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 In This Newsletter
From the Authors: True Confessions
Travel Feature: How A Disney Fan Does Vegas
Disney Feature: Specialty Cruises: Wishes and IllumiNations
Updates: What's New and Changed
Tips: Monorail Magic, Terrific Titles, Perfect Plugs
Captain's Corner: The Cay
PassPorter PhotoPick: Gateway to Earth
Q and A: Is it customary to tip extra at Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue?
Our Sponsors: We Recommend...
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Updates:
What's New and Changed
Here are a few items of relevant news:
Toy Story Mania will have it's official grand opening on May 31, 2008. The attraction is currently in "soft opening" mode which means that it may be closed periodically for tweaking.
"Journey Into Narnia: Prince Caspian" at Disney's Hollywood Studios will open on Friday. The walk-through attraction will feature a meet & greet with "Prince Caspian" (the theme park version, not the actor who portrays him in the movie), a reproduction of one of the sets from the movie and various actual props and costumes. The movie, not coincidentally, also opens on Friday.
A new baby sable antelope has joined the herd on the savanna at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Mother and baby made their public debut last week on May 7, 2008. Keep an eye out for them while on Safari!
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:
MONORAIL MAGIC
"My husband and I just returned from a week at the Walt Disney World Resort. In using the monorial systems, the best seating isn't in the "front row" - it's in the back! The monorail fills up in the front and middle cars first leaving the back cars nearly empty! Next time you're traveling the circuit, check out the back where you actually have a chance to sit down and not be overly crowded. One last thing though ... remember to follow the instructions of the cast members, if they instruct you to another seat."
-- contributed by Katie P.
TERRIFIC TITLES
"If you are into scrapbooking and find that the laser cut titles are too expensive, do the following. Instead of buying a title or a letter cutting machine, make sure to take pictures of attraction, store or restaurant signs, and use those as titles for layouts."
-- contributed by Connie L.
PERFECT PLUGS
"Some of the shows and rides can be loud for young children or people sensitive to loud noises. We would often find my son holding his ears during shows and even on roller coasters. This last trip we packed a pair of ear plugs. Then he could enjoy the shows and rides and keep his hands free."
-- contributed by Sara 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. (Please note: Players can win once every 3 months.)
Here is this week's journal entry:
"Yesterday was a lazy, barefoot kind of day, so I picked up a snack from a vendor in the port and headed to one of my favorite island retreats for a nice, relaxing snooze in a hammock. I felt even more safe and secure, knowing my little cay was protected by a brace of cannon!"
Where in Walt Disney World did the captain go for his nap, and what is the name of his fortified, island hideaway?
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 John B. who was the winner of last week's trivia contest! John was the first person to identify the location of the Hidden Mickeys as Flights of Wonder at Disney's Animal Kingdom. 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:
Gatweway to Earth
(Spaceship Earth as seen from Japan)
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.
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Q and A: With Jennifer and Dave
CinderAbby asks: "Is it customary to tip extra at Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue? I read that an 18% tip is included."
Jennifer and Dave answer: "Under most circumstances, I think you'll find the built-in 18% to be enough. I don't hear much from folks who feel it's not enough.
Service is usually very cheerful and prompt, but since it's a family-style meal, other than taking drink orders and asking if you want refills of any food items you've depleted, most of the meal runs on "auto-pilot." If there's a reason for them to make some extra magic for you (celebration, etc.), they'll try to do that, because it's hard for them to get an additional tip for anything less."
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):
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
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From the Authors: True Confessions
Hi, {{user("firstname")}}!
OK, we admit it. We messed up this year. We didn't print nearly as many copies of PassPorter's Walt Disney World as we should have, and by the time we realized our error, it was too late to (profitably) print more. While there are still plenty of books out on bookstore shelves (for now), we didn't keep enough for the PassPorter online store. You see, sales of the book are running nearly 15% ahead of last years record pace!
Just how well have things been going? According to Nielsen Bookscan, which tracks actual sales at something like 80% of U.S. bookstores, our little baby is #13 among all travel books for year-to-date sales. Among Walt Disney World guidebooks (the country's #1 guidebook destination), PassPorter's Walt Disney World outsells every title but Birnbaum's and the Unofficial Guide. Pretty cool, huh? "Yeah," you might say, "But how do I get my hands on a copy before they're all gone?" You'll find PassPorter's Walt Disney World on sale at most major bookstores, including Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Borders, Waldenbooks, and Books a Million.
