PassPorter Newsletter - September 22, 2005

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PassPorter News

News, Announcements, Updates, and Tips

September 22, 2005 * Issue 5.17

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: 2006 WDW Edition To Be Released Earlier

Travel Feature: A Trip Back In Time: Knoebel's Amusement Park

Disney World Feature: Shades of Green (Part 2)

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips: Teaching the ABC, Waffle Wake-up Call, Presidential Parade

NEW! Captain's Corner: An Astounding Raccoon

Q&A: Where can I return my rental car?

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FROM THE AUTHORS: A New PassPorter Guidebook is Ready!

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Hi, {{user("firstname")}}!

We've been busy bees here at PassPorter Headquarters since returning from our two-week Panama Canal cruise. We have two exciting announcements to share with you!

1. Our 2006 Edition of PassPorter Walt Disney World will be released in time for Christmas! We have an expected release date of November 29, 2005. The really neat thing about this new edition is that it is now in FULL COLOR! That's right -- all the maps, photos, worksheets, and charts are now in color. You've been requesting this feature since our inception, and we're pleased to have grown to the point that we can offer it. You can pre-order your new 2006 edition now at the PassPorter Store: http://www.passporterstore.com/store/2006.aspx

2. Our new guide, "PassPorter's Walt Disney World For Your Special Needs" by Deb Wills and Debra Martin Koma is currently the bestselling special needs travel title at Amazon.com. Our congratulations to Deb and Deb!

By the way, MouseFest 2005 is shaping up to be The Event of the year! Virtually everyone will be there, including 30 celebrity authors and webmasters! Will you be there too? If so, please RSVP at http://www.mousefest.org today! While you're there, check out our MouseFest newsletter, too!

In this edition of the newsletter, PassPorter message board Guide (moderator) Christina Radvon takes us back in time to Knoebel's Amusement Park in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. And Betsy and Eric Walton wrap up their two-part review of the Shades of Green resort at Walt Disney World. Also in this edition we introduce a fun, new "treasure hunting" game, hosted by Captain Jack Skatt -- answer the questions correctly and you could win a free PassPorter pin! Good luck!

Jennifer and Dave

PassPorter Travel Press

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DID YOU KNOW?

All PassPorters Ship Next Day!

The 2005 editions of all our PassPorter guidebooks are now in stock and shipping: PassPorter Walt Disney World 2005, PassPorter's Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line 3rd Edition, and PassPorter's Walt Disney World For Your Special Needs are now shipping next business day when ordered by 8:00 pm ET the night before. (We should note, however, that we're down to the last few hundred copies of our PassPorter WDW 2005 edition, but we just re-stocked on our Disney Cruise Line edition because the first printing sold out in just two months!) If you've been waiting to order your copy, now is the perfect time!

Everyone gets a 15% discount and if you've already got a copy of PassPorter, you can register it to get a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of any PassPorter guidebook.

Order your copy today at:

http://www.passporterstore.com/store

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Get Published in a PassPorter Guidebook

Each annual edition of our guidebooks features a new collection of magical memories from fellow readers. We know most of you have had magical experiences ... and we'd love the opportunity to include your story in an upcoming guidebook! To learn more and submit a story for consideration, visit these pages:

Disney World Stories: http://www.passporter.com/wdw/tipsandstories.htm

Disneyland and S. Cal Stories: http://www.passporter.com/dl/tips.htm

Disney Cruise Line Stories: http://www.passporter.com/dcl/tips.htm

Special Needs at Disney Stories: http://www.passporter.com/wdw/specialneeds/tips.htm

We look forward to receiving your magical stories!

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TRAVEL FEATURE: A Trip Back In Time: Knoebels Amusement Park (Part 1)

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By Christina Radvon, PassPorter Message Board Guide

Take a trip back in time -- all the way back to your childhood! Okay, hopping in your time machine isn't an option just yet, but you can still take a nostalgic trip back in time at Knoebels Groves in Elysburg, Pennsylvania.

