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 In This Newsletter
From the Authors: Open Mouse Pre-Order!
Travel Feature: Wimbledon
Orlando Feature:
Discovery Cove
Updates:What's New and Changed
Tips: Driving for Dollars, Disney Diaper Dilemma, Relax!
Captain's Corner: TinkerBell's Prison
Q&A: Is there any way for our children to contact us while we are on the cruise?
Our Sponsors: We Recommend...
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Updates:
What's New and Changed
Here are a few items of relevant news:
Once the refurbished Teppan Edo eatery
(formerly Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki) opens in August, next up for
refurbishment in the Japan pavilion at Epcot is the Matsunoma Lounge
and Tempura Kiku restaurant. Both restaurants will close this fall and
re-open as one new restaurant, Tokyo Dining. Tokyo Dining will feature traditional Japanese cuisine and sushi with an emphasis on presentation.
La Nouba, the Cirque du Soleil show at Downtown Disney's West Side, is offering Florida resident tickets as low as $49 plus tax from August 1 - September 22, 2007. Tickets can be purchased by calling
407-WDW-SEAT. Proof of Florida residency is required and restrictions apply.
The schedule of narrators for the 2007 Candlelight Processional has been updated (again). The new schedule is:
Nov 23-25: David Robinson
Nov 26-28: John O’Hurley
Nov 29-Dec 1: Neil
Patrick Harris
Dec 2-4: Dennis Franz
Dec 5-7: Phylicia Rashad
Dec 8-10: Steven Curtis Chapman
Dec 11-13: To Be Announced
Dec 14-16: To Be Announced
Dec 17-19: Kirk Cameron
Dec 20-22: Edward James Olmos
Dec 23-25: Gary Sinise
Dec 26-28: Rita Moreno
Dec 29-30: Marlee Matlin
"What kind of car does Minnie Mouse drive, Mommy?" ... A Mini Cooper!"
Besides being my son's favorite joke right now (he's 3, cut him some
slack!) the Mini Cooper will be the star of a MINI meet in Orlando, the
weekend of September 28 - 30, 2007. For more info, visit http://www.mickeyandmini.com/
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:
DRIVING FOR DOLLARS
"When we go on vacation we always rent a car and drive. So to
make the time go by faster for our son we play travel games (like
license plate games) and give him challenges to complete. ;As
rewards he earns money (Disney Dollars). So he gets his spending
money on the way and doesn't have a chance to spend it before we leave,
and also has something to do during the long car ride."
-- contributed by Jennifer W.
DISNEY DIAPER DILEMMA
"We took our girls on their first trip to Disney World this past
February. Zora was 2 1/2 and Chloe was 4. Before we left I dreaded
diaper changes and carrying all the changes of clothes and pull ups, so
I told Zora that pull ups weren't allowed in Disney (OK, a little white
lie). We got there and the entire time we were there she only wet her
pants once, and that was the first day there and she didn't have a nap.
So I guess Disney potty trained Zora for me. That in itself was a
reason to go!"
-- contributed by Caren R.
RELAX!
"Be reasonable! Make sure to take time to relax. Plan the things you
definitely want to do but don't push too hard. It's supposed to be fun!"
-- contributed by Amy T.
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:
"Oh dear, oh dear. I've discovered something dreadful ... TinkerBell's Prison! No wonder I haven't seen her flitting about recently. Oh, the poor dear. I must rally my friends to rescue her from her cramped jail cell. I've taken a photo of her terrible prison's condition -- something must be done! Oh, Peter Pan, where are you when I need you?"
A photo of TinkerBell's Prison
Where in Walt Disney World will you find "TinkerBell's Prison?"
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 Jan Held who was the
winner of last week's trivia contest! Jan was the first
person to
identify the information in last week's clue as being on the soda
dispensers at Club Cool in Epcot, where you can sample soft drinks from
around the world. 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
disneyfanatic60 asks: My
husband and I are taking our first cruise over Labor Day. This is our
first trip away without our two children (23 & 19). Is there any
way they can contact us at all while we are out to sea? Help this
worried Mom put her mind at ease!"
Dave and Jennifer answer: "While
you're at sea your costs are high to contact home, but it can be done
(and has been available all along). You can telephone from your
stateroom phone, at $6.95 per minute (they can phone you for the same
price using 888-DC-AT-SEA). Cell service may be available on the Wonder
by the time you travel - it was added to the Magic first. You won't
need international roaming for that. There will probably be some sort
of charge for text messaging, as a third-party company handles the cell
service on board. Whether you can use international roaming in your
ports of call depends on which ports, and which phone services you use. Internet access (for a fee) is also available on board using the ship's
Internet Cafe or with wireless access using your own WiFi-equipped
computer."
