From the Authors: Pre-Orders Now Open for the 2011 Edition of PassPorter's Walt Disney World!

Travel Feature: The Beaches of Normandy

Disney Feature: The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian

Updates: What's New and Changed

Tips: Save Those Samples, You Can'T Win If You Don't Play, Space Saver Bags

Captain's Corner: Fishy Diver

PassPorter PhotoPick: Paradise Bay @ Night

Q and A: FASTPASS Return Times

Our Sponsors:  We Recommend...
   

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Cool Links:
Stuff and Services

We encounter many Disney- and travel-related products and services. From among those we try, a few are good enough to use ourselves and recommend to you:

- Family Travel Favorites - For all your family travel needs!

Owner's Locker - The Purple Place for Storing Your Vacation Stuff!

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Updates:
What's New and Changed

This week we have 6 news bulletins:

Nights of Joy Lineup & Schedule Announced The Night of Joy, a Christian Music Festival, will be held at the Magic Kingdom on Friday, September 10 and Saturday, September 11, 2010. This after hours event requires separate admission, available in advance on the Night of Joy website.

Friday, September 10
7:30 p.m. – Group 1 Crew, Galaxy Stage
7:45 p.m. – David Crowder*Band, Castle Forecourt
8:15 p.m. – Sidewalk Prophets, Rockettower Plaza Stage
9:00 p.m. – Group 1 Crew, Galaxy Stage
9:45 p.m. – Tenth Avenue North, Rockettower Plaza Stage
9:45 p.m. – Casting Crowns, Castle Forecourt 10:45 p.m. – BarlowGirl, Galaxy Stage
11:30 p.m. – Thousand Foot Crutch, Rockettower Plaza Stage
11:45 p.m. – Chris Tomlin, Castle Forecourt
12:15 a.m. – BarlowGirl, Galaxy Stage

Saturday, September 12
7:30 p.m. – Smokie Norful, Galaxy Stage
7:45 p.m. – Family Force 5, Castle Forecourt
8:20 p.m. – Britt Nicole, Rockettower Plaza Stage
9:00 p.m. – Smokie Norful, Galaxy Stage
9:45 p.m. – Day of Fire, Rockettower Plaza Stage
9:45 p.m. – Third Day, Castle Forecourt
10:30 p.m. – Lecrae, Galaxy Stage
11:20 p.m. – Day of Fire, Rockettower Plaza Stage
11:45 p.m. – mercyme, Castle Forecourt
12:00 a.m. – Red, Galaxy Stage
Comments: 49
This updates page 284 of PassPorter's Walt Disney World guidebook

D23 Expo 2011 Tickets Now On Sale The D23 Expo will be held August 19-21, 2011 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Tickets are now available on the D23 site. Ticket prices are based on whether or not you are a D23 member and how far in advance you purchase. The first D23 Expo in 2009 featured the announcement of Disney Cruise Line's Alaskan Itineraries and the making of Pirates of the Caribbean 4 including an appearance by Captain Jack Sparrow himself, Johnny Depp.
Comments: 49
This updates page 999 of PassPorter's Walt Disney World guidebook

Walt Disney World Moms Panel Applications Open Soon Applications for the 2011 Walt Disney World Moms Panel will be accepted beginning on September 13, 2010. Apply on the Moms Panel web site. (Dads are welcome too!)
Comments: 49
This updates page 999 of PassPorter's Walt Disney World guidebook

Chef Mickey Temporarily Serving Lunch Chef Mickey's, the popular character buffet at Walt Disney World's Contemporary Resort, is adding a lunchtime character meal from now through August 28, and September 19 through October 2, 2010. The buffet costs $28.75 (incl. tax) for adults, and $15.97 for kids 3-9. Reservations are available, as always, from 407-WDW-DINE, or online at the Walt Disney World web site. The extra hours were created to help cope with the extra demand created by the free Disney Dining Plan offer for September.
Comments: 49
This updates page 251 of PassPorter's Walt Disney World guidebook

