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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 Authors: Dining @ Disney
Travel Feature:
Disney
Feature: Disney Survey Marks
Updates:
What's New and Changed
Tips:
Decide Ahead Dinners, Car Communication, Coloring Countdown
Captain's
Corner: Museum in
Q&A: Can we upgrade two Counter
Service credits for one Table Service credit?
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FROM THE AUTHORS: Dining @ Disney
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Whew! We're back from our 10-day "Kids Commando Trip" with 13-year-old Allie, her 15-year-old cousin Melanie,
and almost 2-year-old toddler Alexander. We did every attraction in the four major parks -- this was
quite a feat considering the age range of the kids (teens and toddlers have such different needs),
the summer crowds, and the heat! It feels like we ran a marathon and after five days at home
we're still not quite recovered. But we got lots done -- nearly 2000 photos, plenty of research on the new
and up and coming things, and the perspectives of three kids.
During our trip we also tried out Disney's Dining Plan
for the full ten days so we could report on it accurately in our next edition of
PassPorter Walt Disney World. Look for two brand new pages on the Dining Plan, as well
as indicators in each eatery's review on whether it participates in the plan. Our impressions
of the Dining Plan are very favorable -- we ate very well for less than we'd normally have spent.
Figuring out what to order and where had a bit of a learning curve (which we hope to dispel for
you in our next edition), but once we got the hang of it things went smoothly. We really enjoyed
not having to worry about gratuities (they are built in). And whenever we weren't sure about how
many credits had been spent, we could stop at Lobby Concierge of our Disney hotel and get a print-out
that showed what was spent and where. We came up with lots of useful tips and ideas for getting
the most out of the Dining Plan, which we'll put into the next edition. In the meantime,
here's a tip we found very useful: when purchasing a meal at our hotel's food court, we didn't want to
get our dessert at the same time as our entree because we wanted ice cream and it might melt by the
time we got to it. We inquired with the cast member and we were told that we could order the dessert
at the time we purchased our meal with the Dining Plan, but then return later to pick up the dessert
itself. The cast member simply made a notation on the receipt, which we showed later when we
claimed our ice cream. This worked great at the food court!
This edition
of the newsletter features first-time contributor and PassPorter Message Board
Guide Sarah Mudd, who shares her hometown of
Jennifer and Dave Marx
PassPorter Authors and Publishers
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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:
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by
Sarah Mudd, Guest Contributor and PassPorter Message Board Guide
When
a lot of folks hear the word
colonists settled in the city in late
1774.
Mission San Diego de Alcala, the first
of 21 missions to be established on the
In
the Downtown area you will find the Gaslamp Quarter, which is one of southern
The
around the area on shore and there are
a handful of options for harbor cruises.
Whenever
someone mentions they are heading on a trip to
to Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill. Rubio’s
is the home of the fish taco, as well as other tasty creations. It is a favorite
food stop in our family.
If sports are your thing, you are in
luck! There’s a sports team for everyone! Like baseball? Catch the Major League
Baseball
everything
from Major League Baseball to the National Premier Soccer League to the Women’s
Professional Football League!
Cross
the
Disney
World! Further to the north of the city, in
Head
up Point Loma and you will find
Other
attractions in the Point Loma area include Sea World San Diego and the iPayOne
Center, where you’ll often find shows, concerts and, on weekends, the Kobey’s
Swap Meet. The Swap Meet is my favorite place to find odds and ends as well as
San
Diego
souvenir tee shirts! Most vendors sell their souvenir tees for 3 adult tees for
$10 and kids’ tees for 3 for $9. Some a bit more, some a bit less, but all great
deals for great shirts!
About the Author: Sarah Mudd is the
Guide for the
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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: Disney
Survey Marks: Hidden Mickeys Beneath Your Feet
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by Patty Winter, Guest Contributor
During your visits to Walt Disney World
or
Survey
marks are small disks (usually about 3" in diameter) placed by surveyors
to mark specific locations. At
make a fun new treasure hunt for you
and your family during your Disney vacations.
Recently, I had the pleasure of
attending a presentation by current and past chief surveyors of Walt Disney
World. They showed striking pictures of the conditions under which surveying is
done in the 47 square miles of swampland that is Walt Disney World. There were
photos of surveyors waist-deep in swamps, of 15-foot alligators and 8-foot cottonmouth
snakes.
On a lighter note, they also talked
about some of the unusual, “only at Disney” assignments they’ve been given over
the years, such as determining the precise coordinates of the track inside
Spaceship Earth, or the proper placement of the air lines to the seats in Honey,
I Shrunk the Audience. Another time, the pyrotechnics folks at the
Walt Disney World only began using
survey disks a little over 20 years ago. Originally, the surveyors marked
specific locations with survey nails, or with “X”s scribed in concrete. But in
the early 1980s, an enterprising salesman at a survey monument manufacturing
company had an idea: Wouldn’t it be fun to install unique Disney-themed disks
instead of boring old nails?
The salesman approached the Disney
World survey department with a disk design that featured the familiar
three-circle Mickey Mouse symbol. The largest circle had latitude and longitude
lines, making Mickey’s head look like the Earth. It was a design that combined
Disney whimsy with a representation of the coordinate system that underlies all
surveying. Disney’s surveyors loved it, knowing that Disney World visitors
would enjoy the Mickey-themed disks.
Subsequently, survey disks were added
to construction projects at
that depicts each park’s signature
object: Sleeping Beauty’s Castle from
“Okay,” I hear you saying, “but where
the heck are these things? I’ve never seen one!” Believe it or not, most of
them are right under your feet, in the concrete walkways between buildings.
