Happy 10 Years - The Anniversary of our "Dreams" TR - Page 13 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I got behind. I know I had a ton of things I wanted to say, but now I am just blank.
Other than the heat, the day sounded fun. I am loving all your pics!
I love the Voices of Liberty! Such beautiful harmonies!
So fun that you got to meet so many characters in that spot. I know exactly where you're taking about because that happened to us last year as well.
Looks like even with the heat everyone was enjoying themselves but a nice break to see the American Adventure sounded perfect. I love that show....it is a must do for us each trip.
Think the idea of meeting Duffy and finishing up the kidcot stations another day sounds like the perfect option on a hot day like you were having.
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You got some great pictures in the WS! Sorry about the heat. It's always rough when the heat causes you to hit a breaking point. Not that it sounds like things went all that badly, but when you're hot and miserable the fun tends to get overlooked. I'm really looking forward to the kidcot stations this year with DS. Except for the markers. I still don't understand who thought markers were a good idea. My kid will be so messy.
I totally hear you about the markers, I don't know who's bright idea that was At least now they do have washable crayola markers, not just sharpies like they used to. That was impossible to get off of little hands!
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Originally Posted by iwonathomas
Great Pictures! Sorry the heat was getting to you guys but you found great ways to cool off.
Indoor attractions were definitely a lifesaver!
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Originally Posted by disneydreamer33
I got behind. I know I had a ton of things I wanted to say, but now I am just blank.
Other than the heat, the day sounded fun. I am loving all your pics!
Thanks, Liz! Glad you're all caught up
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMA
I love the Voices of Liberty! Such beautiful harmonies!
So fun that you got to meet so many characters in that spot. I know exactly where you're taking about because that happened to us last year as well.
I'll be on the lookout from now on when we pass that spot, it was a nice surprise to see so many characters out and about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcc0313
Looks like even with the heat everyone was enjoying themselves but a nice break to see the American Adventure sounded perfect. I love that show....it is a must do for us each trip.
Think the idea of meeting Duffy and finishing up the kidcot stations another day sounds like the perfect option on a hot day like you were having.
I really enjoyed the American Adventure, I'm just sorry it took me so long to finally see it!
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Originally Posted by mommapants
What a great meet and greet area - i've never seen it before - gotta love PP. Always find something new.
I just love VOL. I would cry too. Do your girls have 2 duffys to color or a duffy and Angent P?
Very weird that guy with Mulan - who knows what goes on in people's minds.
Next time you stop off at the restrooms by the Liberty Inn, take a look down over the shrubs. You just might see a surprise character or two! I learned about it here on the boards too
I think they both had a Duffy to start out with and then added an Agent P to the mix, they couldn't leave him out
Well, you guys sure do know my girls! Of course they chose shopping and some time with Duffy. So, we backtracked over to the boat dock, stopping in Italy again to check if the Kidcot CM was back. She was, we grabbed our stamp and continued on our way.
As we were walking we noticed that the barges were getting set up for Illuminations. It was pretty cool to see the bridge up, I had never seen that before.
We had to wait a bit for a boat, and we were the only ones waiting for a little while, but eventually others joined us and we were soon boarding. We grabbed a seat on the outside bench in the back, it was so nice to just be off of our feet for a few minutes.
We headed over to Disney Traders to start the dizzying task of shopping with the girls (mostly Kaeli, but Abby is guilty sometimes too). Their indecisiveness gets the best of them and most of the time we are just running circles around the stores, picking up and putting things down, struggling to make a choice. This time they had their eyes on the prize though, and we were done in record time. Both girls wanted to get a new outfit for their Duffys, and Kaeli was also on the lookout for a Duffy inspired gift for her BFF back at home. Abby chose a Buzz Lightyear costume while Kaeli decided on a Pirate costume for her bear and a small Duffy keychain to bring back to her friend.
Purchases made, we headed back outside hoping to find a short line for Duffy. He wasn’t there at the moment, but there were a couple of people on line already, so we hoped that he would be back soon. Within minutes of getting in line we saw Duffy come from around the corner.
