It Was 30 Years Ago Today...Now I'm Going to the AKL to Play! UPDATED 8/16 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Welcome home birthday girl! I really enjoyed having my phone buzz in my pocket and getting Mellisa Updates! Thanks so much for letting us join in the fun!
I can't believe I missed this PTR! Silly of me! Fortunately I knew you were going on another adventure from your blog and Facebook Welcome home and can't wait to hear all about it!!!
Whew, what a whirlwind trip it was! So many exciting things, new things, old favorites... all make for a trip that goes by too fast!
We left Boonesfarm (aka Mooresville) around 11am Friday morning and made the long trek down to Florida. We arrived at the Bakers just in time for some yummy Brandi Baker Chicken Cheese Enchilada and some sweet tasty apple snicker salad! We chilled with our besties for the rest of the night and rested up for Harry Potter World the next day.
Saturday morning we got up and headed out for a late breakfast/lunch. We ate at Perkins which made Brandi very happy After fueling up we made our way over towards "that other park". It was the first time Andy and I have been there and if it weren't for HP World...... well... it ain't no Disney over there folks.
Anyway. We arrived at IOA around 2 and Brandi wanted us to ride the Hulk and since we're all about a good coaster, we hopped in line. Fantastic coaster! I haven't ridden one that's outside like that, upside down all sorts of goodness, in a long while, and it was worth the wait in the crappy line. (Really only waited maybe 30 minutes).
After the Hulk we couldn't wait any longer so we started making our way back to the Wizarding World. We did play a little on the way of course...
Andy decided this guy must be thirsty in the Florida heat.
And then...... drum roll please.....
Our first view of Hogwarts!
It was time to enter into Hogsmeade!!
We were uber excited! I mean, I know I was like the next to last person on the planet to read these (Andy being the last) but escaping into these stories all throughout last school year really helped with the stupid chaos I dealt with from my administrator. It was crazy to actually be a part of the story here!
Brandi's in Hogsmeade!!
We decided to go towards Hogwarts and the Forbidden Journey first. Let me tell you something... when you're a nerd... and you enter into the Castle.... you begin to act like a squealing 15 year old..... It went something like this:
"OH MY GOD IT'S THE MIRROR OF ERISED!!!!!!"
"HOLY $#!^ IT'S POTIONS!!!!!!! SNAPE'S IN THERE!!!"
"I'M IN HERBOLOGY!!!!"
"IT'S A MAAAANDRAAAAKE!!!!!"
"OH MY GOSH THE HOUSE POINTS!!!!!! GRIFFYNDOR'S IN THE LEAD!!! shut up about the Slytherin points Andy
"AAAAAHHHHHHH IT'S THE ENTRANCE TO DUMBLEDORE'S OFFICE... LEMONDROP!!!!"
"THE PORTRAITS ARE TALKING!!!!!!! THIS IS AMAZING!!!"
"THE PENSIEVE!!! LEAN IN AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!!!!"
"DUMBLEDORE!!!!"
"HARRY RON HERMIONE!!!!!!!!!"
"OH MY GOD IT'S THE FAT LADY!!!!"
And then, we were at the entrance to the ride.... after walking through the Griffyndor Common Room we were there... and I discovered that at stupid IOA EVERYTHING has to go in a stupid locker, even my DSLR. SO they gave us a card that would let us back in the exit door, we took my camera and stowed it (and I don't give a rats fanny b/c it was worth it having it with me) and went right back to where we left off and hopped right back into the get on the ride line. And then we passed the Sorting Hat !! And then we were on the ride!!! AND HOLY CROW what a ride!!! I can't explain how it works, how it is, or anything other than it's flipping amazing. It's Haunted Mansion meets Soarin meets Sum of All Thrills. But BETTER. I love my Disney but they've got nothing on this attraction. The three of us had no clue really what was said in the ride because we were too busy screaming at the characters and yelling about what was happening... it was AMAZING! So much so that when we got off we hopped right back into the single rider line and went again. We only waited around 50 minutes the first time and maybe 45 for single rider. The second time I actually listened and didn't yell HAGRID when I saw him or cheer at RON during Quidditch and I caught a lot more of the ride
After our second go 'round we decided we should head out and do the other things as well... although I could ride that ride over and over all day. So we made the decision to come back later that night and ride together and go through the castle queue again.
