Party of Two - UPDATED 10/1 COMPLETE! - Page 17 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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
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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.
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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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All caught up!
What wonderful friends you have in Karen and Zack! How very thoughtful and sweet of them to remember Mary Devall's birthday!
Your goodies from the lounge sound so yummy!
The pedicure experience sounds fun! Mary Devall's toes are so cute!
The Princess luncheon looks and sounds great!
How fabulous to enjoy a special day of pampering at the spa. I know my little princess would love that! And I was cracking up reading about the mother/son spa team. I couldn't pay my son enough to step foot in a spa!
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Too cute. The whole spa experience is just too cute!!!!! Love the pic of the toes!
I thought you were gonna say the mother/son duo was Karen and Zack. Now THAT would have been quite a surprise!!!!
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A day at the Spa... sounds like lots of fun. It must have been so much enjoyment to watch Mary Devall so excited for her first pedicure. I love her reaction about the boy watching her play Ds.. but it seems the way to a boys heart is with a nintendo Ds
Give her a few more years and that reaction will be sooooooo different. So... Tom can feel relief for the time being
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On our trip around the world we next stopped in China where we ran into a certain warrior princess before getting Mary Devall’s passport stamped.
It was closing in on 1:30, so we skipped Germany for the time being and went straight to Italy to pick up the KP assignment. Mary Devall’s mission was in Japan which was a new one for her and excited her to no end (of course, I was a little worried because I remembered Eileen mentioning that Japan was a little on the hard side ). Since we were already in Italy and this mission might prove to be difficult, I told Mary Devall that I wanted to back track first to the other side of Italy for a little liquid refreshment in the form of an Italian margarita. I offered to buy her a primavera, but she was all about the mission at this point.
Eileen was right. This mission was longer than the rest and a bit harder. Trying to find which “garden” was being referenced was especially difficult since there are so many. At least we did have a chance to really explore Japan for the first time. Mary Devall had a blast once again, but one mission was definitely enough for her today. As soon as we were finished, she declared that she wanted a kaki gori. I suddenly knew why she had turned down the offer of the primavera earlier.
We took a break in the shade for Mary Devall to eat/drink her kaki gori before we headed back to Germany to browse the shops and get her next stamp.
I also found information about the much talked about and little known “wine card” in Germany’s wine store, so I took a picture (which is worth a thousand words, you know). If I remember correctly, they can be purchased in Germany, Italy or France and only used in those countries. I believe that it entitles you to six 2 oz. samples of wine and it costs $20 (okay "believe" is the operative word here because 2 months have passed since I read about it! )
When we stopped in Italy for a stamp and to browse in the shops, Mary Devall fell instantaneously in love with one of the masks. We asked and were told that the small ones were $50. I asked Mary Devall to just think about it for now since it was such a big purchase. If she still wanted the mask at the end of the day, we would return.
Next up was America where the CM stamping the passport had zero personality. I immediately thought how much better Cory (from the GF bus stop) would be in this job than Miss Milktoast. Under the same portico as the KidsCot station was a display of Precious Moments dolls along with one of their doll makers. Oddly enough, she looked eerily like the poodle woman from the GF.
You would think that any sensible person would have gotten Mary Devall’s passport stamp while we were doing the KP mission earlier in Japan. Well . . . you would think wrong. So back to Japan we went where I noticed that they had closed the toy museum and had moved the KidsCot station outside.
After Mary Devall received her stamp in Morocco, we spent a great deal of time perusing the shops. Mary Devall had a ton of fun trying on head pieces and making new mannequin friends.
Mo’ Rockin was just starting a set so we decided to stay and enjoy one of our favorite bands. No one was sitting on the concrete benches and we realized why when we sat down - - they were steaming hot! I pulled out our handy dandy ponchos and we used them to keep our behinds from burning.
When the belly dancer made her grand entrance, for the first time ever it was not Alheem. Let’s just say that it was too bad that Thom wasn’t with us. She danced a couple of numbers by herself and then she called up several children to dance with her. Mary Devall was in pure tee heaven. She kept her eyes on the belly dancer and tried to replicate every single move that she made. The pictures pretty much say it all.
After a picture with the belly dancer, we moved on to France for a stamp and some photo ops.
Mary Devall is apparently working on her Super Model status still.
Next up was England where we ran into Mary Poppins and Alice. Mary Devall had one last page in her autograph book, so when we saw Wendy we thought she would be a perfect way to end the book. Unfortunately, Wendy’s line had already closed.
Continued in next post . . .
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Last edited by Jillybean; 09-29-2009 at 09:15 AM..
While in Canada, Mary Devall decided that she wanted to watch the movie again. During the movie, Martin Short mentions the French movie so Mary Devall decided that she just had to see that!
On the way back to France, we stopped at the R&C kiosk for a bottle of water and had a fantastic chat with the sweetest CM about train travel. After finishing our bottle of water before we even reached the bridge to France, we saw the French movie which I hadn’t seen in years.