Since we want to keep the impending PassPorter drought as short as possible, we've also moved-up the publishing date for PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2009. We expect to have that new edition for you in October this year (maybe even sooner if all goes well). In fact, you can pre-order the 2009 edition starting today at http://www.passporterstore.com/store/2009.aspx.
And to make it a bit easier for you to get your pre-order in, we're rolling back prices for pre-orders for a limited time -- only nine (9) days, or until May 24. With the rollback price, our spiral edition of PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2009 is a mere $19.95 "list" price, and you can apply any discounts or coupons you may have. So a 2009 spiral edition is just $15.96 (with a 20% newsletter subscriber coupon -- see bottom of this newsletter) or $13.96 (with a 30% coupon for registered readers and message board members). Deluxes are an even better deal.
If you can't wait for October to get a book, you may purchase a 2008 electronic edition (download only) or get a 2007 edition at a close-out price. Refer to the 2008 electronic edition for the most up-to-date info, and print-out the pages you'll need when you travel. Rely on the 2007 edition for all our great planning features, PassPockets, and info that's still pretty darned accurate and useful.
Some of you may know we've been temporarily out of stock on PassHolder Pouches, too. Fortunately, those are much easier to get back in stock. In fact, we've got them right now! Not only that, but we upgraded the printed PassPorter logo to a full-color version that we think is much more attractive than the old, all-yellow version. Order at http://www.passporterstore.com/store/0966899437.aspx.
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.
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
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In this issue, first-time contributor Kathy Holmes reports on How a Disney Fan Does Vegas. Then Featured Columnist Cheryl Pendry describes the pleasures of Walt Disney World's Specialty Cruises: Wishes and IllumiNations. 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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Travel Feature:
How A Disney Fan Does Vegas
by Kathy Holmes, PassPorter Guest Contributor
A Disney fan in Las Vegas? What could Walt Disney World and Las Vegas possibly have in common? They may be fierce competitors when it comes to the convention market and are two of the most popular tourist destinations on earth, but don't they attract entirely different types of tourists: Walt Disney World for families and Las Vegas for adults? Well, the days of Las Vegas seeking to attract families with children for their family vacations may be over, but there are still a lot of places in Las Vegas that a Disney fan would enjoy, with or without children, with or without gambling.
For example, Las Vegas and Walt Disney World share some of the same restaurants. You can find a Downtown Disney favorite sandwich stop, Earl of Sandwich, in Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on "The Strip" in Las Vegas.
There's also a Rainforest Cafe inside the MGM Grand Resort & Casino. In fact, this was the first Rainforest I ever visited and remains one of my favorites, if not my favorite. Why? While I don't enjoy Rainforest Cafe inside shopping malls, there's an interesting juxtaposition about a place so fun and family-friendly inside a casino.
And if you're missing Alfredo's that was located in the Italy Pavilion inside World Showcase at Epcot until closing recently, it is relocating to Las Vegas in late 2008. Start planning a trip to Las Vegas and your Italian culinary wishes may come true.
While you're at Planet Hollywood, take a walk through Miracle Mile Shops for more themed restaurants and shopping. A Disney fan would definitely enjoy a tropical drink at Trader Vic's or Hawaiian Tropic Zone--you may want to try lunch to retain the G-rating. You'll soon hear the Enchanted Tiki Room song playing in your head.
And if you enjoy dining at one of the top-tier restaurants at Disneyland or Walt Disney World, then you can't go wrong in Las Vegas. The top celebrity chefs in the world have restaurants in Las Vegas: Emeril Largesse, Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, and Mario Batali are just four of those well-known celebrity chefs.
But before you plan where to eat, you may be wondering where to stay. The Mirage introduced themed resorts to Las Vegas when it opened in 1989. Since then numerous themed hotels have sprung up on the Las Vegas Strip.
If you're a fan of all things tropical, then the Mirage is a great place to start. The Siegfried & Roy tigers may no longer be hanging out just off the lobby, but there is still an aquarium behind the reservation desk, white tigers and dolphins at the Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat (located beyond the lagoon-style pool with water slide and waterfall), a lush indoor tropical garden that transports you to Hawaii, and an outdoor volcano that erupts nightly.
If the Knights of the Round Table, complete with Tournament of Kings dinner show, are more to your liking, you may want to stay at Excalibur. At the Luxor, 'though it has toned down its Egyptian theme in the main casino areas, you still can't escape the fact that it's a giant pyramid located in the desert. Egyptian hieroglyphs are still present throughout, especially on the mezzanine level where several Disney-type attractions, such as an IMAX theatre and a Star-Tours type ride, are located.
