My Best Trip Ever! A Disney Trip 10 Years in the Making - Page 15 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Sounds like a fun morning (outside of the drama). It was really great to meet you! I understand it's not possible to conduct a meaningful conversation in the queue of the GMR! Next time we'll have a nice chat. I really enjoyed meeting you and your family, though.
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
I am way late to this party, but wanted to let you know that I am now all caught up and greatly enjoying following along. It seems like a lot of people have been losing their keys lately. It seems like I read another trip report recently where someone lost their keys. Although, you didn't really lose yours, you just didn't look in the right spot soon enough. I am sorry about the drama. That's what I worry about when thinking about the future and bringing along the extended family. Kudos to you for refusing to let it ruin your trip! You made me a little teary eyed when you were talking about Evan meeting the Princesses. I can't wait to read the rest!
Sorry that there was still drama going on this morning with your sister this morning. Hope things get back to normal soon, and that you are all able to enjoy WDW together for the rest of the trip.
You still managed to have a great morning at DHS though. How cool to have a PP meet with Princess Sharon! Too bad you didn't have more time to spend with her. Also, I totally hear you about your playground soapbox moment! I always try to teach my DDs to wait their turn and watch out for little ones, I really wish that everyone would do the same!
Looking forward to more!
It's nice to hear other parents do teach their children as there are times I think I'm the only one in the world.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcc0313
Talk about wonderful birthday magic for Evan, from the man at DTD to the birthday phone call.
Sorry for the family drama, but glad you are just going on your schedule and enjoying anyway....glad you were able to meet up with Sharon even though it was a short visit.
So loved the video of Evan dancing...you can tell he is just totally having the time of his life.
I was rewatching it after I posted it and he is really loving his air guitar
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Sorry for the family drama! Glad you got to meet PSha! Great pictures from DHS!
Well the drama does subside after a while - just wish it never happened to begin with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Sounds like going your own way worked out pretty well, as it sounds like a good start to the day!
I think some of my favorited moments of the whole trip were when we were alone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Sounds like you are having a great time at DHS. How cool that you got to meet Princess Sharon!! And what a great magical moment for Evan, having Goofy sing him Happy Birthday!
It was nice to have a PP meet and Evan was all wide eyed while lisitening on the phone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Probably a good thing that your sister decided to do her own thing if she wasn't ready to make peace yet. Great photos from DHS. LOVE the video of the dance party! Evan was totally into it! I've heard so many reports from parents that the playground is a bit scary as you can't keep track of little ones. How great that the CM there noticed Evan's birthday button and he got a call from Goofy!
That pin REALLY paid off this trip. I was hoping we could all make peace - just not ready at tis point.
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Originally Posted by Cam22
Sorry the drama continued! But it sounds like you all had fun anyway! Neat that you got to meet P-Sha.
I suppose into every vacation a little drama must fall.
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Originally Posted by honeybee723
Sounds like you're still having a great day, despite the previous events, and maybe it was best that you all separated for a bit.
I was just happy it didn't involve me - however if it did involve me there probably wouldn't have been the drama to begin with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tabitha34
Glad you had a great start at DHS even though there was still drama going on. Love all the pics!
Thanks I took less and less pictures as the trip went on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
Sounds like a fun morning (outside of the drama). It was really great to meet you! I understand it's not possible to conduct a meaningful conversation in the queue of the GMR! Next time we'll have a nice chat. I really enjoyed meeting you and your family, though.
Thanks It was great to meet you too. I think our next trip will be in the end of August (just don't know what year). I know your family travels then too. Evan has got to meet your little nephew as I think they were seperated at birth.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
So sorry about the drama Holly!
It sounds and looks like Evan is having an absolute blast!
I think I will be avoiding the HISTK area for some time.
Yea Lukas is just too little for that crazy place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jessie092408
I am way late to this party, but wanted to let you know that I am now all caught up and greatly enjoying following along. It seems like a lot of people have been losing their keys lately. It seems like I read another trip report recently where someone lost their keys. Although, you didn't really lose yours, you just didn't look in the right spot soon enough. I am sorry about the drama. That's what I worry about when thinking about the future and bringing along the extended family. Kudos to you for refusing to let it ruin your trip! You made me a little teary eyed when you were talking about Evan meeting the Princesses. I can't wait to read the rest!
