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 In This Newsletter
From the Authors: Holiday Wishes!
Travel Feature: Dining Review: Serendipity 3
Disney Feature: Japan Pavilion
Updates: What's New and Changed
Tips: Happy Holidays!, Playground Priorities, Tree Lighting Tip
Captain's Corner: Unusual Sculpture
PassPorter PhotoPick: Wishes Fireworks Over Cinderella Castle
Q and A: Has anyone heard about a new Disney Villains-themed park?
Our Sponsors: We Recommend...
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Updates:
What's New and Changed
Here are a few items of relevant news:
From MousePlanet.com: Walt Disney World has settled a lawsuit regarding the use of personal Segways in the theme parks. Disney can continue to ban the use of personal Segways on Disney property but is developing their own four-wheeled, electric powered vehicle that is used while standing. For more details, check out www.MousePlanet.com.
PassPorter News Editor Sara Varney honored by Disney! (Ok, not really but the video is pretty cool! Send it to your friends after watching.)
The New Year's Eve Disney Wonder Cruise has had a change in its itinerary. The new schedule is January 1 - At Sea, January 2 - Nassau, January 3 - Castaway Cay.
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.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
"During our last trip to Walt Disney World, we purchased some Christmas cards. We then had the characters sign the cards instead of an autograph book or postcards. We sent these to friends and family as Christmas cards. Everyone loved them. The characters all had a great time signing the cards and it led to some fun interaction with them, too."
-- contributed by Cheryl F.
PLAYGROUND PRIORITIES
"Many of us love to spend hours and hours planning our trips - for me that's part of the fun. However after all that "work" you want your touring plans to be successful. One big mistake I made was underestimating the time needed for the "playgrounds." At Disney's Hollywood Studios there is the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground and at Animal Kingdom there is the Boneyard. Kids need an opportunity to just be kids and the playgrounds provide a place for them to run around and let off steam. I wanted to rush my kids through these attractions but they were having such a good time I didn't have the heart to. We ended up missing the Nemo show but it didn't matter because we were having fun and that is what it is all about."
--contributed by Meryl H.
TREE LIGHTING TIP
"During the holidays, if you want to watch the holiday tree lighting at Epcot, but don't want to stand in a crowd, go to the backside of the tree. You won't get to see the characters perform, but you can hear them fine. When the bus pulls up with the characters on, you will have a front row seat to wave and snap some good photos of all your favorites."
--contributed by Nicole B.
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 three months.)
Here is this week's journal entry:
"I'm taking a week off from my usual treasure hunting activities in honor of the holidays. But that hasn't stopped me from going through my notes and photos. Today I found this unusual sculpture of Mickey Mouse, but I can't quite place it. I wonder where it is."
Click image for a larger version
Where will you find this unusual sculpture of Mickey Mouse?
For bonus credit, locate the photographic evidence in the PassPorter Photo Archive and post a comment with the photo!
Congratulations to kkbeaton2 who was the winner of last week's trivia contest! kkbeaton2 was the first person to identify the legendary relative of Donald Duck as Cornelius Coot. Bonus credit also goes to kkbeaton2 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:
Wishes Fireworks Over Cinderella Castle
photo by lukeandbrookesmom
(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
emejeris asks: "Has anyone heard that there is a plan to build a new theme park between Magic Kingdom and Epcot that was themed for the Disney Villains? I heard it was set for 2012. I found out from a Disney employee that I was sitting next to in first class on a flight."
Dave answers: "There will probably always be rumors to this effect. Before villains, it was the "Beastly Kingdom" concept -- a land at Animal Kingdom (look for the dragon in the Animal Kingdom logo, and you'll have the most concrete evidence available). If such a land wasn't built, what are the chances it would grow to be a park? One can argue that Disney delivered on that promise with the construction of a single ride, Expedition: Everest, which features another fearsome, mythological beastie.
