A Coast to Coast Christmas - Phase One WDW - Page 34 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Oh... Mah... Gawd!! This gave me such a bad case of giggles that I woke up that hubster.
And... Good GRAVY!! I really need to up the bribe budget so I don't see more pics of me like this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by lindawdw
I'm shameless... (Actually, I love it, Linda. It makes me smile. And make funny faces.)
As for Dizzy Izzy: I simply *cannot* believe that he was a server at Artist Point. He would've been lame at Whispering Canyon, for goodness sakes. He was totally clueless that we weren't warming to him -- and that only made him try harder. Zoiks! (I love waiters, and I usually interact with them as much as possible, but this guy? Seriously, I did not want him horning in on our experience.) And what was with the wine pouring thang?! That got old really quick. (And personally, those glasses looked perfectly on-target to me. I didn't think it warranted him pointing out how much "extra" he poured because he "liked" us so much.)
Don't even get me started on him taking credit for Karen's sweet generosity.
I love the picture of the CLT/Q... great sense of humor there, I have to say! I'm shaking my head at Dizzy Izzy. I'll remember if I ever eat there, to avoid him like the plague! Sounds HORRIBLE! The food, on the other hand... oh man I'm starving looking at those photos! When will I learn to stop reading TR's before breakfast?
As for the woman on the bus... I honestly can't say I blame her too much. Probably not the "best" way to go about it, but with these new transportation rules, what's the point of staying at a monorail resort if you can't use the monorail for EMH? I know the CR is in walking distance, but you shouldn't HAVE to walk if you don't want to do that distance, especially after a long day at the parks. The entire point of being on the monorail is so that you can TAKE the MONORAIL. At least that would be it for me (though really, I'd stay at the Poly anyway, just to be closer to those Ohana noodles, but that's neither here nor there, I suppose).
I bet that was a pretty funny scene to witness, though. It certainly DID require its own paragraph!
That photo was hilarious!!! Just classic! As for your waiter taking credit for that bottle of wine...he should be ashamed of himself. Geesh! And the woman on the bus definitely had every right to complain, but before you went into your opinons of the whole situation, I was thinking to myself, did she say the Contemporary??? Couldn't she have just walked there instead of hopping on 3 buses??? Oh well.
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So many wonderful restaurants, so little time! That soup is worth the trip.
As we strolled World Showcase last Saturday night, we remarked that we could do this every Saturday night and it would take weeks or months to get to every eating/drinking place in WS... and that's just half a park.
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As we strolled World Showcase last Saturday night, we remarked that we could do this every Saturday night and it would take weeks or months to get to every eating/drinking place in WS... and that's just half a park.
Great pics from the Osborne Lights, and a great dinner! MK looks packed! Funny story about the woman on the bus!
The MK seemed to be very busy from what we saw of it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by disney_duke
The fact that MK is a dry park makes that story even funnier. Did she not see her big hotel just a short walk away? That's hilarious!
Sounded like a great night. The photo of the CLT --- I mean Q -- at the WL is great!
The CLT If Eileen ever writes that TR she keeps threatening, there will be more fun photos like that.
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Originally Posted by LLaffinPlace
I have been waiting for the group photo in front of the WL Christmas Tree, and it was definitely worth the wait!
It's terrific, isn't it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by LLaffinPlace
But the best part was being with friends, of course.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coop
Great pics of the OL! Love them. Yes, the purple cat was not in spot that was easy to photograph. We found it (or at least the back end of it)- then a CM showed us the reflection.
And the bus woman? Didn't anyone tell her that she could just walk? I agree, if the parks are open then the monorail should be. If you stay at BLT or CR, there is no bus. (from either MK or Epcot) We found that out the hard way. We were in Epcot and the monorail was closed for a mechanical problem. They had to bring in a bus to take people to the TTC. But instead of going with the masses, we took a bus to WL and then took the boat back to BLT.
Anyhow, great update! We liked Artist Point too!
It's just dumb that there isn't another option. Put a boat out there or something! Sheesh!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Two4Disney
Love the photo!!
