"WOO HOO! WE MADE IT" - Our Live TR 2/4-2/12 - Page 2 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Sorry about the ice storm. Glad you made it safely. Sounds like y'all had fun once you made it into the bubble! I that pic of Meri jumping on the bed! So cute! Can't wait to hear about AKL!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
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Glad you made it safely to Disney!!! Sounds like a wonderful first day. Love the pictures of the room. And watching the fireworks on the beach, sounds like the perfect way to end your day.
Can you tell me what you are using toi write/post pictures? Did you bring a laptop? Are you using an iPAD? I often read the board and make quick replies from my DRIOD phone, but I do not think it would be sufficient for a real TR...
Can you tell me what you are using toi write/post pictures? Did you bring a laptop? Are you using an iPAD? I often read the board and make quick replies from my DRIOD phone, but I do not think it would be sufficient for a real TR...
I kind of have a "routine" at the end of every day (and sometimes in the middle if we take a midday break)... I pull the pix off the camera, into a folder. Then I upload to shutterfly. While the photos are uploading, I write my TR update, and then when the photos are uploaded, I go in and add them to the TR. I have a regular old PC laptop that I bring with me. I will say it's pretty time consuming (takes about an hour all told) but it's kind of a way for me to "digest" the day, if that makes sense, and remember the pertinent details and sort it out, and kind of relive it.
Wow. Ok I thought yesterday was a magical day, but today was a step beyond even that!
We slept until 8am, and then got packed up. said goodbye to our pirate room, and threw our stuff in the car. We headed over to the main building and had breakfast in a very packed (but not out of control) food court. Meri and I shared the french toast. It was just ok. Too "spiced" with cinnamon. Oh well.
We said our goodbyes to CBR and headed over to AKL. We arrived at AKL at 10am, and were told that our room wasn't ready (we weren't surprised), but that they'd text us when it was time. Mom curled up in the lobby with a book and Meri and I went to look at the savannah. 15 minutes later, our room was ready! And SURPRISE - it was a magical complimentary upgrade to a savannah view! *tear* I cannot tell you how excited we were (and still are) to see giraffes and zebras from our balcony! It's perfect. Just perfect.
We got unpacked and then met my friend Bev for lunch at Sanaa. Our ADR was fr 1145am, we showed up on time, and were seated immediately. The place was pretty empty. What a spectacular lunch! We each had the tandoori chicken on naan... I added basmati to mine, and Bev replaced all of her "fixins" (cucumber sauce and tomatoes) with basmati. It was OUT OF THIS WORLD. It was so good I took my leftovers to go. I plan on eating them cold for breakfast.
One funny thing... outside on the savannah were a male and female giraffe... and it was quite clear she was in heat. Let's just say that while we ate, we got a lesson in reproduction... it was hysterical! Fortunately Meri's back was to the window and I could distract her with crayons. I didn't feel like explaining that to her just yet. But we (and the other tables, and the servers) were just dying. It was like a wreck - you don't want to see but you can't not look...
Anyway, then our server (who btw had a name tag that said Rick but whose name was actually Hicham, lol) brought out a cake for Meri (with four forks) and sang Happy Birthday to her! How sweet!
It was a lovely meal and I cannot recommend this place enough.
Anyway... so then at 2pm we headed over to EPCOT. The bus came at 207pm and we arrived at EPCOT at 220pm. We immediately ran into Daisy and Stitch with no wait to meet them. Then we hit Soarin. It was 40 minutes on standby. Meri LOVED this ride! Then it was over to Character Spot to meet Mickey and the gang (10 minute wait), plus Chip and Dale and Rapunzel and Flynn. Meri talked R & F's ears off. It was so cute! They thought she was a riot so they kept encouraging her. It was sweet. They gave her about 2 minutes, which is a really long time for a meet and greet.
Then it was off to Nemo (no wait) and finally Test Track (20 minute standby line). Meri sort of liked Test Track but I don't know if I'll be getting her on it again. She didn't get upset or anything, but I could tell she was thinking "OMG WTF?" a few times. Or the four year old version of it. LOL!
After that, we headed over to Spaceship Earth. Then finally over to World Showcase. We met Pooh and Tigger, and then Mary Poppins (who Meri called "Mary Ellen", lol) and then it was time for dinner at Le Cellier.
Le Cellier. Oh. My. Gawsh. It lived up to the hype and THEN some. Our ADR was for 640. We checked in at 620pm and were seated at 628pm. We started out with a Riesling (ok, they did, I had root beer and Meri had milk). Then Matt and Jess got cheddar cheese soup, and mom and I split the crab cake appetizer. Uh, yum!
For dinner, Mom got the walnut salmon, I got the salt encrusted prime rib (to die for), Matt got the NY Strip and Jess got the Mushroom Filet. Meri got the pasta with marinara.
Then we didn't have room for dessert but I got the maple creme brulee, mom got the sugar free mousse, Jess got the smore thingy and Matt got the bumbleberry cobbler.
Our server was Kyle (though his name tag said Brandon, lol) and he was quite possibly the best server I've ever had anywhere. And that's saying a lot. He was educated on every subject imaginable. Detailed knowledge of wine, food, countries, desserts... he was quick witted but not rude or sarcastic. Everything was impeccably timed. I cannot say enough. We left him a 30% tip he was so good. He deserved every penny.
After dinner it was still just barely 8pm and we were exhausted so we took the bus back to the room, skipping fireworks. Meri took a bath and both she and mom have been out since 930pm. I'm heading to bed now too because I'm beat.
I will upload photos in the morning... because Shutterfly is telling me it will take 2 hours... lol. Greeeeeeeeeat. So I'm leaving that be, and going to bed.
Tomorrow is a half day at EPCOT, where we'll go a little late (10am'ish) and see World Showcase. Then it's back to the room to nap and watch the Superbowl.
My knee is holding up ok but man it aches tonight. I'm wearing the knee brace tmw, that's for sure!
Will do a photo update tmw morning before we leave for the park, most likely!
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Enjoying reading about your TR. Meri is the same age as my daughter, although she may be a bit taller because I don't think we will make the height requirement for Soarin this coming May.
Congrats on the upgrade. I didn't know that Rupunzel and Flynn were at EPCOT too (or did I read that wrong?)
Cant' wait to read tomorrow's installment.
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Check out my Pre-Trip Report for our 9/18-9/23/12 trip here:
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Glad you made it safely. Sounds like y'all had fun once you made it into the bubble! I 
that pic of Meri jumping on the bed! So cute! Can't wait to hear about AKL!
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Enjoy Animal Kingdom Lodge! 
Melanie
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