Circus Circus is known for its circus theming and free circus acts, along with carnival games on the Midway, and roller coaster and other theme-park rides in the Adventuredome. If you're a fan of driving your RV to Ft. Wilderness, you can also park your RV at the Circus Circus RV Park and enjoy a direct shuttle to the casino.
Speaking of theme parks, the theme park at the MGM Grand may be gone, but you can still find a roller coaster at New York/New York Hotel Casino and other thrill rides located over a thousand feet in the air on top of the Stratosphere. If you love monorails, don't forget to seek out the Las Vegas Monorail--you can purchase a day pass for a special online rate of $9. The monorail connects you to many hotels on the Strip. And while you're riding the monorail, you may want to stop off at the Las Vegas Hilton for the Star Trek Experience--especially if you're a Star Trek fan.
For a spectacular light show and a blast into the past right where Las Vegas got its neon start, you must see the Fremont Street Experience. You'll have to drive or cab downtown, but it's worth the trip.
My favorite experience as a Disney lover is strolling through the faux-painted outdoor sky-topped, indoor shopping malls of the Forum Shops inside Caesar's Palace, the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian, and the Miracle Mile Shops in Planet Hollywood. Of those three, the Forum Shops are my favorite. You're transported to an ancient Roman city within a modern setting with upscale shops, restaurants, and unique "streetmosphere" with fountains, statues, and Roman facades. It's truly indescribable.
Paris Las Vegas, complete with a restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower, will make you think you're strolling through World Showcase at Disney World. You could pop into the bakery for a French pastry and hang out at Napoleon's for a round of dueling pianos, similar to the Dueling Pianos on the Boardwalk at Disney World.
Las Vegas is known as the Entertainment Capital of the World, and in addition to major headliners, Las Vegas, like Disney World, has spectacular shows like Cirque du Soleil. There are several Cirque du Soleil shows in town, but my favorite is "O" at the Bellagio.
If you'd rather be outside and Typhoon Lagoon is your favorite Disney activity, then be sure to book a room at Mandalay Bay. In addition to the Shark Reef aquarium, there is an outdoor pool area with wave pool and river pool. That gets my vote for all-around favorite pool, especially if I'm dining alfresco at Border Grill, overlooking the river pool.
By now maybe you're feeling overly-stimulated by all that Las Vegas has to offer. Perhaps you'd like to enjoy more rustic, outdoor recreational activities. Too much neon can do that to you. You can either take a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, plan an overnight trip at a Grand Canyon Lodge, or take a side trip to Zion and/or Bryce Canyon National Parks in Utah. These parks will give you a feeling of Disney deja vu--if you've ridden the train roundtrip around Disneyland, you've seen the Grand Canyon diorama. And if you've ridden Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland or Disney World, then you've gotten a peek into Bryce Canyon National Park.
So whether you plan to take a side trip to Las Vegas on your next Disneyland vacation or visit Las Vegas specifically, rest assured that this is only the tip of the iceberg of having a Disney experience in Las Vegas or in the surrounding National Parks.
For more information on visiting Las Vegas, check out http://www.visitlasvegas.com
About the Author: Kathy Holmes grew up near Disneyland. Shortly after exchanging wedding vows, Kathy and husband Rich took their first trip to Walt Disney World. That trip sparked an additional vow to move to Florida from California. Three thousand miles and three states later, they made that dream come true. But eventually home called, and they moved back west. They now live in Las Vegas, just four hours from Disneyland, and write about their adventures at http://two4disney.wordpress.com.
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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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Disney Feature:
Specialty Cruises: Wishes and IllumiNations
by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Featured Columnist
There are many magical ways to spend your time in Walt Disney World, but perhaps one of the most magical also has to be one of the hardest to snag.
We're not talking about breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table here, although admittedly that's a magical experience and can be difficult to get into. We're talking about the speciality cruises, as Disney calls them, private trips in small boats that head out every night to showcase the fireworks of Epcot and the Magic Kingdom to a select number of guests.
They're called speciality cruises and not firework cruises by Disney for a very good reason. It's just in case, for any reason, the fireworks have to be cancelled, the cruise may still go on as scheduled. Now before you panic, you can rest assured that only happens on very, very rare occasions. It takes a lot to cancel the majestic displays you see being put on at both parks, but it's something worth keeping in mind.
