From the Authors: Dining @ Disney

Travel Feature: San Diego

Disney Feature: Disney Survey Marks

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips: Decide Ahead Dinners, Car Communication, Coloring Countdown

Captain's Corner: Museum in Morocco

Q&A: Can we upgrade two Counter Service credits  for one Table Service credit?
 

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Updates:
What's New and Changed

Here are a few of the new developments at Disney:

Disney announced The Year of a Million Dreams, a new celebration beginning October 1, 2006. Cast Members will be given the power to help make Guests dreams come true both big and small -- a million dreams in all. Guests will be selected via a "random" process and could win a Dream Come True overnight stay in Cinderella's Castle  at Walt Disney World! Other prizes include Golden FastPasses that allow special entrance to certain attractions, unique vacation packages and private character meetings.  To begin The Year of a Million Dreams, one lucky family will win "The Keys to the Magic Kingdom" - a VIP tour on October 1, 2006 through the entire Magic Kingdom ALL BY THEMSELVES! The individual lands will open to all Guests once the winning family has completed their tour through that land. 

Disney has also confirmed rumors of a Monsters Inc.-themed attraction at the Magic Kingdom. The "Laugh Floor Comedy Club" will feature Mike Wazowski and friends doing their best to make you laugh so you can help power Monstropolis. This attraction is scheduled to open in early 2007. 

The 2006 Dismeets.com Fan Meet in Allentown, PA on July 15, 2006 is SOLD OUT! 350 people will be attending and get to meet such luminaries as PassPorter author Deb Wills from AllEarsNet.com, Mike Scopa from  MousePlanet.com, Steve Barrett, Author of "Hidden Mickeys, 
A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secrets" and our very own Jennifer and Dave Marx (along with Allie and Alexander), plus many other leaders of the Disney Internet community. If you are one of the lucky 350, stop by and say "Hi!"
 

Our thanks to AllEarsNet.com from which we get some of our news leads.

>Things To Do: Hear some news? Send it to us at
news@passporter.com

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Disney Tips:
From Fellow Readers

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

DECIDE AHEAD DINNER
"Here's my tip for picky eaters and its a great time saver. A few weeks before we leave for "The World," I go online to AllEarsNet.com and print out the menus for the restaurants that we have reservations for. Then I place them in the PassPorter's PassPockets for the day of each reservation. Before we get to the restaurant or while we are waiting to be seated everyone has a chance to look at the menu and decide what they want! We ask the server to take our orders and we're back in the parks in no time!" -- contributed by Tracy Pezzuto (tntpezzuto@...)

CAR COMMUNICATION
"Traveling tip for those of you (like us) who are traveling to Walt Disney World by car. Driving is an excellent opportunity to spend some quality time getting to know your kids, especially since they have nowhere to run! Talk to them, sing with them, join them in seeing how miserable you can make the other parent, etc. My girls and I got into a game on one trip of counting down mile markers -- loudly. Hollering out "135 miles to Georgia" and so on can really bring you together and has the added amusement of driving the hubby insane. They are only kids for so long and a long ride in the car can be an excellent way to let them know you are really interested in them." -- contributed by Christy Collins 

COLORING COUNTDOWN
"When it gets down to the last week or so before a Disney trip, here's a tip for counting down the days for your little ones! Find a coloring book page of a favorite Disney character, and cut it into evenly square pieces for the amount of days you want to count down. Place a white piece of paper on the refrigerator or wall, and every day let your child pick another piece from an envelope to put together the "puzzle." They can color the pieces as they pick each one. If you number the pieces and the corresponding spots on the paper, the child can match them up! When the character is complete, the child will know that it's time to go!" -- contributed by Ellen G. 

>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.

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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 new book, "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World." 

The Captain makes a study of the delightful details -- sometimes hidden, sometimes in plain sight but often overlooked -- at Walt Disney World and aboard the Disney Cruise Line. Using notes from his journals, he will lead you to this "treasure" at Disney with clues, questions, photos, or riddles. Your challenge is to discover the answer by searching your memory, visiting Disney, or even just looking really hard on the Internet. If you think you've found the answer, e-mail it to jackskatt@passporter.com -- the first person to correctly submit the FULL answer will receive a free PassPorter enamel pin or PassPorter name badge pin.

