Saving the Magic (with Cam and Luke plus Morgan) COMPLETED - Page 119 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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.
I finally am all caught up! Although it took me a while and now I've forgotten all I wanted to say.
I do remember reading about the virus and thought of you. I was hoping you were unaffected, but apparently not. You were quite the trooper!
Morgan is having a blast!
So sorry about your tummy! It's bad enough at home to feel icky, but at DISNEY? But YAY on beating Luke! My goal is to beat Dave!
Hope the tummy righted itself soon!
My tummy is about to get better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
I finally am all caught up! Although it took me a while and now I've forgotten all I wanted to say.
I do remember reading about the virus and thought of you. I was hoping you were unaffected, but apparently not. You were quite the trooper!
Morgan is having a blast!
I do that all the time, even when I'm not catching up. I read a TR, click to reply and then can't remember a thing I wanted to say.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dsteiny23
So that's his excuse?? And HS really going to stick with that huh?
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
I woke up on my own today at about 7:30, but fell back to sleep until 8:00 when my tummy told me it was still unhappy. But today began much milder than the past few days. I decided to check e-mail and Facebook, so Luke and Morgan could sleep a bit longer. Luke woke up around 9:00, but neither of us were ready to move about yet. I played some Disney’s Animal Kingdom Explorers, and then around 9:30 we all got our swimsuits on and took off for the pool.
We found seats close to the pool that were partly in the sun. Luke and Morgan got in while I sorted out our stuff and chairs, and then I sat off to photograph the area.
After I put the camera up, I sat down on the pool’s side and then eventually climbed in up to my shoulders. A while later, I got out to bask in the sun. Shortly after 11, Luke joined me when Morgan went to the hot tub. While there she gained 2 new friends, sisters who returned with her to the pool. She had a lot of fun with them. I got a Coke for Luke and a ginger ale for myself. About 11:45 I asked Morgan if she was hungry. I got a resounding “yes,” so she and I went to Leaping Horse Libations. Luke and I split an Italian sandwich with chips while Morgan had her very own. We sat peacefully in our lounge chairs munching and chatting.
After lunch we all returned to the water, but I stayed in the least. I returned to our chairs to dry out and then kept moving a chair over to nap in the shade. With the shade quickly shrinking, I told Luke three and half hours at the pool was enough for me. He was also ready to be out of the sun.
Back in the room, I selected my last three outfits and packed the rest of my clothes in the suitcase. If Stefanie were here, she would have done the same as we neither liked to feel rushed at the end of the trip. Then I climbed in bed to play DAKE and for a nap. Morgan climbed in with me and I explained how the game works. Luke showered and when he was done, I cleaned up, too. When I came back to the bedroom, Luke had fallen asleep, so I decide we could wait until 5:00 to head to Epcot. I thought Morgan was ready as I had mentioned to her several times that we’d have to walk to dinner which was at 5:55 in Epcot. Evidently she thought that meant we could leave at 6:00. She got ready quickly enough and we all three headed to the boat dock.
A little wait and then a full boat arrived. The three of use squished together with a kind young man who was special needs and reminded me of Stefanie. After a short trip down the canal, we were at the IG, through a quick bag check, and passed the ticket gate. We began walking fast, but finally slowed down as it was painfully hot. We finally arrived at The Land at 5:48. I checked us in and took the pager tow a bench with Morgan.
Luke, who now had the tummy troubles, went directly to the restroom. We were told it would be a 15 minute wait, but it didn’t seem long as I was occupied watching Morgan play Parking Mania on her iPod. We turned in the pager and were shown to table 72 on the upper level, just missing Dale.
I took the above shot because Stefanie would have asked for it.
Our server arrived quickly and took our drink orders and explained what we would be having: flank steak and mashed potatoes, tilapia and veggies, and turkey and dressing. To begin a fresh mixed greens salad with creamy ranch dressing was brought out. I don’t like tilapia so that was all Luke’s. The turkey and dressing were just so so, but the salad, flank steak, and mashed potatoes were scrumptious. Dessert was, too!
And best of all my tummy felt fine! Hallelujah! Luke’s not so much, so another restroom break was in order right after dinner.
Of course, Garden Grill also means characters. The first was Pluto who gave me nose kisses.
Second came Mickey who was moving rather fast and only stopped for pictures. But he did admire my shirt.
I took this of a Hidden Mickey, but I can’t see it now.
Next was Dale who was confused by the picture of Stefanie in my autograph book and asked if she had grown so much, pointing to Morgan. I explained and again got the best interaction, lots of love and hugs.
Then came my favorite Chip, with more explaining and more loving.
