A Dream That Came True! The First Timers TR - COMPLETED 9/10 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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OMG I'm FOAMING at the MOUTH right now just looking at all of that Harry Potter stuff! I can't take it!! Two weeks and two days til I get to see it in person! Have I mentioned how EXCITED I am??? I want to buy that tumbler set that I saw in one of your photos... but I bet I will balk when I see the price! LOL!
What a great birthday day at the MK, you got so much done and how great that you were able to get the Crystal Palace ADR, your plate looked delicious. Sorry that dinner was not up to par, I have heard some great reviews from Shutters and then some not so great, I guess every place has their off nights. Love all your pictures at Universal, I hope the ride opens up again before you have to leave.
I honestly can't say enough about Crystal Palace's food, it was really delicious!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I love all the theming - it's wonderful! I'm intrigued to read the next installment...
It really was amazing to see how realistic it all looked.
Quote:
Originally Posted by disneyfreeeak
WOW that is soooo cool!! I love the shops...they're so realistic with the books! Sorry you didnt like the pumpkin juice though
I got so many pics of the different shops that I didn't add here, but I will include a link at the end to my album on photobucket so people can see ALL of the photos.
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Originally Posted by Disney4us2
Cool shops. Hmmmmm yelling/running.... did the ride open up???
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Originally Posted by ilovedisney247
Sounds like the ride is back up!
You're about to find out!
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Originally Posted by Lillybug
Sorry about your blisters I hope you made it around okay. That moleskin usually really helps. I am loving your report on HP. We won't be able to make it there this trip, but it is definitely on our list for next time! It looks very cool!! I am holding my breath to see if you guys make it on to the Forbidden Journey!!
Tara
For those who are fans of the series, I think it is definitely worth a trip to see it at least once!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great pictures from WWoHP! That candy store looks delish! I hope the screams mean the ride is back up!
I wanted to buy so much in Honeydukes lol, there was just so many choices and some of them looked sooo good!
Quote:
Originally Posted by countrykid
OOOO I soooo hope you got on that ride!! I love all the pictures! We might go to Universal one day. It’s just hard to do both parks time & money won’t usually allow it. The draw of Disney always overwhelms the draw of Universal. Maybe one day…for now I am completely content reading about others trips there. If you want PM me that recipe…I would really appreciate it!!
I am sending you that recipe shortly!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mpwife153
OMGosh...could it be? I really hope the ride is back up! Scottie is a trooper b/cI would have cried seeing that the ride was down! All the shops look neat & glad to see they were not a mob scene. Thanks for the review ofthe pumkpin juice. It was something on the must try list, but now I'm not so sure it would be worth the $$. I don't think I'd like it.
More please
We ended up throwing ours away, it really was just too sweet. Now, the butterbeer on the other hand is fantastic!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ttnmama
Oh no! I was a few days behind, so I didn't have to wait too long to see your other cliffhangers. But now I'm all caught up. I sure hope all the yelling and running was for the ride! Was it? Huh? Huh? Great report BTW. I hope your migrane is completely gone now. Update soon, please!
The migraine is finally completely gone! The dr wanted me to try new pills but the broke me out in hives all over! Update next!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lazanya
Glad Scottie had a great B-day at Crystal Palace! We Crystal Palace and celebrated our 12th Wedding Anniversary there during our last trip. I surprised DH with an Anniversary cake.
Sorry about your meal at Shutters.
Hope the ride opens up again!
Crystal Palace will definitely be on our must do list from now on!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
All the Harry Potter shops look so cool! Hope that scream and running means the ride is back up!
It really was cool to see!
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Originally Posted by islandgirl
Great updates & pictures!!
Thanks so much!
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Originally Posted by emvenable77
Hurry back! I am dying to know if you guys got to ride it or not!
Don't die please!! Next update coming right up!!
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Originally Posted by KMB733
Great pictures from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
Thanks, I definitely want a new camera though!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Principessa_di_Fata
OMG I'm FOAMING at the MOUTH right now just looking at all of that Harry Potter stuff! I can't take it!! Two weeks and two days til I get to see it in person! Have I mentioned how EXCITED I am??? I want to buy that tumbler set that I saw in one of your photos... but I bet I will balk when I see the price! LOL!
