Have Pen, Will Travel: A Solo Trip Report--Includes Dining and CSR Reviews and Photos! - Page 15 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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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!
1. i liked ToT way (WAY) more than i thought i would! i also like splash mountain, but in the same way i like ToT--for the story line, not the ride. they are both awesome story rides, with that scary 'falling out of the sky' bit at the end that i don't enjoy!
2. i hope to ride RRC during my next trip. i really, really do. if your son can conquer his fears, than so can i!
3. to be fair, i don't know that the beer bottle story could have bumped you up any father than the pic of you and your family with the panda. i actually told my mother AND husband about it, and made them both look at the pic. they were both awed (and it takes a lot to awe my husband!)
4. oh, there was MUCH deliciousness to be found at SR!
Yay for you doing the ToT ... I hope I am as brave.
It really does sound like morning time is the time to go.
Loving your TR!
thanks! and BE BRAVE! seriously, there is no way anyone could be more scared that i was, and i didn't even have anyone along to 'make me' get on ToT. i'm so glad i did it! you can too!!!
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Good for you doing TOT. My new years res is to concur my fears. I have done heights (rock climbing) in Jan, failing in public (cross fit class that's like boot camp) Feb. This month will be speaking to a crowd (maid of Honor speech) I know Aug is ocean (learning to surf) Nov will be height again (sky diving) I want to go zorbing too (fear of being trapped not claustrophobia) others are bugs and snakes, not sure how those are going to work. but every month is something.
So maybe in May you'll do it, baby steps. Hey if thats the park we are at ODD loves it and will go with you.
Great updates, I have to agree with you, FOTLK is my ultimate favorite, a trip does not go by that we do not have to watch this show and I never grow bored, or tired with it. I love it. Nemo...once was enough, Not that I do not like Nemo, I love the movie and I will ride the Little Nemo ride every trip (even my trip in February and I did not have my kids...nor my friend as she was shopping) but the show...just not my favorite. I would probably do it again if I was with someone who wanted to see it but me and the girls all feel it is something we can pass by easily.
Loved your meal at the Pepper Market...chicken fingers and wine, definitely should be added as a combo platter Glad that housekeeping came through with the corkscrew. Thank you for the review of CSR, my sister is staying there in August during our trip. I have visited and love the theming yet for some reason CSR and CBR never truly appealed to me for one reason...the need for an internal bus to get to the food court if I do not feel like walking. True I could always get a preferred room, and I love POR and some of the buildings (not that I have ever stayed too far away from the main building) just never feel that far away. My normal walk in the morning was around the whole resort with my caffine.
I think I would like to try them just to see for myself, but I would probably do it for a shorter trip or during a split stay.
Ride wuss?? I don't think so - you rode ToT. So you didn't get on RnRC, there's always the next time.
For ToT, I'm glad you like it but for me it's one of those rides I can't do anymore. It makes me way too dizzy and feeling lousy (my mother thinks I'm a chicken though, she doesn't believe me). RnRC I don't even go near as I 'm pretty sure the same thing would happen (BTM is starting to do it to me and how tame is that??).
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thanks everyone, for making me feel like less of a chicken! the reality is that i'm going to HAVE TO ride all of the rides multiple times, regardless of how i feel about them (for research purposes, of course). in fact, i was actually QUITE relieved when i discovered that Space Mountain was 'down' during my last few hours at MK, as that meant i couldn't ride it! (but more on that later)
Say what you will about the magic of Disney, and about how much TV sucks and is a waste of time whilst on vacation (because I’ll say all of those same things) but the channels available on Disney Resort television are woefully inadequate.
Awww! I love the classic cartoon channel. We watched that every morning while we got ready to go out!
Quote:
Originally Posted by elbodans
The lack of wireless internet (I’d be fine with paying for it, but even that’s not available)
Would you believe that they don't even have in-room wireless Internet for DVC members?!? In-room Internet is all wired in the DVC resorts. A lot of the DVC common areas have wireless ... but that isn't very helpful when you want to write in your pjs (or your underwear). This is an area where I think Disney REALLY needs to step it up, for DVC and non-DVC guests.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elbodans
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! ... 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?
This is such amazing advice! An I am SHOCKED that all of the FPs were gone before the park even opened. How is that even possible?!? I am going to have to make a mental note to get to DHS for EMH rope drop. You got so much done ... and I'm still shocked about the FPs!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by elbodans
I jumped in the single rider line for Rockin Roller Coaster ... and I get out of line. Here's where I sat, looking at it, defeated ...
You really do have to do this in May!! It is so awesome. Yes, it's a dark coaster, but it's no scarier than Space Mountain. It's not even very hard on your neck/back--the first 5 seconds are super duper fast, and after that, it's just like any other roller coaster. Nothing to be scared of. It really is a totally awesome ride.
I'm loving your TR! As I sit here in my classroom while the kids are quietly working on a project for the first time.. I think ever, and we are one hour away from Spring Break, I am dreaming of Disney and how I wish I could write the book I've always wanted to write. On top of that, you are really making me want to ride TOT and I'm a big chicken. Keep going!
Great update! Glad you got on TSM and TOT- two of my faves at the Studio's! I have yet to ride RRC either; I really do want to ride, but I always manage to have a kid with me that is too short......
Looking forward to more!
And how crazy that TSM was out of FP's before the park even officially opened
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