Oh sure. Everyone is excited about today being the “official” unveiling of the newly refurbished Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in Walt Disney World. The jury is still out on the refurbishments, at least from this perspective. So while the jury is in deliberation, I’m going to let you in on something that will turn you into a pirate for yourself and find you looking for some special treasures on your own.
Recently, a book fell into my lap and my initial reaction was pure jealousy. Hey, I’m being honest here, although this jealous rage lasted all of 2 nanoseconds. I’m actually glad I didn’t write this book because then I would not have the fun I anticipate having when I take this book with me on my next trip to WDW.
A Treasure of a Book
The book is PassPorter’s Treasure Hunts at Walt Disney World by Jennifer Carter, Jeff Carter, Jennifer Marx and Kimberly Larner (Passporter Travel Press: 2006. ISBN-10: 1-58771-026-9).
Regardless of whether you are planning your first or your 101st trip to Walt Disney World, you will find this book adding much to your vacation experience and will make you a much more informed visitor.
This small, easy-to-carry 9-by-4 paperback is a collection of what the authors call “treasure hunts,” or interesting things to discover and look for while at WDW. Think of the treasures as pieces of information or pieces of trivia that you; remember you’re a pirate in search for over the course of your vacation.
The book contains over 1500 treasure hunts readers can track down while at Walt Disney World. Each page is packed with questions that require you to be a little more observant as you enjoy your trip to WDW. You can treasure hunt while strolling through the parks or the resorts; as you wait in line for your favorite attraction; or while you are enjoying a delicious meal in one of your favorite WDW restaurants.
Here are some of the treasure hunts in the parks:
- What is in the heart on the sidewalk outside Tony’s Town Square Restaurant?
- What EPCOT pavilion features a fountain that appears to flow backwards?
- What state has its name on a guitar case in the Rock ‘n’ Roller gift shop?
- According to the sign on Kilimanjaro Safaris, what may go away during rainy season?
How about these resort treasure hunts:
- Whose hands hold up your clothes in the World of Disney fitting rooms?
- How many sailors are in the mural at the All-Stars Music food court?
- What’s the maximum occupancy of Sassagoula Floatworks?
- Where is the hidden Mickey in Everything Pop?
There are answers provided for each treasure hunt, provided in sealed treasure chest pages of the book that you open to when you’re ready (no, I haven’t opened any of the treasure chest pages. Why spoil the fun? I can wait).
Book Concept
Editor Jennifer Marx explained how the concept of this book came about:
“Why did I want to publish this book? Simply put, I love treasure hunting. My mother used to make up treasure hunts for my sister and me when we were kids. It was fun and engaging. There wasn’t much chance to treasure hunt as an adult—I made up some hunts for group trips to Disney and (husband) Dave and I would make hunts for one another. Then in 2000, I learned about Jeff and Jen Carter’s RADP Treasure Hunt. It was an all-day, all-park, all-resort affair at Walt Disney World and SO FUN. I was utterly exhausted at the end of the day, but thrilled… and I’d seen Disney in a whole new light. We won that hunt, so the next couple of years we helped Jeff and Jen Carter out on their hunts. Then a couple of years ago I was chatting with Dave about new book ideas and I suggested a small, pocket-sized book filled with treasure hunts. Over the years I’ve gotten requests for ready-made treasure hunts for Disney vacationers to do and I thought this book might come in handy for them. And with the popularity of movies like National Treasure, the Da Vinci Code, and Pirates of the Caribbean, it seemed like a good time to introduce my little book. I must confess, though, that I really wanted the chance to edit and publish the book.”
It’s one thing to think about putting a book like this together but another thing to actually collect all the pieces of information that went in to creating the treasure hunts. I asked Jennifer how they did it.
Some stuff I had collected from previous hunts, but mostly we had to go out in search of new “treasure.” I didn’t have time to come up with 1500 questions for all the hunts, so I asked Jeff and Jen Carter if they’d collect them for us. They happily obliged and spent many weekends at the parks and resorts coming up with fascinating bits of trivia. They then organized them into a database, and Kim and I edited them, put them into logical order, and placed them in the book. I did have a few gaps to fill in, and for that Dave and I went to Walt Disney World for a “blitz weekend” where all we did was fact-check and find new treasures for the book. I have to say, that weekend is one of my best trips ever. Instead of focusing on rides, we looked for those little details that everyone passes by, including us most of the time.
“Walt Disney World is just so rich with details, puns, trivia, and history. It’s one of those rare places that when you look closer, there’s an entirely new world to discover. It continues to fascinate me. It wasn’t until I worked on this book that I noticed there is a “magic shop” above Mama Melrose’s Ristorante, that the Electrical Main Street Parade is inside The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm, or that the Lost Boys have Fire Brigade in the Magic Kingdom. This is the sort of stuff that makes Disney so magical to me.”
Listening to Jennifer, I was hooked. I needed to know more interesting and fun things she found along the way towards putting this book together.
She gladly obliged with one very interesting observation. “One of the fun things I found recently was at the Jungle Cruise. I was waiting near the Fastpass machines for (daughter) Allie so I took a look around. The Fastpass machines are built to look like wooden shipping containers. One of them has a note that says “Ship to: Evans Exotic Plant Emporium, Morgan Evans, Proprietor, 1313 Harbor Blvd., Anaheim, CA 71755.” Well, we all know what’s in Anaheim… Disneyland. And, in fact, 1313 Harbor Blvd. is the actual street address for Disneyland. Morgan “Bill” Evans was Walt’s landscaper at Disneyland since the ’50s. He gave the Jungle Cruise its realistic plant life.”
It was obvious that Jennifer had fun putting together a book about fun things to do.
Those who have had a chance to purchase a copy of the book. Reader Lynda Burton said, “We had a blast finding looking for treasure. We saw so many things that in the past we walked right by without noticing.”
One noted point made by a few readers really speaks of how much care was taken in putting the book together. Karen Wright says, “I love how clearly the questions are written.” James Dezern, another reader, said, “The level of detail in the Treasure Hunt book is amazing. It gives us something different, and fun to do on our next trip.” I agree.
Suffice to say, this is probably the ONLY book written on Walt Disney World that will subliminally influence you to hasten your next trip ASAP. This is because the book offers for you a different type of approach to your vacation.
Lisa Howard summed it up well: “It’s one thing to find the best WDW planning guide book to help you prepare for your trip, but another thing to find a book that offers you the opportunity to help you have fun while there.”
This is that book.
Next Time
I’m off to a gathering of Disney fans in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It’s called Dismeets 2006 and you can read all about what’s planned at their Web site (link). If you cannot make it to Dismeets 2006 you can still listen to yours truly as MouseWorldRadio (link) will be broadcasting live from Dismeets on Saturday, July 15th from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Next time I’ll tell you all about it.
Class dismissed.
