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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Thanks everyone for all of your supporting comments. I had no idea I would have this much fun writing about my trip. Thanks all for reading. Next edition comes out tonight.
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Great report looking forward to reading more - I was reading your report after a bad day and has really cheered me up - makes me remember our excitement of our visit. Just love your writing style :-)
I forgot to mention in the prior post that we did eat lunch at the food court prior to going in the pool. I had purchased two mugs and I don’t remember what we ate but I know that were impressed with the choices and we liked our food.
Now on to the Spirit of Aloha Show. I had heard mixed results regarding the transportation so of course we start off very early. We took the bus to Magic Kingdom. (By the way the bus came rather quickly) I could not believe how close I was to the land of princesses and Mickey but was not going in. The excitement in us was almost tangible. Not yet. Today was a relaxing day so we hopped on to the Monorail to the Polynesian resort. We knew we were early (way early) so we took our time exploring the Lobby and all the Christmas decorations. We took pictures of everything. We slowly walked to the pavilion where they hold the dinner show stopping to smell every flower, and view all the beauty on the grounds. When we got close a photographer was taking pictures of the dinner show participants. We waited in a short line, received our leis, and took a pretty little family portrait. Awe, how cute! We went to the counter where you give them your reservation number and she advised that it was still way too early. Hmmm how did that happen? No problem, we walked around the resort more and made our way to the beach. We were the only ones there and I don’t remember ever feeling so relaxed. It was beautiful and we felt like we were in Hawaii. (Although I have never been) In fact that is how we refer to it. “Remember when we went to Hawaii?” We played in the sand and we watched the lights from the amusement park make the sky glow. It was still so surreal. It was hard to grasp that I was really here. And I literally was enjoying every single moment.
Ok this is when things got difficult. We made our way back to the desk and it was still early but everyone was arriving. They make everyone wait in sort of a garden waiting area till it was time to go in. This is where the $5.00 thing became a problem. There was a small bar in the waiting area for people to purchase drinks. All four of us were so thirsty and could not wait to be seated. We had not gotten any sleep the night prior due to all the excitement and we were starting to get weary. It sort of happened all at once. We were in the clouds then our bodies remembered it needed hydration and sleep. So I took my meager $5.00 and purchased two sodas. I don’t know about you but those little plastic cups of soda do not do it for 4 thirsty people on a hot day. I could not charge to my room because I did not have my debit card linked to it and at the time I did not have a credit card. The waiting area got crowded and I could not wait to just get in. Then our bodies realized, hey we are hungry. We have not eaten in hours. Finally, they made an announcement that they were seating. A long line quickly formed but it moved quickly and we were seated. We had category 2 seats but we were very happy with the placement. We were right in the sent on a higher level than the category 1 seats.
The server quickly came over and hydrated us. Once properly hydrated with high sugar carbonated beverages, I switched to wine. The aforementioned photographer came over to show us the beautiful picture that he took. Unfortunately we were unable to get it since I only had about $1.00 left. I asked if I could come back and purchase it in two days when I got my paycheck but that was not an option. Goodbye beautiful picture. We had plenty of pictures of our own but none with all of us in it together. The food was delicious. The kids absolutely loved the chicken and I absolutely loved the ribs. Actually my youngest was only able to have a few bites before she put her head down and went to sleep. We woke her up several times but she dozed off again in no time. She missed the whole show. I was so disappointed. She was looking forward to the moment when they asked kids to join the show but the poor thing could not hold on. My middle daughter did not fall asleep but she looked liked she would at any moment. My oldest daughter and I enjoyed the show immensely and would highly recommend it to anyone. Once the show was over we grabbed a bus back to our resort. My two youngest daughters fell asleep on each other on the bus and it was so cute and so funny. We took pictures. (I am having a hard time locating the picture CD but once I find it I will share). It was tough waking them up to go back to our rooms. In fact my youngest never really woke up. She was too heavy for me to carry so we sort of held her up while she sleep walked to the room. It is times like this when a strong husband could really come in handy. But hey, I am in Disney, can’t have it all. Lol.
As I lay in bed, I thought about how wonderful the day was. Aside from the dehydration period, it was perfect and I honestly could not have asked for more. So far everything far exceeded my expectations. That night I laid and bed and thanked God that this dream came true. That night, there were three very happy and extremely grateful girls dreaming of what was to come. And when your kids are grateful, you have no regrets for the sacrifices made to make this possible. That night, I went to sleep feeling like a child again. That night I felt like the old me. The one that was always happy in spite of life’s twists and turns. That night I was myself.
