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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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The relaxing days are kind of funny. We still have reservations,this trip,at some place for dinner,or lunch,so we still have to travel to the restaurant. That usually entails going to a park,or DTD or another resort. Always a chance to check out a new shop,or pick up something we saw last time we were there and weren't sure about buying it.It does sound like we do a lot of shopping. We do,but only at Disney. I can go a month sometimes here at home without ever walking into a store.Coop does the grocery shopping,and goes to one of those mega-stores(Meijer) that you can get food,clothing,tools,DVDs ect. I only go if we need something on my way home from work.
On the "park days" sometimes we are only there for a few hours,then we come back to the resort for some pool time,and hot tubbin. We didn't do hardly any resort time at BLT,but this year at OKW we felt completely relaxed. The thing that really made it feel special was the "soundtrack" of the resort.
AKL had its own special sound,with the drummer outside the main lobby doors,missed that the couple of times we were there this time btw. OKW has that Caribbean/Jimmy Buffet/reggae sound constantly. Now I'm not a "parrot-head",and honestly,I get sick of hearing Margarittaville,but a after being at OKW for a few days I LOVED hearing the music of the resort. I'm trying to get Pandora "programmed" to sound similar,and after a month of tweaking it,I'm pretty close.
So that's my 2 cents worth. Well probably at least a nickel anyway haha
__________________
"Life can be as easy as a fall,it's all so easy once you just let go."
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.
I so hear you about Le Cellier. We felt the same - if you're paying for a two credit meal, you expect two credit service, but I can't see that ever happening, because the wait staff are constantly going to be changing due to the way they staff the countries in Epcot. I'm not sure what the solution is.
Glad you enjoyed the rest of your day - I love the artsy shot in Japan... very unusual.
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.
Just getting caught back up. So glad you two had such grat days. And can't believe how close some of our experiences are. We saw ELP one night from behind windows in Crystal Palace with bushes blocking some of our view But still got to see most of it over a fun dinner. Have to make sure I book Chefs de France for lunch on a Remy dayfor Lucille. Not only will buying Poncho's cause rain to stop but more times than not taking them out and putting them on can sometimes cause storm cells to be repelled.
Those Chaco's look an awful like Jesus Boots to me. How come only Big Guy's nails were polished??
We had a few encounters with BTG's during our last trip Found them to be a bit pushy and annoying heering and chanting while waiting for busses after DHS closed Will admit that Thong bikinis at TL werent too bad but did follow Lucilles advice and check out nearby slide while they were in area.
Great that some people pay it forward with Fastpass Civility is not dead.
Love the rings
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
Sounds like the perfect Epcot Day - Food, Shopping, and some Soaring! Your luncheon photos are some of the best I've seen - the profiteroles made my mouth water, and you captured Remy and his "handler" so well.
I like your rings! I have been thinking about getting myself one since I have seen the ones Kelly (OhToodles) got. Great idea Chuck!
Sorry about LC, I have never been for dinner, bc I always want the burger.
Glad getting out of there wasn't bad. I HATE Epcot at closing time more than any other park. Idk why but it always seems SO much more crowded to me.
What flavor margarita was that? I am planning a margarita, but I am unsure of where from. I have heard Mexico is yummy, but have heard that Italy is yummy too. Then of course, there is always DHS. I heard they have margaritas there too, and I don't have a drink planned yet for there, while I already have 2 planned in Epcot....maybe 3.
I think whatever choice I make, I want to go with the straight up plain margarita. I love the sourness of them.
That was a straight up plain margarita with a salt rim. Yumm-o! I've never had the Italian margarita - must try that sometime.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
What a great way to start the day-- ripe fastpasses! More great food. I agree with you about Le Cellier. A signature restaurant should have service to match. So far, the reviews here since it went to signature haven't been great. Love the rings!
I thought the food was fine - but usual, nothing special. And the service was subpar for a 2 TS restaurant. I don't think we will be back there for a while.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goofyboysmama
I love your relaxing days! I can't wait for our trip so I can relax... Who am I kidding?! As soon as I check in I turn into Frenetic Franny!
The food porn is all good baby...
(cute toes)
Thanks! I liked the pace of this trip. It wasn't all commando. It was very relaxing. BTW - the color on the toes is OPI - Wocka Wocka from the Muppet collection! LOL!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugmonster
No You cannot be on your last day. I need more food PORN... LOL
I swear I read your TR's and just keep adding ideas.
We are so doing the DXDP next year.