My family -- my husband, son, and myself -- recently returned from a week-long stay at Knoebels Amusement Park & Resort. You read that right: one week at one park. For my husband Walt and me, it was a trip back to our childhood. We went to Knoebels with our parents and our parents went with their parents many years before. In 2000, Knoebels celebrated its 75th anniversary as an amusement park.

Our stay began with an unusual experience at most amusement parks -- our own cottage. We rented a cottage for the week. The three bedrooms, full kitchen and a huge wrap-around sun porch were all ours. The cottage backed up to a stream and was just 50 yards from the park perimeter. A little island of tranquility just outside the park - perfectly located for us to spend a few hours in the park each day with a nap mid-afternoon before heading back out to enjoy the sights and sounds each night.

As we unloaded our bags, my son, DJ, skipped up and down the sidewalk, his little hand cupped behind his right ear, shouting "You hear that, Mama? That's a choo-choo whistle!" Good ears. And as I stood there watching him bounce and skip with his endless enthusiasm, I got a little teary. This was exactly why I'd wanted to go there.

Knoebels is an anomaly in the amusement park industry -- there is no entry fee. Ride tickets can be purchased at any ticket booth or window in the park. Even the ticket booths are a sight to behold. Many are decorated like circus wagons and carousels with richly detailed murals and curlicues. They're even themed, in some cases, to the rides near-by.

The ride closest to our cottage was Ole Smokey. It's one of two train rides that run through the park. Ole Smokey is an old fashioned double-out-and-back kiddie steam train. The engineer can be seen at the station feeding the engine from the coal car at every stop. We know it's really real coal because we sat too close to the front of the train once and I got an eyeful of ash. DJ was too short to notice. Good for kids, but Moms and Dads beware!

Like many of today's amusement parks, Knoebels has humble beginnings. However, Knoebels is still family-owned and straddles the stream and the swimming hole that first drew visitors to Knoebel's Farm nearly 100 years ago. Originally a farm, run by Ole Hen (the family's patriarch), a saw mill and a lumber yard, the farm later became a destination for "tally-hos" around the turn of the century. Tally-hos were a Sunday afternoon hay or wagon ride with a destination often fit for camping, hiking, and even some swimming. Wily Ole Hen seized the opportunity. He began to charge 25 cents to water, feed, and care for the horses that pulled the wagons. Eventually, he began offering light refreshments and carnival-type snacks like popcorn, peanuts, and ice cream to the visitors.

The year 1926 brought the Crystal Pool to Knoebels. Visitors still loved the ole swimming hole, but the pool was a much anticipated modern convenience. Where the covered bridged once spanned the creek and the more daring leaped from its railing, we can see the high dives at the Crystal Pool -- still located in the same spot, though it has been renovated and expanded through the years. Unfortunately, the pool wasn't on our agenda for this trip. There was so much to do and so little time!

The first cottage was built in 1917. While we couldn't trace the beginnings of our little cottage, the Knoebels History Museum provided us with peeks at the past. There is one in particular that has always caught my interest. It's a little tugboat that is still standing near the back of the pool area. The speed slides run right past it. It is the last remaining of the themed cottages. DJ makes quite a fuss whenever we pass it on the Pioneer Train (a 1 1⁄2 mile ride past the pool, slides, some private cottages, the campground, and out through the woods). We learned our lesson the first night on the Pioneer Train. The ride through the woods was so dark near the back of the train, the older kids screamed as we went through the tunnels. My little boy was scared to death on our first ride. We went to a nearby discount store and bought battery-powered glow-sticks from the sporting goods dept. We used them for late-night train rides throughout our trip. Every trip thereafter was a cakewalk thanks to our glow-sticks.

On several of our train rides that week, we had a special treat -- riders of the four-legged kind rode the train with us. Knoebels not only allows pets (on leashes) in the park, but they're even allowed on some rides! We must have pet a hundred dogs of all ages, breeds, and sizes that week!

