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 In This Newsletter
From the Authors: New E-Book for Club Passholders!
Travel Feature: Pompeii
Disney Feature: On Again, Off Again: On-Site Lodging vs. Off-Site Lodging
Updates:What's New and Changed
Tips: Wonderful Water Parks, The Morning After, Clever Camera Cover
Captain's Corner: Mini Tiki & Mini Tyke
Q&A: Do the clubs on the Disney ships get very smoky?
Our Sponsors: We Recommend...
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Updates:
What's New and Changed
Here are a few items of relevant news:
Due to ongoing construction at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge through September 1, most guests with plans to stay there are being asked to relocate. Disney is contacting guests with upcoming reservations in chronological order and offering new lodging on a case by case basis at other deluxe and DVC properties. Not all room categories are affected by the construction so the resort will remain open as well as the restaurants.
The schedule for the Playhouse Disney concert series has been finalized (well as finalized as it gets, concerts are always subject to change):
Aug 30 - Sept 2: Imagination Movers
Sept 6 - 9: Doodlebops
Sept 13 - 16: Playhouse Disney Live on Tour
Sept 20 - 23: Imagination Movers
Sept 27 - 30: Choo Choo Soul w/ Genevieve
Oct 4 - 7: Choo Choo Soul w/ Genevieve
Oct 11 - 14: Ralph's World
Oct 18 - 21: Johnny and the Sprites
Oct 25 - 28: Dan Zanes and Friends
Walt Disney World has changed the "business casual" dress code
in effect at some fine dining establishments. The dress code now allows
t-shirts to be worn but still prohibits hats, swim suits, swim suit
cover-ups, torn clothing and flip-flops. The dress code is suggested at
Artist Point, California Grill, Citricos, Flying Fish, Jiko, Narcoossee's, and the Yachtsman Steakhouse.
Our thanks to AllEars.net and MousePlanet.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:
WONDERFUL WATER PARKS
"If you have an action packed week planned with park hopper
passes,alternate a day or two between the major parks with a day of
rest at the Disney water parks - Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.
Especially in the hotter months, it is a nice, relaxing way to spend a
day. I could have spent all day cruising on my inner tube down the lazy
river. The whole family felt refreshed, no one complained about the
heat (we are from Canada) and the pace seemed a lot slower."
-- contributed by Sheils L.
THE MORNING AFTER
"I find that the mornings after a late Extra Magic Hours are the least crowded. I went to Magic Kingdom the morning after it was open until 1:00 am the night before and we were practically alone! I say skip some of the evening Extra Magic Hours and take advantage of the empty parks the next day!"
-- contributed by Shaun T.
CLEVER CAMERA COVER
"If you are big into taking pictures, like me, you probably choose to
bring your best camera instead of a disposable to Disney World. This
makes for a lot of heartache when it rains. I see others frantically
trying to get their expensive cameras put away and protected, but this
doesn't stop the "picture-perfect" moments from occurring. I found that
putting my camera into a clear plastic bag and cutting a small hole out
for the lens protects the camera perfectly. This is also good for
getting great shots at your resort pool or fountain areas!"
-- contributed by Shannon R.
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 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 journal entry:
"With all this talk of Disney characters, I went on a photo safari for Disney character statues. I found many statues -- some of Disney characters and some just of characters at Disney. Below is a photo of two characters I particularly enjoy -- a mini tiki and a mini tyke. Ah, it brings back memories -- give me a lei and chocolate lava cake and I'm good to go!"
Mini Tiki & Mini Tyke
Where in Walt Disney World will you find this tiki god?
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 Kathy Pappas who was the
winner of last week's trivia contest! Kathy was the first person to
identify the shop that sells "mail-able" Coconuts as the gift shop at the Caribbean Beach Resort. To view the
original clue, 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 Jack Skatt. Get more details on
"PassPorter's Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World" book at http://www.passporterstore.com.
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Q
& A:
With
Jennifer and Dave
magicbuc asks:
"Do the adult areas like the night clubs on the Disney Cruise Line
ships get very smoky? My husband and I are really bothered by smoke.
Are we going to have to stay away from these areas?"
