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In
This Newsletter
From the Editor: Greetings
from Sunny Florida - Not!
Travel Feature:
Other
Orlando: WonderWorks
Disney Feature: Taking
Great Fireworks Photos
Updates: What's
New and Changed
Tips: Snack
Around The World, Sing A Song, Own The Same Ornament
Captain's Corner: The Sporting Life
Q&A: My
daughter saw 'Poseidon', now she won't cruise - help!
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Updates:
What's
New and Changed
Here are a few of the new developments at Disney:
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights will
be returning to the Disney-MGM Studios. The lights can be seen in the evenings
decorating the Streets of America, November 13, 2006 - January 7, 2007.
Disney's Wide World of Sports will once again be
host to the Pop Warner Super Bowl and the National Cheer &
Dance Championships December 3-9, 2006.
Disneyland celebrated the 40th Anniversary
of It's A Small World this past Sunday, May 28, 2006. The attraction
debuted at the 1964 World's Fair in New York and re-opened at Disneyland
on May 28, 1966. It is estimated that the famous title song has been played
over 70 million times at Disney's theme parks around the world! (C'mon,
you know you're humming it right now!)
Beginning July 1, 2006, Disney Vacation Club
will be raising the price per point at the Saratoga Springs Spa and
Resort from $98 per point to $101 per point.
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:
SNACK AROUND THE WORLD
"When our family visits Epcot, the four of us share
food from the World Showcase countries. This allows us to try many different
items. Some of our favorites are fish and chips from the UK, pastries from
France, chicken teriyaki and kaki gori (snow cones) from Japan, gelato from Italy, fried rice and egg rolls from
China, rice cream from Norway, and nachos from Mexico. By the end of the
day, we are stuffed but we have enjoyed snacking around the World Showcase!"
-- contributed by Maris Lee (j3mlee@...)
SING A SONG
"I had the opportunity to have a once in a lifetime
trip as an adult with my mom last November. I wanted to make the countdown
to our trip fun for both of us. Since my mom and I email every day, I thought
of an idea that I really liked: At the 30 day mark, I started sending her
a song a day. I would pick songs from movies, attractions, or the parks
in general and send them to her. I would come up with funny little sayings
for the subject line of the email that incorporated our trip and the song.
Here's an example: With five days left to go, I sent
her "A Jolly Holiday" from Mary Poppins. The subject line read, "We'll
be joining Mary and Bert on a Jolly Holiday in five days!!!" My mom loved
it. All of her co-workers would come to her desk each morning to see the
"Song of the Day. " -- contributed by Dawn E.
OWN THE SAME ORNAMENT
"While visiting the Disney Days of Christmas store
at Downtown Disney, why not purchase two of the same ornaments? That way
you and your grandchild will have the same one to hang on the tree even
though you may live miles apart. It's a great way to relive your trip year
after year." -- contributed by Rita H.
>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 new book, "PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at
Walt Disney World."
The Captain makes a study of the delightful details
-- sometimes hidden, sometimes in plain sight but often overlooked -- at
Walt Disney World and aboard the Disney Cruise Line. Using notes from his
journals, he will lead you to this "treasure" at Disney with clues, questions,
photos, or riddles. Your challenge is to discover the answer by searching
your memory, visiting Disney, or even just looking really hard on the Internet.
If you think you've found the answer, e-mail it to jackskatt@passporter.com
-- the first person to correctly submit the FULL answer will receive a
free PassPorter enamel pin or PassPorter name badge pin.
Here is this week's treasure from Captain Skatt's
Journal:
"Taking a wee break from my treasure hunting activities,
I wandered over to our local baseball diamond to catch a game.
Alas, I found it has been rained out -- in fact,
it must have rained very hard because the field was filled with water and kids were playing in it.
I wanted to sit in the stands, but I couldn't reach them. And when I went to throw a few balls,
I discovered they were so big they wouldn't fit in my hands. Worse of all was the size of
the bats -- they were over three stories tall!"
Where is this baseball diamond?
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 Holli Goetz who AGAIN was the
winner of last week's treasure hunt game! Holli correctly answered that
the two items the Spirit of Individualism statue is holding in The American
Adventure theater are a saddle and a lasso (rope). To view the original
clues, see
last
week' s newsletter. Holli is on a streak,
can someone break it?
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
ilovedisney0_0 asks: "I really, really want to go
on a Disney cruise. My daughter was a little hesitant after seeing 'Titanic'
a couple of years ago. She was just getting over it, and had agreed to
the cruise. We saw 'Poseidon' this weekend, and now she is scared again!
