From the Authors: Disneyland Done

Travel Feature: Belgium 

Disney Feature: Three Generations of Disney Lovers

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips: Turndown Treats, Wishes or Winnie, Tips for Tipping

Captain's Corner: Nutty Professor

Q&A: Transportation for an early character breakfast?
 

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Updates:
What's New and Changed

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

Marty Sklar, one of the last remaining Imagineers to work directly with Walt Disney, is stepping down from his position as Principal Creative Executive of Walt Disney Imagineering. He was involved in the design of such classic Disney attractions as "It's A Small World," "The Enchanted Tiki Room," and "Space Mountain." He is also credited with creating "Mickey's Ten Commandments", a widely used document that condenses Walt Disney's core values for the company. 

The Timekeeper attraction in Walt Disney World's Tomorrowland will officially close for good on February 26, 2006. This attraction has only run seasonally since April of 2001. No word yet on what will replace it but the  character meet & greets with Buzz Lightyear, Stitch and The Incredibles that took place in the Timekeeper lobby will be re-located. Buzz and Stitch will be found elsewhere in Tomorrowland and The Incredibles will move to the Disney-MGM Studios. 

The Walt Disney World web site now lists the official rehab dates of the  Pirates of the Caribbean attraction as March 1 - June 30, 2006. 
 

>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:

TURNDOWN TREATS
"We wanted to add a little extra Disney Magic to our vacation.  We contacted Guest Services at the Grand Californian Resort to help us create this magic. We gave them a budget for our length of stay and had them deliver different items to our room each night during turn down service. Some of the things they brought were cookies, Mickey shaped rice krispie treats, a stuffed Mickey Mouse, a signed picture of Mickey Mouse, etc. Our son was so excited to see what Mickey Mouse had left him every night! If you are not staying in a hotel where they will do this, you could have one spouse leave the room after everyone else or make a trip back to the room to set up the surprise!"
-- contributed by Carla M. (cdm555@...)

WISHES OR WINNIE?
"One thing that we discovered is that during the Wishes fireworks show in the Magic Kingdom, if you are in Fantasyland (or maybe other lands, too) EVERYONE stops to watch the show. Because of that, we were able to ride the highly popular "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" ride with NO wait whatsoever! If you don't mind missing the fireworks for a night,  station yourself near the ride that you want to jump on and wait for the fireworks to begin. You should be able to ride at least once (maybe twice!) line-free! Next year our kids have already said they want to be near "Peter Pan's Flight" when the show begins!"
-- contributed by Denedriane Dean (dydean@...)

TIPS FOR TIPPING
"When going on a Disney Cruise, bring lots of single dollar bills for tipping.  You'll find in many of the ports that the service providers such as taxi drivers and hair braiders do not carry change. You may wind up leaving a much larger tip than planned!"
-- contributed by Linda Clements (lindadisny@...)

>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:

"The good chaps at the Himalayan Escapes Tour Company got me a seat on the Anandapur Rail Service for the final leg of my journey to Mt. Everest. While I wait for the train to leave tomorrow morning, I've been amusing myself in a local museum about the infamous Yeti. It seems the village people believe that the Yeti is a real creature. I can hardly believe it! While I was browsing the curious artifacts and photos, an old Nepalese man appeared and introduced himself as a conservation biology professor and the museum's curator. I thought he was quite batty -- he warned me sternly not to pursue my exploration of Mt. Everest. I made a note of his name on a scrap of paper so I could look him up upon my return through this village, but it seems I've lost the paper upon which his name was scribbled. Perhaps one of my fellow adventurers remembers his name."

What is the name of the nutty professor who runs the museum in the village of Serka Zong at Expedition Everest?

Congratulations to Charles Waters who was the winner of last newsletter's treasure hunt game last week! Charles correctly identified the name of the tour company that takes you on Expedition Everest as the Himalayan Escapes Tour Company. 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!

