Finding Walt: a DL TR: Update 2/23/12 - Page 3 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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Sounds like it is going to be a wonderful and Walt filled trip.
Forest Lawn is gorgeous, I think you will really enjoy it, even though it is a cemetery. I am so jealous of the tour you will be taking and happy you were able to book it with such a great rate.
Glad you double checked on your room.
I think you will love DL, it was my first taste of Disney that stuck (heavily). Even my dad grew up going there. It is just deeply ingrained in my family!
More great news today! Sharon booked us on the Holiday Time at Disneyland Resort Tour for Tuesday! I think it includes a ride on Haunted Mansion Holiday and special seating for the parade as well as a tour of the Holiday decorations in the park. Thanks for taking care of the legwork for that Sha!
Still working on getting meals and such together, but it's starting to take shape! Yea!
I'm getting very excited and decided to start the Christmas magic today! My Christmas cards are almost finished! Unfortunately, I can't get that yucky taste out of my mouth--I should have used a sponge to seal them!
It does just keep getting better doesn't it? I cannot wait for this trip. I need a vacation from everything so badly. I've been so stressed out recently I want to jump out of my skin. Thank goodness Brandon has been super supportive and I have this to look forward to!
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Finding Walt at Disneyland . . . or Disneyland opening day. On one morning I'm going to try an experience what DL was like on the day it opened. A lot of the opening day attractions have been replaced but there are still some left. I did a little research and I came up with a list of attractions from opening day and the name changes for those attractions that are still left. Thanks to Yesterland - Disneyland History & Other Disney Park History for the help on this one!
Main Street, USA
Horse-drawn Street Cars
Main Street Arcade
Main Street Cinema
Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad which has been renamed to Disneyland Railroad as of 1974
Fantasyland
Canal Boats of the World, which became Storybook Land Canal Boats in 1956
Casey Jr. Circus Train
Dumbo Flying Elephants
King Arthur Carrousel
Mad Tea Party
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Peter Pan Flight
Snow White’s Adventures became Snow White's Scary Adventures in 1983
Tomorrowland
Autopia
Frontierland
Golden Horseshoe Revue
Mark Twain Riverboat
Adventureland
Jungle Cruise
I've taken out all of the attractions that have closed from this list. So it looks like I've got to go through 15 attractions. I know that the horse drawn cars run very sporadically, so if I can't grab a seat on one, I'll try to get some pictures of that one. I'm also not sure that there are any arcade games left in the Main St Arcade--I think it's a shopping location now, but I'll grab photos to show you what it looks like today.
Several of these rides I am very excited about! Mr. Toad's Wild Ride was my favorite ride at WDW when I was a child. I know that it's old and has perhaps lost it's thrill and luster, but I can't wait to ride it because of the nostalgia factor. A little background for you--I was treated to 3 trips to WDW as a child. The first was way back when I was 5 years old . . . it was a bribe because my parents had just had a 2nd child--which I was NOT happy about. We stayed off site and I will never forget my mother saying that if we ever did it again, we would have to stay at a Disney Resort. I cannot remember if my brother was on the 2nd trip or not, but we stayed at the Contemporary and on the third trip our family of four stayed at the Poly. I really only remember 4 things from all 3 trips: Mr. Toad, Figment and Dreamfinder, getting lost outside Captain EO, and the heart shaped sunglasses I wore on the last trip. I know--sad. I imagine if I could look back at the photo albums from that time period it might jog my memory, but that's all that stuck in my head. The heart shaped sunglasses are long gone, Figment is still around, but the Dreamfinder is gone and the current Figment ride leaves a lot to be desired. I hope I'll never find myself lost at a Disney Park again, so the only thing that's left of my childhood memories of Disney is Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, but I have to go to California to relive that memory. I'm quite sure that it's going to make me cry.
So I guess that morning I'm going to try and find both Walt and my childhood. And that's all I've got for today!
Great idea! The list of all the Fantasyland rides that are still around from opening day as well as those that were added during Walt's lifetime is why I love that area at DL. I don't think you'll be disappointed in Toad at all! I loved that ride when I first rode it at age 40 at WDW and rode it at DL about 10 years later on my only visit to Walt's park. I loved it even more! If you remember, would you take a photo of the exterior for me? I love the "semper absurdam" sign!
Great idea! The list of all the Fantasyland rides that are still around from opening day as well as those that were added during Walt's lifetime is why I love that area at DL. I don't think you'll be disappointed in Toad at all! I loved that ride when I first rode it at age 40 at WDW and rode it at DL about 10 years later on my only visit to Walt's park. I loved it even more! If you remember, would you take a photo of the exterior for me? I love the "semper absurdam" sign!
Yes Laurie I'm sure I'll get a photo of the outside--I'm sure there will be lots of photos from this ride!
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Oh, Mr. Toad is great fun! I had forgotten so many parts of it and was so happy to ride it again as I know you will be too! Thought I'd let you know that I happened upon a horse-drawn ride around 12noon when I was there. I have no idea if they keep any schedule, but there ya go. Thanks for researching that list as I wondered about that when I was there.
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Your plans sound like fun. Are you going to make time to get one of those hand made candy canes? (If so - I am totally jealous. I.WANT.ONE!) We saw the horse-drawn trolley on Main St at MK this past time. 1st time I've seen it. And I never knew Mr.Toad. But I hear there's a nod to him in Winnie the Pooh's ride.
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