For a text-only version of this newsletter, visit http://www.passporter.com/news/072408text.htm. 
PassPorter News Brought to you by PassPorter Guidebooks
July 24, 2008 * Issue 8.30

In This Newsletter 

From the Editor: Color Glossies

Travel Feature: Tired, Tried and True: My Adventures In Travel

Disney Feature: PhotoPass

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips: Tram Scram, Earning Their Souvin-"ears," Carry Carabiner Clips

Captain's Corner: Magic Sword

PassPorter PhotoPick: French Maze

Q and A: Is an Adventures by Disney trip worth the money?

Our Sponsors: We Recommend...
   
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Updates:
What's New and Changed

Here are a few items of relevant news:

Beginning in January 2009 Fantasmic! at Disney's Hollywood Studios will take place only twice weekly on Monday and Thursday nights. Additional shows may be scheduled during peak seasons.

The October 3, 2008 Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party has been canceled. Ticket holders are being asked to contact Guest Services for a refund or tickets for an alternate date.

The new Kidani Village annex at Disney's Animal Kingdom Resort will open to Disney Vacation Club guests on May 1, 2009. The Village will feature a new pool, table service restaurant, and other additions. DVC members who have Animal Kingdom Lodge as their home resort can begin making reservations on August 10, 2008.


Our thanks to AllEars.net and MousePlanet.com from which we get some of our news leads.

Hear some news? Be a "PassPorter Reporter" and send it to us!
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Disney Tips:
From Fellow Readers

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

TRAM SCRAM
"When leaving the Magic Kingdom at the end of the day and taking a tram to the parking lot, be sure to queue up into the aisle for the last row of the tram. Actually the last row of each cart in the tram. These rows are double rows with forward and backward seating. Because of this, the lines for these rows move twice as fast."
-- contributed by Holly B.

EARNING THEIR SOUVIN-"EARS"
"I know that I will give my kids money for souvenirs at Walt Disney World. However, I feel it is important for my kids to feel they have "earned" their money. So I invented my own system. I made a small certificate (about the size of a business card) that entitles the kids to fifty cents. They are awarded these certificates when they are caught doing nice things for each other or for us. Certificates are also taken away for naughtiness. 
By the time we head to Disney, the kids have usually earned about $15-20 to spend in Disney. Because they earned it, they seem to be more careful about how they spend their money, noting what they saw and where in their little notebooks and whether it was as important as something else they saw. It helps them appreciate their money and spend wisely!"
-- contributed by Trish M.

CARRY CARABINER CLIPS
"I always take a small backpack to carry in the park. I found that clipping a carabiner clip to each strap comes in very handy. I usually leave the resort in the morning with my resort mug and when I finish my coffee I clip it to my backpack so when I return to my resort tired, I don't have to go to my room and get my drink mug. The other clip I use to hang those plastic Walt Disney World bags that every purchase comes in so I can have my hands free for taking pictures. For the guys, you can clip your resort mug to you belt or jeans tab."
-- contributed by Bettyann S.

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

Want more Disney tips? For Walt Disney World fans, we've collected 500 of the best tips submitted by readers over the past six years. All have been edited for accuracy and categorized. For details, visit the PassPorter Disney 500 info page or the PassPorter store. For Disney Cruise Line fans, we have an e-book with 250 cruiser tips, as well as a special cruise line comparison section and seven customized packing lists. For information, visit the Disney Cruise Clues info page.

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Captain's Corner:
Treasure Hunting Game

            
Play our fun and quirky treasure hunting game, hosted by Captain Jack Skatt from our book, "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World." The Captain makes a study of the delightful details -- sometimes hidden, sometimes in plain sight but often overlooked -- at Walt Disney World and aboard the Disney Cruise Line. Using notes from his journals, he will lead you to this "treasure" at Disney with clues, questions, photos, or riddles. Your challenge is to discover the answer by searching your memory, visiting Disney, or even just looking really hard on the Internet. If you think you've found the answer, e-mail it to jackskatt@passporter.com -- the first person to correctly submit the FULL answer will receive a free PassPorter enamel pin or PassPorter name badge pin. (Please note: Players can win once every 3 months.)

Here is this week's journal entry:

"Ah, there's magic in the air today! I visited the Castle this morning and happened upon the most amazing thing ... a sword! Ah, but this was no ordinary sword ... it was stuck and I could not budge it no matter how hard I heaved and pulled. The sword appears to be firmly embedded. I watched many brave lads and lasses attempt to pull it out, but it proved even beyond their abilities. What sort of magic keeps this sword here, I wonder."

