Twenty years and Life to Go (A Trip Report) - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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Up with the alarm. Left note for mousekeeper about socks that fell behind the drawers. Went down to check with concierge about charger but was a bit early so I had some water and came back to the room, and got the crew up & moving.
Concierge wasn't able to help so will be using my phone as camera. Monorail was still down, so we took the boat to MK. Only one family of three on with us. Stopped at Poly but no one waiting so on to MK for ADR at Crystal Palace.
DS surprised me by getting a made-to-order ham & cheese omelet for part of his breakfast.
Even with character interaction, we finished b'fast in time for rope drop. We walked right onto Jungle cruise, then skipped over to The Tiki Room at DD's request. We we found out it was going to be a 12 minute wait, we convinced her we could do so much more in those minutes and come back to Tiki later in the day when it was so hot & humid. With her agreement, we then split up. DS and I rode Splash Mountain, while DH and DD rode Big Thunder.
We met back up at the bridge in front of Splash for our FP for Big Thunder (these things happen when you plan your rides 60 days in advance). A quick stop for Photopass, then on to Haunted Mansion, and a short wait for Small World. Once we finished our boat ride, it was time for our FP on Peter Pan. Had some time to kill before lunch ADR, so we walked into Philharmagic.
Was 20 minutes before ADR time, so we turned toes toward Be Our Guest. Arrived right at the 15-minute prior mark to check in only to be told that you could only check in 5 minutes ahead of your ADR. Puttered around the gift shop and slow walked back to the restaurant to check in.
Had pre-ordered lunch, so got back into the dining areas quickly. Found a table in the Rose Gallery (with the giant music box). Was looking at the receipt while DH and kids fixed drinks when I noticed that one of our desserts that I had preordered had been eliminated. I know that at counter-service meals, kids' meals (DD's) don't come with desserts, but the system had insisted I order one anyway, so I did. However, whoever corrected the order had eliminated DS's Masters Cupcake instead of DD's triple chocolate. Went to purchase a replacement to keep DS calm. CM gave us a master's at no charge.
Kids' Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese
Croque Monsieur
Carved Prime Chuck Roast Beef Sandwich (Plain)
Carved Turkey Sandwich
Chocolate Cream Puff (not what I expected) and Triple Chocolate Cupcake
Lemon Meringue Cupcake
The Master's Cupcake (ordered simply to try the Gray Stuff)
Food was OK, except the fries were stale. IMHO, lunch is not worth all the hype that's been going on.
Refueled and time to kill before next FP, we went to Ariel's Undersea Adventure, followed by our FP for Mine Train.
FPs depleted, we headed to the kiosk I had spotted outside Philharmagic and made an additional fp for Buzz Lightyear.
Waiting on that FP to open, we took a spin on Dumbo. Woman ahead of us (from the Carribbean based on accent) mentioned she didn't realize how much she appreciated air conditioning until today. Noticing she had two young kids with her, I explained about the play area that is set up in the Dumbo queue. She thanked me, and she and her family headed that way.
From Dumbo, it was a quick walk to Tomorrowland for our FP on Buzz Lightyear. Scores: me--60900, DS -- 77500, DD -- 1900, DH -- 58900.
DS wanted to see Carousel of Progress, but just as we walked up, it went down, so we headed to Monsters laugh floor instead.
Another kiosk stop after Laugh Floor to grab 8:05 FP for Big Thunder (at DD's request), then over to the Lunching Pad for two pretzels to take back to the room. Monorail was running, so took that instead of boat. Back at the room, we planned out next two days while snacking on pretzels and soft drinks from the lobby -- splitting up tomorrow morning and regrouping in time for fps & dinner at Epcot. Last day -- sleep in, resort airline check in, & DTD. Time for a little rest before dinner
Checked in at 1900 Park Fare for dinner.
Listened to pianist while waiting for buzzer to go off. Two men in slacks, ls shirts, & jackets were also listening. After he finished playing "Part of Your World", they spoke with pianist & glanced inside piano. I mentioned to dh that I saw a bunch of suits at MK earlier --Disney suits.
Dinner was fun. Lady Tremaine immediately pounced on DS and informed him that he would be marrying Drusilla in the morning.
DH said she was a little young for the role
When she came back around later, Lady T gave him a finger wave, and said, "Hi, future son in law." Drusilla came by and proclaimed him a cutie.
Facial Expressions Say It All
Anastasia flirted with him, calling him a man of mystery with glasses.
Prince & Cindy were predictably bland compared to the trio.
After dinner, had a family meeting and decided to skip the fast pass and swim instead. About 45 minutes into our pooltime, DH was in the pool with DS teaching him how to do a wheel kick. DD started to pester DS. I told her to stop. Two minutes later, she's right back at it, so I told her to get out and sit down on the lounge chair where we had our stuff. Tears started immediately. We kept an eye on her, but carried on with our pool time,including laughing. She took our laughter as directed at her, and started to get ready to leave the pool. I stopped her, explained that I was going to have her sit out only five minutes if she could calm down, but since she wanted to go back to the room, I would get out & go with her. She first claimed that we were laughing at her for being cold, then when we explained that was not the case, she said she had put on her shirt & shoes because she was cold. I held my ground & took her back to the room to get ready for bed, with a stop for bedtime snack. Guys followed shortly thereafter.
