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 In This Newsletter
From the Authors: MouseFest Bound!
Travel Girl: The Art of A Smooth Check In At Walt Disney World
Disney Feature: Veggie Dining At Disney: Counter Service
Updates: What's New and Changed
Tips: Send Us Your Tips!
Captain's Corner: Concierge Club
PassPorter PhotoPick: Rose Garden Near Cinderella Castle
Q and A: Where can we get a "real" breakfast at Disneyland?
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 is eliminating the fuel surcharge for all new bookings, thanks to lower fuel costs. For guests with existing reservations, an onboard credit will be offered for sailings following a quarter when the closing price of fuel was under $70 a barrel. So for example, if you are sailing in April 2009, Disney Cruise Line will determine what onboard credit will be received based on the price of fuel at the end of March 2009.
On Sunday, November 30, 2008, severe weather in Port Canaveral caused the main gangway for guests and crew members to board the Disney Wonder to collapse into the water. No injuries were reported. The ship was moved to a cargo pier to load the remaining passengers. The ship was an hour late leaving port.
Disney Theatrical Productions announced a "Kids Go Free" promotion for their Broadway shows. Buy a full priced adult ticket to see Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid, or The Lion King and get one under age 18 ticket for the same show FREE! This deal is available for all performances January 6-March 13, 2009. Visit DisneyKidsGoFree.com for details. Tickets must be purchased by December 12, 2008.
Have you booked a trip to Walt Disney World for 2009? Would you like to have Mickey announce the news to your children on Christmas Day, December 25? Visit MickeyHolidayCall.com to arrange for this. You will need your confirmation number and the phone number where you can be reached that day. You can even choose your greeting -- Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays!
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! Send us your tips! You may see them in this newsletter and win a copy of PassPorter! And you never know - your tip could even appear in a future edition of a PassPorter guidebook.
Note from the Editor: Yes, I know. Your beloved tips section seems somewhat, well, devoid of tips this week! With MouseFest looming, the tip section is on hiatus until we return. But send us your tips while we're gone and who knows -- you might be our next winner! So please ... send us your tips!
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. (Please note: Players can win once every 3 months.)
Here is this week's journal entry:
"My love Leota and I had a fabulous Thanksgiving. I took her to the Wilderness Lodge where we enjoyed a concierge-level room. We even had access to an exclusive 'club' where we found delicious snacks and delightful wine. We did enjoy that wine! I'm thinking about proposing to Leota ... should I do it, I wonder? And if I do, perhaps I should propose to her in that club? It's name is so appropriate!"
What is the name of the concierge lounge at the Wilderness Lodge?
For bonus credit, locate the photographic evidence in the PassPorter Photo Archive and post a comment with the photo!
Whoops! Captain Jack made a mistake last week and asked "Harambe is a (fictional) port in what (real) country?" The answer was East Africa except that, of course, East Africa is a region and not a country. Looks like the Captain was hitting the wine a little too hard at Thanksgiving dinner! No one answered East Africa but congratulations to vinsmom929 who was the winner of last week's trivia contest! Vinsmom was the first answer we received and she was close - her answer was Africa. Bonus credit goes to materstater as the first person to locate the photo in our PassPorter Photo Archive. To view the original clue, see last week's newsletter.
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!
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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:
Rose Garden Near Cinderella Castle
photo by leannabeth
(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.
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Q and A: With Jennifer and Dave
ashleyinwonderland55 asks: "I will be going to the Disneyland resort in December. On past trips I have always brought my own Breakfast bars. But the boys in our group want a "real breakfast." I know of a lot of places surrounding the park that we could eat at. But I would like to know if there are any places that any of you like to go to IN the park for breakfast. They don't really like sweets. So I am looking for a place where there is a hearty menu. Eggs, bacon, etc."
Dave answers: "Carnation Cafe is my favorite in-park breakfast in Disneyland park, but since all the seating is outside, happiness is weather-dependent. Another good choice is Cafe Orleans - plenty of hearty choices. At Disney's California Adventure I'd suggest the breakfast at Pacific Wharf Cafe (breakfast croissant, scrambled egg & bacon in a bread bowl, oatmeal), or the character breakfast at Ariel's Grotto."