It was time for our R&C ADR, so back across the bridge we went. Our pager went off almost immediately and a CM ushered us inside. Mary Devall asked if we could sit outside and he sweetly accommodated us at a table for two on the upper level right outside of the back door. The best thing about this table was having a great view, but also having the air conditioning pouring out of the door from inside!
I immediately noticed that my beloved cheese plate had been altered slightly to a sausage and cheese plate, but our server, Jonny, assured me that it was pretty much the same. That, along with a glass of the Iron Horse cuvee, started out a wonderful meal. If I would have thought for a second, I would have realized that the cheese plate would be enough but silly me decided to add a cup of soup and a salad.
Rose and Crown Cheese Plate - Irish Cheddar, Mushroom Brie, and Stilton Pastry with individual accompaniments
Potato and Leek Soup
Mixed Greens Salad - with Warm Break Croutons, crispy Bacon, Roasted Onion, Irish Cheddar, and warm Bacon Vinaigrette
Mary Devall went for a new favorite of hers:
Beef and Macaroni - Marinara Sauce and topped with Mozzarella served with Veggies and Fruit Salad
This was an absolutely wonderful meal! Mary Devall had made the right decision at asking to sit outside because it was a gorgeous day (hot, but still gorgeous). I laughed at the number of people who asked to be seated inside as soon as they were led to their outdoor dining experience. And here my daughter had asked for the opposite!
Jonny was right - - my cheese plate was just as delicious as ever despite the addition of some questionable pieces of sausage. And I loved my Mickey head mustard!
Jonny actually stopped by several times during our meal for a wonderful chat. He was a vegetarian so we had an in depth conversation about cheese and then when Mary Devall and I ordered the Chocolate Scotch Cake and Sticky Toffee Pudding for our desserts he admitted to his own sweet tooth. The entire meal was just so enjoyable and relaxing.
After saying goodbye to Jonny, we headed back in the direction of Italy because Mary Devall had decided that she definitely wanted to spend the rest of her birthday gift card on a mask. When we got there, the “mask lady” (as I like to call her ) was missing and a crowd had formed in the area with one poor CM trying to take care of everyone. The problem was that there was a sign asking that you not handle the masks, but with no one there to help, you were stuck. I asked Mary Devall to point out which one she wanted and then asked the CM if I could just pick it up to buy it. After receiving his okay and getting in his line, the mask lady finally reappeared after he ran in the back room to retrieve her.
She went to help another customer at the mask counter and then brought the purchase back to check out. I heard her ask the CM something and he pointed to the mask in my hand. She let out a big sigh and I realized she had worried where this mask was when she didn’t see it on the counter. Apparently, they were like her babies.
As the CM rang me up, the mask lady lovingly wrapped the mask. I asked her if she made the masks and she said sadly and that they were actually made in Venice. She did say with a wink that she wished that she were part of that family.
With Mary Devall’s mask safely packed away in a box, we continued on to TT. It was 7:30 by now and we still had several things that we wanted to do in FW. We hopped in the single rider line, but because of the earlier break down our wait was still about 30 minutes. Mary Devall ended up being in the car ahead of me and I had to laugh when I saw her ride photo when my car came in. She had her arms raised and a huge grin on her face.
We quickly made our way to Soarin’ to use our FP’s. The time was 8:24 as we approached the Land, so we knew we would be cutting it close if we wanted to ride SE too. We ended up assigned to Row 2 in front of a really sweet family who had never been on Soarin’ before. Uh Oh! Mary Devall sat beside the teenage daughter and kept her apprised of all upcoming happenings!
It was 8:50 when we got off Soarin’ and we skedaddled to SE and hopped right on. Illuminations was in its final throes as we exited so we walked with the masses to the monorail. We only waited about 10 minutes for the next monorail to the T&TC. Once there, we transferred to the resort monorail and, thanks to the people ahead of us who ran for the waiting one, we made it too!
Once back at Sugar Loaf, we picked up a few desserts and a glass of wine for me in the lounge. I think I liked the idea of a glass of wine at night more than actually drinking it because I rarely made a dent in any of the glasses that I brought back to the room.
Mary Devall watched tv while I took a shower. I rarely, if ever, take a shower at night, but I was felt so yucky and clammy that I could not slip between those cool sheets without being clean. We were both out by 11:30.
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Great update. I love reading about your adventures 
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Aimee
Sounds like lots of fun to me.
). Since we were already in Italy and this mission might prove to be difficult, I told Mary Devall that I wanted to back track first to the other side of Italy for a little liquid refreshment in the form of an Italian margarita. 
I offered to buy her a primavera, but she was all about the mission at this point.
)
I asked Mary Devall to just think about it for now since it was such a big purchase. If she still wanted the mask at the end of the day, we would return.
I immediately thought how much better Cory (from the GF bus stop) would be in this job than Miss Milktoast. 
The best thing about this table was having a great view, but also having the air conditioning pouring out of the door from inside! 
Mary Devall had made the right decision at asking to sit outside because it was a gorgeous day (hot, but still gorgeous). I laughed at the number of people who asked to be seated inside as soon as they were led to their outdoor dining experience. And here my daughter had asked for the opposite! 
and that they were actually made in Venice. She did say with a wink that she wished that she were part of that family. 
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