Trip Report "Dreams Really Can Come True" 6/1/09-6/8/09 - COMPLETED 7/19 - Page 27 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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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.
HBD sounds (and looks!) delicious. I have it on my list of places to try, but wasn't sure how the young' uns would enjoy it. However, if your boys were happy with their food, I'll bet my girls would like it, too.
Do you have a photo of your lanyard with the Mickey keychain? I'd love to see it.
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.
HBD sounds (and looks!) delicious. I have it on my list of places to try, but wasn't sure how the young' uns would enjoy it. However, if your boys were happy with their food, I'll bet my girls would like it, too.
Do you have a photo of your lanyard with the Mickey keychain? I'd love to see it.
Ask and you shall receive:
You'll have to wait and see how I just barely snagged Miss Piggy just before we went home
HBD has been on my list...and now seeing your review...and your roast pork I think it has moved up a spot or two!! And grapefruit cake...yeah...that sounds like something I need to try. Love the fat little Mickey keychain too cute...and a great idea.
How cool that your DS got picked for the JTA!! I'm glad he was able to join in. And I never relaized that they have PhotoPass photographers for it - that's a nice touch. So glad you enjoyed HBD!
Your lanyard with the keychain is too cute! Glad you enjoyed HBD - we went there a couple of years ago to celebrate my dad's 70th. Good food! So glad your ds got to be a Jedi! Great pictures!
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.
Saturday June 6, Day 5 – DHS day 2, The Wave, and DTD
I’m really starting to lose details now, because by this time, I had stopped jotting down notes in my passporter. I’m pretty sure we got to DHS a little before 10am, then walked over to get fps for TSMM. Our return time was for 2:25pm. The stand-by wait was 40 min, but we got in line anyway so that we could ride it twice. We queued up right at the outside entrance. I’m not sure if we waited the whole 40min, it felt like it was less, but probably because of the awesome theming. I took more pictures here, mostly because this was the longest wait for a ride all week, I think. I want to post more here, but I’m about to run out of room on my picture space budget!
Candyland!
As you can see, even though it was a 40 min wait, the queues were still relatively empty. I think the fp line was on the other side of the Tinkertoy box. When we came back later, I think we were on the other side of the room. We finally got to the ride itself and it was SO totally AWESOME dude! I could see what all the hubbub was about. I rode with DS4 – he got a respectable 40,400 with 34% accuracy. I got 132,700 with 31% accuracy with a forearm cramp to show for it. It was over too soon and time for breakfast.
My BFF had told me about the cinnamon rolls from Starring Rolls Café. We had to go there to do the “comparison”. DH was convinced that the MSB in MK was the place to beat, so we headed over. There weren’t a lot of people in the Café itself, but there were no tables available outside. We had to just stand there and wait a minute to see if anyone was leaving. There was a seasoned couple that motioned us over and told us they were leaving soon. I said, “Thank you so much, take your time.” The lady said, “Oh I will.” Alrighty then. We sat with the couple and chatted for a little bit while she finished her coffee. They told us that they had opened Magic Kingdom so many years ago – literally. She worked in the food services and he took the tickets at the gate. They were old school Florida and they were great. I bet they could have sat there for hours and told us the best stories…
Starring Rolls Café mini-review:
We got the cinnamon bun, bagel with cr. cheese, strawberry shortcake parfait, yogurt, o.j., and chocolate milk. Small place, a little confusing to order, good luck finding a table. The good thing is that the tables had umbrellas, the breakfast prices were reasonable and the food was good. I have to say that MSB’s cinnamon rolls were still the champ, according to DH. I thought the SRC’s bun was a little more moist, but the other ones were still better – it was the icing I think, plus they are BIG!
After breakfast, we made our way over to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, as the next show was going to start in a few minutes at 11:30. The boys had never seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, but it was practically in my blood. The movie came out in 1981, when I was a young gal of 11 years, madly in love with Harrison Ford and all things Lucas or Spielberg. Oh, sorry… Anyway, they like movies, so I was sure that they would enjoy the show. Especially with seeing the L,M,A! show yesterday.
One of the best movie scenes. Ever.
All throughout the show, the producer or director, kept mentioning the weather and they would have to watch for a storm coming up. I thought it was part of the act. As soon as the final scene finished, sure enough, a big ol’ storm came right down on top of us. DH had me laughing – he was wondering where the wind fans were and how big they had to be in order to blow those trees in the back of the stage. He thought it was part of the show! LOL The boys enjoyed the show - explosions are always awesome.
We stayed there for a little while, while the storm passed over us. I can’t remember what we did after that! I think we were going to try the Rockin’ Roller Coaster again, but while walking around, it started raining again. We ended up right in front of Beauty and the Beast for the 12:45 show. The boys actually like this movie, so this was a much better idea than RRC. DS7 kept asking if RRC was loud or dark or did it have loop-de-loops. RRC would have to get put on the “next time” list too. The show was nice and relaxing.
We had absolutely no plans after that. I think I wanted to just walk around and check out the shops. I saw “Villains in Vogue” shop and just had to go in. Begin rant. I’m sorry to say that this was THE most disappointing thing at Disney. I got all excited seeing the Evil Queen with the poisoned apple at the entrance, but it just went south from there. I will use points here so that this won’t turn into a long, drawn out rant:
1. Jack Skellington is NOT a villain. He’s just a guy trying to do a good job for which he isn’t qualified. He’s very cool, but not evil. So why is HALF the shop devoted to him?
