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 In This Newsletter
From the Authors: Cha Cha Cha Cha Changes!
Travel Feature: New York Splash Tour
Disney Feature: Walt Disney World for Veteran Visitors
Updates: What's New and Changed
Tips: Identify ID Expiration, Swap Birds For Snakes, Nifty Neat Sheet
Captain's Corner: Pumpkins!
Q&A: Fireworks Photo Tips?
Our Sponsors: We Recommend...
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Updates:
What's New and Changed
Here are a few items of relevant news:
Disney Cruise Line® was recently recognized as the No. 3 cruise experience at the 20th Annual Readers' Choice Awards for Conde Nast Traveler magazine in New York City. The Conde Nast Readers' Choice Awards recognize the best in travel for resorts, destinations, airlines, cruise lines and car rental agencies. This year's results were derived from one of the largest independent polls of travel consumers through questionnaires delivered randomly to readers of the April and May issues. Complete results of the awards will be in the November issue of the magazine, out on newsstands October 25. "We are delighted to be recognized by such an esteemed travel community," said Tom McAlpin, President of Disney Cruise Line. "This award is a testament to the continued dedication in creating an unparalleled family cruise vacation. Families know they can trust us to provide a quality, immersive Disney experience."
Want to spend New Year's Eve in Walt Disney World? Plans include the New Year's edition of the Fantasy In The Sky fireworks at the Magic Kingdom, three performances of Fantasmic! at the Disney-MGM Studios on it's last night before officially becoming Disney's Hollywood Studios, and a special New Year's Eve edition of Illuminations at Epcot. All events are included in the price of your theme park admission. Pleasure Island will be hosting a New Year's Eve bash from 8:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. which will include admission to all seven clubs, a dinner buffet, hats and noisemakers and champagne at midnight. The cost of this event is $99 plus tax per person.
A recall has been issued for Minnie's Bake Shop Cookies -- packaged chocolate chip cookies that were sold in Walt Disney World theme parks between September 18 and October 2. The cookies mistakenly included nuts which were not identified in the ingredients label, posing a threat to those with nut allergies. If you think you may have purchased these cookies, check your packaging for UPC number 400136148117 and call 1-800-435-4499.
Our thanks to AllEars.net and MousePlanet.com from which we get some of our news leads.
>Things To Do: Hear some news?Send it to us at
news@passporter.com
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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:
IDENTIFY ID EXPIRATION
"Make sure to check the expiration on your ID (license, passport, etc.) prior to travel. The last thing you want is to be boarding a plane and realize that your ID expires while you are on vacation."
-- contributed by Susan W.
SWAPS BIRDS FOR SNAKES
"I have a daughter who is very afraid of birds and when we decided to try Flame Tree Barbecue for the first time this past June, I didn't think anything about it. I even knew all the tables were outside.
When we sat down at the first pavilion, we were suddenly surrounded by birds. One of the Cast Members noticed my daughter was panicking and assisted us down to the Snake pavilion. It was like having our own private dining area and was a great break from the summer crowds ... and the birds. Not many people realize it's there so the birds don't normally search for food there. You just follow the pathway on down from the first pavilion. No birds. No crowds. Just a very nice secluded area with plenty of foliage which makes it very pretty."
-- contributed by Anna T.
NIFTY NEAT SHEET
"The week we were at Disney we had rain every day. With three children, two of which were in a double stroller, I brought along "The Neat Sheet" ground cover. It is a water proof blanket with weights in the corners. Every time we got in line for a show or ride we would drape the cover over the stroller. Our stroller stayed completely dry and when the wind picked up it never blew off because of the weighted corners. Also, when we were moving throughout the park in the rain we would cover the stroller with it and the two inside would stay completely dry and we didn't have to worry about digging out rain coats for them. It folded up nicely so that it could be easily stored in the basket underneath the stroller (even when the stroller was folded up). It also dried very quickly. We also used it to place on the ground for watching parades -- no sitting on the hot or wet pavement."
