PassPorter.com Feature Article
Original article at: http://www.passporter.com/articles/finding-answers-to-questions-about-walt-disney-world.html

Finding Answers: A Disney Guide

by Jennifer and Dave Marx, PassPorter Guidebooks Authors
Last modified 02/15/07

Have Disney Questions? Chances are good that the answer is available somewhere! Here are our top ten ways (in order) to find answers to your questions about Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and general travel

1. Read the Manual! Check the PassPorter guidebook! You probably already have one if you're reading this and virtually all our readers tell us its a great resource. We keep a copy right by our computers -- yes, we wrote the book, but do you think we actually remember everything we've ever written in it? Anyway, when we're looking for an answer to a question, PassPorter is the first place we check. We use both the table of contents and the index to find what we seek.

2. Check the Archives. Search our newsletter archives (you are subscribed, right?). We've been doing newsletters for years now, and every issue has a feature article as well as lots of updates and news. To view the archives, visit the Newsletter Stand. If you haven't subscribed, you can do so quickly at the same page -- it's free!

3. Call Disney and ask. We do this frequently when we have a question we haven't addressed in the PassPorter guidebook. Here are some helpful phone numbers:

General Walt Disney World information - 407-824-4321
Dining at Walt Disney World - 407-939-3463
Tours at Walt Disney World - 407-939-8687
Orlando International Airport information - 407-825-2001
General Disneyland information - 714-781-7290
Dining at Disneyland - 714-781-3463
General Disney Cruise Line information - 888-325-2500

You'll find more numbers in the back of the PassPorter guidebook, too. And here's another list of helpful numbers elsewhere on PassPorter.com, plus one from AllEarsNet.

4. Search the Boards.. Do a search the PassPorter message board -- chances are very good someone else has asked the question already! To search the message board, click the Search link at the top of the board, type in one or two words that relate to your question, and click Search. For example, if I wanted to check on renovations at the Disney resort hotels, you could type "renovation" to get several hits. If you don't find what you're looking for, consider alternate words, for example "rehab" instead of "renovation."

5. Ask Others. Post your question in the appropriate forum on the PassPorter message board. Our members and moderators enjoy answering questions, and most questions get several replies. To post your question, first locate the forum that it best fits into, click it, then click the Add New button, and type your question. Please keep in mind responses won't be immediate -- it may take hours or even days to get a reply, especially if your question is esoteric. We have no policies that require questions to be answered by our members or our volunteer Guides, but we all try our best! If your question hasn't received a reply after a couple of days, feel free to return to it and reply with something like, "Still searching for the answer to this question -- can anyone out there help me? Thanks so much!" Replying to your original question in this manner will force the topic to the top of the topic list in that forum and make it more visible to members.

6. Google It. Search for it on the Internet. We recommend the Google search engine for excellent results:

7. Go Web Surfing. Visit specific Disney-related Web sites for information on your topic. AllEars.net (http://www.allears.net) is a particularly good repository of information which we recommend you check. You'll find more good Disney Web sites at: http://www.passporter.com/wdw/webunofficial.htm. And don't forget http://www.disneyworld.com.

8. Check Other Forums. Search other message boards and discussion groups for information on your topic. Here are our recommendations:

DIS (Disney Information Station) - http://www.disboards.com
Intercot - http://www.intercot.com/discussion
Tagrel - http://www.tagrel.com/forum/
Disney Echo - http://disneyecho.emuck.com/
Disney World Trivia - http://www.disneyworldtrivia.com/forums/
WDW Magic.com - http://forums.wdwmagic.com
LaughingPlace.com - http://mb.laughingplace.com/Msgboard.asp

9. Ask More People. Post your question on one or more of those same boards or groups we mention above. Different people have different experiences.

10. Ask Us. Send us an e-mail at jenniferanddave (at) passporter.com. We will do our best to answer you! We do received hundreds of e-mails a day, however, so we can't promise anything. But we will try!

When you do find your answer, we encourage you to post it here in the message boards for others who follow to find. The more you contribute, the more you (and everyone else!) gets out of it.

Happy hunting!

About the Author: Jennifer and Dave Marx are the founders of PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc. and the authors of dozens of bestselling books. They live in Ann Arbor, Michigan and frequently travel within the U.S. and abroad.

This article originally appeared in the PassPorter newsletter -- subscribe to our popular newsletter today for free at http://www.passporter.com/news.htm


Updated 02/15/07

Check for a more updated version at http://www.passporter.com/articles/finding-answers-to-questions-about-walt-disney-world.html