Did our message board members agree with Dave? To see other answers that ashley received, check out the rest of the thread on the PassPorter Message Boards.
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 -- New Walt Disney World Offer -- Book 4 Nights, Get 3 Free!
MouseEarVacations.com -- 2009 Disney Cruise offer
Quicksilver Tours & Transportation -- $5.00 off airport round-trip town car
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From the Authors: MouseFest Bound!
Hi, {{user('firstname')}}!
Are you packing your bags for MouseFest, or are you just wishing we'd stop talking about it? Either way, your big moment is nearly here! Members of the PassPorter team will be heading down to Florida in just a few days to embark on the first step of the MouseFest journey, our four-night cruise on the Disney Wonder. For those of you who are joining us on the cruise and/or at Walt Disney World, we'll see you soon! And if you aren't joining us, you can enjoy MouseFest vicariously through a staggering number of blogs, message board posts, Twitter "tweets," podcasts... when 1,000 web-connected Disney fans go on vacation, the one thing we don't do is disconnect. Here at PassPorter, keep your eyes on our message boards, especially the MouseFest Corner , our Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line trip report forums, and our Real-Time Photo Trip Report forum.
PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2009 pre-orders have been mailed, and new orders are shipping on the next business day. Of course, even after packages have been mailed, they don't arrive at your doorstep instantaneously, especially during the holiday season. If you need an update on your shipment status, you can contact us via e-mail to orders@passporter.com or by toll-free phone at 877-929-3273 Mon-Fri, 9:00 am-6:00 pm ET).
MouseFest 2009
Will you be joining us this December 11th-15th at Walt Disney World and/or on the December 7th-11th Disney Wonder cruise for MouseFest? This 'grand gathering' of Disney online communities, podcasters, bloggers, webmasters, and authors has become a holiday season tradition for many of us, and keeps getting bigger and better every year! If you already have plans to be on the Disney Wonder and/or at Walt Disney World at the same time as MouseFest, definitely check it out. There are all sorts of free activities, and you'll be able to meet a whole lot of really great folks who share your passion for all things Disney.
The MouseFest schedule of events is online over at MouseFest.org. Nearly 950 people have registered, including many members of the PassPorter message board community. While registration is now closed, nearly every event is open to the public at no charge (do watch for RSVP requests from the event hosts, though), so you can still sample the MouseFest fun (maybe you'll register officially next year!). Many PassPorter message board Guides will also be on hand, and folks from PassPorter are organizing a bunch of great events to share with everyone who attends. Come on by MouseFest Corner at our message boards to see what your fellow 'PassPorters' are planning, and get a chance to get acquainted.
PassPorter's Decade of Dreams
PassPorter's Decade of Dreams Tour is going to Disneyland for the Backstage Magic Adventures by Disney on October 13-18, 2009! Our Adventures by Disney package is 6 days/5 nights of VIP treatment -- we'll visit Hollywood landmarks, see how the magic is made at Walt Disney Imagineering, eat lunch on the lot at the Walt Disney Studios, and get a peak behind the fantasy at the Disneyland(R) Resort. The price includes an exclusive group discount and there is an early booking bonus of a $75 Disney Gift Card for the first 10 bookings from our Decade of Dreams travel provider, Mouse Fan Travel. Get all the details, a day-by-day itinerary, and prices at the Decade of Dreams Tour Headquarters. This also means we have selected the dates for the Decade of Dreams Tour visit to Disneyland! Tour festivities at Disneyland will begin on Friday, October 16, 2009 and will continue through Tuesday, October 20. Stay tuned for the schedule of events!
What is 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 1450 vacationers are now enjoying access to all our e-books, e-worksheets, and super-sized photo archive images.Thank you for your continued support!
Passholders have a new benefit: Passholders have another new benefit: Unlimited photo uploading to their personal photo albums (non-passholders have a limit of 100 photos). To access your personal photo album, log in, click My Home, and click the Pictures & Albums link.
More details at http://www.passporter.com/club
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In this issue, PassPorter Guest Columnist Justine Fellows explores The Art of a Smooth Check-in at Walt Disney World. Then, Featured Columnist Cheryl Pendry begins a multi-part exploration of Veggie Dining at Disney with a report on Counter Service restaurants. Finally, Jack Skatt is back with a brand-new Walt Disney World Treasure Hunt.
Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Authors
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Did You Know?
MEI & Mouse Fan Travel is the
Official Travel Planner for
PassPorter's Decade of Dreams
*Offer is limited, subject to availability and restrictions apply - CST207807440
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Travel Girl's™ Tips for Disney World Podcasts:
The Art of A Smooth Check-in At Walt Disney World
by Justine Fellows, PassPorter Guest Contributor and Host of Travel Girl podcasts
So I have to think about checking in? Is it not enough that I have planned for hours, reserved dining, memorized the maps, pre-purchased the park tickets? I know, sounds crazy, but you have to trust me on this one - checking in the right way can make the difference between a smooth, problem free trip and one struck with issues. Here's the biggest problem when you check in to any hotel- you're excited and in a rush! Who wouldn't be? You've just tackled car rides, plane trips with screaming children, shuttle rides, baggage lugging, stroller collapsing, juice spilling, hours of travel, and you are psyched! You made it, you're still alive and you only lost one child for a brief moment. You are ready to rip off the tags of your brand new shorts, don your favorite Mickey tee, slap on the sunscreen and head out. STOP!!!
Trust me. Take a breath. Hold out the anticipation for just a few more minutes. Plunk your spouse and the kids in front of the Disney movies in the lobby and prepare to spend some time perfecting your trip, this is the last step in a perfectly planned out vacation. Here's what you need to do:
1. Have your paperwork ready, including hotel confirmation numbers, any requests you made such as a crib in your room, your park tickets if they do not come with your package, your list of dining reservations, activity reservations, and any special events.
2. Start at check-in. Make sure to verify everything -- dates, room location, will they be sending the crib, has your luggage arrived and if not, when should you expect it. Make sure that your Keys to the World - your hotel keys that look like a credit card - include everything in your package, hotel room, dining plan, and park tickets. You also have charging capabilities on this card so make sure to check the limit and set a limit for your children old enough to go off on their own. REMEMBER that you must have all cards when you head to the parks - Park tickets are on each individual card.
3. Next stop, lobby concierge. Don't do it later, trust me, just get it all over with. At the lobby concierge desk have them print the list of your dining reservations - make sure they are all correct. Pick up any event tickets such as Hoop Dee Doo Revue. Get maps, park times, and the resorts calendar of events. There may be a craft activity for the kids or movie on the beach that you otherwise wouldn't know about. Ask for any coloring books, stickers, and hidden Mickey hunts that they might have to keep the wee ones amused.
4. If it is your first time to the resort have them explain the transportation options, find out where the bus stops are and make sure to take a map to find your way around.
5. If you bought your park tickets separately, concierge can put the tickets right onto your Key to the World to make it more convenient.
6. Lastly, ask any questions that you may have, the lobby concierge staff will be your best friends throughout the trip!
I know that not rushing to your room or out to the pool may be VERY difficult but I promise you, careful and thoughtful check-in is the last step to planning a perfect Disney World vacation!
About the Author: Justine, the author of PassPorter's Disney Speed Planner: The Easy Ten-Step Program, works in education in Connecticut. She is also the host of Travel Girl's(TM) Tips for Disney World podcasts
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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! |
Did You Know?
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Valid on new bookings only. Other restrictions may apply - see website for complete details.
CST2058090-40 www.MouseEarVacations.com 800-886-8601
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Disney Feature:
Veggie Dining At Disney: Counter Service Locations
by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Featured Columnist
As a non-meat eater, I scour guidebooks with interest whenever we're planning travel abroad to see how well our destination(s) cater to those of us who don't eat steaks or hamburgers. Fortunately it's very rarely an issue these days, with more and more people choosing to steer away from meat - and Disney is no exception to that rule.
We're blessed to have a huge selection of dining options at Walt Disney World Resort, from wonderful table service restaurants serving everything from exquisite romantic meals to character buffets, to a huge choice of counter service options, and carts selling snacks throughout the parks.
