The Life of a VIP - Adventures By Disney Backstage Magic - Page 20 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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So I had grand plans to post frequent updates, but life got in the way. Luckily, it wasn't annoying life-stuff, but rather fun life-stuff. I do have another update ready to post today and have my pictures resized and uploaded for another one soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dsteiny23
Wow...just WOW!! What a great WB tour!! I would have loved to roam around Central Perk and just imagine being on set. Still crack up watching the re-runs. And I remember a time when my VCR (yes VCR ) didn't tape ER like I set it to and it about ruined my evening. So those pics of the el were very cool to me!! And Sha, we count on you being a goober to get just such pictures for us...come on, take one for the team.
Glad to bring back good (or not-so-good ) memories for ya! And I probably could've taken some stealth pics without anyone noticing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MeRSiamese
Wow... I just stumbled on this trip report while browsing the forums and I'm SO GLAD I DID!! The pics, the descriptions, the first-class tours - everything is way kewl and WAY WONDERFUL!! Thank you SO much for taking the time to put them together and describe everything so well!! What an absolutely fantastic trip...
Waiting eagerly for the next installment! lol
Welcome aboard! Another installment is coming right up!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
Gorgeous sunset photos!!
So you're going back to WDW in 2 weeks and how many more trips do you have planned after that?!
Umm... well, a few more. And I thought this was going to be a "light" year for me. In reality, not so much. After this next trip, I've got two short trips and two long trips (including a Disney cruise in December). Next year I'll be normal. Maybe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
Your sunset pics just blew me away!
I'm suffering a severe case of the I-Miss-my-Miss-Shawons today, so am feeling rather sniffly!
Waaaaah!
Eileen
I miss you too, sweetie. And I've been thinking about you tons lately (and concocting a crazy scheme or two, but I'm not saying anything else about that ).
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Day Four Tuesday, April 13 Do people in California work?
I was up at 4:05 a.m. but since Id fallen asleep the night before at 9:30, I wasnt too terribly sleep deprived. And today was scheduled to be a very low-key, relaxing day, so I had that going for me. Which is good. Today was the official start of my Adventures By Disney, which meant Id be checking out of my hotel in Santa Monica and going to Hollywood.
After relaxing a bit, I packed up my stuff and got dressed. I headed out around 7 for a nice walk and breakfast. Id heard good things about Jinkys Café, so thats where Id planned to eat. It was really close, so I walked over. It took about 7 minutes and I enjoyed the lovely sunshine and nice scenery on the way.
Jinkys is a really cute place with a great menu. There were a lot of things that looked good, but I settled on pumpkin pancakes.
Can I tell you, those were the yummiest pancakes! I will definitely go to Jinkys again if Im in Santa Monica. The waitress was really nice and the place had mostly locals in it. I had fun watching the activity on the sidewalk (though it was early so there wasnt much). It was definitely a fantastic way to start the day!
I wanted to spend some more time on the beach, so I walked back, getting more pictures. I love how much art there is around the city.
When I got to the hotel, I walked through it to get to the beach. On the way, I snapped a picture of the construction out front.
It was a glorious day filled with California sunshine and I really enjoyed hanging out on the beach.
Since it was so nice, I decided to brave the cold water (and the water along the California coast is cold, even in August).
The above photo turned out to be perhaps my favorite self-portrait evah!! I really love that pic! I guess it was a good day for surfers, because there were a few of them out there.
And I couldnt resist taking the obligatory bird-in-surf photo.
While I was watching the surfers, I noticed something large swimming just offshore. A dolphin!! At least I hope it was a dolphin, for the sake of the surfers. I tried to get a video, but I was looking at the dolphin, so Ive got about 10 seconds of water on video. BUT. I did manage to get a pretty good photo, so its pretty clear that it is, in fact, a dolphin.
The surfers are used to seeing dolphins, I guess, since none of them seemed to notice or care.
After a while, I decided it was time to head back to the hotel, check out, and drive to the airport to meet my DME driver. I loved all the flowers in bloom and kept stopping to get pictures.
If Id thought about it ahead of time, I wouldve scheduled a bike ride. There was a place to rent bikes, skates and even Segways right behind my hotel.
Back at the hotel, I still wasnt ready to leave (and I had some time yet), so I decided to sit out by the pool for a bit.
And I got a great self-portrait using the timer on my camera.
There were more interesting plants around the pool. I think theyre considered succulents? And I know there were some cacti, too. I loved them all!
The pool looked quite inviting, and as always, there were a few people swimming.
