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PassPorter News
A free e-newsletter about PassPorter and all things Disney!

PassPorter News is available by free subscription to over 7500 readers and friends of PassPorter -- everyone is welcome! Each newsletter includes a feature article about Disney or travel in general, news and updates for Disney, reader tips, Q & A with Jennifer & Dave, and a letter from the authors. Newsletters may also offer special deals and coupons for our guidebooks, or announcements about new books or products. Newsletters go out once every two weeks, usually on Wednesday or Thursday.

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Updated 11/21/03

Copyright 1999-2004
PassPorter Travel Press, an imprint of MediaMarx, Inc.

Questions? Problems? E-Mail Us!

Newsletter 2.10


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              PassPorter News
   News, Announcements, Updates, and Tips

          July 2002 - Issue 2.10

PassPorter.com - http://www.passporter.com
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Welcome to PassPorter News, an online newsletter about PassPorter travel guidebooks and the Walt Disney World Resort!

PassPorter News is available by free subscription to all readers and friends of our labor of love --PassPorter Walt Disney World: The unique travel guide, planner, organizer, journal, and keepsake!
Learn all about it at:
http://www.passporter.com/wdw/2002.htm


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In This Newsletter:
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* From the Authors: Research Trip and PassPorter Villa
* Feature: Horsing Around at Ft. Wilderness (Trail Ride)
* Updates: What's New and Changed at WDW
* Tips: Park Cards, Fresh Clothes, Vacation T-Shirts
* Q&A: Early Character Breakfast
* Resources: Walt Disney World for Kids, PinPics.com


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DID YOU KNOW?   (a little word from our sponsor -- us!)

Our Deluxe Edition of the PassPorter Walt Disney World guidebook will be back in stock at the end of August. If you've been waiting for it, feel free to place an order now and we'll ship it when it arrives.

Order your PassPorter Deluxe Edition or Spiral Edition (and other neat stuff) at:
http://www.passporter.com/store/

Tip: Use the coupon code "summer" to get 20% off the list price of our 2002 guidebooks. (Code expires 7/31/02)
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FROM THE AUTHORS: Research Trip and PassPorter Villa
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We're back from our two-week driving trip to Walt Disney World! We accompanied Allie, Dave's 9-year-old daughter, on her yearly research trip. We're delighted to report that Allie's recorded many new KidTips, which she'll share in our 2003 edition of PassPorter Walt Disney World. She was finally tall enough (53") to go on every attraction, and was brave enough to make it through Alien Encounter! We don't plan to write a trip report, however, as this wasn't a typical trip. But we are including a report of one of our experiences -- the Ft. Wilderness Trail Ride -- in this newsletter.

Watch for some changes at the PassPorter Message Boards over the next few days. We're opening the "PassPorter Villa" for folks to hang out and chat about life outside Disney! The Kitchen will be the place to talk about food, recipes, healthy eating, and fitness. Or stop by the Family Room to share news about your friends and family members, including pets. We even have a Spare Room for scrapbookers and pin collectors to trade tips. There are many more rooms and places to explore. We expect the Villa to be open by this weekend, and everyone is welcome! To reach the PassPorter Posts message boards, go to:
http://www.passporterboards.com

For those of you waiting on your PassPorter Deluxe Edition, we expect to ship them in late August. If you need one before then, drop us a line and we'll do our best to accommodate you!

Thanks,
Jennifer and Dave
Authors, PassPorter Walt Disney World 2002


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FEATURE: Horsing Around at Ft. Wilderness
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Our Experiences on the Guided Trail Ride

by Jennifer Watson

As the co-author of PassPorter Walt Disney World, one of the most frequently-asked questions I get is, "So have you done EVERYTHING at Disney now?" Anyone who's been to Walt Disney World knows that this is impossible -- there's just too much going on to do it all! I usually respond with "I've been fortunate to do most things, but not everything. I haven't been horseback riding at Ft. Wilderness yet, for example." Well, I can no longer say that. On Monday,  July 15, I went on the Ft. Wilderness Trail Ride with Dave and Allie. Yee-haww!

Dave made reservations for the three of us at 4:00 pm on Monday by calling 407-824-2832 (reservations must be made in advance, up to two weeks ahead of time, and can be cancelled without penalty up to 24 hours in advance). The trail ride is $32 (includes tax) per person. The Tri-Circle D Livery at Fort Wilderness offers guided trail rides six times a day at 8:30 am, 10:00 am, 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:30 pm, and 4:00 pm. We were instructed to arrive 30 minutes ahead of time and it was suggested that we wear long pants and close-toed/heeled shoes. Well, Monday was one of the hottest days of our trip -- the heat index was 104 degrees! Dave braved the heat with long pants, but Allie and I took our chances with shorts.

