 | |  In This Newsletter From the Authors: Soarin' Back from California!
Travel Feature: National Aquarium: Baltimore
Disney Feature: Sprinkling Pixie Dust Updates: What's New and Changed
Tips: Magnets On The Magic, Mattress Magic, Passport Scan
Captain's Corner: Cuddlewinks
PassPorter PhotoPick: Monorail and Spaceship Earth
Q and A: Which itinerary do you prefer?
Our Sponsors: We Recommend...
| .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | Updates:
What's New and Changed
Here are a few items of relevant news: Many cruise lines have recently implemented fuel surcharges and Disney Cruise Line is the latest to follow suit. The surcharge, applied to new bookings made after May 28, 2008, is $8 per person, per day for the first two guests in a stateroom and $3 per person, per day for all other guests. (So a family of four in one stateroom would pay $22 per day.) Additionally, the surcharge will be capped at $112 each for the first and second Guest and $42 each for each remaining Guest, though this would only affect itineraries longer than 14 nights.
Disneyland Resort President Ed Grier announced this week that Disneyland will be getting a "Tinker Bell attraction" this fall in time to coincide with the release of the Fairies DVD. Just what that attraction will be remains a mystery, but rumors point to a meet & greet area as opposed to a ride.
Justin Muchoney of Pennsylvania was named Disney's Chief Magical Official in a ceremony at Walt Disney World last week. Justin competed against over 1,300 contestants in Disney's online contest and received over 200,000 votes. His first official duties will be the opening of Toy Story Mania at Disney's Hollywood Studios later this month.
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: MAGNETS ON THE MAGIC (AND WONDER!)
"When you're on a cruise you're overwhelmed with paperwork: daily Navigators (daily schedule), excursion information and tickets, movie schedules, immigration forms, debarkation forms, and on and on. There are only so many horizontal surfaces in a stateroom and keeping track of everything can be a challenge. On our last cruise we took along a variety of magnetic-backed clips, available at the dollar store. We used them to secure paperwork to the inside of our stateroom door. This kept us organized and eliminated scrambling for something buried in a pile of papers on the dresser!"
-- contributed by Tish I.
MATTRESS MAGIC
"If you require an accessible room and notice the bed is too high to get into, let Guest Services know and they may be able to remove the box spring. They did this for my mother-in-law. They came in, took out the box spring, and made a plywood platform to put the mattress on so she could get in and out of the bed more easily."
-- contributed by Barry R.
PASSPORT SCAN
"With more and more destinations now requiring passports, travelers need to consider extra security for these documents. An extra copy in your suitcase or carry-on is handy. But imaging an online version that can be accessed at any time is even better. Besides keeping your passport with you or in a safe at all times, I recommend that you scan your passport as a color jpeg or other format image; then attach the image to an email to yourself. If you use any of the most common email providers (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.), you will be able to recover it wherever you are in the world in the event yours turns up missing."
-- contributed by Roger S.
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.
| . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . | 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. (Please note: Players can win once every 3 months.) Here is this week's journal entry:
"Last night I was ensconced in my favorite club and sipping a frothy tropical drink when an unusual letter found its way to me by way of Graves our butler. The missive was obviously misdelivered, as it spoke of strange things that made no sense: Gypsy Moth, cologne, kimonos, and cuddlewinks. The letter was addressed to a Miss Weggie Wishmeyer and, get this, dated July 23, 1933. I may have to search out Miss Wishmeyer, as I'm now terribly curious about these 'cuddlewinks.'"
What club was Jack at and who sent the letter?
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 Pat A. who was the winner of last week's trivia contest! Pat was the first person to identify the maximum score at Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin as 999,999. Pat was also the first person to find the evidence in our photo archive! 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.
| . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | 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:
Gold Monorail and Spaceship Earth
contributed by akleos
(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.
| . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | Q and A: With Jennifer and Dave
rlb38 asks: "We are just beginning plans for our first ever cruise. We were wondering if anyone has done both eastern Caribbean and western Caribbean and which they preferred."
