You can take the girl out of Disney, BUT……… - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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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.
Wow, is it ever deserted...I guess everyone dashes straight for HP. I feel the same about Spiderman as you - I'm not a huge fan of him per se, but the ride was absolutely incredible!!! When we were there in March, we just happened to hit it on the first day it was open again after it's refurb and on our second ride through we sat beside a man who was a big, long time fan and he kept giving DH a blow by blow of each change they had made, it was pretty funny. And you are so right - Disney should be paying attention.
And I have to disagree with your comment earlier about the not so pretty parking lot shot from the morning. I even loved that just the trees and everything is so very Orlando and it makes me homesick!
The pictures are all phenomenal. I do need to use my camera more this trip.
I also went right for the Puss in Boots and he is sitting at the end of my couch.
Loved the No Way Jose and now that is on my list (or a facsimile there of).
Lucky to have a deserted park. When we went last time on our second day, we were able to do all of the stuff we wanted to do and be at Bubba Gump's by 1:30pm.
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.
this is getting me soooo excited for our surprie trip in August with my kids. Cant wait!!!
AWESOME!!!! Glad to help!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MBUS
It is also getting me excited for our trip in June!! I'm enjoying all the photos!
Beth
Thanks! It's fun to take a walk on the dark side!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suzie-Q
Wow, is it ever deserted...I guess everyone dashes straight for HP. I feel the same about Spiderman as you - I'm not a huge fan of him per se, but the ride was absolutely incredible!!! When we were there in March, we just happened to hit it on the first day it was open again after it's refurb and on our second ride through we sat beside a man who was a big, long time fan and he kept giving DH a blow by blow of each change they had made, it was pretty funny. And you are so right - Disney should be paying attention.
And I have to disagree with your comment earlier about the not so pretty parking lot shot from the morning. I even loved that just the trees and everything is so very Orlando and it makes me homesick!
You are right...just about EVERYONE goes straight to WWOHP.
I wonder why Disney hasn't done something like this yet? Maybe thers a paton or something?
Some days an Orlando abandonned parking lot is better than a day at home even.
The pictures are all phenomenal. I do need to use my camera more this trip.
I also went right for the Puss in Boots and he is sitting at the end of my couch.
Loved the No Way Jose and now that is on my list (or a facsimile there of).
Lucky to have a deserted park. When we went last time on our second day, we were able to do all of the stuff we wanted to do and be at Bubba Gump's by 1:30pm.
Thanks. Claire loved her Puss n Boots. He is cute.
I know I take a lot of pictures...but some times when I get home...I think, wow I totally missed this whole area or part of the day.
I am already fearing how many pictures I'll be taking on our Nov. trip. It's gonna take me forever to get them edtied.
I love how the music from the movies plays in the area. It totally gives you the feeling you are in the park. We found another jeep with dinosaur and I made my crew stop.
We strolled through…looking for the water ride…..and I couldn’t find it, ….well the entrance. We wanted to see if it was running and how long the wait was, but somehow we missed it.
We went to see if the Pteranadon Flyers were running. I swore I saw some dangling legs go by, but the line was closed.
One thing to note about this ride…it has some weird rules. If you are over a certain height, you have to be accompanied by a child. So really only 1 of us would’ve been able to ride with Claire, and the other would’ve had to wait…and basically do an adult swap. LOL!
Claire asked to check out the play area, but I told her not now…which really meant…never. LOL! I am not a fan of play areas at theme parks, so I avoid them like the plague. If we need some down time, we might do them, but for the most part…in years past with my older 2, it was more hassle trying to get the kids out and then of course crying followed.
On we went.
I spy, with my little eye…. A castle!!!
The family refused to stand here…..Claire said she did it yesterday, and there was no need for another.
We worked our way into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
HMMMMMM? Why do they have these ropes up on the bridge? ( I do find out later….)
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We made a stop in the bathrooms and once again the conversation between Claire and I was all about moaning Myrtle. She was so fascinated by her.
Back outside we found Skip.
And we headed to our breakfast reservation at the Three Broomsticks.
I believe we had to check in with a gal out front and then were let in.
We had a few choices to choose from. They had each meal displayed in the window, but this was the only picture that came out remotely decent.
In case you didn’t see those plates…you could also read the description.
We all ordered the pancakes and sausage breakfast. I got the cold butter beer this time. I wanted to give it a try and see if I liked it better. Skip was surprised I would try it again. Skip and Claire got juice. I was surprised that Skip ordered the same meal as us, because there were quite a few options he could choose from, and most likely he would finish off one of our plates too…..and I was right, because as soon as we ordered and directed to the pickup line (which I swear we got the longest one with the slowest girl), he said he wished he would’ve ordered something else.