Pictures outside...
Then it was time for Flight of the Hippogriff with Buckbeak!!!
Hagrid's hut was in the queue..
At this point we were getting reeallly hungry so we headed towards Hogsmeade
And made our way to the Three Broomsticks. I will continue there in the next post... lots of photos in these
We found the Three Broomsticks and hopped in line... which looked long but really we were through and with our food and in a seat in no time at all...
Brandi and her fabulous Three Broomsticks meal of roasted chicken, corn, hog's head brew, and BUTTERBEER!
My fabulous Three Broomsticks meal of fish and chips, Hog's Head Brew, and BUTTERBEER!!!
Andy had no words for how much he loved the Butterbeer....
More of the Hog's Head Tavern
Dinner was a nice rest and the food was actually really good. Andy had the Shepherd's Pie... he said it wasn't the best he's ever had but it was still good. My fish and chips were fantastic.
After dinner we meandered more around Hogsmeade and JUST LOOK AT WHAT WE SAW!!!!
SIRIUS BLACK!!!!
"HE'S REALLY NOT BAD!!!!"
More in Hogsmeade..
We waited in line for Dervish and Bangs...
The Monster Book of Monsters was in there!
And you could get your wands here!! But don't go during your birthday month and expect to get the wand for you.... that's how the assign your wand... by your birthday and the celtic symbol or whatever. Mine's holly. And they were out. So I thought, well I'll get November for our anniversary.... they were out So I went with the next best thing... Dumbledore's Andy of course being the slithering slytherin that he is bought Snape's...
It was CRAZY in here I'll admit. It's too tiny for the amount of people they let in there because Ollivanders spits out the people from the show into this store. But anyway, it was worth it
In order to ride the Dragon Challenge we had to stow our stuff at King's Cross...
The Dragon Challenge was awesome.. the queue had the tri-wizard cup, the Weasley's Ford.. freaking awesome!
iPhone photo here...
After the Dragon Challenge we checked out the Hogwart's Express..
With the Conductor!
And then it was back down the street through Honeydukes and Zonkos...
We bought some cinnamon balls in a honeydukes cannister and of course some Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean which last night I made Andy eat Grass, Pepper, and Onion
Zonkos had Wizard's Chess!!
More outside in Hogsmeade
Durmstrang and the Beauxbatons performing
And then it was back to the FJ for one last ride through the castle..
We ended up leaving finally right at 10 as the park as closing. I had already lost my voice from all the screaming. You know it was a good day!! When we got back to the Bakers I took a picture of all of our loot..
I can't wait to go again!!!!!!
We were so jacked up that it took a while for us to hit the sack and for me to go to sleep. Everytime I closed my eyes I felt like I was tilting every which way on the FJ again But I knew I had to get some sleep because tomorrow was the checking at the AKL day!!!!
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And I'm afraid that Andy is not the last person to read Harry Potter. That would be me! For some reason, neither of my kids took a liking to them (never got through the first book), so I never read them either. Maybe I should. I just read the Twilight series after a friend gave them to me -- and totally loved them!
Anyhoo, can't wait to hear about your stay at AKL. It is my very favorite resort!!!
Freakin A-mazing! The photos are awesome and I love all the details. Universal really pulled out all the stops on this one! I can't wait to go! I'm seriously going to have to figure out when we can do this. I need to take longer vacations! So happy you guys had a great time!
Is there a reason you went there later in the day? Are the wait times less and did you get to see everything you wanted to at the HPWW while you were there? DH and I are trying to decide if it's worth the money to go in Sept.
OK, I just totally got geeked up all over again reading this!! It was SO MUCH FLIPPING FUN!!!!! I probably have a few funny pics I can post later tonight after we return from EPCOT, before I bury myself in Azkaban!
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Brandi
Bakelins chillin' at the pool after a fun week at Disney!
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I can't wait to hear all about your trip. 
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
Welcome home and can't wait to hear all about it!!! 
*Melissa
Back Melissa!!! Looking forward to reading all about your trip!
So I thought, well I'll get November for our anniversary.... they were out 
Aimee
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