Any tips on how to convince her it is safe to cruise?"
Jennifer and Dave answer: "I wish I could say the
rogue wave in Poseidon was completely fiction, but I can say that the effects
of such a large wave (up to 100 feet tall) are probably a bit overblown
in the movie. An article at Wikipedia
lists several "freak wave" encounters with both large cruise ships and
some far smaller cruise ships, and in no case did they capsize. That's
not to say that it couldn't happen, but the chances seem incredibly slim.
Based on what's known about rogue waves, they seem to occur as part of
an existing wave train, generally in a storm. Since the (fictional) Poseidon
had to be broadsided by the wave in order to capsize, the odds get very
slim indeed in real life. Ships generally head the bow directly at storm
waves, rather than run parallel to them, specifically to reduce or eliminate
the chance of capsizing. That's probably why all the cruise ships listed
in the article survived with relatively little damage. There are other
hazards that are far more likely (fire, collision with other vessels),
and even those happen very rarely.
It's similar to the incidence of shark attacks. You're
tens of thousands of times more likely to be hurt while driving to the
beach than the chance that you'll ever be witness to, no less a victim
of, a shark attack. The heck with "Poseidon" or "Jaws." If they really
want to scare folks, Hollywood should make "I-95!" Oh, actually, they did,
Smashup
on Interstate 5 "
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!
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From
the Editor: Greetings from Sunny Florida - Not!
Hi, {{user("firstname")}}!
Well, since Jennifer and Dave are currently
at Walt Disney World (and didn't take me with them -
pout, pout...) I've taken over the letter writing duties this week.
I can't believe how big we've gotten in the two years that I have been
with PassPorter! PassPorter Travel Press now offers five, count 'em FIVE
books:PassPorter
Walt Disney World Resort 2006
PassPorter
Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
PassPorter's
Walt Disney World for your Special Needs
PassPorter's
Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line--Fourth Edition
PassPorter
Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World
Plus three e-books: PassPorter's
Disney 500: Fast Tips for Walt Disney World Trips
PassPorter's
Disney Cruise Clues: First Class Tips For Your Disney Cruise Trips
PassPorter's
Disney Speed Planner: The Easy Ten-Step Program to a Perfect Walt Disney
World Vacation.
In fact, this week marks the debut of our latest e-book,
PassPorter's
Disney Speed Planner: The Easy Ten-Step Program to a Perfect Walt Disney
World Vacation. This e-book is like a FASTPASS for your vacation! It offers an easy method to plan
your vacation and is intended for those who have little time or inclination to go nuts planning
their trip. Follow Disney vacationer (and PassPorter News contributor) Justine Fellows as she
develops a simple, ten-step plan to help you get your vacation planned in short order so you
can get on with your life. It's like a having an experienced friend show you the ropes
step by step ... and have fun doing it! Learn more here.
PassPorter News now has over 25,000 subscribers. And we want to add even more vacationers to our little family! So if you enjoy reading PassPorter News, please pass
it on to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. (But please - let
them subscribe themselves. We're anti-spam!) I continue to be amazed by
our readers - because it's you who help create this newsletter! Our readers
contribute tips, articles, news
and endless amounts of support. And we love hearing from you - so if you
have any suggestions or feedback regarding PassPorter News, please send
it to news@passporter.com. I can't
promise I'll respond to every e-mail, but I can promise that they will
all be read and considered!
In this edition of the newsletter,
reader and frequent contributor Michelle Mangio shares a "wonder"ful Orlando
attraction, WonderWorks, with us and PassPorter Message
Board Guide Bill Myers shares with us the secrets of how to get those amazing
Fireworks
Photos we often see in his signature pictures on the PassPorter
Message Boards. Enjoy!
Sara Varney
PassPorter News Editor |
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Did
You Know?
PassPorter 2006 Garners
Great Reviews!
The new 2006
edition of our PassPorter Walt Disney World guidebook now features
a full-color interior along with the most up-to-date text, new TeenTips
and ToddlerTips, and new photos and magical memories. We've heard back
from folks who've received their new books -- here are a few of our favorite
comments:
"I just wanted to let you know how much I love
the new PassPorter! Thanks for adding the toddler tips! I have a 2 year
old and a 9 month old. This is a great feature. Thanks for including pictures
of yourselves as well. It keeps it "real" in my opinion." -- Andria
"I love the pockets and your personal experiences
and advice about making the trip the best experience possible. Thank you
so much for this wonderful tool." -- Bari
"I love the color, the pictures, and the new magical
memories. The tips on the rides have given us great guidelines." -- Lisa
Everything! I am a planner and this book really
helped me plan my first ever Disney trip in 2004. We are going back and
I don't need to plan as much, but the book is a must! I loved the map,
the meal worksheet, the priority seating worksheet. -- Jennifer
Learn more and order today at:
http://www.passporter.com/wdw/guidebook.htm |
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Travel
Feature:
Other Orlando: WonderWorks
by Michelle Mangio,
Guest Contributor
Like many Disney fans, my husband and I
rarely ventured outside of Walt Disney World when we visited Florida. To
us, “The World” was Orlando, and it was all the vacation we wanted.
