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PassPorter News Brought to you by PassPorter Guidebooks
  November 13, 2003 * Issue 3.18

In This Newsletter

From the Authors: Busy Beavers

Community Update: MouseFest 2003, Countdown Timers, New Chat Room

Disney Feature: Bringing Back the Magic On a Budget: Disney Souvenir Tips

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips:  Motels on the Way, Dry Feet, Countdowns for Kids

Q&A: 2004 Release Date, Animal Kingdom Lodge Parking
 
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Updates:
What's New and Changed

Portobello Yacht Club (Downtown Disney) is serving lunch again and taking priority seating for it to boot! Note that lunch comes and goes at Portobello, so it’s always best to call them and inquire about their hours before you make plans. Call 407-WDW-DINE (939-3463). (Thanks to ALL EARS for the news!)

Disney’s latest animated feature, "Brother Bear," opened last weekend. We weren’t expecting much from it based on reviews from critics, but we were VERY pleasantly surprised by it! We really enjoyed the music, animation, and storyline, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to virtually anyone. So if you have a chance to see it, do!

And don’t forget "Haunted Mansion" (the movie) opens on November 26, the day before Thanksgiving! (Let’s hope those of us on the MouseFest cruise get to see it on the ship!)

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

STAY ALONG THE WAY
"When driving to Disney from far off places, decide on a few places along the way to stay. As you proceed further along your route and gain a better idea of how much longer you will be able to drive in one day, phone and cancel the extra hotels before the cancellation time (usually 4 or 6 pm). This helps when there is unexpected traffic (the trip is taking longer than expected) and/or no traffic (you are zooming down the interstate). It is best to stop and get some rest before getting to Disney. This way, you'll enjoy everything from the moment you arrive. Enjoy!" -- contributed by Ann W.

FEET SECRET
"I know this sounds funny, but I pack an extra glide-on deodorant just for my feet. Yes, FEET! I roll it on each morning before hiking out to the parks and it keeps feet dry, cool, and most important of all, BLISTER FREE!" -- contributed by Karen Miller (jamaine@comcast.net)

COUNTDOWNS FOR KIDS
"To help our child countdown to our last trip, we used construction paper cut into strips and made a countdown chain decorated with Disney Stickers. My daughter Alyssa loved making this craft. She had a blast tearing off one link for each day before our trip. This really built up the excitement as the chain got smaller. She was just so excited on the last link. She knew when she woke up the next day, she would be off to Walt Disney World. We are currently counting down to a trip December 2003 using the calendar. Alyssa is six and runs almost daily to the calendar countdown. I think every person knows when we are going. I put notes in her lunchbox with countdown information and Disney Stickers. The first was 101 days. Now we are 46 days from our trip. All the lunch table kids will always ask "Is there a Disney Note in your lunch?" They are so excited for her they are giving their parents the Disney Bug." -- contributed by Jeneice Seagraves (jcstupp@aol.com)

>Notes: Send us your tips ! You may see them in this newsletter and win a copy of PassPorter!
 
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Q & A:
With Jennifer and Dave

Patty asks:
"I am going to Disney World Jan 17, 2004. What are the odds if I pre-order a 2004 edition now that I get it by the time I go?"

Jennifer answers:
"I’m happy to reassure you that the odds are very good indeed. We expect to begin shipping the 2004 pre-orders on or around January 1, 2004. And if we receive them earlier, we’ll ship them earlier. While there’s always a slight chance that there could be a long delay, the chances are very low."


graygables asks:
"What is the parking like at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge? If it's a major hike, I may consider using Tiffany Town Car [instead of a rental car]. Also, what are the buses like from Animal Kingdom Lodge? Last time we stayed at the Caribbean Beach and they were a bit dicey."

Dave answers:
"The walking distance to the parking lot and the bus stop is similar. There are some stairs/somewhat steep ramp to climb from the parking lot, however, while the bus stop entails a gentler slope. Ask two people about bus service and they'll give completely opposite responses. Service can be good or bad at any of the resorts, as human fallibility is always a factor. Personally, I find the bus service for Disney’s Animal Kingdom to be superior to that for many other deluxe resorts, as the buses do not stop at other resorts. The buses run just as frequently as they do elsewhere, and the trips tend to be shorter thanks to the lack of additional stops. When evaluating the walking you'll do, you have to factor-in the difference between the walk from the bus stop to the park entrance, and the walking you might do to catch the parking trams (depends on how far down the row you are in the parking lot). It's a tough guess as to which will be better."

