Rides, Rainclouds and mishaps....Disney Style - Page 7 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We always wave back when kids wave at us. Glad those two had the same idea!! I loved the detailed story about the Auto Train, I had no idea it exitsted either. sounds like an adventure in itself. Can't wait to hear more. Were you watching Country bear Jamboree on August 15th some time around 3-4 oclock??? If so I saw you all on the far right , if not lenny has a twin.
Darlene you had such a fantastic day at MK. You got so much done and I am glad that you were able to pull Abby away from Fantasyland long enough to enjoy some other areas (which it sounds like she did). What a great smile on her face in all her photos...
It is definitely evident that she is having a great time...
I just got caught up. I can't wait to go again next year. Abby looks so happy in all the character pics. Good work on the report.
Your trip will be here before you know it. Yes, she was happy. Shy, but happy. And thanks for the compliment.
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Great story, Darlene! Sounds like Abby sprinkled some magic and got a dose of her own!!
Thanks Dyan. Abby did definitely get a dose of her own magic. I think Disney is the easiest place for anyone to give and receive it.
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What a wonderful moment at Small World - that made me as well.
We still smile when we think of it so I'm glad others are smiling at the story as well.
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We always wave back when kids wave at us. Glad those two had the same idea!! I loved the detailed story about the Auto Train, I had no idea it exitsted either. sounds like an adventure in itself. Can't wait to hear more. Were you watching Country bear Jamboree on August 15th some time around 3-4 oclock??? If so I saw you all on the far right , if not lenny has a twin.
I wave too, especially when it's little kids. I'm glad you liked the info on the Auto Train, and it is an adventure. I think around Richmond we go right down the middle of the street. We were having dinner at the time so I couldn't get pictures. I'll post more today. And yes, we were at the Country Bears. I remember that we did sit on the far right, but I had to check my picutes for the time and date. You should have stopped and said hello.
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Darlene you had such a fantastic day at MK. You got so much done and I am glad that you were able to pull Abby away from Fantasyland long enough to enjoy some other areas (which it sounds like she did). What a great smile on her face in all her photos...
It is definitely evident that she is having a great time...
I was amazed at how much we did, especially once we got away from Fantasyland. As for the smiles, those are so hard to get. Normally (and you'll see it in some of the photos) instead of smiling, it's almost like she's gritting her teeth. Abby can smile, but if you tell her too, it's almost like she can't figure out how. It's those rare natural ones I like the best. And yes, she had a great time. We went at her pace and if she really didn't want to do something, we didn't push the issue too much. It was as much for her as for us so everyone had a say in what we did.
I knew it!! I saw you! We were about 5 rows behind you and more toward the center. But it wasn't very crowded so there weren't many people in the rows between us. I woul d have come down, but honestly, If I don't see a passporter pouch, I don't say hello, or ask, because, the first few times I did think I saw a familiar face, they looked at me like I had three heads! So except at the PP meet, I kept to myself. Wish I would have said Hello! Sorry, maybe next time!
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Today was our early day and I made everyone get up. I wanted to be at AK for the 8 AM EMH opening time. We didn’t make it but we were still at the park early though - about 8:30ish. Our first stop of course was the Safari. It was worth it. We saw so many of the animals out and about. Not many were wandering due to eating breakfast, but they were in view to us. One of the first animals we saw was the black rhino. Two of them were having a face off over something but after a minute or so, one turned and ran off. I don’t remember all the animals we saw, but we saw a lot. I tried taking pictures, but most of them came out fuzzy and unrecognizable.
After the Safari, I was waiting for Lenny to get his scooter when I heard someone say "CinderAbby." I looked around and that’s when I met Lisa (Magic Mickey.) She said she recognized us from my signature picture. We talked for a few minutes then agreed to meet at HDD again that night and went our separate ways.
Next came the Pangani trail. We got some good views of the animals, including the gorillas. We saw 3 females and 3 males - all having breakfast.
Lenny wanted to do the Wildlife Express next so we got in line to wait. Since Lenny had his scooter and it could go on the train, we waited in the wheelchair area. As we were standing there, one of the CM’s came walking by and every so often, when people weren’t looking, he squirted them with water. I caught him a couple of times and he just looked at me like he didn’t do anything. The train came, we were loaded on and once we got moving, there was really nothing to see. We did see a white rhino in one of the outside pens laying down, but other than buildings, bushes and trees, there was nothing else. Once we arrived at Planet Watch, Abby didn’t want to do anything there. Disney, being the way it is, we couldn’t just get back in line for the train. We had to follow the roped off path first to the entrace of the station, but that was okay. By the time we got back to the station, we only had to wait a minute or two for the next train. Back in Harambe, we looked for a couple of pressed penny machines then stopped at the area with all the drums. Abby played for a few minutes then we continued on our way. Lenny and I wanted to do Flights of Wonder. Abby wanted the Boneyard. We would have continued there for Abby, but the FOW preshow started and we made Abby stop and watch it. By the time the theater was opened, Abby was interested so we went in to watch. It was worth seeing IMO and we enjoyed it.
Since it was now lunchtime, we headed to Flame Tree BBQ. Lenny ordered the ½ chicken, beans and key lime pie. I ordered the BBQ beef sandwich, beans and chocolate cake. Abby got the chicken drumstick, grapes and cookie. We also got her a side of fries since they couldn’t be substituted here. The only thing Abby ate was the fries, she didn’t like anything else. Lenny ate her chicken, plus his own. I ate her grapes, plus my sandwich which was just a tad dry so I added extra BBQ sauce. The cookie was kinda gross, even for me so we just tossed what was left of it. Other than the cookie, we really liked the food there. From lunch, we went to Dinoland.
