The Promise of Spring: Flower & Garden Festival 4.0 -- A Cam and Luke TR COMPLETED 8/27 - Page 6 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
We love Morimoto's! Sorry your entree wasn't great. We usually get some ribs, toro, bao and then share an entree. Chuck may get some sushi too. Great pics! We haven't eaten upstairs yet.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Glad you were able to catch the bus before it left for Disney Springs so you could make your reservation time! Sorry your meal wasn't as good as your first visit. It really is a beautiful restaurant and your server sounded very friendly. We usually stop at Ghiraradelli for the free sample of chocolate but rarely have ice cream since it doesn't always agree with me, but I do love it! Sounds like the perfect first day!
I wondered about the photo of the 2 of you too...glad you found it and included it. Christopher definitely nailed that one. I also really liked the pics of the steps and the copper light fixture...definitely very artistic.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
When he started leading us to the spot, I told Luke that he must have done this before.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pris
Now that is a gorgeous location for the photo shot. Nice picture of you two.
Christopher promised us that the backdrop would be so much better than at our table, and he was right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara
Great photo and beautiful backdrop!!
Christopher did us a great favor moving us to that location.
WOW, you guys really know how to start a vacation. The view from your balcony is fantastic especially for someone who loves giraffes as much as you do. I am impressed with your look after dinner. No one would have thought that you could look so good after doing so much in your first day. Your server did a great job with the picture. We have never been to that restaurant. It looks great..k
I felt we lucked out with a giraffe immediately. We'd spent most of the day in the A/C so that kept us looking mainly fresh.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMA
Great photo of the two of you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperDave
Nice start to your latest WDW adventure and how cool that first thing you see from your balcony from AKL is a giraffe! Too bad your dinner was a bit off at Morimoto compared to your other times there!
In photobucket to have your photos show up in the right order. When your photos come up from the particular album. Above them on the left there is an option called order by. Click by filename and this will work.
I've tried that, but I have uploaded photos from my DSLR, my iPhone, and from Luke's phone so it has some of the phone photos out of order. I'll keep checking for those now before I post. It's odd as it will put the PhotoPass photos near where they should go.
We love Morimoto's! Sorry your entree wasn't great. We usually get some ribs, toro, bao and then share an entree. Chuck may get some sushi too. Great pics! We haven't eaten upstairs yet.
Luke and I neither one really like ribs, so we'll probably never get those. But there are lots of other items on the menu that I can try next time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by I live with a 'Stitch'!
Joining in! Can't wait for more!
Next update coming soon!
Quote:
Originally Posted by 3dogknight
signing in . Great start to your trip.
Thanks! We used to rush to a park on Day 1, but we like a more leisurely start now.
Glad you were able to catch the bus before it left for Disney Springs so you could make your reservation time! Sorry your meal wasn't as good as your first visit. It really is a beautiful restaurant and your server sounded very friendly. We usually stop at Ghiraradelli for the free sample of chocolate but rarely have ice cream since it doesn't always agree with me, but I do love it! Sounds like the perfect first day!
I'd be in sad shape if ice cream didn't agree with as it is one of my favorite foods. Our vacation was definitely off to a great start.
We were up by 7:25 AM, and guess what I did first? Yep, I checked the balcony to see if any animals were hanging out below on the savanna. Initially, a few zebras were eating breakfast. Luke then took the first turn in the shower while I checked e-mails and then washed my face. I checked the balcony one more time while waiting for the shower. I was rewarded with a lone giraffe feeding on browse. Guess what I just realized, I didn’t take a single photo. We were both ready by 8:30 and made our way down to the bus stop. A Magic Kingdom bus arrived by 8:50 and we were on our way. The new bag check system moved quite quickly and efficiently, and we were soon in the AP ticket line. We grew to love this new perk over the course of our trip. At the Magic Kingdom the line is over to the left. Luckily, today it was a short line. Soon we were walking under the arches and absorbing that magical MK atmosphere. Our plan for this morning was to make a beeline for Space Mountain as we did not have a FastPass for this one. When I was undergoing occupational therapy for my frozen shoulder this winter, I had several adjustments and needling of my neck as well because it was creating part of my shoulder problems. I was cautioned then to avoid activities that put my neck under stress. Space Mountain has always been rough on my back and neck, and even my jaw since I have TMJ. So more than likely, my days of riding Space Mountain are over and done. Hence our reason for not getting FastPasses, but Luke loves this one and I didn’t want him to have a long wait for it. Unfortunately, this is one thrill ride without a single-rider line. Boo! We needed to get there ASAP so the standby wait wouldn’t be long. As we walked into Tomorrowland, the crowd thinned out considerably. Without a single detour, we arrived at Space Mountain and discovered a 15 minute wait. Success! I got the camera from Luke and sent him on his way. Initially, he was a little concerned about what I’d do while waiting. My response was take pictures, of course.
