The "It Practically Pays For Itself", End of Summer, Split-Stay Sojourn.COMPLETE WITH FINAL THOUGHTS!!!!....UPDATED....11/18...... - Page 11 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We awoke to a super duper, steamy hot day. We wasted no time dressing and grabbing a bite in the lounge before heading to DHS. We had arrived before opening and Andrew was intent on heading straight to TSMM to go through the standby line and see Mr. Potato Head. DH really thought this was a bad idea but since we weren’t hitting any other big ticket rides, he agreed. So, the kids and DH zipped ahead of me and jumped in line. By the time I made it through the crowd….and crowded it was…the FP lines were really and truly insane. Quite frankly, the placement of those machines are a serious safety hazard as it was mobbed and the heat, I think, made people even more hot headed. In any case, when I arrived the standby line said 30 minutes which I thought was reasonable. However, no one was exiting the ride. I was hanging out with a few other moms and after about 15 minutes, people finally starting to exit. All told, it was 10am before my crew exited. The kiddos thought the wait was worth it to see Mr. Potato Head; DH…not so much so.
The only good news to the crowds at TSMM was that Star Tours and Muppets were both walk-ons! We had plans to take in the 11am Indy Show as we had not seen it in ages and Izzy doesn’t even remember it. We were cutting it close but we made our way into the theater with about 5 minutes to spare. Our seats were way up but the vantage point was great and it would make for an easy exit at the end. We enjoyed the show even more than I had anticipated and I am glad we made time for it. Hot and sweaty, we sought refuge in ABC Commissary for lunch. It was nice and cool and we were happy to fill up on lunch. I had the Oriental Salad which was light and refreshing and pretty yummy. We made a quick stop at the Animation Academy and drew Donald, again! This time, we had an awesome CM who really led us through the steps and our pics were actually recognizable!
As we had tackled all we came for, we headed back to the GF for some down time. Izzy and I went swimming and discovered some fun pool deck games.
The boys went out on the Sea Raycers and enjoyed some male bonding time!
We showered and changed and made our way downstairs for a very special meal at Citricos.
Tonight, finally, we were connecting with Heather and her boys!!! Citricos was gracious enough to seat us in the wine library and it was great to have our own private room. The meal, as always, was very fresh and delicious. Even better, was the companionship… I find it amazing how food tastes that much better when being enjoyed in the company of friends!
Although I took pics of all 3 courses we each had, I figured I wouldn’t bore you all with 24 photos of the various dishes. However, here are the hightlights…
The Chefs treated us all to a little amuse bouche…
The Salad of Chanentais Melon with Prosciutto and Homemade Ricotta was fantastic.
Crab Gateau…what could be wrong with that!
Grilled Swordfish
Oak Grilled Filet
Trio of Gelato
Berry Gratin with Sabayon
Tiramisu….absotively, posilutely my favorite dessert on property…highly recommended!
How could I forget….a little Happy Unbirthday to the Princess of the group.
We had switched to the DDE (Tables in Wonderland)…our portion of dinner was 176.22 inclusive of 18%. Our server was so awesome that we were happy to leave another 5%.
After dinner, we parted ways…my boys went to MK, Heather went to Epcot for EMH and Izzy and I headed to the beach!
Here is Izzy in her Dream Ears…nope we didn’t win them. Heather and her boys did, they were very kind and thoughtful to give two of their four Ears to my kiddos.
It was a wonderful day from start to finish…we turned in early as the next day we were headed to the MK.
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Your dinner looked delicious! We ate at Citricos for our 20th Wedding Anniversary celebration and had such a memorable meal. Sorry to hear that it's still crazy trying to get into TSM.: We never made it on the ride in September because unless you make it there when the park opens, the FP's are gone early and the wait time is just ridiculous.
Speaking for myself, (but I am sure there are many who would agree) there is no way I could get bored looking at you wonderful photos of food. Drool way more than one human should yes, be bored, never!
Great photos of your family and Heather's together. I know this was a moment in the trip that you were looking forward to. That is too sweet that Heather shared her family's winnings with Izzy and Andrew! Izzy looks adorable in her ears.
After a long day and a fantastic meal, I think you and Izzy had the right idea of heading to the beach for some down time.
Your meal looked fantastic and you are so right...the right company can definitely make a meal. Glad you and Heather's family had the chance to get together and enjoy this meal together...
Sounds like you and Lizzie enjoyed some peaceful downtime before heading off to bed. Can't wait to hear about your day at MK...
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What a great day Danielle!! Glad the kids were able to see Mr. Potato Head! And that you had a fantastic meal with Heather and her family!! How great for them to share their dream ears!!
Great update! Glad to hear the kids were happy to see Mr. PotatoHead! Sounds like you had a wonderful dinner with your friends. How nice of them to give Izzy and Andrew their Dream Ears! Looking forward to more
Great update, Danielle! It's hard to believe that dinner was two months ago...and it's hard to believe I haven't posted in almost as long! (I guess I've just been obsessed with the election. )
It was a really special meal, and it was very to dine in the library! It's always such a treat to spend time with you and your family, and the food was amazing. I'm really impressed with how your food pics turned out! I know we took some pics with Alec's camera, too, so if I find any good ones, I'll post them. And thanks for sharing your DDE card with us! The 20% discount was most appreciated!
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Great update!
We never made it on the ride in September because unless you make it there when the park opens, the FP's are gone early and the wait time is just ridiculous.
And that you had a fantastic meal with Heather and her family!! 
How great for them to share their dream ears!! 
)
to dine in the library! It's always such a treat to spend time with you and your family, and the food was amazing. I'm really impressed with how your food pics turned out! I know we took some pics with Alec's camera, too, so if I find any good ones, I'll post them. And thanks for sharing your DDE card with us! The 20% discount was most appreciated! 
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