Jennifer and Dave answer: "Each itinerary has its charms. Aside from the different line-ups of islands (for which you may have a particular preference), the most distinctive feature of the Eastern for me is that it includes one additional day at sea. Since I love sea days, that's my choice."
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! | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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! | . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
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):
MouseEarVacations.com -- Disney Cruise Line Special Offers
Mouse Fan Travel -- FREE Dining is back!
ALL STAR Vacation Homes -- Choose from more than 150 homes within 4 miles of Disney World
| | | | | From the Authors: Soarin' Back from California!
Hi, {{user("firstname")}}!
Dave returned on the red eye from Los Angeles Monday morning, and set right to work on an article about his experiences that is way too long for this newsletter. So, if you want to know all the inside, Hollywood dish on the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, have a hankering for some good Cajun cooking in the LA area, or want Dave's own version of soarin' over California, click here to read Dave's report!
PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line and its Ports of Call 2008 is in stock! All orders of our cruise guide ship the next business day.
Our newest e-book, PassPorter's Answer Book: Expert Answers to Common Disney and Travel Questions is now available to PassPorter's Club passholders as a regular benefit of membership, and it is available for order (and immediate download) in the PassPorter store to everyone! This is a great compendium of helpful information from the same experts who help folks day in and day out at the PassPorter message board community, our message board Guides.
Will you be joining us for PassPorter's Decade of Dreams Tour? PassPorter is celebrating our 10th anniversary in 2009 in a year-long celebration from coast-to-coast! Everyone is invited and all are warmly welcome to join us at all or part of our celebration. We are combining small parties (meets) with grand, multi-day trips, including a 7-night Disney Cruise, a 4-night stay at Walt Disney World, and a Disneyland visit that includes park time and an Adventures by Disney expedition. See our Tour Schedule for the latest details.
PassPorter's Club Update
Nearly 1400 vacationers are now enjoying access to all our e-books, e-worksheets, and super-sized photo archive images.Thank you for your continued support!
Our newest e-book, PassPorter's Answer Book is now available for download. This 85-page e-book is full of the detailed, up-to-date information on the topics that really matter to you. We have two recently-added e-worksheets for you to use to plan your next trip (click the link to go directly to them): the Daily Meal Log e-worksheet and the Deluxe Dining Plan e-worksheet! More details at http://www.passporter.com/club |
In this issue, contributor Erik Johnson, who recently took us on a jaunt to Mount Vernon, heads north from Washington, DC to visit Baltimore's National Aquarium. Then guest contributor Eileen Farnsworth shares her experiences Sprinkling Pixie Dust on a Disney vacation, or anywere, for that matter. Finally, Jack Skatt is back with a brand-new Walt Disney World Treasure Hunt. Have a great week!
Dave and Jennifer Marx
PassPorter Authors
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National Aquarium: Baltimore
by Erik Johnson, PassPorter Guest Contributor
Isn't the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C.? Well, there is a National Aquarium in Washington, D.C.; it is in the Department of Commerce Building near the Federal Triangle Metro stop. However, the "official" National Aquarium is in Baltimore, Maryland.
Prior to our visit, we purchased our admission and dolphin show tickets on the Aquarium web site, with a scheduled entry time of 10:30 am, and would be seeing the 11:30 am dolphin show. Admission prices vary based on the package you choose.
The National Aquarium in Baltimore is located downtown, at the Inner Harbor, convenient to other Baltimore attractions. We parked in a garage located across the street. There was no line when we got to the aquarium and we were directed to the kiosk where the online will-call tickets are picked up. The process was both fast and automated. We got inside quickly -- good thing too, as it was chilly! It was nice that we do not need a stroller for our sons anymore, as they do not allow them. However, the aquarium will loan you a backpack carrier, if you need one.
