As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Hi everyone! I'm finally back with my early December trip report. My husband Rob and I visited WDW from Dec. 8-11 to celebrate Mousetacular and our "Honeymooniversary." If you feel like you're missing something, feel free to check out our Pre-Trip Report. And, if you like what you're reading, visit my new blog Mouse on the Mind! As in past reports, Rob will be adding his comments here, in Dark Slate Blue font.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
We left the house too, too early … way too early. But not quite early enough—by the time we got to the airport and went through security, they were already boarding our section! So on we went.
Once we were all boarded and seated, we were told by our pilot that there was a mechanical problem with the plane, and we’d have to wait for a technician. We waited about 45 minutes for him to show up. Then another 20 while he checked the problem and decided we could fly with a broken do-hickey. Good times.
During this time, it started snowing, and by the time we were given the all clear, we had to stop for another 10 minutes to de-ice the plane. On the plus side, once we were in the air, we were able to watch free movies! I watched The Help.
Rob here. I have nothing to add except GRUMBLE GRUMBLE! I didn't watch a free movie. Instead, I watched Tosh.O, which Melissa doesn't approve of normally.
We landed in Orlando an hour and 20 minutes late, which was kind of the worst, but I guess it’s better than being dead!
We hightailed it off the plane and headed toward DME, where there was a line! Not because there were a ton of people, but because the oldsters managing the crowds were moving slow as anything.
We almost had to wait for a new bus ... they closed the gate just as we arrived, and we thought we were going to have to wait forever. Luckily, they had enough seats on the bus and let us through.
Eventually, we made it onto the bus, where I popped three Advil and prepared for a nice pre-Disney nap. Or not. Almost immediately after we sat down, the toddler in the seat behind me started to scream bloody murder. No joke. So I reached into my trusty park bag and gave her a Mickey pin. It worked like a charm—she immediately shut up, and I was able to get a quick cat nap.
The rest of the ride was uneventful, and we arrived at Boardwalk Villas around 1 p.m. When we checked in, the man at the desk seemed unable or unwilling to add my credit card to the room keys, so we let it go and headed up to our room to drop off our bags. That, though, proved more difficult than we’d thought it would be because our room was on the complete ass-end of the Villas. Literally, we were closer to Hollywood Studios than we were to ESPN The Restaurant. Good times.
While my wife is prone to making exaggerations, this is not one of them.
We found our first-ever towel Mickey!
Once we dropped off our stuff, we decided to just continue the trek, walking to Hollywood Studios.
Survey marker along the path to DHS
View from the path to DHS
We were through the gates by 1:30 p.m., and the park was nearly empty! Thus, our traveling for the day was almost through ...
We’d hoped to have lunch at Bill and Minn’s, but it was closed, probably because the park was so empty. So, instead, we headed toward Studios Catering Company, stopping to walk down Streets of America on the way.
We loved these little dogs on the San Francisco Street
At the Catering Co., Rob had a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich—he said the flavor was very mild—and I had the Turkey Club, which was good but not great. I’d order something else next time. After lunch, we walked down Pixar Place, and we were lucky to see several Army Men out. I love them!
One of the Army Men was standing so still that there was no line to get a photo with him. I thought he was a statue, but he was gone later in the day.
Army Mans!
After that, I dropped Rob off at Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular for the 2 p.m. showing. I had other plans: shopping!! After I bought Christmas gifts for some friends and family, I caught two performances by the Citizens of Hollywood. (I’ll be talking about them on Mouse on the Mind over the next few weeks, so be sure to subscribe!)
The show was fun. I spotted the plant really early. There was a strong sense of stubborness in the crowd that day. When they asked everyone to move in closer, no one moved! We were people who needed our leg space.
Citizens of Hollywood play the Match Game
Then, at 2:35, I met Rob in front of the bathrooms near Sounds Dangerous, and we picked a plum spot for the Countdown to Fun Parade. While we waited, we shared an ice cream soda. It was an absolutely perfect Disney moment—my favorite parade, my favorite ice cream treat and my favorite guy.
Dawww! I had never seen this parade before, and as a man who doesn't typically like parades, even I have to admit, it was pretty friggin awesome.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get any photos from the parade, as my camera battery died! (I didn’t prepare for this trip very well.) Afterward, we saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid and rode Tower of Terror.
The park was set to close at 5 p.m., so around 4:30, laden with my shopping bags, we walked back to the Boardwalk for a quick change of clothes and fresh camera battery. And glow sticks!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
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We walked over to Epcot and entered through the International Gateway around 6 p.m. Heading straight for the UK, we met with Pooh and Tigger before catching Father Christmas in front of the hedge maze. What a great show! We’ve never seen any of the holiday performers before—what a treat!
Father Christmas
From there, we headed deeper into the Showcase, checking into Morocco, my favorite place to take a photo. No matter how often I visit here, I still can’t get enough! We walked on to Germany and then Japan, where we saw Miyuki making a candy scorpion. Scary and delicious!
She was super cute. She even mimed the poison fangs. She’s a great storyteller in addition to being a great artist.
Miyuki
Morocco
Morocco fountain
We decided to complete the loop, stopping in Norway to ride Maelstrom and catch the Julenissen show. So cute and funny! I wish we’d had a better view, but the Showcase was a little crowded. There was even a little line for Maelstrom!
Many people have come this way before ...
Sigrid explains Norish holiday traditions
Showcase Plaza
From there, we walked through Future World to the Seas. We had dinner reservations at Coral Reef, which I reviewed for Disney Food Blog—I’ll post the link here when it goes up! But I will say that the meal was quite good. I’d read lots of horror stories about bad food and worse service, but truly the whole experience was great.