Dave and Jennifer answer: "Those few spaces where they allow smoking have
special ventilation systems to cope with it. While there are times you might
detect smoke, none of the rooms ever get smoky in a bar/lounge/casino sense of
the word.
Have a question? Post questions 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?
PassPorter News
is published weekly, and this means we're always in need of articles!
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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Our Sponsors:
We Recommend...
PassPorter
only accepts advertising from services of the highest quality -- we
recommend these companies because we use them ourselves. Please support
our sponsors and, in turn, support this newsletter! This week's
sponsors are (in order of appearance):
Mouse Fan Travel -- MouseFest, Halloween Party, and Super Soap Weekend offers
MouseEarVacations.com -- Disney Cruise Line special offers
Quicksilver Tours & Transportation -- Save $5 off airport round-trip transportation in a town car
Thank you, sponsors!
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From the Authors: New E-Book for Club Passholders!
Hi,
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The "July 4th Weekend" fell on a Wednesday this year - we hope yours was pleasant, exciting, rewarding, relaxing, patriotic... (circle all those that apply).
Drumroll please ... we've just completed our latest e-book, "PassPorter's Disney Character Yearbook," a 266-page compendium of all the live Disney characters you can find at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and on the Disney Cruise Line. It offer advice and tips on finding, meeting, photographing, and getting autographs from our Disney friends, as well as profiles on over 200 Disney characters. We've also added a personalizable autograph book at the end for you to print and assemble. Since a project like this requires that we dot the "i"s and cross the "t"s of every informational tidbit, we know a whole lot more about a whole lot of characters than we did before we started this "little" project. Whether you're an autograph hound, or just curious about the identity of that scraggly fox in the mashed top hat you saw at the Magic Kingdom, this is a FUN e-book to have! Many thanks to Chad and Nicole Larner who co-authored it with us, and to the many PassPorter readers who uploaded their Disney character photos so we could link to them from the e-book. To learn more about the Disney Character Yearbook, visit http://www.passporter.com/disney-character-yearbook.asp.
As we announced in last week's newsletter, the new Disney Character Yearbook e-book has been pre-released to the members of PassPorter's Club, and it will go on sale next week in the PassPorter Store. Not a Club member yet? Learn how to become one now!
Now, in addition to the Character Yearbook, we've got a couple of other projects in the pipeline, including more e-books, and the next edition of PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2008 (due in November -- you can pre-order it now), and PassPorter's Open Mouse for Walt Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line: Easy Access Vacations for Travelers with Extra Challenges (the second edition of PassPorter's Walt Disney World for Your Special Needs). Open Mouse is due out in September.
PassPorter Store News: Our PassPorter book close-outs
continue to be very popular at discounts up to 90% (or as low as $1.95). Close-out books range from
spirals and paperbacks to deluxe starter kits and refill kits. Close-outs are available for both our Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line books. Please note that all quantities are limited and when they are gone, they're gone. For details and prices, visit http://www.passporterstore.com/store/closeouts.aspx
Meet us in person: Will you be at next week's sold-out MagicMeets event
in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania? We sure will! We'll be on hand to meet,
greet, and Dave will hold a break-out session on Dining at Walt Disney
World. Important: Fred
Block, the event's founder and organizer, asks that everyone understand
that "sold out" really means "sold out." You cannot buy admission at
the door, so please don't drive to Harrisburg hoping you can get in -
it isn't going to happen. But, if you've got a "golden ticket," we'll
see you there!
MouseFest Park Schedule: For those of you joining us for MouseFest 2007, you can now consult the MouseFest Park of the Day schedule at http://www.mousefest.org -- stay tuned for more MouseFest announcements in the weeks and months to come.
In
this issue, Feature Columnist Cheryl Pendry recounts her rainy day visit to Pompeii
(sounds familiar -- Dave's visit was similarly damp) and Christine
Pedersen weighs the pros and cons of on-site vs. off-site lodging for a
Walt Disney World vacation. Finally, Jack Skatt is back with a brand-new Walt Disney World Treasure Hunt.
Enjoy!
Jennifer and Dave
PassPorter Publishers and Authors
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Did You Know?
At Mouse Fan Travel® you get our
Signature Services & NO agency
fees!
