 |
|
 In
This Newsletter
From the Authors: Greetings from the Big Apple!
Travel
Feature: Pirate's Dinner Adventure
Disney Feature: A Semi-"Live" Report from DCL's Inaugural Mediterranean Cruise
Updates:
What's
New and Changed
Tips: Seasons Greetings, Perfect Pairs, Comfortable Counter Service
Captain's Corner: Scary Sweets
Q&A: What currency should I bring on the Mediterranean cruise?
Our Sponsors: We Recommend...
| .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
Updates:
What's
New and Changed
Here are a few items of relevant news:
Kali River Rapids
was shut down on Tuesday, May 29 after six people suffered minor
injuries while attempting to exit the ride via an evacuation platform
that malfunctioned. A safety sensor had stopped the ride on an incline
and the platform was being used to escort guests to the stairs to exit
when the platform malfunctioned. The five guests and one cast member
suffered minor injuries and were transported to local hospitals. The
ride has been inspected and is determined to be operating
properly.
Star Wars Weekends at
the Disney MGM Studios begin this Friday, June 1. Jay Laga'aia
(Captain Typho) will be the celebrity host each weekend. The schedule
of celebrity attendees (subject to change is:
June 1 - 3: Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok) and Kenny Baker (R2-D2)
June 8 - 10: Ray Park (Darth Maul) and Daniel Logan (Young Boba Fett)
June 15 - 17: Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett)
June 22 - 24: Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) and Bonnie Piesse (Aunt Beru)
Disney is now offering free refills
on standard children's drinks: juice, milk, water and soda. Free
refills do not apply to specialty drinks such as shakes or smoothies.
Yak & Yeti, the new restaurant in the Asia section of Disney's Animal Kingdom will be opening on October 8, 2007.
Our
thanks to AllEars.net
and MousePlanet.com
from which we get some of our news leads.
>Things To Do: Hear some news?
Send it to us at
news@passporter.com
| . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . |
Disney
Tips:
From Fellow Readers
Our readers
deliver a wealth of information! Here
are the winners in this month's tip contest:
SEASONS GREETINGS
"We love to take our Christmas card photos under the Merry Christmas
sign behind the Disney Days of Christmas Store at Downtown Disney.
Statues of some of the characters are there and it makes a great
Christmas card."
-- contributed by Lisa M.
PERFECT PAIRS
"Try to divide your party to go on each ride as a pair of two people.
Many times you can be whisked to the front of the line because they are
looking for a pair to take up the last two seats."
-- contributed by Anthony S.
COMFORTABLE COUNTER SERVICE
"In Liberty Square is Columbia Harbour House, a snug counter service
place to lunch. Go to the second floor and dine in the little room that
extends over the passage between Liberty Square and Fantasyland. Enjoy
watching the crowds passing between the park sections. Even on crowded
days this room tends to be empty."
-- contributed by Chris O.
Notes:
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.
Here is this week's journal entry:
"Before going to see that new At World's End show that Jack
had mentioned to me. I decided to indulge my craving for a sugary
snack. Not since rescuing my friends Hansel and Gretel have I seen a
villain with such a sweet tooth! The hag who greeted me at the door to
her candy establishment was even holding a... (the rest of the entry is
obscured by what appears to be a smear of chocolate...)"
Where did Jack go to purchase his snack and what is the "hag" featured on the establishment's sign holding?
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!
Congratulations
to Jennifer Manganello who was the
winner of last week's treasure hunt game! Jennifer correctly
identified
the name of Jack's play as Pirate's of the Caribbean: At World's End
and the opening day as May 25, 2007 with some theaters showing it
on May 24, 2007 beginning at 8:00 pm. 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.
| . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . |
Q
& A:
With
Jennifer and Dave
arcticteacher
asks: "My family and I leave will be taking the June 16th
Mediterranean cruise. I have never traveled over-seas. Should I plan to take a
combination of traveler's checks, Euro's, and credit cards? Thanks for the
advice!"
Dave and Jennifer answer: "A combination is a good idea.
If you can obtain Euros in small
denominations at a good rate before you head over (ask your bank), it's a good
idea - mostly for tipping and smaller purchases. You'll probably be taking a lot
of shore excursions on those itineraries, so you'll want to have a lot of tip
money. We've also had bad experiences trying to pay cab drivers with anything
but cash Euros, too.
If you're getting ground transfers from the airport
to the ship you may not have a chance to visit a currency exchange at the
Barcelona airport before boarding the ship - if you can't get Euros at home, get
them in the airport stateside (while you have time on your hands). I'm sure the
ship will be able to do currency exchange for you, so all is not lost if you
can't do it sooner, or if you run low.
I hold onto about 50 Euros at all
times, since I do have a tendency to need them every year or so (not only in
Europe, but also for the French islands in the Caribbean, like St. Martin). I
figure the currency conversion costs are higher than any interest I might lose
on the funds.
