Backstage Tours...Thoughts & Opinions - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks

   guidebooks   |   news   |   podcasts   |   boards   |   blog   |   worksheets   |   photos   |   articles   |   updates   |   register   |   follow us on


Forums Closed
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

Go Back   PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums > PassPorter's Walt Disney World Resort (Florida) > Making More Magic: Everything Else at Walt Disney World!
Register


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.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11-21-2007, 03:24 PM   #1
Tammie1966
Tammie
 
Tammie1966's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 166

Post Thanks / Like
Backstage Tours...Thoughts & Opinions

Am considering doing the Keys to the Kingdom tour when we go to the World in February and tossing around the idea of the Epcot Seas Aqua Tour...has anyone done these tours and what do you think of them? Just would like some feedback before completely deciding what to do...would be a surprise for both DH and DD. Thanks ya'll for the info!
__________________
Tammie
My Countdown Counting down to: 12th Anniversary/Honeymoon Trip
Our Platinum Dream Honeymoon
My Previous TripsWDW February 7-13, 2008 at ASMu Family Suites; Too many trips to DL growing up in SoCal
Tammie1966 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2007, 03:36 PM   #2
bradk
Community Rank: Explorer
 
bradk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: nyc
Posts: 9,580

Post Thanks / Like
done them both (along with a bunch of others).. did the seas aqua this past saturday in fact... both are really good. if not for the wetsuit, i'd probably consider the seas aqua every time i visit wdw now. it really does make you want to pursue scuba certification so you can do divequest.
__________________
bradk is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2007, 03:42 PM   #3
jimmymac
Community Rank:
Legend Extraordinaire
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 35,829

Post Thanks / Like
We loved the KTTK tour. Never tried the Seas Aqua Tour
__________________
Jim
My Countdown Counting down to:
My Previous Trips2015 BC, 2014 BC, 2014 BWI, 2013 BC, 2013 GF, 2012 BC, 2012 OKW, 2012 BWI, 2011 BWI, 2011 BC, 2010 BC, 2010 CSR, 2010 Kidani, 2009 GCV, 2009 BC, 2008 BWV, 2008 Grand Californian, 2008 BC, 2007 BWI, 2007 POFQ, 2007 Grand Californian, 2006 BC, 2006 POR, 2006 WL, 2005 BC, 2005 BWI, 2005 CBR, 2004 CR, 2004 GF, 2004 POFQ 2004 Poly, 2003 Poly, 2003 CSR, 2003 POR, 2002 AKL, 2002 GF, 2001 AKL, 2001 Poly, 2000 CBR, 1999 CBR, 1998 ASMo, 1997 ASMSp, 1996 ASMo, 1995 ASSp, 1991 Wyndham, 1989 off site, 1985 Off Site
jimmymac is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2007, 03:48 PM   #4
piratefreak
Community Rank: Trekker
 
piratefreak's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Oak Lawn, IL
Posts: 1,372

Post Thanks / Like
KTTK tour is the one we liked best!
__________________




Margaret


I am not a Disney employee. The postings here are my own and do not represent the positions or opinions of the Disney Company
My Countdown Counting down to: WDW-Moms Panel EE5K reunion
Back to visit mom's visit us at www.disneyworldmoms.com
My Previous Trips12 WDW trips from 1988-1996 ,POFQ Aug 1996, CB Sep 1997, AS Sports Dec 1998, BW Nov 1999, YC Nov 2000, CS Nov 2001, BW Nov 2002, GF Oct 2003, BW Nov 2004, BC July 2005, BW Nov 2005, BC Feb 2006, CW June 2006, BW Nov 2006, BC Feb 2007, BC June 2007, CW & AK Oct 2007, WL Jan 2008,BW April 2008. ASMu Solo trip Aug 2008, SSR & YC Oct 2008, Moms Panel CSR Dec '08, FW Feb '09, BW March '09, FW Apr '09, BC May '09, BW May '09, BC June '09, BC July '09, BC Aug '09
piratefreak is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2007, 03:54 PM   #5
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
We've never done the Seas Aqua tour, but we loved Keys to the Kingdom.
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2007, 04:09 PM   #6
Eeyore Tattoo
PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

PassPorter Guide

Community Rank: Explorer
 
Eeyore Tattoo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Texas
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 11,304

