Finding Walt: a DL TR: Update 2/23/12 - Page 23 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Sorry your allergies are bothering you. It seems like everyone is having a crazy winter. We've had a few very cold days here in NY, but an above-average winter for the most part, and tomorrow we might make it to 60 degrees! As long as we're not constantly getting dumped on with snow like last winter, I won't complain.
Glad you got to see Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. I missed it this trip, but I really enjoy it as well. Some things are just so very "Disney" and that's one of them.
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
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I'm just now finding your trip report. And I am totally loving all the little details you are telling us. I was born and raised in Anaheim/Riverside, so Disneyland is "home" to me....so many wonderful memories there. Especially with my dad (who is now no longer with us. ) It was wonderful to see your pictures. I am hoping to bring my family out there in 2013 both to visit my family and to spend a few days at DLR. You have inspired me to do some of the "less popular" rides while we are there. And to remember to slow down and just enjoy ourselves. Can't wait to hear the rest of your report.
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Diana in CT Our Last visit to Disneyland: 6/26/13
Disneyland 1996 trip pics HERE
I'm sorry for the delay--but I'm trying to get my pics organized from the tour--I finally figured out that I had them by how fast they uploaded and not by number. I took so many parade photos it's unbelievable!
I'm sorry for the delay--but I'm trying to get my pics organized from the tour--I finally figured out that I had them by how fast they uploaded and not by number. I took so many parade photos it's unbelievable!
Ok I'm back and now I have new background music! I just got a package from our favorite princess with a copy of Where the Magic Lives! Thanks Sharon!
We met back up in the little tour garden next to Town Hall to meet our guide for the Holidays at Disneyland Resort tour. I was excited to hear some of the history, but more importantly the tour included backdoor rides on Haunted Mansion Holiday and it's a small world holiday, as well as VIP viewing for the Christmas Parade.
We got to hear all about the Town Square Christmas tree and how they changed it from a real tree to a synthetic, fire resistant tree after an actual fire. We talked about the decorations in the different lands and the very first Candle Light Processional that was held the year the park opened. Disneyland only has the CP on two nights a year--not 3 times a night for a month like in WDW.
The New Orleans Square area was a mob scene. The lines for Pirates and HMH stretched out into "extra" queues that were clearly "created" for the holidays. We, however, walked right through the Fast Pass line into HMH. All I can say is wow!
Just the outside area is so marvelously decorated that it's amazing. It's also interesting to see the HM as a plantation style home that could be found just a short drive from where I actually live. The overlay is amazing. It makes HM a brand new ride for me. I knew from the second the ghost host started talking that I was going to have to figure out how to get a few more rides on this one. All of a sudden coming all the way to Disneyland on a somewhat regular basis didn't seem like a bad idea. I was blown away by the thought and detail that went into the seasonal changes. Well see for yourself!
I think I have a better one of the wreath from a later ride.
Sandy himself!
There was some more walking and talking and I'm not sure I absorbed anything the guide was talking about--it seemed pretty common sense at this point and not really tour worthy info. This was stuff I knew from reading about DL and Walt.
Then I believe it was time for iasw. I took a lot of photos, but not all of them came out super well. If you know me even a little bit--you'll know that iasw is my favorite ride to photograph because it's challenging to get really stellar shots, but not nearly as difficult as Pirates. The details in this ride are amazing as well! It is unbelievably well done.
The queue and the beginning of the ride are actually outside at DL.
I was trying to shoot both the Christmas scenes and the characters that have been added at DL!
Alice and the White Rabbit
Cinderelli
Jasmine and Aladdin
Mulan
The Lion King characters
Guess who appears on the West Coast!
Yup that same little boy that freaks me out in WDW.
Ariel sings Jingle Shells!
My favorites!
Amazingly it was still light out when we went in, but it was full dark when we came out! We were escorted to Toon Town to get hot chocolate and a gingerbread cookie. I didn't want to spoil dinner so I stuck the cookie in my bag. I think it's still floating around my house somewhere--broken and uneaten. The hot chocolate wasn't actually hot, more like luke warm--but I was thirsty so I drank it and we got lovely (plastic) holiday mugs to take with us.
While the rides were great--the best part of taking this tour is that VIP viewing for the parades means actual seats--and not on the curb--these are nice comfy padded folding chairs!
I love the Holiday decorations they have inside of HM and IASW, really cool! I wish they would do that at WDW! And, thanks for the pictures of the characters they added to IASW, I've been wondering what it looked like since they did it. I've always wanted to go to DL, but never have, and after reading this report I know that I must!!
Those are GREAT photos from IASW. I still struggle with photography on that ride -- the moving boat + low light = difficulty for me!
Holiday HM looks really cool, too. Now that I've been to WDW at Christmas, it looks like a DLR Christmas trip must be added to my to-do list!!
I totally blame my camera for good shots! The secret is finding a camera that has a setting for taking low light photos. It lowers the megapixles number that your camera shoots in when you use the setting--so they aren't as crisp as using the automatic function, but the photos come out much better. I have a Canon S95.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JKnott17
I love the Holiday decorations they have inside of HM and IASW, really cool! I wish they would do that at WDW! And, thanks for the pictures of the characters they added to IASW, I've been wondering what it looked like since they did it. I've always wanted to go to DL, but never have, and after reading this report I know that I must!!
Wow! Thanks for the holiday overlay photos - I've always wondered what exactly they do to those rides!
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Tanya
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Disney Magic - Oct 2015
And to remember to slow down and just enjoy ourselves. Can't wait to hear the rest of your report.
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IASW at DL! 
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