Have Pen, Will Travel: A Solo Trip Report--Includes Dining and CSR Reviews and Photos! - Page 14 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
is is just me, or were those last several comments all really funny??? thanks for sharing everyone. because i don't know how to quote multiple people in one post, i'm going to reply without the quotes...
MGW--i didn't hate CSR. i'd even go back. it was just so different from any hotel experience i've ever had, i was a little taken aback...even though i totally KNEW how it would be (from obsessively reading these boards!) i think what i didn't know was how i'd feel at the end of every day (absolutely exhausted!)
Jennie622--that is such a sad story! i think you can carry on the wine keys that don't involve a screw--they have two little prongs that slide down between the bottle and the cork...hold on, i'll link to a site that carries them...googling...
i don't see why you wouldn't be able to carry one on...and i don't understand why i never bring one!!! this is definitely going in my backpack and staying there forever!!!
cubfancolleen--fantastic story! i knew i liked you before, but somehow that story doubled you in awesomeness!!!
MGW (again)--thanks for all the feedback! and i'm glad my photo taking antics in les chefs paid off!
i plan to write up all portions of my (LONG) last day tonight, and have them posted by friday at the latest. i've been neglecting writing up my actual trip notes (for my book and blog) because i'm writing this, and i made up a new schedule for myself for getting that done...i won't be finished until i leave for my next trip on may 6th! aaack!!!
because i don't know how to quote multiple people in one post
The way you multi quote is to click on the "+ box on the bottom right of the posts. When you get to the last post you want to quote, you press the quote box and all of it should appear for you in the reply box.
The way you multi quote is to click on the "+ box on the bottom right of the posts. When you get to the last post you want to quote, you press the quote box and all of it should appear for you in the reply box.
THANK YOU!!!! i've even searched the forum 'how to' posts to try to learn how to do that, and i couldn't find it. thanks so much!
without getting too much into my own personal philosophy of school vs. travel, let me just say that according to said personal philosophy (short version is 'travel is learning, so taking kids out of school to travel is encouraged'), what you are doing is great--i love the gift card budget idea! that's fantastic! kids can 'still' learn when having a good time on vacation! and those lessons are often very practical--they are building skills they will use forever (who doesn't budget, right?) they may also be building an interest in something that will lead to later learning--say they fall in love with the france pavillion in epcot, and then decide to take french in high school because of it? or visit paris and study art? i could go on...but i won't.
as for the before or after vacation question, at least in my school it is better to go away before a vacation--particularly any long break. things always sort of wind down (esp. before x-mas break) so all they'd be missing would be 'fun stuff'. but my actual answer to the question is 'you should go on vacation whenever is best for your family'. after all, you're the parent--you decide what is best for your child.
final note--it is sometimes hard for teachers to give work far in advance, but there should be no reason why your child can't have all of his/her work given to her at least a week in advance. again, there are different policies at different schools, so this will vary.
Love hearing this from a teacher! I have always felt that it was OK to take our kids out of school for family vacations... both for the learning results and quality time with their two working parents. We once pulled them out for a 3-week trip to Costa Rica that included a visit to Earth University, a stay at an eco-friendly rainforest camp that required a 3 hour tractor ride and 2 mile hike to access, two volcano visits, and a real, live earthquake while we were touring a nature park/zoo. I felt no guilt over that trip, but confess I felt a little bad about pulling them out for 6 days for our recent Disney trip. While the trip wasn't as "educational" as our Costa Rica trip, it was loads of fun, they did have the gift card/budget experience, 10 yr old DD wrote what her teacher said was the "best student travel journal she has ever read", and we have memories that will more than make up for the hassle of extra homework upon their return.
__________________
Deer Isle Mom
Last edited by deerislemom; 03-16-2011 at 09:48 PM..
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
I wanted to share my trick for those crappy room service wine openers! Typically the problem I have is that I don't have enough leverage to get the bottle open if its in my hands or on the counter. (I travel a fair bit and I'm a hotel bartender--this is one of my favorite how to's for women and other short persons!)
I put the bottle on the floor. I stand and hold the bottle in place with my bare feet--its hard to do wearing shoes. (I know it sounds weird, but you are probably alone in your room if you are doing this one!) Then pull--using both hands! The extra leverage you get from standing and the bottle being much lower than your center of gravity should get the bottle open!
Ha!
Sounds like Pepper Market was uninspiring, but I love that you had Merlot with your chicken fingers!
