Dreaming of a Disney spring break - part three COMPLETED - Page 2 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks

   guidebooks   |   news   |   podcasts   |   boards   |   blog   |   worksheets   |   photos   |   articles   |   updates   |   register   |   follow us on


Forums Closed
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

Go Back   PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums > PassPorter's Walt Disney World Resort (Florida) > Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
Register


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.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-02-2011, 01:06 PM   #16
DMA
Community Rank: Explorer
 
DMA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Western NY
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 8,018

Post Thanks / Like
Love the great photopass pictures! And also your pictures of Kilamanjaro Safari. Beautiful animal shots!
__________________
My Previous Trips1976 - off site, 1991 - PO, 1994 - off site, 2004 - POR, 2008 - ASM, 2009 - POFQ, 2010 - POFQ, 2011 - POR, 2012 - BLT, 2013 - BCV, 2015 - BWV, 2016 - BWV, 2017-BLT, 2018-OKW
DMA is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2011, 03:29 PM   #17
cubfancolleen
Community Rank: Explorer
 
cubfancolleen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Reston, Virginia
Concierge Level: 8
Posts: 11,858

Post Thanks / Like
Love the picture of the mist in AK!
Sorry to hear it was so insanely crowded!
__________________
<img src=http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h427/cmclain823/Vancouver%20and%20Alaska%202015/45127cbc-0ef5-4915-8c6d-5809f3bb6afe.jpg border=0 alt= />[
Check out my NEW Trip Report: http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...d.php?t=300278
My Countdown Counting down to: Melekalikimaka - our Hawaiian Christmas
Aloha....back to reality, and a new countdown
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsDisneyLand too many times to count; DisneyWorld: ('82; '94; '00; '04; '05; '08 - twice!; '10;'11 - twice; '13; '14, '15, '17); DCL (all 4 ships): ('00, '05, '06, '10, '11, '13, '15, '17); DVC Hilton Head Resort :D ('06, '07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13 - twice, '15, '16, '17, ‘18)
cubfancolleen is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2011, 03:42 PM   #18
Dlandmom2
Community Rank: Globetrotter
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: California
Posts: 3,021

Post Thanks / Like
Sorry the crowds were so large. I have a hard time enjoying myself when I have to constantly swerve around people, especially with 2 kids in tow. I definitely have to plan my next trip in the off off off season!

Thanks, as always, for the wonderful pictures. You always show me so much I haven't seen before, and it makes me look forward to my next trip to WDW!
__________________
Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!

Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
My Countdown Counting down to: Hopefully My 3rd WDW Trip with the Kids!
My Previous TripsWDW Nov 2013 OKW and POR; Jan 2009 Offsite at HGVC then Beach Club; not listing DLR...I don't think I can count that high!
Dlandmom2 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2011, 04:09 PM   #19
emmalovesdisney
Community Rank: Traveler
 
emmalovesdisney's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: London, UK
Posts: 392

Post Thanks / Like
Sorry the crowds were so large.
Where was it that you took those great mist photos?
__________________
My Countdown Counting down to: First Star Wars weekend
My Previous TripsWDW April 1988 off site, WDW June 1998 off site, CSR Nov 2002, POR Oct 2004, CSR Nov 2008, CSR Oct 2009, SSR Oct 2010, BC Oct 2011
emmalovesdisney is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2011, 07:04 PM   #20
bonphil
Community Rank: Jetsetter
 
bonphil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Indiana
Posts: 2,487

Post Thanks / Like
Great photos!
__________________
My Previous TripsWDW June 2002,June 2005, June 2011, June 2014
bonphil is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2011, 07:17 PM   #21
lazanya
Community Rank: Legend
 
lazanya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 26,695

Post Thanks / Like
Sorry about the crowds. Great pictures!
lazanya is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2011, 08:31 PM   #22
KMB733
PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend Extraordinaire
 
KMB733's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Ballston Lake, NY
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 46,162

Post Thanks / Like
Great pictures from AK! Sorry it was so crowded.
__________________
Kathy
PassPorter Co-Guide for: Making More Magic
My Countdown Counting down to: Christmas
Merry Christmas
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW June 1979, WDW 1985, WDW 1987, WDW Oct 2003, WDW March 2004, WDW Oct 2004, WDW Sept 2005--Pop Century , WDW Nov 2006--Pop Century, WDW Jan 2007--Pop Century, WDW Nov/Dec 2009--Pop Century, DLR Oct 2011, WDW Dec 2014
KMB733 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2011, 08:37 PM   #23
disney fan 46
Community Rank: Traveler
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: canada
Posts: 298

Post Thanks / Like
enjoyed your report and pictures
disney fan 46 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2011, 08:54 PM   #24
ilovedisney247
 
ilovedisney247's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 15 Minutes from the House of Mouse!
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 13,838

Post Thanks / Like
Great day at AK! We actually find it to be the coolest of the parks because of all the trees!
__________________
My Previous TripsWDW 1985 off property, WDW 1987 Contemporary, WDW 1989 Poly, WDW Sept. 2006 Pop, WDW Sept. 2007 CBR WDW Aug 2008 ASMu Dec 2008 SSR, May 2009 SSR, June 2009 SSR/VWL, Oct 2009 AKVC, Dec 2009 AKV, June 2010 SSR, Oct 2010 BWV, Nov 2010 CR, Dec 2010 ASp, April 2011 AKVC, June 2011 SSR/ASM, July 2011, ASp, Oct 2011 AKVC, Dec 2011 VGC
ilovedisney247 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-02-2011, 09:38 PM   #25
CinderAbby
Community Rank: Legend
 
