From the Authors: PassPorter on TV and Radio

Disney Feature: Contemporary Resort

Disney History Feature: Past Attractions and Hidden Tributes at the Magic Kingdom

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips: Whether or Not Weather, Fan-tastic, "Bag" the Snacks

Captain's Corner: Lucky Passengers

Q&A: Shore excursion required for Atlantis?
 

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Updates:
What's New and Changed

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

Two new restaurants run by Landry's Restaurants, Inc. (the same company that runs the Rainforest Cafes), will debut at Walt Disney World in the coming years. Asia, a new Asian-themed table-service restaurant featuring Asian-fusion cuisine and a themed retail store, will open summer 2007 at Disney's Animal Kingdom in the village of Anandapur near Expedition Everest (it's about time we had a full-service restaurant at Animal Kingdom!). \T-Rex, A Prehistoric Family Adventure: A Place to Eat, Shop, Explore and Discover®, debuting in Downtown Disney in early 2008, will feature Audio-Animatronics dinosaurs, a fossil-dig site, and bubbling geysers. 

Reservations for the new Family Suites at All-Star Music Resort will start being accepted in early March 2006. Pricing will be as follows: value season: $169; regular season: $209; peak season: $239; and holiday season: $259. The Family Suites are located in the Jazz Inn and Calypso buildings. 

MouseFest dates have been announced through 2010! 

MouseFest 2006: 4 Night Wonder Cruise December 3-7, 2006
MouseFest Land - December 7-12, 2006
MegaMouse Meet 2006 - December 9, 2006

MouseFest 2007: 4 Night Wonder Cruise December 2-6; 
MouseFest Land - December 6-10  MegaMouse Meet - December 8 

MouseFest 2008: 4 Night Wonder Cruise December 7-11
MouseFest Land - December 11-15 
MegaMouse Meet - December 13 

2009: 4 Night Wonder Cruise December 6-10
MouseFest Land - December 10-14 
MegaMouse Meet - December 12 

2010: 4 Night Wonder Cruise December 5-9
MouseFest Land - December 9-13 
MegaMouse Meet - December 11 

Please note, at this time there are NO official MouseFest designated Travel Agencies for 2006-2010. Look for announcements about special MouseFest land, sea and land and sea packages coming soon.

>Things To Do: Hear some news? Send it to us at
news@passporter.com

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Disney Tips:
From Fellow Readers

Our readers deliver a wealth of information! Here are the winners in this month's tip contest:

WHETHER OR NOT WEATHER
"One of the most valuable things that I do before heading out on our trip is check on the most up to date weather so I can pack rain gear or make a slight change in plans regarding our itinerary." (Editor's Note: Check out www.accuweather.com for hour-by-hour weather forecasts.)
-- contributed by Patricia W. (princesstricia7@...)

FAN-TASTIC
"Something I would highly recommend for any staterooms on a Disney Cruise ship which do not have any access to fresh air would be a a portable fan. We found with several people taking showers in a row and trying to get ready for a nice dinner in such a small space (we had a category 11 stateroom), that we would have appreciated anything to move the air around in the room. As PassPorter's cruise guide points out, there are only a couple of power sockets, so you may want to consider bringing along a battery-powered fan."
-- contributed by Mike R. 

"BAG" THE SNACKS
"Bring plastic baggies! When my kids get snacks from vendors they usually don't finish them. For example: 'Mom, can I please have a churro?' If they ever want another one (and they will), let them finish the one they already started. It's easy and a great way to save money."
-- contributed by Taylor S. (dancingsinger27@...)

>Notes: Send us your tips ! You may see them in this newsletter and win a copy of PassPorter!

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 the PassPorter Store.

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Captain's Corner:
Treasure Hunting Game

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.

Here is this week's treasure from Captain Skatt's Journal:

"At last! The fateful day for my ascent to Everest has arrived. After a sleepless night, I boarded the Anandapur Rail Service train at dawn. Unfortunately, my sherpa is nowhere to be seen. I fear the chap may have gotten cold feet. Luckily, it seems that I won't be taking my expedition alone after all. The train is full of other explorers like myself, enthusiastically awaiting the train to begin our adventure. In fact, now that I look around, I'm astounded at how many people are on this train. I count... (rest of text obscured by handprints and smudges)"

So how many lucky passengers does the Anandapur Rail Service train hold?

Congratulations to Pamela Dotson who was the winner of last newsletter's treasure hunt game last week! Pamela correctly identified the name of the nutty professor as Professor Pumba Dorjay. 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.