I wouldn't even peg an extreme ride park as a big public desire. U.S. theme park attendance figures show that Islands of Adventure, the highest-ranked "extreme ride" park, is #9. Knott's Berry Farm has its share of big rides... #13. Legendary coaster park Cedar Point is #16. The highest-ranked Six Flags park comes in at #19. None of those are really thrill-only parks, they simply have a higher percentage of big thrill rides than Disney's parks have (and the biggest rides tend to be more extreme than Disney's biggest rides). If you add-up the attendance at all four of those parks, it just barely matches the #3 U.S. park, "boring old" Epcot, and doesn't come close to either #1 or #2 - Magic Kingdom and Disneyland park.
Quite honestly, the villains theme has already passed its peak, and while "pirates" isn't on the way out, it long ago supplanted villains in the minds of park-goers.
Meanwhile, Disney Parks and Resorts is spending several bundles on the re-making of Disney's California Adventure and the construction of two cruise ships, plus a smaller bundle in Hawaii on a free-standing resort. Capital spending approvals on such a project would require public disclosure to Disney's shareholders. There's far more evidence for a "third gate" at Disneyland (perhaps sometime in the next 5-7 years). Further, there are many different governmental approvals needed for the construction of a theme park (folks carefully watch the Reedy Creek Improvement District and other governmental agencies for Disney filings). It doesn't seem likely that a project as large as a park could be no more than a rumor three years out.
Maybe it'll be 2022, if ever, before we see a new major park in Orlando. Much more likely are smaller, incremental projects (new attractions, perhaps a minor park on the scale of the water parks, etc.)."
Did our message board members agree with Dave? To see other answers that emejeris 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):
MouseEarVacations.com -- Free $150 Gift Card with Disneyland Stay!
Mouse Fan Travel -- Adventures by Disney: Backstage Magic!
All Star Vacation Homes -- Choose from more than 150 homes within 4 miles of Disney
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From the Authors: Holiday Wishes!
Hi, {{user('firstname')}}!
'Tis the busiest week of Walt Disney World's year, and while many of us can't help but be jealous of those who are in Orlando or Anaheim celebrating the season in Disney style, there is something to be said for a somewhat quieter, less-crowded ringing-in of the new year. Whether yours will be an explosive, fireworks-filled New Year's Eve, or an intimate gathering punctuated by a single popping champagne cork, we wish you a very happy holiday and a wonderful start to the new year.
Free E-Book Offer!
To help you start off your 2009 travel planning in style, we're offering a FREE copy of our newly updated e-book, PassPorter's Disney 500 (see below) with the purchase of a PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2009 guidebook (any format) in our PassPorter Store online between Tuesday, December 30, 2008 and Saturday, January 10, 2009. The e-book will be available for your immediate download after purchase, so you can get started planning while you wait for your 2009 edition to arrive! Order at http://www.passporrterstore.com/store/2009.aspx now!
Updated Versions of Two of our Most Popular E-Books!
We ring-in the new year with updated versions of PassPorter's Disney Speed Planner: The Easy Ten-Step Program and PassPorter's Disney 500: Fast Tips for Walt Disney World Trips. These e-books are chock-full of great advice, at a really, really great price. Each can be downloaded for $4.95 or less, and are available at no extra charge for all current members of PassPorter's Club and to anyone who previously purchased one (or both) of these books at our online store (Club members can download in the club area, and previous purchasers can sign in to the PassPorter Store, find the purchase in their order history, and download again).
Last Call on the Decade of Dreams Cruise!
Have you been considering the 7-night Decade of Dreams Tour cruise sailing April 25, 2009 on the Disney Magic? If so, don't let the ship sail without you! The special-rate cruise packages available through Mouse Fan Travel, official travel provider for the Decade of Dreams Tour, expire in just a couple of days! Need we say more?
Can't cruise with us? There are many other stops on the Decade of Dreams Tour, and we'd love to have you join us whenever you can! Fortunately, there's still time for you to take advantage of Mouse Fan Travel's exclusive offers for our tour stops at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, so please, read on!
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: 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 Featured Columnist Sue Kulick takes us to a favorite after-shopping refreshment destinatination (well, at least if you shop at NYC's E. 59th St. Bloomingdale's store), New York City's Serendipity 3. Then, Featured Columnist Cheryl Pendry wraps up 2009 with an article whose title says it all, Enjoying the Japan Pavillion at the World Showcase. Finally, Jack Skatt is back with a brand-new Walt Disney World Treasure Hunt.
