From the Dynamic Duo: Behind the Scenes at PassPorter

Travel Feature: Harvard University

Disney Feature: Making The Most of the Disney Dining Plan

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips: "Minnie"-mize Kids Meals, Walk A Mile In Your Own Shoes, Create A Cruise Box

Captain's Corner: Toontown Patriarch

Q&A: Can you purchase travelers checks with a credit card?
 

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Updates:
What's New and Changed

Here are a few of the new developments at Disney·

Disney has announced a new program aimed at families with pre-school aged children called Magical Beginnings. Beginning on August 13, 2006 and going through September 30, 3006, special packages will be available that include the Disney Dining Plan for free. During this 7 week period, Walt Disney World will also feature special concerts and live entertainment for young ones including The Wiggles live at Walt Disney World August 29 - September 1. 

Also as part of Magical Beginnings, Walt Disney World Resort Guests will be offered special edition Extra Magic Hours in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom in the mornings prior to park opening. Attractions geared at pre-school riders will be open such as Dumbo, It's A Small World and Pooh's Playful Spot. 

A new character dining experience for pre-schoolers has been announced as well. Playhouse Disney pals such as JoJo and Goliath, and the Little Einsteins will be featured at Hollywood & Vine at the Disney-MGM Studios. 

West Coasters, fear not! Disneyland has not been left out of the Magical Beginnings program. Special packages, early entry into Fantasyland and character  interactions are all part of the celebration at Disneyland as well. Mickey's Toontown Morning Madness, an interactive character experience exclusive to package guests, offers families a chance to meet The Mouse himself up close and personal in Toontown an hour before the area opens to the general public. 

For more info on Magical Beginnings, check out the Magical Beginnings web site.

PassPorter's Walt Disney World for Your Special Needs authors Deb Wills and Debra Martin Koma will be appearing on Comcast Network (CN8)  Tuesday May 9. They'll be on "Your Morning," a news/magazine program that runs from 9:00 am - 11:00 am. Deb and Deb will be discussing Disney on a Budget. Unfortunately, we don't know when the segments will appear during those hours. If you have Comcast On Demand, you may be able to catch the program in the Get Local section of the On Demand listings. Comcast's CN8 is available in much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Comcast cable systems in and around Richmond VA, Baltimore MD, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New England. If you're a Comcast subscriber, we hope you'll tune 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

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

"MINNIE"-MIZE KIDS MEALS
"Eating at the restaurants can get expensive if your children don't eat all of their food. My kids are too excited about returning to the rides to really eat their whole meal, so we've started buying one meal which they split. The meals are large enough for two and nothing gets wasted. They also both get enough to eat and are ready to head off to more fun in the park."
-- contributed by Michelle Piner (pjames624@...)

WALK A MILE IN YOUR OWN SHOES
"Beginning a walking program  before you go to Walt Disney World will help your legs get in shape before you walk those many miles in the parks. Wear the shoes that you will be wearing in the parks so you can break them in and prevent blisters."
-- contributed by Rita D. (hottwirlerchica@...)

CREATE A CRUISE BOX
"Prior to cruising I made a "cruise box" and put things in that I thought I would use (travel-size lotions, extra sunglasses, special earrings for dinner, etc.). Then when I get ready to pack, I weed out the things that are not really necessary and use them for other trips."
-- contributed by Denise H.

>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:

"In my continuing exploration of Disney statuary, I ventured over to Mickey's Toontown Fair in search of it. Red Barns had mentioned that a statue of the founder and mayor of Toontown Fair was in the town square and I had to see this for myself. Interestingly, the founder and mayor of Mickey's Toontown Fair is not Mickey Mouse himself. The statue itself was easy to locate and Toontown's residents seem to take pride in it. Did you know the founder of Toontown is also the great-great-great-grandfather of Huey, Dewey, and Louie?"

Who is depicted in the Toontown Fair statue? 

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 Denise Thompson who was the winner of last week's treasure hunt game! Denise correctly identified the statue as being on New York Street in the Streets of America section of the Disney-MGM Studios. (Extra credit for sending a photo of the statue!) To view the original clues, see the last newsletter.

