From the Authors: Memorial Day Reflections and New York City Bound

Dining Feature: Walt Disney World's Overlooked Treasures: Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Artist Point Restaurant

Disney World Feature:  What - No Parks? Walt Disney World Outside the Theme Parks

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips: Crowd Control, Catch Those Characters, Toon Town Tours 

Q&A: Last Meal at WDW vs. Orlando Airport?
 

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Updates:
What's New and Changed

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

Tarzan Rocks! at Disney's Animal Kingdom will close for good in early 2006. No exact date has been specified but when the show closes the Theater in the Wild where the show takes place will be renovated to become completely enclosed. No new show has been announced, but when we recently spoke to Disney's live show chief Anne Hamburger, she did say they were working on a new live show for Walt Disney World (but didn't say which park would be getting it). It is rumored that Tarzan may be destined for Broadway to follow in the footsteps of Disney's other Broadway hits "Beauty and The Beat" and "The Lion King".  

Advance Dining Reservations are now available for Liberty Tree Tavern and Tony's Town Square for dinner during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Call 407-WDW-DINE for more information.

Cruisers on the Disney Magic's "repositioning" cruise to California report that Disney Cruise Line president Tom McAlpin announced several upcoming changes to the Disney Magic and a new feature at Disney's island, Castaway Cay. During the Magic's bi-annual drydock this coming October, the ship will have a large Jumbotron electronic display installed on Deck 9 overlooking the Goofy Pool, for showing movies "under the stars." The ship's Vista Spa will nearly double its size, by claiming the "air space" above the ship's bridge (our sympathies to the Captain and his bridge crew, who will have a lower ceiling). Part of the new spa space will be dedicated to "couples massage" rooms, a very popular spa offering. Down on Deck 2, the existing conference rooms will be converted to additional space for children's programming. (If these changes are popular on the Magic, we can expect the Disney Wonder to receive similar modifications in October 2006, during its next scheduled drydock.) Finally, Castaway Cay is the latest island adding a swim-with-stingrays excursion. This is a very popular shore excursion on every island that offers it. Now that Disney cruisers can reserve their shore excursions (and spa treatments, Palo reservations, and children's program registrations) online at the disneycruise.com web site, we suspect this one will be a tough "ticket" to get. (Disney has not announced when this new excursion will become available.)

You can view our page-by-page list of updates and corrections for the new PassPorter Walt Disney World 2005 Edition at http://www.passporter.com/
customs/bookupdates.htm.

>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 are a wealth of information! Here are the winners in this month's tip contest:

CROWD CONTROL
"Avoid the crowds? Yeah right! Part of the fun is the interaction between you and complete strangers who very quickly become friends. Talk to one and all. You never know where your most precious of memories is going to come from."
-- contributed by Paul H. (sparhawk_65@...)

CATCH THOSE CHARACTERS 
"My husband and I celebrated our first anniversary with a wonderful Disney Cruise. The best thing we learned was to have our pictures taken with the characters early on during the cruise. Then you have time to purchase the picture and find the character again to have them autograph it before the cruise is over. I just love our picture with Belle where she included Happy 1st Anniversary with her autograph. It makes the pictures mean so much more to have them personalized and tailored to the event you are celebrating. Plus you get to spend time with the characters twice!"
-- contributed by Dena Drake 

TOONTOWN TOURS
"We just returned from our Disney vacation with our 16 month-old daughter. We visited the Magic Kingdom a couple of days during our visit. One morning we waited for Mickey's Toontown Fair to open so our daughter could meet Mickey and his friends. Once the rope was dropped from Fantasyland to let us into Toon Town we noticed one family receiving a personal tour of Mickey Mouse's house by none other than Mickey himself. We realized how this occurred and wanted to share this "tip" with everyone. Instead of waiting to enter Toontown from Fantasyland, we took the train around and got off at the Toon Town stop. This put us on the backside of Toontown. There was also a rope up, but it was at the front entrance to Mickey's house. We made sure we arrived about 15 minutes before Toon Town opened. By taking the train and arriving early, we were first in line at Mickey's house. Shortly before Toontown opened, Mickey came out and greeted us and gave many hugs to our daughter. Then, once Toon Town opened, Mickey gave a personal tour of his house to us and then held our daughter's hand and walked with her to the big tent where we had a private photo shoot with Mickey. This happened to be our last day at Disney World and we could have not asked for a better ending to a wonderful trip."
-- contributed by MaryAnne Reilly (Legacytrio@...)