There is a reception area that is staffed with nice cast members - whoops, I mean greeters - that get you oriented so you can enjoy your visit. The aquarium was built on two piers in the inner harbor. It is in sections and each section has its own theme (and cafe and gift shop - of course). The sections are Glass Pavilion, the Pier 3 (main) Pavilion, and the Pier 4 (dolphin show) Pavilion. You take an escalator up to the main level and approach the main stingray tank, where you may get to see the keepers feed the animals! They have the rest of the main building set up for one-way traffic, which is a good idea, considering the number of student groups that go through here (this worked to our disadvantage later in the day). You take an escalator to the second level and see the Maryland display, Mountains to the Sea, which takes you through the waterways of Maryland with special emphasis on the Chesapeake, as pretty much every drop winds up there! You then loop around and over the main tank and get to the next level via a moving walkway. On this third level, there is the exhibit, Surviving Through Adaptation. You go up again to level four to see Sea Ciffs, Kelp Forest, Pacific Coral Reef, and Amazon River Forest. We especially like the puffins! The top level (Level 5) is the very warm and moist, glassed-in Upland Tropical Rainforest exhibit. Here, the neatest thing is the poison dart frogs! Then, you come back down and over one level to the top of the four-story Atlantic Coral Reef tank. A winding ramp lets you see all the different kinds of sea life from the top down to the bottom of the reef, ending at the Open Ocean section, which is very dark and mysterious looking. This is where the sharks are! They have such big teeth, and are so mesmerizing! At the lowest level you can sit, catch your breath, and watch the rays swimming - very relaxing - it's like they are flying!
From here you go up another escalator, and cross the bridge to Pier 4 to reach the dolphin pavilion. We timed it just right! We walked into the amphitheater, found seats, and sat down without much wait for the show to begin. The dolphins performed some nice tricks together and splashed the audience pretty well. At least we had been warned! The presentation includes some nice educational bits using the large video displays that are set on both sides of the pool. When I find myself in a room like that with water, usually the chlorine is overpowering, but not here. Because of the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins, I am sure they have something much better than good old chlorine and paper filters - it just smells a little damp, but not musty.
The dolphin show is certainly not comparable to what you would see at SeaWorld, but it was fun, and the admission charge helps to support the programs of the aquarium. When you leave the amphitheater, you can go down to a little area and watch the dolphins underwater, or you can go to the neighboring food court. Can you guess which one we chose? (Did I mention we have two growing sons?) We had cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches, which filled up the boys for a while.
Once we were done with the best the aquarium had to offer, we got a couple of souvenirs and some pressed pennies, as there were a couple of machines in that area. My dear wife decided that she had to go back and enjoy the coral reef exhibit. So, in order to do that, we had to go back through the rest of the main room and back up and around to the top floor -- whew! At least they have escalators. After we had our fill of the reef, we went over to the Glass Pavilion and enjoyed the Animal Planet - Australia exhibit. Next door to this is the 4D Theater that is currently showing Planet Earth - Shallow Seas, which we opted not to see on this particular visit.
Some nearby attractions are: The B&O Railroad Museum, the Baltimore Maritime Museum, Harborplace Mall, Fort McHenry (of Star Spangled Banner fame), the Maryland Science Center, the Maryland Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Top of The World observation deck on top of Baltimore's World Trade Center. The restored USS Constellation is berthed here, too, as is the Pride of Baltimore. Port Discovery Children's Museum is here as well, that many with kids may find fun. You might want to take advantage of the water taxi to travel between some of the sites. In the summer, there are paddleboats you can rent. There are many hotels nearby as is the convention center and Camden Yard (the home of the Orioles).
The National Aquarium is a good way to spend a day with the kids, especially if you can combine it with a nearby attraction or two.
About the Author: Erik Johnson grew up in the Washington, D.C. area and works in the city, but still loves to explore the area's many interesting sites. He lives in the country with his wife Kendra and their sons and dogs and cats.
- - - - - - - - - - - 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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| Disney Feature:
Spreading A Little Pixie Dust: Making Magic For Others
by Eileen Farnsworth, PassPorter Guest Contributor
Shortly before my last Walt Disney World trip, I was perusing the PassPorter message boards and read a post that both intrigued me and touched my heart. The poster stated that she and her husband had taken small jugs of maple syrup from their native Vermont to Walt Disney World, and had given them as gifts to cast members who had "gone the extra mile" for them. I felt that this was a wonderful idea and began thinking of up ways that I could do something similar on my own upcoming trip. Just like many of you, I go to Disney destinations in the hopes of receiving at least a little bit of "pixie dust." But I have found that sprinkling pixie dust on others can be just as memorable! Some of the ways in which I tried to do this on my last trip were by giving out little packages to select cast members and fellow guests, by being a "Fairy Godmailer," and by trying to perform "random acts of kindness."