I do hope you got to ride the Forbidden Journey!
Those tumblers were so cool, we almost bought them lol. But they were made of a really lightweight plastic and the price was $24.99 if I remember correctly. Next time, I will save more money for souvenirs for sure. I wanted the Gryffindor banner lol.
We suddenly see people practically running toward the castle and I knew it would mean only one thing!
The ride was back up!! Sure enough, we went to the entrance and they said it was back online! So, into the castle we go!
The line was crazy long at first, but strangely enough once you get into the main part of the castle it seemed to go much quicker. Overall, I think we only waited about 30 minutes.
These are the corridors you walk through.
The walk through starts out going through a few castle corridors and then out into the open greenhouse area. This was the most disappointing area of the walk through. Only in one spot did we see anything resembling the movies and it was just a bench behind bars.
Waiting in line patiently...
The view from the greenhouse area...
Once past that point though, things really begin to get interesting. There are statues of school founders....
and of course the house points hourglasses.
Then you pass the entrance to Dumbledores office
and some really cool tapestries...
Then you see the talking paintings! This was so cool! The house founders are talking about Harry and quidditch lol.
Suddenly, you find yourself in Dumbledore's office with all of his weird instruments.
Look up a bit and there's Dumbledore! He begins welcoming you to Hogwarts.
Dumbledore's pensieve was incredibly realistic.
You turn a corner and you're now in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
On the balcony, Harry, Ron and Hermione show up and decide to help you get out of Professor Binns class lol.
The pictures of the Holograms didn't turn out near as well as I would've liked, but it was so cool!
They even have this hanging above you!
The staircase to the Gryffindor dormatories.
Then you come upon the Sorting Hat, who is giving instructions and warnings about the ride lol.
Next they load you into a car, drop the restraints and you're off! This ride is probably the most incredible ride I've ever been on! It feels like you're really flying and the props are VERY realistic. (At one point a spider spits at you lol). The story is a bit hard to follow as it goes so quickly, but just being immersed in the movie as though you are actually a part of it more than makes up for that! By the end of the ride you definitely feel your legs are a bit weak lol. We absolutely loved it! Scottie was hiding behind the bars lol. But he loved it!
What a relief I am sooo glad you got to ride! It would have been awful had you not! That ride sounds awesome already!!!! I am not a huge Harry Potter fan & I would love that! Your pictures are great! That line being only about half an hour is wonderful!
Yay!!1 I'm glad you guys got to ride the ride!! I'm not a big fan of US/IOA (we did it about 5 years ago b/c DSS wanted to see Spiderman & really wasn't impressed), but I am so excited about WWoHP! thanks for sharing the pics from inside the castle!
I hate blisters. I hope the crocs helped you the rest of your time there.
We are dying to go to the WWOHP. I called my oldest DD over to look at your pics and she got all mad! We will get there one day I told her.
I am so glad the ride came back up, that would have been devastating.
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Two weeks and two days til I get to see it in person! Have I mentioned how EXCITED I am??? 
I want to buy that tumbler set that I saw in one of your photos... but I bet I will balk when I see the price! LOL!
and how great that you were able to get the Crystal Palace ADR, your plate looked delicious. Sorry that dinner was not up to par, I have heard some great reviews from Shutters and then some not so great, I guess every place has their off nights. Love all your pictures at Universal, I hope the ride opens up again before you have to leave.
I'm intrigued to read the next installment...
I hope you made it around okay. That moleskin usually really helps. I am loving your report on HP. We won't be able to make it there this trip, but it is definitely on our list for next time! 
It looks very cool!! I am holding my breath to see if you guys make it on to the Forbidden Journey!! 
I hope the screams mean the ride is back up! 
Maybe one day…for now I am completely content reading about others trips there. If you want PM me that recipe…I would really appreciate it!! 
Crystal Palace and celebrated our 12th Wedding Anniversary there during our last trip. I surprised DH with an Anniversary cake. 
TinkBrat
It would have been awful had you not! That ride sounds awesome already!!!! I am not a huge Harry Potter fan & I would love that! Your pictures are great! That line being only about half an hour is wonderful! 
Liz 
for all the pictures and explanations of the queue!
That looks incredibly cool!!!
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