An Animal Kingdom State of Being with Cam and Fam COMPLETED 9/18 - Page 103 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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There I go again falling behind...but I did read the Parade post!! I have three words for you A-MA-ZING!!! I love the pictures from your perspective looking at the crowds. And how great to get a welcome back from the other parade families! I agree with Stef and think you should do it again next year!
It will always be one of our most favorite magical moments!
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This morning I first woke up at 6:25, but rolled over as that was just too early. I didn’t wake up again until 9:39. Keep in mind that we had risen early for 7 straight mornings on vacation, totally unheard of for us. I got up and sent a text to my DSis Pam so she would let me know when they were on their way, so we could be ready. I started the laundry as this was my first opportunity to do any and then ate a Fiber One bar.
Stefanie got up and watched some TV while I showered and primped. When Pam sent the text that they were on their way, Stefanie woke Luke. He wasn’t quite ready when they go here, but close. I called Pam as soon as she sent a text that they were in the parking lot to tell them to take the Zazu elevator to floor 2 in order to cut out some of the walk to our room.
We soon heard a knock on the door and let them in. Pam went straight to the balcony where we could see a heard of zebras playing around.
One of the zebras was a bit ornery. He would run up behind another zebra and use his head to butt the other in the back side. That one would kick back with his back legs. Just like teenage boys roughhousing.
I’ve decided zebras rank up there second to giraffes. So beautiful and so much fun to watch!
And then the giraffes came to visit.
The baby giraffe seemed to enjoy making the Tommies move.
At some point I got brave and let Pam know about my inability to come to the wedding. She received it rather well. The power of the pixies paid off again. While Pam and I had been talking and watching the animals on the savannah, Luke had been working on Pam’s iPhone and computer. He was still working away when we went back out the balcony for more animal watching and catching up. Around noon we decided to have lunch at Animal Kingdom’s Rainforest Café as it was nearby. Also Stefanie always asks to eat here, and I keep saying we can eat at one some other place, but then we never do.
This is the view out front directly across from where our room at Kidani was located.
We had no wait and were promptly seated in a section near the bar, which has the cutest stools! Luke had the camera so I could visit, but he had some trouble with settings for indoors; therefore some of his pictures are a bit blurry. I had forgotten to tell him the changes I made when photographing the animals on the savannah.
My DSis Pam
I love this picture because we are both having such a good time.
Stefanie’s drink came in a keepsake light up mug that she loves.
Stefanie and her Uncle Bob, who gave her the Lakers cap she is wearing.
Pam and I both had the RainForest Burger with fries, but I can’t remember and didn’t write down what anyone else had. I do know that we were all too full to have dessert. After eating, we wandered the shop before exiting. Pam and Bob got matching biker t-shirts.
Just outside of the restaurant Luke, Stefanie, and I got some PhotoPass pictures while we were fresh and sweat free.
A novelty shot that Luke was excited about taking!
This morning I first woke up at 6:25, but rolled over as that was just too early. I didn’t wake up again until 9:39. Keep in mind that we had risen early for 7 straight mornings on vacation, totally unheard of for us. I got up and sent a text to my DSis Pam so she would let me know when they were on their way, so we could be ready. I started the laundry as this was my first opportunity to do any and then ate a Fiber One bar.
Stefanie got up and watched some TV while I showered and primped. When Pam sent the text that they were on their way, Stefanie woke Luke. He wasn’t quite ready when they go here, but close. I called Pam as soon as she sent a text that they were in the parking lot to tell them to take the Zazu elevator to floor 2 in order to cut out some of the walk to our room.
We soon heard a knock on the door and let them in. Pam went straight to the balcony where we could see a heard of zebras playing around.
One of the zebras was a bit ornery. He would run up behind another zebra and use his head to butt the other in the back side. That one would kick back with his back legs. Just like teenage boys roughhousing.
I’ve decided zebras rank up there second to giraffes. So beautiful and so much fun to watch!
And then the giraffes came to visit.
The baby giraffe seemed to enjoy making the Tommies move.
