor

I sit at my desk with fingers poised, reluctant to strike the first key, hesitant to touch the mouse. I know that when I begin, the photos will stop and my memories will be on hold. The invention of the digital camera is in sync with my evolution as a grandma, “Nonny” as they call me. Through my screensaver memories of previous Disney trips pass by, and I am mesmerized.  
 
There’s a picture of my oldest granddaughter, Caylie, when she first met Minnie Mouse. Another photo of Caylie, now almost 5, is from our recent trip, 6 weeks ago. She’s coming around Big Thunder Mountain, holding up her arms, and laughing hysterically. Other photos pass. There's Colton, almost 2, as he reaches for the hook on the end of the Captain's arm. I see my youngest granddaughter, Bella, who recently made her first trip to Disney World at 6 months. She’s laughing at Baloo just outside the shops on Main Street. Such wonderful memories bring me to my grandchildren each time I sit down to check e-mail or conduct online business.  
 
I know there are grandparents who aren't sure they can manage a trip to Disney World. Can I handle my grandchildren? Do we know each other well enough to get along? Will they respect my authority? If the answer is yes, then start planning.  

Where in the World do we stay? A travel agent can be helpful but you can also call Disney reservations yourself to schedule a room or a package, including tickets.  We stay on Disney property, just for the convenience. Usually, one or both of my daughters will accompany us, since my sweet husband feels he must stay behind and tend the home fires.    
 
We keep active annual passes because we visit Walt Disney World several times each year. Caylie is old enough to have her own pass, which makes her quite happy. Travel from Houston is 1,000 miles one-way. We usually travel by automobile and it helps that my Suburban has a built-in video/TV. We depart Houston early, usually around 3 AM, fully stocked with snacks, water, portable lap trays, and videos. The children will sleep, giving us 4 or 5 hours of uninterrupted driving. It’s more sensible to trade drivers, making the trip in one day. The children are restless and, if we stop for the night, they find it hard to return to their car seats the next day. Amazingly, we can make this drive in about 17 hours.  
 
Alternatively, airplane travel is great. It saves time and wear on the children and grandparents. However, you must make certain that your little ones are flight-worthy. There’s nothing like trying to control an 18-month-old who wants to get down and run. Disney's Magical Express shuttle is wonderful from the Orlando airport to the hotels. It’s available only if you’re staying at a Disney resort. It's reliable, free, and efficient, helping us cope with strollers, luggage, and wayward children.  
 
Disney offers many hotel choices, but speaking as a Nonny and Disney veteran, there’s nothing like convenience and proximity. The three hotels on the Magic Kingdom monorail line are simply the best. Most of the recent articles that I have read are about economizing, making the most of your money during your visit. However, beyond saving money is another important factor - saving your sanity. Of these three deluxe hotels, the Contemporary is the most reasonably priced, followed by the Polynesian, and the Grand Floridian. Ask for discounts with an annual pass, AAA membership, or others. It’s well worth the money. Consider this; you’re in the Magic Kingdom and your three-year-old grandson is having a meltdown.  Its nap time and the bus back to your resort will take at least an hour. You fold the stroller, try to find a seat, and make several stops before you reach your hotel. You must control your temper while your grandson continues to lose his. Conversely, staying on the monorail line, you can be in air conditioned comfort, shoes off, kicked back in 15 minutes, and, you needn't fold the stroller! After resting, you can quickly return, sanity restored, for the Spectromagic Parade and Wishes.  
 
Having stayed in most hotels on property, I find the Polynesian is simply the best, hands down. The grandchildren love the volcano pool and they enjoy the bold bunnies along the beautiful walkways. From the Poly, you can walk to the Epcot monorail and Magic Kingdom ferry boat, or quickly catch the Magic Kingdom monorail. If you aren’t hurried, the launch to Magic Kingdom will take you across the lagoon for a different view of Disney property. The Poly is undergoing renovations and the new rooms are marvelous. The best-kept secret is that the rooms there are big, especially in the three newer buildings (long houses).  We love Tokelau and Tahiti but have a new favorite, Rapa Nui. A parking lot is just outside the long house, unlike the other long houses that you access from the main parking lot. You can drive your vehicle up to the front door to unload your luggage, saving you the cost of a bellman! Rapa Nui is one of the long houses that has already been remodeled.  Also, if it's early enough in the day, you can request a certain building and floor when you check in. We haven’t been disappointed yet.  
 
Entry into the parks has been eased by carrying a clear backpack. Everything is visible, making it a quick trip through security. We bring snacks, hand sanitizer, and filtered water bottles. I carry a portable three-legged stool to sit on for parades, giving my old knees a rest. Add a digital camera and extra batteries, and we are set. At night we throw in sweaters for the children. With the baby, a second clear backpack is her diaper bag. Everything is accessible and the security guards love it! They have even held up one of our backpacks and yelled for the crowd to look and take note. Embarrassing but flattering!
 
We take strollers for each child. Even though Caylie is grown up (in her own mind), she will collapse into her seat as we walk. It's easy to store things underneath and most strollers now fold to a very tight package for airplanes or buses. Luckily there's no need to collapse them on the monorail. We frequently ask Colton, the toddler, to push his own stroller, letting him work off excess energy. Strollers can be rented at each park, so take heart if you don't have one available for travel. And, if you get tired, strollers make a convenient place to lean as you walk.
 
Our favorite parks are Magic Kingdom and Epcot.  They seem to have the most favorable "fun to walking ratio." No matter what parks you choose, be prepared for a Disney meltdown. It happens to most ages and will probably strike your grandchild, too. This is translated as a fully blown tantrum stemming from nothing and usually occurring on the second or third day. I attribute it to over-stimulation. The meltdown will pass and, if you're lucky, it's a good time to go back to the room for a nap. It's helpful if you can schedule some down time; a walk around the hotel, a swim, or just TV time. It offsets the excitement that makes children so "goofy." Have fun and enjoy. That’s what grandparenting is all about! 

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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 vacation plans.