From the Authors: Summertime!

Travel Feature: Bermuda

Disney Feature: Grad Nites at Disney

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips: Bright Backpack, "Resort" to the Resort Monorail, Creative Crocs

Captain's Corner: Museum in Morocco

Q&A: Can I upgrade a park pass purchased through a loyalty program?
 

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Updates:
What's New and Changed

Here are a few of the new developments at Disney:

Wyndham Worldwide has announced the construction of the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Hotel and Spa at Bonnet Creek, a 400-room hotel set to open in 2009. 80 of the 400 rooms will be designed to comfortably sleep a family of six. (Good news for larger families struggling to find rooms at Walt Disney World!) The hotel will be part of a larger time share property, Fairfield Orlando at Bonnet Creek. 

There are rumors circulating that the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It! attraction at Walt Disney World will be closing on August 19, 2006. While still just a rumor at this point, this does seem to be pretty credible. Time will tell what will go in that space

The Saratoga Springs Spa and Resort is now offering horse-drawn carriage rides every evening. Reservations can be made by calling 407-824-2832 up to 90 days in advance. The payment of $35 is made to the driver at the time of your ride (cash or room charge only). The carriages can hold up to four adults or two adults and two or three children. 
 

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:

BRIGHT BACKPACK
"The last time we went to Disney World in 2003, my kids were five and eight. I bought the brightest, hottest pink, glittery backpack I could find. That way if the boys got distracted looking at something (easy to do at Disney!) they could look up, see mom's "glowing" back pack and get right back with the family. I also have a neon-pink wind-breaker that I plan to bring with us this fall. My kids say it glows in the dark!" -- contributed by Kate F. (katefish74@...)

RESORT TO THE RESORT MONORAIL
"On our last trip to the Magic Kingdom we decided to leave just after the SpectroMagic parade.  Unfortunately, so did hundreds of other people! The lines for the monorail and ferry were huge. It probably would have taken over an hour just to get one of them. I happened to notice that there was hardly anyone going to the monorails that were going to the resorts. We hopped on one of those with no wait and were immediately on our way to the parking area." -- contributed by Carrol S. (carrol1997@...)

CREATIVE CROCS
"Crocs are the latest shoe craze, and the most comfortable shoes being worn in the parks (as well as cities and hospitals). Decorate them for your visit to Disney by putting your Disney pins in the holes on the Croc shoes!  You can paint the backs with acrylic paint, add glue and sparkles. You then have your own personalized Crocs to wear at the parks!" -- contributed by Susan G. (sweetbdosg@...)

>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:

"After my foray into Middle Eastern antiquities, I wandered around in search of a light refreshment. I found just the thing at a little cafe named after some sort of European cake. I ordered some "lefse" and a "veiled maiden," along some "Imsdal water." With my repast in hand, I looked about for a place to eat it. Nearby I found a quaint seating area with tables and chairs. What was unusual about it was the roof of the seating area, which was topped with ... (rest of text obscured by bread crumbs)" "

What is atop with seating area beside the cafe?

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 Ric Flack  who was the winner of last week's treasure hunt game! Ric correctly identified "red" as the color of the glass panes on the doors of the Batha Museum. To view the original clues, see last week' s 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

GoofyMom asks: "I have the opportunity to cash in some customer loyalty reward points for Disney Magic Your Way tickets. I thought I remembered reading a while back that you can upgrade Magic Your Way tickets to Annual Passes or Premium Annual Passes but there was some kind of a complication about the Plus Options. Am I remembering correctly? If you have a non-expiring, Magic Your Way Parkhopper Pass with Water Parks, etc. can you upgrade to an Annual Pass or do you have to upgrade to a Premium Annual Pass so you don't lose credit for the Water Parks, etc. options?"

Jennifer and Dave answer: "Your plan is to exchange the reward points for a Magic Your Way (MYW) ticket, then immediately exchange the MYW for an Annual Pass (AP)? If you upgrade to the AP within 14 days of the first use of the ticket, you'll be upgrading, and the entire purchase price can be applied to the cost of a new Annual Pass/Premium Annual Pass (PAP) that has been backdated to the first day you used the MYW ticket. In other words, it's as if you had gotten the AP/PAP in the first place.

If you wait more than 14 days (a MYW with no-expiration option) before upgrading, then you get dollar credit for the remaining value of the ticket towards the new pass. At that point, Plus Options have no cash value. I know it doesn't sound fair, but that's the way Disney is doing it. 