Luke had requested breakfast at the new Joffrey’s in the Magic Kingdom. So after getting a few photos of Space Mountain for the record, I wandered over there to get photos since that would be our next adventure. In the process I marveled over the size of the cinnamon buns served here.
From here I began walking clockwise around Tomorrowland, taking photos along the way. It was peaceful in this area this morning, though there were quite a few folks milling around. First up moving in this direction was Carousel of Progress.
I then moved on to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin where I realized that the sun was very bright, making it difficult to see what was in the photo even through the viewfinder of my camera.
Then I turned inward to the center of Tomorrowland. Luke loves the Toy Story aliens and they do look so cute on this kiosk.
Just beyond the cute little aliens was the Peoplemover. Oddly, the broken up escalator onto this attraction has still NOT been repaired or maybe it’s simply broken again.
Earlier when I had been at Carousel of Progress, there had been a family camped out in front of the sign, so I had just moved on. They were still there now, but just I decided to head off elsewhere, they walked away. So I ran over quickly to capture the sign people-free.
It was getting hot again today, so I took a couple more photos of the metal palm tree lights and the Peoplemover before I found a bench in the shade to relax. I had to see at the very edge of the bench as most of it was quite wet. In fact, an older couple headed in my direction and I could tell they planned on sharing my bench. They noticed the water quickly and veered off for another one.
Soon enough I was getting a text from Luke that he had arrived back on earth. I met him just outside the entrance to the shop, and we went back to Joffrey’s Revive for coffee and breakfast. Actually, Luke was not at all hungry, so I’m the only one who got breakfast. Can you guess what I got? You’d be right if you said one of those ginormous cinnamon rolls. It was very delicious, so delicious it didn’t last long enough for a photo. With our treats in hand, we moved over to an open table at Launch Pad where Luke got me a Fanta Orange to have with my cinnamon roll. We leisurely enjoyed our break here in the shade. Eventually, though our FastPasses were ready for Buzz Lightyear. The FastPass line had no one in front of us so we walked right up to the area with Buzz himself.
As we got the entrance to the loading room, the ride stopped completely. I took advantage of the stopped ride to get a few photos in this area, something I’ve never been able to do before as we are usually herded right onto a car. The attraction was down for several minutes, and then as suddenly as it had stopped it was moving again.
I turned back around for one more shot of Buzz himself.
Once we were in our ride vehicles, we were intense in our battle against the evil Zurg and the camera was put away. Despite our intensity and enthusiasm, the next photo documents just how poorly the two of us helped the universe defeat the evil Zurg. Oh well, we still have so much fun on this ride.
Now we explored two of the attractions I’d photographed earlier. We turned right outside of Buzz and climbed up the ramp to the Carousel of Progress. I love this attractions as I’ve mentioned so many times before. This time I think my head was on a swivel as I keep scanning to see if there was anything I’ve missed in the past. Soon we’d past through all the seasons and four decades, and exited the ride with “Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” playing in our heads.
The queue at the Peoplemover seemed to be stalled, but as we entered the back we realized that the Cast Member at the bottom of the non-functioning up escalator was keeping too many folks from crowding up as it is a very steep walk. In spite of this, the line was moving very quickly, and soon we were touring Tomorrowland from above.
When we debarked from the TTA, I noted a tree in bloom that was just gorgeous. So that seemed photo worthy.
We are just the opposite here! Muffin does not ride Space Mountain or RNRC ( however, he does do EE ,Splash Mountain and BTMRR). I love both of these attractions so we always work it out where he does something else in the meanwhile. I, too, love the three eyed alien dudes!! I have been chosen!!
Muffin and I do worse and worse on Buzz Lightyear but we swear they are making it harder!!. We simply love Tomorrowland and feel this is a classic part of the MK.
Great start to your first park day. Nice going with so many photos, while Luke rode Space Mountain. Glad you got a few more attraction in during the am with Buzz and CoP, with the latter being one of my faves in the MK! Just love the song and tough to get out of your head as IASW is but not annoying!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!