December 14, 2006 * Issue 6.48 |
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In
This Newsletter
From the Authors:
Cruise Guides, Free Shipping, MouseFest, and Laugh Floor Comedy Club
Travel Feature:
Oslo, Norway
Disney Feature: Sneak Peek at The Laugh Floor Comedy Club
Updates: What's
New and Changed
Tips:
TV Trick, Perfect Postcards, Moving On Main Street
Captain's Corner: Science Center
Q&A: Is
it acceptable to tip Cast Members?
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Updates:
What's
New and Changed
Here are a few items of relevant news:
Christmas Day Services will be held on Monday,
December 25 in the Fantasia Ballroom of Disney's Contemporary Resort. Catholic
Mass will be held at 8:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. with a Protestant Service in
between at 9:00 a.m.
The Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club will be open January 19 - 21,
2007 for a special sneak preview for Disney Vacation Club members and their
guests. Just present your Member ID to the Cast Member to this attraction housed
in the former Timekeeper space in Tomorrowland. (The show is also currently in
"Test and Preview" - see Dave's report elsewhere in this newsletter.)
Is a Walt Disney World vacation going to be under the tree this year? Have
Mickey call your family and make the announcement! If you've already booked your
trip or will be booking by December 27, visit
MickeyHolidayCall.com to
arrange for the call. Your date of birth, reservation number and the phone
number to contact you at on December 25 is required.
Our thanks to AllEarsNet.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:
TV TRICK
"After experiencing some noise while trying to go to sleep our first night
in our resort, we came up with a little trick we used the rest of our trip. we
turned our TV on to an inactive channel (we used 999) and turned the volume up
to a comfortable level for the "white noise" the static provided. Then we closed
the doors to the armoire to hide the light from the TV. If you need a night
light, just turn the Lazy Susan under the TV so you can't see the screen, for a soft glow
for-middle-of-the-night restroom trips. We all slept soundly until Mickey gave
us our wake-up call each morning."
-- contributed by Lisa H.
PERFECT POSTCARDS
"Early in my trip I buy lots of postcards of the characters I like best and
of various attractions throughout the park. When we find characters who are
giving autographs, I ask them to sign their corresponding postcard. A friend
back home loves Tigger the best, so after Tigger signs his postcard, I send it
to my friend--as if Tigger is writing to her! I use the postcards of the
attractions to keep a "journal" or "trip report" notes. Your PassPockets will be
the perfect place to keep those postcards handy throughout the day."
-- contributed by Marnie W.
MOVING ON MAIN STREET
"If it's really crowded on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, a quicker
way to walk is through the stores along Main Street. They are all connected and
travel all the way to the tip board at the end of Main Street."
-- contributed by
Rick G.
>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 new 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 had a rousing good time meeting many old and new friends at the Dolphin Resort this past weekend for MouseFest.
Between that and my recent stints at the Adventurers Club, I find myself in need of a wee bit of recuperation. I've always
heard that laughter is the best medicine, so I'm now on the lookout for a comedy club of some sort. My old pal Roz told
me about a new one opening soon in the old Science Center.
Where is the new comedy club opening and what is the full name of the "old science center?"
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 Tammy Rea who was
the winner of last week's treasure hunt game! Tammy correctly identified
the resort the Captain was looking for as The Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort. To view the original clues, 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
Skatt. The new "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World" book
is now available! You can order the book today at http://www.passporterstore.com.
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Q
& A:
With Jennifer and Dave
nanpchef asks:
"The last time we were
at Walt Disney World, there were several Cast Members that went out of their
way to make our trip special. Besides sending a note to Disney saying what a
great job they are doing (did this), is there something else we can do for them?
I thought I saw something about them not being able to accept monetary tips.
What about some kind of relatively inexpensive gift certificate?"