CinderAbby's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Eastern Massachusetts
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 19,490

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
We actually find it to be the coolest of the parks because of all the trees!
What part of the year do you go? If it's hot as you know what out like in the summer when we go, all the folige helps to keep all the dampness and humidity on the ground instead of letting it dissipate
__________________
Disney 2018 TR COMPLETED 10-20-18 POSTS 266 - 273
Looking for my previous TR's? Here they are
My Previous TripsAll WDW - July 1980 off property - July 1981 FW - July 1983 FW - July 1985 FW - August 1987 FW - July 1988 Treehouse Villas - July 1990 Treehouse Villas - July 1997 FW - August 2006 AS Sports, 1st time with DH and DD - August 2008 AS Sports - August 2009 AS Sports - August 2010 AS Sports - July 2011 AS Sports - August 2013 AS Music - August 2014 AS Music - August 2015 AS Music - August 2016 AS Music - August 2018 AS Music, Kate (lovewdw2) joined us for the weekend
CinderAbby is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2011, 04:15 AM   #26
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by DisneyLuv View Post
Great photopass photos! We were in the World over spring break too, although I can't remember at the moment which park we were in on 4/17, I'll have to look at my notes!
Do let me know!
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2011, 04:16 AM   #27
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by CinderAbby View Post
Great start to your third installment of your trip. I find AK even on a good day to be very busy and crowded. I can't even imagine what it would be like at peak or near peak capacity. As usual I love all the photos but I have to ask about the Photopass ones - are those new borders for 2011 or specific ones just for the time you went (because the F&GF was still taking place, correct?). I think the foliage borders are cool and would love to be able to use them when we go in a couple of weeks.
I'm assuming they were new borders. As it's Animal Kingdom, I can't see why they'd do special Flower and Garden borders for there, but who knows?
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2011, 04:17 AM   #28
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by BelmontBelle View Post
I can't believe you had breakfast were off the ship, back in Orlando checked into BLT and at AK by 10am! Did you debark early or does DCL have all their passengers off that early?
That's how it's done. I think all passengers are off by 9.30am or something like that. That's the problem with the main dining on board, you have to be up early for breakfast the next day!
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2011, 04:19 AM   #29
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by emmalovesdisney View Post
Sorry the crowds were so large.
Where was it that you took those great mist photos?
It was right after we came off our safari.
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-03-2011, 04:21 AM   #30
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Sunday 17 April – part three: will it be a roaring good time at T-Rex?

We drove over to Downtown Disney and finally managed to find a parking space, after driving around a few times. We knew it would be busy here, being a Sunday and lunchtime.


The final bits of construction work around the Lego store


We headed off first to find an ATM, as we were almost out of cash that we had bought with us. I wanted to check that our new travel money card worked, as that was where the rest of our money was stored. Fortunately, it did and, solvent again, it was off to T-Rex, where Sean, Sharon and Ciaran were waiting for us.



My goodness, it took forever to get seated in here. We probably waited about 10 minutes, because there was a whole room that they hadn’t opened up yet, because they didn’t have any servers for it and that’s where the tables of five were. Eventually, we got in, but only after the woman at the front desk went and had a few words. I got the impression that someone was slacking, as she was not happy, but then again, that could’ve been because we kept asking when we would be seated, having watched everyone else in line get in before us.

When we were seated, we were right by one of the T-Rexes, which wasn’t the best for Ciaran, as he got a bit anxious every time he roared. Fortunately, Sean told him that if he tickled the T-Rex’s foot, then he wouldn’t get Ciaran, which worked in the end and, by the end of the meal, he was taking no notice of it at all. He did OK with the meteor storm as well, after the first one which did freak him out a bit.



Our server was very good and looked after us very well. Having seen the size of the portions here before, I decided to just get the Supersaurus sampler, because there was no way that I could eat one of their entree dishes. The Supersaurus sampler gives you the chilli con queso dip with tri-coloured tortilla chips, Brachiosaurus Bruschetta, T-Rexadillas and onion rings.



I think Sharon and Sean were a little staggered by the size of their dishes, although mine wasn’t exactly small either, but I was able to pick at what I fancied. To me, the bruschetta was a real winner and the nachos and chips weren’t bad either. I was very impressed that they just left the chicken off the T-Rexadillas with no problem.

Talking of chicken, Mark went for that and, wow, that thing was huge! That was about all he ate on his plate. Unsurprisingly, we were all stuffed after just the one course and called it a day. We settled up and headed outside.



T-Rex:

Food 8½ 8½
Service 9 8½
Atmosphere 9 9
Value for money 9 9

Average score: 8.81



It was still a bit early for Sharon, Sean and Ciaran to head to the airport, so Mark suggested renting a boat for an hour. We headed that way and ran into the biggest line I’ve ever seen here. We waited probably about 15 minutes and were told that all the Sun Trackers were already out and one family was waiting for them. We decided to go with a Boston Whaler instead, which wasn’t quite as good, as you can only stay on the lake and can’t go up to Old Key West and Port Orleans. Apparently, they had an incident where one got stuck and that’s why they’re not allowed up there anymore. We took it, but wouldn’t you know it, we saw the family who had been waiting go out shortly after us and then saw another Sun Tracker coming back. Oh well, never mind.



Next: a spare hour – so what to do?
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Reply




Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump














Please login or register to hide these ads -- it's free and easy!

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:05 AM.

-->

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like v3.4.0 Patch Level 1 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
(c) 1998-2017 PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc.
Celebrating 19 Years of Making Dreams Come True
Ad Management plugin by RedTyger