Another August Adventure with a shot of Testosterone...TR Completed 2/19 - Page 18 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
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.
Too bad about the headache, but glad you felt well enough to join the kids. Jasmine sounds like a treat to travel with, how nice that she organizes everyone and makes them get ready on time!
What a great time you had at Epcot and at Typhoon Lagoon. Love the photos. I couldn't believe the nerve of that woman, cutting in front of your group for photos.
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
So glad you caught the migraine in time and it didn't ruin the whole day. You got in some good fun at the water park before the rain came. Looking forward to the graduation dinner celebration.
Glad the headache didn't get you down for long. Way to go Jasmine! Conquering one fear at a time. I almost feel like I'm right there with you... wait a minute! I've never been to a water park either! I don't know what it's like! Dinner sounds great!
Sorry you weren't feeling great first thing and the rain and lightning put a kink in your plans.
I think we would have been happy if we had gotten an extra hour or so in, but the kids got to do almost all they wanted so they were happy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
Too bad about the headache, but glad you felt well enough to join the kids. Jasmine sounds like a treat to travel with, how nice that she organizes everyone and makes them get ready on time!
Jasmine is definitely an organizer, she has her plans in her head and she is not happy when the plans go off the schedule.....LOL, everyone did a great job at keeping to her plans
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperDave
What a great time you had at Epcot and at Typhoon Lagoon. Love the photos. I couldn't believe the nerve of that woman, cutting in front of your group for photos.
I was annoyed for a minute, then it passed. It was five minutes extra to wait and we ended up having a ton of fun taking pictures with that photographer, he was such a nice guy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
So glad you caught the migraine in time and it didn't ruin the whole day. You got in some good fun at the water park before the rain came. Looking forward to the graduation dinner celebration.
I was really happy to feel the headache pass, I felt it here and there over the day but I kept taking meds to keep it at bay and by the next day it was all gone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nanajoyx2
My family was at MK the same time you were at Epcot and I got the same beautiful evening sky photos with my phone.
The sky was so beautiful that evening
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
One of these days we'll make it to a water park. Glad you got some fun in before the rain stopped it.
Looking forward to seeing that cake!
We really enjoy the water park, the first few trips we never made it over to one but as the girls got older it always ends up in the plans. They really enjoy it and both times when we did not have park hoppers we had the water park & more option so it really gave us flexibility in our plans.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dlandmom2
Hooray for Jasmine! Glad you were able to escape that headache!
I can't wait to hear how Olaf and Stitch turned out! I hope you took some good pictures for us!
Pictures coming up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenny
Glad the headache didn't get you down for long. Way to go Jasmine! Conquering one fear at a time. I almost feel like I'm right there with you... wait a minute! I've never been to a water park either! I don't know what it's like! Dinner sounds great!
I was so proud of her for trying it. The big question now will be will she try it again? You should definitely try a water park Kenny, especially during the warmer months it is a great place to enjoy a hot summer morning or afternoon.
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.
So when we planned this trip I asked the girls where they wanted to celebrate their graduation and Angel's birthday. The plans changed a few times and then maybe 3 weeks before the trip the girls decided they wanted to go to 1900 Park Fare. Well Jasmine kept checking Disney Dining and she called me at work to say....I was able to get a 5:55 PM reservation
Jasmine is definitely a determined child, when she sets her mind to something she does not give up and she was going to find an ADR time for the girls.
After everyone napped we got up and headed out to the buses. A MK bus actually pulled up as we arrived at the bus stop and we were soon on our way. When we got to the park we grabbed the resort monorail and headed over. We arrived with some spare time so I checked us in and we took our photo and then buzzer in hand we went to relax in the lobby.
We had maybe a 15 minute wait and we were soon led in to the first table in that area in the back (near the exit) which was fine as there were only a few families there when we got there so we had the section very much to ourselves. Our server came and got our drink orders and told us the chef would be there soon.
Alexa waited with us while jasmine and the boys went to get the first of their plates (got to love these boys, at least I know they are eating the worth of the price tag on this meal....LOL).
The chef came over and we walked over to the buffet and he also brought Angel a plate from the back with some stuff that he felt safer giving her from the back then her having off of the buffet.
I really thought I got pictures of the food but I guess Jasmine had those on her phone. Needless to say, no one left here hungry. Cinderella and Prince Charming were the first to visit.
We had a very sweet Cinderella this year (unlike last year when our Cinderella must have thought she was an evil step sister....she was just so out of character).
The Drizella and Anastasia came and stopped by.
They made sure everyone joined into the pictures.
Then my favorite....Lady Tremaine. Can I say this is why I love this place. She is always so in character and I love interacting with her. The girls mentioned to her how I am a very big fan. She asked me if that was true. I told her of course, that how could I not want to spend time with such a wonderful role model of a mother. Well I got my own special photo with her for that. She says it is such a hardship being misunderstood and overlooked. I was glad I could give her the attention that she deserved
When she went to take a picture with the kids Angel and Alexa went to join her, the others were too busy eating. Well she would hear nothing of it and insisted everyone get up and take a picture with her.