Dave & Jennifer answer:
"Officially, Cast Members in
non-tipping job classifications are required to refuse any kind of gift. Things
like pins and similar low-value tokens of esteem aren't likely to get anyone
into trouble, but gift cards can have some real cash value and many don't have a
denomination printed on them, so supervisors may just choose to think the worst
of a Cast Member that accepts one. Most gift cards are worth at least $5. A $5 tip to,
say, the Cast Member at a restaurant podium (for assigning a nice table, let's say),
would definitely be unacceptable, as would a $5 tip to a bus driver for making
an unscheduled stop. That's precisely the kind of thing that Walt wanted to
prohibit when he created his no-tipping policy. Magic shouldn't be doled out
only to those who look prosperous enough to hand out a big tip in gratitude.
People are "guests," not "customers," partly to drive-home to cast that all
guests are entitled to the same quality of hospitality ("customers'" value tends
to be measured in dollars).
By far, the best "tip" is a letter of commendation to management. Disney keeps
track of that sort of thing and rewards Cast Members for it. Other gifts can actually
endanger a Cast Member's employment -- not exactly the reward you had in mind."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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Future
Newsletters:
Want
To See Your Name in Print?
PassPorter News is now published
weekly, and this means we need more articles than ever! 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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From
the Authors: Cruise Guides, Free Shipping, MouseFest, and Laugh Floor Comedy Club
Hi, {{user("firstname")}}!
We're bursting with news this week:
1. The new edition of PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line guidebook
is now available for pre-order and is expected
to arrive around January 22, 2007. The new edition is 320 pages (our longest yet!) with in-depth information on all 2007 ports, including the
new Mediterranean ports. As an added bonus, readers who pre-order the guidebook through us will receive the Mediterranean
cruise sections (over 70 pages) in a preview PDF file as an immediate download.
2. We're offering FREE SHIPPING for orders over $10 in the PassPorter Store at http://www.passporterstore.com/store from now to Monday, Dec. 18 at midnight Eastern Time.
This offer is only available for orders placed online through this store or through our toll-free number 877-929-3273 (open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm).
Orders qualifying for free shipping will ship via first class mail (for orders under 1 lb.) or Priority Mail/UPS Ground (for orders over 1 lb.)
which is what we estimate are the best domestic shipping methods for arrival in time for Christmas. If you need expedited shipping, please indicate that in the comments section and we will contact you with the extra charges.
3. MouseFest 2006--It was more than a year in the making, and all
of a sudden, it's all over! MouseFest 2006 - the four-night cruise on the Disney
Wonder, the five days of meets and merriment at Walt Disney World - has come to
a close. It'll take us a while to sort out all our wonderful memories and share
some of them with you. The great news is that this was definitely the best
MouseFest yet (practice makes perfect). Everyone we met was having a wonderful
time, all the events went smoothly, and despite the largest turn-out yet,
everyone was able to get up-close and personal with all the many notables in
attendance. We had a great turn-out from the PassPorter community, and gave out
oodles of our new "PassPorter Pal" cloisonné pins to folks we met carrying
PassPorters and/or wearing PassPorter Pouches, pins, buttons, lanyards... or
attending PassPorter-hosted meets.
While we have so many people to thank -- the
many communities, web sites, authors, podcasters, sponsors, and exhibitors who
put so much time into making this event a huge success -- we want to make special
notice here of several members of the PassPorter community who made a special
mark. First and foremost, we want to thank this newsletter's editor, Sara
Varney, who put in sterling service as Volunteer Coordinator for the Mega Mouse
Meet. PassPorter Guide Debbie Wright (Debe) not only thought-up and hosted the
first annual Christmas Ornament Exchange, she also made stained glass ornaments
for each person that attended! LauraBelle Hime volunteered her time as a greeter during Mega Mouse Meet. And finally, special thanks to PassPorter Guide
Carol Ray (ripkensnana), who volunteered to slip each day's MouseFest Navigator
under the doors of MouseFest cruisers and manned the PassPorter table to help answer questions about
PassPorter and the PassPorter community. Our thanks to all!