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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From the Authors: Busy Beavers

Hi, friends!

There are only 17 planning days to MouseFest 2003 and the PassPorter Gathering events down at Walt Disney World! And man, have we been busy! Besides all the prep for MouseFest, we’ve been fine-tuning our newly-updated message boards and adding new features, like a vacation countdown timer and a chat room. Read more on these cool new additions later in this newsletter.

We’ve also been hard at work on our upcoming Disneyland guidebook. And now it’s your turn: If you’ve been to Disneyland or Southern California, we need your help! Please visit http://www.passporter.com/dl/contribute.htm to give your ratings of the attractions, parks, and destinations, as well as submit tips and memories. In fact, if you submit a tip or memory and we use it in our guidebook, we’ll send you a free copy once it is published!

To top it all off, we have a great money-saving article from Maureen Austin, a guest columnist and PassPorter Guide.

Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Travel Press

 


 
 
 
 

Did You Know? You Can Preview PassPorter Walt Disney World 2004!

Curious about the new 2004 edition of PassPorter Walt Disney World? Visit our preview center to download sample pages, view lists of additions, and get all the facts. Here’s a sneak peek: Our 2004 edition will sport 40+ photos (more than three times the number in our 2003 edition), self-stick, color tabs to mark your chapters, stickers and labels to personalize your PassPockets, light blue highlights on the text of all additions and significant changes at Disney since our previous edition, updated vegebility ratings, and, most importantly, peeks and previews of new and upcoming attractions and resorts!

The new edition will be released around January 1, 2004 - pre-order your copy today to be among the first to receive one! (The earlier you pre-order, the earlier your order is shipped out!)

To visit the Preview Center and pre-order a copy, visit
http://www.passporter.com/wdw/2004.htm

Tip: Want to get started planning now? Order our deluxe combo deal to get a 2003 deluxe edition now at 20% off, and the 2004 updated text and covers in January at 50% off. To order, visit:
http://www.passporterstore.com/store/
deluxecombodeal.aspx

 

Community Update:
MouseFest 2003, Countdown Timers, New Chat Room

by Jennifer Watson and Dave Marx

MOUSEFEST 2003
Oh boy! As we write this, we’re just 17 days, 3 hours and 14 minutes away from the start of the PassPorter Gathering/MouseFest 2003! More than 375 members of the PassPorter community have registered for this grand get-together of Internet-based Walt Disney World fan communities, and we expect hundreds more to join us from other online communities. The whole shebang takes place on the Disney Wonder and at Walt Disney World from November 30 – December 11. More than 60 different activities have been planned for this grand event encompassing not only PassPorter, but Internet communities RADP, Deb Wills’ All Ears Net and WDWIG.com, DisneyDollarless.com, WhatWouldWaltDo.com, MouseSavers.com, MousePlanet.com, Intercot.com, Your Laughing Place.com, MouseEarVacations.com, AdultsAtWDW.com, WDWMAGIC.com, PSCalculator.net, TourGuideMike.com, Tagrel.com, DisneyCentral.com, MagicalMountain.net, and JimHillMedia.com, plus guidebook authors Bob Sehlinger & Len Testa (Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World), Kelly Monaghan (The Other Orlando and Universal Orlando), Steve Barrett (Hidden Mickeys and Hassle-Free Walt Disney World Vacation), Dann Hazel & Josh Fippen (Making Memories On Your Walt Disney World Vacation), Beth Foss (Secrets to an Affordable Walt Disney World Vacation), Cara Goldsbury (The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World) and of course, the two of us (Jennifer Watson and Dave Marx, from PassPorter). Whew! (And we apologize if we left anyone out!)

If you’ll already be on the Disney Wonder 11/30-12/4, or at Walt Disney World from 12/4-12/11 there’s still time to join us, whether for one brief event, or a total immersion in the festivities! Most events are open to everyone, free of charge (although, naturally, you will have to pay for your accommodations and park admission). Pay a visit to http://www.passporter.com/gathering.htm for the full story, including a downloadable and printable schedule of events, the Pocket Guide to MouseFest 2003.

If you can’t get to anything else, aim to be at the big MegaMouseMeet on Saturday, December 6 from 1:00pm - 3:00pm at the Dolphin Resort’s Copa Banana Room. The room will be filled with web site founders, authors, and just plain folks. There will be door prizes and goodies, and plenty of chances to finally meet all those people you’ve "met" on the Web.

