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
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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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!
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.
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
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!
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?
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.
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!
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.
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.
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, I'll have to look at my notes!
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. 
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. 
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