From the Authors: Spring Fever

Travel Feature: Key Largo & Islamorada

Disney Feature: How To Make The Most Of Meeting With Mickey 

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips: Shutters Shuffle, Different Dinner, Adults Alone?

Captain's Corner: Mayan Big Mouth Statue

Q&A: How can a single parent ride with two young children?
 

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Updates:
What's New and Changed

Here are a few of the new developments at Disney·

At 9:02 am on Tuesday May 2, 2006, Disneyland welcomed it's two-billionth guest (yes, billionth with a "b!") to visit a Disney theme park. Lucky 12 year-old Emmalee Mason from Colorado Springs, Colorado was the honored with a golden key and a lifetime pass to every Disney park in the world. Lifetime passes were also given to Emmalee's entire family of 10, yes 10, people including Emmalee, her parents, six siblings and one soon-to-be sibling. Talk about a baby gift!

On Tuesday, Disney announced that, "by the beginning of summer," Epcot guests will have two Mission: Space experiences to choose from. Both versions will make the same journey to Mars, but in one version, the centrifuge-based simulator ride will not spin at all! No g-forces, no air sickness bags needed - just the thing for anyone with motion sickness (like Jennifer) or many of the health concerns Disney lists on its warning signs for the attraction. All guests will enter the same queue, and once inside will be given their choice of ride experience. This isn't the first time Disney has done this for a simulator-based attraction, but it's the first time it's a full-time option. By request, Star Tours can also be experienced without the motion effects for the benefit of those in wheelchairs and with other special needs.

Jennifer and Dave were recently interviewed for a podcast by Mike Scopa, Matt Hochberg, and Mike Newell from http://www.wdwtoday.com. Episode 94 is available for download now! Check it out for information on upcoming books, and a behind-the- scenes look at the making of PassPorter. 

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:

SHUTTERS SHUFFLE
"On the Disney Cruise, at Shutters gather your pictures daily in one place for easy selection at the end of your cruise."
-- contributed by Beth A. (blabak2@...)

DIFFERENT DINNER
"For a change of pace from the hustle and bustle at Disneyland, there is an Old Spaghetti Factory in Fullerton. It is just a five minute drive from Disneyland down Harbor Blvd. Just go north on Harbor to the rail road tracks and it it there on your right. The food is really good and the price is family affordable."
-- contributed by Tim T. (timsforgiven@...)

ADULTS ALONE?
"If at all possible, allow yourself at least one trip without your children. You will see Walt Disney World in a whole new light. It is an opportunity for you to be a kid again if only for a few days."
-- contributed by Debbie A. (debmeg29@...)

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

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 or the PassPorter store. 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.

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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:

"After my discovery of Cornelius Coot's statue in the middle of Mickey's Toontown Fair last week, I set out in search of the elusive Mayan Big Mouth Statue. I heard from my friend Panchito that this incredible statue was hidden in the sand near a Mayan pyramid. Legend has it that you can crawl through the mouth of this statue -- when you emerge on the other side of it, you'll find yourself in the wonderland of Patio de Recreo. After much searching, I discovered the Mayan Big Mouth Statue at the dig site in ..." (rest of text obscured by sand and water)

Where is the "Mayan Big Mouth Statue" at Walt Disney World? 

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 Julie Dunlap who was the winner of last week's treasure hunt game! Julie correctly identified the statue as being of Cornelius Coot, the great-great-great-grandfather of Huey, Dewey, and Louie. 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

dattman86 asks: "Our family is going to Disney World in July. We have two younger children who may often need to be back at the hotel for naps. I am looking for ideas on how to take my 7 year old twins on rides by myself, especially those rides that will only seat two at a time like Space Mountain. I don't want to leave them to ride alone for obvious reasons. Any suggestion on this dilemma?"

Jennifer and Dave answer: "There's no easy answer if you want to sit alongside your children. However, in almost all cases, it's easy to sit right behind them. That'll certainly work for all the Mountains. They're small enough that you can probably fit all three of you into Buzz (although only two can shoot) and Haunted Mansion. The only rides that this wouldn't work well for would be Dumbo, Astro Orbitor, and Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. Moving to the other parks, you'll be completely cool. Sit a row behind on Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Triceratop Spin, and Expedition: Everest, everything else will allow at least three abreast."

