My "first" trip to WDW!! (1/25-2/1) - Page 3 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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There are other changes as well.
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We go on to the joy and through the tears
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Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
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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.
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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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Very cute picture in the beginning. I should make my dad dig out his way old picture from when he went and all there was was MK. Then we should have everyone post pictures from different years at Disney.
More please!
Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I got a new job last week!! So updates may be a bit slower, but I'm going to try harder. It's just a bit of adjusting going back to a full-time job (although a good kind of adjusting!).
I'm working on the next update, so hopefully I can finish by tonight or tomorrow at the latest!!
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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
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Congrats on the new job. We'll be here when you're ready to continue (and this is from someone who isn't quite done with a TR from last August - I'm almost there though)
Thanks everyone!! The job is going well, it's tough but I'm enjoying it and my co-workers are great! Okay, so it's a little later than I said, but I'm going to post the next update. I finish later than I use too with my old job, and I am a Girl Guide leader to two units which meet Mon and Tue, and it just eats up my time early in the week! I'm so behind on everything I feel like, it's going to take some adjusting!
So we headed off the bus, and walked towards the entrance gate... I know it’s not that long but when you’re heading there for the first time, it feels like a 10 minute walk!!! Anyway once we got through the gate (where the nice cast member gave us the CM time guide!), it was a real surreal moment! I couldn’t believe I was actually at the MAGIC KINGDOM! Haha, anyway, stood there for a few minutes before we noticed the Photopass infront of the Let The Memories Begin flower design, so we got our picture taken there and got out photopass card. We then headed through to Main Street. Our plan had been to walk though Main Street to get a feel for everything, but because our plane was delayed, it was now 3pm and the parade was literally just starting. There was lots of spots available at the beginning of Main Street, so we stopped to watch for a few minutes. But by this point we were starving, having not eaten since before we took-off. We saw the Train was just pulling into the station, so we ran up to catch it to head over Pecos Bill for a bite. Had to navigate a bit through crowds since people were lining up for the parade, but the CM had a little passageway for people to move through. Once we got into Pecos Bill, we couldn’t believe how big it was, haha! We headed to order, and the nice CM explained to my dad how the DDP works (love him to pieces, but sometimes he’s a little slow!). Anyway, we ordered 2 meals for the three of us, a veggie burger and a chicken caesar salad wrap, with a carrot cake and cookie for dessert. When my mom asked about condiments, the CM pointed us to the toppings bar, and our jaws just dropped. Haha, wish my school cafeteria had had that! The food was delicious and fresh, and the two meals filled our tummies nicely (although I wasn’t super hungry, still recovering for the flight I think).
Sufficiently full and re-energized we then headed off to Adventureland! First off, Pirates of the Caribbean! I think there was a 5minute wait posted, but it took about that long to get from the entrance to the loading area (this was pretty much the story throughout the week!!), and we pretty much got on the next boat when we entered the loading area. I knew I probably wouldn’t take any pictures in the ride, so I took a few in the queue. Really enjoyed the ride, even with my mom singing along , We then headed over to Jungle Cruise which had a 10 minute wait posted, but it was only about 5 or so. There was an older couple behind us and we were chatting with them, and they said they had been at WWOHP the day before and it was insanely busy! Well, glad I wasn’t there... anyway our skipper was Russell and he was awesome! So funny and really got everyone interested and playing along. Next we headed over to the Tiki Room just to check, but it was still closed Mom was a little disappointed as she really wanted to go back, but what can you do! Just another reason to come back. We starred at the Magic Carpets for a bit deciding whether we wanted to go on, but I think the flight was still in the back of our minds, so we decided to take a pass for now! I saw Aladdin and Jasmine were taking pictures, and was going to go line up, but I realized I left my Sharpie in my carry-on, and no one had a pen, so I ran into the closest store to get a Tink pen! (which I probably would have got anyhow!). Sadly as I headed back to the character spot, the line had closed already so no autograph. Oh well, again a little disappointed, but c’est la vie!
We were pretty much done with Adventureland by this point so we crossed over into Frontierland and head on over to another one of my mom’s favourites: Country Bear Jamboree. The next show was about 10 minutes away, so we just waited outside and enjoyed the sun for a few minutes! The show itself is cute, but I wasn’t paying that much attention to the dialogue because I found it hard to understand, it wasn’t that clear. When we got out the skies had clouded over a bit, but not too bad. We were then going to head over to the Riverboat as my mom had never done it (I should add, this was my parents fourth trip to Disney, they also went twice in the mid 70s with their friends), and it was scheduled to close in a day or two. But my dad decided at the point he needed to go to the bathroom and just left, LOL and so we missed the boat. We checked with the CM and he said the next one, which was the last boat, would leave in an hour, so we figured we just come back. Since we were now in Liberty Square, we headed over to the Hall of Presidents, where I totally made a fool of myself in front of the CM, mentioning that I didn’t know anything about US presidents, but then I cleared it up saying I was Canadian, but then again making myself look really stupid when I realized I really know nothing about Canadian prime ministers and couldn’t remember who are first prime minister was! (I should explain, I did take a history class in grade 10, but it was a “History of Quebec and Canada”, and since it was a government required class, it was I’d say 95% about Quebec and 5% about Canada, so prime ministers were not really covered!). Anyway.... we learned that the rug in the entry way (The one of the Great Seal of the US) is one of only 3 in the world (or the US, can’t remember), and that they had to get special permission to use it there. Thought that was pretty cool. The theatre was barely a third full, but it was nice as we could sit wherever we wanted. I enjoyed the show a lot, and I realized I actually recognized a lot more of the presidents names then I thought!