And how wonderful of Karen to buy the newly-engaged couple a bottle of wine!! Oh, I so hope the server didn't take credit for it!
We almost had the transportation problem after our special private viewing of Osborne Lights but somebody warned us to head to the tram once they started playing the last song so we did and we made the last one of the evening. They should definitely run transportation until after all events. Sheesh!
Great update!
I hope people are complaining, because it's just silly. There really should be another transportation option once the monorail shuts down. They should at least leave the resort line running, even if they make you show your room key to board the dang thing!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
Love the pictures of the 7 of you (glad to see the snowmen hats now!), and the 3 +1 of you in front of the tree! Poor Karen!
What a crazy story about the woman on the bus! I get why she felt frustrated, but was a bit surprised that they did "give in to her demands" with witnesses present! Now how many will try that :"I don't care if this is an AKL bus, I want to go to Pop, by way of a grocery store!"
Well, I could sense her frustration so I give her a bit of a pass. Also, I'm sure she would've been glad to get on another bus, if only there'd been one. From what I understand, once the monorail shuts down, the WL buses should become WL/CR buses, but for some reason, that wasn't the case that night.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Your photos of the Lights are FANTASTIC! I love both shots in front of the tree-- the one with the whole group and the 3 plus Karen one.
I so agree that the new early closing of the monorail is absurd. The resort line should certainly be open for EMH. The big selling-point of staying on-site is having easy, no-hassle transportation.
Exactly! At least fire up a boat for the people as another option!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lindawdw
Sounds like a great dinner at Artist Point with the exception of Dizzy Izzy Loved the CLQ picture with Karen standing in the background. She's such a good sport and so much fun During our trip to Disney last week we had a problem getting back to the GF from MK during the EMH and we had to wait for a boat ride back to the GF since the monorails were no longer running. It was a real pain and most people waiting on the boat line were complaining about how inconvenient the whole thing was for them. I really think that Disney should accomodate their guests who are paying all that money to stay on a monorail line resort!
It baffles me that Disney treats their guests this way - especially at their most expensive resorts! It's crazy!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lindawdw
Here are a few of the pictures that my husband took of our PP Meet at the WL
Thanks for posting those pics! Even though it looks like I was picking my nose in one of them! I promise, I wasn't!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrDolphin
Dizzy Izzy... I think that speaks for itself. If he did claim credit for the bottle of wine, I seriously hope there was a conversation with the manager.... talk about RUDE!!
And the lady on the bus.... HAHAHA!! There isn't a bus that runs to the CR. You are close enough to walk it - of course, there may have been some reason (medically, etc) that she was incapable of doing so - but if not - geez....
Well, we aren't SURE he took credit. They got engaged. Everyone in our little area applauded them. Then, Karen told Izzy she wanted to pay for their bottle of wine. She said she didn't want credit for it. Rather than saying a fellow guest paid for it, Izzy just said it had been "taken care of," which would lead most people to believe it was on the server, NOT another guest at the next table. It's not really a big deal, but it probably increased his tip, something he really didn't deserve.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shnewell
Great photos of the Osborne Lights. And I love the photos in front of the WL tree! Bob and Larry's snowman hats are an *awesome* accompaniment to your Christmas tree hats.
I can totally understand that lady's frustration (though her approach was a bit questionable!). The walk from MK to the Contemporary isn't a short one. What if she was unable to make that walk? It's been a long time since we stayed at a monorail resort, but given that it's one of the reasons that those hotels are more expensive, it seems unfair to not have the monorail available when other forms of transportation are running.
Glad you finally got back to your room and hit the sack!
I bet she was more frustrated after getting on 3 buses. And forget being unable to make the walk. She might've been in the parks all day (it was midnight by then) and just didn't WANT to walk. Disney should consider that! I honestly think it was a matter of 3 or 4 CMs dropping the ball and giving her the wrong information, and then she finally just snapped!
