A Few of My Favorite Things & a Race, too! - Page 16 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Yes...planning on changing of guard at Buckingham Palace. I love the Parliament Building and Big Ben...when I was there 30 years ago (wow has it been that long) it was all encased in scaffolding...they were cleaning all the coal pollution off of the buildings.
HMMMM...a Disney store...have to add that to my plans and I love parks. I think I remember Covent Gardens. Going to see about adding these to my lists! Would love any and all suggestions as to what to do. I am really open to anything...
Feel free to private message me if you want any help or advice with your trip - I'm always happy to help out.
I do hear you about being homesick for Disney. I always am whenever we're not there for Christmas.
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Feel free to private message me if you want any help or advice with your trip - I'm always happy to help out.
I do hear you about being homesick for Disney. I always am whenever we're not there for Christmas.
Thanks...I would love advice. I am still finding it hard to plan for Rome. Not sure why...Disney is so much easier. LOL
I am really bummed today and missing the world. Some really good friends are having dinner at BOG tonight and posting their pictures...I am happy for them (although they go every year...) but feeling really sad....14 months seems so far away!
Thanks...I would love advice. I am still finding it hard to plan for Rome. Not sure why...Disney is so much easier. LOL
I am really bummed today and missing the world. Some really good friends are having dinner at BOG tonight and posting their pictures...I am happy for them (although they go every year...) but feeling really sad....14 months seems so far away!
You could be finding it hard to plan, because there's just so much to see in each of the places you're visiting. It's a bit like going to Disney for the first time - overwhelming with so many places and so little time.
13. WWOHP: Morning Date with Harry
(Thursday Morning)
WWOHP was not in my original trip plans, which had me a little sad…but with Cammy along she begged me to try to fit in our plans. Honestly, it did not take much begging to get me to agree to a little Butter Beer and some Hogwarts. I love the “dark” side of Orlando, for the thrill rides and most of all for a chance to be with Harry. So after breakfast at Kona, we met our driver who was taking us to IOA outside of the POLY. I love when drivers are early. It felt strange to me as we were let out near the parking garage at City Walk to be entering Universal this way…my last couple trips found me walking from the Royal Pacific Resort.
In no time we had walked through City Walk and over the bridge to IOA...
where we were still just about 10 minutes before park opening.
I grabbed a map while we waited in line to show Cammy the layout and where we were headed. I really was not too worried about the crowds, Harry is best to do right at opening or right at closing…and I have been to Hogwarts enough to know how everything works. Right on time the gates swung open and we found ourselves moving with the crowd towards Seuss Landing, but here is where we left the crowd and took a little shortcut behind Seuss Landing. Cammy, with both a shocked and confused face wanted to know what we were doing and I told her give me a couple of minutes and you will see…as we approached the Lost Continent Bridge I told Cammy to look back into Seuss Landing. She grinned…we were now in front of the crowd and remained the way was we passed through the Lost Continent. As we rounded the corner, there in front of us was every fan of Harry Potter’s Dream come true…Hogsmeade and the Hogwarts Express. Dragging Cammy through Hogsmeade was a little challenging, but I promised her that she would get to see everything in a few minutes, but first we had to get to Hogwarts. As we passed by the last shop there in front of us is my second favorite view in Orlando (first has to be Cinderella’s Castle at Christmas)…
HOGWARTS and even better no stand by line time posted. I quickly ushered us into the AWFUL ride locker room where we stowed our belongings and then we made our way first under Hogwarts and then into the castle. Cammy was full of screams of delights as we made our way through the various castle rooms before arriving to the Forbidden Journey and whisked away on our brooms to fly with Harry!
It was “AGAIN, AGAIN” from Cammy when we arrived back to the Great Hall…and of course I agreed since this is my favorite ride of all. This time, I took Cammy up the single rider line entrance, since the stand by line had already grown to almost 30 minutes and we walked right on. Afterwards we spent a little time shopping in Filches before making our way to Flight of the Hippogriff. Then it was the next moment I was waiting for…okay salivating for…getting my 2nd favorite drink (stay tuned for my favorite). With Butter Beers in hand I took to my favorite spot to enjoy our drinks and sit in awe of Hogwarts…a little place that few people know of that offers a little peace from all the people to sit back at relax...
When we were finished with our butter beers it was time to do some serious shopping in Hogsmeade, or at least some serious window shopping. While in Honeydukes, I picked up a couple of chocolate wands and some peppered imps…for my muggle children back at home. We then stowed our purchases into the next set of lockers and headed for the Dueling Dragons…and of course we had to try out both sides since there basically was not a line! It was pretty funny with Cammy’s boot…she had to take the boot off during the ride and leave with the attendant who gave her a flip flop to sit upon as she rode (in case the ride was stuck, which happened the week after we returned). We ended up having to do that on several rides during the day! After spending much of the morning with Harry we decided to check out the rest of IOA (with of course another round of butter beer in our hands) which included getting completely soaked on Jurassic Park where we ended up completely soaked and full of giggles...
a quick walk through of Toon Lagoon (no need to get anymore wet), an Adventure with Spiderman, a tiny drop with Dr. Dread (very disappointing but we did get to watch a mother drag her daughter who was about 8 onto the ride…I had to smile and feel sorry for the mother and the daughter at the same time…of course we ended riding with them and I am happy to report that the dd lived through the experience), some heart pumping loops with the Hulk...
and an elementary teachers picture book come to colorful life in Seuss Landing...
and 1 more round of butter beer before walking back out IOA gates and towards our waiting car…because we had an evening date with the OTHER man in Orlando for the evening!
Oh how I loved Harry Potter Land! Looks like a great day. I have the same photo from behind the 3Broomsticks. It's a lovely area that people avoid - and I don't know why! What a great time you two had.
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Looks like the two of you had a great time at IoA, and especially in Hogswart.
We did have a great time...Hogwarts is so amazing!
Quote:
Originally Posted by disney_duke
Oh how I loved Harry Potter Land! Looks like a great day. I have the same photo from behind the 3Broomsticks. It's a lovely area that people avoid - and I don't know why! What a great time you two had.
Honestly, I hope that not many people find out about this little oasis! It is such a great place to get away from the crowds! There was a wonderful employee back there who took our pictures and was surprised that I knew about this place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhinohunter
Great day at IOA. I really love that ride as well.
It is an amazing ride...my 2 oldest children I rode it one morning back to back 4 times...we would have done lots more rides by my oldest son got sick...made his big sister mad when we stopped riding! LOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Love the way you know the short cut and were able to get to Hogwarts and ride with no line - how cool is that?
I think that is a sign of my past OCD planning life when I had to know about every trick there was...LOL...or maybe I have been to Hogwarts too many times!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Glad you had a great time at IoA!
Thanks...
Quote:
Originally Posted by xwewhisper
Sounds like a great day at IOA! I need to get back there soon, it's been a few years now and Universal keeps adding new things to their parks!
I am so excited about the expansion of Harry Potter into USO side...sadly I wont make it this summer to be at the opening like I was for WWoHP! I love USO/IOA...a lot more big kid rides!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Russi01
Sounds like a great time at IOA!
It was a great morning...I am so glad that Cammy begged to go!
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