Here is this week's treasure from Captain Skatt's Journal:

"I say, that Dr. Jones leads quite the exciting life! Inspired by his adventures in a bazaar, I decided to indulge my love of Middle Eastern antiquities by paying a visit to a lovely little museum in Morocco. While entering the museum, I spied some unique little glass panes on the door which were a lovely shade of ... (a large fingerprint obscures the rest of the text)"

What color are the glass panes on the doors to the Batha Museum in Morocco?

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 Tracy McGee who was the winner of last week's treasure hunt game! Tracy correctly identified the boat that houses Min & Bill's Dockside Diner as the S.S. Down the Hatch. To view the original clues, 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 Skatt. The new "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World" book is now available! You can order the book today at http://www.passporterstore.com.

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Q & A:
With Jennifer and Dave

Melissa1214 asks: "We are using Disney's Dining Plan during our next trip. I've received conflicting information on whether or not you can combine two Counter Service credits and use them instead of one Table Service credit. Is this possible?"

Jennifer and Dave answer: "It's incredibly unlikely that Disney policy would permit two Counter Service (CS) credits to be exchanged for one Table Service (TS) credit. While folks may hope they get lucky, please don't plan your vacation around it. 

It's basic arithmetic. The meal cost averages we list for each restaurant in PassPorter Walt Disney World show the typical counter service meal as costing in the $11-$13 dollar range (same as a CS credit: entree, dessert, soft drink, tax). The typical full service dinner is far more than double that, especially because you have to factor-in something that's not present in CS -- the 18% gratuity. Again, our full-service average dinner price calculation is identical to Disney's Dining Plan - appetizer, entree, dessert, soft drink, tax, and 18% tip. You can get a meal worth $45 or more for a single TS credit -- four times the value of a single CS credit. Yes, there are some TS meals that are worth far less than $45 (which is why it's often wise to use cash to pay for your typical character breakfast). However, our lunch today at Le Cellier was valued at over $46/person on Disney's print-out (we're "experimenting" with the Dining Plan on this research trip). Overall, if guests could trade in two CS credits for lunch or dinner at Le Cellier, it would be a hotter reservation than Cindy's, don'tcha think?"

Have a question? Post it at http://www.passporterboards.com -- and if you're lucky, you may find that folks have already asked and answered the same question that's on your mind!

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Future Newsletters:
Want To See Your Name in Print?

Big News! PassPorter News is now published weekly. This means we need more articles than ever! We're on the lookout for guest columnists who want to contribute articles to this newsletter. No professional writing experience is necessary, just a desire to share your experience with others! Not only is this a great way to give something back to the PassPorter community, but you get to see your name in "print" and receive a $25 gift certificate for 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!

Hi, {{user("firstname")}}! 

Whew! We're back from our 10-day "Kids Commando Trip" with 13-year-old Allie, her 15-year-old cousin Melanie, and almost 2-year-old toddler Alexander. We did every attraction in the four major parks -- this was quite a feat considering the age range of the kids (teens and toddlers have such different needs), the summer crowds, and the heat! It feels like we ran a marathon and after five days at home we're still not quite recovered. But we got lots done -- nearly 2000 photos, plenty of research on the new and up and coming things, and the perspectives of three kids.

During our trip we also tried out Disney's Dining Plan for the full ten days so we could report on it accurately in our next edition of PassPorter Walt Disney World. Look for two brand new pages on the Dining Plan, as well as indicators in each eatery's review on whether it participates in the plan. Our impressions of the Dining Plan are very favorable -- we ate very well for less than we'd normally have spent. Figuring out what to order and where had a bit of a learning curve (which we hope to dispel for you in our next edition), but once we got the hang of it things went smoothly. We really enjoyed not having to worry about gratuities (they are built in). And whenever we weren't sure about how many credits had been spent, we could stop at Lobby Concierge of our Disney hotel and get a print-out that showed what was spent and where. We came up with lots of useful tips and ideas for getting the most out of the Dining Plan, which we'll put into the next edition. In the meantime, here's a tip we found very useful: when purchasing a meal at our hotel's food court, we didn't want to get our dessert at the same time as our entree because we wanted ice cream and it might melt by the time we got to it. We inquired with the cast member and we were told that we could order the dessert at the time we purchased our meal with the Dining Plan, but then return later to pick up the dessert itself. The cast member simply made a notation on the receipt, which we showed later when we claimed our ice cream. This worked great at the food court!

