A very short but rewarding trip-May 11-12 - Page 2 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I really did feel I was getting tons done, in spite of it being relatively crowded. I really loved how easy it was to walk between parks. I had debated coming to the parks just for the evening but with Aladdin and Remember just on Sunday, I was now glad I did. Even though DL was open to mid-night, I knew I was going to head out after Fantasmic.
I decided to head straight to the check in as the fireworks had started late and it would be close to 9:50 by the time I walked there. I headed down but the walk to Fantasmic was blocked. I waited with a crowd of others for about ten minutes before the rope was dropped. Overall, I think WDW is better managed. It was a little annoying that I was told to get some where for a certain time, then the area was blocked off.
I got to the Fantasmic Dessert area just before 10 along with a few other parties. There was no one at the check in. I know they have moved the seating from a balacony to down by the water. I think all the seats had unobstructed views. there were no chairs where there were posts. The seating was at the left end of the lake and I actually thought that better seating was available without the package. I was also surprised that many people arrived just a few minutes before the show and were seated just in front of us and there was still room for more.
As I walked in I was given a box of desserts. It contained five small pastries, some grapes, several chocolates and five individual cheeses and crackers. The desserts were nice. I don't take notes and can only remember a cheesecake, a chocolate covered strawberry, and another chocolate confection. I was also served a small bottle of Dasani, which I think was the only non-caffinated beverage the offerred.
I was a bit disappointed that the cheeses were of the supermarket variety (two of which I have in the refrigerator now and regularly stock at home). I saved the cheeses and crackers. I thought it would have been a nice touch to have some better cheeses thant Bonbel (three of these) and kraft sticks (two).
I enjoyed the show, but could not figure out many of the projected images on the water. I think it was the wind issue. There was a bit of a breeze and it looked like all the images were distorted. My seat was great though and i really wished I had a camera with me. As I said before my mother's day gift had not arrived. I had debated going out and getting a camera for my DD, but she didn't want me to buy it without her she was really busy with the girls and the team, the whole time she was there. It was also in the middle of her final exams, so spare time was dedicated in part to biochemistry.
I left the show, pretty tired. But another great thing about DL was I was back to the car and on the road within a half hour of the show ending. The hotel was less than ten minutes with no traffic. I enjoyed my suite for a half hour or so before heading to bed. I had a long and busy day ahead of me tomorrow.
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No, The dessert package wasn't a buffet at all. There were wait stff who handed out plastic boxes of desserts-cheese and crackers, chocolates, a little fruit and bite sized desserts. They also handed out drinks, including water, coffee and tea. The box was nice, but a little limited. I had also wished they did a little more to "Fancy Up" the experience. Maybe using plastic cups that had a Fantasmic logo, rather than paper cups, and my bottled water was just handed to me. I also wished they had some how identified the pastries. The chocolate strawberry I easily idenitifed, but it would be nice to have a name for the others.
It was $59.95 which I felt was a little high for what you got. I try not to keep comparing it to WDW but I think the Fantasmic Dinner package is a much better deal. I enjoyed the experience in part because I was alone. I probably would not had done it were any of my children with me.
Diane
Last edited by Huntermom; 06-01-2008 at 07:50 PM..
Great update! there was some confusion and the dessert area wasn't as you had hoped! The show sounds like it was a lot of fun!! (We missed it in February because it was 'dark' at the time ) Can't wait to hear more
I just read your tr and it has saved me a bunch of money! I was considering the Fantasmic dessert package for our trip in August, but I don't think what you described was worth $60! :
I have done the Fantasmic dinner package and did not like the seating off to the side...I think you lose a lot of what is going on!
Thanks!
I thought it was high for what you got but then I thought all the food in DL/CA was expensive. I haven't been to WDW since January 07, but we've done many trips and I never felt that food was particularly expensive. I did feel that way here.
There were a couple of couples celebrating anniversaries and a few birthday people. The chairs were set up in rows, so it wasn't a particularly romantic setting. The seating was off to the left, but I think the problem when I watched was that the wind blew all the water images and distorted them.
I think I was OK with the $60. price because I only paid for one. Had I bought tickets for my family, I would not have thought it was worth$240. if that makes sense. I'm not sure I would do it again. It was nice and for $25. it would have been a good deal.
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I searched online for information on the package the other day and it looks like this package has been in effect since the first of the year. I did find pictures of the box, but wasn't sure if I could link to it. It was interesting that several people strongly recommended the package and one person referred to it as the biggest rip off on DL property. I think I'm in between. I found some information that it was originally around $25. which I think would be a fair price.
The good thing was I saved the cheese and crackers and they made a nice snack the next morning when my breakfast plans didn't pan out.
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I guess it's not a "buffet" anymore?? Still sounds like a great night 
That's a wee bit expensive for just some desserts in a box 
there was some confusion and the dessert area wasn't as you had hoped! The show sounds like it was a lot of fun!! (We missed it in February because it was 'dark' at the time 
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