4. We were fortunate enough to be passing through Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom when a special preview showing of Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club opened up! See Dave's report of
our sneak peek later in this newsletter!
In other happy news,
PassPorter Walt Disney
World 2007 is in stock and orders from the PassPorter Store are shipping on the next
business day. Place your order today at
our online store. And don't forget to use the 20% off coupon code at
the bottom of this issue of PassPorter News!
In this issue of the newsletter veteran
contributor Cheryl Pendry takes us on a delightful tour of
Oslo, Norway while
and PassPorter Author Dave Marx gives you a taste of the new Monsters Inc Laugh Floor Comedy Club. Enjoy!
Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Authors |
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Did You Know?
Great Cruise Rates are available at
MouseEarVacations.com!
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Travel
Feature:
Oslo, Norway by
Cheryl Pendry, Guest Contributor and PassPorter Message Board Guide
Norway
is a country that Walt Disney World fans will already be familiar with from
visits to Epcot's World Showcase and that's exactly where my fascination with
Norway started.
As we walked around the pavilion on our honeymoon, marvelling at the beautiful
replica buildings of a fishing village outside and enjoying Maelstrom with its
journey into a world of trolls, Vikings, polar bears and oil exploration, I knew
this was somewhere we had to visit.
Norway is a
huge country, with so much to see. It stretches more than 1,000 miles from the
Arctic circle, making it one of the largest countries in Europe. Bordered by the
North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and even the Arctic Sea; it's also home to
breathtaking fjords, long and narrow ocean inlets that can be just as deep as
the mountains surrounding them. They were created in the last Ice Age by
glaciers that gouged out steep crevices in the landscape. When the ice finally
receded, water burst in and filled the space left behind.
Of the four
and a half million Norwegians, around 500,000 live in the capital city of Oslo
towards the south end of the country, and that's where we decided to head. Apart
from the height of winter, Oslo shares fairly similar temperatures with Britain,
hitting highs in the summer that are into the 70's and getting up into the 50's
in spring and autumn. Tempting though it was to go in mid-winter and see the
Norway at its coldest, we opted for the height of summer and managed to hit a
heat wave, which regularly saw temperatures up in the 90's. Wandering around
Oslo in shorts was not an experience I ever thought we'd enjoy, but it was a
very pleasant surprise!
One of the
beauties of visiting Oslo in the summer is the daylight. Because it's so far
north, it doesn't start to get dark until around 9pm at night and even in the
early hours of the morning, it's never pitch black, which gives you lots of time
to be out and about, getting all the photos you could ever want of the city.
There is
certainly plenty to see, although much of it is outside the city itself. The two
biggest attractions in Oslo are in Bygdoy, which means the inhabited island.
It's across the harbour from Oslo and ferries take you there during the summer
months, while a bus service runs year round. The place is home to the
Vikingskipshuset (Viking Ship Museum), which is where you will be able to see
some of the original Viking ships, dating from the ninth century, which have
been excavated from farmland. These ships were used to transport the bodies of
high-ranking Vikings on their last journey to the kingdom of the dead and it's
amazing how much of these boats have been preserved. Considering that they're
over 1,000 years old, about 90% of the Oseberg ship is still original wood!
Nearby is the
Norsk Folkesmuseum, Europe's largest open-air museum, which celebrates Norwegian
life. As you walk around this massive site, you'll see more than 150 buildings
that have been reconstructed from all over Norway, showing you how life used to
be in towns, farming and fishing communities. The most striking exhibit here is
the Gol Stave Church, originally built in 1200 and is immediately familiar to
Disney visitors, as this was the model for the Stave Church in Epcot's World
Showcase.
To the north
of the city is the striking Vigelandsparken, Oslo's largest park, named after
the sculptor Gustav Vigeland and packed with 212 of his sculptures. It's a
stunning sight and well worth the tram or train ride out there. Public transport
in Oslo is not only reliable; it's also very easy to use.