That's perhaps been one of the biggest changes in recent years. Those carts would, once upon a time, just have sold sweet treats, such as the famous Mickey bars, but now they're a wonderful opportunity to grab a healthy treat, such as fresh fruit, which can be exceptionally refreshing in the Florida heat.
When it comes to counter service places to eat, there are still plenty of non-meat options, despite the omnipresent burgers that, at first glance, seem to be available everywhere! The beauty is that Disney has changed what's on offer in recent years, partially to become more health conscious, but it's also benefited vegetarians, who've seen the range of options open to them expand.
We'll start our survey of counter service establishments with a stroll around the Magic Kingdom. You can find excellent vegetarian burgers at both Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe and Pecos Bill Cafe. These are both much better than the cardboard style veggie burgers you may have tasted elsewhere, and Pecos Bill has the added attraction of a wonderful fixins' bar. If burgers don't appeal, Cosmic Ray's also offers a vegetarian wrap.
Perhaps the best non-meat counter service choices in the Magic Kingdom can be found at Columbia Harbour House. If you eat fish, you'll be in heaven with clam chowder, which is exceptionally good, a fried fish basket that's not bad, and the Anchors Aweigh Sandwich, made up of tuna, all on the menu. True veggies will also find plenty, with a lighthouse sandwich, made up with hummus, tomato and broccoli slaw, and a tasty vegetarian chili.
On our most recent visit, we also discovered Pinocchio Village Haus, where the vegetable pizza with salad was a great find. There's also a cheese-only option, and you can have it with or without salad.
Epcot is traditionally the best park when it comes to dining and it's no exception when it comes to vegetarian options. You'll certainly find the widest variety here, with options from various countries around the World Showcase and some offerings in Future World. If you enjoy more unusual food, then make a beeline for the Tangierine Cafe in Morocco, where you can sample some superb dishes, generally based around the national dish, couscous. There are vegetarian Mediterranean wrap with Couscous salad, while the vegetarian platter is also served with couscous salad.
Nearby in Japan, Yakitori House serves up miso soup, a favorite of ours, and fish eaters will be in paradise with sushi, Tokyo rolls, and shrimp udon on offer; all great tasting and filling meals. Staying in the Far East, vegetarian stir fry is available with steamed rice at the Lotus Blossom Cafe in China and there are more Asian offerings at Sunshine Seasons Food Fair in The Land pavilion in Future World, perhaps one of the best choices in the park for non-meat eaters. There's always a vegetarian entree in the Asian section of this counter service eatery and you can also get a roasted beet and goat cheese salad, as well as a grilled vegetable Cuban sandwich.
At Disney's Hollywood Studios I used to dread having to find something I could eat at counter service places, but fortunately the selection there has improved dramatically in recent years. OK, so you're not going to find anything as unusual as in Epcot, but then again, you wouldn't expect to. Sure bets include cheese pizza at Catalina Eddie's and Toy Story Pizza Planet, where you can pick up a cheese pizza or the slightly more exciting veggie pizza, which comes complete with mushrooms, peppers and onions - now that's more like it! Perhaps even more exciting is the addition of a vegetarian cheeseburger to the line-up at Rosie's All American Cafe, although my vote still goes to the veggie burgers at the Magic Kingdom.
Once again, you perhaps expect more from Disney's Animal Kingdom but sadly, even with recent dining changes there, the result is disappointing. Yes, there is cheese pizza from Pizzafari and veggie burgers from Restaurantosaurus, but that's about it, ever since Tusker House became a table service restaurant throughout the day. It's a shame, as this was always my usual standby for a good light meal while in the park.
In the next installment, we'll take a look at some of the better choices for table service dining if there are vegetarians or non-meat eaters in your party. However, even if you never set foot in one of Disney's restaurants during your vacation, it's clear there is plenty for everyone to enjoy from counter service places - sometimes it's just a case of knowing where to look.
And remember, don't be afraid to ask whether it's possible to have a different option if you like the look of something. On many occasions, I've asked if I could have the Caesar salad without chicken and, nine times out of ten, it's no problem at all. This is Disney after all, where customer service comes first.
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 been to Disneyland Resort Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland and both American Disney resorts. They are now planning for their trip to Japan in the spring to visit the Tokyo Disney Resort.
- - - - - - - - - - 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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