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

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Q & A:
With Jennifer and Dave

Fistfamily asks: "I am making the last of our Advance Dining Reservations for our upcoming July trip. On our last day, we have a 5:30 pm flight booked at Orlando airport. We will be having an early breakfast at Boma and then spending a few hours in whichever park we didn't get to fully explore. Should I plan on eating lunch at Walt Disney World or should we spend part of our waiting time at the airport eating? Has anyone eaten at the airport? What choices are available and how's the food?" 

Dave answers: "There's a relatively new food court in the main terminal situated close to the center here's a map of the airport with shop listings . There are a bunch of inviting choices.

Ultimately, I think the question is whether you'll want to leave Walt Disney World early enough to fit in a meal at the airport. Some folks want to spend every possible minute at Disney. If that's you, then eat at Walt Disney World (this is usually our preference, too). Others would rather arrive at the airport with lots of time to spare. If that's you, don't waste your Disney time eating -- you'll do fine at the airport. Do whichever will cause the least stress."

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 Get Published?

We're on the lookout for guest columnists to contribute articles to this newsletter. 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 guidelines, please e-mail news@passporter.com. Articles about Disney and general travel are welcomed!

The 2005 edition of PassPorter Walt Disney World and PassPorter's Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line 3rd Edition are now shipping next business day when ordered by 8:00 pm ET the night before. (Don't forget that Monday is a business holiday, though.) If you've been waiting to order your copy, now is the perfect time!

Everyone gets a 15% discount and if you've already got a copy of PassPorter, you can register it to get a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of any PassPorter guidebook.

Order your copy today at:
http://www.passporterstore.com/store

Walt Disney World’s Overlooked Treasures: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Artist Point Restaurant
By Matt Armitage, Guest Columnist

My wife and I were enjoying the last day of our mini-vacation (actually, I was on a business trip and she had come along for a few days of relaxation – no kids!) when we discovered one of Walt Disney World’s overlooked treasures (at least by us!): Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and the Artist Point restaurant.

After my conference sessions had ended for the day, we were discussing dinner plans and thought we'd take a chance and see if anything last minute was available at the resorts. Recognizing our chances were slim at getting advance reservations, I dialed away. After finding nothing available at the Polynesian's Ohana and the Contemporary's California Grill, I was ready to give up when the cast member asked, "Well, where are you right now?" Armed with the fact we were at Downtown Disney, she did some searching and recommended Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge. We had never been to either Artist Point or the Wilderness Lodge, so we figured "Why not?" I had heard the Wilderness Lodge was a nice resort, and had for ages wanted to visit, but had never taken the time to.

Less than an hour later we arrived at the Wilderness Lodge. For those of you who've never been there, let me tell you, it is breathtaking! The spacious and grandiose lobby (8 stories high) is reminiscent of Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, with a slightly different flavor to it. I had heard that the grounds were beautiful, and we were a few minutes early, so we figured we'd check in with the maitre d' and go for a walk. To our surprise the dining room was only half full and we were seated immediately. In fact, we were afforded a window seat overlooking Silver Creek Falls, a beautifully landscaped waterfall and stream.

Dinner was wonderful not only for the delicious food, but for the décor of the restaurant, presentation of dinner, and high level of service that was provided to us. In addition to the view out the window, the restaurant itself is tastefully decorated, with a large mural on one wall serving as a backdrop. My wife chose the "signature plate," Cedar Plank Roasted Wild Salmon with Celery Root-Potato Puree, Pan-roasted Fennel, and Truffle-Honey-Brown Butter. When brought to the table, it arrived on the cedar plank on which it had apparently been cooked and was transferred to my wife's plate. The entire meal was delicious -- I know because I helped her finish it!