In the city
itself, star attractions include another part of Norwegian life from Epcot, Akershus castle. OK, so in Oslo, the Disney Princesses don't dine here, but you
will be able to explore a castle that has a history of more than 700 years and
is still used today for state functions. It also offers some breathtaking views
across the harbour.
The City Hall
(Radhuset) is also well worth a visit. It's where the Nobel Peace Prize is
presented every December and although this was only opened in 1950, it's hard to
remember that when you walk around, as it's so richly decorated. It's like
stepping into a castle or a Royal residence.
Close by is
the beautiful harbor-side development of Aker Brygge. But be warned -- this is
Oslo and Norway's downfall. It's an exceptionally expensive country to visit. I
had been warned by friends about how pricey food and drink would be and I
thought they were joking. Unfortunately for us, they weren't. It's very
difficult to eat cheaply here and any visitor needs to budget accordingly.
One other
thing that should go into your budget is a cruise into the fjords. We took an
evening cruise from Oslo, which included a seafood buffet, and within a few
minutes of leaving Oslo harbour, it was as if we had entered another world --
peaceful and beautiful. By the end of the evening I could understand why so
many cruise ships offer trips along the Norwegian fjords. It really is one of
the world's most amazing sights.
There is so
much to see and do in Oslo that it's hard to pack it all in. We had three days
here and we came away feeling that wasn't quite enough time. But then again,
it's a place that has a history dating back more than 1,000 years to the time of
the Vikings, so perhaps it's no surprise that today it's a city packed with
opportunities for visitors.
About the Author:
Cheryl
and husband Mark live in England
and love to travel, particularly to America and around Europe. They aim to visit
a capital city of a different country every year and of the Scandinavian
countries, have so far visited Oslo, Stockholm in Sweden and Helsinki in
Finland.
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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.
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Disney Feature:
Sneak Peek at The Laugh Floor Comedy Club by
Dave Marx, PassPorter Author
Walt Disney World's newest attraction, The Laugh Floor Comedy Club at Magic
Kingdom, is scheduled to open in early 2007. That doesn't stop folks from
hoping to get a sneak peek at the attraction now (see our Updates). On our recently
concluded visit to Walt Disney World for MouseFest, we learned that the show
is in active rehearsal, and is occasionally opening for public "tests."
Since MouseFest had wrapped up on Monday evening, we had scheduled one "off"
day for ourselves on Tuesday before heading home, and because we wanted to
spend that day in Magic Kingdom, we decided to swing through Tomorrowland to
see if we might get a lucky look at Imagineering's latest.
Just how lucky were we? Soon after we arrived outside the theater (new signs
for the attraction proclaim that it's coming soon) the doors opened and a
throng of guests issued forth including, as it turned out, several old
friends from the RADP online community. They gave us a brief, enthusiastic
review of the new attraction, and someone managed to learn that another
public test would take place in about 45 minutes! We took care of our
rumbling tummies and returned about 35 minutes later, prepared to camp out
on the doorstep. After about 15 minutes without a hint of activity, Jennifer
headed off with Alexander and his Grandma Carolyn to try to get him a haircut at the Harmony Barber
Shop on Main Street. I stayed behind, and about ten minutes later was
rewarded for my sloth when the doors opened and Cast Members emerged to
invite nearby guests to try out the attraction. A minute later my cell phone
rang - Jennifer wanted an update. I told her I had just gone inside, and she
must have had some help from Tinker Bell, because within a few minutes we
were reunited in the pre-show area.
The Laugh Floor Comedy Club is based on Disney-Pixar's Monsters, Inc.
Located in the same space occupied by Timekeeper in the Tomorrowland Metropolis Science Center, hosts
Mike Wazowski and the always-sour Roz are on hand to generate the laughs
that now power the city of Monstropolis. Mike introduces three would-be
comedians (four, if you count heads, three if you count bodies), who take
their turn trying to tickle our funny bones and fill the canister full of
laugh energy. The attraction is the latest evolution of the concept found in Turtle Talk
with Crush at Epcot's The Seas with Nemo and Friends (and at Disney
California Adventure's Disney Animation attraction).