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Q & A:
With Jennifer and Dave

Disneymom62 asks: "Can we go and explore the Atlantis Resort in Nassau on their own, or do we have to book an excursion? We'd like to go wander around it, eat at one of their restaurants, and possibly stop by the casino. Any info would be most helpful!"

Jennifer and Dave answer: "Yes, you can explore Atlantis on your own. There's no problem getting a taxi from the pier over to the resort, and once you're there you can explore the resort on your own. They sure don't mind if you visit the casino or restaurants! The retail price of the aquarium admission (if you're interested) is lower than the shore excursion rate."

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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Future Newsletters:
Want To See Your Name in Print?

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 is 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 for use at www.passporter.com. 

For details and our article submission guidelines, please e-mail news@passporter.com. Articles about Disney and general travel are welcomed!

Disney's Contemporary Resort: Promise of the Future
by Jacque Boyle, Guest Contributor
 

With few exceptions, Disney's Contemporary Resort is described as being the least "themed" of the Walt Disney World resorts. But I love the Contemporary because as a "Jetsons" fan I've always been fascinated by the idea of space travel and the promise of the future. So in November 1971 when I saw a monorail disappear into the Contemporary Tower like a space ship docking in a magnificent, gleaming white space station, I was hooked. I could hardly wait to take my first monorail trip into that tower, and when I finally did, it was everything I had imagined and more. 

When I step off the monorail onto the platform in the Grand Canyon Concourse, it's like stepping into a vibrant city of the future, with the sweeping expanse of the atrium windows, soaring tiers of walkways and the swoosh of the monorails. I love feeling the energy of Chef Mickey's,  walking the wide Concourse with its gleaming shops, the view of Bay Lake and the sight of that incredible mosaic mural. It may sound like a contradiction, but it makes me feel simultaneously relaxed and energized.

Although taking the monorail into the Tower is what I like best, driving up to the Contemporary is fun too, with the whimsical designs of the trees lined up in front of the portico and the colorful stones paving the drive. The varied lines and colors of the convention center buildings fit the theme and the curving roof lines make it seem as though the building is in motion, again adding to that aura of a futuristic city. And on every trip, my first sight of the lobby with the clean lines, teak wood and open spaces, combined with quiet, comfortable seating areas, makes me feel like I'm in the Art Deco lobby of an elegant cruise ship, perhaps a space cruise ship.

I'm partial to the Tower rooms, not just for the location, but more importantly for the views. For peaceful, natural surroundings, the Bay Lake side of the Tower has wonderful views. During the day it can get a little noisy from the pools area and marina, but mornings and evenings are quiet. But my favorite rooms have a view of the Magic Kingdom and Seven Seas Lagoon. These rooms can have a little more noise coming from the parking lot but seeing those sleek monorails gliding around the lagoon only adds to the feeling that I'm at the center of a city of the future. I can immerse myself in the magic and fantasy by taking my coffee out on the balcony early in the morning. The futuristic landscape in front of the resort is gleaming with dew and to my right the spires of Cinderella Castle are tinted a soft golden pink by the rising sun. At night I'll take a glass of wine out there to relax while the "Wishes" fireworks appear to be bursting right over my head. And I love the Tomorrowland lights, shining like the midway at a futuristic fair. There's not a better way to start and end my days at the Walt Disney World.

The Contemporary rooms are some of the largest on Disney property and can comfortably accommodate five people, with two queens or one king along with a daybed. The bathrooms are family friendly with a separate room for the toilet, allowing for personal hygiene multi-tasking. I wasn't crazy about the previous redecoration with the abstract designs in bright, primary colors on the bedding and drapes, although I did like the funky shapes of the wall lamps and tables (it's probably that "Jetsons" thing) and I love the ceiling fan. I'm looking forward to my next stay when I can experience the new furnishings. I've seen the pictures and they look incredible, more in keeping with the elegant, clean lines and futuristic theme of the resort. 

I always feel so connected to all of Walt Disney World when I'm at the Contemporary, as though I'm at the center of that vibrant future city. The Tower rooms are the most convenient to Walt Disney World transportation, with the monorail offering transportation to the Magic Kingdom/Ticket & Transportation Center and connecting service to Epcot or the bus for service to the other parks and Downtown Disney. The short walk to and from the Magic Kingdom comes in handy at closing time when the monorails are running full. 

