From the Authors: Mousey Musings

Travel Feature: Tahiti

Disney Feature: Hong Kong Disneyland

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips: Two Tips In One, Travel Survival Kit, Bride & Groom Pins

Captain's Corner: Clock Tower Clues

Q&A: When can I book my Disney Cruise activities online?
 

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Updates:
What's New and Changed

Here are a few of the new developments at Disney:

The Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Walt Disney World re-opened ahead of schedule on July 1, 2006. The Disneyland version re-opened on June 24, 2006. Ahoy Maties!! (PassPorter News would love to hear what our readers think of the updated attraction! Drop us a line at news@passporter.com with your reviews.)

The Eat to the Beat concert series (part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival) schedule has been announced. These dates are tentative and subject to change. Concerts are held daily in the American Gardens Theatre at 5:45 pm, 7:00 pm and 8:15 pm. The current roster of performers is:
September 29-30 - Survivor
October 1-3 - Family Stone Experience 
October 4-7 - Starship featuring Mickey Thomas
October 8-11 - Loverboy
October 12-14 - David Sanborn 
October 15-16 - The Beach Boys
October 17-18 - Little Richard 
October 19-21 - Three Dog Night
October 22-25 - The Four Tops 
October 26-28 - Gloria Gaynor 
October 29-November 1 - The S.O.S. Band 
November 2-4 - The Contours 
November 5-6 - Chubby Checker & The Wildcats
November 7-8 - Southside Johnny
November 9-12 - Jon Secada
 
 

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:

TWO TIPS IN ONE
"My 10-year-old daughter's favorite park is Epcot, but after doing the KidCot mask every trip we started looking for other fun ideas to do around the world. Here are two of our ideas. 1) We have a Pal Mickey but any stuffed animal would do. We each take turns taking Mickey's picture in different places (sometimes funny) at each country. Now when we get home we have a scrapbook of Mickey's trip around the world. It is fun to come up with neat places. 2) Before we go I make up a page with questions about each country and the children need to find out which country it is describing. This makes the trip not only fun but educational. The cast members are excited to talk about their country, so be sure to include some questions that your children could ask them. These are just a few of the ideas we came up to make the trip more enjoyable! " -- contributed by Monique C. (mcraft17@...)

TRAVEL SURVIVAL KIT
"If you are traveling with kids in the car or by plane, pack a 'parent's travel survival kit.' This should include coloring books, crayons, magic erase board, dry erase markers (so you don't have to spend time picking up a bunch of crumbled-up paper in the back seat), and electronic games WITH MUTE like Gameboy, Yahtzee, and things of that nature." -- contributed by Tiffany S.

BRIDE & GROOM PINS
"If you are going to Walt Disney World on your honeymoon, and don't want to wear those bride and groom mouse ears, try getting a bride and groom Mickey and Minnie pin. You can find them at almost any pin shop. We wore them during our honeymoon, and the cast members notice! We got all sorts of great 'perks' from great seating at restaurants to having a guard at the gates at Magic Kingdom create a scene by having everyone waiting applaud us! At the very least we were always congratulated!" -- contributed by Matthew M. (Numinous27@...)

>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:

"With the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie opening soon, I had a hankering for some pirate adventures. I wandered over to Adventureland and pretended I was a buccaneer in search of pirate gold. During my fantasies, I happened to notice the Jolly Roger flag flying near the entrance to the Pirates of the Carribean. It had the standard skull and crossbones on it, but more interestingly..." (rest of text obscured by a huge puncture that looks like it was caused by a hook)

What is unusual about the Jolly Roger skull and crossbones flag flying near the entrance to the Pirates of the Caribbean?

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 Sharon Lin  who was the winner of last week's treasure hunt game! Sharon correctly answered that two Hummel figurines appear in the clock tower in Germany at the top of every hour. 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

dre asks: "How do you know what time and exactly what day to go online and book Palo, excursions, and spa treatments? I read one message board that talked about 3:00 am. If my cruise leaves on a Saturday, do I start with the Friday before as day 1 and count backwards on the calendar from there, and then get online at 3:00 am on that day?"

Jennifer and Dave answer: "Basically, yes. 3:00 am Eastern time. Concierge guests (like yourself) have a head start over all other passengers. If you're fully-paid, you can start making online reservations up to 105 days prior to sailing. Castaway Club members must wait until the 90-day mark, and everyone else has to wait until the 75-day mark at the earliest. If you have your cruise paperwork handy that provides the deadline for full payment, you don't have to bother counting backwards from your actual sailing date -- the 75-day mark is prominently mentioned."

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")}}! 

After many requests for updates, we've finally written a new chapter for Alexander's "Amazing Journey." It involves our recent Walt Disney World trip and a certain mouse. To read it, visit The Nursery.