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Originally Posted by elisa1006
The christmas lights are beautiful. It is a dream to be there one yr and see in person.
I laughed so hard at the 3+1 pic of the CLQ. So funny!!!!! Also, the woman on the bus. lol I agree the monorail should operate.
Sorry for the bad server at AP. That can really put a damper on things!
It really makes me sad that we missed out on Sandrine. She seemed awesome when I had a chance to meet her last September!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovedisney247
Oh my so much going on in this update! I love the group photo and the "party of 3" photo! LOL! I can't wait to get back to AP this month! It's one of my favorites and I plan on rolling back to my room--diet be darned!
Larry, Citricos has been my hidden gem for a long time. It's easy to get a reservation and the food and the service are always top notch. The menu changes frequently--so I hope on my next visit they have the mushroom soup you are raving about. I'm going to have to squeeze it in somewhere soon. I've got reservations for Flying Fish, Artist Point and California Grill coming up--maybe I can squeeze Citricos in for October!
So what are your October dates?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
Oh... Mah... Gawd!! This gave me such a bad case of giggles that I woke up that hubster.
Best. Photo. Evah! That's my favorite Maddie-faced Karen photo of the bunch!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
And... Good GRAVY!! I really need to up the bribe budget so I don't see more pics of me like this:
At least it doesn't look like you're picking your nose!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
As for Dizzy Izzy: I simply *cannot* believe that he was a server at Artist Point. He would've been lame at Whispering Canyon, for goodness sakes. He was totally clueless that we weren't warming to him -- and that only made him try harder. Zoiks! (I love waiters, and I usually interact with them as much as possible, but this guy? Seriously, I did not want him horning in on our experience.) And what was with the wine pouring thang?! That got old really quick. (And personally, those glasses looked perfectly on-target to me. I didn't think it warranted him pointing out how much "extra" he poured because he "liked" us so much.)
Don't even get me started on him taking credit for Karen's sweet generosity.
Ugh!
Oh, I forgot about his stoopid wine pours... one, two, three, OOOPS! He was trying way too hard!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Principessa_di_Fata
I love the picture of the CLT/Q... great sense of humor there, I have to say! I'm shaking my head at Dizzy Izzy. I'll remember if I ever eat there, to avoid him like the plague! Sounds HORRIBLE! The food, on the other hand... oh man I'm starving looking at those photos! When will I learn to stop reading TR's before breakfast?
As for the woman on the bus... I honestly can't say I blame her too much. Probably not the "best" way to go about it, but with these new transportation rules, what's the point of staying at a monorail resort if you can't use the monorail for EMH? I know the CR is in walking distance, but you shouldn't HAVE to walk if you don't want to do that distance, especially after a long day at the parks. The entire point of being on the monorail is so that you can TAKE the MONORAIL. At least that would be it for me (though really, I'd stay at the Poly anyway, just to be closer to those Ohana noodles, but that's neither here nor there, I suppose).
I bet that was a pretty funny scene to witness, though. It certainly DID require its own paragraph!
Yeah, even though she held us up for about 10 minutes, I wasn't upset, because she totally had a point. And because I think Disney didn't quite have it worked out what their Plan B was, or only some people knew what to do. I think if I'd been given the runaround like that and then told the bus I was on wasn't going where someone told me, I certainly wouldn't feel like getting off and walking after all that!
Quote:
Originally Posted by honeybee723
That photo was hilarious!!! Just classic! As for your waiter taking credit for that bottle of wine...he should be ashamed of himself. Geesh! And the woman on the bus definitely had every right to complain, but before you went into your opinons of the whole situation, I was thinking to myself, did she say the Contemporary??? Couldn't she have just walked there instead of hopping on 3 buses??? Oh well.
Like I said, I think Disney didn't really have a good plan for their guests at the Contemporary and they were just hoping everyone would decide to walk. They should offer a boat if they're not going to put a dedicated bus route.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Two4Disney
As we strolled World Showcase last Saturday night, we remarked that we could do this every Saturday night and it would take weeks or months to get to every eating/drinking place in WS... and that's just half a park.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LLaffinPlace
It's good to have goals!