What exactly is this sword embedded in at the Magic Kingdom?

For bonus credit, locate the photographic evidence in the PassPorter Photo Archive and post a comment with the photo!

Send your full answer to jackskatt@passporter.com -- the winner will be notified by e-mail and announced in a future newsletter, along with the correct answer!

Congratulations to Marianna C. who was the winner of last week's trivia contest! Marianna was the first person to identify the name of the mill seen during a cruise on the Liberty Square Riverboat as Harper's Mill. Bonus credit goes to Shell of the South who was the first person to identify the photo in our PassPorter Photo Archive. To view the original clue, see last week's newsletter.

If you enjoy treasure hunts, we've got an entire book with over 100 distinct treasure hunts and over 1500 questions, complete with clues and contributions from Captain Jack Skatt. Get more details on "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World" book at http://www.passporterstore.com.
 
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PassPorter PhotoPick
          
Each issue we choose a special photo from the PassPorter Photo Archive which highlights something beautiful, interesting, humorous, or timely at Disney or around the world. Here is this issue's PassPorter PhotoPick:



French Maze

contributed by Dopey007

(click the photo or link to see a larger photo with details)


You can nominate photos as a PassPorter PhotoPick by giving ratings in the PassPorter Photo Archive (you'll need to be logged in to do this). If you'd like to contribute your own photos to the Photo Archive and be considered as a PhotoPick, please read our Photo Upload Guidelines for details and benefits.
          
 
chezp 2284 photos
akleos 568 photos
Dopey007 512 photos
Meggera 347 photos
OffKilter_Lynn 261 photos
 
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Q and A: With Jennifer and Dave

Maxiscool asks:
"In a few years I'm looking to do a trip to Italy. Is it worth doing an Adventure by Disney or should I book it myself? Does an Adventure by Disney save any money?

Jennifer and Dave answer: "I haven't done an Adventures by Disney yet, but the folks I've spoken to who have done one are incredibly enthusiastic about the experience. As with any Disney vacation, it's not exactly bargain-priced, but folks feel they've received an experience that delivers value in excess of the price paid.

Whether to do any escorted tour (Disney or otherwise) or to do it yourself depends a lot on your goals and the time available. In general, if you want to see/do a lot in a relatively small amount of time, guided tours are a very effective and efficient way to do it. In many of Europe's tourist destinations, parking and private vehicle access are very difficult. Tour buses are allowed to bring folks close to the "action," saving loads of time and effort. Once you're at the attractions, tour groups often have alternate/expedited access. Advance ticket purchases are often required, and while you can often do that on your own, you are typically required to pick up the tickets on the day of your visit. Even the lines for ticket pick-up can be long. Guided tours help you avoid all that. No matter what, you'll almost definitely have a very long line to get into St. Peters/Vatican Museum in Rome, but it's really nice to have a tour guide with you to fill all that waiting time with useful information.

Tour groups are not perfect, of course, because the interests of the group take precedence over those of individuals. Do you want to spend more time shopping, or visiting a particular attraction (or see a particular exhibit within that attraction)? Most groups make that very difficult. On the other hand, when you have a knowledgeable guide, you can get a lot more out of the experience than you might have on your own. Self-paced audio tours and attraction-supplied tours are a good compromise -- if you do go it on your own, be sure to include those in your budget.

Tour groups also insulate you somewhat from the "real" destination. You're in your own cocoon, surrounded by traveling companions, so you have less opportunity for contact with the locals and less of a feeling of immersion in your destination. Of course, for some people, that is a comfort factor, rather than a negative. However, many groups (including Disney's) provide reasonable periods of free time so you can get out on your own, pursue your own agenda, and have a non-tour experience. Typically, during those times, your tour guide can help you organize small group excursions, if you'd rather not venture out alone.

If you only have a day or two to devote to each destination city, a tour group is the way to go. If you plan to spend at least three or four days in a major city like Rome, Paris, or London, then going it alone becomes practical, although you should still do some sort of tour. Most, if not all, major tourist cities have low-cost bus tour services that visit all the major destinations, include multi-lingual recorded audio while you're on the bus (using headsets), and allow you to get on and off the bus all day long, at your own pace. These are a convenient way to get an overview of the city soon after you arrive, and may be all the public transit you need to use, throughout your visit. In our case, we use them for the introductory tour, then use other forms of transit for the rest of the visit (bus, subway, taxi).

