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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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We tried D-Luxe burger on our trip, too, and loved it. We'll definitely go back. But nothing compares to your dinner at V&A. Glad you all decided to use this vacation to rest and restore.
Naturally - nothing compares to V&A but for a quick burger - can't go wrong with D'Luxe burger. We miss Bodies.
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Originally Posted by xwewhisper
What a yummy evening and loved the relaxing start to the day! So glad you made it back to V&A!
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Thanks. It was a wonderful experience. Next time - Chef's table!
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Originally Posted by SuperDave
It's getting late and I am tired and refuse to read your TR and V&A's experience as I want to see and hear your experience in a clear mind and provide my comments in the same way.
Perhaps, I'm the one to go to here for V&A's with 12 experiences in my book now! The Cali tops this with 13 and on every WDW trip since 2002!
Only Her Dotness can possibly compete with me in this regard! Not a competition between the two of us but we both love the place and can't get enough! I will return on my next WDW trip! Just thought, I'd give you some info on this. Looking forward to sharing my recent experience in my TR! You will certainly enjoy it!
Just recently V&A's was named the #2 top reviewed restaurant in the entire USA on TripAdvisor, so that's quite an accomplishment and I'd say more than deserved from my dining experiences there!
The winner was out of Chicago and one I'd seen on a cuisine program recently (Travel Channel?), which looked equally amazing! Can't think of the name but I believe has an extensive tasting menu like V&A's!
We were disappointed by Cali Grill. Loved V&A though. We said we were going "slumming" by going to Narcoossee's - LOL!
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Originally Posted by chezp
Oh my goodness, your dinner at Victoria and Albert's sounds wonderful. How great to have a nice, relaxing day before it as well.
Thanks. It was fabulous!
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Originally Posted by lindawdw
It sounds like the perfect day for you two! Your burger looked amazing along with your bourbon shake Relaxing at the pool and hot tub was just what the doctor ordered for this trip! V&A simply looked wonderful and I love how they printed out your personalized menu and ended it with a rose. Such a memorable special 20th Anniversary for sure.
It was amazing!
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Originally Posted by SuperDave
What an amazing cuisine experience that was for the two of you! Such a great way to celebrate your 20th anniversary. I dined there in the same room about three weeks after you and they're are some similarities with our two meals and differences too and glad they change it around often. The caviar and Wagyu beef presentations are just incredible and I'm sure equally enjoyable. Just love all the little things they do here to make your experience that much better.
Couldn't have asked for anything better. It was amazing.
I was up around 9:30 am. Chuck was already up doing a load of wash. We really liked having the laundry in the room! We got ready to head out in search of food. Chuck was jonesing for some shrimp and grits! We went to DTD and were looking around. We really wanted to try Homecoming but it didn't look open. So we walked up to the door to look at their hours and found out that they WERE open! So we walked in and had absolutely no trouble getting a table. Ariel was our server and she was very attentive and kidded around with us. We ordered Fried Green Tomato app. I don't like tomatoes as a rule but this was very good! I had a watermelon moonshine drink that was so refreshing. Chuck had his shrimp and grits and I had the chicken sandwich but subbed mashed potatoes and gravy instead of the chips. We passed on dessert because there were plenty of other places we wanted to check out for sweets.
We walked over to Sprinkles wanting to see the ATM at work - but the ATM was down.
We would try again later. So we walked around the new area a bit and ended up in Amorissettes. I had to try a macaron. I have never had a true French macaron - only the drop kind of macaroon cookie with coconut that my mom used to make. Never liked those too much. But we did get a box of the "real" kind (5 different flavors in a box) and a box of 3 cookies to bring back to the room. I really would have loved to try their signature cake! They were "styling" their showcases. The pastry chef was down on his knees eyeing everything and making sure it was all lined up correctly. Very interesting to watch.
We went over to Pandora to look for a new bead but I didn't wear my bracelet today so we decided that we would come back when I had it on me.
After this, we were headed back to the boats to go back to OKW. We stopped in the hat store to look for hats. Chuck had gotten a pork pie hat yesterday (I forgot to put that in) at a kiosk and we really had a fun time with the sales guy (Steve). When we got to the store today, Steve was there! We both ended up getting some hats - oversized straw hat for me and a "winter" type pork pie for Chuck.
After our purchases, we stopped in the gluten free bakery to get some breakfast type treats for the am. (since it seems we can't seem to get out before lunch).
Then we went down to the boats only to find them not running because of lightening in the area. It was just starting to rain lightly so we started working our way up to the buses. It started raining a bit harder and we ducked into the Coke store.
