Our Disney Vacation with Fay and the Crab Assasins - COMPLETE!! - UPDATED 9/16 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
So we met up in the hallway of WL, all six of us, excited and tingling. My Mom took pictures of the kids the whole way. The boat was already there, so we didn’t have to wait!! The Boat over to MK is really the way to go, I liked it better than the Monorail at Poly, but of course I love boats. We enjoyed seeing the contemporary on the way, and the other sights around the seven seas lagoon. We were in the front of the boat and the first MK sight we spotted was SPACEMOUNTAIN. After we docked we were quickly through security and I handed out the KTTW to the kids and they enjoyed putting their fingers down for the prints. They felt special. As we entered under train station, all my old memories came flooding back. Wow I was really back at the MK. It seemed unreal. We stepped out of the tunnel and DD9 said “WOW”. Now that was the reaction I was hoping for. We crossed onto the center of the roundabout and took some pictures. Then we headed over to City hall where I got “First Timer” badges for DH, DS, and DD. DH wasn’t real sure he wanted to wear one, but I told him magic can happen when you do, so he put it on. Then we proceeded down Main Street towards the castle. It was beautiful. After oohing and ahing for a while at the castle, we headed straight for our first attraction on our list, Smallworld. So I knew that DH would not be very impressed with SW because he is an artist and he built the smurf village ride at KingsIsland, so I was pleasantly surprised when he thought that the wait and loading area was well done. “DATED” he said but very well done. So my hopes rose slightly. Kids were totally enthralled and Grandparents were enthralled with the kids, so far everyone is having some magic. It took very little time to get to the front of the line, and sure enough when the cast member saw the badges he asked DH if it was really his first time. DH said yep, and this is my first ride. So the Cm sent us to the front row, even though there was room in the back of another boat that was loading. So into the front two rows we went! I had forgotten how long the ride is. So cool. Everyone enjoyed it. And we all probably drove the rest of the boat crazy as we tried to be the first to guess what country each area was for. DD9 absolutely loved this attraction as I knew she would. She said she wanted to take one of the dolls from China home to add to her collection! Next Stop, Bear Jamboree!
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.
What great first moments at MK for your bunch....glad that the kids and DH have already been bitten by magic a bit and enjoyed their sight of the castle and their first ride at WDW. IASW is definitely the traditional ride that represents MK....
Sounds like a great start to the trip! If the only problem you had was a leaky bus, that's doing pretty good. Glad you were pleased with your rooms, and that your hubby seems to be having a great first trip so far. Looking forward to hearing more of your experiences!
Looks like you're having a good time so far. We too had to deal with fay on our trip and my girls had the same reaction when we went through mk the first time.
I will put in a photo here of us at WL. DH took the picture so he isn't in it but you can see My Mom and Dad, DS11 and DD9 an me in my pink pooh shirt! waterfall WL.jpg
Ok. so next we went to see Bear Jamboree! I loved it -same show but still funny! Kids loved "Blood on the Saddle" and still sing it!!! Then it was on to POTC!! The line was pretty short and we only had to wait for about 15 minutes and of course for my three who had never been on it, this added to the atomosphere and they loved the ship you can see through the hole in the rocks! Before we knew it we were in the front of the line and once again the CM saw the 1st timer buttons and to the front of the boat we went!! We all loved it! The kids and hubby especially. Jack sparrow is soooo well done! DH who has done this kind of work before was totally impressed! He loved that last scene with Jack in the chair and the detailed set behind him. So now everyone was "feeling the magic" I finally started to feel like it was real. I mean it is really wild to wake up in ohio at 6am and be on POTC at 4pm. So then we headed back towards the castle. And they were doing the afternoon show in front of the castle. The one where the pirates and the witches try to steal the magic. ANd then Mickey gets the audience to help save the day. They use lithium and magnesium pyrotechniques that are really cool even during the day. So at this point. we are watching the show. castle show.jpg During the show hubby turns to me and says "Ok, this place makes Kings Island look like crap! Its amazing!" Well, we all started to laugh at that point! It was probably one of the best moments of the trip. My dear hubby had finally figured out why I wanted to come to Disney! Well, we rode a couple more rides, then headed for our first ADR. Tony's . . .
That's a great family picture of your group at WL! And so funny how your husband is letting it seep in a little more and a little more. I know what you mean about being at home that morning and at WDW later that same day, so far away. This was our first time to fly down there, and even though we didn't go to the parks that same day, it was still weird to think that we only had a short plane trip, and were experiencing the magic so soon when we were just at home that morning. I hope we have the money to fly again next time, driving just won't seem the same now. Looking forward to see how you enjoyed Tony's.
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.
So our First ADR was near, at 5:30 we headed for the front of the park. We had already had some Disney magic and worked up our appetites. Our ADR was for 6:25 and we checked in at 6. Here is a picture of DD9 and My Mom waiting, they were acting "Fancy" as my DD puts it!
We were seated at 6:20 at a really nice oval table with a bancette and 2 chairs. It was really a nice location in a corner, but not in the back. A little quieter! I had been concerned that this might be a little bland for our gang, since I had heard that some folks thought it was a little bland. But, the normal menu posted on line doesn't add the specials, and WOW were we impressed! I wish I had taken a picture, sorry. But I will tell you that I had the Smoked Samon over a bed of orzo with rice and it was great. Hubby had the Seafood pasta special, which had clams, scallops, mussels, crab,and shrimp with a garlic sauce over pasta. He thought it was really good. Dad had the steak and said it was excellent. Kids had spaghetti with meatballs. For desert Mom didn't care for the Lemon walnut cake, and instead ate part of our SCUMPTIOS Tiramisu!! With coffe to top it all off we were stuffed and Happy. I give Tony's an excellent review for this trip! Oh, and I had been told that you do not recieve free refills on pop when on the dining plan, totally untrue! We got refills at every Table service, and so did the kids, when we let them get pop! So Next we headed for Tommorow Land, because I like to go there at night, it is so much more Magical with all the lights! We rode Buzz Lightyear for the first time and loved it! DH got the highest score of 540,000 and something, totally ruining my thoghts of getting a great score from having read all of your tips!! I only got 250,000 even my 63 year old father beat me with over 300,000. I guess I was to distracted to aim well!
Next up was Wheel of Progress, a family favorite, and eveyone liked it. Now it was about 9:30pm and we headed for a spot to watch the 10pm fireworks. We chose by the Dumbo rides and it was a good spot, except it is hard to watch it all from there because it is sort of all around you. Very close up though and we did see peter pan a little. Mom and Dad said goodnight at this point and headed back to WL. But the rest of us were up for more Magic and went to get our Wristbands for EMH in MK!!
Next up, How long will we hold out at EMH after a night of no sleep and a whole day of travelling and parks??
Glad you enjoyed your meal. I like Tomorrowland at night too, I think the lights are a main part of the experience. How in the world did your dh get that high a score on his first ride? I'm very impressed! I'll be interested to see how long you last at emh.