An important aspect of the decision to tour vs. go it alone is your own sense of exploration/adventure. Travel on your own will introduce unexpected twists and turns that guided vacations tend to avoid. Guided vacations are well-rehearsed, well-oiled machines that deliver a maximized experience with few unpleasant surprises. Again, they do a fabulous job of maximizing your time/filling your day with the longest list of attractions/experiences. Self-guided trips can give you much greater depth at a handful of attractions, more unexpected experiences, and, if you want it, a slower, more contemplative pace.

I know I have a particular bias, but in-depth planning and research should be a part of any vacation of this sort, regardless of whether you have a tour guide once you're there. To start off, if you don't have a good idea of what you want to see and do, you'll have a tough time choosing the right tour or scheduling your own travel itinerary. Further, your own research will probably turn up information/aspects of the places you'll be visiting that won't be mentioned by the tour guide, making the tour experience that much richer."  

Have a question? Post questions at http://www.passporterboards.com -- and if you're lucky, you may find that folks have already asked and answered the same question that's on your mind! 
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Future Newsletters:
Want To See Your Name in Print?


PassPorter News is published weekly, and this means we're always in need of articles! We're on the lookout for guest columnists who want to contribute articles to this newsletter. No professional writing experience is necessary, just a desire to share your experience with others! Not only is this a great way to give something back to the PassPorter community, but you get to see your name in "print" and receive a $25 gift certificate for use at www.passporter.com.
          
For details and our article submission guidelines, please e-mail news@passporter.com. Articles about Disney and general travel are welcomed! 
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Our Sponsors:
We Recommend...

PassPorter only accepts advertising from services of the highest quality -- we recommend these companies because we use them ourselves. Please support our sponsors and, in turn, support this newsletter! This week's sponsors are (in order of appearance):

MouseEarVacations.com -- Disney Cruise Line Special Offers

Mouse Fan Travel -- Last Call! Walt Disney World Resort Offer

All Star Vacation Homes -- Choose from more than 150 homes within 4 miles of Disney


From the Authors: Color Glossies

Hi, {{user("firstname")}}!

We're in the final stages of work on the 2009 edition of PassPorter's Walt Disney World, and we may have saved the best until last. We're now working on a special, 32-page, glossy supplement, an extra gift for our readers in celebration of PassPorter's 10th anniversary. We're not going to say more than that now ... but we thought we'd tease you just a bit. ;-)

Speaking of the new edition, do you have a magical memory about Walt Disney World to share? If so, we'd love to hear about it -- we're looking for a few good memories to include in our 2009 edition. If we publish your memory, you will receive a free copy of the book when it comes out. To submit a memory, visit http://www.passporter.com/customs/tipsandstories.asp .

Dave's back from last weekend's MagicMeets event, which was a rousing success! Dave met many PassPorter readers, introduced more folks to our books, and signed more than a few autographs. He was also assisted by five of our amazing message board Guides, who helped him hold down the fort while Jennifer was back in the office working on our guidebooks. Thanks Sara (Belle*), Lynn (OffKilter_Lynn), Chrissi, Crystal (crystalloubear), and Keri (MrsM)! We'd also like to thank MagicMeets' organizer Fred Block and his team of volunteers for putting together such a great event!


Were you thinking of joining us this December for MouseFest? Then we have some MouseFest news for you! This year's Mega Mouse Meet will be held at Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Convention Center, and we've also arranged a special lodging deal at Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resort. Have we piqued your interest? Then pop over to the MouseFest.org web site, and read all about it. While you're there, please sign up for the MouseFest newsletter, so you can keep on top of all the MouseFest news.

As we explained in previous newsletters, sales of PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2008 have been so good that we have none left in the warehouse (although they are still in stock -- for now -- at book stores around the country). If you can't wait for October to get a 2009 edition from us, you may purchase a 2008 electronic edition (download only) or get a 2007 edition at a close-out price. Refer to the 2008 electronic edition for the most up-to-date info, and print-out the pages you'll need when you travel. Rely on the 2007 edition for all our great planning features, PassPockets, and info that's still pretty darned accurate and useful.

PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line and its Ports of Call 2008 is in stock! All orders of our cruise guide ship the next business day.  

What else do we have? PassPorter's Open Mouse for Walt Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line is also in stock, and because they're electronic downloads, all our e-books and downloads at PassPorter's Club can never go out of stock (the Internet may go down, but that's a different story)! Get yer downloads runnin'! Club membership is just $4.95 per month, the price of just one e-book download, and $44.95 if you decide to come on board for a full year. With that first month's membership you can strip our cupboard bare of great e-books and interactive worksheets. Then you can cancel, or even better (if you happen to be us), continue the subscription to maintain all the club benefits (like a 35% discount on all PassPorter printed books) and qualify for all the new e-books and worksheets we'll be adding to the Club.