-- contributed by Roxane H.
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 book, "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World."
The Captain makes a study of the delightful details -- sometimes hidden, sometimes in plain sight but often overlooked -- at Walt Disney World and aboard the Disney Cruise Line. Using notes from his journals, he will lead you to this "treasure" at Disney with clues, questions, photos, or riddles. Your challenge is to discover the answer by searching your memory, visiting Disney, or even just looking really hard on the Internet. If you think you've found the answer, e-mail it to jackskatt@passporter.com -- the first person to correctly submit the FULL answer will receive a free PassPorter enamel pin or PassPorter name badge pin.
Here is this week's journal entry:
"I'm just delighted about this approaching Halloween! It's the one day of the year I can be myself without attracting undue attention. To get in the mood, I went looking for a pumpkin appropriate to the occasion. I found the most amazing pumpkin growing in the shape of Mickey Mouse. No need to carve this pumpkin. I discovered the pumpkin in ... (rest of text obscured by water droplets)"
Where in Walt Disney World will you find a pumpkin growing in the shape of Mickey? For bonus points, 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 the next newsletter, along with the correct answer!
Congratulations to Martin Puller who was the winner of last week's trivia contest! Martin was the first person to identify the location of W-A-C-K-Y as Toon Town in the Magic Kingdom and the DJ as Red Barns. He even included a photo! 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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Q & A:
With Jennifer and Dave
Nancyspe asks: "I'm looking for some great fireworks photos this trip. I'm taking my tripod this time, and I plan to set my ISO at 100, but I had a question. Should I set my shutter speed manually (if so, to what) or put my camera in aperture mode (I assume f11) and let it pick the shutter speed? Also, is the self-timer release a better option to avoid any camera shake? Thanks. Last time I used my son's head and tried to keep the camera as still as possible, but as you can imagine only a couple turned out any good."
Dave and Jennifer answer: "Since you mentioned selecting your ISO speed, I'll assume you've got a digital (some of my comments won't apply if you're using film).
Set the camera in shutter priority, rather than aperature priority, and experiment with different exposure lengths. Your focus is at "infinity," so aperature doesn't matter when it comes to depth-of-focus, whereas the length of the exposure makes a big difference. Exposure duration? Anywhere from a half-second to five seconds is a good place to start.
Rather than a self-timer exposure, get either an old-fashioned cable release or an electronic remote shutter release, if your camera can use one or the other. Unless you know the show so well that you can anticipate each shot by several seconds, a self-timer exposure leaves you with far too little control over your shot.
If you have manual focus, use it. Your focus doesn't change once you've setup the shot, but your camera is going to waste precious reaction time auto-focusing every shot if you don't override it.
If your camera has a burst mode (series of shots), try that. If you choose the right options, you get a series of closely-spaced shots from one click of the shutter release. That'll eat up your memory card (and on many cameras, results in a delay between shutter clicks while the camera stores all the shots), but you stand a better chance of getting at least one usable shot out of each shutter click.
With your camera on a tripod and a remote shutter release in your hand, you really don't even need to use the camera's viewfinder. I find that kind of relaxing. Stand around, watch the show, and click away at will."
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):
Mouse Fan Travel -- Book by 10/31/07 and we'll make a donation to Deb Wills fund for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer
MouseEarVacations.com -- Disney Cruise Line Special Offers
Quicksilver Tours & Transportation -- Save $5 off airport round-trip transportation in a town car
Thank you, sponsors!
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From the Authors: Cha Cha Cha Cha Changes!