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):
MouseEarVacations.com -- Disney Cruise Line special offers - MouseFest 2007 - Special Onboard Scrapbook Event - Supplies Provided!
Mouse Fan Travel -- MouseFest 2007 Cruise Offer! Book by 7/31/07 & Get a Free Disney Gift Card
ALL STAR Vacation Homes -- Choose from more than 150 homes within 4 miles of Disney World
Thank you, sponsors!
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From the Authors: Open Mouse Pre-Order!
Hi,
{{user("firstname")}}!
We're
just finishing work on our latest PassPorter publication, PassPorter's
Open Mouse for Walt Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line by Deb
Wills and Debra Martin Koma (of AllEars.Net fame). This is actually the
second edition of the award-winning book formerly known as PassPorter Walt Disney
World for Your Special Needs. While a rose by any other name should
smell as sweet (this one sure does), we thought the new name better encompassed the scope and spirit of this amazing book, which helps readers plan easy-access vacations for travelers with extra challenges. The 448-page guidebook should be ready to ship by mid-September. What better time to put the book into
the PassPorter Store for pre-order? In fact, anyone who pre-orders a copy through the PassPorter Store receives an "easy-access" PDF file to download immediately after payment is made -- use it to view the print larger, have the text read out loud to you, or just get started planning before the books arrive! Get details and 40 free sample pages at the Open Mouse Information Center.
We're seeking writers to contribute features articles to this newsletter! If you something to share about Disney and/or travel and love to write, please contact our Newsletter Editor Sara Varney for the details at news@passporter.com
On the Air: Dave will be appearing Tuesday, August 7 at 2:00 pm Eastern time on the JB & Morgan Show on WIRN - World Internet Radio Network. Starting a few hours after that the interview will also be available as a podcast at http://www.wirn.podomatic.com and a couple of days after that it's even available at Apple iTunes.
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 makes Dave thoroughly jealous as she reports on her day at Wimbledon, and first-time PassPorter contributor Barry Hom discovers SeaWorld'sDiscovery Cove. 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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Dec. 2-6, 2007 - MouseFest Cruise
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Special onboard scrapbooking event –
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the MouseFest Cruise, 2007
*Savings based on double occupancy. Ships' Registry: The Bahamas
CST2058090-40 www.MouseEarVacations.com 800-886-8601
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 Travel
Feature:
Wimbledon: Rain or Shine!
by Cheryl Pendry, PassPorter Featured Columnist
There are some great British summer traditions.
One of them is Wimbledon fortnight, when the top names in the tennis world head for a suburb of London for the only Grand Slam tournament to be held on a grass surface. Sadly another tradition is that once the fortnight gets underway, so does the rain. We've had years where Wimbledon has helped to end weeks of drought conditions. I was really hoping that this year would be different, as it was the first time in 11 years that I had managed to get tickets for the championship, although it's been compulsory television viewing in our house for a number of years.
Wimbledon is very different to most major sporting events in the way that the tickets allocated. A certain amount of tickets are available for the show courts - Centre Court, Number One and Number Two courts - on each day of the tournament via a public ballot (lottery). To be entered into this ballot, all you have to do is send in your details and a self-addressed envelope between the start of August and mid December. If you're successful, then you'll get notification in February or March, with details of the date and court that you've been allocated tickets for. You can then decide whether you want to take them or not and if you do, that's when you pay for them.
But what's unique about Wimbledon is that even if you don't strike it lucky in the ballot, there is still hope. Every day you can just turn up and queue for entry into the grounds and for the remaining tickets for the show courts. Realistically, if you want one of those show court tickets, you have to be there early. It's not uncommon for people to camp out overnight and the lines often stretch around the grounds, with thousands waiting and hoping to get in on the busiest days.
Fortunately we didn't have to go down this route, as we were lucky enough to be allocated top-priced tickets for Number One court for the first Saturday of the tournament. Of course, I eagerly accepted those and paid for them. It's not a cheap day out, but then, that applies to most major sporting tournaments. Besides, on a good day, you could easily enjoy ten hours of tennis.
It became fairly obvious though as the day dawned that there was no way we would be seeing that much action. The clouds greeted us with rain as we parked and that continued on and off throughout the morning. The gates usually open at 10:30 am and play will then begin on the outside courts, numbers 3 through to 19, shortly afterwards at 11:00 am. If you've just got a ticket to get into the grounds and want to grab a seat to see the action on the outside courts, you'll need to move quickly. By the time we got past the very thorough security checks (a lot of places could learn from Wimbledon on that count!), a lot of the seats on court 13 were already taken. It's only that court and court 3 that have large amounts of seating. The others have very limited seats and mainly standing room only views.