Will you be joining us for PassPorter's Decade of Dreams Tour? PassPorter is celebrating our 10th anniversary in 2009 in a year-long celebration from coast-to-coast! Everyone is invited and all are warmly welcome to join us at all or part of our celebration. We are combining small parties (meets) with grand, multi-day trips, including a 7-night Disney Cruise, a 4-night stay at Walt Disney World, and a Disneyland visit that includes park time and an Adventures by Disney expedition. See our Tour Schedule for the latest details.

PassPorter's Club Update
 
  • More than 1400 vacationers are now enjoying access to all our e-books, e-worksheets, and super-sized photo archive images.Thank you for your continued support!
  • Our newest e-book, PassPorter's Answer Book is now available for download. This 85-page e-book is full of the detailed, up-to-date information on the topics that really matter to you.
  • More details at http://www.passporter.com/club

  • In this issue, first-time Guest Columnist 
    Rebekah Postupak shares some of the joys of travel in, Tired, Tried And True: My Adventures In Travel. Then, Featured Columnist Cheryl Pendry encourages us to Say Cheese! Getting the Most From PhotoPass. Finally, Jack Skatt is back with a brand-new Walt Disney World Treasure Hunt. Have a great week!

    Jennifer and Dave
    PassPorter Authors

     
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      My Favorite Attraction:

    Tired, Tried And True: My Adventures In Travel

    by Rebekah Postupak, PassPorter Guest Contributor



    It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes. --Douglas Adams

    You have to be pretty special to get kicked out of Westminster Cathedral, or so I like to think. Over the years I've stumbled into trouble in many extraordinary places around the world--Westminster Cathedral was neither my first nor last. While traveling, I've missed planes, taken wrong buses, been stranded at a washed-out bridge, had my purse stolen, suffered food poisoning, had my luggage broken into, and weathered a national revolution. And, because I am somewhat sick in the head, I've loved just about every minute of it.

    The difference between travel plans and a trip, you see, is that one is predictable and safe, with the same lifeless, flawless details staring back at you blankly each time. The other is a living, breathing thing, pulsating with personality and adventure. No matter how many times you visit Epcot or Paris or Bangkok, your experience is new each time. Places change, and so do you.

    But the desperate need for common sense and the tried-but-true rules of traveling don't change, as I have learned over and over again.

    Don't panic. A few years ago I joined a young professionals group leading a business conference in central Russia. I followed my host's directions carefully but somehow found my bus heading away from the city into the hills. Severe, barbed-wire fencing surrounding what was clearly a remote military facility offered the most significant indication something was wrong. Even though I had no idea where I was or where I was supposed to be, had no way to contact anyone for help, and did not speak Russian, after a brief flash of terror a thought occurred to me; surely all buses work the same. If one bus heads north, another bus must head south.

    I exited the bus, crossed the street, and waited. At long last a bus appeared on the horizon which dutifully returned me to my original stop. My host, apologizing profusely, explained she had inadvertently given me the right bus for the wrong day. My team was in a panic over my half-day disappearance (especially the cute guy I'd had my eye on who, two years later, decided he'd had enough of my adventuring on my own and married me), but I made it in time for my presentation. All was well.

    Although racing around in circles screaming can feel quite satisfying when a trip goes wrong, resist the urge and stay calm instead. Panic inevitably leads to mistakes and will only make the problem worse. Repeat to yourself as many times as needed, "It's going to be okay."

    Check your checklist. There was the time I spent a perfect week in Paris with a close friend. We were merrily frittering away our last hour before the final train to Zurich for our flight home. The apartment was a scant 15-minute walk from the train station; the train was at 11:38 pm, but it was only 10:30 pm now and all was well.

    Until I casually glanced down at the train ticket again..."22:38," it reminded me gaily. 22:38... let's see, that means 11:38, right? But there are 24 hours in a day... 22:38 must mean.... I shrieked, "IT'S 10:38!" at the top of my lungs, seized my bags, and flew--almost literally--out the door, my friend staring in confusion after me. To this day I suspect that is the fastest we have ever run. Like escaped convicts in a movie, we flung ourselves onto the train just as it began to pull away from the station.