We arrived way ahead of schedule and checked in at the kennel, near the front of the Ft. Wilderness resort. If you arrive by car, just park in the visitor parking lot (free to guests staying at Disney resort, $5 for all others). If you arrive by bus, get off at the Ft. Wilderness Depot stop. If you arrive by boat, walk to the Settlement Depot bus stop, board an internal bus, and get off at the Ft. Wilderness Depot stop.

At check-in, we each had to sign a waiver agreeing that we would not hold Disney responsible if anything happened during the trail ride -- we were also instructed to indicate our age, weight, and riding experience at the bottom of the waiver. Riders must be at least 9 years old and weigh no more than 250 pounds (113 kg). Double riding is not permitted. Riding experience is irrelevant, however -- anyone who meets the age and weight restrictions may participate.

For the record, I've had riding experience -- my aunt has stabled horses for decades and I often spent summers on her farm as a child. She taught me how to ride Western and bareback, and I showed an Arabian stallion named "Alaric" at the local county fair. Nonetheless, I'm not particularly comfortable on horses, and I ultimately chose to stop riding as a teen. Dave and Allie had no riding experience, other than pony rides.

After we signed the waiver, we were offered the option to use helmets while riding. We were a bit surprised that a helmet was an option, not a requirement. Knowing how dangerous a head injury can be, and that the incidence of serious injuries is higher for horeseback riders than for even motorcyclists and automobile racers, we requested helmets for the three of us. There is no additional charge for the use of helmets on the trail ride, and helmets are available in child and adult sizes. We encourage everyone reading this to use a helmet while riding -- why take chances? For more encouragement to use a helmet, check out the American Association of Pediatric's page on Horseback Riding and Head Injuries at
http://www.aap.org/policy/04649.html

With our waivers signed and monies paid, we were given our trail ride tickets and directed to the Trailblaze Corral, right next door to the kennel. A small waiting area with half-hewn log benches is situated in the front, along with free lockers for the storage of small items. There were quite a few biting flies in the area -- some insect repellent would have been a good idea. We lathered ourselves with sunblock, then stowed our things in the locker. We should note that cameras, hats, and bags are not allowed on the trail ride, and thus we have no photos of our experience. We were among the first at the livery, but we were soon joined by over a dozen others -- children and adults. We also noted that one family dropped off the kids for the trail ride; the adults did not participate. The trail ride is limited to twenty guests, and we were close to that. As we waited, we could see the horses in the livery, already saddled and tethered to posts.

At about ten minutes to 4:00, two "wranglers" (cast members) came out to collect our tickets, hand out helmets, and match us up with our mounts. We were the only three riders to request helmets, sadly enough. I don't think the cast members referred to the weights we noted on our waivers, but they did size each of us up and choose an appropriately-sized horse. When it came our turn, Allie was matched with a pony named "Poncho." Dave and I had good-sized horses -- mine was named "Bugsy," and his was "Apollo." We were told it was important to remember our horses names as our trail ride leaders would use our horse's names if they needed to give us instructions on the ride. When I asked for the name of my horse to be repeated, a bystander overheard and exclaimed, "Oh no... YOU have Bugsy? I had him last year. Good luck! You'll need it." Ha ha.

Mounting our horses was easy -- each horse was led up to a raised platform on which we were standing and we simply put a leg over and sat down. Each horse was saddled with a Western-style leather saddle and was dressed with a halter, bit, and reins. Once mounted, the cast members cinched the saddle, adjusted our stirrups, and then led the horse to the other side of the corral, where it was tethered until the entire group was ready. While we were waiting, I explained to Dave and Allie that they should talk to their horses and pat them encouragingly. While these horses are very tame and are accustomed to strangers, this is a good practice in general and helps the horse feel more comfortable with you.

Once we were all assembled cast members gave us some simple guidelines to follow, explaining that the horses would walk in a single-file line along the right-hand side of the trail. We should follow the horse in front of us closely, but leave about 3-4 feet in between. Because it had been raining, the cast members explained that the path was a bit muddy and the horses may not want to walk on the right side. We were instructed how to direct the horse left or ride (just pull the reins to the left or right). We were also warned that some of the horses may want to stop and graze on bushes along the trail -- if this happened, we were to use the reins to direct them away from the bushes. We were told not to pull on the reins, however, as they'd just stop walking completely and continue eating. The cast members would ride at the lead and the end of our line, and would be available for help if we needed it.