When I say our line was slow and long, I am not kidding. People who came in after us and directed to other lines had their food faster.
Once you get your food, they have a condiments section you can pick up anything else you may need. BUT, they are supposed to give you syrup on your tray. I don’t eat syrup, so I didn’t notice it, but Skip does, so we had to have someone go get us some…and he came back with 2 packs…for 3 plates…..like I said, I don’t eat it, but Claire dips in it and Skip would need 2 or 3 for himself.
After you pick up your condiments you wait for a TM to seat you. There seemed to be confusion with this, even though we were told this a couple of times throughout the process, and several people would just walk in and try to seat themselves.
There also seemed to be a little confusion with the TM’s about doing this as well, but finally they saw us and took us to a table. For some reason we had a 4th member tagging along. There was a kid who was hanging around us when the TM came to get us, I think his family might’ve been getting condiments …and he sat down at our table. LOL! I told him that he was with the wrong family and he was embarrassed I’m sure and left to find his family.
Here is the food porn.
We placed our plates on the table and started eating…early on, I realized my plate has less food than Skip and Claire…..and then it hit me, I had the kids meal. LOL.. No big deal, Claire would’ve stole my extra sausage anyways, and I could eat any extras off her plate if I was still hungry.
I must say that cold butter beer is MUCH better than the frozen. I would get this again. It is still very sweet, but I could handle it much better.
I took a couple of pictures while eating.
Skip ran out of syrup and I noticed the boy at the next table wasn’t eating any, so I asked if we could have it and he quickly gave it to me. I think I scared him. LOL
I finished off my food, Skip finished his, and Claire didn’t eat a whole lot of hers…though she ate all the sausage. Skip and I dove into hers and he did a good job at polishing most of it off. I nibbled a bit at some of it, but when we left, most of her crescent was left…just no more room in our bellies to eat it all.
I was seated next to a door and about halfway through the meal they opened it and there was a patio out there with seating.
Before we left, I went out and took a couple of pictures.
These next pictures were taken about 10 minutes later, and I can’t remember where. My guess is that we went to a smoking area in Jurassic park and I took them.
Breakfast looked good. Your photos from the Three Broomsticks made me realize that I forgot to look UP and take in all the details when I ate there. Duh!
Breakfast looked good. Your photos from the Three Broomsticks made me realize that I forgot to look UP and take in all the details when I ate there. Duh!
I missed a lot of it too. Sometimes I don't think about things untill after I'm home.
The line for Forbidden Journey was now at 90 minutes. Remember those ropes I saw on the Jurassic Park Bridge a while Back…that was a queue for the ride and it was filling up quickly. I was amazed at how insanely busy it was today. And Universal seemed to be prepared for this. They seemed to know that today was going to be much busier and had set that queue up early on. It was never up the day before while we were there.
I wanted to ride it and so did Skip, but Claire did not. So the plan was for us to take turns and do the single rider line.
It was crazy around the line area, and I’m not sure where the single rider line starts. I didn’t look, I had another plan, and it would cut out a little time for me as well. I went in through Filch’s Emporium and to the lockers. I put my bag in the locker and then went back to the line area that way. I cut across the line to the staircase and went up. That’s where the single riders go. I didn’t have to mess with all the other people waiting. Now the locker area is insane and not big enough for so many people, but I got through fairly quickly. Once you go up the stairs you have a very short line(you also miss most of the queue, so you won’t see all the great details). I walked straight through till a TM stopped me. I had to wait a few minutes and then she let the single riders go on through to the ride area. I was put in a vehicle immediately and the guy behind me in the single rider line was also put in the same one. The ride was great again and before I knew it, I was done. It literally took about 8 minutes for me to do all this and ride it. Skip and Claire had gone off to the Flight of the Hippogriff. They had just gotten off when I walked out as well. The line for that ride now read 30 minutes, so they hit it at a perfect time.
It was Skip’s turn now. I took his bag so he wouldn’t have to mess with the locker. I showed him where to go and Claire and I headed off. We were going to look in the shops.
We spotted the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students out performing. It was pretty busy in the area and hard to see, but I tried to get a couple of shots.
Claire was not impressed with this at all, and even though I tried to convince her to stay a bit longer, she wanted to move…..shopping is her kind of thing…..even if you don’t like it or need it…you should always buy something…right? LOL
I took a try at a few more window shots…they just do not come out well with all the reflections.
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Pixie Dust
the Spiderman ride! It's so cool!
I'm enjoying all the photos!
NYC-Canada Cruise Sept 2012
just the trees and everything is so very Orlando and it makes me homesick!
Guess where we were headed??
Katie's graduation
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