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PassPorter News
News,
Announcements, Updates, and Tips
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 Editor: More Greetings from Sunny
Travel Feature: Adventures by Disney:
Disney
Feature:
Updates: What's New and Changed
Tips: Diaper Duty, Spray Sunblock, Try
Tivo
Captain's Corner: Eating on
Q&A: Is there an electronic
PassPorter?
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FROM THE AUTHORS:
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Jennifer
and Dave are still in
Dave
reports that they have had the chance to meet many PassPorters. Those bold
enough to introduce themselves to our favorite authors find themselves the
recipients of new PassPorter pins! (So if you're reading this in Walt Disney
World, keep an eye out over the next day or two!) Dave also mentioned that the
evening Extra Magic Hours are being "religiously attended." In fact,
according to him there is no visible drop in park attendance during the first
two hours of the Extra Magic Hours!
Jennifer
and Dave will be back next week with details on their experience with the
Disney Dining Plan and lots of other great information. In the meantime this
edition of the newsletter features first-time contributor Gincy Heins, who
shares her Adventure by Disney to
Sara Varney
PassPorter
News Editor
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DID YOU KNOW?
PassPorter
2006 Garners Great Reviews!
The new 2006
edition of our PassPorter Walt Disney World guidebook now features a full-color
interior along with the most up-to-date text, new TeenTips and ToddlerTips, and
new photos and magical memories. We’ve heard back from folks who’ve received
their new books – here are a few of our favorite comments:
"I just
wanted to let you know how much I love the new PassPorter! Thanks for adding
the toddler tips! I have a 2 year old and a 9 month old. This is a great
feature. Thanks for including pictures of yourselves as well. It keeps it
"real" in my opinion." –
"I love the pockets and your personal
experiences and advice about making the trip the best experience possible.
Thank you so much for this wonderful tool." --
"I love
the color, the pictures, and the new magical memories. The tips on the rides
have given us great guidelines." -- Lisa
“Everything!
I am a planner and this book really helped me plan my first ever Disney trip in
2004. We are going back and I don't need to plan as much, but the book is a
must! I loved the map, the meal worksheet, the priority seating worksheet.” -- Jennifer
Learn more
and order today at:
http://www.passporter.com/wdw/guidebook.htm
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TRAVEL
FEATURE: Adventures by Disney:
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by
Gincy Heins, Guest Contributor
Does
a fun family tour on a bus with strangers and their children sound like an
impossible dream? Then you haven’t been on an Adventure By Disney! Last summer
my family and I had the vacation of a lifetime when we joined strangers who are
now friends on “Disney’s Quest for the West” in
In typical Disney fashion, this trip had
nothing but the best food, hotels, activities and Adventure Guides. Even the
motor coach in which we traveled was excellent with a “kneeling bear” feature
that lowered the entrance of the bus to make it easier to step on board. Every
desire was anticipated and before you could get hungry or thirsty, food and
water were offered throughout the trip.
But don’t think that just because this
was a group event that everyone had to do the same thing. There were always options
for those who did not want to participate in something. For example, one day we took a boat ride
across Jenny
The
food, whether served in a restaurant or under the trees, was delicious! The
accommodations, whether in a national park, western town, or on a ranch, were
excellent, and the transportation, whether horse, bike, motor coach, or boat
were unparalleled. Transportation ranged
from the “A Ticket” boat ride across
On
our first day, upon arriving at the airport in
After a picnic lunch at
A special evening was planned for the
children. They had a wonderful time with the guides, playing games and
participating in activities while eating some of their favorite foods. This
also provided the parents with an “adults only” evening to spend socializing
with the other guests on the trip.
Watching
Our last few nights were spent at the
Spotted Horse Ranch. Every family had their own beautiful cabin. Each cabin had
a breathtaking view and seemed isolated from the others although they were no
more than a couple of minutes apart. From our cabin, we gazed over a meandering
river to a beautiful house on a hill. Fresh cookies were always available for
snacking, meals were family style in the main ranch building and on the last
evening, dinner was under the stars by the campfire.
Early one morning, the group gathered
in jackets, cups of coffee in hand, to watch as the ranch’s horses were rounded
up from the hills and driven across the bridge to the stables. We were all picking out the horse we wanted
to ride later that day.
And by this time, we did feel a lot
like a family! Everyone got along so well on the trip. Never once did the children whine or complain
about anything. When our Adventure ended, addresses were exchanged and tears
were shed as we said good-bye to new friends. A reunion trip is already planned
for next summer at Walt Disney World!
For more information on this, or any of
the other Adventures by Disney, please visit their website at www.adventuresbydisney.com.
About the Author: Gincy is currently
busy planning for an upcoming trip to Walt Disney World with her family.