This edition of the newsletter features first-time contributor and PassPorter Message Board Guide Sarah Mudd, who shares her hometown of San Diego with us and return contributor Patty Winter who explores the secret of Disney Survey Marks. Finally Captain Jack Skatt returns with a new treasure hunting game. Enjoy! 

Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Authors and Publishers

Discovering "America's Finest City": San Diego
by Sarah Mudd, PassPorter Message Board Guide and Guest Contributor 

When a lot of folks hear the word California the first thing that pops into their mind is Los Angeles, movie stars . . . maybe even Disneyland. But how many think of the beautiful jewel of a city just 90 miles away from Hollywood? San Diego is nicknamed “America’s Finest City," and for good reason.

Bordered in the south by Mexico, the west by the Pacific Ocean and the east by the Anza-Borrego Desert and Laguna Mountains, San Diego has something for everyone.  

San Diego is California’s second largest city and the seventh largest in the United States with a population of over 1.3 million. Originally inhabited by the Kumeyaay people, the area was “discovered” by explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542, then named “San Diego” by Sebastian Vizcaino in 1602, when the California coastline was first mapped. The first colonists settled in the city in late 1774.

Mission San Diego de Alcala, the first of 21 missions to be established on the California coast, was founded in 1769 on Presidio Hill, which overlooks Old Town. In 1774, it was relocated to its current location and is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. It is also an active Catholic parish in the Diocese of San Diego.

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park recreates Mexican and American life from 1821 to 1872. There are many shops, restaurants, museums, historic buildings (including San Diego’s first newspaper office) and the Whaley House, which is the most haunted house in America! Some of the tastiest authentic Mexican food can be found in Old Town at the Old Town Mexican Café!

Balboa Park is a museum lover’s dream. In total, there are 15 museums in Balboa Park, including the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, San Diego Aerospace Museum and San Diego Art Museum. In addition, there are over 85 performing arts and international culture organizations, hiking and biking trails, restaurants and the World-Famous San Diego Zoo. There are so many things to do in Balboa Park alone; it could take you days to see everything! 

In the Downtown area you will find the Gaslamp Quarter, which is one of southern California’s premier dining, shopping and entertainment districts.  Horton Plaza is an open-air mall, which looks similar to a European marketplace with elements of an amusement park and touches of historical San Diego. Seaport Village is an intimate waterfront shopping village with some great shops and restaurants. Some favorites at Seaport Village are the carousel and the shop that makes homemade fudge while you watch.
The San Diego Bay has 34 total miles of shoreline with hotels, parks, shopping and museums, including the San Diego Maritime Museum (aboard the Star of India) and the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum (aboard the USS Midway). There are quite a few ways to tour the bay area - PediCab, the Old Town Trolley Tours and horse-drawn carriages will take you around the area on shore and there are a handful of options for harbor cruises.

San Diego beaches can often be found packed with surfers. Some of the best beaches for surfing are Pacific Beach, La Jolla, Mission Beach and Ocean Beach. At Ocean Beach, there is even a section of beach just for dogs called, what else but Dog Beach. “OB” is a laid-back beach town and it is likely you will find mostly locally owned and operated shops and restaurants. At Mission Beach, you will find Belmont Park, a historic amusement park with the Giant Dipper, a wooden roller coaster built in 1925.

Whenever someone mentions they are heading on a trip to San Diego, and I am asked for tips, one of the first things I mention is where they should eat. My recommendations are that, at least once, you need to experience authentic Mexican food. My favorite place is Old Town Mexican Café in Old Town. I also recommend a trip to In-N-Out Burger, as well as a trip to Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill. Rubio’s is the home of the fish taco, as well as other tasty creations. It is a favorite food stop in our family.

