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PassPorter News
News, Announcements, Updates, and
Tips
April 5,
2006 * Issue 6.12
PassPorter.com -
http://www.passporter.com
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Welcome to
PassPorter News, an online newsletter
about
PassPorter travel guidebooks, the
Walt Disney
World Resort, and Disney Cruise Line.
PassPorter
News is available by free subscription
to all readers
and friends of our labor of love --
PassPorter
Travel Guidebooks.
Learn all
about them:
http://www.passporter.com/aboutpassporter.htm
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In This
Newsletter:
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From the Authors: We Have Cruise Guides
Travel Feature: Cambridge
Disney Feature: Disney's Port Orleans Riverside
Updates: What's New and Changed
Tips: Souvenir Savings, Lovely Lollipops,
Child's Choice
Captain's Corner: Flowers in the Attic
Q&A: When will the new PassPorter Disney
Cruise Guide be available?
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FROM THE
AUTHORS: We Have Cruise Guides!
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We're pleased to report that the new, fourth
edition of our Disney Cruise Line guidebook has been printed and is now in our
warehouse! We begin shipping paperback pre-orders tomorrow (Thursday, April 6)
and deluxe starter kits/refill kits next week after their assembly is complete.
Orders received after today will be on hold until all pre-orders have been
shipped (probably 3-5 business days). If you have a question about a pre-order,
you're welcome to contact us at orders@passporter.com. As always, we put a
priority on preorders for customers that will be traveling soon, with the
remaining pre-orders going out in the order in which they were received. Once
all pre-orders have been shipped, we'll start shipping new orders. Learn more
about our new Cruise Guide at http://www.passporter.com/dcl/guidebook.htm
The new Treasure Hunt guidebooks are expected to be
ready on Monday, April 10 and we'll begin shipping pre-orders within a day or
two of this date. If you're interested in purchasing or simply curious about
our upcoming Treasure Hunts book, check out this new page with information and
some sample treasure hunts: http://www.passporter.com/hunts
In the meantime, we've updated our list of changes/additions for PassPorter Walt
Disney World 2006. We've also
updated our Walt Disney World property map with the addition of Western Way,
the new connection to the also new Western Beltway (SR 419) mentioned in our
last newsletter. Visit our book updates page to download
your free copy of our property map. This is one of the few maps available that
illustrates this new gateway to Walt Disney World. Visit http://www.passporter.com/customs/bookupdates.htm
In this
edition of the newsletter, Cheryl Pendry continues her survey of university
towns with a visit to Cambridge, England (perhaps we
should be working on our own article about Ann Arbor, Michigan?), and Sean
Prescott takes us on a tour of Disney's Port Orleans Riverside
Resort. Finally,
Captain Jack Skatt returns with a new treasure hunting game. Enjoy!
Jennifer and
Dave
PassPorter
Authors
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DID YOU KNOW?
You asked for
it, you got it! Here's a combo deal for those of you lucky enough to be doing
both Walt Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line (or just dreaming of it).
Getting the deal is simple -- just add both a cruise guide (paperback, refill
kit, or deluxe kit) AND a Walt Disney World guide (spiral, refill kit, or
deluxe kit) to your shopping cart in our online store. At checkout, enter this
code: DCLWDW, and you'll get 25% off the list price of BOTH books.
Please note
that this offer cannot be combined with other coupons, discounts, or offers.
Please also note that the discount is not valid on just the looseleaf text sets
of either the cruise guide or the Walt Disney World guide.
Order today
and save at:
http://www.passporterstore.com/store/combodeal.aspx
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TRAVEL
FEATURE: University Towns: Cambridge
(Part Two of
Three)
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by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Message Board Guide
and Guest Contributor
The worldÕs top universities attract more than just
students these days. They are also magnets for visitors, with hundreds of years
of history on display in buildings still used for learning. Institutions like
Oxford and Cambridge in the UK and Harvard in Boston have plenty worth
seeing.
Having already taken a detailed tour of Oxford in
the first part of these features, itÕs only right that we look at OxfordÕs
biggest rival Ð the University of Cambridge.