The credit cards and traveler's checks will be good for
larger purchases. The credit card companies generally don't charge a steep rate
for converting Euro-denominated purchases into dollars, but you should check
each company's policy, to see which offers the best deal.
Most merchants
will accept dollar-denominated traveler's checks and won't charge a fee for
converting, but always ask about the conversion rate. Sometimes I've gotten
deals, sometimes I've opted to use my credit card instead (have a calculator
handy, and know what the recent official rate is).
You'll usually pay
high rates for on-the-spot currency conversions at the currency exchange
services and currency exchange ATMs (yep, they've got 'em). Further, those spots
are prime magnets for pickpockets. They'll watch, they'll follow you, and.... So
the fewer exchanges you can make while ashore, the better. At the same time, you
don't want to have so many Euros that you have to pay another conversion fee and
discount to change them back to dollars again after your trip.
OK, you'll
be quizzed! Good luck, grasshopper!"
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 -- Magic Your Way with FREE Dining Specials
Quicksilver Tours & Transportation -- Save $5 off airport round-trip transportation in a town car
Thank you, sponsors!
|
|
|
|
|
From the
Authors: Remembrance
Hi,
{{user("firstname")}}!
Greetings from BookExpo America, the country's largest trade book convention. We
attend this convention annually and this year it's in the Big Apple -- New York
City! We're networking, schmoozing, and meeting new and old friends. Tomorrow is
the start of the convention itself and we've got a full schedule of book
signings (four this year!) and meetings. Sara Varney (our Newsletter Editor and
Online Coordinator), Debbie Wright (PassPorter Guide and Board E-Mail Support),
and Carolyn Tody (Jennifer's mother) are joining us to help us out. It's shaping
up to be a great event!
Reminder: PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2008 is
available for pre-order -- order now to be among the first to get your copy in
November! Pre-order at http://www.passporterstore.com/store/2008.aspx
PassPorter's
Club Update
Over 600 vacationers
are now enjoying access to all our e-books and e-worksheets -- thank
you for your continued support!
A new
e-worksheet -- DVC Points Tracker -- is available for download in the Club. We now
have more than 30 e-worksheets in our library.
New Passholder Perk Coming Soon!: Super Sized Photos! We are
testing the possibility of sharing our massive photo collection online
-- and allowing Club Passholders the ability to see the photos
super-sized (up to 25 times larger, or at a resolution of up to 2000
pixels). For more details and to see 150 super-sized, original images
of Fort Wilderness, visit The Parlor
More details at http://www.passporter.com/club
|
Peer reviewer and friend Bruce Metcalf continues his live
trip
report of his trans-Atlantic crossing cruise on the Disney
Magic. To read his live reports, visit 25 Days on the Disney Magic
Meet us in person: Will
you be at July's sold-out MagicMeets
event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania? We sure will! We'll be on
hand to meet, greet, and maybe put on a presentation or two.
In
this issue, Newsletter Feature Columnist Cheryl Pendry brings us a semi-"Live" update from the inaugural Mediterranean cruise onboard the Disney Magic, and Debbie Mekler shows us how to live a Pirate's Life (or at least eat a Pirate's Meal!) at the Pirate's Dinner Adventure in Buena Park, California.
Enjoy!
Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Publishers and Authors
|
|
Did You Know?
We are always looking for new team members to provide Signature Service to their clients!
~ Join a Winning
Team ~
Do you have what it takes to make magic?
We are currently accepting applications
for our summer affiliate training group!
Interested in learning more about our program or
want to compare benefits to your current host?
Click the link below & request additional info
Join Our Affiliate
Program
Or Visit us at www.MouseFanTravel.com
|
| |
Travel
Feature:
Pirate's Dinner Adventure
by Debbie Mekler, PassPorter Guest Contributor
It was 7:20 a.m. on a Friday morning as our buses pulled out of the
parking lot with eighty-five middle school music students and a dozen
chaperones. After a year of planning, our annual music festival trip at Disneyland had finally begun.
By 4:30 p.m. we had checked into our hotel rooms and the students
were hungry and restless. So how do
you feed a party of two hundred on a Friday night? For the past seven years,
Medieval Times has been the answer of choice, but during a summer trip to Disneyland, I had noticed that there was a new dinner theater in town. Reasoning
that it never hurts to try something new, I brought it up to the music
director. After a bit of convincing, we decided to try The Pirate’s
Dinner Adventure. Okay, I’ll be honest; it didn’t take that much
convincing. Each year we have a new “theme” in the music department, and this
year just happened to be…pirates! Even the buses were nicknamed. I was in
charge of the Black Pearl – as it should be.
The Jolly Roger flew over
the otherwise unassuming building on Beach Boulevard, just down the street from Knott’s Berry Farm. (There
is also a location in Orlando.)