Thanks for joining in. Don't let the drama scare you as there are lots of good times too. Just be sure to plan lots of time alone as well as together and realize there will be "moments" for everyone and just don't let it spoil things.
After HISTK we went to check out the lines to meet Lightning McQueen and Mater. McQueen is Evan’s favorite and I was really looking forward to him(Ev) meeting him(LM) in person. The line was fairly small and soon enough Evan was meeting his idol.
Next it was over to meet Phineas and Ferb. You may recall from my pre trip report that Evan and I had a bet. While planning the trip I told him you could meet Phineas and Ferb in Walt Disney World and he said you couldn’t. We made a bet. If you could meet them, then he was to ride Splash Mountain with me. If you couldn’t meet them I was going to have to buy Evan a fire truck.
I was a little nervous that maybe the area would be closed or something and that he would think you can’t meet P&F. Well the meet and greet was open but the line was just way too long. It would have been at least a half hour and I just don’t think any of the kids cared that much about it. But I won the bet. You’ll have to stay tuned to see if I collect on it…
By now we were all getting tired but we still needed to use our FP for TSMM. Our wait was about 5 to 10 minutes. I did miss all the cool stuff in the queue line but I’d rather have the short wait time. I loved this ride. It was a lot of fun. It took a bit of playing around with it to get the hang of things. I didn’t realize at first that you could rapid fire. I thought you had to do it one at a time. And of course I had to help Evan a bit but it was fun and I definitely wanted to go on again. The stand by line was too long so we decided to call it a morning and head back to the hotel.
On the way out of the park we had an ice cream break. Evan got the same thing as the other day. The big multicolored popsicle and I had my favorite, a Mickey bar. I don’t think the others had anything but I can’t remember. I think Chris had given her boys sandwiches and my mom isn’t a big ice cream fan.
I think the events of the previous night and the “togetherness” was starting to play on everyone a bit. Tonight was MNSSHP and I wanted Evan well rested so it was back to the hotel for rest and swim time. We threw in a load of laundry and ended up eating a late lunch/early dinner at the pool snack bar.
It was a small area with pizza and burgers and what not. There was one other party in there. Mom and I found a small table in a corner and about 5 minutes after getting our meal some kids came in to play the video games. Let me tell you – those games were loud. And the room was so small that anywhere you went you could hear them. So much for a quite lunch.
As we finished Evan wanted to play some games. I took him over to the game area which was around the corner – guess who was there – Chris and her boys. I felt bad that we hadn’t seen each other and both ate alone but what could I do now. I got about $5.00 in tokens and Evan played a few games. Usually the rule is 2 but I may have let him do more. I know we didn’t use all $5.00 because I gave a family our left over tokens when we were checking out.
Mom went back to the room and before we heading up I let Evan get some dessert from the snack bar. I think we got an icee but I can’t remember. I do remember that he dripped something on the floor and without me saying anything he got a napkin and cleaned it up. The woman behind the counter said how polite he was and that so many children are just so rude these days that she remembers the nice ones that stand out. (We I guess I’m doing something right).
Back at the room it was time to rest before Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party tonight.
Great morning at DHS! I love the pics of you guys in front of the hat. Looking forward to hearing about your night at MNSSHP. We went when my son was 4 and he loved it.
What?? You can rapid-fire on TSMM?? How? Just keep it pulled out? I've ridden this so many times. No wonder my scores are so bad.
Love the photo of Evan hugging Lightning. Do the cars have any recorded phrases that they say, or are they just a photo-op?
The rapid fire is just puling the string over and over. I was pulling the sting and then waiting for the object to shoot out and then adjusting my aim. Once I knew you could just pull, pull, pull and have a stream of "ammo" then it got better.
The McQueen revs his engine but ther is no other interaction.
The rapid fire is just puling the string over and over. I was pulling the sting and then waiting for the object to shoot out and then adjusting my aim. Once I knew you could just pull, pull, pull and have a stream of "ammo" then it got better.
The McQueen revs his engine but ther is no other interaction.
I'll see if my scores improve by pulling fast and not watching the targets. I do notice that the people who score high have much lower averages than mine so I think I'm being too deliberate with each shot. It doesn't really matter how high my score it-- I love this ride!