The Contemporary has some of the best dining options in the "World," from fast food to fine dining. The selection of breakfast items, salads, sandwiches and beverages at the Food and Fun Center are perfect for quick snacks or meals on the run. For me, the best character dining in the "World" is at Chef Mickey's. It's reasonably priced, I get to interact with Mickey, Minnie, and pals, and choose from an amazing selection of delicious foods, like scrumptious Mickey waffles at breakfast to carved-to-order roast beef at dinner. For quieter meals, I enjoy the Concourse Steakhouse with the monorail overhead for atmosphere to accompany their moderately priced food and attentive service. After a hectic day in the parts, I like to sit back in the one of the comfortable chairs at the Outer Rim Lounge, relax with an exotic cocktail and maybe a light appetizer, and enjoy the panoramic view of the sunset on Bay Lake. 

But I really love the California Grill with its incredible view from the 15th floor, amazing food and adventurous wine selection. The sushi bar has fresh, inventive sushi and the open kitchen turns out California-inspired dishes from flat bread pizza to unbelievable desserts. The menu changes weekly, in order to use the freshest ingredients available, so there's something different to try every time I'm there. I usually time my meal so I can watch "Wishes" from my table or the outside observation deck. And for a dining change of pace, the Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian and Grand Floridian are a short ride on a boat or the monorail. 

For a break from the parks, the marina has boat rentals, fishing expeditions and parasailing with unbelievable views of the "World"! The pools at the Contemporary are much improved since the last rehab and I especially like the quiet pool area closer to Bay Lake for relaxing. 

Shopping on the Grand Canyon Concourse is an experience in itself - Bayview Gifts with its wide variety of house wares, candy and upscale Disney clothing and jewelry for men and women; the Pin Station that always has a selection of pins not found in other locations, and Fantasia is the place to pick up a Disney plush animal, models of the Contemporary and monorail, scrap-booking supplies, a bottle of wine for watching the fireworks or a new book. 

Although I've stayed at other deluxe Disney resorts, the Contemporary will always be my first love and first choice. So, the next time your monorail glides into the Tower, get off at the Grand Canyon Concourse and step into the promise of the future at my pick for the most magically themed resort at Walt Disney World - Disney's Contemporary Resort. 

Jacque is "54 years-young" and fell in love with Walt Disney World on her first trip in November 1971. She has been back 16 times, 12 of those as a solo traveler. She describes herself as a "major planner" and says, "Since I made my first trip with PassPorter in 2001, I couldn't go without it."  

Past Attractions and Hidden Tributes at the Magic Kingdom
by Jill Clinevell Shelton, Guest Contributor
 

For many dedicated Disney fans, visiting Walt Disney World has become as much a part of their lives as visiting family or old friends. We travel to "Uncle Walt's" and feel as if we've come home. Most of us have favorite attractions or sights that we can't wait to see as soon as we enter into that magical place. But, what happens when our favorite attraction is no longer there? The Disney Imagineers also have a special place in their hearts for many of the classics that have gone by the wayside, and so, find a way to honor the ancestor in the new attraction. What are these attractions that many of us loved and some never had the opportunity to experience? What sits in their footprint today? How are our old favorites memorialized?

One of the most popular rides in Fantasyland today is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Most children today love Pooh and his friends and can't wait to get aboard their "hunny" pot for a trip through the Hundred Acre Wood. But Pooh is relatively new to the neighborhood, only arriving in June 1999. Pooh replaced a classic fan favorite, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride which opened with the park in 1971. 

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was a romp in a roadster driven by the eccentric Mr. Toad. It was based on the book (and Disney cartoons), "The Wind in the Willows". It was not 3-D or even animatronic as Pooh is now, but it did have a twist. When the rider chose the right or left line in which to stand to wait their turn, they also chose their adventure, as there were two tracks and two experiences. However, no matter which track was chosen the adventure always ended the same:  a head-on collision with an on-coming train! 

Plenty of fans were quite upset when the announcement was made to replace Mr. Toad with Pooh. They staged green shirt sit-ins and wrote letters of protest. The decision was made, however, and Pooh moved in. But, if you look closely as you're riding through The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, you'll see a picture hanging on the wall of Owl's house in which Mr. Toad is handing over a "deed" to Owl. A second portrait has fallen onto the floor of Moley (another character from the Wind in the Willows) and Pooh. And, if you'd like to see and touch a part of Disney history that is no more, you can find one of the original roadsters from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in the Exposition Hall on Main Street.