Here's something for you to call and ask Disney about: Since all upgrades are a matter of exchanging the cash value of the ticket, and reward points cannot be exchanged for cash, there may be special rules for exchanging tickets purchased with reward points. Call them and ask. Why am I concerned? Disney does not permit upgrades of complimentary tickets, so if they consider tickets acquired with reward points to be complimentary, you may be totally out of luck."

(GoofyMom replied that she had no problem upgrading older Park Hopper tickets purchased with rewards points, but for something as important like this, it's worth checking the current rules.)

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")}}! 

Summertime, but who says the livin' is easy? School's out just about everywhere by now, gardens need tending, the sun has already lingered during the evenings for as long as it's going to linger, July 4th is just around the bend, camping gear is getting its annual workout... who's got time to hang out at the computer, besides you and us?

Around here, we're busy preparing PassPorter Walt Disney World 2007. Already? If it's going to be in the stores by November, now's the time. It does take several months to check every fact, to fit in every new feature, and run everything past our panel of peer reviewers. In another couple of months everything will be in the hands of our printer! (Don't worry, any change at Disney between now and when the presses start rolling will be included.)

We've also gone to work on PassPorter's Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line 5th Edition (five, already?). With the Disney Magic headed for Europe next summer, we've got a lot of work cut out for us - 11 new ports of call, requiring about 84 pages of new information! In fact, early this fall we'll be cruising the Mediterranean (on another cruise line), just so we can visit most of the ports and destinations on next year's Disney itineraries to ensure we have the best advice possible for our new guidebook. Oh, the sacrifices we make!

OK, back to matters closer to home. This edition of the newsletter features veteran contributors Joy Gray and Dorie Haggerty. Joy takes us on a family jaunt to Bermuda, and Dorie reports on one of those mysterious events that few of us ever experience, Disney's Grad Nights. As always, Captain Jack Skatt returns with a new treasure hunting game. Enjoy! 

Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Authors and Publishers

Bermuda: Think Pink!
by Joy Gray, Guest Contributor 

Think pink! The pink sand beaches of Bermuda, that is. There’s a lot to love about Bermuda, especially if you are traveling from the east coast of the United States and/or traveling with kids. For starters, it is one of the safest and cleanest islands you can visit, with a notable lack of the pushy street vendors that populate the Caribbean ports of call. It is nearby, a mere two-hour flight from several major Eastern US cities. You can easily get there by cruise ship departing from Boston, New York, Philadelphia or Charleston. Even if you are a veteran cruiser, a Bermuda cruise is a totally different experience. You get the benefits of a cruise ship, coupled with access to land for up to four straight days. Cruising to Bermuda can be a bargain when compared to the cost of airfare, lodging and meals for a land vacation.

I cruised to Bermuda recently with my 70 year-old mother and seven year-old daughter. We toured the island extensively on our own, and never felt at all uncomfortable or unsafe. We sailed in April on the Celebrity Zenith - an older, smaller ship that departs from Cape Liberty Cruise Terminal in Bayonne, NJ. Despite her small size, we found plenty to amuse all three of us while onboard. I was particularly impressed by the wide variety of family-friendly activities offered. We enjoyed trivia contests, family bingo, some great Broadway-style shows, and the hot tubs that are beautifully located at the rear of the ship. There were more than 200 children onboard the ship the week we sailed, and Celebrity ran a full youth program on both land and sea days. Some of the activities for the Cadets (ages 7-9) included arts and crafts activities, science journeys, pirate day, stargazing, and a dinosaur night. They had a delightful Junior Cruisers talent show at the end of the week that included group performances choreographed by program counselors, so everyone who wanted to could participate. My daughter, a frequent cruiser herself on lines including the Disney Cruise Line, gave the Celebrity youth program a thumbs-up rating. 

With the unpredictable April weather the pools didn’t get a lot of use, but they would be a welcome relief from the heat for summer travel. If you are considering a Bermuda cruise, keep in mind that the North Atlantic waters are not quite as smooth as the Caribbean – you may be in for a bit of a rough ride, particularly during early and late season sailings (generally April and October). The first leg of our trip from New Jersey to Bermuda had some rough seas but our return was extremely smooth sailing. 