I know! I don't want to be on our last day either! It's like it's ending all over again!. Glad we can help with your ideas. The DxDP is wonderful - you can eat just about anything, anywhere (except corn dogs. They are not a CS meal nor a snack.) We would do it again but next year we are going to do TIW. Because of the price hike - I'm not sure DxDP would be fiscally prudent for us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChukkerB
The relaxing days are kind of funny. We still have reservations,this trip,at some place for dinner,or lunch,so we still have to travel to the restaurant. That usually entails going to a park,or DTD or another resort. Always a chance to check out a new shop,or pick up something we saw last time we were there and weren't sure about buying it.It does sound like we do a lot of shopping. We do,but only at Disney. I can go a month sometimes here at home without ever walking into a store.Coop does the grocery shopping,and goes to one of those mega-stores(Meijer) that you can get food,clothing,tools,DVDs ect. I only go if we need something on my way home from work.
On the "park days" sometimes we are only there for a few hours,then we come back to the resort for some pool time,and hot tubbin. We didn't do hardly any resort time at BLT,but this year at OKW we felt completely relaxed. The thing that really made it feel special was the "soundtrack" of the resort.
AKL had its own special sound,with the drummer outside the main lobby doors,missed that the couple of times we were there this time btw. OKW has that Caribbean/Jimmy Buffet/reggae sound constantly. Now I'm not a "parrot-head",and honestly,I get sick of hearing Margarittaville,but a after being at OKW for a few days I LOVED hearing the music of the resort. I'm trying to get Pandora "programmed" to sound similar,and after a month of tweaking it,I'm pretty close.
So that's my 2 cents worth. Well probably at least a nickel anyway haha
We do shop alot. Well, I do. I sometimes have to convince you to buy something! But you are right, there are days at home where we don't spend a dime.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
I love the relaxing pace of your days and the delicious dining that you two do! Some pretty great purchases, too!
Thanks Cam. We only do 1 trip a year (usually) so we tend to do it up right. AND we have just started taking our vacations. We have been married 16 years and for the first 14 years we never went anywhere! We had to learn how to travel together and learn each others vacationing style. We became good at it pretty fast.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I so hear you about Le Cellier. We felt the same - if you're paying for a two credit meal, you expect two credit service, but I can't see that ever happening, because the wait staff are constantly going to be changing due to the way they staff the countries in Epcot. I'm not sure what the solution is.
Glad you enjoyed the rest of your day - I love the artsy shot in Japan... very unusual.
Thanks. I'm glad it's not just me about LeCellier. I want to get a better camera and do more with photography. I'm liking it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeL
Just getting caught back up. So glad you two had such grat days. And can't believe how close some of our experiences are. We saw ELP one night from behind windows in Crystal Palace with bushes blocking some of our view But still got to see most of it over a fun dinner. Have to make sure I book Chefs de France for lunch on a Remy dayfor Lucille. Not only will buying Poncho's cause rain to stop but more times than not taking them out and putting them on can sometimes cause storm cells to be repelled.
Those Chaco's look an awful like Jesus Boots to me. How come only Big Guy's nails were polished??
We had a few encounters with BTG's during our last trip Found them to be a bit pushy and annoying heering and chanting while waiting for busses after DHS closed Will admit that Thong bikinis at TL werent too bad but did follow Lucilles advice and check out nearby slide while they were in area.
Great that some people pay it forward with Fastpass Civility is not dead.
Love the rings
Thanks Mike. Chaco's are the most comfortable sandals we have owned - Jesus shoes or not. Chuck likes his toes polished! You need to take Lucille to see Remy - and the food is delish too!
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Sounds like a great day at Epcot!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bsblady01
more please
Coming up!
Quote:
Originally Posted by disneydani
Just playing catch up and salivating over all the food porn from HOB, Les Chefs, and Le Cellier....yum!
Love the rings, too.
Danielle
There's more food porn coming up!
Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
Sounds like the perfect Epcot Day - Food, Shopping, and some Soaring! Your luncheon photos are some of the best I've seen - the profiteroles made my mouth water, and you captured Remy and his "handler" so well.
Thanks. It was a great day - even with rain.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goofyboysmama
I love the idea of making a "resort station" on Pandora!
He likes to relive the times through music. I'm more of a pictures girl.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Just getting caught up again! What feat meals at HoB, Chefs, and Le Cellier! Love the rings and pics from Epcot!
Thanks. It was really great!
Quote:
Originally Posted by disneydreamer33
Glad you liked OKW so much. I really enjoyed our stay there. It was nice hanging out behind the HH and just soaking it all in.
We really like OKW. Chuck wants to stay there next time. I say - let's try some other places but I'm not adverse to OKW again. What I won't do is BLT again - not yet. And that's sad because it is our home resort.
You know i have been dreading the days when my children leave home and we are at WDW saying remember when but reading your trip reports with the shopping and the meal reports makes me looks forward to those days too.
