Dreaming of a Disney spring break - part three COMPLETED - Page 25 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks

   guidebooks   |   news   |   podcasts   |   boards   |   blog   |   worksheets   |   photos   |   articles   |   updates   |   register   |   follow us on


Forums Closed
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

Go Back   PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums > PassPorter's Walt Disney World Resort (Florida) > Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
Register


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.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-15-2011, 12:52 PM   #361
OCEANGRLLG
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
OCEANGRLLG's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: On the North Carolina Coast
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 2,376

Post Thanks / Like
Marks dinner had my mouth waterin! The night pics of the giraffes are really cool, he was so cute lookin over the fence.
__________________

Me and Cole in the Sears Tower Skydeck, 103 floors up, in a glass box hanging off the side!

My Previous Trips2017, 2008, 2007, 2005, 2004 and many before
OCEANGRLLG is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2011, 02:15 PM   #362
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by PlantJoe View Post
Does Via Napoli use mozzarella di bufala? It would be strange if they didn't and Tutto Italia did as it's kind of a Naples thing.
I've had a look at the menus and I can't see that Via Napoli expressly do use it - their menu says mozzarella caprese.
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2011, 02:19 PM   #363
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen View Post
Dinner looked DELISH!
And those night shots you got at AKL look like what you see if you use the night-vision binoculars they have at AKL. VERY cool! Need to see if I have a night shot on my camera.....nope, looks like only a low light setting.
I've lost track - are you heading home?! Given that you just used up your snack credits.....but then I guess we should be getting close to your starting a new PTR, right?!
: a few more days yet... it's just that we've finished using up the Deluxe Dining Plan credits from our two night stay at Bay Lake Tower. We've got another five days to go yet!

As for a pre-trip report, I'll probably be kicking off the one for our Alaskan cruise and road trip through America's national parks in, I guess, mid August, so a little while yet...
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2011, 02:21 PM   #364
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcc0313 View Post
Sorry that you missed Illuminations but dinner looked well worth it, everything looked delicious.

Loved your shots from the balcony...definitely a nice view. Can't believe the trip is coming to an end soon (you know if we had our way we would have you and Mark endlessly traveling so we always would have a TR to read )
Well, if someone's prepared to fund us, then we'd happily do it!
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2011, 04:12 PM   #365
DMA
Community Rank: Explorer
 
DMA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Western NY
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 8,018

Post Thanks / Like
Love the nighttime shots of Epcot and the AKL!
__________________
My Previous Trips1976 - off site, 1991 - PO, 1994 - off site, 2004 - POR, 2008 - ASM, 2009 - POFQ, 2010 - POFQ, 2011 - POR, 2012 - BLT, 2013 - BCV, 2015 - BWV, 2016 - BWV, 2017-BLT, 2018-OKW
DMA is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2011, 04:54 PM   #366
lauriep
Community Rank: Legend
 
lauriep's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 15,377

Post Thanks / Like
Looks like a great meal at Tutto. I just love it there! The only other place on property I've had the bufala mozzarella is at Flying Fish. They have a Caprese salad with aged balsamic vinegar that's to die for!
__________________
lauriep is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2011, 05:14 PM   #367
KMB733
PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend Extraordinaire
 
KMB733's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Ballston Lake, NY
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 46,162

Post Thanks / Like
Dinner looked wonderful!!! Great night time shots of Epcot and the animals!!
__________________
Kathy
PassPorter Co-Guide for: Making More Magic
My Countdown Counting down to: Christmas
Merry Christmas
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW June 1979, WDW 1985, WDW 1987, WDW Oct 2003, WDW March 2004, WDW Oct 2004, WDW Sept 2005--Pop Century , WDW Nov 2006--Pop Century, WDW Jan 2007--Pop Century, WDW Nov/Dec 2009--Pop Century, DLR Oct 2011, WDW Dec 2014
KMB733 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2011, 05:34 PM   #368
Ace_Athena
Community Rank: Traveler
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Minnesota
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 375

Post Thanks / Like
Mmmmm, dinner looks amazing! John and I chose to eat at Tutto Italia for our anniversary, and it did not disappoint!