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

kathy320 asks: "If I have an Advanced Dining Reservation for breakfast at a resort or park restaurant before the parks open (Crystal Palace at 8:10 a.m. for example), are the buses running from the resorts early enough to get me there on time?"

Jennifer and Dave answer: "The character meal bus will probably be available, but just to be sure, call 407-WDW-RIDE, the Disney Transportation phone number.

Service to Crystal Palace will depend in part on when Magic Kingdom opens that day. If there's an Early Magic Hour at the Magic Kingdom, then buses will start running at 7:00 a.m. (one hour before park opening). Otherwise, depend on the character meal bus.

You can always get a taxi, but the fare from your resort may not be all that cheap (although less than renting a car for the day). "

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

Small Is Beautiful: Belgium
by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Message Board Guide and Guest Contributor

Big may well be beautiful, but the country of Belgium doesn’t fit with that phrase. At about the size of Maryland, squashed in between France, Germany and the Netherlands, it’s smaller than many American states, but despite its size, the Belgians have many claims to fame and reasons to attract visitors. 

Let’s start with something that’s always close to my heart – food and drink! If you haven’t sampled Belgian chocolates, then you don’t know what you’re missing. I admit it, I’m a chocolate connoisseur and having tried many chocolates from around the world, I can confirm that Belgian is best. Something else that they do well – in fact it’s a national specialty – is mussels, cooked in garlic in their shells, and fries, complete with mayonnaise. Want to make it a totally Belgian meal? Then you can’t go wrong with a Belgian beer, something else that this country is very good at producing.

But a visit to Belgium is about so much more than eating and drinking, as enjoyable as those things may be! Most visitors to the country will head for the capital Brussels and getting there couldn’t be easier these days. International flights come into the city’s airport from all over the world. It’s also easy to combine your visit to Belgium with a stay in London, thanks to the high speed Eurostar train service. Taking the train means that you can board at London‘s Waterloo Station and two and a half hours later step off into the center of Brussels. 

Brussels is a city that’s very much looking to the future, but more of that in a moment. It’s also a city steeped in history and no more clearly can that be seen that at La Grand Place, the central market square. It was back in the 13th century that merchants first started to trade their wares here and a range of historic buildings have grown up around the cobbled square over the years. The most stunning of these is the gothic Town Hall, which towers over the square. Inside is just as impressive with tapestries and works of art dating back to the 15th century. 

Lining the other three sides of the square are buildings which once belonged to groups of workers, such as archers and boatmen. The beautiful King’s House was once used as a store house, an odd use perhaps, but despite this building’s name, it has no royal connections. That privilege is reserved for the Palais Royal, the King’s official residence, set in Brussels’ main park. During the summer months it throws open its doors to the public and it is well worth a tour. 

Now full of restaurants, the Grand Place an excellent place to enjoy the beautiful scenery and sample that wonderful food and drink, and if you’ve still got room after your meal, you can head for the Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate. As well as learning about the history of this wonderful product, you can even sample a chocolate or two in the shop as you exit! 

A little further afield is perhaps one of the most intriguing buildings ever constructed. The Atomium was built for the World Fair in Brussels in 1958 and represents an iron crystal molecule’s nine atoms, magnified 165 billion times! Towering over the city skyline, it provides a magnificent view of Brussels as well as fascinating exhibits. The Atomium has recently undergone a major renovation, resulting in its closure for over a year, but one of the changes has seen the addition of a restaurant, which will provide truly breathtaking views while you eat. 

Don’t be surprised if some of those breathtaking views include the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben. It’s not too much Belgian beer – it’s Mini Europe at the foot of the Atomium. Featuring scale models of buildings from across Europe, the detail is amazing and it’s an excellent way of touring a whole continent in just a couple of hours.

But that’s not the only European connection that Brussels has. The city is very much at the forefront of the European Union that is now binding a number of European countries together politically as well as economically. It is home to the European Parliament and we were fortunate to be given a tour of it by our local Member on our last visit. It’s a fascinating place and it’s at the heart of a mini city of offices and institutions, which regularly see something like 20,000 people working in the offices of the European Union on any one day, serving 25 different countries. The scale of this really has to be seen to be believed. 