Now, I had some shopping to do. My DM had requested a t-shirt, so I went into the gift shop to get her one. The CM in there and I had a nice chat and she was very helpful in picking out something appropriate for DM. Some of the t-shirts were white, and a thinner material, and fitted, which, well, isnt really appropriate for DM.
Back at the room, I put DMs t-shirt in my suitcase with all the rest of my stuff. I had one last look out the window. I dont think I mentioned before that you could see the beach from my room if you stuck your head out (theres a mini balcony, similar to the ones they have on some rooms at the BC & YC at WDW).
The beach was pretty busy by then. In fact, there was a steady stream of arriving beach bums the whole time I spent on the beach that (Tuesday) morning, which got me wondering: Do people in L.A. work? It seemed to me there must have been a flu epidemic or something.
Before leaving the room, I used the television to check myself out. I decided I could handle my two bags without assistance, so I headed down to collect my car. When I got to the valet stand, the CM there told me my car was waiting. Thats service! I guess they get an alert when I check out. It was a little thing, but it made me happy.
So I hopped in the car, programmed the GPS for the last time and drove off. I needed to get gas, so when I was nearer the airport (I think Santa Monica is about 12 miles from LAX) I found a gas station and filled up. I hit traffic for the first time, and it wasnt even on one of the freeways. It was due to construction, but it only slowed me down by a few minutes.
Before I knew it, I was arriving at the Hertz rental car lot. It was a quick process checking the car back in, even though I had to wait a few minutes for an available agent. Then I caught the shuttle to the terminal to meet my ABD ride and some of my fellow Adventurers.
Up Next: My Adventure begins!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
What a gorgeous blue sky! And I too love your new sig pic...fabulous! And Pumpkin cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory is one of my favorites (and pumpkin bread and pumpkin cookies and pumpkin muffins at DnD). Too bad most pumpkin stuff is seasonal. But, I imagine I'd love me a pumpkin pancake too. That sounds delish!
Love the picture of the star looking cactus/succulent? that one was pretty. Love your picture of feetsies in Ocean. Sounds like you had a nice relaxing day to begin your Disney Adventure and I can't wait to hear about it.
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Aug,1978- LBV;Apr,1987-Disneyland;March,1993-offsite;Jan,1997-offsite;Aug,1999- CBR;Sept,2000- ASMo;Aug,2001- ASSP;Aug,2002- ASMU/AKL;Jan & July 2003-POR;June,December 2004- PC;January 2005- ASMU; Aug 2005-PC;Dec 2005-AKL;Jan 2006-CBR ; July/Aug-Saratoga springs; Dec. PC;April 2007- Disneyland;Aug 2007-Disneyland & So Cal;Dec 2007-POFQ; Aug2008-POFQ & Nov 2008 PC,Y&B May 2009 ASmu, June 2009 PC ; Nov 2009 WL & POFQ;Jan 2010 BW & WL; June 2010 POFQ ; Aug 2010 Poly ;Oct 2010 WL; Jan 2011 PC
Just catching up with your fabulous TR. All your tours sound and look wonderful! Thanks you for writing all this up for us to read. I'm it!
Looking forward to your ABD tour. I listened to last weeks DisUnplugged ABD show. Can I just say and that I'm a wee bit Wish I had the funds to go on the next one in July with the Dis team.
More please..
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šOš ~*~
Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
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Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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) didn't tape ER like I set it to and it about ruined my evening. So those pics of the el were very cool to me!! And Sha, we count on you being a goober to get just such pictures for us...come on, take one for the team. 
Another installment is coming right up!
And I thought this was going to be a "light" year for me. In reality, not so much. 
).
but since Id fallen asleep the night before at 9:30, I wasnt too terribly sleep deprived. And today was scheduled to be a very low-key, relaxing day, so I had that going for me. Which is good. 
I will definitely go to Jinkys again if Im in Santa Monica. The waitress was really nice and the place had mostly locals in it. I had fun watching the activity on the sidewalk (though it was early so there wasnt much). It was definitely a fantastic way to start the day! 
I really love that pic! I guess it was a good day for surfers, because there were a few of them out there.
I tried to get a video, but I was looking at the dolphin, so Ive got about 10 seconds of water on video. 
flu epidemic or something. 
But, I imagine I'd love me a pumpkin pancake too. That sounds delish! 
PassPorter Guide Author
it!
and that I'm a wee bit 
Wish I had the funds to go on the next one in July with the Dis team. 
šOš ~*~ 
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