But one year we decided: let’s see what’s in Orlando. I could easily talk
about SeaWorld and Universal Studios, the two main attractions outside
of Disney World that many visit each year. But though we enjoyed both attractions
– and have, from time to time, returned – what captured our interest and
enjoyment most was a little tiny place called WonderWorks.
To us, WonderWorks is the hidden gem of
Orlando, an amazingly themed adventure that delights the senses even as
it enriches the mind. It’s great for families, but equally fun for two
kids-at-heart who are fascinated by the amazing magic of science.
It was sheer luck that led us to this discovery,
as we turned down the wrong way on International Drive in Orlando and found
ourselves near the entertainment complex. As we drove, looking for a convenient
place to turn around, we happened to spy an upside-down building off to
the side.
"What is that?" we wondered, "And why is
this huge building upside down?" Our curiosity thus ensnared, we found
a place to park and made our way to this intriguing landmark.
We were delighted from the onset. This
building even had sound special effects to make it sound like it was creaking
as we approached, and was ingeniously designed to appear as if it hand
landed on top of another building! Some of the “original sidewalk” of the
building was still attached, and so palm trees swayed slightly over your
head.
All plans of another Orlando destination
forgotten, we ventured into this building to see what it would hold.
Because it is upside down, you must enter
through the “attic,” and all elevators go “down” to the basement below.
Umm … above? You can see how it becomes a bit confusing! It was in the
entrance, where you purchase your admission tickets, that we learned the
“story” of this little attraction.
It was originally located in the Bermuda
Triangle, a top-secret laboratory conducting experiments. Scientists had
been trying to find answers to the unexplainable, but their experiments
had gone awry, causing a freak tornado to erupt from within the building,
carrying the building all the way to Florida before dropping it into Orlando.
Amazingly, all the experiments remained intact, now allowing you to venture
inside to interact with them.
On the first two floors, there are over
100 different interactive experiments. This is a science museum where the
science truly comes alive, in a fun and compelling way. You can land the
Space Shuttle, or fly in a Fighter Jet. Design your own roller coaster
and then ride in it. Or get all shaken up in the Earthquake Simulator!
But the fun doesn’t stop there. Other exhibits
include becoming a Virtual Sports superstar, or spending hours in the Bubble
Room where you can make bubbles larger than you are! Perhaps you can show
your little ones just how Leo, June, and Quincy (of the Little Einsteins)
managed to get stuck in that giant bubble!
You can learn what it’s like to lie on
a bed of nails, or make a 3-D impression of yourself on the Wonderwall.
Watch your hair rise up towards the ceiling in the static electricity generators
(but prepare for the shock if you touch anything metallic!).
WonderWorks does its best to keep the illusion
of the upside building going, too. When you look out of any of the windows,
a little bit of magic is at work, and the rest of the world appears upside
down, as if you are now right side up in the building!
When you make your way to the “basement,”
you can play some rounds of Lazer Tag (if you bought the combo ticket,
or play it directly without going to the interactive science museum). This
game is fun even for the adults, and the kids certainly take delight at
being able to shoot you, causing all of your lights to blink like crazy.
But even if that weren’t enough grand entertainment,
WonderWorks also offers a wonderful “Outta Control Magic Dinner Show.”
For dinner shows, it’s reasonably priced at $21.95 for adults, and $14.95
for seniors and children 4-12 (3 and under are free). The price includes
unlimited hand-tossed pizza, beer, wine, and soda. And though the food
is good, the best part really is the show, which is part magic show and
part gales of laughter, as the two magicians use improvisational comedy
and sensational magic to entertain adults and children alike. It’s one
of the best shows in Orlando, if you ask me. But, then, I was always
found of magic. It’s why I love Disney… and why WonderWorks managed to
endear itself to me as well.