Once in Bermuda, most ships dock for three or four days. The Zenith docks first in Hamilton, which is ideal – centrally located with lots of shopping nearby. We purchased three-day transportation passes that allowed us unlimited travel on Bermuda’s excellent bus and ferry services. While the passes probably didn’t save us any money, they certainly were convenient, as we didn’t have to worry about having correct change. Bermuda has its own form of currency, the Bermuda dollar. It is that same rate and system as the American dollar, i.e. one U.S. dollar is equal to one Bermuda dollar, and there are 100 cents in a dollar. Both American and Bermuda dollars are accepted on the island.

Family-friendly activities are easy to find in Bermuda. With miles and miles of beaches to choose from, you can’t go wrong with spending a day at the beach. Be sure to bring along water shoes and sand toys for the kids, and lots of sunscreen! Also be sure to identify which beaches are safe for swimming and which are not. Some of the most scenic and popular beaches, like Horseshoe Bay Beach, can have strong undercurrents. We preferred Tobacco Beach and Shelly Bay for wading and swimming, even though they are not as scenic as Horseshoe Bay.

We also thoroughly enjoyed the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo. It is easy to spend an entire day here enjoying the living coral reef in the 140,000-gallon aquarium, visiting with animals ranging from kangaroos to Galapagos Tortoises, and exploring the well designed children’s playground. Add to that a touch pool and a children’s discovery area where kids can dress up as a bee or a butterfly, and your family may not want to leave at closing.

Another popular attraction is the Bermuda Maritime Museum at the Royal Naval dockyards. You can enjoy incredible views and displays that are both historic and yet appealing enough to keep the kids engaged. This is also the home of Dolphin Quest Bermuda, where you can enjoy Dolphin encounters for ages three and up. My daughter, who is a strong swimmer, was a bit intimidated by being in the water with the dolphins – you may prefer the shorter dockside ‘fins and flipper’ encounter as it allows kids to interact with these fascinating animals without being in the water with them. It’s also easier on the wallet!

If you and your kids still have some energy to burn after visiting these attractions, then head on over to Crystal Caves. This is a great ‘starter cave’ for younger explorers as it is smaller and does not require climbing quite as many steps as some of the larger caves here in the U.S. You will still be rewarded with fabulous crystal stalactites and stalagmites and an underground river, but you’ll only have to climb about 100 steps!

After two full days in Hamilton, the Zenith moves to St. George. St. George is full of historic buildings and narrow streets, and has to be accessed through a very narrow channel. It is far more scenic than Hamilton, but not as convenient for exploring the island. Not far at all from the town of St. George is Fort St. Catherine, with another museum and a great view of Tobacco Beach. Note that none of the bus routes travel out to the Fort, so your best bet may be to take a taxi to the Fort and walk from there to the beach. 

If you travel in the warmer summer months, you may wish to explore underwater Bermuda. Even though Bermuda is not particularly well-known as a dive location, it is a great place to learn to dive. Thanks to numerous shipwrecks and a couple of nice coral reefs, there is plenty to see underwater. For those who are not eager to try diving but would like an underwater experience, there is Hartley’s Undersea Walk. I can hardly wait to return to Bermuda so I can try this out - and I’ve about got my daughter convinced to do it! 

The one thing you won’t find on Bermuda is a casino, and while cruise ships are in port they are required to keep their casinos closed, so this is not the place for serious gamblers. Bermuda’s nightlife also tends to be a bit subdued. Cruise ships are allowed to have live performances onboard while in port, so we never found ourselves lacking for evening entertainment. All in all, Bermuda is a delightful, friendly island – I’m ready to go again!

Joy Gray is a travel agent affiliated with CruisingCo.com and MouseEarVacations.com. She resides in NH with her husband Kevin Brey and their daughter Sydney. She is busy planning a tenth anniversary cruise to Alaska, where she and her husband were married atop a mountain in 1997.

Grad Nites @ Disney: The Ultimate Graduation Party
by Dorie Haggerty, Guest Contributor

Do you have a high school senior who will be graduating next year? Do you want to send them off in Disney style? Then Grad Nite is for you! We had the opportunity to attend Walt Disney World’s Grad Nite 2006. The Magic Kingdom was turned into a party zone from 10:00 pm until 4:00 am and the party rocked!

Grad Nite is an event held every spring on select nights when the Magic Kingdom is reserved for the use of graduating seniors, attending as part of an organized group. But wait! It’s not just for school groups. Grad Nite is for any youth group: Boy Scouts, church youth groups, and more! If your school is not participating, it is easy for any Group Leader to register a group and join in on the fun. Go to http://www.disneyyouthgroups.com to find out how to register and join one of the greatest events at Walt Disney World. As Group Leader, you arrange all transportation, tickets and chaperones. 

