A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise! TR August 21-31 - Page 24 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Great morning! Glad your friends soaked up your training and had a successful day-- it doesn't always work out that way! Great photos of the kids with the Princesses.
No, it doesn't, but she paid very close attention and even took notes We're besties for a reason! LOL!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
What a great start to the day - I love the shots of the ray feeding.
Thanks! It was really neat to watch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great pictures from Epcot! What a great day!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by JKnott17
Great day! Love all of the pics
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
Great day at Epcot so far!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lazanya
What a fun time at Epcot so far!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Great morning at Epcot!! I love how the kids invited Cinderella to your house
I still laugh out loud when I remember it
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Great start to your Epcot day! Breakfast at Akershus sounded wonderful!
Thanks! It was a good breakfast - I was leery because we weren't fond of lunch there, but we're glad we gave it a second chance!
__________________
Stacey
Why do these kids look so pathetic?
Find out in: A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise!Final Thoughts 01/30
At this point, DH wanted to head to Italy to poke around the shops there. As we made our way there, the sky very quickly started getting dark, and the wind picked up considerably, with branches and leaves blowing around. The outdoor kiosks were quickly closing up shop and I was worried we wouldn't make it to Italy, so we ducked into the German caramel store - oh my!
The kids each chose a caramel brownie - their review - it was good, but the brownie needed the caramel for flavor.
Yum!
I had the pecan caramel chocolate - sooooo yummy! (Sorry, no pic, I ate it too quickly ) We ate on a bench outside as it oddly enough hadn't started to rain yet, then we met DH in Italy where the kids colored a bit more of Duffy.
The weather just couldn't decide what to do, as it poured for a few minutes while the kids coloured, then sprinkled very lightly a little while longer. Once we were ready to leave Italy, there really was no need for ponchos.
Off to England now! We wandered into the store and to our surprise, we met Mary Poppins with no wait at all and had a lovely encounter with her. Alex told her he liked the song Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious which she proceeded to say forwards and backwards. The kids were in awe. After we left her, she wandered over to the window to look at while she waited for the next visitor.
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger were eagerly waiting for us. Pooh twirled Sabrina and got very excited over Alex's Winnie the Pooh hat, taking it to wear himself on one ear. Silly old bear. Tigger about smothered Sabrina in his hugs, which she loved.
By this point it was 3 o'clock. We had FPs for Soarin for 6, so we debated staying or leaving and then coming back for the evening. In the end, we settled on staying and decided to check the wait times for Sum of All Thrills.
The line wasn't too long, so we waited to create our coaster. Here is where I made a mistake. Sabrina really wanted to design it herself so I let her - always trying to foster independence. She was doing great, but as soon as she saw that we only had a minute left, she panicked because we had no loops yet and she desperately wanted one. I tried my darnedest to make one in the short time we had left, but we ran out and the computer completed the design. With no 'upside downs'. Now I had a crying child . Sucks.
We got to the boarding area and the CM asked why there were tears. I explained the situation and the CM, Dana, made Sabrina's day by giving us a ready-made 'upside down' sequence. I thanked her profusely when we got off because she really had made the world right for Sabrina.
From here, we headed towards Figment which we had never been on. Another mistake Now Alex can't choose between Figment and Gran Fiesta for his favourite ride. Oh the difficulties of a 7 year old
We had dinner at Sunshine Season. I had a beef dish, with beef was yummy but not the rice. The kids had chicken leg, mashed pot and grapes and they almost licked plates clean! I can't remember what DH had....
Then we rode Living with the Land and used our Soarin' FPs. When we were heading up the stairs, I spotted Dana grabbing seats for dinner and we turned around to go talk with them. They had a successful day of character hunting, even seeing Naveen and Tianna here!
After chatting for a few, we left, stopping for a ride on SE. The kids wanted to play the energy game after our ride since there was very little wait.
Heading out of the park, we stopped for a few PP pics....
Then we had to wait 20 for a bus....grrrr.....
We changed quickly and headed for a swim and a little relaxing in the hot tub. Then it was time for snacks, showers and bed.
It was lights out for everyone at 10:00 - sooo early for me, but so nice.
Up Next: A Surprise Meeting
__________________
Stacey
Why do these kids look so pathetic?
Find out in: A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise!Final Thoughts 01/30
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Another great day! The character shots are wonderful. How amazing to find Mary Poppins without a line.
Thanks Laurie I was not expecting to see her at all actually - we wandered back to check out the line for Pooh and Tigger and there she was, just waiting for us
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugmonster
IN Bed at 10:00 WOW!
LOL! I know right?!!?? Unheard of when I am at home!
__________________
Stacey
Why do these kids look so pathetic?
Find out in: A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise!Final Thoughts 01/30
I love your meets with Mary Poppins and Pooh and Tigger! Great pictures of the day! So cool that the CM at Sum of All Thrills could fix the ride for you all!
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
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) We ate on a bench outside as it oddly enough hadn't started to rain yet, then we met DH in Italy where the kids colored a bit more of Duffy.
. Sucks. 
Dreams, Wishes, Hopes... these are the parts of childhood we should never lose.
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