We thought about making a run for it so I bought some umbrellas. We were working our way to the new covered area and a gust of wind almost blew my new hat clear off! We got to the covered area and Chuck had to sit down. Because we were walking a bit too fast - his chest started to tighten up! I was so worried. He wouldn't tell me what was going on - I figured if I had to get EMS, he'd let me know. We got a place to sit and let him relax. So I went in search of plastic bags for our hats so they wouldn't get wet. I went into store after store and they all said they don't use those bags here (the big plastic Disney bags that we all end up with tons of - you know the ones). One lady offered some plastic garbage bags (clean) and I jumped at that. It worked too! The rain started letting up a little and Chuck was starting to feel better, so we finally made it to the buses (after getting some round about directions from a security officer). We were soaked by this time and ended up splashing through puddles because hey - why not? We got to the bus stop and were second in line. Well, I was standing facing Chuck with my back to the area where the bus would be and I saw a lightening bolt hit at the edge of the bus stop area (just outside of the covered area) like 15 feet from where I was standing.
Just past that brick post is where it struck down. This was taken from where I was standing - no zoom!
I was leaning on the metal rail and could FEEL the electricity. Good thing Chuck wasn't leaning on the metal! My arm and hands went numb and tingling and I was hyperventilating. Chuck had to calm me down. Then he told me that it also hit right behind my back where the bus would have been! (like 5 feet away) It probably was split by the roof/covered bus stop. If it hadn't been for that, it probably would have struck right down where we were! Finally, I stopped hyperventilating and a bus came. While we were snaking around the bus area on our way out - we saw a woman jump a chain and had her son pee against a tree right there in the bus area! Ugh! Some people! We said we should have taken a picture and post it on a "Disney Shame" website.
Once back at the room and dried off, we dug into our treats. We shared the macarons - very good. Then took a small nap while the rain stopped. Then we got ready to head back out for our dinner. We had visitors. They made prints across our door wall.
And then we found these guys in the parking area.
They were so cute!
We took a bus to MK and then the monorail to the Contemporary where we got off to do some shopping. We found a couple of things that we wanted but we didn't get. We thought we would be able to find them at DTD. We then took the monorail over to the GF for our dinner at Narcoossee's! We told our hostess that we seem to always come here around our anniversary. I had the cheese plate app while Chuck had the calamari. Then we both got filet - Chuck had the lobster tail and I had the crab legs add ons and we shared these. I should've just gone with the lobster - it was so much better. Just as we were thinking about dessert - our server came out with their almond crusted cheesecake with a chocolate "Happy Anniversary" sign. Gratis. It was a bit of Disney magic! I asked how they knew because I didn't link it with our ADR. She said that when we came in and said that off handedly - she made a note of it. Really cool!
After dinner, we made our way back to OKW -Bus to DTD and then Bus to OKW. It was 90 mins each way to AND from GF! A lot of travel time! As we were relaxing and digesting, I downloaded pics, checked FB, checked our travel card balances and wrote up some notes. Chuck hit the hay almost immediately.
Your meal at the Homecoming looked good and may try it next year on my October trip! That was crazy about the lightning and just way too close! You obviously had the good lord on your side that moment! Good meal at Narcoossee's but my two meals there have been a bit off with some good things and others not up to the price you're paying!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
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Sounds like a nice lunch at DTD and some fun shopping! It must have been so frightening when Chuck started having the chest pains after rushing to get out of the rain. I'm glad he was ok after resting. The lightening in Disney can be so scary! We've experienced feeling those electric currents on railings also. Your dinner looked delicious at Narcoossee's and how nice that they brought out the dessert for your anniversary. Disney is so good at adding a little magic here and there!
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We will be dining at Chef Art Smith's Homecoming in April. I can't wait as everyone seems to have good things to say about this one. Your dinner looked amazing! Scary, scary about the lightning!
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Your meal at the Homecoming looked good and may try it next year on my October trip! That was crazy about the lightning and just way too close! You obviously had the good lord on your side that moment! Good meal at Narcoossee's but my two meals there have been a bit off with some good things and others not up to the price you're paying!
We really did have someone watching out for us that day! We really do love Narcoossee's and have always had great food and service. However, we are always taken aback by how people dress for a signature place. One guy (elderly) was wearing shorts and a Grumpy t-shirt! SMH! I think that for the price you are paying, they should enforce the dress code a bit more.
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Originally Posted by chezp
Oh my goodness, that is really scary about the lightning bolt! Wow.
Glad you enjoyed the macarons and thanks for the tip about where to get some at Disney Springs. I think a visit there may be in order...
Definitely worth a trip! I wish we had splurged a bit and got a cake (anniversary). Just another reason to go back!
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Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
You certainly had some great eats today! How scary between Chuck not feeling well and then the lightning strike!
Thanks. I was a bit nerve wrecked by the end of it.
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Originally Posted by lindawdw
Sounds like a nice lunch at DTD and some fun shopping! It must have been so frightening when Chuck started having the chest pains after rushing to get out of the rain. I'm glad he was ok after resting. The lightening in Disney can be so scary! We've experienced feeling those electric currents on railings also. Your dinner looked delicious at Narcoossee's and how nice that they brought out the dessert for your anniversary. Disney is so good at adding a little magic here and there!
It was sweet to get a little "magic". Especially after a stressful day!
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Originally Posted by KMB733
Nice morning at DTD. That was really scary about the lightning strike! Looks like a wonderful dinner at Narcoossee's!