The horses were untethered and each horse followed the one in front without any prodding on our part. They knew the drill well. We walked our horses out of the livery, across the main road through the resort ("Ft. Wilderness Trail"), and onto a wide trail in the woods between the Wilderness Cabins and Vista Blvd. The trail was well-shaded with tall pines, bay trees and palmettos. It was also well-groomed, though needing to stay on the right side of the trail did mean we brushed along some bushes and trees ocassionally. There were no pedestrians on the trail; it was off-limits to all but horses and their riders. The ride settled down into the familiar rhythm of the horses, broken only by the mud puddles that the horses tried to avoid. Neither Dave nor I had any trouble keeping our horses to the side of the trail, though I noticed that Allie's horse wandered into the center a few times. My horse, Bugsy, wasn't quite as good-natured as the other horses -- he seemed a bit skittish and continually tried to graze alongside the trail. At one point, I even sensed he wanted to bolt, but didn't. The other horses and cast members kept him, and everyone else, in line. The horses only walked; no trotting or galloping.

The trail ride last just about 45 minutes. At the end of the trail ride, we each walked our horses up to the mounting platform -- a cast member held our horse while we dismounted. Allie had a lot of fun, turning back to look at us with big smiles and ask us how she was doing. Dave seemed comfortable enough, though I don't he's planning to start taking horseback riding lessons anytime soon. Allie, however, is sold on horses and informed us she plans to have a horse when she grows up. I had mixed feelings about the ride. I enjoyed the trail and it was a pleasure to watch Dave and Allie on their first ride. But my horse was a bit too restless at times, and I found myself hoping it would end soon so I could regain control. Most likely, this was just my old baggage about riding resurfacing, and not a reflection of the trail ride itself. The other guests seemed to have a good time. I would rate this as an excellent first riding experience for kids and adults, but that it may be a bit boring for experienced riders.

All in all, it was a rewarding experience! After we returned home from Disney, we paid a visit to my aunt's farm and Allie had another opportunity to ride a horse -- this time bareback!

I think she's hooked.

>>Things To Do: For photos of the trail ride, visit
Jeff Spencer's Ft. Wilderness FAQ at:
http://home.hiwaay.net/~jlspence/faq_fw.htm


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UPDATES: What's New and Changed at Walt Disney World
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Disney recently announced a new enhancement to the FASTPASS attraction reservation system. Each FASTPASS now lists the time you're eligible to receive your next FASTPASS. This should greatly reduce some confusion, but may introduce other confusion, as Disney is now assigning the time when you can receive that next FASTPASS, based on actual demand for FASTPASSes. In some cases, you might get a second FASTPASS sooner than you could under the previous system, but there's also the chance that you'll have to wait longer than you did before.


A new Princess character breakfast debuts July 28 at Norway's Restaurant Akershus, in Epcot's World Showcase. Although Cinderella will not be present (she's too busy at her castle), many of Disney's popular princesses and heroines will be in attendance. The meal is being booked in two seatings--8:30 to 9:00 am, and 9:50 to 10:20 am. The family-style meal costs $15.99 for adults and $8.99 for children 3-11. Guests for the early seating can enter the park at either the main entrance or the International Gateway, and must check in at the gate with their reservation number before being allowed in the park. Originally scheduled to "test" through October 31, 2002, Demand has been so strong that Disney has already extended reservations through November 30. Call 407-WDW-DINE to book your Royal encounter. (Thanks to Scott Thomas of
http://www.pscalculator.com)


Fiji and Aotearoa longhouses at the Polynesian Resort are closed for renovation and are walled-off. This is the continuation of a resort-wide renovation -- all the guest rooms are getting new carpeting and furniture.


"Get Happy.... with ABC!" show open at Disney-MGM Studios from now until October 5, 2002. This 25-minute show offers a sneak peek of the ABC-TV line-up. Presented in the ABC Theater (where Doug Live! used to be).


Disney Vacation Club members are no longer allowed to use Stormalong Bay unless they are guests at Beach Club, Beach Club Villas, or Yacht Club. DVC members may still pool hop at other resort's pools, however.