2. Disney’s villains are totally awesome with well thought out personas. Yes the good guys and gals are good, but the bad guys are bad.
3. The Best Villains conspicuously missing from the shop: Scar – demented evil uncle who plots and kills awesome good guy Mufasa, plus you could just listen to him all day. Captain Hook – with his dashing self – he’s fun too and very marketable. Hades – truly crazy, but definitely photogenic. No one has hair like him Jafar – This guy has the best evil laugh – ever. Ursula – Her Heftiness is in the parade but not in the shop? Maleficent – How can Disney NOT be making money off of her action figure? She can turn into a dragon. Fun for both boys and girls.
Finally, the most evil, cruel, just plain mean villain of all: Cruella DeVil! She is just plain fab-u-lous! (I can’t decide who’s better, the original animation or the magnificent Glenn Close.) Her action figure would be so fun to play with. Just look at how many changes of clothing she could have! And her hair – yes indeed. Her car – absolutely beautiful. It’s a Panther DeVille Saloon – totally bada**! You could see this vintage beauty perched on your desk and you know it.
Disney truly dropped the ball here. There are pages of websites devoted to Disney Villains. I mean these awesome characters aren’t even on the walls of the shop or on display. I didn’t even see Darth Vader who is right down the street intimidating courageous children. Instead there are these not-so-villainous Vinylmation figures being displayed and some POC stuff. The rest of the shop has candy. Not so evil.
end rant.
So after that disappointment, we went for a bite to eat at ABC Commissary. I liked this place and its décor. I was hoping for the Cuban sandwich I had read about, but it wasn’t on the menu that day .
ABC Commissary ultra-mini review:
We got cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets. They were good fast food burgers and we ate in a nice quiet section over by a Lost display. The booth was comfy and of course you can never go wrong with A/C. I think tv shows were playing, I can’t remember. The strawberry parfait and chocolate pudding were standard. I’d go there again if they had the Cuban sandwich; otherwise, it’s a fast food joint in a nice setting.
Our TSMM fps were just about ripe, so we headed back to Pixar Studios. In an earlier post I said that DS4 had gotten back at me on TSM for beating him on Buzz Lightyear. I realized when I thought about it, that it was DH who actually opened up a can on me our second time around.
I was trying too hard to get the harder targets to boost my score. It’s all good though. I’ll get him next time.
We had our ADR for The Wave at 7:10pm, so we decided to leave a little early. We stopped at the Hat to look at some pins and I scored a trade for Professor Honeydew. (I was surprised – I didn’t think I would be able to find him.) DS4 got a Pin Trading Mickey Plush. (It has a tiny Mickey ears pin and a tiny Stitch pin! ) While DS4 was paying for his toy with his Disney Dollars, I noticed that the CM was from Shanghai. We are learning Mandarin Chinese in homeschool, so I screwed up my courage and whispered to him to thank her in Chinese. Her double-take was classic! We chatted for a few minutes (she was actually drilling us – I’m so glad we had been practicing! ) and said “zai jian!” (good bye).
On the way out, we ran into the crowd that was getting ready for the Block Party Parade! I had forgotten about it, but I’m so glad we got to see it. We scored spots right on the curb by the tip board (again looking back to see if we were standing in front of someone who had gotten there first.) The parade started right after that.
Partying with rock stars!
I that parade! It’s so much fun. They bounced bouncy balls at us and we managed to catch one – it says “Block Party Bash”. As you can see by the pictures, it was quite cloudy out and it started to sprinkle. We went back to the hotel and chilled until dinner time.
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I think I'll have to try the grapefruit cake the next time I eat there.
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Pixie Dust
Love the fat little Mickey keychain too cute...and a great idea.
Deb
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
I’m pretty sure we got to DHS a little before 10am, then walked over to get fps for TSMM. Our return time was for 2:25pm. The stand-by wait was 40 min, but we got in line anyway so that we could ride it twice. We queued up right at the outside entrance. I’m not sure if we waited the whole 40min, it felt like it was less, but probably because of the awesome theming. I took more pictures here, mostly because this was the longest wait for a ride all week, I think. I want to post more here, but I’m about to run out of room on my picture space budget! 
I could see what all the hubbub was about. I rode with DS4 – he got a respectable 40,400 with 34% accuracy. I got 132,700 with 31% accuracy with a forearm cramp to show for it. It was over too soon and time for breakfast.
We sat with the couple and chatted for a little bit while she finished her coffee. They told us that they had opened Magic Kingdom so many years ago – literally. She worked in the food services and he took the tickets at the gate. They were old school Florida and they were great. I bet they could have sat there for hours and told us the best stories…
Anyway, they like movies, so I was sure that they would enjoy the show. Especially with seeing the L,M,A! show yesterday.
DH had me laughing – he was wondering where the wind fans were and how big they had to be in order to blow those trees in the back of the stage. He thought it was part of the show! LOL 
The show was nice and relaxing.
I got all excited seeing the Evil Queen with the poisoned apple at the entrance, but it just went south from there. I will use points here so that this won’t turn into a long, drawn out rant:
.
(I was surprised – I didn’t think I would be able to find him.) DS4 got a Pin Trading Mickey Plush. (It has a tiny Mickey ears pin and a tiny Stitch pin! 
that parade! It’s so much fun. They bounced bouncy balls at us and we managed to catch one – it says “Block Party Bash”. As you can see by the pictures, it was quite cloudy out and it started to sprinkle. We went back to the hotel and chilled until dinner time.
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