Three Weeks in The World and 20 Happy Thoughts: a DTR (During Trip Report!) - Page 12 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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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.
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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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melissa sue: the countdown to fun parade. we got to see it because it rained and was delayed. she smiled so much her face hurt.
tracy: all of it? finding out i liked rock 'n' roller coaster. watching the parade i would not have watched had it not been for melissa sue. lunch. ahhh...the brown derby. tower of terror, even though i'm afraid of it. yeah--it was a REALLY good day. perhaps my highlight is 'realizing that i reallly do like DHS. like, a lot.'
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I would just like to say how happy I am that Melissa Sue has taken over posting details! They are much (MUCH) better than my little three sentence highlight statements!
My head is swimming with so many things! I wish she could stay for the entire trip to be my photo journalist and trip note-taker!
I wish I could stay too. Right now, I should be packing, but I am totally procrastinating because the thought of leaving you makes me so sad. And it's not just leaving Disney World!! Tracy and I have been having awesome talks in the evening, too.
LOL the central air in my room just kicked on, which means I missed the morning (and evening) ritual of Tracy cursing out the thermostat. Aw ...
Okay, I really should pack. I'll post some more details later if there's time after I pack up. This morning, I think we're going to head into Epcot then to DTD.
After a nap and relaxing, we headed to Pop Century Resort. We were both so surprised by how full of life it is there! It felt like the kind of resort you see on tv … people hanging out at the bar in their bathing suits, kids running around and playing games, mothers reading in their lounge chairs. It was very surreal, for me at least. I felt like I was in Dirty Dancing!
We headed over to the Boardwalk. We took lots of photos and explored a bit. At Leaping Horse Libations, we had a drink and a talk before heading over to Kouzzina. Which is, in case you didn’t know, absolutely one of the best restaurants on Disney property.
We both had the entrée trio and split the baklava for dessert. Tracy had some wonderful photos above. The cinnamon-stewed chicken was so delightful—I think that was my favorite. Tracy preferred the spicy lamb slider. And we both loved the “Greek lasagna.” That’s comfort food in any language. Dessert was good, but the ice cream was the highlight for me. The texture was grittier, more like green tea ice cream, and to me, that made it really special.
Afterward, we walked about the Boardwalk a bit, but ultimately decided to head back to the condo without visiting Jellyrolls.
Your description of the POP pool has me really curious for my trip in January when I'll be staying there..... sounds like fun!
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Your description of the POP pool has me really curious for my trip in January when I'll be staying there..... sounds like fun!
honestly, i'm an admitted hotel snob and thus thought i'd likely never stay at a value. in fact, i switched from POP to CSR for my solo trip back in march because i was 'afraid' of a value resort (i can't stand crowded or loud, particularly after a long day in a crowded, loud park!) but after visiting POP i can confidently say that i would definitely consider staying there in the future. it was REALLY nice--and much (MUCH) more compact than CSR! i'd trade the 'pretty' part of CSR for the ability to buy a muffin without walking half of a mile. though CSR is really pretty! (and my heart forever belongs to the Beach Club!)
I got a leetle behind because I was out of town for the weekend! It sounds like you are both having a great time. I love the shot of the prayer flags--I think that's what they are-- from AK!
I got a leetle behind because I was out of town for the weekend! It sounds like you are both having a great time. I love the shot of the prayer flags--I think that's what they are-- from AK!
thanks! and yes, they are prayer flags. i love prayer flags!
i'm hoping to post an update tonight...after my sad little dinner of kraft mac and cheese. how old am i?
i believe melissa sue brought us up through saturday night--which brings me to sunday (yesterday)...
after the typical condo breakfast we headed out to DHS. this was my first visit to this park for this trip. i previously didn't love DHS, but we had a GREAT time yesterday! we decided to avoid the mad rush to TSMM and instead headed towards rock 'n' roller coaster and tower of terror. TOT was not operating for some strange reason, so i was forced to make RNRC our first ride of the day. i was very afraid of this ride. why? because while i love roller coasters, i don't like roller coasters in the dark (i hated space mountain, though i enjoyed it more when melissa sue and i rode on saturday--the second time is always less scary.) of course i LOVED it.
we grabbed a fast pass for TSMM and then continued on with our day. we checked out almost all of DHS and got to see both beauty and the beast and indiana jones before lunch...which we enjoyed at the brown derby. this lunch stop wasn't in our original plans, but i added it at the last minute. and good thing, too, as not two minutes after we entered the lobby it began to POUR! we were very happy to be safe and dry inside of a lovely restaurant. and our lunch was fabulous! we both ordered two appetizers-- melissa sue had the lobster bisque, i had the tortelloni, and we both had the crab cakes. we shared the grapefruit cake for dessert, and i have to say that neither of us really liked it very much. but that was ok, because we were quite full! honestly, brown derby is a great lunch option for people not on the dining plan. for $5 more than a CS meal, i had a REALLY good sit-down lunch.
after lunch we used our TSMM fastpasses, watched the countdown to fun parade (which was so cute!) and then did TOT...and RNRC again! by this time it was almost 5:00, we were REALLY hot, and so we headed home to make dinner at the condo.
it was definitely one of the best days of this trip, even though it was in a park i hadn't previously loved!
today was melissa sue's departure day but we still managed to fit on one last park--epcot this time! we did a VERY non-traditional touring plan, starting with...innoventions! crazy, right? honestly, i think innoventions is SO VERY underrated. we did almost all of the activities in both the east and west wings and had a GREAT time. we then hit test track before strolling over for an impromptu lunch at san angel inn (i had yet another appetizer--it was great! and so was the pineapple margarita!)
after lunch we walked through WS, doing the two boat rides and stopping for some caramel corn in germany (i think i am incapable of walking past germany without purchasing something in the caramel shop!) we then hopped on the boat and returned to mexico. it was getting close to melissa sue's flight, yet we managed to do ellen's energy adventure AND mission space before leaving for the airport.
i am very sad that i had to say goodbye to melissa sue. but she's not sad, because she'll be right back here with her husband in less than a month! i hope that they have a magical anniversary trip!!!!
i'm not sure what my plans are tomorrow. i was thinking of SERIOUSLY taking a park-break, but i've not done that yet (and this is day 10) but i'm already wavering on that. i've not taken my real camera to MK yet, so i may have to do that tomorrow morning.
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I wish I could stay too. Right now, I should be packing, but I am totally procrastinating because the thought of leaving you makes me so sad. And it's not just leaving Disney World!! Tracy and I have been having awesome talks in the evening, too. 
though CSR is really pretty! (and my heart forever belongs to the Beach Club!)
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