It was a great dinner! Overall - a good day!
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Originally Posted by Cam22
We will be dining at Chef Art Smith's Homecoming in April. I can't wait as everyone seems to have good things to say about this one. Your dinner looked amazing! Scary, scary about the lightning!
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Homecoming was really delish! I've never been a fan of tomatoes - but those fried green tomatoes were really good!
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Originally Posted by KMB733
No worries! This time of year especially can be very busy for a lot of people. We are here when you post another update.
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Originally Posted by chezp
No worries, we understand completely. Post whenever you're ready.
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Originally Posted by xwewhisper
I feel your pain, Mine has been sitting un-updated for months. This time of year so much just gets in the way! We are here whenever you are ready
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Originally Posted by lindawdw
No worries! We are waiting patiently for your next update whenever you have some free time.
I was up well before Chuck at 8 am. I had my tea and watched some tv. The mousekeeper came by - twice. I told her that we would be gone around 11 am.
Chuck finally got up and we got ready and left for DTD at around 10:30 - plenty of time for the mousekeeper! Today, I remembered to wear my Pandora bracelet - so that was our first stop. Unfortunately, the girl who helped us yesterday wasn't there yet - so they assigned someone new. She was very friendly - but frankly I couldn't pronounce OR spell her name, so I can't even tell you who it was! I have 2 bracelets connected and wear them as a wrap. So this wonderful lady showed me 4 clips and I chose 2 new beads (a 2016 bead and the Sorcerer's hat) While we were talking, she was just cleaning and shining up my bracelet. She asked if she could "style it" for me. I was like - sure! It was amazing - she not only cleaned it up to look shiny and new but she grouped my beads together so they tell my story. I am in love all over again with it!
Chuck had gotten a bit bored and went to find a place to sit nearby. After I was done, we made our way over to Bongo's for our lunch ADR. Figured out that we didn't really need to make an ADR for this time of day - it wasn't busy at all. This was our first time there and we were very impressed. We shared a combination app, Chuck had some civeche and tuna tartare and I had a cuban. It was good but too much food!
It was all very delicious and now is going on "the list" of places we MUST go to. But it did prove to be too much food!
After lunch, we walked over to the Cirque de Soleil shop and I got a t-shirt. Chuck and I decided to see about tickets for a performance. They have some new acts and since we weren't going to the parks, we decided to do this instead. We bought tickets for Wednesday night performance. With those in hand, we made our way back to the boats because we wanted to swim. When we got back, we stopped in at the Gurgling Suitcase to say "Hi" to Heather and give her a hug! Then we went over to Conch Flats and picked up stuff - including some wine. We got back to our room and I started feeling dizzy. I think I wasn't drinking enough water and wasn't staying hydrated. We laid down and took a nap because by then it was raining anyway and we couldn't swim. When we woke it was around 5 pm and sunny! So we DID get our swimming and hot tub time in!
We got cleaned up and then made our way back to DTD for dinner. No ADR's or plans and still too full for a huge meal - we opted for another trip to D'Luxe burger and another Smoked Bourbon shake!!!
We then went shopping - Chuck got a gag gift for a co-worker. She had an ankle injury and was using a scooter to get around because she couldn't bear weight. So Chuck got a bike bell for her scooter! Then we hit up Basin and bought some bath bombs and shampoo soap. We made our way over to the Co-Op and were looking into iPhone cases. Chuck was also saying I should buy another Dooney - but since I just splurged on my bracelet, I wasn't comfortable doing that. We were working our way toward the Pantry to look for kitchen souvenirs, but Chuck was getting tired so we turned back knowing we would be back and go to the Pantry later. We headed toward the buses by way of Ghirardelli. Ocean Beach is my favorite sundae!
We then caught a bus and we were the only ones on it!
We were back in our room by 11 pm. I had a jacuzzi with some wine and one of the bath bombs while Chuck watched a bit of tv. After my bath, I joined Chuck in watching some tv while I wrote up my notes for the day.
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The Cali tops this with 13 and on every WDW trip since 2002! 
I will return on my next WDW trip! 
Can't think of the name but I believe has an extensive tasting menu like V&A's! 
Such a memorable special 20th Anniversary for sure.
Such a great way to celebrate your 20th anniversary. 
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Pixie Dust
So we walked in and had absolutely no trouble getting a table. Ariel was our server and she was very attentive and kidded around with us. We ordered Fried Green Tomato app. I don't like tomatoes as a rule but this was very good! I had a watermelon moonshine drink that was so refreshing. Chuck had his shrimp and grits and I had the chicken sandwich but subbed mashed potatoes and gravy instead of the chips. We passed on dessert because there were plenty of other places we wanted to check out for sweets. 
That was crazy about the lightning and just way too close! 
You obviously had the good lord on your side that moment! 
PassPorter Guide Author
Wow. 
How scary between Chuck not feeling well and then the lightning strike! 
Scary, scary about the lightning! 
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