Disneyland Hotel Suites Revealed The folks at the Disney Parks Blog have been unveiling the newly-renovated "Signature Suites" in the resort's Dream Tower. Wednesday they delivered a tour of the western-styled Big Thunder Suite, intended to push the buttons (literally, as you'll see in a moment) of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad fans. In addition to attraction concept art and decorations related to the attraction, there are also sound effects scattered around the luxurious 1,400 sq. ft. suite, available at the push of a button. Other special suites include the Fairy Tale Suite, Mickey Mouse Penthouse and Pirates of the Caribbean Suite.
Comments: 49
This updates page 039 of PassPorter's Disneyland Resort guidebook

Disneyland Self Service Stroller Rental Disneyland Resort has introduced self-service, automated kiosks for stroller rentals. The four computerized terminals accept credit cards (no cash), the Disney Visa discount is available, and guests can rent up to five strollers for up to six days in a single transaction. When you've paid, you show your receipt to the Cast Members who are distributing the strollers. Yes, there are still live Cast Members at the stroller rental booths, too, if you prefer the human touch (or are spending cash).
Comments: 49
This updates page 081 of PassPorter's Disneyland Resort guidebook


Tip: Need more news? Read, sort, and search all the PassPorter news bulletins at the PassPorter News Desk!

Our thanks to AllEars.net and MousePlanet.com from which we get some of our news leads.

Hear some news? Be a 'PassPorter Reporter' and send it to us!

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Disney Tips:
From Fellow Readers

Our readers deliver a wealth of information! Send us your tips! You may see them in this newsletter and win a copy of PassPorter! And you never know -- your tip could even appear in a future edition of a PassPorter guidebook.

SAVE THOSE SAMPLES
'Keep the sample toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss you get from your dentist. They are great for taking along on a trip. Since they are already packaged there is no need for a toothbrush holder. Just toss them when you leave. '
-- contributed by Christa
Save This Tip

YOU CAN'T WIN IF YOU DON'T PLAY
'Although we are members of the Disney Vacation Club, we did attend a presentation for potential new members because they offer a drawing for $300 shipboard credit. I won it! This windfall made a sizeable dent in our on-board charges and provided us with an even funnier story to tell for, after winning, we went to Bingo where they were drawing for a gift bag of goodies from DVC. In the process, they mentioned the $300 drawing for attending the presentation and I shouted out that I'd won, which created a stir. Doesn't it figure that my name was then drawn as the winner of the goody bag?! Definitely worth checking out the presentation!'
-- contributed by Laura
Save This Tip

SPACE SAVER BAGS
'With airlines charging for checked baggage these days, I try to limit myself just to carry-on. That means there's little, if any, room left for gifts for the folks back home. I've solved the problem by packing an empty roll-up "Space Bag": the kind that removes most of the air and reduces the contents to a fraction of the original size. On the way home I put as many of my clothes as will fit into the bag and "roll-out" the air. I then have lots of space for items I've purchased. Not only do I save money by not paying for checked baggage, I don't have the hassle of waiting for and carrying another bag once I get home.'
-- contributed by Tony
Save This Tip


Want more Disney tips? Look for the concierge bell icon in future newsletters and throughout the PassPorter.com site. When you see the bell, tap it to view and save the tip to your personal tip collection!

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. (Please note: Players can win once every three months.)

Here is this week's journal entry:

"Glancing through one of my many photo albums today, I came across a photo of a fish in diving gear. I laughed heartily. Then I realized ... perhaps this is a fish out of water story, and the hammerhead's tank is full of water!"

click here to see the photo


Where at Walt Disney World will you find the fishy diver mentioned above?

For bonus credit, locate the photo in the PassPorter Photo Archive and post a comment with the photo!

Congratulations to Tom P. who was the winner of last week's trivia contest! Tom P. was the first person to identify the answer to last week's clue as Lucifer the cat and Cinderella's mice in wishing well near Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom. Bonus credit goes to Pinshark as the first person to locate the photo in our PassPorter Photo Archive. To view the original clue, see last week's newsletter.

