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Epcot: a big new world!

Filed under Disney Inspired, Fresh Picked Posts, Getting in Shape for Travel by rescuesk on March 15, 2012 at 12:09 pm {3 comments}

So you are well rested after your adventure in the Magic Kingdom yesterday, and ready to take on Epcot, right? Let’s go!

While the Magic Kingdom is the smallest park on property, Epcot sometimes appears to be the biggest. (It’s not.) Epcot is actually divided into 2 lands, FutureWorld and World Showcase, and both will require some walking!

If you arrive at Epcot via Disney bus or monorail, you will have a relatively short walk to the entrance of the park. If you drive your vehicle, keep in mind that the paking ot is rather large. If you want to save your walking strength for the park, take one of the trams that circle the parking area. They will drop you close to the entrance.

Once you are in Epcot, don’t become overwhelmed by the size. (Save that for Animal Kingdom.) Epcot is laid out, in my opinion, very nicely and very convienently for getting to all attractions. You will start by walking past the fountains and the Leave-a-Legacy towards the park’s icon, Spaceship Earth. From there, you can choose to walk right or left, depending on which attractions you want to see. The walk around the park is beautiful. 

You will be walking towards World Showcase, but the walk will be made easier because you will be stopping to see so many of the attractions along the way, as well as appreciating the beauty that is Epcot. Epcot always gives me the impression that you have stepped into a futue filled with music, sunshine, flowers, birds and fountains. I have seen the future, and it’s good! The attractions in Epcot are set a bit back from the main path, and they are large attractions! Unlike the Magic Kingdon, where you often stand in an outside queue and enter the building at the beginning of the ride, you will enter many Epcot attractions and find a whole story to go with the attraction. For example, if Soarin’ is your goal, you will enter into The Land Pavilion. Soarin is downstairs and to your left, but there are a treasure trove of other goodies to explore before you get there or while you ar waiting for your Fastpass time to come up. Spend some time in all the pavilions in FutureWorld…you’ll d up your walking steps! :)

From here, its on to World Showcase! When you enter the park via the bridge between FutureWorld and World Showcase, you will be facig World Showcase Lagoon. From here, you can walk to the left or the right. The path is a big circle around the circumference of the lagoon, passing by the countries on your way around. This can be a long walk, especially on a hot summer aftrnoon. It can also get very crowded during some of the festivals. Take time to rest. There are benches placed all around the lagoon, as well as tables near the outdoor eateries. And one of the nicest perks is the Friendship boats that run the length and breadth of the lagoon. Climb on one for a relaxing and scenic ride across the lagoon. The ships run in both directions with 2 seperate lanes of travel, so you can cut out some, or all of your walking back.

Remember that with every park adventure comes the walk back. You will get tired in Epcot, and then you will have to get back to your resort. If you stay to watch Illuminations, the night time show that is presented on World Showcase Lagoon, you will have to walk from wherever you are in World Showcase, across the bridge into Future World, and then back to your transportation option. The Friendships do not run after  Illuminations gets set up, around 7 PM, and they do not run after the show. Unlike the Magic Kingdom, your feet are your only option out of the park.

Once back at your resort, time to rest, relax and rehydrate. Our next park is small but mighty…Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Get prepared to do some walking, but alot of standing. You don’t want to miss the Streetmosphere that goes on in this wonderful park!

Newark, NJ to Hong Kong, China, USA: Highlights of an 18 hour plane ride.

Filed under Disney Inspired by Sandra Bostwick on February 21, 2012 at 1:27 pm {no comments}

 

In my last blog, http://www.passporterboards.com/blogs/index.php/2012/02/18/shedding-some-light-on-jet-lag/ , I shared some PassPorter Guide tips for managing jet lag.  Then I did a little research into the science. But do I really want to get THAT technical about a plane ride?

Whatever you choose to do about jet lag, the best advice for a long plane ride is to have fun!.

It was fascinating to see day turn to night, then the brightest day I ever saw, then night again. Here are some photos of the trip from Newark to Hong Kong. Look closely and you should be able to see a cruise ship right behind the Statue of Liberty in several of the NYC shots. (If you click on the photo it will enlarge and you can see.)

The maps were projected on the screen in front of my seat. In one of the maps beow, you’ll see Irkutsk, above is a town in Russia where I have a long lost friend. Hello Sergei! Below the map you’ll see a photo of Irkutsk. THen my trip faded into the darkness of night until I landed in China.

I wish the photos I took of the landscape came through, but it was too dark. First there was a purple haze that hinted of a mountain-scape that was something I’d never seen before. Then the glittering lights of Hong Kong showed like gigantic rows of honeycombs might look if they were sprinkled with dew, then reflecting first rays of the sun while darkness was still around them. It took  my breath away. Before I knew it, my plane touched down and I suddenly realized I had to get through customs, find my way to my luggage, then find my friend. OK, I was a little nervous! Luckily my new dear friend, Tracey, who sat next to me on the plane walked me through it!

