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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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As we walked back toward the Hub, I heard the familiar sound of my favorite Street Party making its way down Main Street! We were able to see the 12:30 Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party from two vantage points (one across from Casey’s and one near the Castle) before moving on to smell the roses (literally).
Awesome photo—look at the girl’s face in the background
This show has almost as much energy as the Pixar Pals parade, and this guy shows it off well!
Castle from the Rose Garden area
We headed back to catch the Sonny Eclipse show, but by then the place was packed and loud, and we could barely hear him! I grabbed a table while Rob grabbed some fries, and I witnessed the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen: Tigger was hopping through the park, and there was a line of small children literally chasing after him with no parents in sight! I don’t know where he was headed (backstage somewhere?) or where there parents were, but it was hysterical.
By the time Rob finished his snack, it was getting extremely humid in the park, so we decided to head out. On the way, we stopped to see the Dapper Dans perform some most excellent Christmas tunes. Love them so much!
Dapper dudes
Then, the monorail … we headed to the Contemporary, where we caught a quick nap in the Outer Rim Lounge. I know that might be a little weird, but I feel like the entire Contemporary Resort is my home … I just put my feet up and nap wherever I please.
I take it a little further… the world is my bed, and you are all just lucky I usually don’t sleep in the vehicles I’m operating.
After a refreshing 45 minutes, we headed over to the Red Roof Inn and Resort to check in for our Afternoon Tea at the Garden View Lounge.
I am one of those people who feels completely out of place in the Grand Floridian. It’s too posh for me. But even I have to admit that the lobby was absolutely breathtakingly decked out for the holidays. And we had all the time in the world to appreciate the décor, since we were left to wait more than 40 minutes for our tea!
I’ll reserve comment on the experience, as I’ve written it up for the Disney Food Blog. But I’ve had better service in Disney World for sure. The bright spot in the meal was a visit from my Facebook friend Paula, who snuck into the Lounge to say hi. (We were planning to meet up again the next morning.)
Red Roof Inn
After tea, we hung out around the Grand Floridian, walking the grounds. We initially meant to take the boat to MK, the bus back to the hotel and catch a quick nap before our evening, but the tea began so late and took so long that we decided to take the bus straight from the GF to our evening destination ...
We weren’t planning to do this at all. It wasn’t in any pre-trip report or on any notecards. But once I got to WDW, I couldn’t imagine NOT seeing the Osbourne lights. So off we went.
We arrived with a bit of time to spare, so we headed to take an animation class before the lights turned on. Rob headed to the bathroom while I hopped in line. The whole park was insanely packed, and the line for class was no different ... I’ll let him tell you the story ...
I was finishing up some business while Melissa held our place in line. After a few frantic texts I scurried in to see her standing a few people back from gate to the corral outside the classroom. As I cut in I heard the CM explaining to the woman in front of us that her husband had to walk in with her right now if he wanted to attend the class, otherwise it was to the back of the line. What followed was in Portuguese, but my imagination paints it like this…
“Honey, come over here, I want to do this with you.”
“In a sec.” :: looks at Winnie the Pooh stuff on the wall ::
“You need to come noooow.”
“I said I’ll be right over.” :: not even looking up ::
“GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE NOW!”
:: slowly saunters over, giving wife a glare ::
They sat during most of the wait staring in opposite directions. For some reason I delight in family meltdowns at Disney… maybe because it brings such fond memories of my own childhood vacations.
Luckily, we ended up in the last class of the evening with a really great teacher. She asked questions throughout the class, so it was educational in that way, as well. We ended up drawing Minnie (aka Miverva) Mouse.
Animation Buidling
Drawing Minnie
Then we headed to the Lights! We didn’t see them turn on, but I think that’s okay. By the time we got there, people were already leaving the area, so it wasn’t as crowded as it could have been. We hung out for about 40 minutes, just loving it. It’s so magical.
Though I have to say, if it’s your first time it’s definitely worth fighting the crush to see the lights turn on.
Peace on Earth
New light canopy
Then, on our way out, we saw the Toy Story Midway Mania had a 30 minute wait. 30 minutes!? Yes, please! This is the first time we’ve waited in this line without FPs ... goodness me!! I’ll never do it again! We ended up waiting only about 45 minutes, but we got fast-tracked in the “for two” line, so others were waiting for much longer than we did! Rob, as usual, completely kicked my butt.
