A Dream is a Wish--Mini-TR [UPDATED WITH PIX posts 316 & 320] - Page 21 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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How great that you and Ginger hit it off so well! The A&E meet with your DS in his Kristof costume sounds adorable! I hope we'll see pictures in the full TR!
I had a feeling your meet would be with Ginger, after I saw she was in Disneyland. So glad you got to meet up and your meet sounds like all PassPorter meets we've ever been to - even the first time you meet, you're happily chatting away as if you've always known each other.
So sorry to hear about the pin incident.
Yup, it was sad about the pin. I thought about replacing it, but those pins are only avail to hotel guests. Oh well, it's not really in my values to start pin collecting anyways. But it was sad. Yes, the meet with Ginger was a blast.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
Glad you were able to have some fun with a fellow passporter!
Yup! Totally fun. We hooked up a total of 4 times on the trip for short periods.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
You all are packing so much fun into each day. So glad you got to meet Ginger!
We really were packing it in. I'd love to do a 21 day WDW trip sometime, so I can get in more RnR with my park-time. I'm back to work today and I'm exhausted!
How great that you and Ginger hit it off so well! The A&E meet with your DS in his Kristof costume sounds adorable! I hope we'll see pictures in the full TR!
I'm not sure if I will to a full TR for the trip or not, but I'll def share some photos. I think Ginger got some good ones of the A&E meet, and she said she would send them to me at some point. It was a really precious experience.
Sounds like a mostly good trip so far, with some drama (it's a family trip, after all), and some very full days. How great to meet up with Ginger and some PassPorter chatter. I can't wait to see photos of your little Kristof and his meet with Anna. Sounds like a magical and fun meet.
So much fun! Yes, the drama didn't stop, but it stayed to manageable levels. The Anna and Elsa (esp Anna) meet was one of the great highlights of the trip.
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I'm writing from home. We got back Tuesday night after a straight 15 hr drive. My dad lost his cool once, over something small, but other than that the drive went as well as it could have. DS was a great passenger. He spend a lot of time on the ipad, but he had a manditory 30 min break after an hr of play, and this kept him from getting too strung out. He also slept a fair amt. My dad and I did the driving, switching every 2 hrs and that worked well too. I was able to get some sleep.
I'm up and at-em for work today, and I'm dreading it (what's waiting for me?!?!?!) but happily there's just 8 school days before winter break. Whoo hoo!
Sunday: DS and I went to church at a local Lutheran Church. I had emailed them last month that we would be visiting on this day, and they were thrilled to have us and had lots of questions about how we do things at our congregation here in Eugene. I'm glad we didn't miss 2 Sundays in Advent, we got to sing O come, O come Emmanuel and Go tell it on the mountain. I'm glad I got to sing those at least once this year!
After Church we went for the famed In n Out Burger. This was my first and only time, but my parents ate there 3 times in 3 days. Yummy!!!! This is exactly what a burger should be!
At 1, we had the Art of the Craft tour. DS did not cope too well but for the great hall portion I let him watch cartoons. The cartoon-viewing area in the GC is so cute! We didn't get to tour the restaurants, and the tour seemed cut short, I think due to big-wig guests (all 4 presidential suites were full) as well as just the general fullness of the resort at this time. Early December is no longer an "empty" time, especially with the candlelight procession. We did get to see the California Board Room, it was really really beautiful. The carpets were out of this world. It must be fairly new, I can't find a picture of the carpet on the internet. I would say that it was, without a doubt, the most beautiful carpet I have ever stood on.
Next my mom was going to take August to pick out a toy as a souvenir. I told him I would prefer he not get a weapon, but I knew his eye was on a light-saber. I didn't like it, but I decided I would roll with it. Ddad and I went back to the rental to rest. I was in poor form after staying up till almost 2 the night before.
When DS got back, the intense sound of light saber vibration filled the house. He picked, not only a light-saber, but the evil bad red light saber.