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. The new "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World" book is now available! You can order the book today at http://www.passporterstore.com.

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Q & A:
With Jennifer and Dave

hygienist asks: "I am trying to get organized for our upcoming trip, and was considering getting travelers checks, but would like to buy them using our Disney Visa to get the reward points. I know that you can't pay for a money order with a credit card, but was not sure about travelers checks."

Jennifer and Dave answer: "Generally, no. You usually can't "buy" cash of any sort with credit cards for several reasons. Credit card companies make a lot of their money by charging the merchant (typically) 2-3% of the value of each purchase. So, if you bought travelers checks, you'd have to pay about $103 for every $100 dollars in travelers checks (plus the customary traveler's check fee) to compensate. However, credit card company rules and some state laws state that merchants cannot charge extra for credit card purchases, so the traveler's check issuer loses money by exchanging credit for cash. When you are allowed to get travelers checks, the credit card company considers it a cash advance, not a credit purchase. If you read the fine print, you'll find that you generally don't get reward points on cash advances (and you pay through the nose in other ways).

Why go through the trouble of purchasing travelers checks when you've already got the credit card? Are you trying to rack-up the rewards points before you travel? For domestic travel, I've seen no benefit to carrying travelers checks over credit cards. Both are comparably safe, both are relatively simple to replace if lost or stolen. I'll take travelers checks on trips out of the country since I need cash to exchange for various foreign currencies."

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!

Hi, {{user("firstname")}}! 

Hello from Nikki and Chad, the brother-and-sister, behind-the-scenes team at the PassPorter studio. We're writing this week's newsletter while Jennifer and Dave bask in the bright sunshine (okay, well, technically they are refinishing their deck).

Nikki: Although it is sunny with no clouds here in Ann Arbor, Michigan, it is a far cry from the beautiful Orlando sunshine. Currently the weather icon on my desktop is showing a temperature of 65 degrees. Ok, but not warm enough to suit me. Speaking of "me," I have not introduced myself. I'm Nikki, also known as Poor_Eeyore on the PassPorter message boards. Disney is my passion, so what better place to work than here at PassPorter? Chances are if you've called PassPorter, you've spoken to me. Remember me now? I was the sweet one that took care of all of your needs! Ha ha! We like to keep it fun here in the office--after all, we do deal with Disney everyday. Besides, it's family here, and family and Disney go together like Pooh and Eeyore. Oh yeah, for the record, Eeyore is my favorite Disney character. I'm going to pass you over to my dear brother who will formally introduce himself and give you a little taste of what I work with on a daily basis.

Chad: As I am usually behind-the-scenes, this is a new experience for me. For those of you that do not know me, my name is Chad (GrumpysStepkid on the message boards) and I work here at the PassPorter Northern Command Center. Kind of like the "hatch" on ABC's "Lost," except I don't have to type 4 8 15 16 23 42 every 108 minutes. The major drawback of working for PassPorter is the constant reminder of Walt Disney World. It makes me want to go every single day. When not working, I like to spend time with my wife Kim, our two beautiful girls Megan and Natalie, and a furry ball of cocker spaniel named SammieJo. I am so glad that spring has sprung here. I can get outside, putter around the house, and drive with the windows down.

Note: If you tried to place an order or browse or store Thursday between 2:30 and 9:30 pm, we were having technical difficulties -- but all is fine now! We apologize for the inconvenience. If you tried to order the special AllEarsNet's Ears the Deal 2-For-1 special (free copy of "PassPorter's Disney 500" tips e-book with any purchase of "PassPorter's Walt Disney World For Your Special Needs," you may place this order now at http://www.passporter.com/wdw/ specialneeds/guidebook.htm

In this edition of the newsletter, Cheryl Pendry takes us to Boston for an exploration of Harvard University and environs, and Joan Finder offers an excellent primer on making the most of the Disney Dining Plan. Finally, Captain Jack Skatt returns with a new treasure hunting game. Enjoy! 

Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Authors

Harvard University: Bringing Cambridge to America (Part Three of the University Cities Series)
by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Message Board Guide and Guest Contributor 

In this third and final part of articles looking at some of the most famous universities amongst visitors, as well as students, we move away from Britain and the dreaming spires of Oxford and Cambridge and follow much the same journey as the first settlers did, by heading for Boston. 

In the same way that Cambridge University was started by scholars who left Oxford after a fight with local townsman, Harvard University owes its roots to a similar situation. The first English immigrants to settle in Boston arrived in 1629 and just seven years later, a college was founded in the city. But it was thanks to a Cambridge graduate that the place grew to become one of the most prestigious universities in the world. 

John Harvard was born and raised in south London and studied at Emmanuel College, gaining his degree when he was just 20. Ten years later, he emigrated to Charlestown in Boston, following in the footsteps of many of his classmates, but after just 16 months working as a clergyman he contracted tuberculosis and died. His name lives on to this day, thanks to his donation of 400 books and around £800. In today’s money, that would be about £75,000 or $140,000. And that was enough to set Harvard on its way. 

But there were to be none of the dreaming spires of Cambridge and Oxford for this new university. Instead, more functional, red brick buildings, still with a beauty of their own, emerged over time around Harvard Yard, which today, is home to 13 of the 17 freshman colleges at the University. As you walk 'round the yard, you can’t help but think what a great place this must be to spend your first year at college. I was fortunate to live on a campus university in my first year away from home, but nothing as beautiful and historic as this. 

Today, the oldest of those buildings is Massachusetts Hall, dating from 1720, which was designed as a residence for students. Although some lucky freshmen are still housed on the upper floors, the first three floors now house offices of the President of the University, its Provost, Treasurer and Vice Presidents. 

The Hall’s colorful history also saw it housing 640 American soldiers during the siege of Boston, and it isn’t the only hall at Harvard Yard to have military connections. Just a few steps away, Hollis Hall was used as a barracks by George Washington’s troops during the American Revolution. 

Of course, the colorful history of Harvard continues to this day. We were fortunate enough to be shown around by a friend of mine, who’s a professor there, and he shared one or two tales about what the students get up to. Perhaps the most common pranks involve the John Harvard statue. Commemorating the man who started the university, he sits overlooking Harvard Yard, but often finds himself with some additional decorations, such as leis. Tradition suggests that if visitors to Harvard rub one of the feet of the statue it will bring them good luck, and that’s exactly what many do. Let’s just say, from what I heard from my professor friend, it may not be a good idea. 

Other superb buildings worth a visit in Harvard Yard include the Memorial Church. If you think it looks familiar at first glance, there’s a good reason for that - it copies earlier styles, and its steeple is based on the Old North Church in Boston’s North End. 

Directly opposite the Memorial Church is Widener Library, Harvard’s main library. With more than three million books and 65 miles of book shelves, it’s one of America’s biggest libraries and it’s also one of the country’s most secure. Unless you’re a Harvard student or member of staff or perhaps a visiting scholar, you won’t get in and even if you can get inside, you’ll be subject to bag checks on the way out just to ensure that you haven’t taken anything out that you’re not entitled to. From outside, it’s certainly a dominating building. 

Although Harvard Yard is at the heart of the University, just like Oxford and Cambridge, Harvard sprawls over a far wider area. Head north and you’ll find a number of faculty buildings – some of which are exceptionally traditional and obviously date back many years, such as the Law Library and the Memorial Hall complex. Housing the Sanders Theater, which hosts a calendar of performances throughout the year, the real jewel here is Annenberg Hall. Unfortunately, its opening hours for visitors are exceptionally limited, but first year students dine here and enjoy what is probably Harvard’s greatest hall, inspired by the great halls of Oxford and Cambridge. Again, what a great way to enjoy your first year at college!

New buildings are being added to Harvard all the time, and some of the newest additions are also pretty impressive. For example, the entrance of the Maxwell Dworkin computer science building, opened in 1999, has some very unusual angles to it. 