I had fun putting little care packages together before our trip. In each one, I placed a small Virginia memento (since that is where I live), a heart lollipop, and a "Virginia is for Lovers" postcard on which I wrote a message stating, "Thank you for making our day a little bit more magical!" Then I put Disney character stickers on the outside of each package.
Each day during our vacation I placed three or four packages inside our backpack. When we met someone who did make our day more magical, we gave them one of our little gifts. Some we gave to cast members, others to fellow vacationers. In each instance, the person receiving the gift seemed genuinely surprised and pleased. I'd like to share the experience my husband and I had with two of the cast members.
The first person to whom we gave a package was Ame, the woman who checked us in at the Registration Desk at Port Orleans Riverside. She was so nice to me and my husband Mark, making us feel welcome and giving us big "Happy Anniversary" buttons when she saw that we were there for a special occasion. As we were leaving the desk, we thanked her and gave her the package. When we got to our hotel room later that day, we found that it was rather smoky. When we called Guest Services to see if we could switch rooms, we learned that the resort was completely sold out. A mousekeeper was sent to spray our room with air freshener, but it really didn't help. After a rough night's sleep, we woke up in the morning, determined to find another room, even if it meant changing resorts. Imagine our surprise when the cast member at the Registration Desk was Ame, the woman to whom we had given the package the previous day! Ame went out of her way, placing several phone calls in order to find us a more acceptable room. We hadn't given her a gift the day before in order to gain anything, but we decided that the adage, "You reap what you sow," really did apply to us in this case.
The other cast member we gave a package to was one of the food court workers at Port Orleans Riverside. Mark and I had been relaxing after breakfast, just enjoying a few quiet moments together before we hopped onto a bus to one of the parks. We had been watching this woman cleaning tables, and thought that she is probably one of many behind-the-scenes cast members who don't receive enough recognition for all that they do. After we thanked her for all that she does to make guests' visits more enjoyable, we gave her one of our thank-you packages. She was so surprised, and got a little teary-eyed while thanking us for doing something nice for her. She said to us, "Stay here - I'll be right back." She rejoined us a few minutes later, laden with Mickey stickers and Mardi-Gras coins and necklaces. Again, we hadn't asked for anything - she just wanted to repay a kindness. We found that just a little thank-you goes a long way, and that people truly do appreciate being acknowledged.
Something else that I did for the first time was to sign up on the PassPorter boards to be a Fairy Godmailer. Several people messaged me asking me to send postcards to their loved ones. I was really tickled when one of my requests was from a woman who wanted to do something special for her 27-year-old sister who would not only be visiting Walt Disney World for the first time, but who also would be taking her first airplane ride!
I had such fun looking for just the right postcards for each of my "Fairy God-children." I browsed through gift shops with my list in hand, seeing who liked which characters and trying to find something to please each one.
The last thing I did in trying to spread pixie dust around was to perform small "random acts of kindness." Nothing major, just things like keeping a positive attitude while waiting in long lines, making sure to thank bus drivers for their service, and straightening up the River Roost Lounge after a large group left the room in order to maintain the sparkling clean atmosphere that Disney is known for. I also noticed some children on the boat ride from Port Orleans to Downtown Disney who were really well-behaved. I complimented them for it and gave them some stickers. It was a small thing, but I wanted those children to know that an adult was impressed with their good behavior.
Making an effort to "spread the magic" at Walt Disney World really was fun and easy. I am sure that the benefit I gained was much more than anything I could have done for anyone else. Sprinkling pixie dust on others, whether you are doing it for people at Walt Disney World, or just for the people you encounter in your daily life, can really be a meaningful endeavor. Why not give it a try?
About the Author: Eileen Farnsworth "discovered the magic" of Walt Disney World in 2005. She and her husband Mark have 4 children. Eileen is secretly planning her family's next trip to Disney World; at least she wishes she were! 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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