Like Oxford, Cambridge is about an hour north of
London on the train and it too is often referred to as the Òcity of dreaming
spires." Like Oxford, if you have a car, the only realistic option is to
abandon it to a park and ride bus service, as parking fees are high and getting
around the narrow streets is not a simple task, with many closed to
traffic.
Perhaps all these similarities with Oxford can be
traced to CambridgeÕs history. Founded in 1209 by scholars who left Oxford
after a fight with local townsmen, a fierce rivalry grew between the two
universities. That rivalry remains to this day and is put to the test each year
in sporting fashion with the Oxford Cambridge Boat Race along the River
Thames.
This yearÕs Boat Race was on Sunday, April 2.
It was the 152nd in the series and more than a century on; the results are
always close. OxfordÕs victory this year was their fourth in five years.
Despite that, overall Cambridge is still in the lead, having won 78 races since
1829, compared to OxfordÕs 73.
Perhaps CambridgeÕs success on the water is
partially explained by the River Cam, which flows past most of the UniversityÕs
main colleges. This offers visitors a unique view of the colleges that you
donÕt really get in Oxford. In the summer months, the river is full of punts, a
flat bottomed boat without a keel, which is propelled by pushing a pole against
the river bed.
First introduced as pleasure craft in the early
twentieth century, punting may sound simple and you can hire your own, but
trust me, it might be safer to hire one thatÕs chauffeured for you. WeÕve seen
the problems that some people get into, with their punt going round and round
in a circle. There are many companies offering punts for hire, some of which
are crewed by students in the summer months. If you want an extra bit of
tradition, then go for a company where the chauffeurs wear straw hats and
waistcoats. ItÕs like stepping a hundred years back in time.
And as you cruise along the River Cam, youÕll
cruise back in time even further, seeing colleges that date back more than 550
years. Operating in a similar system to Oxford, Cambridge has 31 colleges, with
a population of around 20,000 students.
Of these, the most visited is KingÕs College,
mainly due to the spectacular chapel, which took over a century to build. Today
itÕs the home of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a Christmas Eve
tradition that is broadcast across the world and often sees people queuing for
up to 12 hours to get in to see it live. ThereÕs a lot to see at this college
and there is a charge for admission.
Another world famous Cambridge college is Trinity,
where Sir Isaac Newton made calculations that changed our understanding of the
universe, although the actual falling apple incident is said to have happened
at his home some miles away! Like Christ Church in Oxford, this college has
also taken a starring role in films, most famously in the Oscar winning
Chariots of Fire, where it was the setting for the race around the
courtyard.
Something else similar to Oxford is the Bridge of
Sighs, based on the original in Venice. The difference here is that while
OxfordÕs spans a street on dry land, Cambridge went for the more traditional
approach and built theirs over the River Cam. It's part of St. JohnÕs College.
They had to adapt the design slightly though, adding bars to stop students
trying to climb back in after a late night out!
Other colleges can be seen from the River Cam and
the fields behind the river, which are known as the Backs. Clare College, first
founded in 1326, had to be completely rebuilt between 1638 and 1715 after the
mediaeval buildings were destroyed by fire. At the south end of the Cam is
QueenÕs College, home to the Mathematical Bridge. Originally built in 1749, it
was rebuilt to the same design twice, most recently in 1905. At first, it was
believed that this wooden bridge was built without screws or bolts, but thatÕs
not actually the case. Other myths include the idea that Isaac Newton was
responsible for this bridge Ð something heÕd have been hard pressed to do, as
he died 20 years before it was built! ItÕs also been claimed that the odd
design of this bridge is something to do with students taking the bridge to
pieces and then being unable to put it back together again, but thereÕs no
foundation to those claims either.
Away from the River Cam, as there is in Oxford,
thereÕs the option to head upwards and get a birdÕs eye views of the city
spires. To do so means climbing up 123 steps to the top of the Church of Great
St. MaryÕs in the main market place, but itÕs a climb worth making for the superb
view.
In the square below, thereÕs a market every day of
the week and although offerings do change from day to day, thereÕs usually food
and crafts of some kind available daily. On Saturdays, this market is
complimented by a market in All SaintÕs Garden, opposite Trinity College, which
is full of artists and craftspeople selling their homemade goods.
