8 Days Without the Kiddos – June 2014 Trip Report COMPLETED - Page 16 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Must get that Apple! That looks so delicious. We feel the same way about table service, it seems to be hit or miss. We usually have great meals at counter service...I'm a huge fan of the taco salad at Peco's Bills. Yumm!
Let me just start off this report by admitting that we are in full-on “kid missing” mode. Everywhere we went the kids we saw reminded us of our own crew back home. Daddy was going into “girlfriend” withdraws. I hope it is not too weird, but from age two my daughter has told me that she was my girlfriend, and it just stuck. She is only three now, and I am okay with her being my girlfriend. One day, in the not so distant future, she will be a teenager and I’ll just be in the way, so I’ll take what I can get for now. But I am missing her and our two boys bad.
We did sleep in this morning until about 8:00 am, and decided to head back out to the pool for a little while. We visited aging with the friends we had made for the UK. By the time we got back to the room, showered, and had leftover pizza for lunch it was nearly noon. We boarded a bus and headed to Epcot. Our arrival was uneventful, and the crowds were not too bad.
I am now really regretting not taking better notes along the way. All I seem to be able to use to jog my memory from the trip are the pictures I took, and even they are getting fewer as the days go by. But I think I will be able to recall most of the highlights of the day.
We would take things at a very leisurely pace. We have left commando touring notion behind and decided to just do what we wanted. Granted, I do still have a plan in the back of my mind, and there are things we wanted to accomplish, but after 5-days in the parks we are too tired to run. We had Maelstrom FP+ for the afternoon, and and ADR at R&C that evening before Illuminations.
There were still a couple things in Future World that we wanted to do this morning, so we headed toward Test Track in hopes the line would not be too long, but of course it was so we ducked into Innovations and toured the “Sustainable” House. It was a very interesting tour, but a bit unrealistic for our budget.
Then we crossed over to the other side of future world to check out what we had missed there. We had to stop for pictures at the fountain, then on to ride Figement and even decided to do Captain EO. Both were fun and there was not really any waiting for either one, actually I think we used a FP+ for Figment, but I don’t remember really needing to.
I think at this point we had picked up a bucket of popcorn and started to make our way around the World Showcase. As we nibbled we went toward Mexico. We really had no agenda until Norway, where we would use our FP+ for Maelstrom. Neither of us had ever ridden before, so it was a new experience. The line was long, so it was good to have a FP.
This was really the first ride that broke down with us on it, and it was a little scary. We were going by the bears when the music stopped, but out ride vehicle did not. We just continued to roll on. We actually floated on into the next room and were stuck in a curve getting splashed by a waterfall. Soon enough we were on our way. We even stayed to watch the video at the end. I have to say that a “Frozen” reboot of this ride can’t come soon enough. Maybe it was the fact that we were adrift for about 10 minutes, but it just did not set well with me.
Next up was Germany and another stop at the caramel shop. This time I did not choose as well. I got some type of a cookie with caramel drizzled on it. It was okay, but not as good at the milk chocolate, salted caramel from a couple days prior.
At this point I think we decided to get on a friendship boat and ride across the lake just for a diversion. We got off and looked around that gift shop before heading toward Canada. We explored Canada including the movie, then traveled on to the UK and did a bit of touring there. We even had our picture taken with Pooh.
Then we spotted Marry Poppins. The line was kinda long, and as were were getting in it the handler said we would be the last ones, and he got in line behind us. It must have been nearing 5:00 pm, so we were happy to get to meet her. We were visiting with the handler when a mom and her daughter came up, in their UK accent they asked if this was the line for Mary Poppins. The handler very politely told them that the line was closed, but she would be back in the morning. She had to head to DHS to get ready for Fantasmic that night. You could tell by the disappointed look on their faces that they were missing out. We heard them say they were heading home in the morning. So my wife and I looked and each other, then asked the handler if we could give them our spot. He said we could and they were VERY grateful. I think the handler was a little surprised as well. He gave us some stickers as we headed off. We were honestly just filling time, and happy to sprinkle a little pixie dust on another family.
What to do now. Our ADR was not until 7:50, and we did not really want to make another pass through World Showcase. There was not enough time to go back to the room, so we decided to go exploring. We were standing at the International Gateway, so we headed out. We walked through that gift shop and then spotted the boat. However, it was leaving just as we got there. Not wanting to wait 15 minutes on the next one, we just kept walking and ended up at the Boardwalk. We had been to the BW for dinner in 2010 because my sister, a huge Food Network fan, wanted to eat at Kat Kora's restaurant, but we did not explore much.