Are you planning to come to MouseFest this year? Oh... are you wondering what MouseFest is, and when it will be? MouseFest is an annual gathering at Walt Disney World and on the Disney Cruise Line during early December (this year, December 3-12). More than a half-dozen online communities (including PassPorter) get together to meet and enjoy Walt Disney World and/or the Disney Cruise Line together. Dozens of activities are organized in the parks and resorts, nearly all of which are free (other than the regular cost of Disney admission). Online friends get to meet face-to-face and share their love of all things Disney. Authors (like yours truly and Walt Disney World Trivia author Lou Mongello), web site founders and online columnists like AllEarsNet's Deb Wills, MousePlanet's Mike Scopa, Binnie Betten from TheMouseForLess.com, and Dave Card from Tagrel are also on hand sharing the fun with everyone else.

If you already plan to be on the Disney Wonder's December 3-6 sailing, and/or will be at Walt Disney World anytime between December 6 and 12, why not add one or two MouseFest events to your plans? And if you're already a dedicated MouseFest veteran, we hope MouseFest is already part of this year's plan! While the schedule of events is still under development (look for preliminary listings in about a month), we invite you to visit the MouseFest.org web site, where you can register as an attendee and sign up for the free MouseFest newsletter.

If you'd like to help plan and/or host this year's PassPorter community-sponsored events, you're invited to stop by our Gatherings, Meets, and Group Trips Forum and join the conversation! Things have been a bit quiet lately on this topic - maybe it's time we kicked things up a notch so we'll have a few PassPorter meets on the MouseFest list right from the git go!

OK... Captain Jack Skatt asked us to remind you that PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World is a great, affordable way to add some fun to your next Walt Disney World vacation. And if you're bound for the southern part of the Golden State, our new Disneyland and Southern California Attractions guidebook is the perfect companion, if we say so ourselves!

In this edition of the newsletter PassPorter Guide Dianne Cook follows in the footsteps of Captain Cook, and takes us for a visit to Tahiti and French Polynesia (the real thing), and first-time contributor Sharon Lin shares the tale of her visit to Hong Kong Disneyland, the newest park in the Disney kingdom. As always, Captain Jack Skatt returns with a new treasure hunting game. Enjoy! 

Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Authors and Publishers

Tahiti: Home of the Black Pearl(s)
by Dianne Cook, PassPorter Message Board Guide and Guest Contributor 

Do you just love the quiet, relaxing tropical atmosphere of Disney's Polynesian Resort? Does the idea of romantic sunsets, turquoise coral reefs, bright sapphire lagoons, fragrant intoxicating aromas of native flowers and the feel of white coral sand beaches beneath your toes appeal to you? Then perhaps a vacation to the beautiful islands of French Polynesia is in order. With their magnificent waterfalls and lush landscape, Tahiti and the other, smaller islands that make up French Polynesia are as picturesque and breathtaking as you can imagine.

In our “BK” days, (before kids) my husband and I had the pleasure of spending three weeks on the beautiful islands of Tahiti, Bora Bora and Moorea. Each island is unique in its own right, but I will focus on the main island of Tahiti here. Tahiti was actually the inspiration for the fictitious island in the movie “South Pacific.”

The islands are believed to have been formed by underwater volcanic action in the Pacific, which created lava flows that eventually reached the surface to become lush tropical islands, such as Tahiti and Moorea. Other islands gradually sank, leaving huge lagoons surrounded by coral barrier reefs called atolls, such as Rangiroa and Manihi.  The Polynesian Islands are truly a paradise for snorkeling, scuba diving, glass-bottom boats and many other activities.

Very little is known about the origins of the Polynesian people. However, the most common belief is that their ancestors came from Asia and ventured throughout the Pacific hundreds of years B.C. It is certain that they were a great seafaring people with extraordinary navigational abilities to guide them to their eventual settlements in Tahiti, New Zealand and Hawaii. The influence of the early Polynesians in language, music and dance can be seen throughout the South Seas, even today. The Polynesians are a calm, generous and loving people. As a matter of fact, tipping is not general accepted, as it is contrary to Tahitian customs of hospitality. The official languages of Tahiti are Tahitian and French; however English is widely spoke throughout the islands.

Tahiti is more than 1,000 miles below the equator and about 3,500 miles east of Australia as well as 4,000 miles from Los Angeles (about a seven and a half hour flight). The tropical weather is pleasant year round, averaging about 80 degrees. The average ocean water temperature is in the low 80s as well. Majestic peaks encircle the entire exterior of the island. The mountainous interior shelters deep valleys, clear streams and incredible waterfalls. The interior has very little population, as the flat coastline is home to the fields of tropical flowers Tahiti is known for and most of the population, as well. The capital, Papeete, means, “water basket”, as it is where Tahitians came to fill their calabashes with water. (A calabash is a gourd that is dried and used as a bottle.) Now Papeete hosts world-class resorts, spas, fine restaurants, nightclubs, and endless shopping!