Michelle Mangio is the
owner of Magical Escapes,
and is a frequent visitor to Walt Disney World (and now Orlando as well!)
with her husband and 2 year old son. As much as she enjoys vacationing
just to visit new places and revisit places she loves, she also enjoys
the opportunity to share what she’s learned with others. And like
many Disney fans, she’s already planning her next trip before she’s even
home from the last!
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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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Disney
Feature:
Taking Great Fireworks
Photos
by Bill Myers,
Guest Contributor and PassPorter Message Board Guide
You just love those fireworks and night-time
photos. Come on … admit it … And most of you will be the first to say “But
I can’t do THAT!” Guess what? You can, with your very own digital camera.
You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to take good fireworks and night
time photos, not only at Disney, but anywhere.
Many newer cameras come with scene modes on them,
and “fireworks” is sometimes one of them. But, beware! If you don’t read
that manual and play with your camera ahead of time, you will be disappointed.
Most digital cameras set the shutter speed very slow in fireworks mode,
sometimes as long as 2 seconds. That means the camera is taking the photo
for 2 seconds, and any movement is recorded on the photo. That’s why so
many fireworks photos come out blurry.
So what can you do? First, read your camera’s manual,
especially the part about the scene modes. Learn what they do and how they
work. Secondly, practice, practice, practice. Take outdoor photos at night
using those scene modes to get used to how they work. Learn to use them
to your advantage. And make sure you have enough “film.” The price of memory
cards is dropping and it would be sad to not get the shot you wanted because
your memory card is full. (Editor’s Note: We go through
our photos every night on our trip and delete ones you KNOW you will never
print. You know – those ones where your child’s eyes are closed or your
finger is over the lens? Delete those to make room for future fantastic
shots.)
Now, how do I hold my camera still for 2 seconds?
Well, a tripod would help. What? You don’t carry one around with you at
all times? Well, neither do I; in fact, I bring a monopod and tripod to
Walt Disney World with me every trip and still forget to carry them with
me into the parks. Too much baggage, especially since I don’t have a stroller
or something like it to carry it in or on.
For long exposures, anything over 1/60 second, find
a fixed object to use - a garbage can, seat back, light pole, rock, or
tree trunk … whatever is available. Set your camera on or up against that
object to assist in providing stability. So what if you have to hold the
camera sideways, you want good photos, right? Besides, you can always rotate
the photo to what you want on your computer during the editing process.
This will get you the steadiness you need for those slow shutter speeds.
Next, how do I focus? Well, this is a problem, especially
with many of the “slower” focusing cameras. Look in your owner manual and
see if you can manually focus, or better yet, how to lock a focus setting
into memory, or force manual focus to set itself to the one automatically
set. What you can do here is manually focus on an object far enough away
so that your fireworks will be in focus. In the Magic Kingdom I focus on
the Castle, at Epcot I focus on a building across the lagoon from me. I
then transfer this focus distance to manual. When using my Olympus “prosumer”
cameras, all I have to do is press and hold one button for 3 seconds and
it locks the focus distance in. Now, I’m focused and ready to shoot!
Learn to use your body as a tripod. Space your feet
firmly under you, turn your body partially sideways to where you’re going
take the photos and use your side to support your arm (keeping it close
to your side). The hand holding the camera should now be “rigid”, and as
you slow your breathing down you make a great tripod for slow shutter speed
photos.
Worried about the camera shaking when you push the
shutter button? If your camera comes with a remote, then use it, especially
if your camera is sitting on a solid object. If you don’t have a remote,
or don’t feel comfortable using it, then practice releasing the shutter
control - gently push on the button until the shutter releases and you
take a picture. Remember, if you jerk your hand or finger to “quickly”
get a photo, you will blur the shot at slower shutter speeds. If you’re
taking photos of still objects such as The Tower of Terror, Spaceship Earth
in Epcot, the fountains in front of Journey Into Imagination, etc. then
you can use your self timer. Read the manual on how to use it, but they
usually give you a predetermined time between when the button is pushed
to take a picture and the actual picture being taken. This time usually
ranges from 2 to 10 seconds, and some cameras let you program it. I have
taken many, many night photos of the parks using this method; it makes
things so easy to do.
And lastly, for you digital folks, look at your photos
before you walk off. If your camera allows you to view and zoom in, please
do so. It gives you an idea of how the photo looks and whether you need
to re-shoot it or try a different method or camera placement. Digital film
is cheap, and you can never take too many photos if in the end, you get
the one you want.
Remember to take the memories home with you… in pictures!
Bill Myers is a PassPorter
Message Board Guide. He is an avid photographer who has been taking
photographs for over 40 years.
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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. |
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