Living the dream and remembering the Bagman LIVE UPDATE 10/2 - Page 24 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Ah well, there may be more changes to come to the hotel in Quebec City... that's all I'll say for now.
Oh neat! We'll have to keep an eye out for that!
So am I.
You're always full of surprises!! Ok, I'll be patient.....
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Marie's post is what made me decide to do the party as well...who knows when we will all see each other again. You never know what tomorrow will bring and memories are precious, which is why we are taking the littles out of school for a week.
Sounds like the Canada portion is really coming together! I know all of you at Bagman Days will make memories for a lifetime in your time together. Enjoy!
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 31,940
Post Thanks / Like
Likes (Given): 2
Likes (Received): 7
Thanks (Given): 0
Thanks (Received): 1
Pixie Dust (Given): 0
Pixie Dust (Received): 0
Marie's post made us decide to go as well. What she said really hit me square in the gut. We need to remember to live in the moment with our friends and those we love. We don't know when we won't get to be with them any longer.
Marie's post is what made me decide to do the party as well...who knows when we will all see each other again. You never know what tomorrow will bring and memories are precious, which is why we are taking the littles out of school for a week.
I'm so glad she posted that, knowing that she made the decision for at least two of us. Thanks Marie!
Marie's post made us decide to go as well. What she said really hit me square in the gut. We need to remember to live in the moment with our friends and those we love. We don't know when we won't get to be with them any longer.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Pre-trip report – part twenty three: designing a Bagman Days T-shirt…
Wednesday 18 May
I saw on the boards today that they’ve changed how they do Fastpasses. You used to be able to go online at midnight EST to get them done, but apparently as of today, it’s now 7:00am, which is actually more of a pain for us. We’re five hours ahead, so that makes it midday, which means unless it’s a weekend, we’ll be at work. Oh well, fingers crossed there’s going to be nothing that is that much of a hot ticket. I guess maybe the new Soarin’ may be popular, but I’d imagine it has a high capacity load to it. Equally Frozen Ever After (I think I have that right – essentially the Malestrom replacement ) might be popular, but I can’t imagine it being any worse than trying to get in to meet Anna and Elsa. Hopefully I’m right about that…
It seems as if there are going to be quite a few of our group now joining us at the Halloween Party, which I’m really pleased about. Angie said about how Bill loved to photograph the parade, and especially try and capture a good shot of the headless horseman. I said I’ll take up the challenge and see what sort of shot I can get, although I doubt it will be anywhere near as good as any of Bill’s. I remember the only time I got a really good shot was when, for some reason, he galloped through at a much slower speed than usual. I’m really glad we’re going and that others will be coming along as well. As Angie said, Bill loved the Halloween Party and I think it’s another great way to pay tribute to him.
Talking of Angie, she was one of quite a few people posting photos of Disney Springs, which finally opened up over the weekend, and I have to say I’m very impressed with what I’m seeing. When Disney first announced their plans for this part of Disney World, and we must be talking a lot of years ago here, as it involved the closure of the beloved Adventurers’ Club that so many of us loved, I was sceptical about what they were planning. I just didn’t get why the area needed yet more shops and restaurants, but now I do get it. I also understand why the clubs weren’t working, although I still would argue with the exception of the Adventurers’ Club. Ok, so maybe I’m biased, but that drew in what I’d describe as a very specific crowd, and probably not the sort that gave Disney security headaches on a regular basis, as some of the other club goers did. At least I know we were usually behaved anyway… I can’t wait to see it all for myself, finally with all the work finished and the hoardings down. How long have we waited for that? As I say, it feels like a long, long time…
Thursday 19 May
Someone posted in our Facebook group details of a new weekend brunch that’s being offered at Trail’s End. I did have a look at it, just out of interest, as I figured I’d probably stick with the brunch we’ve already got booked at the California Grill. The menu didn’t do much for me. They have all the standard breakfast fare, but the only other items I could see were things like pasta and pesto, mixed vegetables, fried chicken and mac and cheese, shrimp, Caesar salad, and potato salad, along with some soups. Ok, so it’s only $23/adults, but even so – I would’ve hoped for a bit more.