If sports are your thing, you are in luck! There’s a sports team for everyone! Like baseball? Catch the Major League Baseball San Diego Padres at PETCO Park between April and October. Is football more your thing? The NFL’s San Diego Chargers play in the fall and winter! There are teams representing nearly everything from Major League Baseball to the National Premier Soccer League to the Women’s Professional Football League!

Cross the Coronado Bay Bridge from downtown San Diego and you’ll find one of the jewels of the San Diego area . . . the Hotel del Coronado. “The Del” was built in 1888 on Coronado Island and was the inspiration for the Grand Floridian resort at Walt Disney World! Further to the north of the city, in Escondido, is the San Diego Wild Animal Park. There, most animals are kept in their “natural” habitat and guests are brought through the “Serengeti” on safari trains. There are also walk-through exhibits and shows to check out. Also north of San Diego, in Carlsbad is Legoland California, with rides, attractions and shows for people of all ages all themed to Lego building bricks!

Head up Point Loma and you will find Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery and, further up the Point, Cabrillo National Monument. Cabrillo National Monument celebrates the 1542 landing of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo on the land that became San Diego. The monument was dedicated in 1913 and includes the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and a visitor’s center with historical displays and a gift shop/bookstore. The monument offers gorgeous views of the city of San Diego as well as the San Diego Bay, Coronado and Naval Air Station North Island. On the sea-side of the Point, gray whales can be seen migrating off the coast during the winter time and there is also a small stretch of rocky coastline and tide pools that can be seen during low tide. The entrance fee for the park is $5 per car (or $3 if you are on a bicycle, motorcycle or come up on foot or bus) and that is good for 7 days of access to the park! An excellent bargain for some fantastic views and peace and quiet!

Other attractions in the Point Loma area include Sea World San Diego and the iPayOne Center, where you’ll often find shows, concerts and, on weekends, the Kobey’s Swap Meet. The Swap Meet is my favorite place to find odds and ends as well as San Diego souvenir tee shirts! Most vendors sell their souvenir tees for 3 adult tees for $10 and kids’ tees for 3 for $9. Some a bit more, some a bit less, but all great deals for great shirts! 

San Diego truly is a melting pot of people and cultures with something for everyone. Beaches, mountains, museums, great food and fantastic weather year-round make this a wonderful vacation destination where you will never be without something to do. I am proud to call it my hometown and enjoy exploring the city whenever I am able to get back there. I know you will enjoy exploring as well!

Tip: You'll find more information and tips on San Diego in our new guidebook, "PassPorter's Disneyland Resort and Southern California Attractions.".

Sarah Mudd is the Guide for the Disneyland: Getting There (and Back!) forum on the PassPorter Message Boards. She is a stay-at-home mom, Navy wife, and displaced San Diego native who looks forward to the day when she can move back to her beautiful hometown!

Survey Marks: The Hidden Mickeys Beneath Your Feets
by Patty Winter, Guest Contributor

During your visits to Walt Disney World or Disneyland, you’ve probably searched for subtle images of Mickey Mouse’s head in wrought-iron railings, chandeliers, and wallpaper. But have you ever thought to look right beneath your feet?

Survey marks are small disks (usually about 3" in diameter) placed by surveyors to mark specific locations. At Disneyland and Walt Disney World, disks with Disney-related etched images have been placed during the construction of theme parks, hotels, and other structures. Millions of people walk right over them every year without noticing them. That means they can make a fun new treasure hunt for you and your family during your Disney vacations.

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by current and past chief surveyors of Walt Disney World. They showed striking pictures of the conditions under which surveying is done in the 47-square- miles of swampland that is Walt Disney World. There were photos of surveyors waist-deep in swamps, of 15-foot alligators and 8-foot cottonmouth snakes. 

On a lighter note, they also talked about some of the unusual, “only at Disney” assignments they’ve been given over the years, such as determining the precise coordinates of the track inside Spaceship Earth, or the proper placement of the air lines to the seats in Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. Another time, the pyrotechnics folks at the Magic Kingdom were concerned that their fireworks weren’t going up as far as they wanted, so they asked the surveyors to determine their height. Not typical tasks for professional surveyors, but then, Walt Disney World isn’t a typical place to work. Besides, such assignments are a pleasant change from wading through a swamp full of poisonous snakes!