What I learned today. Don't go to the dinner show too early.
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Before I begin on our day in Magic Kingdom, I want to give you a little background. My job is full of demands and timelines and I just wanted to relax and enjoy. I had decided early on that I would not over plan this trip. Since every single thing in Disney was new to me, I decided that we were going to take our time and enjoy every detail. No rushing for particular rides or attractions. Our trip was for eight days, seven nights. The first day was arrival day which I have already described. My plans were as follows:
1. Arrival Day. Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show for dinner.
2. Magic Kingdom. Cinderella’s Royal Table for lunch and counter service for dinner.
3. Epcot. Counter service for lunch and Teppanyaki (Tepen Edo) for Dinner.
4. Animal Kingdom. We had a gift certificate for Rain Forest Café for lunch.
5. Hollywood Studios (Which was MGM then). Counter service for lunch and Prime Time Café for Dinner.
6. Return to a favorite
7. Return to a favorite
8. Flight Home.
I did not reserve dining for the last three days because I did not know where we were going to be and I wanted it that way. I wanted us to return to our favorites. I should also add that we did not pay extra for the hopper pass. We were lucky enough to afford the regular ones plus I did not feel the need to go to more than one park in one day. I still don’t think it’s needed for my family. Now on to day 2, Magic Kingdom!
Magic hours started at 8am so I woke the girls up at 6 am. They slept very well and were very excited so they did not give me a hard time. While they got dressed I went to the food court to get me a cup of coffee and them some hot chocolate in our refillable mugs. We had breakfast in our rooms and packed a bag with snacks, camera, trivia cards, autograph books, and Madlibs. We went to the bus stop and the bus was there in no time. So again, we were at the park pretty early. Since this was our first time seeing Magic Kingdom, we took many fun pictures while we waited. Then the park opened…..
I thought it was so cool how we used our fingerprint with our cards to get in. We walked in and there were many cast members waving as we walked down Main Street. We walked in awe as we saw all the smiling faces and all the beautiful shops. We decided not to visit the shops till later on. It looked even better in real life than it did on the video. This is it, and this time I did cry. I could feel the magic.
First stop, Tomorrow Land. We all enjoyed Buzz’s space ranger spin, Indy speedway, Carousel of progress and Transit Authority. We did not like Stitch’s great escape and do not plan on going on that again. We found it boring although it was way too scary for a small child on the ride who kept crying. Actually it does not move so I don’t consider it a ride. Our favorite, of course, was Monster’s Inc Laugh Lounge. We were amazed by how this cartoon character on the screen could interact with us. My daughter has curly hair and she purposely put it in two ponytails that looked more like puffs, to resemble a hidden Mickey. (It really did). It was cute because it was noticed. He noticed my daughter and asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she quickly told him ‘a singer’. He put her on the spot and asked her to sing a song. She was 8 at the time and apparently did not have anything prepared. After some encouragement from me, she began to sing…”O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree” and she stopped there. (I honestly think she forgot the words) Next thing you know we literally hear cricket sounds and it became a big joke. It was great. The show continued for a few more minutes. When it ended and he was walking off “stage” he was singing “O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree” We still talk about that. Our first autograph was Buzz Light year and there were no lines at all. I thought that was great. I did notice some families rushing from ride to ride but not us. We took our time to look at everything and every vendor. We spent a considerable amount of time in Tomorrowland but it was relaxed and wonderful. There were no rides for any of these rides at the time. Wow! I love magic hours. I would not want to visit Disney without it. I am sure that the reason I was able to relax is because of the time a year. My vacation was from November 28th till December 5th. It was right after Thanksgiving that year. I guess the most amazing part was how awed we were by everything and every detail. We saw hidden Mickey’s everywhere and got so excited when we found one. Sometimes it’s good to have to wait to get what you want because you appreciate it more. We probably took way too much time in tomorrow land if you ask any of the “experts” but we loved it and everything was so new. I would not have changed a thing.