Other places worth visiting are the various museums at Harvard. Our tour took us to the Harvard Museum of Natural History, home to hundreds of examples of animals, all of them stuffed – many still with us today, but some now long extinct. Although some look decidedly odd and others are just downright eerie, it’s still a fascinating collection and gives you a good idea of the size of many beasts that you normally can’t get close to. 

The highlight here is the collection of glass flowers with 3,000 models representing 850 species. When you see them, you’ll immediately understand why it’s no surprise that the most commonly asked question is “are they real?” That was certainly the question that first popped into my head when I saw them. 

If you’re in Boston over a weekend, visit the Natural History Museum on a Sunday morning, as entry is free until midday. The same applies to the neighboring Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. The name of this museum may sound dull, but it’s got some fascinating exhibitions about American Indians and excavations in Peru. 

If art appeals to you, then another museum you shouldn’t miss is the Fogg Art and Busch-Reisinger Museums, based around an Italian Renaissance courtyard. Its galleries trace the history of art from the Middle Ages to the present day. 

If all of this sounds a bit too academic for you, then rest assured, Cambridge is also a thriving town, with Harvard Square at its center. It’s a fascinating place to watch students going around their business. If books are your thing, then unsurprisingly, you’ll find bookstores with an amazing collection of titles, covering just about every subject you can think of. 

Restaurants here are cheap – and good – perhaps because they’re trying to attract the students. We found a particularly good Indian restaurant here and enjoyed a superb buffet for only $10 per person. 

While Harvard may differ considerably in looks from both Oxford and Cambridge, all three university cities share a lot in common. They all have a range of buildings and museums to explore and there’s history awaiting you around every corner, but there’s more to them than that. With thousands of students in each university, you get the sense of walking into a large community and if you can, it’s always best to visit during term time, as it gives you a real idea of what it might be like to study at one of these prestigious institutions. 

Having been to each of these cities out of season, don’t discount the idea of a visit in the winter. The weather may be cold, but if you’re lucky enough to have a dry day with clear skies, then that can make for some superb photos and you won’t find yourself amongst thousands of other visitors. 

Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard, without exception, have become much more than just places to learn over the last few hundred years. They’re also all superb places to visit which you can learn about all sorts of subjects or just soak up the unique atmosphere that each one has to offer. 

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. 

Making The Most of the Disney Dining Plan
by Joan Finder, Guest Contributor 

Ah, those three magic words. I’ll always remember the Valentine’s Day when those three delightful words first made my cheeks blush and my heart flutter …or more accurately, made my tummy growl and my mouth water:  Disney … Dining … Plan. These three little words sum up one of Disney’s newest and most innovative offerings, one proving almost as popular as Expedition: Everest. But just as those-in-the-know quickly discover that a little homework can make the Disney park experience even more enchanting, a little bit of knowledge can make the Disney Dining Plan (DDP) an even better value. The key to making the most of the Disney Dining Plan can be found by considering each of those three scrumptious words. 

Disney: The Disney Dining Plan was introduced last year as an add-on option to Walt Disney World resort guests booking the “Magic Your Way” vacation package. For each night of  your package stay, for each guest on the package, the plan includes one table service meal, one counter service meal and one snack.  Unlike most vacation meal plans, the meals don’t have to be used one per day but may be used in any combination over the course of your stay. You might use 2 or 3 table service credits on the same day, or save your snack credits to use four at a time. The credits are coded into your room key/park pass. After each meal, you will be given a receipt showing you exactly how many credits you have remaining in each category. Simple as …well … pie! 

Dining: Currently priced at approximately $38 per adult (ages 10 and up) and $11 per child (3-9), the plan can be a great savings. It’s certainly possible to eat at Disney and spend less, but this plan allows you to truly “dine” and experience some of Disney’s better establishments for just a bit more than you would pay subsisting on hot dogs and French fries. 

