The Trip Full of Thanksgiving and Christmas 11/19-11/28 - Page 7 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Tusker House breakfast looks so good! I had to cancel my adr there the last time I was at Disney and I was so sad. It's definitely on the top of my to-do list for next trip.
I love Festival of the Lion King! The tumble monkeys are one of my favorite parts, I also love the finale.
Great PP pictures! You're getting so many good ones. It's well worth the money you spend on MM.
Tusker House breakfast looks so good! I had to cancel my adr there the last time I was at Disney and I was so sad. It's definitely on the top of my to-do list for next trip.
I love Festival of the Lion King! The tumble monkeys are one of my favorite parts, I also love the finale.
Great PP pictures! You're getting so many good ones. It's well worth the money you spend on MM.
It is a great breakfast, that's for sure. I never tire of FOTLK, not one bit. The best part of the Memory Maker is that when you get an Annual Pass, it comes right along with it, and your pictures stay good for a year! I am loving that!
You get another update today because I actually have a few moments of quiet.
So after seeing the Festival of the Lion King show and enjoying that thoroughly, we had a little time before our Fastpass for the Kilimanjaro Safari. We did what we usually do, and headed here:
We enjoy this trail, but I have to say, walking it on this day was absolutely delightful. Why? Because usually when we are walking it, it is in the heat of the summer. Today it was in the low 80's and we were able to take our time and see things.
First we spotted the cotton topped tamarin, but my picture did not come out on that one. Then we saw a few Okapi.
Caden likes to do this picture on every trip. How he has grown!
This egret really wanted to get in the aviary, and was making quite the fuss about not being let in.
I just love how beautiful even a simple water area is back here.
And a wood duck taking a snooze.
The Yellow Weaver gathering bits for its next.
Soon we were near the hippopotamus. All through Animal Kingdom Tim had been singing, "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" and frankly it drove us a little crazy.
And see, the hippopotamus didn't like it either.
Since the hippopotamus was ignoring us, we ventured over to the zebras. The zebras were not here the last time we were here.
We began discussing the Meerkats with a Cast Member. We talked about the show on Animal Planet and how we had watched all the seasons, so it made us look at these little fur balls in a different light.
I had never seen so many of them out before, and they seemed to be working on new tunnels.
We then found the gorillas, which is my favorite part of the trail.
This guy was taking a snack break.
And this little one was having some fun.
And this one was just watching all the people.
We decided to hit up the bathrooms before going on the safari, and caught these musicians entertaining the crowds. They had a few Christmas songs in their mix.
We then headed to the Safari. As Caden is now ending my time of peace and quiet, you will just need to wait on that update.
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Glad you were able to spend some time on PFET as that's always good way to relax in the AK between attractions! Love the Hippo reference as that's quite funny! That song is quite annoying at times!
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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!
Glad you were able to spend some time on PFET as that's always good way to relax in the AK between attractions! Love the Hippo reference as that's quite funny! That song is quite annoying at times!
I've gotten to see my favorite Christmas tree! Your PhotoPass photos there are great, too. Breakfast looked fun and delicious, so cool to walk right out of there and into FoTLK. The hippo was definitely trying to tell Tim something. Great pics along PFET.
I've gotten to see my favorite Christmas tree! Your PhotoPass photos there are great, too. Breakfast looked fun and delicious, so cool to walk right out of there and into FoTLK. The hippo was definitely trying to tell Tim something. Great pics along PFET.
I am glad to show you the tree! I love having the theatre right near Tisker House now! The hippo definitely had an attitude lol!
Some wonderful photos from this morning! Our last visit to Tusker House we were less impressed and it's usually one of out favorites so it was quiet a bummer!
Some wonderful photos from this morning! Our last visit to Tusker House we were less impressed and it's usually one of out favorites so it was quiet a bummer!
I will be honest, we have decided to take a break from Tusker House for awhile. The food was good, but we had better elsewhere. And we have done it a couple times now. I am sure we will try it again at some point, but not for awhile.
The Fastpass line for the safari was longer than I remembered ever having to wait so we had to entertain ourselves for awhile.
Soon enough we had boarded our safari vehicle and we were off!
First the rhinoceros.
And then a hippo slightly more interested in is than the other one we had seen earlier.
Then we ventured to the crocodiles. I am always amazed how close we seem, yet it doesn't bother me a bit that I am so close to so many animals that would eat me first chance they got.
And then the upside down tree.
We then saw some giraffes.
And then we came to the elephants, which I were quite happy were not showing just their backsides, as they so often do.
And then on the the flamingos.
Then onto some zebras that were not as cooperative as the elephants today.
And then the lions, which one was posing quite nicely.
So that was our safari. I just love this experience. It did rain slightly while we were out there, but not very much. Tim was watching the radar and it seemed some rain was coming our way, but not until later on.
A great time on KS, but it seemed the animal sightings and activity may have been less than the norm The spots of rain probably had something to do with it! I know you all enjoyed it anyway!
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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!
A great time on KS, but it seemed the animal sightings and activity may have been less than the norm The spots of rain probably had something to do with it! I know you all enjoyed it anyway!
There were other photos, I just picked the best ones. Though the cheetahs were really hiding this time.
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Love the Hippo reference as that's quite funny! 
Your PhotoPass photos there are great, too. Breakfast looked fun and delicious, so cool to walk right out of there and into FoTLK. 
Great pics along PFET. 
The spots of rain probably had something to do with it! 
I know you all enjoyed it anyway! 
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