A Coast to Coast Christmas - Phase One WDW - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Sorry to leave everyone hanging there. I had more to say! I was in the middle of posting and one of my coworkers came in to drag me to our office holiday party (much earlier than we'd agreed - we were literally the first ones there ) We actually had to wait for them to dig out our name tags ). I hate being the first one at a party! Sorry about that!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
I never said I wasn't Miss Bossypants! (And... if you'd get on Facebook, you'd have known about the ganglet's plans long before I had to COMMAND you to join us.
Pfft... whatever.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
Wait! Who gets to tell THAT story?! Me?!! Please?! Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease!!! (As long as Jilly sends me her pics...)
Well, you'd better get to tellin' honey, because I'm about to post my version. But I'll keep it unhilarious so I don't steal your thunder. What took you so long anyway? I waited an entire week to start!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
I can't wait for more... it's the only thing that will help close up this great big gaping hole in my chest now that we're all spread across the country again. *sniff*
Sadness!
__________________
Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
The plan was to hit Animal Kingdom this afternoon, so after I grabbed some gummy bears from the lounge (a healthy and nutritious lunch, for sure ), we all headed to the bus stop. After a quick stop to pick up folks at the GF, we were at the AK. As we were walking into the park, a little girl approached Eileen and gave us 7 FPs for EE. Sweet!
I think the AK tree is my favorite WDW tree, and I just love the huge metal (at least they look like they’re metal) animal ornaments that are either new or I just didn’t notice them last year.
We waited for Eileen to buy her ticket (using Disney rewards) and Karen texted Joan to see what she was up to (she was in Epcot with her family and they’d join us later). Once Eileen had her ticket, we headed in. Our first stop was KS, and we had some pretty good sightings.
Our driver was cracking us up, but not on purpose. He kept telling us facts about the animals, but in the most insulting way to the animals. Like he said the ostrich’s eye was bigger than it’s brain and that’s what makes it so stupid, and he could tell the giraffes were juveniles because when they get older they get thick thighs. Poor insulted animals!
I’m fond of this one because of the two cotton headed ninny muggins in it
I was excited to see the lion and lioness together! They’re usually in their neutral corners.
We did the PFET next. I needed to check on Lilly.
I was really excited to get this great hippo shot.
He totally winked at me as he swam past. We did see Lilly, but she ran off before I could get a photo. I didn’t take many photos this time, even though there were plenty of gorillas around.
After a few fun Photopass pictures (which I’ll post once the CD comes, which will be after the DL portion) we decided we needed food. We strolled over to the Yak & Yeti counter service and I ended up choosing sweet and sour chicken, which was good. I also had a Yak Attack, which I figured would be a perfect way to officially kick off the trip. Jill and Karen agreed.
Actually, they doubled my agreement!
While we ate, Joan and her family showed up and we caught up while we ate. After lunch we were ready for EE. We had FPs for 7 of us, but the standby was so short that it wasn’t even necessary. Our picture popped up for a second, but they took it right back down when they noticed two teen boys pretending to fight in the photo. Too bad! I wanted to see our pic, but I thought the fighting boys were pretty hilarious!
The line was so short that we got in for another ride. I’d seen a yeti hat in October that I wanted to get for my nephew, so after our second ride, I did a merchandising lap in the gift shop. Unfortunately, they were out of the hats. And they didn’t have any other new items. DN officially has everything they sell in the store!
Joan’s family went I think back to their resort for a break, so Joan was free to play with us. Larry and Bob led us to our little lounge area to revel the secret of the TBSAALTA. Now you may be wondering what the TBSAALTA is. Larry and Bob had been planning a special surprise for us – the To Be Specified At A Later Time Activity. Not knowing the details of this special event had been driving some people crazy. When I had dinner with B&L in September, they did not reveal the details, but I sure had fun pretending I knew. I love secrets, so I was fine waiting, and it added even more to it being able to tease Eileen. Don’t worry, when I confessed to Eileen at the airport that morning that I didn’t in fact know the secret, she laughed about it as I knew she would.
So now it was time to finally find out! We were given lovely invitations…
…for – a to be specified at a later time activity. We had to wait to find out, so I think you all should have to wait too! Perhaps Jill or Eileen will spill the beans when they write their TRs. Which, don’t hold your breath! Jill’s still working on her last TR, and Eileen’s working on her book, so I’ve got you all in my power! MUHAHAHAHA! You will have to keep reading! It’s worth the wait, I can tell you. Of course, if Larry wants to write his own TR and spill the beans, I can live with not having this power over everyone I guess.
We were done at AK, so we headed to the bus stop. There was quite a line waiting at our stop, but a bus arrived promptly and we made it on without a problem. Karen and Eileen had dining credits to use up (Karen had arrived the night before and stayed at All Star Music (at least I think it was Music ) and Eileen had planned to, but it didn’t work out). Others in the group joined them at Roaring Forks while Jill and I went up to the room to put our stuff away. We noticed that we’d already gotten turndown service, but nothing was amiss.
