Home is Where the Mouse Is TR (June 1 - 11, 2017) - Page 23 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Fun day shopping! We have always wanted to go to the Disney outlet shop, but never make off property on our trips.
We do this on every trip. We always have a non-park day so we can venture off property.
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I have that happen to me when my feet aren't used to wearing flip flops or sandals all day. It is an annoying little pinching/stabbing right in the middle of my foot. It usually went away after the second day.
Oh my gosh, you described exactly what I felt in my foot. After a couple of days, I just gave up and used my sneakers most of the time.
Sounds like a fun, relaxing no park day! We usually stop at the Walmart on our way to Disney from the airport but we generally don't do a lot of off-site shopping but I know you can get some good bargains outside of the parks! Glad you stuck to your plan and had fun together.
Yes, the bargains are great. That's why we always have a day exclusively for this.
Thanks! It was nice to drive around. It reminds me when we used to stay offsite and did all sorts of different things, not just Disney.
The San Juan area is doing well. Hotels are operating normally. Now, Conquistador, the last I heard was that it was still closed. But I'm not really sure if this is true or not. I think we are getting plenty of tourists now, especially the San Juan area. Cruises help with this.
Thanks for the info and glad things are slowly returning to normal, but will take so much time.
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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!
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Hey guys!! I've been away from the boards for quite a while. I can't believe, next month, it will be a year from this trip and I still haven't finished this TR. Oh my word!!!
I have another update ready to go. Thanks for sticking around!
I had set the alarm for 7:30 but I was awake before that. I started getting ready and got the gang up so they could do the same. We had to return the car and had to be out the room by 8:30 am.
Amazingly, we were out the door on time, got in the car and quickly headed over to the Car Care Center over by MK. We got a little lost. I wasn't looking at the signs and when Arben asked me if this was the exit, I said no. Well... it was. Of course, there were no other exits so we headed out of property and then had to circle around.
At least I got a good shot of the WDW gates.
We eventually got to Alamo and returned the car. The shuttle driver asked us where we were headed. We told him Epcot, so he drove us over there.
When we arrived at Epcot, bag check was a nightmare. We had the slowest security CM ever. It took us 20 minutes to get through. Ugh! It took so long that Arben called me (he'd gone through the no bag entrance) to see what was taking so long.
We entered the park and I had to stop for some MM pics.
We still had time to kill before our 1st FP, so we decided to go to Mousegears. We stopped for some more photos.
Of course, no trip to Disney would be complete without trying on different hats.
AJ wouldn't play. He's "too cool" for that.
After browsing for a bit, our FP time was close enough so we headed over to the Land.
The wait for Living with the Land was 20 minutes, but we had a FP. We were on a boat in no time.
After our ride, a bathroom break was needed (I don't remember for who, probably Arben). We headed out of the Land and sat down for some snacks. At that time I decided to get my phone out and realized Amy (dutchdisneyfamily) had texted me, 20 minutes ago. I quickly texted her back, as we were supposed to meet. I left my family outside and headed back in to look for her. She texted me back and told me she was riding Living with the Land. I told her I'd wait for her at the exit. She sent me a picture so I'd know what she looked like and I did the same.
Selfie!
I texted my family and told them to head inside, as our next FP was fast approaching. Soon enough, I saw Amy as she waved at me from the boat. She came out of the boat with her family and I was finally able to meet them. Such lovely people! We chatted for a bit. Then I spotted my family, who seemed to be hiding. I went over and got them and introduced them all. Then we all parted ways as we had other things to do.
Amy, it was so nice to meet you and your family. Too bad we had such little to chat, even though we were even staying at the same resort.
Our FP for Soarin was ready to go, so we got in line. We got the 3rd row, which was a 1st for us. I much prefer the 1st row, as I could see all the dangling feet from my seat.
Anyways... I loved the new movie. I even liked it better than the old one. And I loved that they didn't change the soundtrack.
After that, we went over to the Seas. We watched the tanks for a little while.
We were kind of hungry, so we headed over to Mexico for a bite to eat. Sorry, no photos.
We walked around for a bit and I took some photos.
Paparazzi shot.
The backside of The Three Caballeros
Close up of My Three Caballeros
Ok, let me get a shot of this.
Let me try again.
Third time's a charm.
Look at me, getting all artistic!
We got a couple more MM photos.
Soon it was time for our last FP. We headed over to Character Spot. While in line, we saw bil and his family.
After a short wait, it was our turn to meet the characters.
First up was Mickey. He was very formal.
Then came Goofy and he was a hoot. He pushed Arben along as he was walking. He gave us directions on how to stand and then kept asking us to scoot together. After we were in the perfect spot, he came over and stood in front of us, blocking me from being in the picture. After some laughs, he posed with us.
Last but not least, was Minnie. She was such a sweetheart. She hugged and kissed us all. She was fussing over my boys, even fixing her makeup for Abniel.
I have to say, this was the best interaction I've had with a non-talking character.
When we exited, we saw bil and chatted with them for a while. Then we parted ways, as we were heading back to POR for a break and they were staying at the park
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.
Great day at Epcot and you packed a lot in! You all had so much fun with the characters and especially love the interaction with Goofy who is my favorite! Glad you were able to meet up with Amy even though quite brief.
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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!
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Weird about your foot. 
Glad you stuck to your plan and had fun together.
Oh my word!!! 
Well... it was. Of course, there were no other exits so we headed out of property and then had to circle around. 
It took us 20 minutes to get through. Ugh! It took so long that Arben called me (he'd gone through the no bag entrance) to see what was taking so long.
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