After spending some time with that cute and cuddly bear, we headed back into FW to check on FPs for TT. Unfortunately they had all been distributed for the day, so we’d have to wait to ride. We were all getting hungry at this point, and even though it was only 4:30, we decided to head over to the Land for some dinner at Sunshine Seasons instead. Chris had the roast chicken meal, I had the salmon and the girls both chose Mac & Cheese (surprise, surprise). Everything was delicious, much better than I had anticipated! My salmon was not much to look at, but it was perfectly cooked, juicy and very flavorful. The green beans were crispy, not soggy, and the roasted potatoes were yummy.
A little nourishment was all we needed to perk up and we were ready to head back into the park for some more fun. The girls were dying to do the Piggy Bank Adventure, so we headed over to Innoventions to see if they could work hard on saving up for the bedroom of their dreams.
Before we had left for our trip I had read that the hours for the Disney Visa meet and greet had been extended, so we went off to check it out. There were still people in line, and the CM confirmed that it is now open until 7pm daily. I think that is great, it will definitely help to ease the lines that sometimes get really long here. We had a short wait and soon we were being ushered in to meet some surprise characters. This time we saw Mickey and Pluto, finally someone other than Minnie and Goofy who always seem to be the characters we see here.
The girls requested a ride on the Seas, so we headed there next.
As we approached the building there was a young mom and a boy, who appeared to be about 2 or 3, in front of us. As we got to the sliding door to enter the queue, he realized that it was dark in there and just started crying and screaming. They continued in and that poor boy cried the entire walk through the line. The mom was trying to calm him and tell him that we were going to see Nemo soon, but he wasn’t having any of it. He cried the entire way through, screaming for most of the ride too. We still had a fun time trying to find Nemo, and when we were done we skipped Turtle Talk but made sure we said hello to Bruce and his friends.
We had planned on leaving after our ride with Nemo, but as we passed by the tip board we noticed that TT didn’t have too long of a wait so we headed there for our final ride of the night. We split up into two teams when it came time to design our cars, I think it was myself and Abby and then Chris and Kaeli. The girls had a lot of fun with the design process, and well, our cars came out quite interesting.
After TT we headed out of the park, stopping for a couple of Mickey ice cream sandwiches and pictures on the way.
We got to the bus stop around 8 and got really lucky with a bus already there waiting for us, we were back home by 8:30. We noticed the screen being set up for the movie under the stars, so the girls hurried us back to the room so they could shower quickly before heading back outside to the courtyard to watch Lilo and Stitch. Abby didn’t last too long, so she and Chris headed back to the room while Kaeli and I stayed to watch the rest. By 10:30 we were back in our room and it was lights out soon after, we had an early morning planned at DHS.
Great day at Epcot!
I've seen the bridge up before. As a matter of fact, we had to wait a little for all the barges to pass and for the bridge to lower again. Yeah, it wasn't that fun to wait there.
Love the pics in front of SE!
What a great day in Epcot...I never knew that the bridge opened up! How cool! Love the interaction with Duffy and the great characters in the Visa photo opp!
I am going to have to try Sunshine Seasons the next trip...everyone always seems to be happy with their meals!
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We encountered that bridge on the way out one night. We had late dinner reservations and were walking around WS after dinner, so it was probably 9:45. We had to wait about 5 minutes for them to lower it.
I don't remember hearing that the hours for the disney visa meet and greet we're extended. We'll have to remember that for next time. It's always such a long line when we think of checking it out.
Sounds like a great evening! The one thing about Duffy that I get, is the outfits and how fun it is for kids (especially girls I think) to pick outfits for their Duffy's. I bet that Pirates one is cute!
I think the pics are hilarious tonight as there are a couple where Abby is looking so posed, all sweetness and innocence, like a princess...and then Kaeli is making a crazy face next to her! AHHAHAHAHAHA! too funny!
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I don't think we've ever seen the bridge up before either. It sounds like you had a great evening at Epcot, too bad that little boy had such a rough time getting on Nemo. I hope it wasn't too distracting to the ride.
Great day at Epcot!
I've seen the bridge up before. As a matter of fact, we had to wait a little for all the barges to pass and for the bridge to lower again. Yeah, it wasn't that fun to wait there.