Sounds like a great trip so far! I'm intrigued by these bus arrival monitors.... are they only at certain resorts?
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
The only resort we used the buses from was GF, so I don't know about other resorts. I did not see them at any parks (like HS or AK). Would be nice if they were there as well.
Awesome MK DAY!! You guys got lots done!! That 1900 Park Fare looks so fun for dinner!! We have done breakfast there but never dinner. How was the food??
Great variety. Strawberry soup is there along with sushi (you may have to hunt to find it). The night we were there they also offered a delicious udon noodle salad with seared tuna. This is the one buffet I saw that was NOT exactly the same on both sides, so it is worth balancing two plates so you get the full experience.
Up again before the alarm, but stayed in bed, mulling things over until it went off. Got DS up at 715 to get b'fast. DH was already up so I got DD up as well. We ate together at Gasparilla.
DS & I caught monorail while DH & DD took the mugs and water back to room. Arrived at MK in time to see Opening, then we headed to TomorrowLand, where we walked on space mountain. For the first time in my life, I scored the back seat of the train.
Next stop was meeting up with DH & DD for another ride on Big Thunder. Along the way, I got to see a rare sight at Disney -- an active construction area. These pictures were taken on the bridge connecting the paths to Adventureland and Liberty Square.
Looking toward Adventureland, the work going on at Adventureland Veranda
Looking toward the Hub
While DS & I were on Space Mountain and working our way across the park, DH & DD had a private showing of Tikii room, rode jungle cruise, and took a turn on Big Thunder before meeting us to walk on big thunder. Then DH took DS on splash while DD & I rode Big Thunder again.
Back seat again
We swapped kids again so DH could take DD on big thunder one last time (yes, a total of six times on Big Thunder) followed by haunted mansion.
DD LOVES BTMRR
I asked DS if there was anything else he wanted to do. He looked at the map and said he wanted to ride Barnstormer, so DS & I took the train over to FantasyLand. Very short wait for Barnstormer.
By the time we got off Barnstormer, I was thirsty. I started toward Cosmic Ray's for a cup of water. As we were walking, I asked DS if he wanted anything. He said "No", but after being inside with the A/C a while, he changed his mind. Two cups of free water and some time with Sonny Eclipse, and we were ready for Carousel of Progress. DH & DD met up with us outside COP, and we headed out of the park.
On way out stopped in candy shop to browse. Kids bought sour powder (DD) and a prepackaged cookie (DS). Took the boat back to GF. Stopped at room to grab mugs then back to Gasparilla for lunch. The kids ordered chicken nuggets (same as Day 1) and Kids' Cheese Pizza.
Premade California Rolls
Basic Brownie
Falafel Flatbread (Chef's Special of the Day)
Cucumber Salad
Soft Serve Swirl (DD used DH's dessert credit)
Pina Colada Cupcake
A little downtime after lunch, during which maintenance came and got my socks out from behind the drawer. Then it was time to leave for our evening fps at epcot.
Wanted to take resort monorail to ttc but, once again, it was down. Walked to bus stop. Next epcot bus was due at 402, which would have sacrificed our Mission Space fp, so we walked down to the water taxi, took it across to MK. By the time we got to MK, the resort monorail was up & running. Through bag check and onto the express monorail to TTC (right by GF) and onto Epcot monorail.
Off the monorail and thru bag check again and on our way to ms green (because it had a five minute wait vs. a 10 minute wait for orange (plus I'm still not sure ds's tummy can handle orange). I waited in gift shop while DH supervised kids in computer game. Then off to next fp --Soarin' ,where's there a 60 minute standby line. Hiked to friendship bound for Germany. Dark clouds moving in with cloud to ground lightening. On way to boat, we saw a group of men wearing assorted hats, including a fez. DS, a major Whovian, was intrigued. I told him Epcot was the place to get one. After a little financial discussion, it was decided that DS & I would go fez-shopping after dinner.
Arrived at ADR about 5 minutes before ADR time, and we were seated immediately. Another delicious meal.
Focaccia and breadsticks
Olive & olve oil
Kids' Fruit Salad
"Fior di Latte" Mozzarella (I wanted something cold)
Prosciutto Di Parma (DH & DS both ordered this, but DS didn't care for the fig ricotta or the bread)
Kids' Spaghetti (plain)
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Bistecca del Macellaio
Risotto ai Sapori con Gamberi
Kids' Gelato Sundae
Tiramisu
Chocolate Gelato
Raspberry Sorbeto
We split up after dinner. DH & dd headed back to room, running into some baby animals end route. DS & I began working our way to the shops in Morocco. Took a while to find an acceptable fez, and even longer to find a manned cash register. The clerk said they were unable to split the cost of DS's fez across two gift cards, so I put the full amount on our Disney dream rewards card. (When we got home, I checked the receipts, and it had worked the way I planned -- part on DS's gift card (using it up) and the remainder on our Rewards card.) Worked our way back along the showcase thru France, England, Canada. Stopped in future world to get a picture of the lovely evening colors on the golf ball.
No monorail problems on the way to the GF. Headed out of the main building, we were stopped dead in our tracks by a young fellow (about 4 or 5) announcing quite loudly,"Mommy, I have diarrhea! " From what I heard the dad tell the mom, the boy had had a very violent bout this morning. Stopped downstairs for a pear, then headed up to the room. DH took the kids swimming while I finished as much of the packing as I could tonight.
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