Saturday 21 May
I read on the boards this morning that ADRs were due to open today for Tiffin’s, so I waited as patiently as I could until late morning, when I knew the ADRs should have been loaded for the day, logged on, and snagged us a dinner reservation for Tiffin’s for the Saturday night when we’ll be at Animal Kingdom. Frustrating, I could only get 4:55pm as the latest booking, but that’s because Disney are being painfully slow about updating everything, and they’re still showing Animal Kingdom as closing as 5:00pm. I’ll just have to keep an eye on those park hours and then as soon as they lengthen (which they have to do at some point, right?) then I’ll see if I can book something a bit later. Of course, by then, we may know more about the Rivers of Light, whether it will be on by then, and if so, at what time and whether dining packages are available for it. At least I know we’ll definitely be trying out another new Disney restaurant this trip!
Talking of park hours, I had a quick flick through them, and noticed something very odd. Epcot is now open until 10:00pm on both the Friday and the Saturday night, with IllumiNations showing at 10:00pm. Hmm… I don’t ever remember seeing that before.
Sunday 22 May
I read online on Facebook yesterday about the challenges people were having getting Fastpasses for the various new things that became available. The most notable of these had to be Frozen Ever After, the new Maelstrom, where even Deb Wills was struggling to get a Fastpass for opening day. She managed it in the end, but from what I gathered from reading the boards this morning, she was in a minority, given people were saying they were all gone by 7:00am, an hour after they became available. Ok, so this is for trips in late June, not long after opening, but even so, I suspect we may need to be on the ball when it comes to our Fastpass window. We’ve got until late July, so it’s not something I need to worry about yet…
I emailed Sara, our travel agent, today to say go ahead and pay off our cruise on the Dream. It’s not due until 9 June, but given we’ll be away on the Baltic cruise, I don’t want to forget and I just want to get it out of the way now, so that’s another thing off the list of things to do.
Having read some comments today on the boards about the menu at Tiffins, and people were saying that it was a bit far out, I figured I’d better check it out. Oh wow, it looks amazing! The appetizers that appealed include the lobster-popcorn Thai curry soup, the marinated grilled octopus, the flash fried icy blue mussels and the sustainable seasonal fish crudo.
For entrée, I like the sound of the hoisin-glazed halibut, the grilled head-on prawns or the whole-fried sustainable fish. I wasn’t taken by the roasted market vegetable curry, as that just doesn’t sound quite as exciting. Mark could also have the Chermoula-rubbed chicken, the berbere spiced lamp chop, the Berkshire pork tenderloin and the Wagyu strip loin and braised short rib.
The desserts don’t do as much for me. The passion fruit tapioca crème and the lime cheesecake do not appeal at all, but the South American chocolate ganache, calamani mousse with mango lava and coconut meringue and the sorbet tasting are a lot more interesting…
Tuesday 24 May
I found this article on DVC News – Member Lounge opening punctuates landmark start to a milestone year. It’s about the new Member Lounge at Epcot that opens on 6 June, which will be on the second floor of the Imagination pavilion, with a Member entrance through the merchandise shop. It’s got complimentary beverages, device-charging stations (handy!), Wi-Fi, computer stations with access to Disney websites, like MyDisneyExperience.com. They’ll have advisors from both Member Services and RCI and displays of Member merchandise. I can’t imagine us spending a huge amount of time there, but we’ll definitely pop in to see what it’s like…
Angie (poohsgirl) posted a wonderful photo in the Facebook group tonight:
Isn’t it just beautiful?
Wednesday 25 May
Denise (wdwlovers) asked today for numbers who want the customised MagicBands that have been created in Bill’s memory. We’ve signed up for two, and judging by the number of posts already in our group, I think there’s going to be a big order.