After dinner we made our way to the front of the park where I was stopped and asked to take a survey. The CM asked if I was employed by Disney and I said, “Not yet.” She replied that she’d find me a job as they always have openings. Too bad I’m not quite ready yet. The survey took several minutes, but then we were on our way to catch the monorail to the TTC. From there we caught the Express Monorail to the Magic Kingdom.
Our first ride was the WDW Railroad to Fantasyland. We love the new train station.
The second ride was The Barnstormer, for a very rough ride. Morgan said she remembered it being more fun as a little kid. The funniest part of the ride was the little girl in the car in front of us who seemed to scream one long, continuous scream.
For our third choice we moved to Tomorrowland for the Speedway. Morgan cannot drive any better than Stefanie did. She told me the ride would be so smooth, I could text someone. If I’d had my phone out, I would have lost it while bouncing all around the car. In Stef’s words, I had swishlash.
From here we moved to Winnie the Pooh. Morgan approved highly of the interactive line and enjoyed the ride.
Peter Pan was planned for next, but we had just bought drinks and I’m a slow drinker. I need to drink but I didn’t want to rush, so I headed off for a wee bit of browsing at Yankee Candle and Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. As I exited the Christmas shop, I got to watch the Magic, Memories, and You show from the doorway, actually a decent spot. I had sent Luke a text about riding Haunted Mansion next and then waited outside of Columbia Harbor House for them to join me. Unfortunately, I suddenly needed a restroom, so I sent a quick text and was off to the restrooms right beside Peter Pan, which I knew were close. As I booked alongside CHH, I began to get wet. I checked the sky for rain. Then I realized only the side I was walking on was getting wet. My brain finally registered what was happening. They were wetting down the roofs in preparation for the Wishes fireworks. I scooted over and made it mostly dry to the restroom. When I came out there was a comfy bench, so I plopped on it to watch for Luke and Morgan. I must have been playing on my phone when they passed as I got a text that they were at CHH.
At Haunted Mansion the posted wait was 10 minutes, but even with the interactive queue we were at the door in less than 10 minutes. We waited a couple of minutes at the door. Eventually, a grim young CM opened the doors dramatically and silently moved aside for us to enter. We spent enough time in the anteroom to see the young man in the portrait age and turn into a skeleton, a rare viewing as we are usually herded quickly through this room to the stretching room. It was also nice to have a small crowd to manage on the way to the Doombuggies. Frighteningly good visit with the 999 grim, grinning ghosts. Our hitchhiking ghost swiped off our heads and replaced each with the same ghostly head. Quite funny! Great finish!
One of my favorite photos of the trip!
Now a bit before 11 PM, and we were all weary and ready for bed. We moved through Liberty Square to the Hub as MM&Y was finishing its second showing. It also began to sprinkle at this point. Morgan enjoyed walking down Main Street with it all lit up. It is beautiful though a little more congested here. We exited through the left tunnel and came out closer to the bus stops. As we approached Stop #3, I knew we’d be in a long line, quiet a wait for a bus to take the first flock of the masses home. I could tell we’d make the second bus, but again quite a wait, and then the BWI line had gotten even worse than when we first joined it as it snaked all the way to the end of the covering. It was raining harder now, but at least there was no wind to blow it under the covering. I told Morgan I’d lead the way, and hopefully, find us seats, or at least a space to stand without being cramped. She had NOT liked the looks of the crowd on the first bus (I didn’t either, but having been there, done that was prepared for it).
As I boarded I kept going back. Two young men had chosen not to take seats with their ladies, and motioned me to sit and Morgan joined me. A moment later I let two more ladies know we still had two seats and two more guys had stood. We were not too cramped and most of us got off at the first stop, BWI. We took two shots of BWI lit up, and then went directly upstairs and into our pjs. Luke was definitely was unwell. I sat taking notes until sleep took over.
Next: The latest start to a WDW day ever for Luke and me
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
You're finally feeling better and it hits Luke! I don't know how Morgan escaped, but I'm very glad she did.
More wonderful photos! Love the one of Morgan with the HM ghosts. What a perfect face! Loved your mention of "swishlash", too--- where's the smilie of a smile with tears??
That creepy clown slide is why I will never stay at Boardwalk! I am terrified of clowns, and every time I see that slide, I think, "Who was the genius who thought that up and who approved it???"
I loved "swishlash!" I hope you wrote down many of the "Stefanisms.". Sorry Luke is sick now. It should be illegal to get sick on vacation!
About This Page: 
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Tricia
PassPorter Guide Author
Still, you managed to enjoy a great day, despite that...
]
Linear Mode