Official Vacation Planner for
Magic Meets 2007!
Are you attending? Stop by and say hi!
New Offer! Aug/Sept from $69* per
night!
Walt
Disney World® Resort - Book by 7/28/07
Valid most nights
7/29/07–9/29/07
Visit us at:
www.MouseFanTravel.com
*Click for full details - Per person/double occupancy,
subject to availability.
Very limited and black out dates apply -
CST207807440.
As to Disney artwork: ©Disney
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Travel
Feature:
Pompeii
by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Featured Columnist
There can't be many places in the world where you can step back 2,000 years in time and see Roman remains in every direction you look.
Perhaps that's why, out of all the wonderful places that we would visit around the Mediterranean on the Disney Magic, Pompeii was among those I was most looking forward to. It didn't disappoint, but the weather certainly did. The rain must have seen us coming, as the clouds looked threatening throughout the bus journey there, but it was only when we stepped off and headed for the entrance that it decided to start raining. Fortunately, although we experienced some heavy downpours, the rain wasn't constant and it's just as well, as there weren't many places to shelter!
To understand what you'll see at Pompeii today, you first need to understand its history. A wealthy city, it was filled with elegant private buildings and even today, you can see the entrances to some of them. Following a rebellion against the Romans, Pompeii lost its independence, becoming first a Roman municipality and then a colony, but during all that time, expansion of the city continued until the fateful day of 24 August 79 A.D.
A massive eruption of nearby Mount Vesuvius, which today still dominates the landscape of the whole area, buried the city for centuries. Pompeii was hit by a mixture of ash, poisonous gas and white hot stones, all of which combined to bury both buildings and bodies in layers of debris up to seven metres (23 feet) deep. And that's how it stayed until the early 18th century, when accidental archaeological finds led to the uncovering of the city. Today around 60 hectares (150 acres) has been excavated and work still continues on finding more parts of Pompeii.
The first things you see as you approach Pompeii are the massive city walls, and that prevents you from seeing any of the remains inside. At first glance I wasn't sure how much we would actually see, but patience is definitely a virtue here. As soon as you get a bit further on, the whole city starts to appear in front of you and with every turn, you find a bit more.
Like any major city, there were shops along the streets and even the paving stones and remains of the drainage system can be seen today. It's fascinating to see things that we take for granted today, like sewers, which were first developed by the Romans more than 2,000 years ago. At first I thought I was imagining what I was seeing, but our guide pointed out the carriage tracks in the roads. As you stood there, you could just picture horses and carriages careering towards you, quite an eerie feeling!
Of course, entertainment was a major part of city life, with a large theatre still visible on the site. Our guide told us that open air performances were held here a couple of years ago and the tickets disappeared in no time. I'm not surprised, as that must have been a unique experience; enjoying theatre in a space that last hosted plays in the Roman era.
Another form of entertainment was the (former) brothel, which our guide called "the ice cream parlour," as we had the delicate ears of youngsters in our party! This had the longest line of anywhere in Pompeii and it's worth the wait. The frescoes in there just have to be seen to be believed!
The real highlight of the tour for me was seeing one of the private villas with its ornate interior designs. It gave you a taste of just how opulent the city must have been in its heyday with brightly colored mosaics, and frescoes all over the walls, but perhaps the most fascinating part of the building was the display inside - a mummified body. We'd already seen a documentary explaining that a lot of bodies were found; most of them huddled into the fetal position, as they were hiding from the coming onslaught from Mount Vesuvius.
Our tour wound up in the Forum, a huge area for public meetings all that time ago. Here you can see the remains of all the most important buildings in Pompeii, from the public treasury to the Temple of Apollo, along with the finance exchange and the Senate house, where the town Council assembled. There was so much in that area that it was almost too much to take in.
All too soon, it was time to leave Pompeii and that's the real shame of a cruise, you just never get to spend enough time in the places you really love. I could have browsed every single nook and cranny of the city, easily spending a full day there, but tragically the bus was calling us. I know there's much more to see at Pompeii and I hope that one day we get the chance to go back and experience it all. It really is a unique experience in the world and an amazing opportunity to see how life would have been in Roman times.