But never mind that - you're probably thinking that this sounds like an amazing experience and, for those of you lucky enough to have done an IllumiNations or Wishes cruise before, you know that it is. If you've taken one of these cruises before, then you probably also know just how hard it is to get one. There are only a limited number of boats available for each show each night, usually around six, and they go quickly.
So what's the trick to getting one? They say practice makes perfect and that's definitely the case here. Bookings are made exactly 90 days out by phoning 407-WDW-PLAY. The phone line opens at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time and it's not unusual for the cruises to be sold out just a few minutes later. Usually, when I'm trying to snag one, I call up the day before, so that I know exactly what the different messages sound like, as they change as soon as it opens in the morning. That way, you also know exactly which number to press next, without having to listen to the message, which can give you a good advantage over other people, who are sitting there, figuring out which option they need.
As soon as you're connected to someone, it's a case of stating what you want as quickly as possible. I usually just say "Hi" and follow it up quickly by telling them I'm after a specialty IllumiNations (or Wishes) cruise for a particular date. Usually you know immediately whether you've got one or not - and if you do, then that's the time to make polite conversation. It's also usually the point at which you'll be thanking the Cast Member profusely for having managed to obtain one of these elusive cruises for you.
The time difference from living in the UK as I do means I can only ever try for one of these cruises on weekends, as strangely, my bosses don't take kindly to me making international calls at work! Having said that, it works in our favor, as we've been lucky on a number of occasions. I'm sure a lot of that is down to people in the States not being up early on a weekend (for me, it's Noon). In our experience, it is worth setting that alarm clock early, as you probably stand a better chance if you call on a Saturday or Sunday. Another way of increasing your chances is to have more than one person calling. If we know that fellow PassPorters are going to be at Disney at the same time as us, we suggest the idea of sharing a cruise to them and, if they agree, we both try calling, doubling our chances.
So what can you expect from your experience? The cruises for IllumiNations usually leave from the Yacht Club Marina. You're asked to be there about an hour before IllumiNations is due to start. It's a similar process with Wishes cruises for the Magic Kingdom, in that you're asked to be at the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, or Grand Floridian Marina a similar amount of time before that show commences (departing from the Contemporary seems to be most common).
Once you get there, any children in the party will be fitted with life jackets, you'll meet your driver for the night, and then you'll be off. If you're viewing IllumiNations, you'll cruise over to the Disney Hollywood Studios first of all - and if you're lucky, you may even see some of the fireworks from Fantasmic! on the way. Then it's back past the Swan, Dolphin, BoardWalk, and Yacht and Beach Club, before lining up underneath the bridge between the United Kingdom and France on the edge of World Showcase Lagoon to watch IllumiNations from a prime viewing spot. When it's all over and done with, your driver will take you straight back to the Yacht Club Marina, allowing you to get ahead of all the crowds exiting the park.
With Wishes, it's very similar, although you'll be taken out on a tour around Seven Seas Lagoon, perhaps heading towards Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge first, before taking up a prime position right in front of the Magic Kingdom. The music will be piped into the boat, so you won't miss a thing. As an added bonus, you'll either get to watch the Electric Water Pageant either before or after Wishes has taken place.
With either cruise, your driver will also act as a tour guide, telling you about the things you're seeing and perhaps asking Disney trivia questions. You'll also get snacks and non-alcoholic drinks while on board and, when you leave the boat, you're free to take any goodies that are left, because in the words of our drivers in the past, "You've already paid for it!"
It's not a cheap experience. Speciality cruises to see either IllumiNations or Wishes cost $275 plus tax, and the pontoon boats can take up to 10 people. You can also reserve Breathless, the beautiful wooden reproduction boat housed at the Yacht Club marina, but remember that it can only take up to six people. Tips for the drivers are not included in this price. While it may sound like a lot of money, it's a great way to spend an evening and is a real treat for any Disney fan.
Don't forget that, if you're lucky enough to reserve one, you can always post the details on the PassPorter message boards to see if anyone wants to share the boat with you. It's a great way to meet fellow Disney fans and cut the cost of the evening.
About the Author: Cheryl and husband Mark live in England and love to travel, particularly to America. They are in the process of visiting every Disney theme park around the world, having already spent a day in Disneyland Resort Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland so far this year. They are looking forward to returning to America in October to visit both Walt Disney World and Disneyland in California.
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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