And if you can’t make it this year, why not start looking towards next year’s Gathering? It kicks off with a four-night cruise on the Disney Wonder December 5-9, 2004 and moves on to Walt Disney World December 9-13, 2004. Come for part, come for all, and enjoy Walt Disney World with a great bunch of people!

Now, if you’re wondering just how we knew precisely when the Gathering would begin, read on!

NEW MESSAGE BOARD FEATURE: VACATION COUNTDOWN TIMER
Are you anxiously awaiting your next big event (Disney vacation, cruise, wedding, birthday, a trip to the mall)? If you’re counting the hours, minutes, and seconds and are bursting to share the joy with others, we’ve just made the task a whole lot easier. All registered members of our PassPorter Posts Message Board (http://www.passporterboards.com) can now include a countdown timer in their message board signature. And no messy URLs or code to copy and paste – this timer is built right into the message board software! Every post you make on our message board can now include a "live" countdown. Describe your countdown however you wish. Dave’s currently says, "Counting the hours, minutes and seconds until MouseFest Bon Voyage!" You can also add a message that will display once the countdown hits zero, like, "See you later, I am at Walt Disney World!" Then select the date and time of the big moment from a simple drop-down display. (One important technical tip: Do not include ‘apostrophes’ or "quotation marks" in your text -- the timer will not appear if you do.)

It’s all as easy as pie! Just go to the PassPorter message boards, sign on, and click the My Home link. Then click the Edit link for "Personal information, e-mail, password, signature, countdown, etc." You’ll find the Vacation Countdown Timer settings about half-way down the page.

BRAND-NEW CHAT ROOM
The latest buzz at our PassPorter Posts Message Board community started this past Tuesday, when we unveiled our very own PassPorter chat room! Every registered member of our message board community can enter the room at any time for a casual chat. We’ve also posted a schedule of themed chats and events and will undoubtedly add more in the days to come. In fact, starting this coming Sunday at 9:00 pm ET, Joey Carioca’s weekly Disney trivia game is moving to the new chat room from AOL Instant Messenger (if you plan to attend the trivia game, read Joey’s post.


The PassPorter Chat Room

The chat room is loaded with great features -- many more than we can list here. Among them are multiple sub-rooms for quieter chat, a private message system, chat sounds, "emoticons," colored text, and the ability to "float" the chat in a smaller window. Not only does the chat room work really well, but it’s fully integrated with our message boards, so there’s no need to register separately for the chat room. If you’re already logged into the message board, just click the Chat link at the top of the board and you’ll be taken directly to the chat room, with no need to log in a second time! If you haven’t logged into the message boards, just type your regular message board login and password to log into the chat room login screen.

What’s on our chat room schedule so far?
Sunday 4:00 pm ET (every other Sunday) – Gatherings & Meets Chat with Gatherings, Meets, & Group Trips forum Guide Beaner
Sunday 9:00 pm ET – Disney World Trivia with host JoeyCarioca
Monday 9:00 pm ET – Walt Disney World Chat – open chat, no host (yet)
Tuesday 8:00 pm ET – Disney Special Needs Chat with Special Needs forum Guide Laughaholic88
Wednesday 9:00 pm ET – Disneyland Chat – open chat, no host (yet)
Thursday 9:00 pm ET – Disney Cruise Chat – open chat, no host (yet)
All other times are open chat – come shoot the breeze with fellow members of the PassPorter community.


At the moment we’re planning to organize one or more "virtual meet" chats during the upcoming PassPorter Gathering (see above). If you couldn’t make it to the gathering, here’s your chance to enjoy the company of your fellow "PassPorters." Jennifer and I may even be on hand to report on the Gathering!

Where can you learn more about these chats? We’ve created a new forum in the message boards to go hand-in-hand with the chat room – The Back Fence: Chat News, Tips, & Help. This is where we’ll be announcing chat events, and where you can suggest chat topics and get help using the chat.

So, PassPorter Gathering, Countdown Timers, and a new Chat Room! And you wonder why we never get any sleep!

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Disney Feature:
Bringing Back the Magic on a Budget
Disney Souvenir Tips

by Maureen Austin
Guest Columnist, PassPorter Guide, and Disney Fan

On a recent trip to the World, my husband and I realized our souvenir budget was a little tighter than we would have liked.  We really wanted to bring back some special gifts for our kids and other family and friends at home but didn’t have an endless stream of Disney Dollars to do it!  After doing a little research and getting some help from other PassPorter community members, I became inspired to bring back lots of goodies and stick within our budget. Believe it or not, creativity struck as we were enjoying our time at Disney and what we thought might end up being an impossible chore became a fun mission -- almost as fun as searching for Hidden Mickeys. 