Love the pics in front of SE!
I could definitely see how it would be annoying to have to wait for the bridge to go down, especially if you were on your way somewhere!
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Originally Posted by chezp
What a great day! You certainly packed a lot in. I love the photos of the girls with Duffy.
Thanks, Cheryl! It was a long, but totally fun day
Quote:
Originally Posted by momabaarjo
What a great day in Epcot...I never knew that the bridge opened up! How cool! Love the interaction with Duffy and the great characters in the Visa photo opp!
I am going to have to try Sunshine Seasons the next trip...everyone always seems to be happy with their meals!
I knew that the bridge went up from reading about it here on the boards, but this was the first time I actually saw it in person. It's pretty cool!
I don't think you will be disappointed with Sunshine Seasons. It's one of our favorites. Hot and yummy food fast, and we like that they have some different choices here other than the typical fast food burgers and fries.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMA
We encountered that bridge on the way out one night. We had late dinner reservations and were walking around WS after dinner, so it was probably 9:45. We had to wait about 5 minutes for them to lower it.
I don't remember hearing that the hours for the disney visa meet and greet we're extended. We'll have to remember that for next time. It's always such a long line when we think of checking it out.
Love your photopass pictures!
I hope that the longer hours stay around for the Visa meet and greet, I think it will definitely help out with the long lines!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OneLittleSpark
Sounds like a great evening! The one thing about Duffy that I get, is the outfits and how fun it is for kids (especially girls I think) to pick outfits for their Duffy's. I bet that Pirates one is cute!
I think the pics are hilarious tonight as there are a couple where Abby is looking so posed, all sweetness and innocence, like a princess...and then Kaeli is making a crazy face next to her! AHHAHAHAHAHA! too funny!
Oh yeah, the girls love dressing up their Duffy's, so it's definitely a huge draw for them. I'll have to look and see if I have a pic of the costumes they got, they are really cute. You'll see in my next update that we had a lot of fun with Abby's Buzz Lightyear Duffy at DHS.
You're beginning to catch on about my girls and pictures Most of the time Abby lovs to pose and make herself pretty, while Kaeli, well she's just silly and goofy and always making funny faces. Sometimes I have to beg her to smile pretty for the camera
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Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
What a great day at Epcot! Love the pictures!
Thanks, Marnie!
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Originally Posted by num1DVCfan
I don't think we've ever seen the bridge up before either. It sounds like you had a great evening at Epcot, too bad that little boy had such a rough time getting on Nemo. I hope it wasn't too distracting to the ride.
It was a nice time at Epcot. We still had a good ride on Nemo, but I did feel bad for that little boy, he really didn't like it at all.
Sunshine Seasons is one of my favorite CS spots. Definitely superior fast-food options! I didn't see the need for Duffy when he was first introduced, but he's growing on me. When I saw all the outfits at first all I could think of was that they should make outfits for Mickey!
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At least now they do have washable crayola markers, not just sharpies like they used to. That was impossible to get off of little hands!
Of course they chose shopping and some time with Duffy. 
This time they had their eyes on the prize though, and we were done in record time. 
Both girls wanted to get a new outfit for their Duffys, and Kaeli was also on the lookout for a Duffy inspired gift for her BFF back at home. Abby chose a Buzz Lightyear costume while Kaeli decided on a Pirate costume for her bear and a small Duffy keychain to bring back to her friend. 
we headed back into FW to check on FPs for TT. Unfortunately they had all been distributed for the day, so we’d have to wait to ride. We were all getting hungry 
at this point, and even though it was only 4:30, we decided to head over to the Land for some dinner at Sunshine Seasons instead. Chris had the roast chicken meal, I had the salmon and the girls both chose Mac & Cheese (surprise, surprise). Everything was delicious, much better than I had anticipated!
My salmon was not much to look at, but it was perfectly cooked, juicy and very flavorful. The green beans were crispy, not soggy, and the roasted potatoes were yummy. 
The girls were dying to do the Piggy Bank Adventure, so we headed over to Innoventions to see if they could work hard on saving up for the bedroom of their dreams. 
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"Sparky"(My first trip.)
Love the pictures! 
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