Post Thanks / Like
We did Keys to the Kingdom in May and totally loved it. I would highly recommend it to anyone..
Deb
__________________
My Previous TripsCBR: May 1999, CBR:October 2001 Disneyland: June 2002, CSR: October: 2003, POR: May 2005, POFQ: Dec-Jan 2005-2006, POFQ: May 2007, POR :Dec. 2007, Disneyland:May 2008, Mousefest: Dec. 2008 Disneyland: June 2009 AKL Savanna: Oct. 2009 December Gathering BLT: Dec. 2009 BLT Oct. 2010 Paradise Pier Aug. 2011 BLT Nov. 2011 Disneyland/California Adventure 2013 AKV May 2013 SSR March 2015
Eeyore Tattoo is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2007, 04:43 PM   #7
Jennifer2003
Community Rank: Explorer
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Niagara Falls
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 12,431

Post Thanks / Like
Keys to the Kingdom was great!
Jennifer2003 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2007, 05:15 PM   #8
Geri Alexander
Community Rank: Trekker
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Posts: 1,060

Post Thanks / Like
KTTK was great, and I've done Divequest, which I LOVE. I am going back to do it again this next Wednesday. I don't know about Aqua, but if it's anything like Divequest, you'll love it!

Are you trying to choose between the two, or are you going to do them both?
__________________
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Calamitees?ref=shop_sugg for great family vacation shirts!
Geri Alexander is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2007, 10:06 PM   #9
bradk
Community Rank: Explorer
 
bradk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: nyc
Posts: 9,580

Post Thanks / Like
the key difference between seas aqua and divequest is in seas aqua, you have a floatation device so you can't go below the surface. you use a respirator but it's not compressed air either.

but it is an amazing experience... rays and sharks and all the fish swimming right below you. and the turtles. they actually advise you to just float out in the middle and stay there and let everything move around you, but you can swim up to the coral reef and the seas pavilion windows.. who's gonna stay in one spot? it was pretty uneventful (but cool) for me until near the end when one of the turtles swam inches away from me (i had to stop myself so i wouldn't swim into it)
__________________
bradk is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2007, 02:14 AM   #10
Tammie1966
Tammie
 
Tammie1966's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 166

Post Thanks / Like
I am appreciative of all the feedback I have received on this topic thus far, I am really hoping to do both so...my other question regarding Aqua is this..are "fluffy" people excluded from enjoying this particular tour with having to put on a wetsuit? I will be much appreciative again of info. Thanks all and have a Magical Thanksgiving!
__________________
Tammie
My Countdown Counting down to: 12th Anniversary/Honeymoon Trip
Our Platinum Dream Honeymoon
My Previous TripsWDW February 7-13, 2008 at ASMu Family Suites; Too many trips to DL growing up in SoCal
Tammie1966 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2007, 08:08 AM   #11
Shadowfax
Community Rank: Adventurer
 
Shadowfax's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Maine
Posts: 634

Post Thanks / Like
I did not do the Aqua Tour (but I want to!) but I did do the Dolphins in Depth Tour, which also required wetsuits. I too was worried about being slightly pooh-sized and if they had a wetsuit to fit me. (I wear an 18/20 usually.) I needn't have worried. They ask you for your tee-shirt size and base the wetsuit size on that. Mine fit fine and there was a woman a bit larger than me on the tour, and she also had no problem.
__________________
**Meg**
Upcoming Trips:
2/16--Girl's Cruise on the Magic
7/2017--Sophie's 7th Birthday Blowout at AKV
My Countdown Counting down to: Animal Kingdom Lodge
Back at my happy place
My Previous TripsCBR Feb. 1997, ASMu June 2000, Swan & AKL June 2001, WL June 2004, Dolphin & CBR July 2006, CSR & AKL June 2007, BWV Dec. 2007, AKV June 2009, BCV November 2010, AKL and BVC June 2011, AKL and BVC June 2012, BCV October 2013
Shadowfax is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2007, 08:24 AM   #12
wvugrrrl
Community Rank: Scout
 
wvugrrrl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Exported from Morgantown, WV to Shreveport, LA
Posts: 4,104

Post Thanks / Like
We've done Keys to the Kingdom as well, and really enjoyed it. I will say, however, that if you're not willing to devote 2/3 of your day to this tour, then you probably shouldn't take it. It is rather long. But for us, it was totally worth it!
__________________