Pin Traders now have a shop they can call their very own. Disney's Pin Traders is a new store at Downtown Disney Marketplace, near Team Mickey, Disney at Home, and the new Once Upon a Toy, in a six-sided building that formerly sold toys and plush.


Also opening officially on August 1 (it's already open in preview) at Downtown Disney Marketplace is the newly-constructed Once Upon a Toy store. A partnership between Disney and Hasbro, the 16,000 square foot shop offers such exclusive merchandise as a Lincoln Logs version of Wilderness Lodge, a Mr. Potato Head with Mickey ears, and a version of CLUE based on Disney's Haunted Mansion. "Madame Leota, in the Graveyard, with a Doom Buggy?"

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


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DISNEY TIPS FROM FELLOW READERS
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Entertain Kids with Park Cards
"I went online and found different pictures of different parts of parks. We made them into cards about the size of baseball cards, then laminated them. On the back, we gave clues and facts without giving away location. We hooked about 5-10 'cards' on a stretchy keyring and gave it to my girls. So as we were walking around they could 'find' the destinations on the cards. The kid with the most finds got to pick what was for dinner that night. They learned the park as well as neat facts about different parts of the park. This was very inexpensive entertainment and it encouraged them to look more closely at their surroundings instead of rushing to get somewhere all the time. We took enough to do 3-4 days worth. Afterwards, they made great keepsakes."
-- Contributed by Bobbie Thompson

Carry Fresh Clothes
"I always carry a clean, dry set of clothes in a small zipper freezer bag in my backpack. No, not for me, but for my 4 year old daughter who loves to play in the various water activities in Walt Disney World. "
-- Contributed by Renee T.

Design Vacation T-Shirts
"I design t-shirts with my children for each day of our trip. We get light colored plain shirts and put our own designs on with fabric paints (like handprints or Mickey heads), cutouts from other fabrics with iron-on fusable web and craft stamps. This way, we all have matching outfits in the event we get separated (you can tell people the missing party is wearing "this"). They are one-of-a-kind, help us keep track of what day which photos were taken during the trip, and help us pass the time/build-up anticipation before our trip."
-- Contributed by Sue Lowder (AmndaSarek@aol.com)

>Notes: Send us your tips! You may see them in this newsletter or on our tip-a-day mailing list. Two lucky folks will win a copy of PassPorter each month, too! Visit:
http://www.passporter.com/wdw/contest.htm


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Q &A WITH JENNIFER & DAVE
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In this column we answer your frequently asked PassPorter
and Disney questions.

Larry writes:
"Hello,  since we are not going again until  2003, we were wondering when the 2003 edition will be available?"

PassPorter Walt Disney World 2003 becomes available in January 2003. Watch for the pre-order page to appear on our Web site in the next month or so. Bookstores should have it in late January/February of 2003.

Terry writes:
"I have reservations for the breakfast in the castle at 9:10 am however the park doesn't open until 9:00. How will I be able to make it in time for my reservation. I'm not staying on the resort and will be driving to WDW. Could I get in the park earlier somehow?"

The parking lot at Magic Kingdom will be open at least an hour in advance, and you can board the resort monorail for Magic Kingdom (tell them you have breakfast reservations). When you arrive at the park entrance, just let a cast member know about your priority seating time and they will let you into the park a little early.

>Things to Do: Send us your questions about PassPorter or Walt Disney World and we'll do our best to answer them!
E-mail: questions@passporter.com


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DISNEY RESOURCES AND LINKS
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Cool Site: Walt Disney World for Kids
A colorful site with simple descriptions and ratings that kids can understand. The site isn't quite done yet (you'll note some unfinished areas), but it has great potential.
Visit it at: http://www.geocities.com/wdwrfk/

Cool Tool: PinPics.com
Pin Collectors have a great resource with PinPics.com! Free registration lets you organize your own pin collection and use the Trade Assistant to find and make trades with other collectors. Everyone can browse the extensive list of pins -- you'll even find they added the PassPorter pins to their list!
Visit it at: http://www.pinpics.com

>Things to Do: Nominate a site, resource, or tool for this newsletter. E-mail: news@passporter.com


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Please ask your questions and help each other in our Message Board Community:
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Copyright (c) 2002 - MediaMarx, Inc

PassPorterWDW is a community service from PassPorter Walt Disney World: The Complete Vacation Planning Site and PassPorter Walt Disney World: The unique travel guide, planner, organizer, journal, and keepsake! (we're the one with the built-in itinerary/storage pockets customized for your Disney vacation). http://www.passporter.com

 

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