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It may be a bit early to start reminiscing about the past year (we'll save that for late December), but we can't help but be amazed by the significant number of new projects and changes emerging from Disney Parks and Resorts this year. Every one of our books, whether for Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or the Disney Cruise Line, has been significantly impacted by at least one major new announcement. New ships for the Disney Cruise Line. A new name for Disney-MGM Studios (Disney's Hollywood Studios). The first significant changes to table service dining choices at Walt Disney World in a long time. Disneyland Resort will have DVC villas at an expanded Grand Californian Hotel, and (as we discussed just last week) Disney's California Adventure park will be getting a huge make-over and at least eight new attractions. Meanwhile, there's also a Disney resort on tap for Hawaii (DVC and regular hotel rooms). It seems as if a logjam has burst, giving Disney parks fans a whole lot of goodies to dream about between now and 2012, when the last pieces of the current puzzle should be in place. We'll have no shortage of book updating to do in the years to come, and that's a good thing!
In other news, we're pleased to announce that our popular PassPorter Photo Archive is now accepting quality submissions from PassPorter members/readers! Contributions from other Disney photographers greatly enhance the scope of the images we can offer you! If you're interestested in becoming a PassPorter Photo Contributor -- and the chance to gain recognition, PassPorter gift certificates, super-size photo privileges, and the possibility of a photo appearing in a future PassPorter publication -- please read our Photo Contributor Upload Guidelines for specifications and requirements. Many thanks to our PassPorter Photo Archivist RobDVC for helping us approve photo submissions! We already have four Photo Contributors -- check out their photos below!
MouseFest News: Registration is still open for MouseFest, but if you want to receive your registration goodies in the mail (one of the biggest benefits of registering), you'd better do it soon! We've got an all-new registration program this year that offers a host of new benefits and gives folks a chance to support this great event. Read all about it! Special MouseFest room rates available! MouseFest has arranged for a special discounted rate at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort for MouseFest! Stay near the heart of MouseFest action within walking distance of Epcot(r), Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's BoardWalk entertainment district, Disney's Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf courses, and Saturday's MouseFest's Mega Mouse Meet at the Walt Disney World Dolphin. To learn more, visit http://www.mousefest.org. And check out the MouseFest event schedule , also at the MouseFest.org web site. New meets are being added to the schedule on a regular basis, and the list of people attending just keeps growing! At least ten of our PassPorter Guides (moderators) are attending, as are nearly 200 PassPorter community members and readers! Stay tuned for more MouseFest announcements in the weeks and months to come.
In this issue, PassPorter Newsletter editor Sara Varney takes us for an amphibious urban adventure on the New York Splash Tour, and, since nobody has truly seen and done it all (Dave has "golf lessons and play every course" on his To Do list), Featured Columnist Cheryl Pendry shares her perspective on Walt Disney World for Veteran Visitors. Finally, Jack Skatt is back with a brand-new Walt Disney World Treasure Hunt. Enjoy!
Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Publishers and Authors
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Did You Know?
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we'll make a donation to Deb Wills fund
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Enjoy meets, dine with the hosts & surprises
Get a no-obligation quote. Just visit us at:
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Click for full details. As to Disney artwork: ©Disney
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Travel Feature:
Not Your Average Bus Tour: New York Splash Tours
by Sara Varney, PassPorter News Editor and Online Coordinator
It's a Bus, It's a Boat, it's a ... AquaBus? If you are planning a trip to New York City and are looking for a new way to explore, then a New York Splash Tour may be for you.
New York Splash Tours is part of the Gray Line family of New York City tours - they also operate the red, double-decker, open air buses that you will see everywhere around the city. But to my mind, the Splash Tour is the way to go! You board your amphibious vehicle in Times Square. Upon boarding you are handed a poncho and a whistle. The whistle you may or may not need (to get your tour guide's attention if you have a question), but the poncho you definitely will need!
Your tour first takes you down Broadway as your Tour Guide explains some of the history of Times Square and its buildings. You will see the MTV Studios, the ABC Studios, and the old New York Times Building where the ball is dropped every New Years Eve. Your AquaBus then heads across town towards the east, past the New York Public Library, past the Empire State Building, and back across town to the west where you will pass Macy's and Herald Square where the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade terminates each year. With each neighborhood you pass, your Tour Guide will be giving you the history of the various buildings, pointing out architectural details and providing you with bits of trivia.