Released from Andy’s toy chest, we made our way as quick as bunnies to the busses. We were headed to Wilderness Lodge for a dinner ADR at Artist Point. The lobby was beautiful as always, and the meal was truly top-notch. I’m writing about it for Mouse on the Mind next week, so I’ll post a link here when it’s up. But, honestly—a truly great meal!!
We cabbed back to the Boardwalk and made the epically long walk back to our room. We were surprised by the fact that Mousekeeping had been in our room because we’d done a split stay (one day with Deluxe Dining Plan, two without ... although they unfortunately got rid of this DVC benefit since we booked it). Lucky us!
We quickly fell into bed because we had another VERY EARLY morning ...
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It was time for our first Mousetacular event! The Toys are Back in Town breakfast started at 7:30 a.m., and we got there well in advance. What an absolutely thrilling opportunity!
Again, I’ll be writing more about this on my blog in the coming weeks, but basically, we got into the park BEFORE ANYONE ELSE and got the first ride of the day on Toy Story Midway Mania while the rest of the park guests were still waiting for rope drop! Truly magical!
After our VIP ride, we enjoyed breakfast in a very VIP location with an even more VIP guest! And, when it was all done, we rode TSMM AGAIN! We felt like the luckiest ducks in the park!
Cool shot in an empty park
Once the event was over, we hopped on a bus to Animal Kingdom and we were off again! About this point, we decided to try to visit ALL FOUR PARKS in one day. And we spent the ride over to AK plotting and planning.
We arrived and headed straight to Disney Outfitters for some retail therapy before popping over to Everest for Fast Passes. We found a nice, shady spot and shared a Coke while we did some more planning.
The prettiest Coke cart in the World
Blessed covered seating
On our way to ride Kali River Rapids, we stopped at the gibbon shrine. After that, we used our EE fast passes, then we whisked ourselves off to Dinoland to do some exploring. I’ve written about what an awesome part of the park this is before, but I am always surprised by how awesome all of the details are here!
I personally enjoy the signs in the gift shops and Santa T-Rex.
Ready for lunch, we hit Flame Tree BBQ. We split the rib plate with baked beans and cole slaw—it worked out well because I love beans (which were delish) and Rob tolerates cole slaw (he says it was good). With full bellies, we headed to Harambe.
Everest from the Flame Tree seating area
We caught a performance by Tam Tam Congo, then headed to the wildlife trail to visit my gorillas. But, first, we had to walk through the aviary. Those damn birds … I stopped to look at a fish, and one of them pooped right on the shoulder of my favorite t-shirt! My Figment t-shirt! Pooped!!
I was totally grossed out, but I must have kept my cool because the Cast Member actually thanked me for not screaming and making a scene. She led us over to a bathroom (secreted away behind some bushes) so I could clean myself up. Rob surprised me by having a three-step process for getting poop out of cotton. I don’t want to know how he developed it, but I was glad he had it.
Some things are better left unsaid.
Then the hippos. One of them (Matilda, I think) was swimming back and forth and back and forth in front of the glass. The cast member said she’d been at it all morning. We watched for a while, but it wasn’t terribly exciting.
Back and forth … back … forth … back … and
On to the gorillas! But I was disappointed because, once again, there was only one bachelor out and none of the families. A sad, quiet day.
Boyfriend.
From there, we headed to Yak and Yeti for a snack. We were seated and, lo and behold, our waiter was Hector—the same waiter we’d had during our Honeymoon! He is so awesome! We really, really love him, and this was such a treat.
We ordered the dim sum for two and an order of dessert won tons. Just a little snack, but it just wouldn’t be a honeymooniversary trip without a visit to the Yak and Yeti!
Our food scientists are busy at work reverse the Y&Y wantons.
It was starting to get really hot in the park, so we headed for the exit. (I think we stopped at Disney Outfitters again on the way out.) And onto a bus headed for the Boardwalk. We needed a nap STAT!
And, if you’re keeping track, that’s TWO parks before 3 p.m.!