Although there’s a lot to do in Brussels itself, there’s just as much to do outside the city. Unfortunately home to some of Europe’s most terrible battles, much of the country is littered with war graves and memorials. In particular, the memorial to the Battle of Waterloo of 1815, which saw Napoleon’s forces defeated, is worth a visit and offers a stunning view over the local countryside. The victims of World War I are remembered at a six acre cemetery southeast of Ypres. The town continues to pay tribute to those who lost their lives, with the buglers from the local fire brigade playing “The Last Post” every night at 8 p.m. while traffic grinds to a halt. 

Happier times can be celebrated in one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, Bruges. Less than an hour by train from Brussels, it couldn’t be more different. It’s often called the “Venice of the North” and is probably the best preserved medieval city in Europe, making for a perfect romantic escape. It’s really like stepping back in time, as the city center is closed off to cars and the easiest way to get around is by foot, although a boat ride is an absolute must. It’s the only way to view the buildings dating back hundreds of years, although if you’re a land lover, an alternative is one of the many horse drawn carriages that take visitors through the cobbled streets. 

Again, the center of life is the town’s Market Square, which is home to the Belfry. It’s an exhausting climb up the stairs to the bell tower, but well worth it for the view over the town. The Market Square beneath is home to many excellent restaurants, and like its counterpart in Brussels, offers you the chance to once again sample some fine Belgian food and drink. 

A far quieter part of Bruges is the Beguinage to the south of the town. A walled complex that houses beguines or nuns, this area is bordered by tree lined canals and includes the beautiful Minnewater – the Lake of Love. It’s a wonderful place to spend a few peaceful hours away from the crowds. 

This is only a small part of what this small country has to offer the visitor. Big may be beautiful, but Belgium is crammed full of treasures – and not just the edible kind! 

Three Generations of Disney Lovers
by Jessica Halliday, Guest Contributor
 

Walt Disney World is, and will always be, about magic. Who doesn’t love watching the faces of children light up as the fascination around them unfolds. But for the three generations of women in my family, our vacation to Walt Disney World was magical on so many other levels.

For my mother, Disney is magical in every way. She is one of those “kids” that walks around with her jaw to the floor, mesmerized by Walt Disney’s vision and how it became a reality. But this particular vacation proved to her that Disney is not the only place in Orlando where miraculous things happen.

Upon our arrival at Orlando International Airport, we headed to pick up the rental car to start our vacation. We were given directions from the clerk at the Alamo counter to go to a specific aisle, find the SUV row and select any of the cars in that row. Just as we were getting ready to put the key into the ignition of our SUV, I noticed that we were getting ready to drive out of the parking garage in a National car, rather than the Alamo my mother had reserved.

We found the Alamo row, packed our luggage into the correct car, and headed toward the hotel. The drive from the airport was simple, the signs leading to the resort was abundant, but when we dropped our car off with the valet parking attendant, the bag that held my mother’s laptop, iPod, and dissertation for her Ph.D.. was missing. 

Calling National Car Rental and trying to explain that we lost a bag in their rental car, which we did not have a reservation for, was not an easy task. Moreover, the airport was packed the night we arrived and the longer we waited the greater the chance that someone would rent that car and drive to their destination with my mother’s bag in the back seat. Luckily National had found the bag and had it waiting for us back at the airport where my mother experienced the magic of discovery. 

We stayed at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel. The Dolphin’s décor is very elaborate - in the main lobby, look up, and you can see a simulated star-filled sky, and if you look long enough, you’ll even see a few shooting stars. Our room had a balcony where we enjoyed views of the Disney’s BoardWalk and Epcot, and the beds had some of the plushest comforters I’ve ever experienced in a hotel. 