Our reservations were for the 6:00 p.m. show, the doors opened at 4:30 p.m.
Entering the building, we
immediately encountered gift shops filled with pirate related items. Chaperones
took special note of the wooden swords and other fake weapons, as these were
among the items that would be confiscated until this end of the trip if
purchased. To the left was a “tavern”-style area, with limited seating, a stage
and area to purchase soft drinks in souvenir cups. If you have ever traveled
with a group, especially young teens, you will have to agree that the only
thing worse than, “are we there yet?” or “how much longer?” is “when do we
eat?” Someone at Pirate’s must have been aware of this, because hosts and
hostesses were stationed throughout the extensive waiting area serving
appetizers such as ravioli, cheese cubes, vegetables, and shrimp with a spicy
cocktail sauce.
Soon the pre-show started
with eight men being chosen from the crowd to participate in dastardly pirate
games. Our director’s husband was chosen, much to the delight of the students. This
demonstration lasted about an hour before diners were ushered into the main
hall. Each person’s ticket is color coordinated with a specific section and
pirate. Ours was the Purple Pirate, who seemed a bit clumsier than and perhaps
not as sharp as the others. As each pirate paraded into the hall with their
“crew,” they were subject to the taunting of another pirate near the
doors.
For those of your who have
tried Medieval Times, the set up is much the same; long rows of tables with
diners facing the action in the center of the room. Pirate’s Dinner is not as
large, but there’s plenty to keep the attention.
As we sat down, a salad was
waiting for us. Dinner was served as the show began, with our choice of beef or
seafood to go with the chicken, rice and vegetables. The vegetarians in our
group were offered veggie lasagna and our one vegan was presented with a large
salad and fruit. Because we had over a dozen vegetarians, we made sure the
staff was aware of our special needs beforehand so that they could be prepared,
which they were. Dessert, unlimited soda and water were also provided.
While we ate, our attention
was diverted to the show. In the middle of the room sat a pirate ship,
surrounded by water. There were masts to climb, and ropes to swing on. Soon our pirates are raising cheers from the
crowd as they showed off their amazing athletic abilities. We found that the
story also involved a female pirate, a princess, and a gypsy. And if there’s a
princess involved, you can be sure there’s a romance in there somewhere. What
made this dinner so much fun for kids was their involvement – loads of
involvement. Throughout the show, at least one hundred audience members of
various ages are pulled out for participation. It seemed that almost every
young person under fifteen had been chosen at one point or another. Even the
little ones had a chance. Ever hear a three year old recite the pirate pledge? There
was singing, yelling, swordplay and acrobatics to keep everyone interested. At
our show, the music seemed a bit loud, drowning out the singing, but otherwise
it was all good fun. The show itself runs about ninety minutes, leaving plenty
of time for those caught up in the moment to purchase additional souvenirs.
Over
the rest of the weekend, I asked for opinions from my group. Most of the kids
truly enjoyed themselves, especially those who had been pulled out to join in. They
seemed to enjoy the food (I saw a lot of empty plates that night). Vegetarians
liked the lasagna option, and our vegan could tell that they really tried to
make sure she had enough to eat. Adults who tended to eat out move often
weren’t as crazy about the food, but many of us were just fine with it. I know
I cleaned my plate. My main question
was, “did you have fun?” which was answered with a resounding, “Yes!"
Pirate’s Dinner Adventure
7600
Beach Blvd.
Buena
Park, CA
90620
Tel:
866-439-2469
http://www.piratesdinneradventure.com/
About the Author: Debbie
Mekler is
a school district music aide in northern California who, among other things, organizes
and chaperones the annual Disney trip. She is also married and the mother of three
teenage musicians, all of whom are great Disney fans. Debbie has found the PassPorter
books to be invaluable tools when planning her vacations, and was thrilled to
have a story included in the first edition of the Disneyland PassPorter.
-
- - - - - - - - - - -
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!
|
|
|
Did
You Know?
Great
Cruise Rates are available at
MouseEarVacations.com!
Disney Cruise Line®
Exclusive Onboard Credit Offer
Book with us between
May 31 and June 6, 2007
and receive up to $100 onboard credit per
stateroom*.
Click
here for more info
*The amount of credit is
based upon category of stateroom booked and length of vacation.
Credit is applied per
booking and is not combinable with any other onboard credit, discount or other
offer and, accordingly, no Group, Florida Resident, Military,
Interline or other
discount may be applied to the booking. Any unused portions of onboard credit
are non-refundable &
non-transferable.
