A Whole New World - Disney Vacation 2015 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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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.
Once again, we were very satisfied with doing the Dining Plan. We love having everything included and not having to worry about paying for meals while in Disney.
Snack Options: we try to get the best bang for our buck, so we usually choose snacks that are $4.00+ (Dole Whips, Cinnamon Pecans, frozen lemonade, soft pretzel, ice cream). The best use of SC this trip was the sundae I got at Plaza. It would easily feed two - although Peter and I rarely share!!
Counter Service: We pretty much did all new to us for CS this trip, and other than the not-so-great lunch Fairfax Fare, all of our choices were awesome!! We had the fried chicken picnic from Trail's End to-go, a yummy lunch in France, a delicious burger at Restaurantosauras, the best pulled pork (and cupcake) at Capt. Cook's, and the best use of CS credits- lunch from Boardwalk Bakery! The Lobster Roll/Corn Chowder/ Dessert was absolutely delicious!!
We won't hesitate to return to either of these CS spots. (We also had great lunches from Earl of Sanwich and Pinocchio Village Haus-which we paid OOP for).
Table Service:
Our sit down meals were a mix of old & new.....we returned to Kona (OOP), Rainforest Cafe', OHana, and Cape May Cafe', all of which, again didn't disappoint!! We will probably do OHana and CMC every trip (if possible). We also tried a few new places this year...Hollywood & Vine- we really enjoyed this, and may return sometime. Via Napoli- I was a little worried about this one, since Peter doesn't normally choose Italian, but the pizza...oh my....the pizza...we both want to defintely go back!! House of Blues (OOP) was a treat! We absolutely loved this meal and think it's a great way to end the trip! The restaurant that stole the show....Narcoossee's! It lived up to and surpassed our expectations. The entire experience (and of course, the food) was amazing. It won't be something we'll do every trip, since it requires 2 credits per person, but we will definitely return again.
The dining options at WDW are endless. We love trying new places, but have many places now that have become must-dos every year. We've already started a list for next trip!
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.
And to finally wind up this 2015 trip report, our TO-DO list for next year.
- Beaches & Cream ( I know!)
- Seven Dwarfs
- try more new restaurants (I'm on the look out for dining reviews)
- more resort hopping ( Old Key West and Contemporary are on the list)
- spend more time at Animal Kingdom
- ride Tower of Terror ...alone!
- explore more countries in WS (did France and UK this year)
- ride Characters in Flight...at night!
and maybe.....do a DISNEY CRUISE!!!!!
Again, thanks to everyone for letting me share my "A Whole New World" 2015 Disney Vacation trip report with you!!
We got ready for dinner and took the bus over to Magic Kingdom. From there, we took the monorail over to the Grand Floridian. There is also a boat that goes over from MK and docks next to Narcoossee's. We decided on the monorail tonight.
I took this picture on our ride over to Fort Wilderness earlier today. The deck wraps all the way around the restaurant and provides an amazing view of Wishes fireworks!
We had about a 30 minute wait, so we went outside and found a bench.
We were soon seated and loved the table we got. I had the best view, since I was facing the windows.
Peter ordered an appetizer - Prince Edward Island Mussels - Tomato-White Wine-Saffron Broth with Chorizo, Shaved Fennel, Red Onion, and Toasted Baquette. He always orders mussels if they are offered as an app, and he said these were, by far, the best he'd ever had.
Next, we ordered our entrees. Narcoossee's is considered signature dining, so it was very pricey. But since we were on the dining plan, we ordered whatever we wanted. I chose Grilled Filet Mignon with Butter-poached Canadian Waters Lobster Tail - Boniato-Idaho creamed potatoes, Early Autumn Vegetables, and Herbed Cabernet-oxtail reduction and Peter the Black Angus New York Strip Steak with Butter-poached Canadian Waters Lobster Tail - Boniato-Idaho creamed potatoes, Early Autumn Vegetables, and Herbed Cabernet-oxtail reduction.
This meal was one of the best I've ever eaten! The steak was like butter, and the lobster (we both got ours butter poached) was amazing! And the potatoes....I am a potato person anyway, well these were not your ordinary mashed potatoes by any means.
This meal lasted over 2 hours. We were definately not rushed. Our waitress was rather chatty, but very efficient. As we were eating, the Electrical Water Pageant started.
We were stuffed, but had to get dessert. At least I ate dessert.......I got the Pecan Pie Tart - Chocolate and Caramel Sauces, Chocolate Whipped Cream, and a Chocolate Leaf.
This was absolutely delicious!!!!! We got Peter's Almond-crusted Cheesecake - finished with Lambert Cherry Sauce to go.
The waitress was in no hurry to get rid of us and we were in no hurry to leave, especially since Wishes was set to start any minute.
The only picture of us together (took by our waitress).
We got our check and the music started playing. The music from Wishes is piped in. Everyone started going out on the deck, so we told the waitress we wanted to go watch too and she said, of course.
I mostly videoed Wishes with the phone, but got a few pictures. Awesome!!!
We went back inside and settled our bill.
$190.62 or 4 TS credits + $19.17 OOP for the app + cash tip.
We took the monorail back to MK, then the bus back to our resort. MK was open until 1 a.m. tonight, but we were ready to call it a night. Narcoossee's was an amazing dining experience!!!
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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.
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Pixie Dust
Susan
Can't you think of some more stuff to say,though?! 
I really am sad that this is ending!
Cool idea to make a to do list for the next trip! 
!! Thanks for sharing your trip!!
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