When you first enter the grounds, the thing that strikes you is how close together the courts are. The outside courts are literally sandwiched together in two chunks to the north and south of Centre Court, some with literally only a few feet between them.
Speaking of Centre Court, it's in the middle of a very dramatic refurbishment, which will see the installation of a retractable roof by the 2009 tournament. This year there's no roof on the court at all, making for a potentially wet and windy spectator and playing experience. And that's exactly what we got on the day we were there. That rain was never far away and before long, we heard an announcement that first there would be no play until midday, then 1:00 pm and then 1:30 pm.
Fortunately, when it rains, there are lots of other things to see and do - of course, most of them cost you money! There are plenty of places to get food, although as you'd expect, the prices aren't cheap and when it rains, it's mobbed. The Wimbledon shop is another good way to ensure that you don't leave with the money you entered with, full of tempting items. Let's just say that the Wimbledon umbrella we bought was the best purchase we'd made in some time!
Finally we took our seats on Number One court and discovered that we really had lucked out with them. We were in the front row, about four seats along from where the players' coaches and families sit. We couldn't have wished for anything better, except for sunshine and dry weather.
We eventually got enough of a break in the rain to get the players on to court and we were treated to a first class match between number two seed Maria Sharapova and the number 26 seed Ai Sugayama. Although the score didn't reflect it, it was a close match and perhaps some of the most interesting things were the things you don't really notice when you watch TV coverage. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop when either player served, which I never realized before, and to actually see the power and motion that goes into each serve really makes you admire their fitness levels. It looks like a very simple game to play, but there's a great deal of technique, training and sheer power required to do it well.
As the match moved into its last game, the rain returned and as soon as the players shook hands, the ground staff were into place and hauling the covers safely back into place to protect the court from the rain. They make it look like an effortless operation and the speed at which they get the cover into place is staggering.
Sadly, from that point onwards, we saw no further play, but fortunately as we had only seen just over an hour's worth of play, we would receive half of our money back. This rain policy was introduced a few years ago and for those on Centre Court, the news was even better. With just 58 minutes play, as they had seen less than an hour of tennis, they would get a complete refund on the price of their tickets. It may sound generous, but let's not forget, with nothing to watch, we were all happily spending money inside the grounds!
Despite the rain, we will definitely be trying to get lucky in the Wimbledon ballot for the 2008 tournament. It's an experience I can thoroughly recommend, although I can't always promise good weather for your day out!
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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Orlando Feature:
Discovery Cove: A Tropical Paradise in Orlando
by Barry Hom, PassPorter Guest Contributor
I'd visited all the theme parks in Orlando except one: Discovery Cove. From Discovery Cove's web site, the park looked like a beautiful tropical paradise and an enjoyable time, but the high cost of admission kept me away. Currently, the price with the dolphin package is $259 to $279, depending on the time of year. I checked the price for an early March visit and found a Florida Resident discount of $199 with the dolphin encounter. The regular price was $229. Each admission includes a seven consecutive day's pass for Sea World Orlando and Busch Gardens Africa, or pay $30 more to have admission to both parks for 14 consecutive days. Continental breakfast and lunch for the day at Discovery Cove are also included. Even with the discount and the admission special, it took me days to decide to book. My deciding factor was reading numerous trip reports on different Internet discussion boards about Discovery Cove. Almost unanimously, the trip reports stated the experience was well worth the investment.
Discovery Cove is divided into two parts, separated by a blue bridge. One part is home to the Resort Pool, Tropical River, and the Coral Reef. The other part is the restaurant, the Dolphin Lagoon, the bathhouse, and the cabanas for the dolphin experience. Lush vegetation is all around the park. You can sign up for a free horticulture tour (which I didn't experience) at the Guest Services desk.
At check-in, you're given an ID badge (which you can assign a credit card to for charging privileges) and assigned a dolphin encounter time. My time was 11:00 am at the Starfish Cabana. After posing for your complimentary photo at the blue bridge, you can enjoy the continental breakfast. The restaurant had all the pastries, coffee, juices, and milk that you can consume. You can go back through the line and have seconds if you want.