About the Author: Cheryl and husband Mark live in England and love to travel, particularly to America. They were on the first 11-night sailing of the Disney Magic around the Mediterranean and are now looking forward to returning to Walt Disney World in December.
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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. Also check out our
Article Collection for more great information!
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Did You Know?
Great Walt Disney World Rates are available at
MouseEarVacations.com!
Walt Disney World Resort® Special Offer
For a limited time, get a special discount
on a Magic Your Way Package
(with or without Dining)
Available most nights 7/29/07 - 9/29/07
Click
here to get a quote!
*Offer available most nights 7/29/07 - 9/29/07. The number of
rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Tickets must be used within 14 days
of first use. No group rates or other discounts apply. Note: You may book a
minimum of 1 night (room-only) and a maximum of 14 nights at a variety of rates.
Other restrictions may apply.
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Disney Feature:
On Again, Off Again: On-Site Lodging vs. Off-Site Lodging
by Christine Pedersen, PassPorter Guest Contributor
Planning a Disney vacation is a series of choices, some big and some small. But of all the decisions you'll make, where you choose to stay may have the biggest impact on the overall quality of your vacation. I know this was true for me.
Of all the decisions I made about my first trip to Walt Disney World for my family of four, the hardest was deciding whether to stay at a Disney resort ("on-site" or "off-property") or to choose non-Disney ("off-site" or "off-property") lodging. I knew from reading my PassPorter that Jennifer and Dave had a clear preference for staying on-property, but I figured they were professional Disney samplers and it came with the territory. I was still debating on-site vs. off-site, when family friends offered us a deal almost too good to be true - $230 total for their time-share condo at Oak Plantation in Kissimmee, two bedrooms and two bathrooms for seven nights, just 20 minutes from the Magic Kingdom. That was about what one night at the Animal Kingdom Lodge would have cost! It seemed like a no-brainer, and we happily accepted their kind offer.
Coincidentally, my friend Jennie was planning a trip at nearly the same time. Her family of four would be leaving Walt Disney World on the day mine would be arriving. We had so much fun discussing all the details, especially when our respective spouses were "Disney-ed out." Jennie got a good deal at Disney's Beach Club Resort and was able to add the Disney Dining Plan to her stay.
Jennie's family and mine both had great vacations, but our experiences were quite different, mainly due to our different choices of lodgings. Looking back, I see a few factors that everyone should consider before deciding whether to stay on- or off-property: expense, meals, space, time in the parks, and that intangible thing I will call "Disney Per Square Inch" or Disney PSI. Here are some pros and cons to consider before you make your final vacation plans.
Room Rate
Staying off property was a lot cheaper per night. With our exceptional deal, we spent approximately $30 per night, and there are plenty of off-site hotel rooms to be had in that price range. There is no doubt you can get cheaper lodgings outside of Walt Disney World on a per night basis. A Disney Value Resort room would be at least $79 per night. Even considering that you have to pay for parking if you stay off-property ($10 a day), off-property will almost always be cheaper.
Meals
Because we had a full-size refrigerator, we saved money on groceries, at least compared to what we would have spent eating out every night. However, staying off-property meant we did not qualify for the Disney Dining Plan.
My friend Jennie and her family did purchase the Disney Dining Plan, and they did not spend much more than we did (about $70 per person more) since we did still have to buy food. The meals we did eat out (our three "splurge" meals at Cinderella's Royal Table, the Rain Forest Cafe and Marrakesh) set us back in excess of $100 a pop, including tip. The food was fabulous, and each lunch or dinner was an experience as well as a meal. Also, the few snacks and what would be considered "counter-service" meals we ate at the park added up. We did pack snacks and carried water, but what is the point of a Disney vacation if you can't spring for Mickey Bars on a hot day? These things would have been covered under the dining plan.
Another factor I hadn't taken into consideration when calculating my savings was how much it cost me in time and energy to find a grocery store and shop, with two kids and husband in tow. Think about it: how much time do you want to spend grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning up on your vacation? About day four, I would have forked over my roughly $300 meal savings in a heartbeat.
