Dreaming of a Disney spring break - part three COMPLETED - Page 22 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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That Mall of Millennia cool pretty cool, I hate to shop, but just might have to stop by there when we go to SeaWorld. I love the AKL! Such a wonderful beautiful place!
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Me and Cole in the Sears Tower Skydeck, 103 floors up, in a glass box hanging off the side!
I was wondering the same thing about Secret deodorant. Your rooms At AKL looks so much more roomy than BLT. I've driven by that mall but never stopped.
Liz
Sounds like your shopping excusion was successful, and add me to the list of people who are curious as why "Secret" deodorant is banned in the UK. Love the pictures of your room at the AKL, hope that you have some visitors by your balcony later when it cools down.
Did they not sell Secret deodorant here in the UK at some point???? I might be wrong. Its v annoying when you can't get something anymore. I always stock up on maybeline clear mascara as we can't get that here either.
I wonder why BLT studios are small - after all this is the newest DVC you think and was built from scratch you think they would make them bigger and better. Or perhaps by making them smaller than can get more of them in there and make more money....
Phew... had to get through quite a few pages to catch up! First, I was truly intrigued by your report on the tour. Sounds like it was a special treat -- and I wish they hadn't done away with it already! Nevertheless, thanks for sharing some of the juicy tidbits... I really enjoyed them! As always, your food reviews (and photos) have made me feel hungry! (I think I'll take an early lunch break today, though there's nothing quite as exciting in my fridge.) Sorry you didn't find too many animal friends upon arrival at AKV... hope that changes soon!
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Rose and Crown sounded excellent! I haven't been since, I think, 1987. As a kid, I didn't care much for it. But as a grown-up, I think I'd better give it another shot! Glad you got your shopping taken care of, and also glad the room at AKL is much more to your liking! Thanks for that info because I've been trying to pick a studio for my 2013 Goofy marathon trip. I want a couch to relax on after running races and I think AKL will fit the bill perfectly.
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Tanya
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I think I could spend my entire vacation in World Showcase and be very happy. I tend to plan my vacations around food! I guess it makes sense that Disney (most tourist places in general) would "Americanize" the food, but still, at least it gives a sense of what the different foods are like in their home countries. I have a huge long list of restaurants I want to try at WDW, but I have an even longer list of countries I want to visit to try their food!
Nice pics of your room. I wonder how the studios are in relation to a regular room, size-wise...I think I may have to check that out myself someday!
I love how "adventurous" you and Mark are driving around places you've never been! I guess a lot of that comes with all your experience in travel, but I still love to see it!
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Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
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Love that hidden Mickey in the carpet and the map of Kenya is great.
Is that topiary of Aurora normally in France or was is there for Flower and Garden?
I think it was just there for the Flower and Garden Festival.
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Okay...I'll be the one to ask the question. Why the heck is Secret deodorant banned in the UK?
Absolutely no idea! It was a friend who told me that. She said she'd asked around to find out why it was no longer being sold and that's what she was told. Apparently it was a European Union law thing - I know no more than that!
Mind you, having said that, our laws are very diffent both sides of the pond. Sudafed (I'm pretty sure I'm remembering the right medicine) is available over the counter here and friends in the States have told me that it's only available on prescription and even then it's tough to get from the doctors - I think because you can do something to do it to create something illegal, if I'm remembering right?
Just caught up on all 21 pages. I'm such a slacker!
You're making me really nostalgic for Orlando. I used to live there, and went to the Mall of Millenia frequently. I'm also sure I have shopped at the same Best Buy you went to.
I love the Rose & Crown. Their potato leek soup is delicious! I haven't tried the egg things (Scotch Eggs, I guess?) but they look spectacular!! This is why I love food photos so much. Sometimes descriptions just don't do food justice... but when I actually SEE it, I usually know if I'll enjoy it or not. And I'm definitely trying out those eggs when I go back there! Yummy!
Looking forward to more (and now I have to read your other two portions of this TR, since I'm clearly out of order).
How cool! Enjoy the other bits of the trip report....
Did they not sell Secret deodorant here in the UK at some point???? I might be wrong. Its v annoying when you can't get something anymore. I always stock up on maybeline clear mascara as we can't get that here either.
Rachel
you're right, they did and that's how I first started to use it, then it just disappeared from the shelves....
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I guess it makes sense that Disney (most tourist places in general) would "Americanize" the food, but still, at least it gives a sense of what the different foods are like in their home countries. I have a huge long list of restaurants I want to try at WDW, but I have an even longer list of countries I want to visit to try their food!
PassPorter Guide Author
It was a friend who told me that. She said she'd asked around to find out why it was no longer being sold and that's what she was told. Apparently it was a European Union law thing - I know no more than that! 
I haven't tried the egg things (Scotch Eggs, I guess?) but they look spectacular!! This is why I love food photos so much. Sometimes descriptions just don't do food justice... but when I actually SEE it, I usually know if I'll enjoy it or not. And I'm definitely trying out those eggs when I go back there! Yummy!
Enjoy the other bits of the trip report....
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