Well, when I got a gander at how evil this thing was, and how stinking loud it was, I really regretted letting them make the decision without my input. DS has problems with sharing, and tends to struggle with keeping war play fun compared to his playmates. My dad was also offended by this toy. In the end, I decided it had to go back. DS was disappointed but not surprised, I would say. My dad then lit into mom about her poor judgement, hurting her feelings pretty bad. It put a damper on our evening to start.
Next up was a trip to DtD, to return the offending toy, to select something else (star wars legos with real shooting lego bullets!) and what else? I don't remember. We did get back to the house fairly early.
Monday was a free park day. I got to the gates and hour early as a wanted to try to get tix for riding the Lilly Belle train car. I was the first to head up the train station steps, but was informed that rides weren't being offered that day.
We spent the day doing our favorites and things we'd missed, and it was fun. We also ate at Rancho del Zocalo for lunch and Carnation Cafe for dinner. It's unusual for us to buy meals at the parks, and these were the only meals any of us bought in park the whole trip. I can recommend both places, both for atmosphere and in-park value.
After dinner we had FP for HYPERSpace Mountain, the Star-Wars overlay of Space Mountain. DS would not ride, and Ddad said he would pass, so I rode with mom. It was fantastic! I gave the extra 2 FP away, but I should have waited till after I rode, because when Ddad heard it was good, he was disappointed I had given his FP away. . Oh well. With the parade going on and he and DS over in Adventureland, it would have been 50/50 on his making it across in time anyways.
At this point it was time to go back to the house and sleep, as we planned to be up at 3:30 and in the car at 4:00am for the LONG drive home.
BUT, I couldn't bear to leave! Dmom and Ddad went back, and DS and I stayed and did Autopia, fireworks, and Buzz's Astroblasters again. I got a high score of over 1,180,000, because we paused in an area with a very difficult target and I nailed it a bunch of times. Fun!
Lastly we trudged back to the rental, got about 4 hrs of sleep, and made the drive. Whew! Whirlwind last 24 hrs.
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Sounds like a packed trip. We, too, had a no weapons policy at my house. It never stopped my kids from making their own weapons out of sticks, legos, connect, you name it. If a weapon was needed they would find one. Fortunately we also had very limited TV and no video games so they had limited role models for their play.
Hope you have recovered and managed to get back to work with no major issues greeting you.
Sounds like a packed trip. We, too, had a no weapons policy at my house. It never stopped my kids from making their own weapons out of sticks, legos, connect, you name it. If a weapon was needed they would find one. Fortunately we also had very limited TV and no video games so they had limited role models for their play.
Hope you have recovered and managed to get back to work with no major issues greeting you.
Hahahaha!!! Returning to work has been a mess, but I'm just setting my jaw and putting one foot in front of the other.
We don't have a no-weapons policy. We have foam swords and toy guns, nerf guns etc. But this thing was too much. Too loud, too evil looking for me, and there's only 1, so it would beget problems upon problems with sharing and jealousy.
Sharon- Yes, it was a whirlwind. Don't regret it at all (but I do kind of regret missing out on one of these. (Photo credit to Tom Bricker of disneytouristblog) http://www.disneytouristblog.com/wp-...disneyland.jpg
Cheryl -yes, we did pack it in! I wish I had many more days, honestly.
Cam- It was packed, for sure! There were moments of great "flow" and other moments where DL felt like hard work, but overall, I loved it. Wish I had more time.
Sounds like you had a fun-filled last day! Sorry that it's over . I definitely hope that you'll share some pictures with us. We NEED to see the clothes you made.
Sounds like you had a fun-filled last day! Sorry that it's over . I definitely hope that you'll share some pictures with us. We NEED to see the clothes you made.
Yup! I really stink at pictures, adding them to flikr or whatever, and getting them here. But it will be fun.
I'm don't think I'm going to do a TR for this trip, not a full one. I'll post some pics and do some wrap-up thoughts, though. Yes, you need to see the clothes, for sure!
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