After breakfast, it was time to choose a vest or wet suit (I chose a vest because it was a warm day). I also picked up a bag with a mask, snorkel, and a package of dolphin-safe sunscreen. At the end of the day, you could keep the bag, snorkel, and the sunscreen. Please note that if you wear sunscreen that is not dolphin-safe, you'll be told to wash it off and use the dolphin-safe sunscreen. You can buy more of this sunscreen in the gift shop. After changing in the bathhouse and storing my gear in the free lockers, it was time to have fun!
The Resort Pool has a small cave with a large waterfall running in front of it. The water in the pool was four feet at its deepest point, according to Discovery Cove's web site. The Tropical River winds in a circle. It starts at one end of the Resort Pool and ends at the other. One part of the river is about eight feet deep, and warning signs are posted. The river has more beautiful vegetation to admire and lovely waterfalls to swim through. You can also see vases and other "artifacts" below the surface. Underwater rocks create a bright path. The river took me an hour to walk - quite a workout! Later in the day, I took a leisurely swim along the river.
The Coral Reef is like going to Bermuda and snorkeling in their waters. The salt water is fairly cold; it felt like it was around 60 degrees! You become acclimated to it after a few minutes of immersion. The Coral Reef had dozens of colorful fish and giant stingrays that were so close that you could touch them! Protective glass separates you from the sharks and barracudas. You could swim the reef, but if you're tall like I am at 6'3", you can walk it and keep your head above water.
In the Aviary, you can see all sorts of birds and you can even feed them out of your hand. Keep an eye out for the resident deer, which hid in the bushes when I visited.
Like breakfast, lunch is included in the admission cost. They were serving jambalaya, macaroni and cheese, lobster salad, cheeseburgers and fries, and other delicious dishes. The restaurant also served side salads and a variety of deserts. The food at Anheuser-Busch parks tend to be of very good quality and lunch was no exception. I tried the jambalaya and it was sumptuous! Of course, I had to try dessert. The chocolate cake was delicious! Like breakfast, you could have second helpings if you wanted.
At 11:00 am, it was time to experience the piece de resistance of Discovery Cove; the dolphin encounter. A group of 32 guests met at the Starfish Cabana and was divided into groups of eight. The experience started with a short video about dolphins. The groups then headed into the Dolphin Lagoon to meet their assigned dolphins. You are not allowed to bring anything into the lagoon except for your mask and snorkel. Photographers with digital cameras and camcorders were in the water to capture the experience.
Our dolphin was a three-year old named Marena, who made a grand entrance by jumping out of the water and doing a flip! The Discovery Cove trainer told the group many facts about the dolphins. One interesting thing is the trainers always ask, never force, the dolphins to do tricks when they give hand signals. The entire group touched the dolphin's skin, flippers, dorsal fin, and tail fluke.
During the dolphin swim, each guest in the group was able to interact with Marena. The first opportunity was a pose with the dolphin for a Kodak moment-worthy photograph. During the second opportunity, each guest gave Marena a kiss on her dolphin "lips." The last interaction was a ride with the dolphin. Each guest swam out to the 12-foot deep end of the lagoon, about 20 feet away. Marena approached that person, and the guest put one hand of the dorsal fin and the other hand where the dolphin's flipper meets its body. Hang on tight because this ride is more thrilling than a ride on Sea World Orlando's Kraken roller coaster! At the end of the dolphin encounter time, all four dolphins grouped together and did a few jumps out of the water. The entire experience lasted about 45 minutes.
After the dolphin swim, the group was led to a small building where we could view our pictures. I could pick out the photos I wanted on a touch screen monitor. You could choose package deals, but due to the high costs, I decided to go a la carte. I chose the souvenir DVD and two 6x8 photos. The DVD cost $60 and the two photos were $16 each. (All prices are subject to change.)
Yes, Discovery Cove is expensive. Is it worth the money? I'd say it is. The experience is quite memorable and pleasurable. Four months after my visit, I still often think of the good times I've had at the park. Discovery Cove is different than the other parks, as there's no need to make a plan or decide in what order to experience the attractions. As a maximum of 1,000 guests are allowed entrance every day, you don't have to wait for anything or deal with huge crowds. If you can overcome the sticker shock of Discovery Cove, you can have an amazing experience. I'm already considering a return visit!
My video of Discovery Cove: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eTeQp7DT5c
Discovery Cove's web site: http://www.discoverycove.com
About the Author: Barry is a roller coaster and theme/amusement park enthusiast. So far, he has ridden 382 roller coasters and visited over 80 theme and amusement parks in many U.S. states, France, United Kingdom, Norway, and Sweden. He is also a columnist and a moderator for the web site IOA Central. He is looking forward to a group trip with the web site Theme Park Review to Japan in September and a side trip to SoCal shortly afterwards.
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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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