A table service meal allows each diner a choice of appetizer, entrée, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage, and covers tax and gratuity. While table service credits can be used for breakfast, lunch or dinner, using the credit for dinners will maximize your dollar value. A typical dinner in most Disney table service restaurants will average about $35 and, with tip and tax, can easily cost $50 or more. One table service credit is just that - one meal - whether it is a $15 breakfast or $50 dinner. 

Disney offers a wide array of beautifully themed restaurants with surprisingly gourmet food. The restaurants are often an attraction in and of themselves, not to mention a relaxing respite from the crowds, noise and heat. The DDP provides an incentive to try new places and new food choices, such as seaweed in Teppanyaki or Maple Crème Brulee in Le Cellier. Savor those expensive entrees, enticing appetizers and rich desserts without feeling guilty about the cost per item. For those of us who typically order from the “right hand side of the menu” to save money, it is  a rare pleasure to order whatever tickles our tummy. Generally, anything on the menu is usually included in the plan, although some specialty items may be restricted. Just ask before you order. The servers at Disney are very familiar with the plan, and will gladly explain the choices to you. This is especially true for counter service meals, where there seems to be more inconsistency. For example, at Cosmic Rays literally anything on the menu, including the ribs/chicken combo platter, is an option, but for some reason at Kringla Bakeri og Cafe the “lunch platter” is not available on the DDP. 

Of course, value, like beauty, is in the eyes - or in this case - the taste buds of the beholder. In some cases, you may choose to sacrifice a bit of monetary value for a memorable experience. Disney has designated certain establishments as “signature dining experiences”. These locations, such as Cinderella's Royal Table and California Grill, will use two table service credits for one meal. If atmosphere and magical memories are of utmost importance to you, then the credits are certainly well used. Likewise, most character meals are included in the plan. While a character buffet may not equal the dollar amount spent on a la carte dinners elsewhere, the chance to spend quality time with Mickey, Minnie and the gang may be better than a lottery win. Even for those of us who have left the autograph books behind, a breakfast at Crystal Palace before park opening, with photos of us in front of the castle with no one else in sight, may be priceless. The key is to determine what will make you the happiest guest in the world! 

One word of caution: some counter service establishments may offer both snacks and meals. Snacks are limited to soda, water bottle, coffee, single-serving chips, ice cream, popcorn or fruit only. Anything more may cost you a counter service credit. Be sure to clarify your options, or you may find your morning muffin and coffee gobbling up the credit you had planned to use for lunch. Sometimes it may still be worthwhile to pay out-of-pocket for that special must-have item, the Main Street Bakery cookie or Dole Whip, rather than using a counter service meal credit. Generally, your best monetary value is to eat a very light breakfast - bringing cereal bars or bagels from home to eat in your room or grabbing a danish in the food court - and save the counter service credit for an early lunch. Consider sharing one counter service breakfast and then splitting a lunch. Or get a counter service breakfast, skip lunch and have an early dinner. The portions at Disney eateries are ample, to say the least. Within a few days, most guests on this plan are gaining a pound or two. You definitely won’t starve! 

Plan: It is no accident that Disney terms this the Dining PLAN, as opposed to the Dining Feature or the Dining Experience. The immense popularity of this plan has filled restaurants that would previously accommodate walk-ins even on the busiest of days. You must book your advanced dining reservations as early as possible, especially for dinners. You can always try to make last minute changes if necessary, but if you want table service dinners or character meals, reservations are now essential. Magic Kingdom actually puts a sign near City Hall advising guests if dinner seatings are no longer available and often lists limited openings for lunch at the table service restaurants. Many a family may find themselves disappointed without those valuable reservation numbers in hand. 

Of course, the ultimate method of making the most of the DDP is to take advantage of the occasional promotions in which Disney includes the DDP at no charge as an incentive, usually for late summer/early fall off-season travel periods. This is planning at its best! But whatever the season, with careful planning, you’ll find the DDP is a culinary treat and affordable luxury. Bon appetit!

Joan Finder is hungrily anticipating her lucky 13th visit to Disney World this December for MouseFest 2006, where she plans to taste her way around the World Showcase and savor the delicacies of the Bahamas.

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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 vacation plans.