I chose the Grilled Buffalo Sirloin with Sweet Potato-Hazelnut Gratin and Sweet Onion Jam. I could go on for hours about how good it was, but let me simply say this. It was the most delicious dinner I've ever had. The buffalo was tender and mouth-watering, and the sweet potatoes tasted like candy. If but for no other reason, Artist Point is now one of my favorite restaurants because of that meal!

Stuffed to the gills as a result of cleaning our plates, we opted out of dessert. I should mention one other detail about our dining experience. Not only was our server attentive and helpful (he went the extra mile and got me the recipe for the sweet potatoes), but the maitre d' stopped by a couple of times to check on us, too. We were well taken care of!

After dinner, we took the stroll we'd missed out on before. It was dark by this point, which at first disappointed me, but for naught - the grounds were just as beautiful after dark. In addition to the waterfall, lots of softly illuminated winding paths, wooden bridges over a meandering stream, and rock landscaping culminating in a geyser (we missed the eruption) created the atmosphere of being in the American Northwest and the great outdoors.

We ended the evening by heading down to the dock, where we boarded a boat that took us out into Bay Lake, over to Fort Wilderness, out into Seven Seas Lagoon, and ultimately delivered us to the Magic Kingdom. The cool, relaxing trip was the perfect ending to a perfect night. We both decided that on our next trip to Walt Disney World, not only would we be returning to Artist Point for dinner, but would be staying at the Wilderness Lodge.

Our trips to Disney World have traditionally been "go-go-go" and center on figuring out how we can maximize our time at the parks. In fact, we typically use whatever hotel we're staying at simply as a base for going to and from the parks. Our experience that night taught us to seek out Disney's hidden treasures and take advantage of what Disney has to offer outside the parks. A nice meal, a quiet stroll, and a relaxing boat ride can offer just as much as an attraction packed day at the parks.

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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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What - No Parks? Walt Disney World Outside the Theme Parks (Part 1 of 2)
by Cheryl Pendry, Guest Columnist and PassPorter Message Board Guide

Not only does Walt Disney World boast four theme parks and two water parks, but it's also home to a myriad of other activities. Cheryl Pendry, a veteran Disney visitor, has spent many happy days there without using up a park pass and here in the first part of a two part article, takes a look at how the Disney resorts are good for so much more than just accommodation...

Perhaps it's your umpteenth visit to Disney World and you feel the need to get away from the parks for a while. Perhaps you were just there a few months ago and feel you've enjoyed all the attractions you want to this trip. Maybe it's just an exceptionally busy time of the year and you can't face the crowds. Either way, there's plenty to do at Disney, without needing admission to any of the four main theme parks or a water park. 

This is something we've done many times in the past and will no doubt do again in the future. One of the biggest attractions outside of the parks are the resorts. Each is beautifully themed and having visited nearly all of them, with the exception of the Caribbean Beach, I can tell you that they're all very different from each other as well. Many happy hours have been spent touring the resorts, finding out which are our favorites. 

The easiest way to get to each one is to drive, but if you don't have a car during your stay, buses run from each theme park and Downtown Disney back to the resorts and the Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian are just a monorail ride away from the Magic Kingdom. There's plenty to see at each, with lobbies, shops and restaurants all open to the public. If you want to see how big the rooms are, then simply ask a cast member to show you. In our experience they're more than happy to help if they've got rooms available and aren't too busy, and it's a great way of judging whether you'd be happy staying a particular resort before paying out any of your hard earned cash. 

You can usually look around the swimming pool area to judge at first hand how good the facilities are and at many resorts, there are pleasant walks from the main registration building to the outlying rooms. Particularly attractive walks that we've enjoyed can be found at Port Orleans Riverside, the Grand Floridian and Polynesian, while Pop Century enjoys some of the most fun walks on Disney property. References to what happened in individual years and cultural icons, such as Rubik's Cubes and Mr. Potato Head are scattered throughout the grounds, bringing back fond memories for both young and old. It's a lovely way to spend an hour or two. 