It was definitely fun interaction, the boys really had fun here and soon it was time for the cake. Now when I called the cake department and spoke to the cake manager we discussed allergies and then I told them the girls loved Stitch but Olaf had become a favorite. I did not want anything too big, just something simple to celebrate with the girls.
It was really cute, the Stitch side had edible flowers, Olaf had edible snowflakes. Lilo and Olaf were edible too (even though Angel could not eat them) but they were so cute no one wanted to eat them anyway. The cake was chocolate and it was good and even with all the dessert samples the boys tried from the buffet, they made sure that they had room for cake.
It ended up being a fun dinner for everyone and I am so glad that Jasmine was able to get us an ADR. Dinner came out too $297.07 including our TIW discount of $64.59.
We headed out of dinner and it was raining so we wandered the stores for a bit and took some pictures and stopped at the ladies room.
We headed over to the monorail and then Alexa had to run back to the ladies room, so Angel went with her. We missed one monorail which was fine as it was packed. The next one pulled in and the girls were still not back yet but then they came running and we made it on. By the time we got to the MK it was still raining so we got our the ponchos and we went and got a locker for the cake.
Now it was hot....I knew there was a big chance that the cake would not make it but I figured I would give it a try. Of course the cake box did not fit so we had to put it in on an angle but hey...we gave it our best shot and headed into the park.
We headed over to Tomorrowland as that is where we had our first Fast Passes were set up. There were some photographers stationed on the path to Tomorrowland so we stopped for some pictures. The rain was just a drizzle so we removed the ponchos and smiled for the camera.
Our first Fast Pass was for Monster's Inc. Now you really do not need a Fast Pass for this but since we only had a few hours tonight the kids randomly picked this as we were going to be in the area for Space Mountain.
This ended up being a saving grace as I guess with the rain there was a huge line for Monsters Inc....so we just walked right in
When they first randomly chose people at the beginning of the show Alexa got chosen as "the girl who kissed a monster". She was pretty surprised to see herself on the big screen. One of Hugo's jokes got chosen so that made him happy. The girls and I love this attraction and Alexa really enjoyed it. The boys thought it was hysterical. After laughing away and saving Metropolis we headed out for us next Fast Passes which was Space Mountain for the boys and Angel and Alexa and I stayed with Jasmine and rode Buzz.
Now I need at least one viewing of Wishes each trip from a perfect location. The other night we enjoyed attractions as we figured tonight after dinner would be the perfect time so once everyone was off their rides we headed off to the castle and found the perfect spot.
We arrived at 9:30 or so and waited for the Castle show to begin. I love the castle at night....never get tired of it so Jasmine and I took photos as we waited.
Everyone enjoyed the Castle Show, the boys thought it was pretty cool how the show was reflected onto the castle. It was cute that they now added Anna and Elsa into the show.
Soon it was time for Wishes. I have given up on fireworks photos but Jasmine took some pictures as she has been playing around with some of the settings on her camera. She still is not happy with the results but I thought she got some pretty shots.
No we originally had something else set up for our last Fast Pass, I don't remember what it was but we ended up heading back over to Tomorrowland and making our last Fast Pass Tomorrowland Speedway.
We had some time and Alexa loves Stitch. Now I never find a reason to head over to the Stitch attraction if I don't have too. Angel used to want to go on it every trip but as she has gotten older she is easier to convince to pass it up, but Angel said if it was ok she would ride with Alexa, the boys decided they would too. Jasmine and I opted out and went on COP instead.
So we sit down and Jasmine goes to put her camera away, her lens had been falling off for some reason and as she went to put it in her bag it falls off and rolls away....it rolled all the way to the stage and stopped. Well she did not want to get up as the ride had started so we just kept checking to make sure her lens was following us along
We (and her lens) made it to the end of the ride and headed off to meet the kids for the Speedway. Angel was sad that she missed COP as she loves that attraction but I told her we could do it again when we came back as we had another day at the MK later in the week.
I passed up the Speedway as I wanted an ice cream float so I headed there as the kids headed to the Speedway (with like 5 minutes to go until park closing).
After the finished their 7-mile an hour ride around the track (and all complained about who was the worst to drive behind) we made it out of the park and headed back to the resort.
We were moving to the BCV tomorrow so I wanted to make sure we were all packed and ready before we went to sleep.
The kids through their stuff together (since we were planning on doing laundry and repacking once we were there) and just left out what they needed in the morning.
We showered and headed to bed....I knew that once we moved it meant the trip was over half over but we still had three days to enjoy and the kids were excited about our new surroundings.
A great celebration dinner. They came through with the adorable cake! Your interaction with Lady Tremaine is a riot. I'm glad you got a sweeter Cindy this year! Again, for such a short visit to MK you did so much. Wonderful castle photos and I think Jasmine did a beautiful job with the firworks shots.
They did a great job on the cake! Sounded like a fun meal too!
Do you remember the cost of the cake? We'll be celebrating lots of birthdays in October so I'm thinking a cake might be a good idea.
Love the cake and hopefully it survived being in the locker! Dinner looked like a lot of fun with so much interaction with the characters and especially Lady Tremaine! You had a fun time in the MK as well.
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!