And that is the end of the flight.

Shedding Some Light on Jet Lag

Filed under Disney Inspired by Sandra Bostwick on February 18, 2012 at 2:32 pm {7 comments}

Jet lag is a primary cause for some seriously unfortunate vacation photos! (You can quote me on that.)

I don’t want to look like an extra from a Zombie movie (or miss a minute of fun) on my upcoming trip from New Jersey to China, so I decided to look into how to beat jet lag.  

I started by asking one of my fellow PassPorter Guides for tips. Here is what DebiDebiDebi had to say:

Sandy, I know some people think we’re crazy for this, but when we’re am preparing to head to the east coast (3 hours ahead of our PNW time) we do this: We start getting up 3 hours earlier than normal for 5-6 days ahead of the departure date. That way we have adjusted to East coast time prior to arriving and we are good to go by vacation time! Like I tell people who question my sanity for getting up at 2:45 am instead of 5:45; it’s amazing how much housework I get done during that early morning, with no outside distractions (phone, TV, etc). Works well for us!

(Thanks, Debi Debi Debi)

PassPorter Author Dave Marx gave the following tips:

I’m pretty much lag-impervious when it comes to my body clock. As long as I have enough sleep, I bounce right back.

My biggest problems come from lost sleep on Eastbound red-eyes. I’ve had 3-4 hours of sleep, if I’m lucky, and since it’s morning wherever I arrive, I’ll have a long day ahead of me. So, I try to plan a few hours of nap time after I get home/to the hotel. If that’s not possible, I try to have nothing on the itinerary after dinner.

To get sleep either eastbound or westbound, I focus on being comfortable on the plane – non-restrictive clothing, slip off my shoes, enough leg room (not a lot of stuff under the seat), etc. I tend towards window seats, so my neighbors won’t have to wake me to go to the restroom. I usually bring over-the-ear headphones on long flights, which I find more comfy than ear buds over long durations. Then I can put on my favorite music and close my eyes.

(Thanks, Dave!)

If you have any tips, please share them in the comments below!

So, is Jet lag real? Let’s look at some facts from the experts. Symptoms include fatigue, lethargy, mood changes, cognitive impairment, gastrointestinal disturbances, and sleep disturbances (Parry, 2002). YIKES! Leger et al. (1993) surveyed 507 business travelers and found almost half suffered from fatigue, 78% had disturbed sleep and 27% felt they had “intellectual disability” from jet lag! OK, this is serious stuff! So, what is a traveler to do?

A well-known sleep expert, Dr. Chris Idzikowski, says that changing your watch on the plane alone won’t help. It seems as if light plays a key role in managing jet lag. Cromie (2009) found that light boxes help long-distance travelers and shift workers, and that blue light gives the best results. Apparently, sleepy people exposed to blue light for six and a half hours performed better, rated themselves as less sleepy, showed quicker reaction times, and had fewer lapses of attention than people exposed to other types of light, particularly green light. Blue light was even found to help people with vision loss. Who knew?

I learned this from experience during a recent stay at The Dream in NYC, where guest rooms are bathed in blue light. I left the light on all night, and it was wonderful! I woke with a sense of calm, alertness and a readiness to take on the day. I actually made plans to buy a blue light for home, I liked it so much! Here are some photos of Dream. 

SO, I suppose if you are flying into New York, The Dream is the place to go!

But If you are not flying to NYC, and don’t have access to a blue light, all hope is not lost!

Several studies showed great results for using light to help with jet lag. Parry (2002) found positive results combining bright light with melatonin for jet lag. This study breaks instructions down for Westward and Eastward time zones, and is worth a peek if you are traveling. Since I’m not sure how I’ll react to Melatonin, and don’t want any surprises this close to a trip, I think I’ll stick with the light alone, though!

To make a long story short, if you are traveling to a country where day is night, limit the amount of light during the day and use a VERY bright light (five times the intensity of a normal room light) at night. Dark sunglasses and any source of bright light in front of your eyes should do it.  Strangely enough, a friend of mine gave me a bright-light LED visor light just the other day, which should do the trick. I guess hitting the ground in China running was meant to be!

A great link for timing the light was created by sleep expert, Dr. Chris Idzikowski and British Airways. Using this jet lag advisor tool requires a bit of thinking, but it is worth it!

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/drsleep/public/en_us?wakehours=7&wakemins=00&sleepOK=sleepBad&destTimeHours=23&destMins=00&homeTimeHours=10&homeMins=00&B1=Get%20advice

All the articles below should be available free on the internet, but you may need to use Google Scholar as your search engine.

So now I’m done with science and I’m ready for some wide awake fun and exploration! I hope you’ll travel with me as I visit Hong Kong Disneyland and the city nearby. Oh, and please just give me a nudge if you notice me nodding off from jet lag.