__________________
Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Don't tempt us... We're going to try to finally have an official Yak Attack this weekend and maybe do an AK stroll - take another peek at Mt. Everest - still haven't ridden it. So chicken... Well, that would be. Ha! Or maybe I'll surprise myself and go wild!
We're going to try to finally have an official Yak Attack this weekend and maybe do an AK stroll - take another peek at Mt. Everest - still haven't ridden it. So chicken... Well, that would be. Ha! Or maybe I'll surprise myself and go wild!
Yay on the Yak Attack!
If you've ridden the bobsleds, Space Mountain, and Big Thunder, then I don't think EE is really more than that. It's very smooth--I prefer it to Space Mountain and Big Thunder. The trick with the backwards part is to keep your head back and look straight ahead. If you move your head around it's possible to confuse your inner ear. [There are people who swear they went upside down, but there are ZERO inversions on this attraction.] The big drop is smoother than Splash Mountain and you start back up immediately so to me it's actually easier.
If you've ridden the bobsleds, Space Mountain, and Big Thunder, then I don't think EE is really more than that. It's very smooth--I prefer it to Space Mountain and Big Thunder. The trick with the backwards part is to keep your head back and look straight ahead. If you move your head around it's possible to confuse your inner ear. [There are people who swear they went upside down, but there are ZERO inversions on this attraction.] The big drop is smoother than Splash Mountain and you start back up immediately so to me it's actually easier.
Hope that helps and doesn't scare you off!
Yep, love all 3 of those (having grown up 8 miles from Disneyland, these were my staples). But that backward stuff does scare me. I've stood there and watched and thought, "Oh, dear, might want to skip that." I used to do all of that upside down stuff, but when I turned 40, I could no longer ride Top Gun at Great America, for example. Will keep that tip in mind should we take the plunge... Thx!
It's so nice that Disney added touches for the late Jennings Osborne for the lights.
That's crazy that there's no monorail for EMH! They should definitely have another option than just walking.
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Dinner at AP sounded fabulous...well minus the Dizzy Izzy issue. Glad you were all able to enjoy without any notable service. You meal looked yummy however. AP is on our sumer list so hoping to finallyt try it.
Love the pictures of you all at the WL - poor Karen, not sure how you all could just forget she was there...
That poor lady on the bus, I have to agree if I was staying at the Contempoary I would have walked by then but I still don't know why they are stopping the monorail at official park hours - it really changes the dynamics of people staying at a monorail resort for the ease of getting to the park.
Loved the pictures of the Osborne Lights...what a great evening.
After being away from the boards for wayyyyyy to long it was nice to get back and read a CLQ trip report from the fabulous Princess Sharon....I'm finally all caught up and I have loved every moment now to ready Jill's take on it and read Oh Toddles TR so I have hints on how to handle a 1 year old and a 4 year old next year for their first trip
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I'm shameless... (Actually, I love it, Linda. It makes me smile. And make funny faces.)
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Geesh! And the woman on the bus definitely had every right to complain, but before you went into your opinons of the whole situation, I was thinking to myself, did she say the Contemporary??? Couldn't she have just walked there instead of hopping on 3 buses??? Oh well.
MK looks packed! 
Funny story about the woman on the bus!
That's hilarious! 
If Eileen ever writes that TR she keeps threatening, there will be more fun photos like that.
I promise, I wasn't! 
Then, Karen told Izzy she wanted to pay for their bottle of wine. She said she didn't want credit for it. Rather than saying a fellow guest paid for it, Izzy just said it had been "taken care of," which would lead most people to believe it was on the server, NOT another guest at the next table. It's not really a big deal, but it probably increased his tip, something he really didn't deserve. 
We're going to try to finally have an official Yak Attack this weekend and maybe do an AK stroll - take another peek at Mt. Everest - still haven't ridden it. So chicken... 
Well, that would be. Ha! Or maybe I'll surprise myself and go wild!
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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