This is one of the main differences that we noticed
between Cambridge and Oxford. Although Oxford seems to have a better range of
big name shops, it lacks the unique markets that Cambridge offers. Cambridge
seems to be a more vibrant city, whereas a lot of Oxford life is based around
the colleges. Although the colleges do dominate parts of Cambridge, itÕs a city
that attracts a lot of local people, as well as being home to students and
welcoming visitors. On our visits to Oxford, it seems to have a bigger proportion
of visitors and students.
So which of the two do we prefer? This is a
difficult question to answer. My heart will always lie with Oxford Ð and IÕll
certainly always support them in the Boat Race Ð something to do with having a
close friend who studied there. If I had to just pick one of the two
beautiful university cities to visit on a day trip out from London for example,
I think Cambridge would just edge Oxford out for its vibrant markets and the
amazing views from the Backs and the River Cam, something that Oxford sadly
canÕt boast.
Whichever you choose to visit, youÕll certainly be
swept away by the dreaming spires of the colleges in each city, something very
different to Harvard, but there are similarities between all three, as weÕll
explore in the final part of this series.
Cheryl is a
PassPorter message board guide and lives in England. She loves to travel and
enjoys exploring her own country, the rest of Europe and America. A frequent
visitor to both Oxford and Cambridge, she also took a trip to Boston in 2005,
where she was able to explore Harvard.
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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 travel plans.
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DISNEY
FEATURE: DisneyÕs Port Orleans Riverside
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by Sean Prescott, Guest Contributor
One of my favorite resorts at Walt Disney World is
DisneyÕs Port Orleans Riverside. This unique resort gives you the feeling of
stepping back in time to a slower pace. Port Orleans Riverside is a grouping of
smaller buildings as opposed to the large single building that is typical of
many deluxe resorts. Some of the buildings such as the Magnolia and Arcadia
houses are designed in a plantation manor house style, while others in the
Alligator Bayou district look a bit more rustic. Room layouts are the same, but
room decor is in keeping with the building's style. The property is enormous -
there are a total of five swimming pools, BoatwrightÕs Dining Hall, the
Riverside Mill Food Court, a lounge, an arcade, horse drawn carriage rides,
boat rentals and so much more. You can literally spend a whole day at the
resort and be entertained without ever stepping foot in a park.
(Note: The Port Orleans resort is made up of two
sections, Port Orleans Riverside described here, and Port Orleans French
Quarter. You can specify either when you make your reservations - room rates
are the same. French Quarter's food court, pools and recreational facilities
are freely available to guests at Riverside, and vice versa.)
My wife and I are Florida natives and of course,
Walt Disney World is a major part of our lives. Our first visit to Port Orleans
Riverside was in December 2004. We spent 4 days and 3 nights and attended
MickeyÕs Very Merry Christmas Party. Anyone who has been to Walt Disney World
during the holidays knows that they go all out, and Port Orleans Riverside is
no exception. When we arrived to check-in around 3:30 pm, we were greeted by a
group of carolers singing Christmas songs. The lobby was fully decorated with
garlands hanging from the ceiling and an enormous Christmas tree.
We planned the trip to be a romantic getaway and
this is a perfect resort for that. There is almost a mile of paved walking and
jogging trails that follow the Sassagoula River. Port Orleans Riverside also
offers a horse drawn carriage ride in the evenings (booking early is a
necessity). We have seen the route that the carriage follows and itÕs
beautiful. Surrounded by huge Oaks and the Sassagoula River, the trail is a
wonderful way to slow down after a busy day of park hopping. It truly takes you
back in time.
Port Orleans Riverside has many different things
for people to do on the water. You can rent Sea Raycer personal power boats by
Sea Ray¨, kayaks, canopy boats or pontoon boats and make your way up and down
the river. The rates for all rentals vary by time of year, so check with the
resort or call (407) 939-0754 to reserve in advance. You can also reserve
a fishing excursion on the Sassagoula by calling that number, and for a far
smaller fee, there is an old fishinÕ hole (catch and release only) in the Ol'
Man Island recreation area.