References

Clothier, J. (2006, April). Sleep doctor offers jet lag secrets.  CNN Business Traveler. Retrieved from

        http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/04/06/biztrav.jetlag/index.html

Cromie, W. (2009, February). When the blues keep you awake. Harvard Science.  

       http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2006/02/when-the-blues-keep-you-awake/

Leger, D., Badet, D., & De la Giclais, B. (1993). The prevalance of jet-lag among 507 traveling

     businessman. Sleep Res (22) 409

Parry, B. (2002, September). Jet lag: Minimizing its effects with critically timed bright light and melatonin

     administration, Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology. 4(5) 463-466. Retrieved from

     http://www.horizonpress.com/jmmb/v/v4/53.pdf

Disney inspires Angie Daley to paint her way to Wonderland. (Part One)

Filed under Disney Inspired by Sandra Bostwick on February 11, 2012 at 5:58 pm {4 comments}

Angie Daley has a Disney-inspired vision. She sees her work hanging in Art of Disney stores all over the world.  Getting there won’t be easy.

In the beginning, she was surrounded by non-believers. The Mouse was far away and very hard to reach. Still, she continued working toward two long-shots … making a living as an artist AND, the even tougher job of finding a place as a Disney artist.

“Being from Canada and having no Disney connections, I felt like I was invisible. I just kept reaching out to Disney Artists and Disney Fans, asking for help and advice. That opened a door to a world of new Disney friends and family. They took the time to point me in the right direction, to help a stranger, and make room in their lives when I needed it the most.”

“One of the first sites I joined was PassPorter. It’s like Facebook, but is more like a home where I can be a Disney Lover and meet people from all over that feel the same way. They are all proud to include Disney in their everyday life. It is a place where I know no one was rolling their eyes at me or shrugging it off as a silly obsession.”

That’s because most PassPorters are dealing with their own Disney obsession! Angie joined a small group PassPorter blog project. The blog’s mission was to use online supports to stay motivated and inspire others to create. A daily Disney-inspired topic post would guide discussion related to a goal or a dream. The interests of the group members were varied. (Click_here_for_full_blog_project). Some people wanted to lose weight, some wanted to decorate a room, and Angie wanted to develop her Disney-related art.

Surrounded by believers, Angie’s blog goal was To fill my “castle” with 12 pieces of Disney art for motivation, inspiration and future goals. Of course, ”Pieces of art”, often mean FULL ROOMS of art on walls and ceilings for Angie, which you’ll see below.  All the pieces that Angie created for her goal can be found at http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/members/a.daley-albums-angie%27s+goal+paintings.html

Believers on the blog and beyond kept her focused in spite of many distractions. She reluctantly closed “Angie’s Attic”, her small art gallery in Ontario, Canada, when sales didn’t cover costs. She earned money as a cleaning woman and as a teacher’s aide, even though she’d rather be painting. Her five-year-old daughter Alice (named after Alice in Wonderland, of course) was diagnosed with Autism.

Angie has bitten into her share of poisoned apples, but instead of falling asleep, she channels difficulties into inspiration for her edgy (and sometimes dark) interpretations of traditional Disney characters and situations.

“It seemed that every day, something forced me to make artwork a second priority. It had to wait AGAIN. My Alice was number one priority, and with her special needs, the brush had to be put down what seemed like a thousand times a day. Still, she kept me inspired. The harder I worked, the more Disney I could bring to her life.” Here are a few examples of how Angie shared her art with her daughter by painting her room.

            

 

When Angie gets bored, she paints over her original work to create a new room:

… and again

She even paints rooms for friends.

“Part time jobs, medical appointments, being a stay at home mom … I just had to make sure my to-do list for the day included some time to paint because even one hour a day meant that I was that much closer to my goal.”

Angie’s work is quirky with unlikely combinations, like villains meditating in yoga poses.

“I like to consider the other side of the story in my paintings. There’s the good, the bad, the fairy tale endings, but what about the point of view from the darker side? I also imagine that the characters have feelings, humor, hobbies, and weaknesses. I try to paint from their side of the story and see what the character might have to say.”

Angie’s art has developed so quickly that one can only imagine where she is headed!

Check back later for more ART HERE

On 5/5/2010, 7 days before the blog project ended, Angie posted her thoughts in this guest blog entry at the link below:

Angie’s_Guest_Blog

When the blog ended, Angie’s story went on. She especially enjoys creating art for Autism related causes.

A collection of Angie’s Autism-related art can be found at_this_link.  

Regular updates on Angie’s art can be found at www.angiedaley.wordpress.com

So, the creating did not end with the blog and neither did the relationships! Subscribe to this blog so you don’t miss Part Two of this Disney Dreamer’s story. Angie’s journey takes us from Disney Dreams to Disney World, Disneyland, D23, then DreamWorks … and beyond!