Running Through Walt's Original Magic Kingdom **COMPLETE 10/9** - Page 2 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Just getting caught up! You've packed in a lot so far. Looks like you had a great view of WoC! We did the dinner package during the 1/2 marathon weekend last year but still had a terrible time trying to see the show. We ended up with our kids (ages 8 and 6) on our shoulders for the whole thing, which meant it wasn't very enjoyable for DH and me!
I love the details in Bug Land. There are so many little clever touches and I notice something new every time!
Great report so far! I haven't been to DL since 1991, so it's completely changed now. I agree about the front entrance to California Adventure. I like the old entrance better... and now I'll never have a chance to see it.
Here are a few more pictures from the area surrounding the Alice in Wonderland ride:
One of the things I'd read about before the trip was that the bathrooms near the Alice in Wonderland attraction were different from any other bathroom you'd ever see. I knew I had to check it out! I just hoped nobody walked in while I was getting photos of the inside of a bathroom. Luckily, it was Magic Morning and nobody did!
I must been quite a sight, trying to line this shot up just right!
Up next was one of Walt's favorites: the Matterhorn! I was looking forward to this one, knowing that this was such a ground-breaking roller coaster in its day. It just opened after refurbishment, so we expected a nice smooth ride...
We got into the first line we saw, and then I remembered that there are two queues, one on the Fantasyland side and one on the Tomorrowland side. As soon as we jumped into one side, I could see that queue on the other side only had a few people in it. We'd already passed through the turnstiles, though, so we stayed put. It didn't take long before we were on our way.
Talk about bumpy! I didn't really enjoy the ride, and though we'd originally planned to give the other side a try, we decided to skip it for now.
Dumbo was nearby, and we were going to skip it, but what with it being a walk-on and all, we couldn't resist! We each got our own flying elephant, choosing purple, in honor of our youngest daughter!
Here a few photos of the view:
We had time for one more ride before we had to head back up Main Street to check in for our tour. There was something else I wanted to see in person, so we headed for the carousel.
Jingles, the special horse dedicated to Julie Andrews
This looks a lot like Dumbo's exit sign!
We'd done everything we had planned to do in Fantasyland, except Casey Jr. train ride and the Storybookland Canal Boats, both of which weren't running. Hopefully we'd get a chance to ride them later...
Up next: more photos and the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour
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Last edited by mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince; 06-17-2014 at 03:39 PM..
Yay, you started!! So far, it's bringing back some great memories from last year. You guys sure packed in a TON of stuff on your first day - and the first hour of the next day. Whew!
I know which bathroom you speak of.... and I'm pretty sure I used that bathroom every single day of my trip last year - even during the race!
You know, we tried to take it a little easier than we normally would, but it was such a short trip, and we had so much to see!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovedisney247
You have me SO excited for my trip to DL in December! Thanks so much for sharing! I can't wait to ride Mr Toad--it was my favorite ride as a child!
I have a picture of my brother on that ride back in 1980. It was fun to ride it again!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
I love all the old Fantasyland rides at DL, especially Mr Toad! I've got to re-familiarize myself with the layout of this park before my trip next summer. It's so weird to be lost there... familiar sights all around, but they're in the wrong place!
This is especially true in Tomorrowland. We said, "Why is Star Tours where Space Mt. is supposed to be?!?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
More great updates and pictures!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Wow, what a great time you're having so far!
It was a really wonderful trip!
Quote:
Originally Posted by shnewell
Just getting caught up! You've packed in a lot so far. Looks like you had a great view of WoC! We did the dinner package during the 1/2 marathon weekend last year but still had a terrible time trying to see the show. We ended up with our kids (ages 8 and 6) on our shoulders for the whole thing, which meant it wasn't very enjoyable for DH and me!
I love the details in Bug Land. There are so many little clever touches and I notice something new every time!
I'll have more bug's land pics from our last day!
Quote:
Originally Posted by WishIwasinDisney
I am loving your trip report, can't wait for more!
Thanks for reading!
Quote:
Originally Posted by pamcarey
Great report so far! I haven't been to DL since 1991, so it's completely changed now. I agree about the front entrance to California Adventure. I like the old entrance better... and now I'll never have a chance to see it.
Oh well, they didn't check with us before they changed it!
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.
Sorry you didn't like Matterhorn. It is a bit bumpy, but we enjoyed it (though we rode only the Fantasyland side). We have never ridden the Canal Boats, so I'll be interested to see if you get to ride them later.
How cool about the bathrooms! (There's a sentence I never thought I'd write)
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I love all your pictures, they are really making this TR special! I have only been to DL once and don't remember much, so I'm seeing it through your eyes. Can't wait to read more
All the Duffy photos are so cute! Yes, isn't Matterhorn bumpy? I rode on the Fantasyland side and wanted to try the other side, but decided against it. It wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped. But still a must-do ride (with some Excedrin!) due to the history.
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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.
Sorry that the Matahorn was a bit more bumpy then you had thought...but at least you rode it once. Love the "Alice" bathrooms, those doors are just too cool. Seems like Duffy is having a great time. Love the view from Dumbo. Can't wait to hear about your tour.
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We each got our own flying elephant, choosing purple, in honor of our youngest daughter!
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