Space
One big reason I had opted for an off-property stay was that we could afford so much more space. Our condo was spacious, about 750 square feet. My husband and I had envisioned watching a movie or talking in the living room when the kids were asleep. However, we were so tired by the end of the day, we pretty much all fell asleep at the same time. The king-sized bed and the privacy were nice, but I could have slept soundly in the middle of Grand Central Station after all that walking!
Before you decide, think realistically about how important that extra elbow room will be to your family. And how much time do you plan to spend in your room, anyway?
Time
By staying off property, we lost time by having to drive to the parks. Yes, it was only a twenty-minute drive, but that can feel like an eternity. Once we got into the condo, it took effort and energy to go back out. Conversely, once we got to the parks, we didn't want to take the time to get back to the van and drive back to the condo...even when a break would have been quite welcome. We couldn't split up easily either, since we only had one car. Nobody wanted to get stranded, either at the park or at the condo, so we all clumped along together. While we could and did split up at the parks, we couldn't conveniently give my five-year-old the nap break that my eight-year-old didn't need. Finally, we didn't get those Extra Magic Hours, since one must be a guest at a Disney resort to take advantage of them.
Jennie's family could do things very differently because they were on property. They could essentially walk into Epcot from their resort. It was easy for Jennie to head back to the room with the younger boy while her husband and her older son stayed at the park, because everyone had access to buses. They used the morning and evening Extra Magic Hours, resting in the hot middle part of the day.
Disney PSI
There really is something magical about a Disney vacation. It's an indefinable, intangible feeling that pervades the parks. It's the glee that wings through you when you see your personal favorite character or it's the sweep of pure joy in your heart when your child is staring in open-mouthed wonder at the 360-degree fireworks display overhead. And just as it's difficult to put a price tag on that feeling, it's impossible to quantify how much Disney PSI you actually get on any one vacation. Suffice it to say that it's just not something that you're going to get as much of if you stay off property. If you stay on property, that extra sprinkle of pixie dust may be just the thing that makes your vacation something wonderful.
Our condo could have been Anywhere, USA. The pool was a regular pool. The kids enjoyed it but it was not unique in any way. My friend Jennie's sons had a Disney-themed pool, and a Radio Disney DJ spinning tunes for them at a pool party. So, even when they weren't in the parks, they were at Disney. Her kids wanted to spend as much time at the resort as at the parks, and had about as much fun at one as at the other!
So, how do I decide where to stay?
Try to spend some time thinking about what you are looking for from your vacation. If your primary goal is to do Disney in the most affordable way, staying off-property is clearly the most economical. If you are willing and/or able to spend a fair amount more and want to high rate of that magical Disney PSI, then staying on property is clearly the way to go
In conclusion, the Disney PSI factor is what I wish I would have considered before I took our friends up on their offer to stay in that nice off-property condo. Until I got inside the parks and literally felt the magic in the air, I didn't know how great it would be. I must admit I was even a little worried I would get "Disneyed-out" and that I might find too much Disney annoying. However, now that the vacation is over, I realize the bottom line is that I saved some money, and I got a very nice and enjoyable vacation with some Disney mixed in. My friend who stayed on property definitely paid more but, with the extra time in the parks and the high Disney PSI of her vacation, she and her family got a lot more Disney bang for their buck.
For our next trip, the decision will be an easy one for me. I will definitely stay on site, even if we have to go with a value resort to make it affordable. Because when it comes right down to it I want more than just a nice vacation - I want a Disney vacation! I want a vacation dripping with Disney magic, sparkling with fireworks, and stuffed with as much Mickey Mouse and pixie dust as I can handle.
About the Author: Christine Pedersen is an English teacher and a freelance writer. A Michigan native, she currently lives in Virginia with her husband and two children. Her favorite Disney character is Jiminy Cricket, and she cannot pass up a penny press machine.
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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. Also check out our
Article Collection for more great information!
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Did
You Know?
You Can Arrive at Walt Disney World in Style!
Airport Meet & Greet, luggage help, free car seat
Free 30-minute grocery stop with airport round-trip
Special! $5.00 off airport round-trip
Use Discount Code: PassPorter News
Call 888-GO TO WDW
or visit quicksilver-tours.com
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