When you reach 12th Avenue on the West Side, you pause briefly to switch your bus driver for a boat captain and your vehicle then enters the AquaBus Theater - a multi-media drive-in movie theater. You will view a brief film that recreates Henry Hudson's exploration of the River that bears his name. You will experience the sights, sounds and even a bit of the weather that Henry Hudson may have experienced on his voyage aboard his ship - The Half Moon. (By now, you've hopefully put on your poncho!)
Once the film is complete, the real fun begins! Your captain revs the engine and drives your AquaBus straight into the Hudson. They don't call it the Splash Tour for nothing! This portion of the tour was by far my favorite part. As your boat motors around the river, you get an unforgettable view of the New York City skyline. Not to mention the docks on the West Side where you can find ferries crossing, cruise ships docking and pleasure boats sailing by. (The water can get a little choppy at times so if you are prone to motion sickness, make sure to take some Bonine before boarding. ) Your tour guide will give you some of the history of the river and how it has been cleaned up in the years since it was lined with factories, but most of your time on the water is spent simply enjoying the views while New York-themed music plays over the speakers.
After about 20 minutes, your AquaBus heads back to the docks where it drives up the ramp and you swap your captain for a bus driver once more. The tour continues up 12th Avenue and through Hell's Kitchen (not nearly as scary as it sounds) as your driver continues to regale you with stories of old New York. Then it is back across town through the theater district and back to Broadway and Times Square, where you disembark your AquaBus.
The Splash Tour leaves Times Square from the east side of Broadway between 47th & 48th streets, approximately every 45 minutes. Tickets are available for pre-purchase online for $27/adult and $18/child. Or you can do what we did - take a brochure from one of the many ticket agents roaming Times Square, ask "How much?" and when he tells the price that is on the flyer ($29/adult), shake your head and start to walk away. He will then immediately cut you a better deal. We paid $19/adult for our tickets. Either way, the Splash Tour is a unique way to experience New York, perfect for both locals and visitors alike.
About the Author: Sara is the Editor of PassPorter News and PassPorter's Online Coordinator. She lives in New England with her husband and their three year old son. They are looking forward to their next Disney trip - MouseFest 2007!
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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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Did You Know?
Great Walt Disney World Rates are available at MouseEarVacations.com!
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Disney Feature:
Walt Disney World for Veteran Visitors
by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Featured Columnist
So how many times have you visited the Walt Disney World Resort?
Maybe you haven't been yet or you've just got one or two trips under your belt, in which case everything is new and you've literally got the whole "World" to explore. Perhaps you've been a Disney vacationer for some time and you've run out of fingers on which count your visits to the Happiest Place on Earth. When you get to that stage, you find yourself repeating a lot of things. Let's be honest, there are just certain rides that you have to go on every time you're there and certain shows that you must see, but what about new experiences?
Look in your PassPorter Walt Disney World guidebook and you'll see that the PassPockets, designed to keep everything together for your trip, have a space for memories of each day and, included in that, is a reference to what you tried and the result. You know when you can't find anything to write in that section that maybe, just maybe, you're spending too much time on the old favorites. After all, let's be honest, Walt Disney World covers more than 40 square miles and I don't think any of us can honestly say we've spent enough time there to have seen everything that the resort has to offer. So where can you find new experiences? The simple answer is everywhere.
Whenever we head to Disney, I always try and find something new to enjoy every day. The first thing most of us decide on when planning a vacation is where we're going to stay. Is there a hotel you haven't yet stayed at on Disney property? It's my mission to enjoy every Disney Vacation Club resort and we're trying two more that are new to us in December -- the Boardwalk Villas and Animal Kingdom Villas. Maybe once we've stayed at all of them (hopefully next year!), then we'll move on to spending one or two nights at some of the other resorts. Wouldn't it be fun to say you've stayed at every Disney resort at least once?