Across the way from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is the new Pooh's Playful Spot, a soft playground for preschoolers featuring Pooh's tree house and spilling hunny pots. It's hard to imagine now that the Hundred Acre Wood used to be an 11.5 million gallon lagoon! 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea opened to the public in October 1971. It was a submarine ride down to the ocean bottom complete with divers, coral reefs and even a giant squid. Based on the Jules Verne classic novel and the Disney movie, this quickly became a favorite of many visitors. However it was closed in 1994 after 23 years of operations due to maintenance and loading issues. The lagoon remained intact for 10 years and was used as staging for Ariel's Grotto while the old queue was used for the Fantasyland Character Festival.  Then, in 2004 the lagoon was drained to make way for Pooh's Playful Spot. 

Not to miss an opportunity to memorialize such a beloved attraction, the Imagineers hid a tribute to 20,000 Leagues inside the tree house in the new playground. If you squeeze into the doorway of the tree and turn again to face outdoors, you will find a small blue submarine "carved" into the door frame. Additionally, one of the famous submarines has a new home on Disney's Castaway Cay, the private island for Disney Cruise Line guests. Visitors can swim to the Nautilus and explore her once again, but this time in the real ocean!

Another popular Magic Kingdom attraction whose home has a similar but more extensive history is Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Who doesn't like spinning through space and zapping targets to defeat the evil Emperor Zurg? But, back in 1972, this Tomorrowland space housed a very different attraction. 

If You Had Wings was a whirlwind trip around the world in the comfort of a vehicle similar to the Buzz Lightyear ride minus the laser guns. You passed through scenes showcasing different locales such as the Speed Tunnel through which your vehicle slowly moved, but the films that sped all around you made you feel as if you were truly flying. If You Had Wings lost its sponsorship through Eastern Airlines in 1987 and was changed that same year to If You Could Fly, with new music and no references to Eastern. In 1989 If You Could Fly closed and reopened six months later as Dreamflight, sponsored now by Delta. This time the attraction was completely altered but rode on the same track. Dreamflight remained open for seven years, closing briefly in June 1996 when Delta dropped its sponsorship and reopened as Take Flight. Take Flight ran until January 1998 when it was closed to make way for the new Toy Story attraction. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin premiered in October of the same year. Buzz makes use of the original track and room structure as well as the speed tunnel. The Imagineers also made use of some whimsical cutout chickens originally located in Dreamflight and Take Flight - the chickens can now be found in the room with the volcano in the Space Ranger Spin. 

A close neighbor to Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland is that menacing alien, Stitch, in Stitch's Great Escape which premiered in the Fall of 2004. But, even before the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, which opened in 1995, then closed in 2003 to make way for Stitch, there was a long-running staple in the same location for many years. 

Flight to the Moon was a simulated space flight in a stationary building (the same one with the same room configurations as today's Stitch attraction) unlike the flight simulators of today which actually move! There was a circular seating arrangement with a screen overhead and on the floor in the center of the seats on which films were shown to give the sensation of your rocket ship blasting off into space. As an added special effect, the chairs on which guests were seated inflated and deflated to simulate the effects of gravity! 

At the time Flight to the Moon premiered in 1971, it was already outdated as NASA had already succeeded in landing on the moon. It remained open by the same name until 1975 when it was briefly revamped as Mission to Mars with a new destination of the Red Planet. Mission to Mars continued to shuttle guests on quick trips to and from outer space until 1994.

Although, seemingly not as well-loved and missed as other "extinct attractions," Mission to Mars and Flight to the Moon are memorialized in the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. As the public transportation system of Tomorrowland passes over Carousel of Progress there is heard a page for "Mr. Tom Morrow," who was the fictional director of operations at Mission Control in the two original attractions.

As we remember favorite attractions of the past that now have a new tenant, we also should note that there are a few lesser known attractions that have simply vanished. Some of these are the Plaza Swan Boats that took guests on an enchanting trip around the waters surrounding the castle, the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes in which guests and two coon-skin capped cast members paddled around the Rivers of America, and, of course, the Skyway which shuttled guests from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland and back again high above the "World". However, most of our favorite past attractions that are gone today, are not completely forgotten, and if we search hard enough we might notice a special hidden secret just for those of us who remember.

Jill is a former schoolteacher and a stay-at-home mom of two little Disney princesses. She and her family love learning about Disney secrets and history and are currently planning their next trip to Walt Disney World, a Grand Gathering, for later this year.

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