Friday 27 May
Sandy (whoSEZ) posted today in the Facebook group with details of the T-shirt she’s designed for Bagman Days on Zazzle. It incorporates one of Bill’s beautiful sunset photos, that we’d previously voted for. It looks really impressive, and they have a 25% discount this weekend, but I’m concerned about the delivery charges, as I know they’re crazy. I posted about that, and Sandy suggested I could do it myself. She said I could download the photo and set up my own shirts on Zazzle.co.uk. She assures me it’s quite easy to do, so I’ll have to see. Whether I get a chance to do this before we head out on our Baltic cruise remains to be seen….
Saturday 28 May
I woke up this morning to see various photos of the food at Tiffins, and wow it looks good! It is so exciting that finally this is open for business. I have been looking forward to some more dining options at Animal Kingdom for such a long time now.
I decided to go ahead and try and order the T-shirts for Bagman Days. Wow, it couldn’t have been simpler! It was even easier than Sandy said. I didn’t have to sign up for an account, I didn’t have to say I had permission to use the photo (we do – thanks to Jan ), I just positioned the photo, worked out what size to go for and ordered – and now I hope that they look Ok and that they fit. Fingers crossed!
Monday 30 May
In the Facebook group this morning, this had been posted:
Hi everyone! A member of our group is hoping to create some magic and would like to know where everyone will be staying. Please post below with the name of your resort. If you prefer, you can send me a private message and I'll forward the info.
I think you guys will enjoy Tiffin's. I haven't been yet, but have read reviews (as I'm sure you have too!) that it's one of the best restaurants in all of WDW.
Oh, Rivers of Light. I know you wrote this in May, and I can't help but laugh that it's mid-late August and we still don't know what's going on.... It is just humorous at this point. I don't think they know either.
Really, really, really can't wait to see what you think of the DVC lounge at Epcot! I remember being up in that area as a kid, when it was open to the public. Such an amazing spot for a lounging area! I could probably sit up there for hours.
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
I think you guys will enjoy Tiffin's. I haven't been yet, but have read reviews (as I'm sure you have too!) that it's one of the best restaurants in all of WDW.
I've actually read mixed reviews, but I think some of those who weren't overly enthusiastic weren't 100% sure about the menu.
Quote:
Oh, Rivers of Light. I know you wrote this in May, and I can't help but laugh that it's mid-late August and we still don't know what's going on.... It is just humorous at this point. I don't think they know either.
I don't think they do either... I have seriously given up hope of hearing anything before we go. The rumour doing the rounds is it will launch for Earth Day, April 2017. I thought maybe in time for Thanksgiving, but either way, I don't think it will be in time for our trip.
Quote:
Really, really, really can't wait to see what you think of the DVC lounge at Epcot! I remember being up in that area as a kid, when it was open to the public. Such an amazing spot for a lounging area! I could probably sit up there for hours.
Oh that is so cool to hear! The photos of it look very nice, but not amazing, if that makes sense?
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
]
) might be popular, but I can’t imagine it being any worse than trying to get in to meet Anna and Elsa. Hopefully I’m right about that… 
I was sceptical about what they were planning. I just didn’t get why the area needed yet more shops and restaurants, but now I do get it. I also understand why the clubs weren’t working, although I still would argue with the exception of the Adventurers’ Club. Ok, so maybe I’m biased, but that drew in what I’d describe as a very specific crowd, and probably not the sort that gave Disney security headaches on a regular basis, as some of the other club goers did. 
Frustrating, I could only get 4:55pm as the latest booking, but that’s because Disney are being painfully slow about updating everything, and they’re still showing Animal Kingdom as closing as 5:00pm. I’ll just have to keep an eye on those park hours and then as soon as they lengthen (which they have to do at some point, right?) then I’ll see if I can book something a bit later. Of course, by then, we may know more about the Rivers of Light, whether it will be on by then, and if so, at what time and whether dining packages are available for it. At least I know we’ll definitely be trying out another new Disney restaurant this trip! 
The appetizers that appealed include the lobster-popcorn Thai curry soup, the marinated grilled octopus, the flash fried icy blue mussels and the sustainable seasonal fish crudo. 
It is just humorous at this point. I don't think they know either.
Linear Mode