Speaking of shopping, Tahiti is a shopper’s paradise! We all know the name of Captain Jack Sparrow’s ship, the Black Pearl. As magnificent a ship as it is, you really need to see Tahitian black pearls to understand the significance of the name. My husband and I spent hours just looking for the “perfect” pearls to bring home. Tahitian black pearls are black because the pearl is created in the womb of the black-lipped mollusk found in French Polynesian waters known as the “Pinctada Margaritifera”, or black-lip mother-of-pearl, for short. This mollusk naturally secretes a black pigment, which, depending on the quantity, gives the resulting pearl a basic color ranging from black to gray. Their color is not tinted, but is natural. Generally, the darker the pearl, the more valuable it is.

So, if you really love Disney's Polynesian Resort, think about experiencing the splendor of the actual Polynesian Islands. You will fall in love with the people, the customs and the lush landscape. Venture inland to see the most magnificent waterfalls and tropical paradise. And of course, don’t forget about those Black Pearls! 

For more information in planning your Tahitian vacation, check out these web sites:
http://www.tahiti-tourisme.com/
http://www.papeete.com/retail/pearls/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahiti

About the Author: Dianne Cook is a PassPorter Message Board Guide and is an RN specializing in Diabetes Education. She lives in the New England with her husband and two sons. 

Hong Kong Disneyland
by Sharon Lin, Guest Contributor

Hong Kong Disneyland (HKDL) opened in September 2005, the fifth Disney resort in the world. From the start, the park was surrounded by controversies over problems with crowd control and cultural sensitivities. I decided to see the park for myself in March when I visited a friend who was studying in Hong Kong. 

I arrived at Hong Kong International Airport (Chep Lap Kok) around 10:30 pm. Hong Kong Disneyland is located on Lantau Island, west of the more populous areas. There are three colors of taxis in Hong Kong, red, green, and blue, each color assigned to different parts of the city. We needed a blue Lantau taxi but at this late hour, all we saw were reds and greens. We convinced a green taxi driver to take us to Lantau and by midnight, we were in our room at the Hollywood Hotel. The Hollywood Hotel would be the equivalent of a moderate resort at Walt Disney World. The décor is Art Deco. There is a lot of wood and chrome – very southern California! Amenities at the hotel include take-home Classic Mickey slippers for the whole family, toiletries (the bottles have Mickey ears!), stationery, and free bottled water. There were also robes in the closet to use during our stay. Your other option for lodging is the deluxe Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, a copy of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.

The hotel is 1100HKD ($142US) per night during Regular season for a standard Garden View room (the other choices are Sea View or Park View). You can purchase park admission at the hotel’s reception desk. Unlike the American parks, there do not seem to be legitimate discount ticket brokers and there is no difference in price between advance purchase and gate price. There are three types of park tickets, Regular, Peak, and Special.  We visited on Friday, a Regular day. Peak tickets are for weekends and school vacation periods. Special tickets are for specific dates, such as the one-week New Year’s vacation, Golden Week, or Christmas. There are three levels of pricing - Adult (11-65), Child (3-11), and Seniors (65+). Our Regular Adult tickets were 295HKD ($38US). 

We woke early and shared a breakfast of chow mein and mango pudding ($4US) at the Hollywood & Dine counter service restaurant. Afterwards, we walked around the grounds, checking out the pool, concessions, and playground, all of them retro-Southern California-themed. It was a bit chilly that morning (<70°F), but there were swimmers, probably just for the novelty of a pool. We left our bags with bell services and using park buses, we made it to the park before rope drop at 10:00 am.

The park is strikingly small. There are four lands: Main Street, USA (which is a truncated version of the American ones), Adventureland (looks familiar), Fantasyland (which is very small compared to Orlando’s jam-packed area), and Tomorrowland (with the familiar Orbitron from Disneyland Paris and the imposing Space Mountain building). What’s immediately obvious is what is NOT there. I kept saying things like, “What do you mean there’s no It’s a Small World? How can there not be a Pirates ride?” Sleeping Beauty Castle is, frankly, stubby in comparison to Cinderella Castle. It’s surrounded by a moat, but there is nothing inside it. The two restaurants in Fantasyland (Royal Banquet Hall and Clopin’s Festival of Foods inspired by “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”) are actually located in side buildings behind the castle. To the right of the castle is Snow White Grotto, with its wishing well. It’s pretty and different, but not much more than a quiet photo op.