We didn’t know what to expect when we arrived at the Magic Kingdom around 9:45 pm. But in true Disney style, everything was planned to perfection. Upon arrival at the party, there are hundreds of cast members to direct you. Right outside the parking lot entrance gate (to the right), cast members will lead you down the road to your destination. Depending on your mode of transportation, you are guided to parking. We had a van and were sent to the handicapped parking at the Ticket and Transportation Center. Disney buses were waiting to take us to the Magic Kingdom. 

At the entrance to the Magic Kingdom, security lines were set up. Be prepared - there is a dress code and thorough security checks including a bag and body check. They not only check your bag, they empty out your bag. Hand wands were used, shirts pulled out of pants, shoes checked. Despite the thorough checks, it only took about five minutes to gain entrance to the park.

The Group Leader has to register at the Chaperone Headquarters located at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. Cast members will take your cell phone number for emergencies. If you do not have a cell phone, they will give you a pager. If any member of your group is in trouble or needs you, a Disney cast member will call you.

Now the party begins! Most chaperones let the teens go explore on their own. We set a time and location to meet up for some of the special events. By this time, we (the chaperones that is) were thirsty and Disney was kind enough to provide a complimentary chaperone lounge inside Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. They had drinks (cans of soft drinks, coffee, tea, water) and snacks (popcorn, fresh fruit and cookies). A complimentary breakfast is also served for chaperones at the Crystal Palace. Beware, the breakfast closes early and fills up quickly. A good time to attend is around 1:30 am.

So what is there to do? Oh, not much. Just attractions, eating, dancing, fun zones, and fireworks! Most of the attractions are open and had a five to ten minute wait. Of course the longest line was Space Mountain! The arcade games were free, making the Tomorrowland Arcade a very popular place. A few restaurants are open; our group ate at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café.  And from the moment you enter Main Street to every nook and cranny of the park, there was music and dancing! A song would begin and about 90% of the teens would dance their way down the street. 

The teens absolutely loved the special zones: Suds Foam Zone in Fantasyland (Yes, so many suds that the teens were soaked all the way through!); Dance Zone in Tomorrowland; and the Coca-Cola Interactive Zone in Adventureland (They had a basketball contest that drew a huge crowd!). There was also a Karaoke Party in Adventureland and the teens would line up to sing on a stage at Disney! The Galaxy Palace Theater was showing music videos and movies. At 12:30 am they showed “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe."

Our favorite part of the night was the Celebration in the Sky Fireworks. At 12 midnight, the show began. It is a fireworks dance to the top hits of today. It was spectacular!

To capture all the fun during Disney Grad Nite 2006, Disney had PhotoPass Photographers everywhere. They offered 50% discount on all 5x7 pictures. Now that’s Disney service!

Characters in graduation dress were all around the park. Think your teen is too cool for characters? No way! They took pictures with all of the characters.

The biggest draw for the night was the group Simple Plan. At 1:45 am the front of Cinderella’s Castle was filled with teens attending the concert. Chaperones were able to walk on just about any ride we wanted!  Other groups performing various times throughout the party were Frankie J, Omarion, FeFe Dobson, and Teddy Geiger.

Our chaperones thought that the night would drag on, but it was so exciting and action-filled that we didn’t even realize it was time to end! At 4:00 am, everything stopped. The music turned off all around the park and everyone was escorted out of the Magic Kingdom and led to the ferry boat. While we were inside the park having fun, all of the buses and other vehicles were moved into the Ticket and Transportation Center parking lot. As you exit the Ticket and Transportation Center, there are billboards with your school/group name and the location of your vehicle. You walk out to the parking lot to find it. Our bus was located in the Sleepy section of the lot. At about 4:20 am, you would think we would be sleepy, but nope - we had too much fun. Our teens were still smiling once we made it to our van. 

And now it’s all over, but the memories are priceless. When I ask them, “How was Grad Nite?” I get an instant smile and a twinkling eye. Yes! Disney has worked their magic! 

Want to join the ultimate graduation party in 2007? Grad Nite 2007 dates have already been set. Don’t miss out on the fun!

Dorie Haggerty previously contributed an article in September 2004 chronicling her Grand Gathering to Walt Disney World. Oddly enough the contributor of the travel article for that issue was Joy Gray who contributed the above article about Bermuda! . 

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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.