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")}}! 

Are we obsessed with the outdoors now that spring has truly come to our corner of Michigan? You bet! The woods out back morphed from bare branches to a dense, fresh green in just the past week, we finally had to mow the lawn Sunday (and darn, it looks like it needs it again!), and we finished-up pressure washing and staining our deck (a two-week project). It looks gooooood! We're sure many of you can relate, and hope you, too, have been making the most of the season.

Meantime, it's very quiet here in the office. Nikki and Chad, who you met last week in this newsletter, are off on a very brief brother/sister trip to Walt Disney World, thanks to an unbelievable $16 roundtrip, last-minute airfare from Spirit Airlines. Add-in an Annual Pass discount on their room, and they were golden! They'd have had to spend more on gas for a drive to Ohio's Cedar Point for this Saturday's Opening Day (May 6)! Folks, if your favorite airlines offer e-mail newsletters, be sure to subscribe. You don't know what kind of last-minute deals you may be missing!

On the business front, we popped into our local Borders book store the other night, and found four different PassPorter books on the shelves - PassPorter Walt Disney World 2006, PassPorter's Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line 4th Edition, PassPorter's Walt Disney World for Your Special Needs, and the brand-new PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World. As Mushu said in Disney's Mulan, "My baby's all grown up and :::sniff::: saving China!"

We're also very happy to announce the debut of a second PassPorter e-book, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Clues. This downloadable, printable file in PDF format offers 250 great tips for enjoying your Disney Cruise Line experience. And if that wasn't enough, we throw in an incredible collection of extras including seven different, customized packing lists and a huge packing worksheet, comparisons between DCL and other cruise lines, shopping resources for hard-to-find cruising items, and a pre-teen's perspective on cruising with Disney. For just $4.95, you can't go wrong!

Next week, if we're all very lucky, we'll have some really exciting news about our Disneyland and Southern California guidebook. Stay tuned!

In this edition of the newsletter, Maureen Austin takes us down the road  to Margaritaville, with the first of several articles on the Florida Keys, and first-time contributor Terry Rohrer shares his tips for making the most of a Meeting with Mickey and other characters. Finally, Captain Jack Skatt returns with a new treasure hunting game. Enjoy! 

Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Authors

Unlocking The Magic of The Florida Keys: Key Largo and Islamorada
by Maureen Austin, PassPorter Message Board Guide and Guest Contributor 

When thinking about South Florida, many think about Miami and Miami Beach. However, keep heading south and you’ll discover a part of Florida that is unique and positively special in its own right. Welcome to 106 miles of island beauty known as the Florida Keys. Surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Bay, the Keys have rich history that includes Spanish, British exploration and occupation. Pirates were also known to be found around these parts back in the day, too. Equally notorious as the Keys are some of its better known residents, such as Tennessee Williams, Ernest Hemingway and of course, Margaritaville’s own Jimmy Buffet. 

Some refer to the Keys as America’s Caribbean. To write a comprehensive article covering every aspect of what the Florida Keys have to offer is like trying to eat a piece of key lime cheesecake in one sitting - too rich to do all at once. In this article, we’ll visit Key Largo and Islamorada.  

Just about an hour’s drive south of Miami International Airport, you can find yourself in what some consider to be the dive capital of the world. Home of the Florida Marine National Sanctuary, Key Largo has a long history of marine preservation. Key Largo’s many dive spots are known for exquisite coral and friendly fish, making diving here an experience unlike any other. Known as the “Dive Capital of the World,” Key Largo is at the forefront of marine conservation. The nation’s first undersea preserve, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, was created here in 1960. Spear-fishing and coral collection has been banned here for over 40 years, resulting in incredible marine life – an underwater photographer’s Eden!

If you have a fondness for staying on top of the water with a reel, you’ll feel right at home in Key Largo. Although many areas in the sanctuaries are off limits with respect to fishing, there are other areas to cast into. Charters offer many outstanding opportunities to take in deep sea fishing, where the catch are some of the world’s most sought-after fish. Tarpon and grouper are just a couple of the prized catches in Key Largo.