*Savings
based on double occupancy. Ships' Registry: The
Bahamas
CST2058090-40 www.MouseEarVacations.com 800-886-8601
|
|
Disney Feature:
A Magic Time In The Med: A Semi-Live Trip Report From the Disney Magic
by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Featured Columnist
Disney is
forever changing and trying out new things. You only have to look at their
parks and the attractions being added all the time to see that. So it came as
no surprise that after a successful summer on the west coast of America with the Disney Magic, that it was time to
try new continents – specifically Europe. Sailing out of Barcelona, Spain over a three month period for 11 and 10
night itineraries, the Disney Magic started its Mediterranean summer stint this
past Saturday, May 26, 2007.
With Barcelona just over two hours’ flight from us, I knew that this was
something we had to experience and we were lucky enough to snag ourselves
places on the inaugural cruise. Over the last few days, we’ve been amongst the
2,300 passengers, who are the first to enjoy the Magic’s itinerary around the Mediterranean.
At first, it was very hard to believe that we were actually going to board a
Disney ship in Barcelona, but those feelings evaporated when we saw the Magic in the
harbor as we took a taxi to our hotel. We hadn’t arranged transfers to the ship
beforehand through Disney, but if you want to do so and you’re staying at one
of the hotels booked through Disney for the night before your cruise as we
were, then it’s no problem, they’ll arrange it for you there and then. That’s
exactly what we did and it was $50 well spent ($25 for each of us) to have our
luggage taken for us and to be dropped right by the port terminal building.
There’s that great sense of excitement as you get closer to the ship, as it’s
literally right by the quayside, dominating your whole field of vision. It’s a
far more impressive sight than you get as you approach Port Canaveral. It
didn’t take us long to clear security, but then we had to go and get our Key to
the World card. For some reason, we hadn’t been sorted out at the hotel and
they told us to ask at the terminal. The problem was, by then, they were
expecting to see your documentation before they’d issue the card and we’d
handed that all in at the hotel. That took some explaining, as some of the
ground staff don’t have the greatest grasp of English, but if you persist,
they’ll be able to summon someone who’ll be able to help you. (This is the type
of thing that will get fixed as the cruises continue.)
Your photos on the way to boarding are with the Mediterranean map in the
background (you’ll see a lot of these during your travels); detailing all the
ports the Magic will be stopping at. Then it’s time to actually step aboard.
All in all, from the bus pulling into the terminal to getting on board probably
took no more than 20 minutes. My advice would be to take one of the transfers
Disney offers and to be there early. We were on one of the first buses and I
have no doubt that helped ensure that we got through very quickly.
Everywhere on board are little Mediterranean touches, from the Spanish, Italian
and France banners that welcome you as you first enter the elevators to the
shop displays. Of course, the shops are packed with Mediterranean merchandise
and if that’s what you’re interested in, head for Treasure Ketch. We were lucky
enough to spot some Mediterranean inaugural cruise T-shirts available, so we
snagged a couple. Anyone heading down for MouseFest will undoubtedly see us
wearing those!
There are also special Mediterranean food items available at the various
buffets and dinner menus. Having tried a number of them, I can recommend them,
although some of the offerings have sounded a little way out even for me to
sample!
One of the beauties of the itinerary is that as soon as you set sail
from Barcelona, you’re into a sea day and that’s something that we know has been much
welcomed by the many Americans on board. Although people were advised to fly in
at least the day before the cruise, it’s clear a number of people didn’t arrive
until the day that the cruise was leaving. As a result, they’ve been suffering
from severe jetlag, with a number of people telling us that they’d been awake
for 40 or 42 hours. With the sea day straight away, it allowed a lot of people
to sleep in late, although it’s no substitute for flying in early and getting
yourself adjusted to the change in time zones.
As I write this, so far we’ve visited one port of call – Palermo in
Sicily. We didn’t take a guided tour around the city or the island, instead
choosing to walk around Palermo
and it was a rewarding morning. Although the first road you come to from the
port is packed with people hawking taxi and carriage rides, making it seem
quite intimidating, a bit of perseverance will pay off. Further up the road,
you’ll find the locals taking little interest in you and just getting on with
your daily life, allowing you to sample a real taste of Sicilian life.
So that’s it from me on board the Disney Magic cruising around the Med. It’s a
hard life, but someone’s got to do it – and if you’re lucky enough to be one of
those booked to follow in our footsteps this summer, from what I’ve seen so
far, you’re going to have a ball, exploring Spain, Italy and France in the most
magical way possible.
Check back next week to see how the rest of Cheryl's cruise was!
About the Author: Cheryl and husband Mark
live in England and love to travel, particularly to America. They’re currently enjoying the first 11 night sailing of the Disney
Magic around the Mediterranean.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
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!
|
|
Did
You Know?
You Can Arrive at Walt Disney World in Style!
Airport Meet & Greet, luggage help, free car seat
Free 30-minute grocery stop with airport round-trip
Special! $5.00 off airport round-trip
Use Discount Code: PassPorter News
Call 888-GO TO WDW
or visit quicksilver-tours.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