    A simple rechecking of my checklist and its details would have completely re-paced and de-stressed the way we left Paris, though of course it would also have deprived us of one of our favorite jokes. Even today one of us has only to whisper, "It's 10:38!" for the other to dissolve in giggles.

    Do your homework. I knelt reverently at the famous composer's grave to make a rubbing, overwhelmed at the thought of his bones lying a few feet beneath me. Suddenly I heard a loud cry of rage from a docent, who tore the pencil and paper from my hands. A moment later I found myself staring, mouth agape, at the back side of the great door of Westminster Cathedral. It had not occurred to me, because I had not checked, that my innocent action could be considered vandalism.

    Be nice. It doesn't matter which part of the world you are in; nobody responds well to rudeness or ignorance. Marching up to a hotel clerk or airline gate agent in great frustration and demanding your problem be fixed never helps. Smiling just might, as would remembering to say please and thank you. While I've experienced my share of woes, I've also seen fees erased and my mistakes corrected simply because I presented my case calmly and respectfully. And batting my eyelashes never hurts either--it's how we ended up on the front row at the London Symphony, despite being abominably dressed in sweatshirts and jeans. And how we wound up Christmas Eve with armfuls of free Greek pastries. And alone in the VIP line to meet Cinderella.

    A friend in need. My toddler and I headed toward Baltimore airport, on our way to Walt Disney World with time to spare. But as we whipped around the Capital Beltway, traffic suddenly slammed to a dead halt. Three hours, dozens of police cars and helicopters, and a missed flight later, we limped on our way again. In the meantime I'd called a dear friend who knew my flights and managed to help me find a later one. She was even able to pull up the news and fill me in on what I was seeing!

    I always assemble a detailed itinerary with confirmation numbers, addresses, and phone numbers, and leave a copy behind with someone reliable. A friend at home who has your itinerary can provide crucial information if something happens to your own copy. Friends at home might also be better equipped to tell you where you are on a map and how close you are to where you are supposed to be. They can also laugh at you when you've forgotten what day it is or which day you're coming home. (Not that that's ever happened to me...).

    Stay cheerful. Travel is fun. Really, it is. Even when a trip goes horribly wrong, remember to keep everything in perspective. Remind yourself of the crazy stories you'll have to tell others when you get home, and never let one day's problems sour the entire trip. Think of it like a roller coaster; your heart may be in your belly and you may feel certain the ride will never end... but it always does. Let the adventure weave itself into your trip, enjoy the story of it all, and spare yourself some agony by laughing upside down on this crazy, whirling, topsy-turvy ride. Even when getting kicked out of Westminster Cathedral.


    About the Author: The Postupak family lives in Virginia, always within a few months of a Disney visit and never more than ten minutes away from the nearest adventure. Rebekah is an intrepid traveler who prefers learning lessons the hard way and never lets looking ridiculous stand in the way of a good story.

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    Did you enjoy this article? Have questions? E-mail us at news@passporter.com or visit http://www.passporterboards.com to discuss your travel plans. Also check out our Article Collection for more great information! 

       
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    Disney Feature:
      
     
    Say Cheese! Getting the Most From PhotoPass
    by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Featured Columnist

    Let's be honest -- one of the best things about going on any vacation is the memories you bring back. That can be memories in your head, ones that you put into a scrapbook, or the photographic memories you take while you're away.

    It's the latter category that Disney's PhotoPass system is aimed at capturing -- as well as your money of course! For many years, Disney has had photographers positioned at all the entrances to the parks and sometimes around some of the major landmarks within each of those parks, but previously, the way it worked was that you could just buy individual photos, usually at comparatively high prices. Of course, if there is just one image that you really want, you can still do that, but now with Disney's PhotoPass, you have a lot more options open to you.

    These days, you'll find an array of photographic memorabilia for sale at the PhotoPass website from photo mugs to photo shirts, canvas prints, and photo cards. You can put your own photo book of memories together or even have a photo -- movie, where you'll get a full screen slide show of your images set to music, allowing you to star alongside your favorite Disney characters.

    Perhaps the item that most people will be interested in -- and certainly the one that's marketed most heavily in the parks - is the PhotoPass CD. The standard price is $124.95, which may seem like a lot of money, until you realize that gives you all the images taken of you by PhotoPass photographers at all the various locations in the parks, in high resolution. The CD even comes complete with a copyright release, allowing you to print your photos on your own, in any size you want, provided that they're for your personal use.