Back in 1926, the same year the Crystal Pool made its debut, Knoebels' first ride appeared for the season. A Philadelphia man named Joe Gallagher operated a steam powered carousel as a concession on the same site that the current Grand Carousel operates today.

Even I was surprised to find children leaning off their horses to capture the brass ring! Clearly, they had a system because most of the kids had 10 or more steel rings at the end of the ride. When the brass ring was caught, one of the agile Knoebels ride operators would leap backwards onto the carousel as it moved to exchange ride tickets with the holder of the brass ring. It's worth the 60 cents just to see this acrobatic act!

In 1941, just 10 days before the start of World War II, the current Grand Carousel was purchased by H.H. Knoebel and that carousel still runs and offers children of all ages the chance to catch the brass ring to this day.

Every ride in the park has its own life, its own history. Knoebels does something no other park does -- it rescues rides and rebuilds or re-engineers them to fit within the park's borders. Nearly every ride in the park was once somewhere else before it found its home and its most appreciative audience at Knoebels. In 1985, Knoebels did the unthinkable -- they moved a whole roller coaster! The Phoenix was reborn at Knoebels from the ashes (timbers and track) of the Rocket at Playland Park in San Antonio, Texas where it was built in 1947. The Phoenix, a favorite wooden coaster among hard-core coaster enthusiasts like myself (it often makes American Coaster Enthusiast's top ten list of roller coasters each year), celebrated its 20th year at Knoebels this summer and I rode it! To read more about the other rides that found a new life at this vintage park visit http://www.knoebels.com/history.htm.

Knoebels isn't just history and recycled rides, though. It is old fashioned band organs, kettle corn, hot roasted peanuts, homemade fudge, covered bridges, camping, picnicking, games and more!

(To be continued in an upcoming issue!)

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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.

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WALT DISNEY WORLD FEATURE: Shades of Green (Part 2 - Reservations & Rooms)

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by Betsy & Eric Walton, Guest Columnists

The Armed Forces Recreation Center at Shades of Green is located on the grounds at Walt Disney World. This resort provides deluxe resort accommodations at value resort prices. It also provides anyone staying there with the same benefits as guests at any of the Disney-owned properties. Once you have determined that you are eligible to stay at Shades of Green, the next step is to see if you can manage to reserve a room at this busy resort.

The popularity of Shades of Green means that it is often filled to ninety percent capacity. For this reason, it is necessary that anyone who wants to stay at the resort do some advance planning. Reservations at Shades of Green should be made as soon as you begin planning your Disney trip. Each room reserved requires a deposit of one night's stay. Note that the deposit is for each room not each reservation, so if you are reserving multiple rooms for sponsored guests the money required can rapidly add up. Additionally, keep in mind that Shades of Green has a thirty-day notice cancellation policy. If you cancel you reservations less than thirty days before your visit, you lose your room deposit for each room.

Reservations at Shades of Green can be made up to 53 weeks in advance, though as a practical matter, it is not necessary to do so, even during peak or holiday season. Usually, you can wait until nine months before your trip to make reservations during these seasons. You can wait still longer during the less visited times, ranging from six months during the regular season to as little as two to three weeks during the value season. There is one important exception to this rule: due to the limited number of Family Suites at Shades of Green (there are only eleven suites in the entire hotel), these rooms are almost always booked up months in advance during any season. If you would like to stay in these rooms, contact Shades of Green as soon as possible to reserve them.

If Shades of Green is booked up when you call, ask to be placed on a room wait list. It is not unusual for those on the wait list to eventually get rooms at the resort. This is because potential Shades of Green guests often make reservations that they are unable to keep for one reason or another. Facing the possibility of deposit forfeiture, these guests end up canceling their rooms thirty to forty-five days before their arrival date. Shades of Green then begins calling those on the wait list to see if they are still interested in staying at the resort. If the wait listed person still wants the available room, Shades of Green provides them with the reservation. If not, the resort moves down the wait list to the next person. It is possible for someone to be called only a few days before your scheduled visit. Thus, if you want to take advantage of the wait list, any vacation plans you make need to be very flexible, as you may need to cancel them on very short notice.