Love hearing this from a teacher! I have always felt that it was OK to take our kids out of school for family vacations... both for the learning results and quality time with their two working parents. We once pulled them out for a 3-week trip to Costa Rica that included a visit to Earth University, a stay at an eco-friendly rainforest camp that required a 3 hour tractor ride and 2 mile hike to access, two volcano visits, and a real, live earthquake while we were touring a nature park/zoo. I felt no guilt over that trip, but confess I felt a little bad about pulling them out for 6 days for our recent Disney trip. While the trip wasn't as "educational" as our Costa Rica trip, it was loads of fun, they did have the gift card/budget experience, 10 yr old DD wrote what her teacher said was the "best student travel journal she has ever read", and we have memories that will more than make up for the hassle of extra homework upon their return.
ok, i'm officially looking up earth university--and what's the name of that camp? that sounds fantastic! what an awesome experience for your kids!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovedisney247
I wanted to share my trick for those crappy room service wine openers! Typically the problem I have is that I don't have enough leverage to get the bottle open if its in my hands or on the counter. (I travel a fair bit and I'm a hotel bartender--this is one of my favorite how to's for women and other short persons!)
I put the bottle on the floor. I stand and hold the bottle in place with my bare feet--its hard to do wearing shoes. (I know it sounds weird, but you are probably alone in your room if you are doing this one!) Then pull--using both hands! The extra leverage you get from standing and the bottle being much lower than your center of gravity should get the bottle open!
Ha!
Sounds like Pepper Market was uninspiring, but I love that you had Merlot with your chicken fingers!
i did the floor bottle thing, which is what made it into a semi-aerobic activity! but i eventually did get it open--whew!
I wanted to share my trick for those crappy room service wine openers! Typically the problem I have is that I don't have enough leverage to get the bottle open if its in my hands or on the counter. (I travel a fair bit and I'm a hotel bartender--this is one of my favorite how to's for women and other short persons!)
I put the bottle on the floor. I stand and hold the bottle in place with my bare feet--its hard to do wearing shoes. (I know it sounds weird, but you are probably alone in your room if you are doing this one!) Then pull--using both hands! The extra leverage you get from standing and the bottle being much lower than your center of gravity should get the bottle open!
Ha!
This is what I do as well. I'm short, and a woman! We got the one in your picture on DCL when we had wine in our stateroom! I still use it at home!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
That travel opener scares me!! hahaha Being a wino, I have this very sturdy double stepper with a really sharp foil cutter. I carry it everywhere (in the trunk of my car).
Love the advice on how to open a wine bottle. The visual is hysterical!!
I will not have a wine key on me today, I will however, have a green cuzzi cuz I'm going out celebrating my Irish heritage in half and hour. Happy St. Patty's Day everyone!!
I totally thought you were going to give CSR a 4. I totally think you should, palm trees or no palm trees!
Quote:
Originally Posted by CinderAbby
The way you multi quote is to click on the "+ box on the bottom right of the posts. When you get to the last post you want to quote, you press the quote box and all of it should appear for you in the reply box.
That is SOOOO much easier than the cut-and-paste way that I've been doing it for years!
__________________
Last edited by mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince; 03-17-2011 at 04:17 PM..
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.
Originally Posted by mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince
I totally thought you were going to give CSR a 4. I totally think you should, palm trees or no palm trees!
well, i was trying to be fair. first, the bus service really was fantastic, and that's all i was really looking for in a resort (for this trip, anyway). as for the service and the facilities, well...my first and only stay in WDW was at BC, so i'm trying to not allow my baseline example--BC--to interfere with my feelings about CSR. and they DID bring me that corkscrew.
plus, a 6 out of 10 is pretty low. in my district, that would be an F (actually, a 6.5 would be an F!) actually, the worst rating i'd ever give any hotel i've ever stayed in would be a 4, and that was a $122/night 30 square foot pod (seriously!) maybe i'm just a really forgiving customer?
Day 4 Part 1--Early Morning EMH Rope Drop at DHS, first time on TSMM and ToT, and why I am a wuss.
After my restful evening in my room with my wine and netbook, I was fully ready for morning extra magic hours at DHS. Though I did hit snooze...twice...I got out of bed at 6:40am. I showered, dried my hair with the dryer (a first for me in Florida--don’t worry, there will be awful pics!) and made it to the bus by 7:10 (which required running, as it was there when I exited my room and turned the corner!) By 7:25 I was here...
...and posting a blog post about how shocked I was! Seriously--from eyes open to the gate, 45 minutes. That has got to be some kind of record.
So I stood, and to be honest, this was the most uncomfortable part of my trip. Waiting in line for MK, there were lots of families. That was warm and happy. Waiting in line for Epcot, I was the ‘young one’--I think that many local retired people showed up for the flower and garden festival. And they were all VERY nice. Standing in line at AK...oh wait, I didn’t do that, because I missed rope drop. Standing in line at DHS, there were a LOT of teenagers and people in jerseys. As I am in my 30’s (not teens) and extremely un-athletic (I was wearing a skirt) I clearly didn’t fit in. Ah well--I was there! Yay!