We went into the lounge to eat, saving room for the rest of our group. I had a chicken wing (yes, only one ) and some cheese, some babaganoush and bread, oh and a little wine. I’d already purchased my MVMCP ticket when we were still in the planning phase. The others decided to pass on the party, but Karen wanted to join me, so she went to the concierge desk to get a party ticket. We were going to Epcot that evening for Illuminations, but Joan went to SOG for a nippy nap. Once Karen had her party ticket, she suggested it was time for us to get moving. Bob and Larry went to change and Karen went to the room to put away her ticket. I passed her returning from there in the hall on my way there to pick up a jacket for the evening. When I rejoined the group in the lounge, Karen asked me if I’d seen the room. I figured it was a trick question, but she told me I’d obviously missed something, and she’d sent Jill and Eileen in to see. Karen and I headed back to see what was there.
When we walked in, I could hear Jill and Eileen laughing. Okay, I was in this room not two minutes ago, what’s going on? Then I looked at the beds again. There had been an addition. When Dawn booked our room, she’d had our birthdays noted (mine and Eileen’s are in November, Karen’s is next week and Jill’s was back in August). Anyway, they’d given us birthday buttons. All of us. That’s not funny at all. The funny part was the button placement.
There were buttons and chocolates on each pillow – Jill, Eileen and me in one bed, and Karen all alone in the other. Well, not exactly alone! There were chocolates on the other two pillows, which we decided must be for Bob and Larry, since they’d come up in the elevator with Karen and Jill when they checked in. It’s funny on so many levels. Even Karen all alone in the bed is hilarious when you know how much she hates to be alone. We may have played this up in photos over the course of the trip, but Eileen is going to write about it (and you need to get cracking on that, Eileen ). We never did figure out who put those buttons there and why they chose that placement!
After the laughter died down, we walked down to the bus stop for our evening of festivities at Epcot.
Up Next: Candlelight Processional, Illuminations and our first surprise meeting with lindawdw
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Wow, you have three reports going on? Or I guess the stomach guide is done, but still!
So excited to have these to read! It will bridge the next week until I'm on the way to WDW!
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
To fully appreciate this, you have to understand that certain of our company are planners. And by that I mean Big A$$ Spreadsheet planners. All Bob and I did was ask that they set aside Sunday night for "The Activity". Of course, they tried to pry it out of us by asking what time it was starting, what they needed to wear, etc.
From time to time we would bring it up, such as when we added a day at the end of the trip. The real purpose was so we wouldn't have to be the first ones to depart. We said that any rumors that we would need an additional day to recover from the TBSAALTA were grossly exaggerated. Though as it turned out....
Shortly before the trip we revealed that any special equipment that was required would be provided. Heh, heh.
Sharon pretending that she was in on the secret worked like a charm, and when she said she'd told her nephews what the TBSAALTA was, I about split a seam laughing! I told her that it was a good thing Eileen loved her a lot.
We actually played the whole thing up so much that I began to worry a bit that the actual event might be a disappointment. As it turned out, I don't think I needed to worry, but I'll let you be the judge. Well, that is, you can judge when Sharon does the reveal! Bwaaahaahaaa!
__________________
"&Larry"
A beautiful day in the neighborhood!
Last edited by LLaffinPlace; 12-14-2011 at 10:39 PM..
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It's been too long.
) We actually had to wait for them to dig out our name tags 
What took you so long anyway? I waited an entire week to start!
Poor insulted animals! 
And they didn’t have any other new items. DN officially has everything they sell in the store! 
We had to wait to find out, so I think you all should have to wait too! 
Perhaps Jill or Eileen will spill the beans when they write their TRs. Which, don’t hold your breath! Jill’s still working on her last TR, and Eileen’s working on her book, so I’ve got you all in my power! 
MUHAHAHAHA! You will have to keep reading! 
Of course, if Larry wants to write his own TR and spill the beans, I can live with not having this power over everyone I guess.
) and Eileen had planned to, but it didn’t work out). Others in the group joined them at Roaring Forks while Jill and I went up to the room to put our stuff away. We noticed that we’d already gotten turndown service, but nothing was amiss. 
I’d already purchased my MVMCP ticket when we were still in the planning phase. The others decided to pass on the party, but Karen wanted to join me, so she went to the concierge desk to get a party ticket. We were going to Epcot that evening for Illuminations, but Joan went to SOG for a nippy nap. Once Karen had her party ticket, she suggested it was time for us to get moving. Bob and Larry went to change and Karen went to the room to put away her ticket. I passed her returning from there in the hall on my way there to pick up a jacket for the evening. When I rejoined the group in the lounge, Karen asked me if I’d seen the room. 
PassPorter Guide Author
I am already seriously jealous - so many PassPorters together, that's my idea of a dream vacation! 
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