It was in the middle of the hot afternoon and we spotted the Boardwalk Bakery. We have a hard time passing up a bakery, especially one I have heard so many good things about. Once we opened the door, I knew we were in trouble. The cupcakes were huge and looked soooooo yummy. We chose a traditional devil's food cake with vanilla icing, as well as a couple FREE ice waters, then headed out to a table by the lake to enjoy it. As you can see it is almost to pretty to eat, but we did anyway. I have to say, if you are a cupcake fan, I doubt you will find a better one anywhere on property. It was a perfect treat to tide us over until our late dinner.
Bellies full from our snack, we hopped on the boat stopped just up the way and ride it for a while. It had started to rain, and there was a breeze. A perfect way to spend an evening with your sweet wife. We did the entire loop including all the resorts and Hollywood Studios. We finally disembarked back at the international gateway and headed toward the Rose & Crown. Will we love it or hate it? You have wait for the next installment to find out.
Aw that was so lovely that you gave up your space so that the little girl could meet Mary Poppins xx
__________________
Disneyland Paris approx 2004, Caribbean Beach April 2013, Polynesian May 2014, Old Key West October 2015, Wilderness Lodge Oct 2017, Disneyland Paris October 2018 and looking forward to AKL Sept/Oct 2019 trip!
Some of your pictures are displaying quite large for me But how sweet of you to give up your spot for Mary Poppins! Love spreading a little extra pixie dust That cupcake looked delish
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've been reading your TR. I'm really enjoying it. My hubby wanted me to take an anniversary trip with him to Disney this past year, and I couldn't bare thinking of going without my kiddos, but reading this makes me think I should have. I know I would have missed them, but your TR makes me wishI had done it even if only for a few days. I love that you gave up your place in the Mary Poppins line to spread the magic! Very sweet! And, we LOVE 'Ohana too! So yummy! Congrats on having your article chosen! Looking forward to reading more of your TR!
Aw that was so lovely that you gave up your space so that the little girl could meet Mary Poppins xx
We were happy to do it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
Very sweet of you to give up your place in line.
I hope you like Rose & Crown!
Thanks. You'll have to wait and see.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xwewhisper
Some of your pictures are displaying quite large for me But how sweet of you to give up your spot for Mary Poppins! Love spreading a little extra pixie dust That cupcake looked delish
I think I goit the pics fixed. The cupcake was delish!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
You spread some Disney magic for that little girl letting her see Mary Poppins! Good for you!
It is all about the Disney Magic.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xwewhisper
Congrats on your feature article!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Nice leisurely day at Epcot! That cupcake looked delicious. Congrats on the article, too!
It was ooooo yummy!
Quote:
Originally Posted by saibot0001
I've been reading your TR. I'm really enjoying it. My hubby wanted me to take an anniversary trip with him to Disney this past year, and I couldn't bare thinking of going without my kiddos, but reading this makes me think I should have. I know I would have missed them, but your TR makes me wishI had done it even if only for a few days. I love that you gave up your place in the Mary Poppins line to spread the magic! Very sweet! And, we LOVE 'Ohana too! So yummy! Congrats on having your article chosen! Looking forward to reading more of your TR!
It was worth it, but we were just gone from them too long. I think 4-5 days is plenty.
__________________
Click Here or on the picture above to read by personal travel blog.
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.
Great day at Epcot! That cupcake looked delicious. How sweet of you to give your spot to that little girl so she could meet Mary Poppins.
I can't even begin to imagine how much you missed your kids. DH and I were only in Disney for four days without our boys and we couldn't wait to get home despite having a fabulous trip!
__________________
Louise
Upcoming Trips:
August, 2020
Last edited by disny_luvr; 09-13-2014 at 08:53 PM..
What a great evening at the MK and so glad you had such a wonderful meal at 'Ohana. Sounds like a fun day at Epcot and some wonderful snacks. Can't wait to hear your review on R&C.
About This Page: 
Mosy and Meander and our three princesses
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
But how sweet of you to give up your spot for Mary Poppins! Love spreading a little extra pixie dust 
That cupcake looked delish 
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
That cupcake looked delicious. 
Linear Mode
