Four if By Land, Six if By Sea Updated 3/29 COMPLETE - Page 12 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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 pulled up to the Boardwalk Inn at 9:30 a.m. after the short drive from Port Canaveral. We had packed a separate suitcase for the Disney World portion of our trip, but we still need to rearrange a few things before we could send the suitcases off with Bell Services. I definitely learned a lesson this morning because Thom suggested that we pull off in a parking lot to get ourselves situated, but I stormed right ahead to the porte cochere .
As soon as we pulled up, a representative from concierge greeted us, informed us that our room was not ready yet and was ready to take us right upstairs. I told him that we needed a moment, but then a bellman came over to take our luggage. I explained to him what needed to go, but when I looked again he had loaded every single suitcase on his cart. Somebody didnt have their listening ears on this morning.
Once we got the luggage and ourselves straight, we were finally ready to go upstairs. David took us up to the fourth floor and then down a very long hall before we reached a door with The Innkeepers Club on it. We entered to find a CM seated at a desk and, beyond him, another door that was only accessible by your KTTW card. The CM behind the desk was very pleasant and asked that I stay with him to check in while David took the rest of the family to the lounge.
Apparently I had already placed a credit card on our account for room charges (I vaguely remember being able to do this when I originally booked the room on line ), so check in was a breeze. He handed me our KTTW cards and a packet of information from which he pulled a piece of paper and informed me that it was our voucher to claim 4 lithographs that we were to receive as part of our AP package. I wasnt even aware that we had booked a package. Cool!
The CM gave me directions to the lounge which consisted of walking down another long hall and turning right. The lounge wasnt too busy at this point, so I easily spotted Thom and the girls having a bite to eat at a corner table. The lounge was definitely bright and airy with several sets of tables and chairs and seating areas dotted about. I immediately noticed, however, that there was no childrens area as there has been in every other concierge lounge that we have visited. That was my first clue that club level at the Boardwalk wasnt quite as child friendly as the other resorts.
I had a quick snack of a cinnamon roll and made myself a café mocha (in honor of Eileen ) from the all-important magic coffee machine. We didnt dilly dally too much before we decided to head out for a bus to MK. We went back down the two long hallways (and here I thought that the long hallways were only reserved for the BW villas ), down the elevator and then out the front door to the bus stop. We waited less than 10 minutes for a bus and, after a stop at the Swan and the Dolphin, we were off to MK. Our first line of business was to grab FPs for Space Mountain, but Thom suggested that Mary Devall and I also ride it since the standby line was pretty short.
We waited less than 10 minutes before we were flying through space. When we found Thom and Maddie in the gift shop, Maddie was holding a purple creature who resembled Stitch. They informed me that it was Stitchs girlfriend and Maddie named her Sweetie (not sure what her real name is).
Since we had been on one of Mary Devalls favorite rides, we next took the short cut to Toon Town to ride Maddies favorite ride, Barnstormer. I rode with Maddie while Thom and Mary Devall rode together. When we went into the second loop, she looked up at me laughing with her hair flying behind her. It was one of those images that you keep in your minds eye for the rest of your life.
Before we got in line for Barnstormer, Mary Devall and I had checked the time for the Fairy line and it was at 60 minutes. We sent Mary Devall to check on the time after Barnstormer and she came back with the news that it was down to 45 minutes. This was something that they really wanted to do this time, so we decided to bite the bullet and just do it.
Maddie had to go to the bathroom, so Thom took her while Mary Devall and I hopped in line. Thom and Maddie took about 15 minutes to come back because they ran for PP FPs after going to the bathroom. As soon as they joined us in line, I hopped out of line to run for autograph books since neither girl had one and would certainly want Fairy autographs.
Since we were seeing the Fairies, I thought that the girls should have Fairy autograph books. They were the types that contained slots for pictures so you didnt have a ton of pages for autographs, but I thought this would be a great keepsake from their first Fairy experience. After I had purchased two books and two pens, I easily found my family since they were exactly where I left them.
Both girls were so excited by their new autograph books. Mary Devall immediately began writing her name and address in hers and then Maddie decided that she needed to follow suit (even though she cant write her name and address yet ). This was Maddies first autograph book so it was so sweet seeing how proud she was of it.
