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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I was up around 9 am but Chuck was already up putzing around. Around 10:30 am we went out in search of breakfast. By the time we actually got a bus - 11:20 - and got to DTD - noon - we decided that lunch was a better option.
D'Luxe Burger was our choice. We shared a regular cheeseburger and fries and I had a smoked bourbon shake O.M.G. good!
After we ate, we went to the Star Wars store, Harley Store and then decided to head back to the resort to swim before V&A's. We did shop at Raglan Road before we headed out and bought our Claddagh rings.
With all of this travel, bus waits, etc, we came to a conclusion. No parks. This trip would be DTD/Resort and downtime. That is exactly what we needed. We didn't want to deal with lines, heat, other people's kids melting down and strollers hitting our feet/ankles, walking uphill (both ways). Since we hadn't used our tickets for park entry yet, we could save them for next time. We just need to chill, swim, eat, shop and repeat! After making sure that we could save our tickets at the concierge desk, we came back and swam and hit the hot tub at the quiet pool for about an hour. We came back and got ready for our nice dinner. We called a taxi because we didn't want to have to leave 90 mins ahead of our reservation time. The taxi got us there in 15 minutes max. Worth the $. We were even a bit early, so we strolled through GF. Nearly walked smack dab into Brent Favre. Chuck recognized him - I didn't. After some shopping and pics, we were finally escorted into the Queen Victoria Room at V&A. The meal was the best ever. Our servers were Amy and Nikki. Amy looked so familiar to me and she said the same of me. Come to find out - she was our server 3 years ago in the main dining room! The meal was worth every penny!
Chuck
Us
The Infamous Door
Perspective from my seat
Fireplace with portrait of Victoria and Albert
Personalized menu
Caviar with cauliflower mousse
Oestra Caviar with accouterments
Tuna with dill and cucumber
Sable fish with boo choy
"real" natural wasabi
Langoustine with Nage crema (like a beurre blanc)
smoked duck
Veal en croute with mushroom
Butter toque
Housemade bread with rolls of butter (from the toque) and Himalayan sea salt
Australian kobe with Miyazaki Japanese beef, garlic potatoes and micro veggies
Cheese trolley
Selection of cheeses with fig bread
Coffee set up
Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Strawberries
Peruvian Crunch with Mango Foam
Frandiases
Red Rose
After dinner, we took the monorail to MK and then took a bus back to OKW. Both were walk right on! We washed up and hit bed early! It was a full rich day!
We tried D-Luxe burger on our trip, too, and loved it. We'll definitely go back. But nothing compares to your dinner at V&A. Glad you all decided to use this vacation to rest and restore.
It's getting late and I am tired and refuse to read your TR and V&A's experience as I want to see and hear your experience in a clear mind and provide my comments in the same way.
Perhaps, I'm the one to go to here for V&A's with 12 experiences in my book now! The Cali tops this with 13 and on every WDW trip since 2002!
Only Her Dotness can possibly compete with me in this regard! Not a competition between the two of us but we both love the place and can't get enough! I will return on my next WDW trip! Just thought, I'd give you some info on this. Looking forward to sharing my recent experience in my TR! You will certainly enjoy it!
Just recently V&A's was named the #2 top reviewed restaurant in the entire USA on TripAdvisor, so that's quite an accomplishment and I'd say more than deserved from my dining experiences there!
The winner was out of Chicago and one I'd seen on a cuisine program recently (Travel Channel?), which looked equally amazing! Can't think of the name but I believe has an extensive tasting menu like V&A's!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Last edited by SuperDave; 11-26-2016 at 02:15 AM..
It sounds like the perfect day for you two! Your burger looked amazing along with your bourbon shake Relaxing at the pool and hot tub was just what the doctor ordered for this trip! V&A simply looked wonderful and I love how they printed out your personalized menu and ended it with a rose. Such a memorable special 20th Anniversary for sure.
What an amazing cuisine experience that was for the two of you! Such a great way to celebrate your 20th anniversary. I dined there in the same room about three weeks after you and they're are some similarities with our two meals and differences too and glad they change it around often. The caviar and Wagyu beef presentations are just incredible and I'm sure equally enjoyable. Just love all the little things they do here to make your experience that much better.
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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It looked beyond belief as I experienced three weeks later!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!