The first thing we did is made a list of all the folks we wanted to bring something back for and we included ourselves on this list. You know the old adage about sticking to your list in the grocery store? It certainly holds true here- and let’s face it -- there aren’t any double coupon days at Disney checkouts! Then we figured an amount per person as a guide. 

When we arrived at Disney with our list, safely tucked in a PassPocket of course, we first headed to the World of Disney at Downtown Disney.  As an Annual Passholder, I am entitled to a discount on purchases made there.  This brings us to our first rule of thumb: If you are a member of any particular club or program- like the AP (Annual Pass), Disney Vacation Club (Disney Vacation Club), or Disney Club (hey, it’s still working for another month and a half!) -- check to see where discounts on merchandise may be offered. Any savings is savings no matter how small it seems. 

We were able to check off about 10 people on our list at World of Disney. I picked up a 3-in-1 pack of souvenir coffees with Mickey and Crew on them for $7.50. And like magic, just breaking the package up covered three of my java loving co-workers. The tins were a little small of course, so when I put each tin in a red bag I picked up from the dollar store, I added a Mickey Chocolate bar in too. They were a huge hit! And I spent less than $4 a piece. Savings comes in multi-packaged items -- buy something that comes in assorted flavors, colors, and has multiple units in one package, such as Mickey-shaped candles or candy, etc. Then just break the package up and give them as separate gifts. If it’s got anything Disney on it, you can be sure it will be a hit!

We wandered into the Main Street Confectionary in the Magic Kingdom and found some unusual treats, such as orange marmalade. Since that is something that is not easily found here at home, we picked up a few jars at just $2.95 and shared them with friends. Not only were they a Walt Disney World souvenir, they were a Florida specialty too!

For a few of my college buddies, I wanted to bring back a souvenir from our resort, the Polynesian. With a few more dollar store gift bags, they were able to get the spirit of Aloha with a flower lei and some Hawaiian candy tucked inside (less than $7.00 total for each gift bag). We even tucked a napkin with the Polynesian logo on it -– just so the recipient knew where the gift came from!

Disney’s trading pins make terrific gifts and we were able to find some really special ones. They range in price but usually start from $6.00 so they fit the bill quite nicely as well!

Another great idea is to try and find a "special" version of the popular souvenirs like mugs or keychains. My husband and I were lucky enough to get a chance to experience Mission: SPACE during our July trip and when we were browsing the shop there, I came across a Mission:SPACE keychain that had the words "Preview Team 2003" on it. I knew some friends of ours wouldn’t be getting their Disney fix until mid 2004 and thought they might really enjoy a date marked item like this, so we picked those up as gifts for them. We also picked up some 2003 themed items like a mug and a glass, both for less than $ 10.00. That’s two more people we covered quite economically!

Yes, Virginia, there really is a clearance at Walt Disney World. If you have time, stop in as many shops as possible in the parks and resorts -- you may find some great deals. We stumbled on a great clearance rack at MouseGear in Epcot’s Future World. Hats, shirts, and books were all on sale for less than 50% of the original price. We were able to pick up a Mickey cap for a friend for $7.99 when we saw them in other stores for double that! You can also check the nearby outlets in Lake Buena Vista or on International Drive for some excellent deals on Disney merchandise.

Our neighbors were planning to visit Walt Disney World one month after our return, so I wanted to really do something special for them to give them a taste of the World and get them excited about their first trip to Disney. We gathered all the park maps, entertainment schedules, and a Hidden Mickey list from their resort and rolled them up like diplomas with ribbon. We also included a few candy items and a Mickey Mouse antenna topper to grace their car for the long drive down. Total cost? $5.94. The maps and printed items were free and the only thing we paid for was the topper and candy. They were thrilled with their special gift bag!

How did we do? I was eager to add up the receipts when we got home and the final tally was even better than we expected. Twenty-one gifts for family and friends for the amazing price of $145.67 -- a whopping $29 and change under budget! You can do it too -- just let your creativity (and a budget) be your guide!

Do you have money-saving ideas for souvenir shopping? Discuss this topic here.



 

 

 
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