We did the Cretaceous trail first and got pictures of Abby with the dinosaurs, then we went to the Boneyard. Abby was funny though. She had more fun uncovering the bones she could see than the ones I had covered back up for her to find.
We stayed there probably about half and hour then went to DinoRama. Abby found it rather loud and wore her headphones the whole time we were there. The first and only stop was Triceratop Spin, which Lenny even rode with us. After that, Abby wanted to watch Primeval Whirl. When I’d had enough of watching (I was kinda dizzy that day to begin with - watching that only made it worse) we headed to Expedition Everest. Lenny was going to ride with us, but when he saw the coaster come out of the mountain, he started having second thoughts. I told him to make up his mind, but he kept going back and fourth: I do, I don’t. I finally told him once the coaster comes out of the mountain, it starts to spiral up into the mountain. Just on my description (and matching hand gesture of the spiral) Lenny actually turned a little green so I told him do us all a favor - don’t go on. Since we’d seen the Discovery channel shows about this, Lenny wanted to see the details in the queue area we’d heard about so he went through there with us but then took the chicken exit. Once off the ride, we purchased the picture and were going to go to the Jungle Trek. I noticed that it was getting late though. We had a 5 PM ADR for the HDD and we planned on being out of the park by 3:30. We didn’t have enough time to find and walk the trails.
I guess it worked out because both Lenny and Abby were getting really grumpy . The area around EE was just too claustrophobic and hot for them so I had to get them out of there. We headed back to Dinoland, which was the quickest way out for us. Once back in Dinoland near DinoRama, Abby wanted her headphones again. She also wanted to ride Triceratop Spin again. We rode that then stopped at Restaurantosaurus for some ice. I ordered 2 cups of it but what I got was 2 cups with one small scoop of ice each. It was ice and we were leaving so I just took it and we continued on our way. We stopped once to get some photopass pictures and by the time we reached the front gates, Abby and Lenny had calmed down. What helped, IMO, was the closer we got to the front gates, the less people we saw. There were so few people, it made me wonder if the park was still open to people coming in. Back at the truck, we loaded the scooter and grabbed some cold drinks from the coolers. Our next stop: Fort Wilderness for the HDD.
We arrived at FW about 3:45ish. Once there, we sat in the truck for a few enjoying the nice cold AC. Then we caught the bus to Pioneer Hall. While we sat and waited to check in, we looked at maps of Epcot trying to plan for Thursday. Once we were checked in and had our picture taken, we headed to the Settlement trading post to get out of the heat and do some gift shopping until it was time to get in line again. I was suppose to meet Lisa (Magic Mickey) again, but when we were in line, I never saw her. Then we found out we were going to sit upstairs on the balcony. I knew they would be downstairs but from where we sat (at the very back in front of the stage) I couldn’t see where they were. We did, however, have a good view of the stage. The balcony area is set up well in that everyone has a good view, whether you sit in front of the stage or to the side.
The meal at HDD was really good. I enjoyed everything except the chicken and the beans. I like white meat fried chicken but I think all we got was dark and the beans had a bite to them I just didn’t like. Abby ate the chicken and salad well. Lenny ate everything well. I don’t regret going to the HDD, but I can tell you I won’t be going back. It was just too much money IMO. I could have gotten a meal just as good next door at Trails End for far less money and I didn’t need the entertainment. It just makes the meal longer, but I did this for Abby thinking she might like it. She said she did, so I was happy.
After dinner, I still didn’t see Lisa and her family. Abby wanted to get going so we headed to the playground to the left of Crockett’s Tavern. I was originally going to do the wagon ride at 7, but it left right at 7 which meant anyone who got stuck waiting in line to use the restrooms after HDD missed the boat, or wagon in this case. I also wanted to do the sing along and watch the Water Pageant from the beach at FW, but when Abby was done on the playground, she wanted to go back to the hotel. Once we got back to the rooms, I noticed Abby’s curtains were open and the tv was on inside. I wondered why, but when I went in, I found out what was going on. Mousekeeping had sat all of Abby’s friends up in the bed with the remote control in front of them. I thought it was a really cute thing for them to do.
When the tv was turned off and the friends were once again in bed, Abby and Lenny went swimming while I made out all my postcards. Not too long after Lenny and Abby got out of the pool, we all went to bed.
I knew it!! I saw you! We were about 5 rows behind you and more toward the center. But it wasn't very crowded so there weren't many people in the rows between us. I woul d have come down, but honestly, If I don't see a passporter pouch, I don't say hello, or ask, because, the first few times I did think I saw a familiar face, they looked at me like I had three heads! So except at the PP meet, I kept to myself. Wish I would have said Hello! Sorry, maybe next time!
BTDT so I know the feeling when you think you recognize somebody and it's somebody else. I wanted to do a couple of the meets that I knew were taking place but I either forgot about it until after the fact or the one that I did remember, after Wishes - we weren't even in the MK that day. We were in Epcot and had acutally left there by 8ish for the hotel. But next time we're in the same area, we'll have to meet.
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Thanks, I had a lot of fun taking them. It's the first time I've had a long trip with a digital. I'm surprised Lenny didn't say I got carried away with the picture taking. I'm paying for it now though. It's tough deciding which pictures to put in.
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Can't wait to hear more. and I am kinda glad I couldn't get the ADr for HHD. THanks
I'll post more tomorrow. If I do it now, I'll only mess it up. And please, don't base my opinions on the HDD as a final answer. Some people absolutely love it and go every year. I am glad I went, but for the cost (approx 140 if we paid OOP or 2 credits each DDP, the way we did pay), it's not something I'll repeat any time soon.
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