We finished dinner with about 30 minutes until IllumiNations, and we realized that we pretty much had Future World all to ourselves … so we took a romantic romp through The Seas! Disney is so much more fun when there’s no one else around. (I’ll be writing about Future World After Dark in an upcoming post on Mouse on the Mind, so be sure to visit!)
Completely empty Clamobiles
Walking toward the International Gateway as IllumiNations began, we were able to see the whole show. And we even got some awesome photos near the UK pavilion. I guess I just don’t understand why people stand at the fence to “secure” a spot for this show because you can get a pretty decent view from anywhere.
I feel the same way about parade campers… but waiting an hour for spots to watch something happening OVER YOUR HEADS is a little much.
Fireworks over Rose and Crown
Anyway, at the end of the show, Epcot released DOVES into the park. DOVES! Rob and I looked at each other like, “did that just happen?” It did. And it was sort of awesome.
After the show, we headed back to our room for a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, we were staying in the studio lockoff of a one-bedroom villa, and our “villa-mates” arrived at 2 a.m. Fighting. Loudly. They proceeded to fight while their kids whined for about 45 minutes, which was sort of the worst ever. We were glad when they finally went to sleep.
Best/saddest overheard line “I feel like you’re not even here…”
But morning arrived much too early ... our alarm clock went off at 6 a.m.
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Early, early, Rob headed down to get breakfast at the Boardwalk Bakery while I finished getting ready. And then we headed out to the bus stop in front of the Boardwalk.
We didn’t mention this before, but on our way home the first night, we picked up our “complementary” travel mugs, so I attempted to fill them this morning. The system at BW is completely messed up. You get your mug, show them to the people at the Bakery, say what you want, and THEN they give you a disposable container that you can opt to transfer to your mug if you so choose. WTF, Board Walk.
As is our custom, we ate while we waited for the bus, and we thought it was kind of odd that no one else was on the bus. And that the bus driver asked us if we were headed to Chef Mickey’s or Crystal Palace ... hm ... if only we could take a hint.
We got to MK by 7:45 for what we thought would be an 8 a.m. rope drop show … only to find out that the park wouldn’t be open until 9 a.m. Um … oopsie? Touring plan fail!
We made the most of it, chatting with some fellow Disney fans and admiring other people’s children. (We do that. We’re creepers. But your kids are so darn cute, and we don’t have any of our own.)
Finally, the opening show started, and it was just as magical as it always is. It makes me so happy … but it also makes me a little sad that none of the other parks have such an awesome welcoming show.
A CM also came by and gave us a handful of “pixie dust” to throw into the air when they hit “ONE” in the countdown to rope drop. Mickey glitter is not very aerodynamic, most of mine ended up in a pile at my feet. Or maybe my palms were sweaty. ::shrug::
Family of the Day
Once in the park, our first stop was ... the bathroom! Rob’s inconvenient potty prowess struck again! I took some lovely photos of the Castle while I waited.
MY DIGESTIVE SYSTEM CANNOT BE CONTAINED BY YOUR PETTY SCHEDULES!
Castle from near Tomorrowland Terrace
And then it was off to Tomorrowland! We rode AstroOrbiter for the first time, and I loved it so much! I can’t believe I’d put it off for so long, thinking it was just another Dumbo. It is not like Dumbo at all! Well. It is sort of like Dumbo. But about 150 times more awesome.
More like 4x higher and 2x faster... but pretty awesome.
Astro Pilot!
Then we rode the Peoplemover, a perennial favorite, and stopped in to see Sonny Eclipse … but he wasn’t working! It was actually really eerie. He was just sitting there. Still as anything. Creepy.
So we rode the Tea Cups, which was sort of hysterical because Rob doesn’t do well with spinning. Check out these before and after shots:
Rob, before
Rob, after
I can handle anything! I was just hamming it up!
From there, we walked over to Philharmagic, another one of our all-time favorites! On the way, we had to walk by the Castle as well as past the incredibly LONG line for Rapunzel. I can’t imagine why anyone would stand in a line that long to meet a face character. (And then I remember why I don’t have kids!)
Castle shot
After the epic 4D film, we rode it’s a small world … and then we were ready for a snack, so we headed to Sleepy Hollow for a nutella waffle sandwich. Yum! Seriously and honestly, this is just as insanely delicious as you would expect a malted waffle loaded with chocolate and fruit to be. Totally delish.
I was going to get my own, but then Melissa explained the concept of “snack” to me.
Delicious pre-lunch snack
From there, we rode the Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and then hopped on a raft to Tom Sawyer Island. It was oddly populated on that little island, but we finally trekked out to Fort Langhorn for a look around. Good clean fun! Going to Tom Sawyer Island always makes me wish I was smaller.
Madam Leota
Big Thunder action shot!
While Rob took another bathroom break, I found a paint brush!! I was so happy, I immediately picked it up and snapped a photo … and then a child started screaming, “That’s MINE!” Apparently, by the rule of “I saw it first,” I was expected to give this kid my free fast passes because she SAW the paintbrush before I picked it up.
The funny thing was, she didn’t even know that you could trade the brush in for FPs—she just wanted the paint brush! Being the awesome, kind person that I am, I did give her the brush, and I told her what to do with it. But I was a little miffed that her mother didn’t step in to calm her kid down and let me keep my ill-gotten gains. But whatever. When in Disney ...
The Fort
MY paintbrush
For the record, in the unedited version of this picture the little thief has her back turned to Melissa and the paint brush ... just saying.
Next, we headed over to the Jungle Cruise, but the line was terribly long, so we decided to check out the refurbed Swiss Family Tree House. I haven’t been up this tree in years, but it didn’t seem very different to me. It was still pretty much a glorified up-hill line. The people behind us were as jostling and impatient as ever, so we couldn’t even stop to appreciate how cool it is up there.
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Mousetacular Holiday Trip Report
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