Walt Disney World only began using survey disks a little over 20 years ago. Originally, the surveyors marked specific locations with survey nails, or with "X"s scribed in concrete. But in the early 1980s, an enterprising salesman at a survey monument manufacturing company had an idea: Wouldn’t it be fun to install unique Disney-themed disks instead of boring old nails?

The salesman approached the Disney World survey department with a disk design that featured the familiar three-circle Mickey Mouse symbol. The largest circle had latitude and longitude lines, making Mickey’s head look like the Earth. It was a design that combined Disney whimsy with a representation of the coordinate system that underlies all surveying. Disney’s surveyors loved it, knowing that Disney World visitors would enjoy the Mickey-themed disks.

Subsequently, survey disks were added to construction projects at Disneyland. For many years, the design was based on the Disneyland logotype rather than a graphic. But when Disney’s California Adventure was being built, a new disk was developed that depicts each park’s signature object: Sleeping Beauty’s Castle from Disneyland, and Grizzly Peak from California Adventure. That style is now used throughout the Disneyland Resort. 

“Okay,” I hear you saying, “but where the heck are these things? I’ve never seen one!” Believe it or not, most of them are right under your feet, in the concrete walkways between buildings. Others can be found in the curbs that line walkways, parking lots, roads, or bodies of water. 

For example, at Epcot, there’s one near the dinosaur topiary outside Universe of Energy. Two were recently installed behind the Main Street railroad station at the Magic Kingdom. At California Adventure, you can find one in the runway markings outside of Soarin’. Next door at Disneyland, there’s one near Rivers of America, outside the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean.

Not all the disks are inside the theme parks. There are a couple at the Animal Kingdom bus stops, one at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, three between the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian, one at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, and some at Typhoon Lagoon, just to name a few locations.

So, are you ready to look for some Disney survey marks yourself? Here are a few ways to get started:

1. Study photos of known disk locations. Once you’ve seen where they are, you can keep your eyes open for those locations when you visit Disneyland or Disney World. There are two main Web sites that have Disney survey mark photos: mine at http://www.wintertime.com/disneymarks, and the Disney World and Disneyland categories on http://www.waymarking.com. (Waymarking is a new hobby that’s a spin-off from geocaching. See my article about Disney geocaching in the May 2, 2005 issue of PassPorter News.

2. Use a GPS receiver. On both my site and the Waymarking site, you can get latitude and longitude information for all the known survey marks. Simply enter those coordinates into your GPS receiver and use it to zero in on each disk.

3. Just keep your eyes open! I know it’s hard to remember to look at the ground when your attention is constantly being drawn to castles and five foot high mice and screaming coaster riders. But look for survey disks whenever you think of it, and you just might spot some! One family recently told me that they promised their six year-old daughter a Disney Dollar for each mark she found. She found six during their trip—including a new one at Epcot that no one had ever reported to me before!

What should you do if you find a mark? If it’s one already listed on Waymarking.com, you can log your find there. (See the Disneyland and Disney World waymarking categories for logging requirements.) If it isn’t included there yet, you can create a new waymark for it. And of course, if you come across one that isn’t listed on my Disney benchmarks page, please let me know about it! (Benchmark is another word for survey marks.) 

Are there other Disney survey marks waiting to be found? You bet! As I was working on this article, I got reports of two newly discovered marks at Walt Disney World: the one I mentioned at Epcot, and another at the Shades of Green hotel. And you never know when more might appear. As Walt Disney World’s chief surveyor told me, “We’re slapping them in wherever we see wet concrete.”

What about Disney sites in other countries? From what I’ve been told, the surveyors who worked on Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland chose not to install disks. But a Disney engineer has said that there are 11 marks at Hong Kong Disneyland, none of which have been reported publicly yet. Will you be the first to find one?

Happy hunting!

Patty Winter is a freelance marketing writer in Silicon Valley. She recently traveled to Orlando for a week to attend a presentation by the Walt Disney World surveyors and to confront the yeti on Expedition Everest. 

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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 Disney vacation plans.