The new show's pre-show area has been redecorated, but still resembles the
pre-show area for Timekeeper. On the walls, in place of the technical
diagrams of Nine-Eye and the time machine are technical diagrams that
explain the laugh energy-capture process. A bulletin board on the left-hand
wall includes reviews of past comedy acts (definitely take the time to read
this). Video screens play animated messages that set the stage for the
attraction, including an invitation to guests to "text" jokes to Mike and
Roz via cell phone (text to 42319, start your text with MIKE or ROZ and
include your name and hometown; normal text messaging charges apply). Your
joke may not be included in the show you view (or at all). The
guest-supplied jokes we heard came from people in places like Glendale
(California), suggesting that Imagineers were submitting some or most of the
"texted" jokes.
The theater doors opened, and we entered a totally-revamped theater. At the
front of the theater is a large, central screen flanked by two smaller
screens. In place of the level, seat-less Circlevision theater setup from
Timekeeper, we found a traditional theater with a sloping floor and row upon
row of bench-style seats facing the stage. The grating voice of Roz
"encourages" guests to move all the way down to the end of the row. This is
one case where nobody would dare disobey! The seats are less than comfy,
made of plastic with no body-accommodating curves, just flat slab seat
bottoms and seat backs with barely-rounded curves at the corners. The seat
bottoms are also a bit higher than normal for no apparent reason, so your
legs are more likely to dangle than stretch out. Perhaps it's just that
monsters need slightly different seating than the humans that will be
present for most shows?
Like Turtle Talk with Crush and the early prototype "Talk to Stitch" at
Disneyland's Innoventions, the attraction is a combination of live
performance and real-time, computer-generated animation. Live performers
back stage provide the voices (two actors provide all six voices, according
to our sources), and the on-screen movements of the computer-generated
characters are influenced by the live performer's own actions, especially
their lip movements (getting a computer-generated character to move its lips
convincingly while an actor ad-libs dialog is no mean feat). As with Crush,
a cast member circulates about the audience with a microphone and the
characters on screen interview the guests. Another twist is added to this
show, as there are now video cameras trained on the audience so we can see
the guests being interviewed or otherwise incorporated into the act.
The show moves along briskly, with Mike Wazowski introducing comedy acts,
Roz dropping them down a trap door if/when they bomb, and the acts
themselves doing their best to get laughs. This is live comedy folks, and
Disney has drawn upon its extensive experience with live, improvisational
comedy to make things work. Cast members have been recruited from Pleasure
Island's Adventurers Club and Comedy Warehouse, and no doubt from among the
many "Streetmosphere" performers in the parks. Based on our preview, though,
the cast has been given an especially tough job. The entire show runs about
ten minutes, which is precious little time for any comedian to warm-up and
amuse an audience. Clearly, Disney's show producers and writers recognize
this. Following the show, an Imagineer came out and asked several questions
regarding the various comedy acts - which did we like best, which needed the
most work, etc. There was also a small army of Imagineers at the back of the
theater throughout the show, taking notes.
All in all, I'm cautiously optimistic about this show. Yes, as with any live
comedy show, there will be times when none of the jokes connect, and other
times when folks will be rolling in the aisles. Speaking as a long-time fan
of the Adventurers Club, where they've been putting on essentially the same
show with only gradual evolutionary changes for many years, I'm sure
Disney's cast members can pull it off. Repeat visitors will learn the show
nearly by heart, and will savor the subtle and not-so-subtle changes that
come with each new, live performance. I'm looking forward to seeing this
again, the next time we're down at Walt Disney World!
About the Author: Dave Marx is the co-author of many PassPorter travel guides, including the bestselling, award-winning "PassPorter Walt Disney World."
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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.
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