Our line hardly moved at first, but once we rounded the turn we moved fairly quickly.
Thank goodness for the movie clips that they now show because those entertained both girls. As we watched a clip of Snow White, Maddie asked me to name the seven dwarves. After I successfully listed them, she gave me a devilish grin and said in a most convincing voice And Tired. Hmmm . . . maybe hes Sleepys younger brother? Oh, these little girls of mine make me laugh.
When we were at the head of the line, I mentioned to Mary Devall that we would shrink down to be the size of the fairies. Well, Mary Devalls eyes grew to twice their size and she looked panicked all of a sudden. Her voice was trembling when she asked Mommy, do you really shrink?
I thought for a moment and realized that in this situation the magic wasnt worth a terrified child, so I shook my head slightly and whispered Not really as not to ruin the magic for any little ones standing close to us. Mary Devall immediately perked back up.
When we were ushered into the next room, the girls were so excited. The CM in there was great and seemed to enjoy pointing out little details to the girls (although I noticed that she never mentioned anything about shrinking - - thank goodness ). Every time that the fairy lights would flash across the room, Mary Devall would yell out Theres a fairy!
The CM also gave us a cool little Photo Pass card that fit around your wrist. I loved that little thing especially because all of the PP photographers would say Oh, youve been to see the fairies.
Up next . . . the fairies
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Sometimes words aren't needed . . .
Last edited by Jillybean; 02-24-2009 at 10:02 AM..
What a great start to the land portion of the trip. I can't wait to hear how Mary Devall and Maddie's visit with the fairies went, we did not get to stop there on our December trip as it was such a short one, I can't wait to take my little Tinkerbell there in August...it is on the top of her list and it is all she has been talking about lately.
Glad that both girls got to start their MK day with their favorite coasters...I can almost picture Maddie with the wind in her hair, smile a mile long as she flies around on the Barnstormer.
Wow Jill your first day at MK was very similar to ours! Bri found Stich's gf too! Our little girls are very much a like ~ Barnstormer too become DD's fav ride (although the 1st ride ended in & an "I hate that scary ride Mommy" ). I was amazed too how the wait for the Fairies seemed to shrink, but I wasn't complaining AT ALL either! Can't wait to hear more
Super update! I love how you both made good use of the line to see the fairies.
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Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
I just love the story about Maddie and the Barnstormer. SO CUTE!!! It's so great that your little ladies seem to just get along so well. (or are you just not sharing the stories about tantrums and fighting ?) I can't wait to hear more!
Great start to the day! Easy, breezy check-in and a couple coasters before the fairies. So far so good!! The pictures are so friggin' cute!!!
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Your girls are just so adorable! Love Maddie and the Tired Dwarf!! Too cute! She is also just precious with here autograph book!! I can't wait to see them meet the fairies!
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Somebody didnt have their listening ears on this morning.
David took us up to the fourth floor and then down a very long hall before we reached a door with The Innkeepers Club on it. We entered to find a CM seated at a desk and, beyond him, another door that was only accessible by your KTTW card. The CM behind the desk was very pleasant and asked that I stay with him to check in while David took the rest of the family to the lounge.
), so check in was a breeze. He handed me our KTTW cards and a packet of information from which he pulled a piece of paper and informed me that it was our voucher to claim 4 lithographs that we were to receive as part of our AP package. I wasnt even aware that we had booked a package. Cool! 
That was my first clue that club level at the Boardwalk wasnt quite as child friendly as the other resorts. 
) from the all-important magic coffee machine. We didnt dilly dally too much before we decided to head out for a bus to MK. We went back down the two long hallways (and here I thought that the long hallways were only reserved for the BW villas 
), down the elevator and then out the front door to the bus stop. We waited less than 10 minutes for a bus and, after a stop at the Swan and the Dolphin, we were off to MK. Our first line of business was to grab FPs for Space Mountain, but Thom suggested that Mary Devall and I also ride it since the standby line was pretty short. 
). This was Maddies first autograph book so it was so sweet seeing how proud she was of it. 
Hmmm . . . maybe hes Sleepys younger brother? Oh, these little girls of mine make me laugh. 
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& an "I hate that scary ride Mommy" 
šOš ~*~ 
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Dora
Dreams, Wishes, Hopes... these are the parts of childhood we should never lose.
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