Jennifer & Dave
PassPorter Authors
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Travel Feature:
Dining Review: Serendipity 3, New York City
by Sue Kulick, PassPorter Featured Columnist
Nestled on a side street in New York City, two blocks away from bustling Park Avenue and near the foot of the 59th Street Bridge lies a little slice of New York history waiting to be discovered. Serendipity 3, a funky, fun and outrageous restaurant/general store/ice cream shop beckons New Yorkers from all walks with all its delicious treasures!
Founded in 1954, the restaurant was the brainchild of three entrepreneurs - Jose Limon, Stephen Bruce and Patch Carradine. These three intrepid would-be actors were trying to break into the post-World War II world of show business, living in Little Italy and trying to come up with a future plan. They stumbled upon the word "Serendipity," pooled their fortunes to the tune of $300, and a legend was born.
Wikipedia defines "Serendipity" as "the effect by which one discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely." Serendipity 3 started out with 4 tables and 16 chairs, and quickly outgrew its surroundings. It moved around the corner from its original location on 58th Street to its current 60th Street location.
What is it about Serendipity 3 that sets it apart from other New York eateries? The food, of course! You can order anything from old-fashioned meat loaf to a turkey, brie, apple, and alfalfa sprout sandwich, aptly called "A Summer Bries." Of course, you must leave room for dessert.
On a recent trip to Serendipity 3, we had the opportunity to sample some of the culinary delights. Our table started off with the world-famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate. We only ordered one, but our server wisely brought extra straws and spoons for all of us to help. The Frrrozen Hot Chocolate is like decadence through a straw. A chocolate lover's delight, it is thick, rich, and sprinkled with whipped cream and the kind of chocolate crunchies usually reserved for ice cream cake. It drips over the edge and awakens every chocolate sense you have ever had!
There is a full array of menu items, from appetizers (Spudniks, Blue Corn Nachos) and soup (our table tried the Chicken-Not-So-Little) to casseroles, burgers, sandwiches and full dinners. We shared a BLT served on challah bread. The lettuce and tomato were delightful, and the bacon was divine; crisp (how I like it), and plentiful. Cutting it in half and making it into a sandwich was quite a sight! If you would like something traditional, try the shepherd's pie, or the barbecue chicken, or maybe the seafood fettuccine. If you would like something a little more adventurous, try The Garden of Allah (grilled chicken covered with chilled cucumbers, tomatoes, basil and black olives), or a caviar burger with sour cream and cucumber slices.
However, your main course is just a pathway to dessert. You can't leave Serendipity 3 without trying one of their desserts. We decided to split the Forbidden Broadway Sundae, which consisted of chocolate blackout cake, ice cream, hot fudge and whipped cream. It was...well...it was probably one of the best desserts I have ever had!
If you are feeling incredibly indulgent, call ahead and order Serendipity 3's most decadent dessert. In fact, this may well be New York's most decadent dessert! I am talking about the famous "Golden Opulence Sundae," which requires 48 hour advance notice and comes with a $1,000 price tag.
To start, the sundae is served in a Baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18-carat gold spoon. The ice cream is five scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean, infused with real Madagascar vanilla. The ice cream is then covered in edible 23-carat gold leaf, and topped with rare chocolate, candied fruit flown in from Paris, a gold-covered sugar flower, and more edible gold. It is then topped with golden caviar, which we are assured is not salty and compliments the sundae's exquisite flavor. The restaurant sells about 10 of these a year. And yes, you get to keep the goblet and the spoon!
Serendipity 3 accepts and suggests reservations, as they can become quite crowded. You can find out more about them at their website, Serendipity 3.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time spent at Serendipity 3. It is an experience not to be missed by both visitors and natives to the Big Apple!
About the Author: Sue Kulick is a PassPorter Message Board Guide (rescuesk). She and her husband Steve live in a log home in the Poconos with their dogs Cody and Belle and their cats Tigger, Rocky and Adrian.