We got up before the alarm. Not that it was that hard - we set the alarm for 10 am. We did some packing while we got ready for our day. We found our DME packet on our door when we left. We went to Epcot and headed over to check out Turtle Talk with Crush. We’ve never done that one before and we just made it. They stopped letting people in right after we got there. It was really cute. After the show, we went upstairs and checked out the tanks. But we couldn’t stay and really explore because we had an ADR to get to. We walked over to WS and made our way to Morracco. We did stop and do Figment on our way. Another first for us.
After a potty stop, we checked in to Restaurant Marrekesh.
It was nearly empty. Only a handful of tables had diners but the dining area is so large, it was like we were the only ones there. We shared the appetizer for two which included two beef brewat rolls, chicken bastilla and jasmina salad.
For entrées, Chuck had the beef couscous which Chuck said it was like Arabic pot roast.
I had the Lamb meshoui.
Then we had dessert - this is were it gets weird. Chuck had the Moraccan symphony which was a bunch of pastries like baklava.
I had the Marrakesh delight, which was fruit in orange blossom water topped with a scoop of mint chip ice cream.
It just didn’t mix right. It was weird. I only ate the ice cream because it was too strange. Overall, it was a good meal but not stellar. We live in an area high in Arabic culture. Dearborn, MI has the second highest Arabic population only next to the Middle East itself. So we can get authentic Middle Eastern food anywhere.. There was some entertainment though.
She was trying to get someone from the other table to come up and dance with her. But they were having none of it. But she did kind of pose for me though.
After lunch, we walked over to the Outpost because Chuck had seen a hat that he wanted (and I had to talk him into). We saw Jasmine and Aladdin along the way.
While we were paying for Chuck's hat, it started to downpour. Today - we were prepared! We had already invested in Disney ponchos - twice! I brought a pair with me today. So on with the ponchos and after they covered up their kiosks, we paid for Chuck’s hat and headed back toward Canada. Chuck wanted to get something for a doc he works with. On the way, I had to stop for a Grand Marnier slushie and we de-ponchoed because of the rule - once you put them on, the rain will stop.
I finished my slushie while in Canada. The CM there asked if I wanted a bag for my glass - I said “No thank you, I’d like a trashcan.” But it started raining again - on with the ponchos. We went over to the Duffy store. I was looking for a Duffy smaller than the one I already have but the only ones that size had costumes. So I got one with a Goofy costume - which we had to remove because my Duffy’s like to be nekkid! I had to get this Duffy though - his face was just a bit crooked and his ear was floppy. He needed me. After leaving the Duffy store and making our way through FW, we had to take off our ponchos again. But after a potty stop, we had to put them on again - it was splash through the puddles - laughing and playing in the rain on the way to the bus stop.
We had about a 15 min wait for the bus - by this time, we weren’t even trying to stay dry. My poncho had ripped and I think the only thing that wasn’t wet was my back.
We got back to OKW and wanted to go swimming (since we were already soaked) but the pool was closed because of thunder and possible lightening. So Chuck took a nap and I finished the wine and some fudge. (We were trying to finish the stuff in our fridge because we knew we wouldn’t take it with us) Soon the storm cleared and we were off to take our final swim/hot tub of the trip. After our swim, we showered and got ready for our dinner.
While we were getting ready, I was switching from my backpack which I used during the day to my other purse and I felt something that felt like it was in the lining of my backpack. I realized I had a pocket that I didn’t know about and inside was the key to the car that Chuck lost on our last trip! I started laughing hysterically. Chuck thought I was trying to be funny and that I had brought my key from home just to play a joke on him. Not the case! I apparently, had the key the entire time. We noticed it was lost - when we were getting ready for our dinner at Yachtsman’s last year. It almost made us late and we had the very best server, Sam, that turned our moods from foul to fair. So naturally, I find it - when we are getting ready for Yachtsman’s!
WARNING - FOOD PORN!
We took the bus to DTD and then the bus over to Yacht Club. We checked in for our dinner at Yachtsman’s Steakhouse and asked if our favorite server Sam was there. No - he wasn’t. I was afraid of that. Chuck had been telling me that he would be gone. Probably went to work elsewhere when they were down for refurbishment. For our apps, we shared the cheese board and the charcuterie board.
Chuck had salmon and I had the filet.
We also got some truffle mac and cheese (love that stuff - but so rich!)
Chuck had the trio of Valrhona chocolate and I had the Yachtsman sundae. Yummy.
After dinner, we came back to OKW and inventoried our Owners Locker, did some more packing and general putzing. Tomorrow we would be leaving.
Up Next - passing the time while waiting for DME and the flight home
You know i have been dreading the days when my children leave home and we are at WDW saying remember when but reading your trip reports with the shopping and the meal reports makes me looks forward to those days too.
Thanks. "Those days" are truly great! I mean - at Disney, eating, shopping, playing with my best friend in the entire world! Can it be better? I don't think so.