I your nighttime giraffe pictures!
__________________
Sacheen
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW 2002 (offsite-HS band), WDW 2010 (AKLV)
Ace_Athena is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2011, 06:39 PM   #369
bonphil
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
bonphil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Indiana
Posts: 2,487

Post Thanks / Like
Love the night shots!
__________________
My Previous TripsWDW June 2002,June 2005, June 2011, June 2014
bonphil is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2011, 07:00 PM   #370
clio
Community Rank: Explorer
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: NE Ohio
Concierge Level: 8
Posts: 11,856

Post Thanks / Like
Great pictures of the giraffes.
Liz
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW Trips: Oct. 1976, Nov. 1977, Nov. 1978, Nov. 1980, Nov. 1981, Nov. 19 to 21, 1982, Nov. 17 to 19 1983, Nov. 10 to 12 1984, June 26 to 28 1986, June 26 to 28 1987, June 25 to 29 1988, June 25 to 29 1989, June 25 to 29 1990, June 17 to 19 1991, June 24 to 29 1992 (Port Orleans), June 24 to 29 1993 (Dixie Landing), June 24 to 29 1994 (Village Resort), June 25 to 30 1995 (Caribbean), July 5 to 10 1996 (Caribbean), Dec. 7 to 12 1997 (Caribbean), Aug. 7 to 13 2000 (Caribbean), July 16 to 22 2001 (AK Lodge), Jan. 22 to Feb. 3 2002 (AS Music), Jan. 19 to 26 2003 (POR), Sept. 21 to 28 2003 (Caribbean), Oct 3 to 10 2004 (AS Movies), Oct. 2 to 9 2005 (Pop), May 14 to 26 2006 (Pop), Sept 30 to Oct 7 2007 (Pop)
clio is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2011, 07:27 PM   #371
lazanya
Community Rank: Legend
 
lazanya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 26,695

Post Thanks / Like
Great meal!
Awesome night time shots of the giraffes!
lazanya is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2011, 07:56 PM   #372
Colexis Mom
RED SOX NATION!!
PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
Colexis Mom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854

Post Thanks / Like
Just getting caught up! What great pictures, especially the night shots from AKL! And what an amazing Inspiration tour that you took! Too bad they don't offer it anymore! It sounds like you've been having a great time, and some fabulous eats!
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsAUG '16 - POFQ, APR '12 - POFQ, JUL '10 - DL, AUG '09 - DCL Western, AUG '08 - POFQ/BC, AUG '06 - AKL/BC/DisneyWonder/Poly, DEC '05 - AKL, APR '05 - AKL/BC, DEC '04 - AKL, MAY '04 - AKL/BC, MAY '03 - WL/BC, MAY '98 -offsite, MAY '94 - BC, AUG '85 - Poly, AUG '83 - Poly, AUG '81 - Poly, JUL '79 - World Inn, JUL '76 - World Inn
Colexis Mom is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-16-2011, 01:28 AM   #373
nalexander
Community Rank: Trekker
 
nalexander's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: North Ridgeville, Oh
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 1,230

Post Thanks / Like
Great night shots.
__________________


My Little Pirate is Turning Five
My Countdown Counting down to: Byron's 5th Birthday Celebration
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW Sept 2004 POFQ, 2008 CRB, 2009 POP, 2010 BC
nalexander is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-16-2011, 02:02 AM   #374
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Wednesday 20 April – part one: these lines are insane!

We had a bit of a lie-in today, as we had decided to go to SeaWorld today and it didn’t open until 9.00am, which surprise me. What surprised me more was that the GPS system claimed that it would only take us 15 minutes to get there.

There were no animals out on the savannah. We saw a couple of birds and an ostrich.



We headed down to the Mara for breakfast, getting out tea sorted and chocolate croissants each. My goodness, they were some size!



We headed out around 8.45am...


Hidden Mickeys in the carpet!


We immediately got into a go-slow on I-4. We made it to SeaWorld probably about 25 minutes later and the lines there for the parking were insane. I never seen so many cars waiting to get into a theme park. :



We started trying to work out how much money they must be taking and came to the conclusion that it was a lot! When we got to the booth, we opted for valet parking, as it was $30, while preferred parking was $20. It was the best additional $10 we’ve spent in a long time. We literally drove right up to the entrance and dropped the car off with instructions to call when we were 20 minutes from leaving the park.



We headed into the lines for bag check, which seemed more thorough than Disney, and then for the turnstiles. You should’ve seen the line for guest services for food and tour reservations.



The first thing you now see when you enter the park is Manta. It totally dominates the skyline and we watched in stunned amazement at what this ride does. Never ever would you get me on that thing! :



The flamingos were opposite.



Next: learning about stingrays
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-16-2011, 02:03 AM   #375
emmalovesdisney
Community Rank: Traveler
 
emmalovesdisney's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: London, UK
Posts: 392

Post Thanks / Like
those night shots of Epcot just send a tingle down my spine.....wish I was there right now!
__________________
My Countdown Counting down to: First Star Wars weekend
My Previous TripsWDW April 1988 off site, WDW June 1998 off site, CSR Nov 2002, POR Oct 2004, CSR Nov 2008, CSR Oct 2009, SSR Oct 2010, BC Oct 2011
emmalovesdisney is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Reply




Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump














Please login or register to hide these ads -- it's free and easy!

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:49 PM.

-->

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like v3.4.0 Patch Level 1 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
(c) 1998-2017 PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc.
Celebrating 19 Years of Making Dreams Come True
Ad Management plugin by RedTyger