After spending a few hours at tomorrow land we decided it probably time to see the rest of the park. We moved on to Mickey’s Toontown fair. This is where we ran into lines but they moved fairly quickly. We rode Goofy’s Barnstormer first then we went to visit Minnie’s house. We took a ridiculous amount of pictures yet again. Even though it is a tourist attraction, of all the tourists in the park, we were by far the most touristy tourists you could ever meet. Our smiles appeared as if they were permanently fixed on our faces. I am surprised our faces were not sore for the rest of the year. We looked at every detail, pulled every lever, played with anything playable. Yes, I am an adult but not that day. That day I was between the ages of 7 and 14. We visited Mickey’s house and loved his garden. Hurray! Characters! We stood on a long line to visit several characters, Mickey being the last. We pulled out our autograph books and stood through the winding line with big fat cheesy smiles. You would think that standing in line was equivalent to Christmas Morning by the sight of us. It was great! We were ridiculous. As we were leaving, the crowds really began to thicken at Mickey’s Toontown fair. In fact, it was hard to get out. We were tempted to take the railroad but that would have put us too far from our destination which was the Castle.
The Anticipation for our lunch was growing. Not only were we hungry but we were actually going to eat in the castle. The actual castle where Cinderella lives (please do not correct me, I like living in my fantasies every once in a while.) We found our way to the dining entrance of the castle and we were very excited. Of course, we were early. (Those of you who have been following……are you noticing a trend?) They told us to come back in about half an hour so we decided to just walk around the castle and take pictures by the water and the rest of the grounds. We came back and waited in the Lobby until they were ready for us. Then we entered and it was beautiful. Cinderella was seated taking pictures with her special guests and signing autographs. It was an honor to meet the princess and take pictures. Although I have to admit when I look back at the picture we look like Hobos next to Cinderella. We decided that next time we will dress up a little by wearing sundresses. It’s worth it. As we were directed to our table, we were called royalty and our eyes glittered as we looked around the room and noticed all of the details. Yesterday we were superstars, today we are princesses. Our server was wonderful! He truly treated us as royalty and did not fall out of character for one second. The “Princesses” we saw are listed below with comments.
Belle – Wearing her blue dress. She was very sweet. Jasmine – Loved her outfit. If only I had a flat stomach. Mary Poppins – Wearing her white dress. She was our favorite. She was so very much in character. My youngest said “I love your dress, where do you shop?” She quickly replied that she shops at a very fine boutique in London.
I really feel that I am forgetting someone but I cannot for the life of me remember who that was. I will have to ask my kids tomorrow. They all spent a considerable amount of time at our table. We LOVED the food. I have read mixed reviews since then but we absolutely loved it. I had salmon and my daughter was glad to see that she had options other than chicken nuggets on the kids menu.
After Lunch we had a minor emergency. I will not get into detail but it is related to female issues and wardrobe malfunctions. So, we went back to the room, the person afflicted changed and we went back to the park after a quick rest.
This time we walked down Main Street a little slower and turned left towards liberty square.
By this time the park was busier and the lines were longer. We played on the Swiss family tree house for a little while although we will not do it on our next trip. There is nothing wrong with it but now that we have experienced it, we are a bit too old for it. Lol. Apparently, I have selective grown-up-ness. It’s a new word. I made it up. The jungle cruise was a little corny but still so much fun! The magic carpets of Aladdin were closed for maintenance. The enchanted Tiki room was funny and the air conditioning was nice. I felt like I should have been eating Chinese food or something during that show. Maybe one day it will be. I think that is what Walt intended originally for those birds. It being late now, believe it or not we did not have that much more time. We really enjoyed big thunder mountain railroad. We rode Splash Mountain a couple times in a row and we loved that ride. My daughter had to use the rest room and we went in search of one while I left my two oldest to ride Big Thunder one more time. It was harder to find one that expected although it turns out that there was one right by pirates of the Caribbean. Apparently while waiting on line and using the facilities the park closed. I was on my way to meet the girls in the meeting spot and the cast members kept trying to direct me out of the park. I kept having to explain to several CM’s that I needed to get back to Big Thunder. You see, it was the night of Mickey’s Christmas Party which I had not purchased tickets for. So finally, I get there and they are not there yet. Hmm, I know that this is the happiest place on earth but I was a bit worried. Not because it was really all that long but because this is the first time I let them out of my site outside of my home state. Plus cast members found me again and were directing me out of the park. I know they were doing their job and rightfully so, but I had no intentions of leaving without my daughters. Lol. They finally arrived. We had taken so long in the bathroom that they decided to ride splashdown one last time. So now all is well and we quickly walk out of the park feeling quite hungry. We ate at the food court at our resort and it was quite good. Once done we suited back up in our bathing suits (well most of us) and watched a movie in the pool. Hey, isn’t this a value resort? Wonderful day. Today we were princesses, astronauts, cartoon characters, pioneers, and Jungle trekkers. I think that is enough for one day. Tomorrow Epcot!
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