    We were a bit skeptical on our last trip and, despite the very good pound/dollar exchange rate that we were enjoying at the time, did wonder if we would really get our money's worth from the PhotoPass CD. But we were at Disney for 19 nights and it seemed like as good a time as any to try it out. As we did so, we came across some interesting - and perhaps less well known -- ways to get the most out of our PhotoPass.

    Firstly, if you want to get the CD -- or any of the other items available on the web site -- it's a good idea to get a good selection of photos while you're in Disney. That means going up to every PhotoPass photographer you see to get more photos done. You'll find them all over the place and you'll be amazed at how quickly the number adds up. During our 19 night stay in Disney, we were able to clock up around 400 shots, which average out to more than 20 shots each day!

    If that's your plan, it's worth warning the other members of your party, particularly if you've got anyone who's a bit camera shy. At least that way they can prepare themselves for all the attention they're going to be getting from the photographers.

    When you get to Disney, start getting PhotoPass shots done as early in your vacation as possible. Don't just walk by the photographers, go up to them and ask if they'd take photos of you. That's what they're there for and they'll be more than happy to oblige. If you want a different combination of people to appear in the photos - perhaps as well as a general group shot, you want a photo of just the kids, then don't be afraid to ask for that.

    As soon as you get your PhotoPass card (which is how Disney keeps track of all your photos), be sure to write down the card number and keep it somewhere safe - and away from your card. It's your way of being able to access your precious photos, should the worst happen and you lose your card. Of course, be sure to give that card to every PhotoPass photographer, so your shots will all be grouped together. Yes, you can have more than one PhotoPass card, but that complicates things when you get back home. [Ed.- You can use the same card at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and can use it for every visit, if desired -- that'll just help you keep your photos even more organized.]

    It's worth thinking whether you want to collect similar shots from each park. An obvious collection is a series of photos in front of all the park icons, but over the Christmas period, we also collected photos of us in front of all the Christmas trees. We did our best to collect photos at any country in World Showcase where we saw a photographer as well.

    And here's where we learned an interesting trick. If there's one particular area of a park that you really would like a PhotoPass photo taken, don't be afraid to ask. The photographers are given allocated areas, but we discovered by talking to them that, if they don't have a line and they're not required in that area for a character meet, they may be happy to move somewhere else just to take your photos. For example, we borrowed the photographer who was in Morocco in Epcot to get a couple of shots done in neighboring Japan, and we did the same with a guy taking photos on the bridge between France and the United Kingdom. He was happy to come with us to the United Kingdom to get a couple of shots done there, before returning to his previous post.

    If you also see a photographer lingering around, it can be worth asking them what they're taking photos of. We did this on one occasion and were delighted to find out that the reason the guy was in the area was because Aladdin, the Genie, and Jasmine were due out in 20 minutes time, so we were able to be the first in line for them.

    Another little known fact is that you can combine cards together for your CD. We visited Disney with extended family and were told that their card could be added on to ours. Of course, if you are going to do this, it's important to do it on the last day of your vacation, once all the photos have been taken.

    We were also pleasantly surprised to discover that the photos taken during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party could also be added on to our card, even though we were originally told this wouldn't be possible. The moral here is it really does pay to ask.

    Then the fun starts when you get home, especially if you're ordering products like the CD, book, or movie, as you get to play with your images and can add extras, such as borders, the year, or even crop your photo. Don't forget that you only have 28 days to do all of this before you need to place your order or lose your images. We set to work on this almost as soon as we got home, as we didn't want to get anywhere near that deadline and risk losing our precious photos.

    These are just some useful pointers that we've picked up while using Disney's PhotoPass system. If you want to learn more about Disney's PhotoPass and how to get the best out of it, it's well worth visiting http://stitchkingdom.com/disneysPhotoPass/ which is packed full of useful information and answers to every question you can think of!


    About the Author: Cheryl and husband Mark live in England and love to travel, particularly to America. They are in the process of visiting every Disney theme park around the world, having already spent a day in Disneyland Resort Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland so far this year. They are looking forward to returning to America in October to visit both Walt Disney World and Disneyland in California.



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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. Also check out our Article Collection for more great information!

      
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    ALL STAR Vacation Homes

    ALL STAR Vacation Homes -
    Hospitality has a new home

    Choose from more than 150 private pool vacation homes within 5 miles of Disney World. Game Rooms, Home Theatres, Multiple Master Bedrooms, Computers, Kitchens and More. All for the same price or less than staying in a hotel! PLUS free heated pool and Disney ticket specials with every reservation!!

    Special for PassPorter News readers: 
    http://www.allstarvacationhomes.com/

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