Send your full answer to jackskatt@passporter.com -- the winner will be notified by e-mail and announced in a future newsletter, along with the correct answer!

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PassPorter PhotoPick
 
Each issue we choose a special photo from the PassPorter Photo Archive which highlights something beautiful, interesting, humorous, or timely at Disney or around the world. Here is this issue's PassPorter PhotoPick:

Paradise Bay @ Night
Photo by Ramkamartin

(click the photo or link to see a larger photo with details)

You can nominate photos as a PassPorter PhotoPick by giving ratings in the PassPorter Photo Archive (you'll need to be logged in to do this). If you'd like to contribute your own photos to the Photo Archive and be considered as a PhotoPick, please read our Photo Upload Guidelines for details and benefits.
 
 

Top 5 Photo Contributors
chezp	6064 photos
WDW_Fan	2030 photos
Dopey007	1393 photos
home4us123	799 photos
Meggera	773 photos

 

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Q and A: With Jennifer and Dave


dizneymommy asks: "At Disneyland, it is a fairly unknown secret that you can use your FastPass (FP) anytime during or after the return time, until the end of the day. Once your window passes you can get more FP's without having used the first ones yet, in essence allowing you to collect a bunch of FP's all day and then at the end of the day go and ride all the big rides in succession.

Is this is the case at Walt Disney World?

For instance, if I get a FP for 10:30-11:30 am, can I go back instead at 5:00 pm and still use it? Or does WDW adhere strictly to the time windows?"

Dave Marx answers: "I think it's a matter of distinguishing between the letter of the "law," and how things are actually done by cast members (CMs) in the field. FastPasses (FP) at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort are printed with the same rules, which includes expiration times and dates. Usually, a FP says "good only on day of issue." Normally, an FP is printed with an expiration time, such as, "good between 1:37pm and 2:37pm." Sometimes, FPs come with different rules printed on them, such as "Good at any time on date of issue," or "Good on any date."

Still, exceptions are made. One very common exception is made by CMs when they know an attraction was closed for repair or weather conditions during the FP window. It's only fair to honor the FP when the attraction is actually operating.

Yes, whether at DLR or WDW, folks can accumulate FPs all day long, and try to use them at the close of the day. Maybe the strategy works, maybe it doesn't. Each CM is only aware of receiving one "expired" FP. He/she doesn't know the guest has a pocket full of them, and doesn't know what other CMs have done with the other FPs, so accepting that one expired FP doesn't mean the CM or company approves of the overall strategy of saving FPs.

CMs can, and do, enforce the return window as printed on the ticket, if that's what's needed. And when they're in a position to do a little magic by honoring an expired FP, they're free to do that, too. Let's say they're trying to close the attraction at the end of the day. They may not let folks into the queue with expired FPs because, well, it delays the closing of the attraction. On the other hand, when crowds are low towards park closing, queue conditions may be such that it barely matters whether someone's in the FP queue or Standby - no harm letting someone into the FP queue as long as it has minimal impact. On a busy day, when the queues are already packed, they might turn you away with an expired FP in order to keep the queue manageable. But maybe, if you show up later with that same FP, at a time when there's "wiggle room," they'll choose to make you happy by honoring the expired FP. The CMs who are administering the queues get to make the call.

Since Disney is only obligated to do things "by the book," before you adopt any strategy that's outside the letter of the rules, be sure your day or visit won't be unduly harmed if those rules are actually enforced."

Did our message board members agree with Dave Marx? To see other answers that dizneymommy received, check out the rest of the thread on the PassPorter Message Boards..

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 - Walt Disney World® Resort FREE Dining Extended!

Mouse Fan Travel - New! Three Walt Disney World Offers Now Available!

ALL STAR Vacation Homes - Choose from more than 200 homes within 5 miles of Disney!

- Family Travel Favorites - For all your family travel needs!

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