Animal lovers and eco-enthusiasts will enjoy many activities and tours in Key Largo. Many private tour operators conduct guided expeditions exploring wildlife and environments, including animals and plant life indigenous to the Keys. 

If shopping or art are more your style, you’ll have no trouble finding paradise in Key Largo.  Each April, Key Largo hosts the Art Guild Outdoor Festival, showcasing works of local artists. In any season, quaint stores await the shopping enthusiast. 

Accommodations range from charming cottages and family run motels to camping at John Pennekamp State Park, which has some of the best diving the Keys has to offer. 

Continuing south, you’ll reach Islamorada. Sport fishing reigns supreme here, with most marinas hosting some of the best pro fishers anywhere, available as guides. Choose between flats or tackle - you are sure to land a catch you’ll remember! 

Sport divers aren’t left out here either. Tropical marine life along the coral reef abounds, providing underwater photographers with colors one can only dream about. Alligator Reef is the home to the sunken USS Alligator, a 12-gun schooner scuttled in 1822.  

Boat enthusiasts will find a wide variety of watercraft rentals for plying the blue waters of Islamorada.

You can also take in ecotourism in Islamorada. Head to the back country and check out alligators and manatees. Florida sea grasses and flats also abound here. Nearby Indian Key is only accessible by boat or private tour, and is worth the effort to get there. Here, Native Americans walked for thousands of years.  

Accommodations in Islamorada also include camping, hotels and motels as well as condo rentals.  For a change of pace, you can also call a bed and breakfast home during your stay. Many are traditional masonry conch houses that have unique décor and styles all their own. 

Both Key Largo and Islamorada offer activities for everyone in the family. Children will love feeding tarpon at Robbie’s Marina in Islamorada as well as Founder’s Park. In Key Largo, the little ones will be sure to love the water park at Jacob’s Aquatic Center, for a very reasonable admission price. 

Savvy travelers and travel enthusiasts will find these Keys web sites helpful.  

http://www.fla-keys.com/keylargo/
http://www.fla-keys.com/islamorada/
http://www.thefloridakeys.com/index.html
http://www.pennekamppark.com/

In our next article, we’ll continue on our journey as we explore Marathon and Big Pine Key. 

Maureen Austin is co-owner of Grand Getaways Travel and a proud Florida native. Born in South Florida and having lived all over the state, she enjoys writing about the Sunshine State's many attractions and natural beauty.  

How To Make The Most Of Your Meeting With Mickey
by Terry Rohrer, Guest Contributor 

You have made the big decision to take your kids to Disney World. For months you have been planning on how to get there, where to stay and how much money to budget for souvenirs. You are making the kids watch every Disney movie ever made so they will know all the characters.

So you arrive at the Magic Kingdom, and after walking through the gates and past the train station, you appear on Main Street U.S.A. The kids are excited and next thing you know you are in line to get autographs and pictures of two mice in dresses. But your brain freezes - you don’t remember their names! You realize that you don’t have anything to write with or on, and suddenly before your camera is ready, it is your turn. Now the kids freeze and try to hide inside your shorts. Just then, you notice the other parents and kids waiting for their turn. You panic and hold the kids or even take them up close to get the picture. When you get home, the only picture you have of your children’s first visit to Disney World is of them crying and trying to run away from two mice. I’m going to give you some tips to prevent this scene and help create lifetime memories.

Getting the perfect picture with the Characters takes a little planning and some great timing. It all starts before you leave. There is no “magic” age that makes kids want to run up to Mickey or even just not run away from the famous mouse. A good place to have a test run is at your mall at Christmas or Easter or at your local Chuck E. Cheese’s. If they do not want to get close to the Easter Bunny, then you may have the reaction I mentioned earlier and you may want to wait before you take that big vacation. On the other hand, if they run up to Chuck E. Cheese and want to talk, play or even dance, then be ready for a great vacation.