As we exited the attraction, we realized it had begun to drizzle. It was also then that I noticed I had left my poncho in my carry-on as well! Yeah... anyway we had another one, and my mom had her jacket as did my dad, so we managed. The skies were quite dark at the point, so we figured why not head to the Haunted Mansion! Haha, although the CM at the entrance was practically begging us to go on it! We walked right on, and my parents went in one buggy and I went alone. I loved it! I think I laughed throughout... it was so cute and really clever! (I accidently typed cleaver here... Freudian slip perhaps?) It was still drizzling as we exited, as unfortunately we found out the last trip of the Riverboat was cancelled due to the weather Oh well, another thing for another trip! We had done pretty much everything we had planned for the first day, but we still had a bit of energy left, so we headed over to Fantasyland, and mom’s FAVOURITE ride, It’s a Small World. No wait, so we got right on. I took a lot of pictures, but I have to admit I really do love this ride. I had an old record of this song (perhaps from the last time we came) and I used to listen to it all the time as a kid before bed. Mom was very happy, singing along as we sailed through the world.
Well as we exited It’s A Small World, we saw the rain had turned into a complete downpour! Like raining cats and dogs! I wanted to stay since it was 6pm and heck, Peter Pan was posting a 10minute wait, but the rain was intense, so the parents over-ruled me on this one. Being a nice daughter I gave dad the poncho, since his coat wasn’t waterproof, and braved the rain in my sweater. Let’s just say that I don’t remember the walk from Fantasyland to the Main Gate taking so long as it did this time. We were all soaked by the time we got to the bus, even my hair, which sucked because it’s REALLY curly, and I had make it all straight for the first day, haha! Luckily the bus was right there, so we were on our way back fairly quickly. It didn’t take that long to get back to ASSp, and thankfully all three of our suitcase had made it to our room, so we were able to change and dry off! We were a bit hungry too at this point so we headed to the food court to get a bite, and also pick up a refillable mug and check out the arcade and gift store, which we hadn’t done before we left for the MK. So we’re just about there, when there’s a bright flash of lightning and about 1 second later there was the LOUDEST crack of thunder I have ever heard in my life. I jumped like a foot in the air; I seriously thought something blew up or something, it took me a few seconds to realize what had happened. Needless to say I ran the rest of the way to the food court. Safe and sound inside, my parents ordered a small pepperoni pizza while I just got a chocolate-chocolate muffin. We ended up chatting with a couple from Green Bay, (I had commented “Go Cheese Heads” as it was a week before the Super Bowl”). My mom and I left my dad to chat (story of the week), and went to explore a bit. We quickly browsed through the gift store where I got a black 2011 Bag, and my mom got a WDW baseball which she was going to get some characters to sign and bring home to my brother (he coaches little league and had a display case for his baseball which he gets all the kids to sign at the end of the season). We got back purchases in hand, and dad was still talking. LOL By this point we were all exhausted, so headed back to the room for some much needed sleep!
Crazy Country Bears:
The Elusive Riverboat:
The Great Seal of the United States:
The perfect sky for Haunted Mansion:
One of my favorite pictures from It's A Small Worlds, La France!
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So updates may be a bit slower, but I'm going to try harder. It's just a bit of adjusting going back to a full-time job (although a good kind of adjusting!). 
Sammi
We then headed over to Jungle Cruise which had a 10 minute wait posted, but it was only about 5 or so. There was an older couple behind us and we were chatting with them, and they said they had been at WWOHP the day before and it was insanely busy! Well, glad I wasn’t there... anyway our skipper was Russell and he was awesome! So funny and really got everyone interested and playing along. Next we headed over to the Tiki Room just to check, but it was still closed 
Mom was a little disappointed as she really wanted to go back, but what can you do! Just another reason to come back. We starred at the Magic Carpets for a bit deciding whether we wanted to go on, but I think the flight was still in the back of our minds, so we decided to take a pass for now! I saw Aladdin and Jasmine were taking pictures, and was going to go line up, but I realized I left my Sharpie in my carry-on, and no one had a pen, so I ran into the closest store to get a Tink pen! (which I probably would have got anyhow!). Sadly as I headed back to the character spot, the line had closed already 
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