As the park caters mainly to Asian tourists (particularly visitors from Mainland China), Disney planned lots of “photo op spots” throughout the park. Interestingly, outside some of the ride attractions, there were ride vehicles for photo ops so that you could get a clear picture without experiencing the ride itself.  

We headed for Tomorrowland first. Although they do offer the FastPass system, there was no need for us to use it at all, the park was not crowded. The longest posted wait time was ten minutes. Space Mountain is currently the only thrill ride at the park. It is a smooth ride, really dark (couldn’t see my hand in front of my face), and fast! There is also music that accompanies this ride that I found irritating after a while.
 
Next we headed to the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, which we did at least three times. We stopped for lunch at Comet Café in Tomorrowland. We had spareribs, which came with rice, steamed vegetables, and tea. There are plenty of places to get food, both counter and table service. Most feature Chinese food from different regions, but the Starliner Diner is Hong Kong’s answer to Cosmic Ray’s. Also located in Tomorrowland, it has the usual burgers and chicken.

Hong Kong Disneyland is more show-oriented than ride-oriented. The shows are more elaborate than in the US and are performed in English with Cantonese and some Mandarin (People in Hong Kong speak English and Cantonese, but with so many Mainland Chinese guests, they also use Mandarin at the park.) Festival of the Lion King was in a big theater, and while the acrobatics and music were the same, two performers dressed as animals gave quick plot explanations in Cantonese. The other show is the Golden Mickeys, imported from the Disney Cruise Line. It’s a red-carpet awards presentation for the Disney movies we all know and love.

In Adventureland, we only went on the Jungle River Cruise and skipped Tarzan’s Treehouse. I enjoyed seeing the updated Animatronics and slightly different landscaping.

Finally, we hit Fantasyland. We went on Dumbo; it was nice to see this ride all shiny and new. Then we went on the Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh. Riding through Owl’s house, I did look to the left to see the tribute to Mr. Toad. We finished Fantasyland with a visit to Mickey’s PhilharMagic.

Believe it or not, that was it for Fantasyland. Before going back to Tomorrowland and doing more Space Mountain and Buzz, we had our pictures taken with Minnie in Fantasy Gardens (character meet and greets in Chinese pavilions with very cute Mushu the Dragon detailing.) We also saw Chip and Dale dressed in Chinese clothing! 

Hong Kong is famous for its shopping, and Hong Kong Disneyland does not disappoint. 
In the stores, they push the "Big 5" pretty heavily and there’s practically no mention of Princesses. They are also promoting the “Cuties” heavily. I was disappointed there was so little merchandise with Chinese writing on them, but I guess most guests don’t want that. I looked everywhere, but there are no postcards or antenna toppers for sale. A Disney tradition I started with my parents was to get a personalized souvenir. It used to be a caricature, and then I moved on to the cut silhouettes. At Hong Kong Disneyland, I got a silhouette cut - it’s me facing a silhouette of Mickey (130HKD=$17US). Paper cutting is a traditional Chinese art, so the quality was wonderful. 

The parade at 3:00 pm is short and the music isn’t very memorable. Although the energy from the cast members is high, the crowd response is not what it is in the States. I recognized some elements from the Share a Dream Come True parade, for instance the sketch artists on bikes, and there were some cool new elements, like the jellyfish dancers. Unlike the Walt Disney World parades, we went at starting time and got seats right on the curb. I sent my friend to hunt for Mickey bars but she came back empty-handed. There’s not a whole lot of ice cream for sale, but they do have Chinese sweets. The fireworks are at 8:00 pm and I really would have liked to see them but we had literally done everything by 3:00 pm and were quite tired. The only rides that I am disappointed to have missed are the Orbitron in Tomorrowland and the railroad around the park. (They have the spinning teacups but I don’t do teacups!)  

After reclaiming our bags from bell services at our hotel, we took the special Hong Kong Disneyland train to town (part of the municipal transit system). I took pictures of the classic station and the Mickey train with Mickey hand grips and wishing star-papered ceilings. I wonder if Walt Disney, who loved trains, ever imagined that one day there would be a dedicated Mickey Mouse high-speed train in China. He would have loved this. 

In summary, if you are going to be in Hong Kong or mainland China, Disneyland is worth a visit. Hong Kong is a gateway city for travel in Asia. With its centuries of British influence mixed with Chinese culture, it is a good transition point before stepping into territories and tastes more unfamiliar to most Westerners. For us Disney fans, it will be interesting to see how this park grows and changes.  

About the Author: Sharon Lin has been to Walt Disney World 10 times and is looking forward to her next trip in October 2006.

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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.