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.
We’d planned to get up in time for the 5 p.m. Candlelight Processional, but we WELL overslept. It was about 20 to 5 when we entered through the International Gateway, and we knew there was no way we’d be getting into the show ...
And then we ran into our friend Annie, who had reserved seating and was able to get us in with her. How lucky were we!! We were so close to Neil Patrick Harris, who did an amazing reading.
The whole thing was incredible. It gave me the chills. I can see why some people would want to wait and see the show in the dark, but this was absolutely worth it. (And it would have been worth it, even if we had waited in line for an hour!)
Legen... wait for it...
Tree on the Candlelight Processional stage
Grainy shot of Neil Patrick Harris
After the show, we did a little shopping with Annie and Sandy, and then headed toward the front of the Park. We made a quick pit stop at the pin station in the Fountain of Nations Plaza. In keeping with tradition, Rob picked out a pin for me—the 2012 DVC pin, which is shaped like a key. Love it!
From there, we got on a bus to Port Orleans. We had an absolutely fantasmic bus driver, who chatted with us the whole way. When we got there, we explored the resort for a bit before it was time to check in for our ADR at Boatwright’s Dining Hall.
As you probably expected by now, we reviewed the experience for Disney Food Blog, so I’ll post a link here when it’s up on AJ’s site! Honestly, I can’t wait to get back to PO to explore during the day. It’s a lovely resort!
Actually I think the night time look of PO will top the day time experience. It’s a great place for an romantic (or frustrated over the impossibility of nighttime picture taking) stroll.
After dinner, we popped in on Yehaa Bob and caught a few songs before heading back out to the bus stop for our second-to-last stop of the night: Magic Kingdom! That’s right: four parks in one day! We did it!
Yehaa Bob
When we arrived at MK, the first parade had just started, and Main Street was a little ridiculous. We managed to shimmy through the crowd and use the Cast Member pathway behind the Main Street shops to get to Tomorrowland.
We rode AstroOrbiter again because I really wanted to try it at night. It’s even better in the dark! Weeeeee!. From there, we walked down to the path between Tomorrowland and the Plaza and got a great spot for the Magic, the Memories and You Castle show.
Rob on AstroOrbiter
Castle from AstroOrbiter platform
I’m one of those people who poo-pooed projecting things onto the Castle, and I’ll admit, it doesn’t always work ... but, damn! When it works, it is super super cool! We waited right there for Wishes, which is always spectacular.
Castle decked out with icicle lights
Then we headed over to Frontierland. I grabbed a great parade spot across from Pecos Bills while Rob ran to get Big Thunder Mountain Fast Passes. Then we waited. And waited. And ate a Mickey pretzel. And waited some more.
And then it was time for the Electrical Parade! So awesome. I don’t remember ever seeing this before, but it seemed so familiar, from the music to the floats, so I think I may have seen it as a kid. Awesome, awesome parade!
It’s electric!
My favorite movie dragon
We were super duper tired by this point, but we decided to ride BTMRR before heading home. And I’m so glad we did. It is insanely cool at night!!
On our way out, Rob had to take another bathroom break, so I got a pretty cool photo of the Barber Shop ... too bad it was closed because I could have used a haircut!
And then it was back on the bus and off to bed feeling very very thrilled--ALL FOUR PARKS IN ONE DAY!! Goodnight!
Thanks!! Hoping to finish up by the end of the day ... think I have just two more installments to go ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Angela531
I'm loving your TR! Great details and photos!
Thanks, Angela!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mickeyforlife
Oh i needed this trip report was really down this morning thinking this time last month i was at disney
Turn that frown upside down! When's your next trip? Even if it seems really far off, there's always trip reports on Passporter!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
All 4 parks in one day! That's a very ambitious plan!
We did it!! One of the bus boys at Boatwright's heard us talking about the plan and asked if we felt "cheated" because we didn't get to spend a lot of time at any of the parks ... the answer is NO! It was so fun to hop from park to park. We did what we wanted to do and moved on. We don't need to ride every ride every time we enter a park! We're annual passholers!
Playing catch up here... but loving every detail! So glad you decided to do 4 parks in one day. And still squeezed in a nap.
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