Others can be found in the curbs that line walkways, parking lots, roads, or bodies
of water.
For example, at Epcot, there’s one near
the dinosaur topiary outside Universe of Energy. Two were recently installed
behind the
Not
all the disks are inside the theme parks. There are a couple at the Animal
Kingdom bus stops, one at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, three between the Polynesian
and the Grand Floridian, one at Disney’s Wide World of Sports, and some at
Typhoon Lagoon, just to name a few locations.
So,
are you ready to look for some Disney survey marks yourself? Here are a few
ways to get started:
1.
Study photos of known disk locations. Once you’ve seen where they are, you can
keep your eyes open for those locations when you visit
http://www.wintertime.com/disneymarks,
and the Disney World and
2. Use a
3. Just keep your eyes open! I know
it’s hard to remember to look at the ground when your attention is constantly
being drawn to castles and five foot high mice and screaming coaster riders.
But look for survey disks whenever you think of it, and you just might spot some!
One family recently told me that they promised their six year-old daughter a
Disney Dollar for each mark she found. She found six during their trip—including
a new one at Epcot that no one had ever reported to me before!
What should you do if you find a mark?
If it’s one already listed on Waymarking.com, you can log your find there. (See
the
Are
there other Disney survey marks waiting to be found? You bet! As I was working
on this article, I got reports of two newly discovered marks at Walt Disney World:
the one I mentioned at Epcot, and another at the Shades of Green hotel. And you
never know when more might appear. As Walt Disney World’s chief surveyor told
me, “We’re slapping them in wherever we
see
wet concrete.”
What
about Disney sites in other countries? From what I’ve been told, the surveyors
who worked on Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland chose not to install disks.
But a Disney engineer has said that there are 11 marks at Hong Kong Disneyland,
none of which have been reported publicly yet. Will you be the first to find
one?
Happy
hunting!
About
the Author: Patty Winter is a freelance marketing writer 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:
Disney
announced The Year of a Million Dreams, a new celebration beginning
Disney
has also confirmed rumors of a Monsters Inc.-themed attraction at the
The
2006 Dismeets.com Fan Meet in
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:
DECIDE AHEAD DINNERS
"Here's my tip for picky eaters and its a
great time saver ... A few weeks before we leave for "The World", I
go online to AllEarsNet.com and print out the menus for the restaurants that we
have reservations for. Then I place them in the PassPockets for the day of each
reservation. Before we get to the restaurant or while we are waiting to be
seated everyone has a chance to look at the menu and decide what they want! We
ask the server to take our orders and we're back in the parks in no time!" -- contributed by Tracy Pezzuto
CAR COMMUNICATION
"Traveling tip for those of you (like us) who
are traveling to Walt Disney World by car - This is an excellent opportunity to
spend some quality time getting to know your kids, especially since they have
nowhere to run! Talk to them, sing with them, join them in seeing how miserable
you can make the other parent, etc. My girls and I got into a game on one trip
of counting down mile markers - loudly. Hollering out "135 miles to
COLORING
COUNTDOWN
"When it
gets down to the last week or so before a Disney trip, here's a tip for
counting down the days for your little ones! Find a coloring book page of a
favorite Disney character, and cut it into evenly square pieces for the amount
of days you want to count down. Place a white piece of paper on the
refrigerator or wall, and every day let your child pick another piece from an
envelope to put together the "puzzle". They can color the pieces as
they pick each one. If you number the pieces and the corresponding spots on the
paper, the child can match them up! When the character is complete, the child
will know that it's time to go!" -- contributed
by Ellen 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:
"I say,
that Dr. Jones leads quite the exciting life! Inspired by his adventures in a bazaar,
I decided to indulge my love of Middle Eastern antiquities by paying a visit to
a lovely little museum in
What color are the glass panes on the
doors to the
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 Tracy McGee who was the winner of last week's treasure hunt game!
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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Melissa1214
asks: “We are using the Dining Plan during our next trip. I've received
conflicting information on whether or not you can combine two Counter Service
credits and use them instead of one Table Service credit. Is this possible?"
Jennifer
and Dave answer: “It's incredibly unlikely that Disney policy would permit two
Counter Service (CS) credits to be exchanged for one Table Service (TS) credit.
While folks may hope they get lucky, please don't plan your vacation around it.
It's
basic arithmetic. The meal cost averages we list for each restaurant in
PassPorter Walt Disney World show the typical counter service meal as costing
in the $11 - $13 dollar range (same as a CS credit - entree, dessert, soft
drink, tax). The typical full service dinner is far more than double that,
especially because you have to factor-in something that's not present in CS -
the 18% gratuity. Again, our full-service average dinner price calculation is
identical to the meal plan - appetizer, entree, dessert, soft drink, tax and
18% tip. You can get a meal worth $45 or more for a single TS credit - four
times the value of a single CS credit. Yes, there are some TS meals that are
worth far less than $45 (which is why it's often wise to use cash to pay for
your typical character breakfast). However, our lunch today at Le Cellier was
valued at over $46/person on Disney's print-out (we're
"experimenting" with the Dining Plan on this research trip). Overall,
if guests could trade in two CS credits for lunch or dinner at Le Cellier, it
would be a hotter reservation than Cindy's, don'tcha think?"
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 News is only sent to those who have
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If this newsletter was forwarded to you by a
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Please ask your questions and help each other in
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Copyright (c) 2006 - MediaMarx, Inc. / PassPorter
Travel Press,