So now that you know your child is ready, a little planning is in order. Before you go to Disney World rent, buy or borrow any Disney movie you can get your hands on. This will help you as you run into different characters. With a little searching, I found which characters would be out greeting guests, and where some of them would appear before we went. But as with all things Disney, this is subject to change. So just because you found a message board or blog where someone said they found Snow White next to her attraction in the Magic Kingdom, does not mean that she will be there during your vacation. Disney changes the character schedule all the time.  

Not all characters appear regularly each day. If after watching all those Disney movies, they have their heart set on meeting Aladdin and Jasmine, Disney has a way for you to find out if and when they will be appearing. Ask any cast member wearing a pin displaying Mickey’s white glove. They have a schedule of where and when all the characters will make their appearances that day. 

Also, on each of the park maps, there will be locations marked with the same Mickey’s white glove icon. If the map shows that Captain Hook will be near the Pirates of the Caribbean but you get there and don’t see him, just ask any cast member in the area and they will be happy to help. You may not realize you are 10 feet from where he will be, but that you’re just a little early. Don’t panic, and before you know it he will appear and be ready to sign an autograph and have his picture taken with all of you.  

All of the Disney characters will have a “greeter” with them. This is a cast member that will help keep everyone who is waiting to see the characters in line, and the best part is if you ask them, they will take a picture of your entire family with the character. I find, like many unofficial family photographers, that when I get home I am not in any of the pictures! With a little help from the greeter, this doesn't have to happen. Also, do not let the line or anxious kids behind you make you hurry and miss something. Be sure to make a list of characters that you want to see, and once you find them, take all the time you want within reason.

There are a few other things you can do to enhance your experience. Be sure to have something that the characters can sign. Disney sells autograph books at almost every store. My wife, who enjoys scrapbooking, took a small spiral bound card stock book and Sharpie markers for them to sign with. Your PassPorter also includes several pages for autographs. Keep in mind, some characters wear very large gloves or some may not be able to sign at all. Keep a thick marker with you as these are easier for the characters to hold. If the characters cannot sign, they often have a rubber stamp they can use.  

So you’ve waited in line, and it is finally your turn with the character. Most everyone will send his or her kids up to ask for an autograph. Be sure to have your camera ready. Some of the best photos I have ever seen are taken during the moments before the "big pose," when they first get to see their favorite star. This is when you will get the best smiles and the most candid photos. Your child does not have to be facing the camera to get a great picture. Be sure to get a picture of the big hug, which they will talk about long after you are home.  

Now, to make this few minutes even more memorable, be sure to let your children talk to the characters. You will see most parents send the child up, they get the autograph, turn for the picture and then the parents say “Let’s go!” Instead, take a minute and have them or even you, ask some questions. You will get some great reactions! Ask Minnie why Mickey has not married her yet. Tell Donald that you think Mickey is number 1. Don’t be scared to say “Tick, tock, tick, tock” around Captain Hook. Be sure to ask Belle what her favorite book is. You will be amazed at what some of the reactions or answers will be! You will create memories that will last a lifetime.  

Our son loved talking to the princesses and interacting with them. He took his Beauty and the Beast book for Belle to read to him. He would wait in line, and then when it was his turn he would let her read a page. After that, he would go to the back of the line and wait his turn for her to read another page. We have a ton of pictures of Belle reading with him. He still talks about it a year after it happened!

Another way to get a great character interaction is to take advantage of a Character Meal. There are many different locations and types of meals to choose from – breakfast, lunch, dinner, even an ice cream social. Check out the Walt Disney World web site for information and call (407) WDW-DINE to make reservations. These meals let you enjoy some great food, and the Characters will come to your table and interact with you and your family.  

To sum it up, do a little work before you go and let the kids talk and play with everyone you see. While you are waiting, be sure to get your autograph book, pens, markers and cameras ready for the moment that is about to happen. Take lots of pictures and be sure to get all the autographs you can. Long after the vacation you will be able to look back and say, "That is Junior with Suzy and Perla!" (the two mice I mentioned at the beginning of the article, who made Cinderella's gown)!

Terry is the father of two - a 6 year old son whose eyes "light up" when talking with a Disney Princess ,and a 17 year old daughter. Terry describes himself as "obsessed with Disney!" 

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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.