A June Joyride...*****COMPLETED!!! 7/9***** - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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What a great morning!! It's always nice to hit a light day! In all the times we've been on the GMR, we've yet to experience the western version. TSMM sounds neat and how that you saw Matt & Bethany! Seeing all the Star Wars characters sounds like fun. Can't wait to hear more
Tears I tell ya! Tears! I think you have a wonderful family, and they react the same way I would if I were surprised with a trip. And the Passporter Love, there is no other like it!
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All of the crowds must have been there on Friday because I have never seen it more crowded on that day! Glad that you guys didn't have that same problem! Sounds like a great morning! Hope that Izzy isn't getting sick!
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Just catching up (hard to do when you're out of the loop for a couple of weeks -- darned hospital didn't have internet access!).
Glad you're having such a good time. Spoodles...uummmmmmmmmmm....Well I'm glad somebody (somebodies?) had a good dinner on my birthday. I so love Spoodles and know they are good when it comes to allergies.
Sounds like you had a great morning, with a very light crowd. Hope Izzy is not ready for an asthma attack.........my daughter has severe asthma and we travel with enough equipment to take care of most emergencys.
Oh yes....we travel with a portable pharmacy!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nala
How nice for you guys that the lines were somewhat short. One would not think the FP return for a new attraction would be just a few hours after the park opened.
I swear, this trip was all about timing....we were very lucky! When I was waiting for the fam to exit TSMM, I ws chatting with the CM. She said the day before was crazy and they ran out of FP by 1pm!
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoanW
We'll have to meet for lunch sometime!
You name the time and place...I will be there! Love it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jillybean
All of the crowds must have been there on Friday because I have never seen it more crowded on that day! Glad that you guys didn't have that same problem!
Jill
We certainly lucked out and I did not follow any sort of touring plan or park day recommendation. Also, though, we really stayed away from all the other big attractions....I imagine there were some significant waits elsewhere.
danielle
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
Yeah Fridays of the SWW are always bad... so are Saturdays. if you can, go to SWW on Sunday. That's pretty much the rule for all the weekend things... F&W Festival, etc.
It felt great to be back in the comforting coolness of the AKL. I really enjoyed the fact that the rooms and the lobby are self-contained…once you are inside, you can stay inside! Izzy and I headed up to the room while Paul and Andrew stopped by the lounge first for a cold drink. I am sure they probably had a little snack too but they keep those activities on the Q-T. I was surprised by how pooped I was and it felt great to lie on the comfy bed for a few moments. So good, in fact, that I believe I took a little snooze. The kids were very cooperative and played quietly…or so I was told!
Afterwards, a swim was in order so we all changed into our suits and headed back to the pool. The water definitely felt a tad cooler than yesterday but still very refreshing. Izzy was addicted to the slide and I lost count of how many trips she took this afternoon. The pool area was busy but since the pool is so expansive, I felt like we all had plenty of room. At some point, Izzy and I took a break for the daily arts and crafts activity on the pool deck. That is another thing I really appreciated about the AKL…there are so many wonderful (and free) activities for the kids to participate in, all day long. Today, we were making a gecko. Please take note of our wonderful and artistic talent!
Afterwards, it was getting a bit late so I gave the kids another 30 minutes of pool time before heading back up for showers.
Andrew and I were the first two to claim the bathroom and as we were all washed up…we went to check out the evening lounge offerings. As we turned the corner into the lounge, I saw a few familiar faces. Sitting around a large table was the CLT plus Jill. The mood seemed a bit somber, as Jill and Sharon were awaiting DME pick-up. It was lovely to spend a few moments with them all….Jill has a fabulous southern drawl and looks way too young to be Mommy to her two cuties. Maddie was snoozin’ in her stroller and Mary Devall was playing around the other side of the lounge but I was able to spy her fabulous face painting….I believe she was done up as a lioness. Jill told me the highlight of her trip was the time with the CLT and from reading her TR, I can certainly understand why! Sharon and I chatted about our future WDW trips…she has way more planned than me, no surprise there! I would have loved to pull up a seat and chatted for a bit longer but my probation officer ~er~ husband was waiting for me and I didn’t want to impose on the foursome’s last moments together.