And there's much more to see at the resorts during the holiday season. We personally rate the Grand Floridian, the Beach Club and the Wilderness Lodge as not to be missed at this time of the year, although every resort has decorations to enjoy, with many boasting amazing offerings from their resident chefs -- from gingerbread houses to carrousels and African villages. 

This brings us to dining. The resorts also boast some of the finest and most entertaining restaurants on Disney property. We never fail to enjoy a character meal at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary or at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian, the burgers at the Beach Club's Beaches and Cream just can't be beaten anywhere on Disney property, and who could fail to enjoy the exotic African offerings on the buffet at Boma at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge? 

If it's a more upscale experience you're after, then each of the deluxe resorts boast at least one fine dining option. Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge, Jiko at Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Contemporary's California Grill and Narcosees at the Grand Floridian all offer first class food and a great atmosphere and are consistently highly rated by Disney visitors. If it's a special occasion, the unique Victoria and Albert's at the Grand Floridian, with menus that vary daily, can't be beaten. When we ate there, we were able to forget that we were even in a hotel. It's like walking into your own world of five star dining and although it's expensive, it's worth every penny. 

Some of the resorts also offer their own attractions, meaning you may not have to venture far from your room to find some entertainment, with the Animal Kingdom Lodge being the best example. If you're not lucky to have a savannah room there or you're visiting from another resort, you can still sample the wildlife either at the Arusha Rock overlook or from various viewing areas on the third floor of both the Kudu and Zebra Trail. There are even rocking chairs for you to sit and survey the savannah. 

Perhaps you still want to be a bit more active on your vacation or have an exercise regime you're keen to keep up with? Tennis courts with the best facilities are available at the Walt Disney World Racquet Club at the Contemporary.  Maybe two wheels is more your style? Bikes can be hired at Old Key West, Saratoga Springs and Fort Wilderness, allowing you to explore the resort grounds. 

Perhaps you fancy heading out on the water? You can head out into the Seven Seas Lagoon in front of Magic Kingdom and the neighboring Bay Lake on a Sea Raycer, pontoon, canopy or sailboat, but a far more unique experience waits at the Yacht and Beach Club marina. There, you can rent Breathless, a beautiful mahogany reproduction of a 1930 powerboat. It's the fastest boat on property -- and feels like it when the throttle is turned up - and can be hired during the day for a trip around Crescent Lake and down to Disney-MGM Studios (a Disney skipper is behind the wheel).  If you're early enough and in luck, you may even be able to venture to the edge of Epcot's World Showcase Lagoon. When we did this in December, we entered by the United Kingdom pavillion, headed over to Morocco and then out again through France. 

Breathless is also available for Illuminations cruises, but be warned -- these are among the hottest tickets on property and sell out within minutes. If you want to book a cruise, call 407-WDW-PLAY, but if it's an Illuminations cruise you're after, be sure to be on the phone at 7:00 am Eastern time exactly 90 days out to stand a chance of securing one. 

Something else offered by a number of resorts and often overlooked by many guests are the health and fitness centers -- and they're not just for those who want to keep up their exercise regime while they're away from home! Each of the fitness centers at Coronado Springs, Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club and the Villas at Wilderness Lodge offer essentially the same services. 

As well as offering state-of-the-art fitness exercise machines, you can also enjoy massages at each site. Having been lucky enough to sample the 50-minute massage at the Ship Shape health club at the Yacht and Beach Club and a massage at the Grand Floridian spa, I can tell you that they're both very similar, although if value for money is top of your list, then head for a resort fitness center, rather than a "spa." The massages are cheaper there, although you don't get the same relaxing atmosphere as you do at the two Spa resorts. 

Having taken a tour of the various Disney resorts and the activities offered at them, in the second part, I'll be looking at what else you can enjoy on Disney property outside of the parks, including teeing off amongst the dancing hippos, cowgirls, and fire breathers on the BoardWalk and shopping until you drop! 

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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 planning your Disney vacation.