For something more than "basic"
transportation, a free ferry runs frequently from Port Orleans Riverside to
Port Orleans French Quarter and then on to Downtown Disney. Though you can make
the trip faster by taking the bus or driving yourself, the ride down the river
is very nice. You will enjoy a view of one of the Lake Buena Vista golf course
and you will also pass by the Saratoga Springs resort. The trip is nice if you
are not in a hurry. Transportation from the resort to all parks is available by
bus from the resort. If you're bound for another resort, you can take the bus
or ferry to Downtown Disney and transfer there to buses to all resorts.
Another thing that is always important to talk
about is the food. BoatwrightÕs Dining Hall, Port Orleans RiversideÕs table
service restaurant, serves breakfast and dinner. It is a mix of American and
Southern comfort foods. For breakfast there are choices ranging from Eggs
Benedict to banana-stuffed French toast, and of course, the ever popular
Mickey waffles. Prices range from $7.00-$15.00 for breakfast and you get a good
amount of food.
The other option is the cafeteria-style offerings
at the Riverside Mill food court. Here you can get a la carte items such as
pastries or bagels or complete meals for dine-in, or boxed to go back to your
room. The seating area is very spacious. They have a kidÕs corner near the
working water wheel with a low table for coloring and a TV playing one of
DisneyÕs animated classics. The food here is just as good as Boatwright's,
without as much of a wait and at slightly less expense. There is also a very
wide variety of food available, so even the pickiest of eaters should be able
to find something they will enjoy. Also available from Riverside Mill is fresh
pizza, delivered to your room (for a small delivery charge) until midnight.
This is great for those late nights after you get back from enjoying the
evening Extra Magic Hours that are one of the perks for staying at a Disney
resort.
(If you have not been a Guest at one of the Walt
Disney World resorts, the Extra Magic Hours are a special time every morning
and/or evening when one park will open an hour early or stay open up to three
hours later for resort guests only. It is a fantastic benefit that you get just
for being a guest at any Walt Disney World resort. For more information
on the Extra Magic Hours check out the Walt Disney World web site for all the
details and schedule.)
I think that one of the best ways to enjoy a Walt
Disney World vacation is to be able to get away from the parks and crowds at
some point and just relax. The Port Orleans Riverside Resort is one of the best
places I have found in the "World" to relax. You have all the
benefits of staying at a Disney resort with out feeling like you have to be on
the go all day, every day. This resort is great for couples or families. If you
want a romantic getaway or just a nice place to rest between parks, this is the
place. With the beautiful grounds and all the activities, you can stay at this
resort many times over many years and still not get to see and do everything
they have to offer. In my opinion it is the ÒHappiest Resort in the World.Ó
Sean and his
wife live in Florida, where he is a realtor. They had a Fairy Tale Wedding at
Disney's BoardWalk Resort in May 2005.
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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 holiday plans.
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UPDATES:
What's New and Changed
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Here's a few
of the new developments at Disney:
A new indoor Segway riding area has been
built at Epcot in the Innoventions West building to accommodate the popular
Segway tours. The tours, which last two hours and cost $80/person, include an
hour of instruction in the indoor space and an hour-long guided tour of the
World Showcase. These tours were held once daily but beginning Friday April 7,
a second tour has been added to the schedule. A one hour indoor-only tour is
also available once a day for $45/person.
Expedition Everest will be closed to the public for
a press event all day, Thursday, April 6 and the morning of Friday, April 7.
The attraction will re-open in the afternoon on Friday.
Dates for Mickey's
Not So Scary Halloween Party, a separate ticketed event held in the Magic
Kingdom in late September and October, have been announced for 2006. The event
will be held on: September 29, October 2, 5, 6, 10, 12, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24,
26, 27, 30 and 31. Tickets for this event are expected to go on sale in late
April.
Our thanks to AllEarsNet.com for some of
these 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
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Our readers
are a wealth of information! Here are the winners in this month's tip contest:
"For a great FREE souvenir, don't miss the
Kodak Incredible Picture Lab at the end of the Journey into Imagination ride.
At any of the numerous computers you can take a digital picture and then play
around with it by adding silly facial features or morphing your face into an
animal or flower, etc. It's a lot of fun and when you're done you can e-mail a
copy of your picture to yourself (or to friends). I just returned from a
7-day visit to Walt Disney World and printed the pictures we made of our 3
boys. They were so cute and a great free souvenir from our trip."