Back up in the room, I finished getting Izzy ready….following some meds, her coughing had subsided a bit but she had a few weird ‘rashy’ spots sprinkled around her body. She said they weren’t bothersome and so I decided to wait it out because if I gave this kid anymore antihistamine, she would become a bit of a zombie! We headed out for the evening; we had an ADR at Citricos. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were happy to be greeted by Melissa who was very helpful when we were planning out Andrew’s Bar Mitzvah. She seated us at a beautiful table and handed us our menus…with a bit of a neat surprise across the top!
Chef Eddie came out to catch up with us a bit and then go over Izzy’s allergy needs. One bonus to getting to know the chefs and having the opportunity to speak to them is hearing all about what is new in the kitchen. Chef was telling us about the new shipment of a stellar batch of fresh apricots and white peaches as well as a few of the seasonal changes since our last visit there. He then left us to mull over the menu and make our choices which were not an easy task as there were so very many yummy choices! We finally settled on our dishes and happily awaited their arrival.
Strangely enough, I saw Chef Eddie come back towards our table carrying a wonderful treat.
Okay, words cannot do this justice….well my words, anyway. A few succulent slices of fresh apricots, dressed in 8 year old balsamic vinegar with a dollop of sweet ricotta and chervil. OMG, it was fresh, slightly tart, slightly sweet, majorly awesome!
Next up… the apps.
Gateau of Crab
Fruit Plate….note the scrumptious white peach!
Tomato-Mozzarella Salad
Sweet Onion Soup
Followed by the mains.
Swordfish
Kids Filet
Chicken
Halibut
Don’t forget dessert….
Tiramisu with three forks!
Chocolate Soy
I cannot say enough about our dinner here, the food and the service were top-notch. DDE savings…. $33.80
Izzy snapped this one....
Our evening plans called for a brief visit to the MK. We hopped on to the monorail for the quick trip to the MK. I know, we technically should have moved our car to the TTC but I was busy rationalizing that we could leave our car at the GF for the allotted three hours and hopefully be back in time.
In any case, the kids had one priority…Splash Mountain. A few weeks ago, Izzy, who is fairly tentative about certain rides, nonchalantly announced that she would like to try out Splash. So, this evening, it would be our first stop. We were lucky to grab a seat on the train and take an express route to Frontierland! Once again, the lines were definitely reasonable…perhaps it was our timing that families were still eating dinner? Whatever the case may be, Paul and the kids were soon on their way! I tried to snap a few pics but pretty much failed. We checked out the Photopass pic but could barely see Izzy’s face, so we passed.
That is Paul in the yellow shirt, waving.
Dusk was settling in and we decided to try out the Jungle Cruise. We hadn’t done it in awhile and thought the evening would a fun time. We really lucked out with a fabulous CM who had some new material and excellent timing and delivery. Seriously, this was one of the best cruises we have ever experienced. Lucky for us, there was a bit of a backup at the end so we had a few extra moments of our skipper’s comedic genius!
The kids took a quick whirl around Agrabah before we started to exit.
The streets were lined with guests getting ready to enjoy Spectromagic. Similar to last night, we noticed a few openings here and there. As we passed my favorite viewing ‘secret spot’, it was only half-full. We briefly discussed staying for the parade but the kids opted to head back to the AKL. We enjoyed our monorail ride back and then headed to pick up the car….we were about 20 minutes over the three hour limit…
We made the quick 15 minute trip back to the Lodge, grabbed a couple of refreshments from the lounge, relaxed a bit before conking out!
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
What a wonderful afternon and evening. The more you post pictures of Citricos, the more I am so lookng forward to it in November!! Congrats to Izzy for taking on Splash!
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that you saw Matt & Bethany! Seeing all the Star Wars characters sounds like fun. Can't wait to hear more
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