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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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Disney Feature:
Enjoying the Japan Pavilion at the World Showcase
by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Featured Columnist
For many people, the Magic Kingdom is the park they most look forward to seeing whenever they go to Walt Disney World, and that's perfectly understandable. After all, it's got the fairy tale castle as you walk in, along with huge doses of magic. But despite all that, my heart lies with Epcot, and perhaps it's got something to do with the fact that I love my travels that take me around the world.
Of all the countries represented in Epcot's World Showcase, Japan is by far my favorite for many reasons. Firstly, it is home to some of the most unusual entertainers that the park has to offer. Even before you enter Epcot, if you're staying at the Yacht and Beach Club or BoardWalk, step outside on to your balcony and the chances are that you'll be able to hear one of those entertainers.
Matsuriza are a group of Japanese drummers that can be heard for literally miles around. As soon as they start to perform, they attract a huge crowd, enchanted by what they're seeing and hearing. You can only stand and marvel at the power that must be required to beat out rhythms with drums that huge.
But, for me, the real star attraction in Japan is someone who's a lot quieter, and perhaps that's how we managed to miss her for so many of our previous visits. We kept hearing that there was a candy artist that we should see in Japan and had even seen some of her creations that had been given to the children of friends of ours, but still we had never managed to catch Miyuki. With our last visit, that changed and it became a priority to make sure that we saw her in action.
Hailing from Tokyo, Miyuki is a unique entertainer in every sense of the word. She's the first and only woman to become a candy artist, a tradition that dates back over 250 years to the Edo era of Japanese history. The craft started as a way to entertain people at local festivals or on street corners and, when you see Miyuki in action, it's no surprise that the craft has survived this long.
Candy artists use soft rice dough to make their creations, and their only tools are their skilled hands, a small pair of what appears to be delicate pliers, and a paintbrush, perhaps for adding on animal markings, depending on what will be created. That is entirely down to the crowd that gathers for each show - and those crowds tend to gather early, in the hope of being chosen by Miyuki to receive one of the candy animals.
There's an amazing list of creations available -- almost every animal you can think of -- and that includes dragons, porcupines, unicorns, and tigers. Some you can picture before Miyuki starts work, but others, you have to wonder how on earth she's going to create them. And, like any good artist, they slowly start to take shape in front of your eyes, as the different elements are carefully shaped and pulled into position while Miyuki describes what she's doing (and makes it look so easy).
It's easy to miss Miyuki, as our experience over the years shows. We'd been to Epcot at least seven times and hadn't caught any of her shows, but now we'll definitely be heading back there in the future.
Perhaps that's the beauty of the Japan pavilion. It's very easy to miss things and to get the best out of this Epcot country, you need to do some exploring. For example, most people will head to Mitsukoshi, a branch of a department store that dates from the 17th century, and will enjoy browsing their collections of kimonos, fans, and even Pokemon cards, but how many of those shoppers get to the back of the pavilion to visit the Bijutsu-kan Gallery? It's hidden away, towards the back end of Mitsukoshi, but it's well worth a visit to see the current exhibition of tin toys, as the variety that have been produce in Japan over the years is quite amazing.
Another area that's worth spending some time is the hill garden. Too many people just look at it from the bottom of the hill, but if you walk through it, you'll find some lovely quiet areas, a fine exhibit of bonsai trees, and can admire how creating the perfect garden is a great passtime in Japan, with time devoted to the placing of every single item to ensure that it is as beautiful as it's possible to make it.
Don't forget to look upwards as well. You'll see the entrance to Teppan Edo and Tokyo Dining on your right as you enter the pavilion and you can't fail to miss the Goju-no-to pagoda on the left, but sadly that's all many people see. At the back of the pavilion, you'll see representations of a beautiful Japanese castle. I'm almost ashamed to admit that the first time I noticed it was a couple of years ago and the only reason was that it was being rehabbed at the time and was surrounded by scaffolding.
Even though Japan may not have traditional attractions or rides, there's still plenty to enjoy here and it's well worth slowing down sometimes to ensure that you can take in all that this beautiful pavilion has to offer. It's inspired me to visit the real country for myself and I can't wait to see the beauty of Japan when we visit it next year. But that will be a tale for another time...
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.
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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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