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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:
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by
Cheryl Pendry, Guest Contributor and PassPorter Message Board Guide
In
I doubt there are many 50 year olds who can party like
My last visit to
It’s amazing how all that can change in
20 years. The arrival of a second park – the California Adventure – means that
now there’s some mystery as you approach the resort. It’s finally hidden away
and your anticipation can grow in the same way it does in
So
what about the parks? Those of you reading this that have never been to
We all know that much was learned from
the
The focal point seen from much of the
park is the
Other unique rides include
There’s a lot that’s obviously the
same, but even when the attraction names are familiar, there are still
differences. Beehives, not honey pots, populate the Many Adventures of Winnie
the Pooh, with the scenes in a different order. Snow White remains very much
the scary version that’s now disappeared from Walt Disney World. From the new
addition to the Jungle Cruise – I won’t spoil the surprise, as there’s nothing
better than watching people’s reactions to it – to the floating head of Madame
Leota in the Haunted Mansion, there’s a feeling everywhere that this is not a
50 year old park, but one that’s recently been given a lot of love and care.
Yet, in spite of the recent renovations
and rehabs, the history of
The celebrations are also everywhere,
from the golden ride vehicles, which make for some great photo opportunities, to
the addition of new or improved attractions, such as
We always say that fireworks never seem as good as they are in Walt Disney
World. After all, how can you top Wishes or Illuminations? Well, Remember does.
It brings in so many new effects not seen in either of the other two shows and
tells the story of
It’s
clear that
About the Author: Cheryl and husband
Mark live in
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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:
The new Family Suites at Disney's All-Star
Resort did not open as scheduled this week. Guests who arrived at check-in
expecting to stay in the Suites were offered a choice of two rooms at the
All-Star Resort, accommodations at
The Disney Vacation Club is celebrating
two milestones this year - welcoming "home" their 100,000th Member
family and celebrating the program's 15th anniversary this fall. The official
15th Anniversary celebration will begin in October 2006, details to be
announced.
Construction is set to begin by the end
of 2006 on two new hotels owned and managed by the Hilton Hotel Corp. in the
Bonnet Creek area adjacent to Walt Disney World. A 1,000 room Hilton Hotel and
a 500 room Waldorf Astoria are scheduled to open during the summer of 2009.
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
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Our readers are a wealth of information! Here are
the winners in this month's tip contest:
DIAPER DUTY
" We
just took our 6 month old son on his first trip to the World this May and
stayed at
SPRAY
SUNBLOCK
"
If you have kids, it can be a hassle to
put suntan lotion on everyone before heading out to the parks in the morning.
To speed things up I bought the continuous spraying suntan lotion. It costs a bit
more but saves so much time." -- contributed by Kalli M.
"
If you own a TiVo there is a new
feature called Product Watch. You can pick products that you want to get
special video features about. In the travel & leisure section, I picked
Disney vacations, and in the brand section I picked all the Disney categories.
To my surprise the TiVo downloaded some Disney videos which I have only seen on
Disney Resort TV. It included one of my favorites, the Walt Disney World top 7
best attractions. Now I have a little Disney magic that I can watch at
home." -- contributed by Holli G.
>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? 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 at http://www.passporter.com/wdw/disney500.asp
>>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 at
http://www.passporter.com/dcl/cruiseclues.asp
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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 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 treasure from Captain Skatt's Journal:
"
Having enjoyed a wee respite in the
pool, I headed off to see if I could catch up with a legendary fellow explorer.
I'd heard he was giving demonstrations of his archaeological skills in a show
of some kind. On the way, I realized my exertions had worked up an appetite and
I stopped at a Diner near Mr. Jones show. A charming lake-side Diner was housed
in a boat named... (the rest of text is obscured by what appears to be smeared
mustard)”
What
is the name of the boat that houses the Dockside Diner?
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 Peggy Johnson who was the winner of last week's treasure hunt game! Peggy
correctly answered that the baseball diamond is in the pool at the Home Run
Hotel at Disney's All-Star Resort. To view the original clues, see last week' s
newsletter at http://www.passporter.com/news/news060306.htm
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. “PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at
Walt Disney World" is now available! You can order the new book today at http://www.passporterstore.com/store/1587710269.aspx
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Q & A
WITH JENNIFER &
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lisamarch asks: “I LOVE my PassPorter.
But I'd really love being able to type things into my computer and then print
them out for our trip. The PassPorter templates I see on your web site look to
be something I could print out and then write on (as in with pen/pencil). I
think I'd prefer something on my computer, where I could edit and reprint, etc.
I want to use the info boxes that are in my PassPorter, but I am looking for a
template to use on the computer - also so I can save my itinerary
electronically; email it to house sitter and emergency contacts; etc. Any
suggestions? Thanks!"
Jennifer and Dave answer: “By the
sounds of things, it's not really an all-electronic PassPorter you're looking
for, but downloadable versions of the worksheets that can be typed in. This is
actually a possibility with PDF documents (the format we use for our
downloadable forms), but we have to do some experimentation before we can make
any promises.
Meantime, if you have Adobe Acrobat
(full product, not Acrobat Reader), you should be able to type into any PDF
that hasn't been "locked" by the person who created the document. Try
opening our forms in Acrobat and see if you can use them in their current
condition. I do not recommend you get the full version of Acrobat just for this
purpose - it costs substantial money.
I know that all sounded a bit
technical....
We'll do some experimentation in the
upcoming weeks, and if we're all lucky, we'll have downloadable files that you
can modify/type in without having to buy additional software. Just hang in
there!"
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
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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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PassPorter
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Copyright (c)
2006 - MediaMarx, Inc. / PassPorter Travel Press,