-- contributed by Kris Powell (kpowell@...)
LOVELY LOLLIPOPS
"For the past 4 years, my children and I make
sure we visit Japan in the World Showcase at Epcot. At certain times during the
day, there is a little cart in front of Mitsukoshi where a young lady makes
candy taffy lollipops. The young Japanese lady puts a ball of colored taffy on
a stick. She proceeds to stretch it and cut it with a tiny pair of scissors
into various animals. The best part about this unique souvenir is that it is
free! This year my children each got one - one was a green dragon, another was a
blue lizard, and the last was a blue snake. They are placed in a clear plastic
bag for others to view. We were asked at least 50 times where we had bought the
suckers, but I had to tell them that they were free. The young lady who sculpts
these magnificent creations can make about six or seven in a half an
hour."
-- contributed by Kimberly Watson
CHILD'S CHOICE
"Last year we decided to travel with our best
friends that have a 7 year old and I bought our PassPorter. I took sticky
"post-it" tabs that were of different colors and marked the parts of
the PassPorter that pertained to the adults and then the 7 year old. When the 7
year old wanted to choose an activity, he just took my PassPorter and flipped
to the pages that were color coded for him. From there he picked an attraction
that he could do. This allowed EVERYONE the feeling that they had input during
our trip. We never had a complaint out of him the whole 5 days."
-- contributed
by Jennifer McGhinnis (jenmcghinnis@...)
>Notes:
Send us your tips! You may see them in this newsletter and win a copy of
PassPorter! Visit:
http://www.passporter.com/customs/contest.htm
Want more
Disney tips? We've collected 500 of the tips submitted by readers over the past
six years -- most have never been published before. All have been edited for
accuracy and categorized. The "Disney 500" are available in e-book
form for immediate download. For details, visit http://www.passporter.com/wdw/disney500.htm .
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CAPTAIN'S
CORNER: Treasure Hunting Game
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Play our fun
and quirky treasure hunting game, hosted by Captain Jack Skatt from our
upcoming 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.
It seems the
Captain has stumped you for the first time! No one got the correct answer to last week's treasure hunt question. Here is
another clue...
Here is this
week's treasure from Captain Skatt's Journal:
"Spring is sprung and the flowers are in full
bloom. However, now that I ruminate on it, the flowers are always blooming at
Walt Disney World. Nonetheless, the flowers are particularly lovely these days
and they bring to mind another set of flowers. There's an old mansion nearby with
a truly creepy attic. On my last visit I observed the ghost of a bride in this
attic -- she was still carrying her bouquet of bridal flowers. Despite the
gloom and eerie light, I was able to determine that the color of this old
bouquet of flowers was... (rest of text obscured by decaying petals) "
What color are the bride's flowers?
Congratulations
to Rosalyn Hedgepath who was the winner of last week's treasure hunt game!
Rosalyn correctly identified the name of the company offering the Hobie Cat deal
as Windy Sails Inc. To view the original clues, see the last newsletter.
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!
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. We will release the book -- "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt
Disney World" -- in April 2006. You can pre-order the new book today at http://www.passporterstore.com/store/1587710269.aspx
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Q & A WITH
JENNIFER & DAVE
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Kimmielee asks: "Will the new version of
PassPorter's Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line be available before April
14? I'm leaving that day and would love to know if I can buy it by then!"
Jennifer and Dave answer: "That's a close
call. We start shipping the paperbacks tomorrow (Thursday, April 6) and the
deluxe starter kits and refill kits will ship sometime next week (after they
are assembled). If you've pre-ordered and we have a note of your travel date,
we'll put a priority on your shipment. After that, it's up to the postal
service/UPS. The farther you are from our Michigan facilities, the riskier your
order becomes, as shipping takes time.
I suggest you
phone-in your order (877-929-3273) during regular business hours (Eastern time)
later this week. By then we may have a better idea of whether we'll have the
books in time, and we can discuss your shipping options with you.Ó
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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WANT TO GET
PUBLISHED?
===================================
Big News!
PassPorter News is now published weekly. 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 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.
====================================
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