Starving, we walked over to Kimonos restaurant, located in the Walt Disney World Swan. For the sushi lover, or just plain curious, the chefs are set up behind a glass panel, where you can watch as they cut up fish and make sushi rolls and other tasty treats. Kimonos also hosts a karaoke show, so while dining on sushi, you can watch in amusement, fear, or sheer admiration as buttoned-down business men and women, who have obviously sampled the sake, take the stage singing favorites such as, “I’ve Got Friends In Low Places” and “Sweet Caroline." Even if the songs are not your taste, the sushi at Kimonos is so delicious and fresh that it’s hard to pay attention to anything but the party that happens inside your mouth. 

Our kimono-clad waitress recommended an appetizer that was eggplant stuffed with chicken and spices and served with a sweet and spicy sauce, and I must say, one of the most memorable food items I ate all weekend. We also tasted the tuna and yellowfin sushi, a Hawaiian Roll (spicy tuna, various fish and avocado), and an Asparagus Roll (tempura asparagus rolled with cream cheese), each one just as different and delicious as the next.

After dinner, we decided to check out Jellyrolls, the dueling piano bar at Disney’s BoardWalk.  The cover charge was $8 dollars, but the people-watching alone is well worth the price. The bar is packed with people of all backgrounds belting out songs at the top of their lungs while the very talented piano players onstage sort out which of the 500 requests they’re going to play next. We ended up staying far past my mom’s bedtime.

For my grandmother, Disney’s magic lies in the beauty of the resorts. And lucky for her, we had reservations at The Mandara Spa, located in the Dolphin Resort. There, the three of us enjoyed an exotic Frangipani Body Nourish Wrap for the next 75 minutes. The Frangipani wrap is a mixture of coconut oil and frangipani flower oil. The oil is massaged into your arms, legs, feet, hands and hair and then you’re wrapped up in aluminum foil, like a baked potato, so that your skin absorbs the oil. They finish the treatment with a 50-minute massage. My skin has never felt so soft, my mother had never looked so vibrant, and my grandmother, well, she had just experienced the magic of massage at The Mandara Spa and was glowing. 

That evening we dined at Citricos, a Mediterranean restaurant at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa where we indulged in the Warm Onion Tart and Gateau of Crab appetizers. We also sampled the Tilefish with yellow tomato-pepper compote and spinach risotto, the Sautéed Salmon Filet with roasted fennel Yukon gold potatoes and black olive butter and the Crunchy Baked Chicken with orzo pasta and marinara sauce. Needless to say we didn’t have room left for dessert.

We made up for our overindulgent dinner with a stroll around Downtown Disney, taking in all the sights and nightlife, and ended the evening just in time for Epcot’s IllumiNations fireworks and light show display at 9 p.m. which just sends chills through you the first time you see it. 

Our last day of our “Three Generations of Disney” trip was spent at Epcot, wandering the shops of the countries, experiencing Soarin’, the breathtaking ride where you hang glide over California, and dining at Le Cellier, the steakhouse in Canada at Epcot. 

Their Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup is to die for and if you’re nice, they’ll even give you the recipe. For dinner, my mom had the Prince Edward Island Mussels (highly recommended if you’re a roasted garlic and mussel fan); my grandmother picked the Butternut Squash Risotto (very nutty, creamy and buttery). And for me, well, I experienced the magic of the Mushroom Filet Mignon (melt in your mouth steak with mushroom risotto). 

That night, winding down in our hotel room, looking out the balcony window, we were surprised with a firework show that we could view from our beds. It was the perfect way to end a magical weekend with three generations of Disney lovers. 

The thing I love most about Disney is the offering of many flavors, be it food, nationalities, princesses, or thrill rides. I love walking around and seeing all the different colors of faces, hearing all the different languages and trying the foods from other countries. But more than anything, I love that regardless of our physical differences, we all seem to have the same look of complete awe on our faces as we experience the enchantment of Disney. Disney for me is a place where we can all come together and be happy. There truly is something for everyone at Disney. 

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