Whether you request the wait list or not, you should inquire as to whether Shades of Green can make an overflow reservation at one of the other resorts on Disney property. You may specify what type of Disney resort (value, moderate or deluxe) at which you would like your overflow reservations to be made. Although you may request a specific resort (like Port Orleans or All-Star Sports), it is not guaranteed that you will be placed at that particular resort. The only guarantee is that you will be placed at the type of resort you request. Another drawback to these overflow reservations is the pricing. While Shades of Green guests do get a discount on the regular Disney room rate, it may be possible to find greater room savings by booking the same room through another method.

Shades of Green reservations can be made by calling 1-888-593-2242 or on the Shades of Green website. If you use the website (which is the preferred method) and discover that the resort does not have any rooms available, you may make an overflow request for a room elsewhere on Disney property. Shades of Green will process your request in about a week and contact you either by email or telephone with additional information.

Now that you know the details of how to make a room reservation at Shades of Green, what types of rooms are available to reserve? The resort has both standard rooms and Family Suites to choose from; all of which have been recently renovated. Standard rooms are large by Walt Disney World Resort standards, at over 400 square feet. All standard rooms contain two queen-sized beds and a single sleeper sofa. Each room also comes with a seating area with a table and two comfortable chairs and also contains a refrigerator, in-room safe, iron and ironing board. Even with all the above amenities, the large size of the room means that there is still ample room for guests to move about.

In addition to the standard rooms, Shades of Green offers two types of Family Suites: the six-person Family Suite and the eight-person Family Suite. Both types of Family Suites contain a Master Bedroom with a king-sized bed and full bathroom. Each suite also contains a living area with two queen-sized sofa beds and a dining area with table and chairs. Another full-sized bathroom is located off this living area. All suites also contain the standard refrigerator, in-room safe, iron and ironing board. The major difference between the two types of suites is the addition of a fold-down Murphy Bed in the eight-person suite.

The bathrooms in a standard Shades of Green room are typical of those found in most Disney deluxe resorts. Each contains a large vanity area with two sinks, separated from a combination bath/shower and toilet area. In addition to the normal amenities, the vanity area also contains a 4-cup coffeemaker and hairdryer for guest use. Shades of Green does have some unique features in the bathroom, however. Unlike most resorts, Shades of Green does not provide individual packages of soap, shampoo, conditioner or the like. Instead, the bath area contains pump dispensers for such items, so you won't be stocking up on any free soap or shampoo while staying at this resort. Also, Shades of Green only provides one packet of coffee per day for the coffeemaker. If you require more to get going in the morning, you may need to bring or buy additional packets.

The resort rooms available at Shades of Green are impressive by anyone's standards. If you meet the eligibility requirements and do the proper advanced planning to get a reservation at the resort, you will be amply rewarded with the accommodations you acquired. If you want to see photos of the available rooms at Shades of Green or learn more about the resort's other amenities, including their five restaurants, ticket center or Shades of Green-provided transportation, go to http://www.shadesofgreen.org/home.html or call 1-888-593-2242 for more information.

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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 planning your Disney vacation.

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UPDATES: What's New and Changed

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Here's a few of the new developments at Disney:

Hong Kong Disneyland officially opened for business on Monday, September 12, 2005. For more information on planning a trip to this newest addition to the Disney theme park family, check out the park's web site.

The Festival of the Masters returns to Downtown Disney November 11 - 13, 2005. The Festival, which runs daily from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, features exhibits of fine art, performance art, sidewalk chalk creations and activities just for kids. This event is free of charge so stop by and enjoy!

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Disney has once again opened their hearts and their wallets donating $2.5 million to the relief efforts. $1 million was donated to the Red Cross for immediate relief efforts and another $1 million is going towards rebuilding efforts directly affecting children's charities. The remaining $500,000 is being distributed to the various volunteer centers providing assistance to those affected by the Hurricane. In addition, Disney brought Mickey and Minnie as well as other beloved characters to the Reliant Center in Houston to bring a smile to the faces of the children staying there.