At some point I got brave and let Pam know about my inability to come to the wedding. She received it rather well. The power of the pixies paid off again. While Pam and I had been talking and watching the animals on the savannah, Luke had been working on Pam’s iPhone and computer. He was still working away when we went back out the balcony for more animal watching and catching up. Around noon we decided to have lunch at Animal Kingdom’s Rainforest Café as it was nearby. Also Stefanie always asks to eat here, and I keep saying we can eat at one some other place, but then we never do.
This is the view out front directly across from where our room at Kidani was located.
We had no wait and were promptly seated in a section near the bar, which has the cutest stools! Luke had the camera so I could visit, but he had some trouble with settings for indoors; therefore some of his pictures are a bit blurry. I had forgotten to tell him the changes I made when photographing the animals on the savannah.
My DSis Pam
I love this picture because we are both having such a good time.
Stefanie’s drink came in a keepsake light up mug that she loves.
Stefanie and her Uncle Bob, who gave her the Lakers cap she is wearing.
Pam and I both had the RainForest Burger with fries, but I can’t remember and didn’t write down what anyone else had. I do know that we were all too full to have dessert. After eating, we wandered the shop before exiting. Pam and Bob got matching biker t-shirts.
Just outside of the restaurant Luke, Stefanie, and I got some PhotoPass pictures while we were fresh and sweat free.
A novelty shot that Luke was excited about taking!
Nice to have a slower-paced morning for a change! The best thing about a 1-bedroom unit is having the laundry. I miss that in the studio (not that it's such an ordeal to use the one by the pool!) Did your sister enjoy your savannah view? The animals were very active. I don't think I've ever seen the giraffe interacting with other animals before. They were all having fun! Glad you had time to chat with Pam at lunch.
What a nice, calm day! No rushing about! Enjoying that beautiful savannah view!
I just love the zebras and all of their playing!!!
And that giraffe is sooooooooo cute!!!!!
I am happy that you were able to spend some time with your sister!!
Great pictures!!
What a nice, calm day! No rushing about! Enjoying that beautiful savannah view!
I just love the zebras and all of their playing!!!
And that giraffe is sooooooooo cute!!!!!
I am happy that you were able to spend some time with your sister!!
Great pictures!!
Nice to have a slower-paced morning for a change! The best thing about a 1-bedroom unit is having the laundry. I miss that in the studio (not that it's such an ordeal to use the one by the pool!) Did your sister enjoy your savannah view? The animals were very active. I don't think I've ever seen the giraffe interacting with other animals before. They were all having fun! Glad you had time to chat with Pam at lunch.
The minute she saw animals on the savannah we were outside on the balcony, which allowed me to talk while also getting pictures. So many of the animals were active this morning that it was very relaxing just to watch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Luvsun
What a nice, calm day! No rushing about! Enjoying that beautiful savannah view!
I just love the zebras and all of their playing!!!
And that giraffe is sooooooooo cute!!!!!
I am happy that you were able to spend some time with your sister!!
Great pictures!!
Ahhh caught up WHEW ... Awww Cam such WONDERFUL Pictures !
1. My favorite pic of Steph is when she is kissing chip on the errrr CHIP hehe
2. I love the pics out on your balcony of the animals !
3. I am so glad you guys had a good time !
4. MICKEY CORN COB HOLDERS !!!!!!! Kenzie ( DD) loves to eat corn on the cob! I actually carry a set with me always because she is a picky eater and she will eat corn on the cob if the resturant has it !
Cam I agree with Stephanie you SHOULD do the parade again next year She has invited him to move in with you and you'll be providing him with free cheese as well Not to mention you'll prob end up covering his travel cost and hotel. So I don't think a ride on the back of a truck once in a while is really asking too much
What a nice morning and lunch! Stefanie looks thrilled to be there. I'm glad you were able to get together with your sister, too. That's one of the reasons I'm so excited about my trip in a couple of weeks; I'll get to spend time with my sisters.
Boy, the wildlife was very active that morning! Great pictures. Glad you had some down time and got to enjoy visiting with family.
June 11...I remember what I was doing that day. I had 8 teenagers over at my place for my DS's 19th B-day. I think you had a much more relaxing and fun day than I did...I had to cook....ALOT!!