My Previous TripsWDW 1986 off-property), WDW April 1994 (Contemporary), WDW 1996 (off-property), WDW March 2004 (POP), WDW October 2004 (POP), WDW March 2005(POP), WDW August 2006 (POP), WDW March 2007 (POP), WDW August 2008 (off-property), WDW December 2008 (AKLV & BWV), WDW June 2009 (SSR), WDW Oct. 2009 (BLT & OKW), WDW Dec. 2009 (OKW & SSR)
wvugrrrl is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 11-27-2007, 04:06 PM   #13
janicelovesmickey
Community Rank: Explorer
 
janicelovesmickey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: w/future ex husbands tommy lee, robert downey jr, adam lambert in NJ planet poptart
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 10,563

Post Thanks / Like
We have done the Keys to the Kingdom tour aswell, we loved it, and lunch is at Columbia Harbor House. I recommend it.
__________________
My Countdown Counting down to: A really quick weekend trip
I need to just live here
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips1975, summer timeFirst family trip to WDW | 1983, May SR. HS Trip | 1999, November Off property | 2000, November Off property | 2004, June Off property | 2004, September Disneyland & hollywood | 2005 - July Hollywood | 2005, September All Star Music & November off property | 2006, April off property & Sept POP | 2006, July - Hollywood | 2007, March off property, July- Hollywood, Sept POP, Oct POP, Dec off property | 2008, January off property, April/May off property, July-HOLLYWOOD, September- All star Music PIN CODE! | 2009- feb, LAS VEGAS. APRIL-MAY Nashville June 2009 Nashville. JULY 2009 HOLLYWOOD, October 2009 WDW CSR pin code, DEC 2009/JAN 2010 OFF PROPERTY | April/May 2010-POP AP RATE | July 2010- Hollywood/Las Vegas | Sept 2010 CBR Pin Code!! | ANNUAL PASSHOLDER 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 | Universal Studios Orlando/Islands of Adventure Premium Annual Passholder 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 | Universal Studios Hollywood Annual Passholder 2008-2009
janicelovesmickey is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 12-05-2007, 11:31 AM   #14
kv3291
Community Rank: Trekker
 
kv3291's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 1,302

Post Thanks / Like
We did kttk tour, and as mentioned, the tour lasted 5 3/4 hours. I enjoyed it, but got to a point when I had enough of the tour and wanted to go do my own thing. Of course, we took the tour on a rainy day and were trying to squeeze under awnings and wait out some of the rain. This might have made the tour seem a little dragged out and altered my view. However, I loved aquatour, dolphins in-depth, and backstage safari. Whatever you choose, you will have a great time.
__________________
Kelly (photo after hours party MK 2017 and ds 16)

My Countdown Counting down to: Going to WDW
At WDW
My Previous TripsFirst WDW trip in 1978 and many, many more.
kv3291 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 12-06-2007, 08:25 AM   #15
tinksmom
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
tinksmom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Arlington,Texas USA
Posts: 2,555

Post Thanks / Like
I loved KTTK and can't wait to share it with my DD when she turns 16 in two years! I've often thought of surprising DH with AquaSeas or Divequest, but he's quite Pooh-sized.
I think you'll love KTTK. Let us know if you take the tours what you think.
__________________
Tenya
My Previous Trips1977 Magic Kingdom; 1992 July honeymoon at DxL; 1997 May Carly's first trip DxL; 1999 Oct POR; 2000 July Magic/DxL; 2001 July Magic/DxL; 2002 July 10th anniversary WL; 2003 July WL/BCV, joined DVC/VWL; 2004 Jan three generations at WL, July VB/Magic, Nov just Joe and me at POR, Dec VWL; 2005 March WL, July VWL; 2006 May/June Dolphin/CS, July VWL, Dec VWL; 2007 March Contemporary, July Grand Californian, Aug/Sept BV/Contemporary, Nov added OKW, Dec VWL; 2008 Jan BV/Poly, July BCV, Dec Magic/VWL, added BLT; 2009 March SSR, June SSR, Aug Poly, Dec BLT
tinksmom is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Reply




Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump














Please login or register to hide these ads -- it's free and easy!

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:17 PM.

-->

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like v3.4.0 Patch Level 1 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
(c) 1998-2017 PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc.
Celebrating 19 Years of Making Dreams Come True
Ad Management plugin by RedTyger