Then there are the parks. It's amazing when I hear people say that they've been to Disney lots of times, but never discovered an attraction that's been there all along. These days, I'm trying to check attractions off my list and although there will be some I can't ever see riding - Rock'n'Roller Coaster is one that comes to mind - we're getting there with every vacation. One of the lesser known attractions is Tom Sawyer Island in the Magic Kingdom. If you haven't taken a raft ride over there, you should make some time to do so, as it's a great place to explore and has plenty to enjoy. Other places that fit into this category include Innoventions over at Epcot and Rafiki's Planet Watch at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Or what about the Swiss Family Treehouse? You can't miss it, looming over Adventureland, but have you ever headed up there to see what it's all about? Understandably, thrill seekers head straight down Sunset Boulevard to visit their favorites at the Studios and it's fair to say that some of the attractions are hidden away, such as the Magic of Disney Animation, One Man's Dream and Sounds Dangerous. The last one is on my personal list to try out on our trip in December.
Don't forget the parades and shows. It never ceases to amaze me how many people have yet to see all the afternoon parades and nighttime shows. This is Disney and every piece of entertainment they put on, be it fireworks, parade or show, is worth seeing at least once.
If you really have seen everything in the parks that's performed "on stage," maybe it's time to head backstage with one of the numerous behind the scenes tours that Disney offers. There's something for every taste from riding Segways in Epcot, to visiting the tunnels underneath the Magic Kingdom or the animal care areas at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Then there are the restaurants. Outside of major cities like New York and London, you're unlikely to find a better selection of places to eat. Dining at the various resorts can give you the opportunity to explore them and find out what they have to offer. How about heading over to Olivia's at Old Key West for lunch or dinner and hiring out a boat to explore the river down to Downtown Disney for an hour or so? Maybe a dinner at one of the restaurants at the Grand Floridian, timed so that you can watch Wishes before or afterwards from the resort marina. It's a totally different perspective to seeing it in the park. Or perhaps head for the BoardWalk to eat and then enjoy the street entertainers outside.
Then there are the parts of Disney that not everyone takes time to visit. Many people head straight for the four main theme parks, with some time for shopping at Downtown Disney thrown in for good measure. There's more to Downtown Disney than just browsing the stores, with eating options, Cirque du Soleil's show La Nouba, DisneyQuest, a range of clubs at Pleasure Island and even boats to hire at the Marketplace.
And speaking of water-based activities, don't forget there are two water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach to enjoy, along with Disney's Wide World of Sports. You may have heard of all the championship golf courses on Disney property, but if you're not up to that level, then there are also two miniature golf courses, Fantasia Gardens near to the Swan resort and Winter Summerland next to Blizzard Beach.
In fact, the sporting opportunities at Disney are endless, with tennis courts and health clubs at several of the resorts. And if you'd rather have an easier life -- I mean you're on vacation after all -- then why not head for one of the two spas at the Grand Floridian or Saratoga Springs or get a massage at one of the health clubs? Some of the resorts, including Port Orleans and Saratoga Springs, even offer horse-drawn carriage rides, which offer a unique way to see the hotels.
The options really are endless at the Walt Disney World and there's no excuse not to try something new. If you're short of ideas, then take a very careful look at your PassPorter. The chances are everything you could possibly ever think of doing at Disney is covered in there somewhere. It just takes a bit of courage to move away from the old favorites and enjoy new experiences.
About the Author: Cheryl and husband Mark live in England and love to travel, particularly to America. They were on the first 11-night sailing of the Disney Magic around the Mediterranean and are now looking forward to returning to Walt Disney World in December.
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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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Free 30-minute grocery stop with
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Special! $5.00 off airport round-trip
Use Discount Code: PassPorter News
Call 888-GO TO WDW
or visit quicksilver-tours.com
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