You can view our page-by-page list of updates and corrections for the PassPorter Walt Disney World 2005 Edition at http://www.passporter.com/customs/bookupdates.htm.

>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:

TEACHING THE ABCs

"As we are planning our trip we are incorporating the lesson plans from our son's Pre-K class. Each week the class works on a new letter. We work with him to figure out some aspect of the trip that begins with the letter of the week. This week is the letter C. We have told him to look for a Cast Member if he should need to look for a lost parent. His first letter was Y. I was so tempted to tell him. "Y? Because we like you, M-O-U-S-E!" but I resisted!"

-- contributed by Amy G.

WAFFLE WAKE-UP CALL

"When my family of 4 stayed at the Grand Floridian last fall, we found pre-ordering breakfast from room service the night before to be wonderful! Each night before we went to bed we choose our breakfast items, marked the door hanger menu, and put it on the door knob. If we didn't have one of those, I called room service and ordered before going to bed. Because you could request a delivery time, breakfast arrived each day after I had showered and when the children needed to wake-up. This enabled us to begin our day early but get a great start in a relaxed atmosphere!"

-- contributed by Cindy M.

PRESIDENTIAL PARADE

"When scouting out the best location to view the character parade at Magic Kingdom, try the front porch next to the Hall of Presidents. The porch is raised, covered, and furnished with rocking chairs, allowing the viewer(s) a comfortable and typically unobstructed view of the parade. Arrive early or risk losing this prime viewing spot!"

-- contributed by Annie

>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

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CAPTAIN’S CORNER: Treasure Hunting Game – “An Astounding Raccoon”

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This month we introduce a new feature: a 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 news@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:

"On my way to map the Isle of Thomas S. today, I crossed paths with a band of friendly musicians. They entertained me with songs of my youth, including "The Ballad of Davy Crockett." A gentlemanly-looking chap with a top hat and bowtie -- name of Henry -- was the leader. Most astounding was the raccoon . . . (rest of text obscured by grease dripping from what could be a turkey leg)

So...who is the racoon, where in Walt Disney World will you find it, and what is unusual about it?

Send your full answer to news@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 expect to release the book -- "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World" -- in December 2005. Watch this space or http://www.passporter.com for more information!

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Q & A WITH JENNIFER & DAVE

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dahuffy asked: "We are planning a seven-night cruise for September 2006. We are planning on renting a car at the airport, spending the night in Cocoa Beach, taking the cruise and then doing four days at Port Orleans French Quarter.

If we rent a car at Cocoa Beach, where can we drop the car off when we go to Port Orleans French Quarter for the rest of our stay? Which rental car companies use the Car Care Center?"

Jennifer and Dave answer: "The Care Care Center is Alamo/National. Unfortunately, Alamo/National's Port Canaveral/Cocoa Beach agency does not provide free shuttle service to the pier. Seems strange, as Alamo is Disney's official rental agency, but I think the Port Canaveral agency is run by a franchisee who doesn't see the value of providing that extra service. Expect to pay about $10 for a cab ride to the agency. At least on the Walt Disney World side you'll get free shuttle service from the Car Care Center to your resort.

We've used Budget several times when traveling to/from Port Canaveral. Rates have usually been quite good and they have a free shuttle to the pier. There's a Budget rental office at the DoubleTree on Disney property (on Hotel Plaza Blvd.) -- that's close to Downtown Disney, so you could drop off the car, take the resort bus to Downtown Disney (or walk), and catch a Disney bus or the boat to your resort. For that matter, it's probably about a $10 cab fare to Port Orleans French Quarter from the DoubleTree."

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?

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We're on the lookout for guest columnists to contribute articles to this newsletter. 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 details and our article guidelines, please e-mail our newsletter editor, Sara Varney, at news@passporter.com . Articles about Disney and general travel are welcomed!

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