As I stood in line, I devised a plan. I’d hurry to TSMM, grab a fastpass, and then head on over to RRC and ToT before breakfast. Yes, I realized that was a lot to want out of one morning...but...
Upon entering the park...
...I followed the small crowd toward TSMM. I got a FP. The return time was an hour away. And then I thought--why not? I’m not in a hurry (read--I was avoiding ToT and RRC!) So I got in the standby line, and was on the ride in less than 5 minutes. Note to self--rope drop rocks. Perhaps that should be the title of this trip report!
TSMM was great. I loved the queue, and took several photos...
...even though that meant letting people walk ahead of me--there really was NO line at this point. For those of you who have been on this ride before, the first time I stopped moving was on one of the landings walking DOWN the steps toward the ride, after the up-stairs part.
I was placed in a car (what is the name for the cars on this ride?) by myself, which I thought might be a bummer, but was really quite cool. I was able to play all of the games as though they were a test run--and as you shall see later, it was! I didn’t do very well...
...but I had a lot of fun, which is all that really matters. My favorite segment was the ring toss--it really FELT like you were tossing rings. Crazy. Please note, despite the short line, ALL of the fastpasses for the day were distributed BEFORE THE PARK EVEN OFFICIALLY OPENED. How crazy is that? I mean, it is a cool ride--but still!
After exiting TSMM, I made my way towards what I’ve dubbed the ‘scary ride’ section--I actually don’t know enough about DHS to reference the ‘land’ in which it resides...hold on, checking my Passporter...I see it is Sunset Boulevard. So that’s where I headed (thank goodness for iPhone map apps!) stopping briefly to take this photo...
As a side note, you will notice that this day--my last day on my solo trip--could be aptly titled ‘the day I took a crap-ton of photos of myself’. I’m not sure why this is. It could be because I’d officially stopped caring what other people thought. It could be because I really wanted pics of myself, despite the fact that I was solo. It could also be because I’d totally lost my mind by this point, and was really thinking about my real-time blog as a human person following me on my trip. No matter what the reason, you will note that the above photo is only photo #1 of MANY similar ‘me’ pics I snapped during this very long day.
I stopped at the restroom on my way to ToT, and took this photo from outside...
...which was intended to be the pic I posted with the caption ‘this is the ride I didn’t ride’. But then...I walked into the ToT queue, and all of a sudden I was IN the ride. The queue is so cool, you hardly realize what you are doing...and then you are on the ride! Here’s me, in a very Blair Witch photo...
...and then here’s me again...
Yes, that’s right, I did it (I’m the one in blue on the far right in the middle row). You have no idea how scared I was. I have a huge fear of falling from the sky. This is the ONLY kind of ride I won’t even try. But I did it. And do you know what? It was really cool. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Did I like it as much as Everest? Not even kind of. Everest is fun in a breathless kind of way. ToT is stomach-dropping, but in a redeeming kind of way.
Though I’ll totally be making my mother ride in May. Maybe.
High on my ToT success, I jumped in the single rider line for Rockin Roller Coaster. It was 8:50am, and I realized that if I did the single rider line, I would have ‘done’ all of the ‘big three’ rides before the park officially opened. So I’m in line...and my stomach twists...and I realize that I just fell out of the sky, and the last thing I had to eat was that kid’s meal with the merlot 15 hours prior...and I get out of line. Here's where I sat, looking at it, defeated...
I totally wussed out. I admit it. I’m afraid of dark coasters, and I was crazy hungry. I told myself I’d come back--spoiler alert...I didn’t.
But I made my way to something much more fun than RRC--Starring Rolls, for a breakfast fit for a six year old!
Up next...pics of my Starring Rolls breakfast, a photo tour of all things Star Wars, Muppets 3D, The Studio Backlot Tour, and The Brown Derby.
YEAH! You rode ToT!!!! I LOVE that ride! It is my second favorite ride at the park (after Splash Mountain).
NOT a fan of RnRC, however, so not feeling badly you missed that. Although it is now my DS's favorite ride - he hasn't stopped talking about it in the 6 weeks since we've been home (you may recall, before our last trip, he was the ride wus in our family).
And I have to say how excited I was that my beer bottle opening story bumped me up on your awesomeness scale!
Can't wait to see what deliciousness you found at SR!
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Deer Isle Mom
We got the one in your picture on DCL when we had wine in our stateroom! I still use it at home!
Linear Mode
