My solo trip to the World - Booked and back in a week! COMPLETE - finally! 4/24!! - Page 27 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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The last time I ventured thru Swiss Family Robinson's Treehouse was way back in 75....I was quite adventurous and got ahead of everyone else. Then I panicked when I made it to the top & couldn't find anyone.....so I learned my lesson that day to not walk off from the family!!
Loving your pics as always.....still can't get over poor Belle-I hope someone didn't point it out to management to ridicule/embarrass her.
Very surprising about Belle! Even if she is from a country that does not shave, I would have thought that Disney guidelines would have included this bit as a part of being in costume...I did not see it at first because, like most people, I was looking at her face and her dress.
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just got caught up. I only went to SFR once. My dd decided she didn't want to go there next time so she looked at your pictures instead. Thanks...I love looking at other fans trips!!!!
I had spent a lovely afternoon exploring Adventureland, but the rain was moving in and fast! I hadn't had much luck with the Hidden Mickeys this day, but I did get to see some jewels embedded in the pavement in Adventureland. (You can see how wet the pavement is already!)
I didn't have my poncho with me, but fortunately I had forgotten to change my crocs that morning, so at least I wouldn't have to deal with soggy tennies for the next two days. I tried to avoid the rain at first, but it was coming down so hard that there really was no way to stay dry. I eventually gave in and made my way through Fantasyland in the pouring rain. It sure changes the look of the place, as you can see by the following photos: I love how most people huddle under the overhangs. People, there's an ATTRACTION in there! Go in and enjoy it, for Pete's sake!
The rain was practically coming down sideways!
See the HM at the top of the sign on the right side of the store? I got another picture of it later, but this one is better. (Clue 93 page 33)
I believe these last two were taken from the Carousel. I was trying to get out of Fantasyland as quickly as possible, but couldn't pass up a ride on the covered carousel. I was able to stay on two times in a row before they booted everybody off. The outdoor rides get closed when the rain really comes down. I have in my notes that I rode it's a small world at some point, as well.
One thing I have learned about serious rain at the Magic Kingdom: they are not equipped to handle it! There is not enough drainage, which leads to puddles EVERYWHERE! I was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad I had my crocs on! I was wading through puddles that were at least 6 inches deep! At first it was fun, and the brave/crazy folks shared a laugh and a smile for a little while, but eventually I was so waterlogged that it wasn't fun anymore, and I wanted nothing more than to be dry!
I had to pick up my backpack from my rental locker, and was told that I needed my original receipt. I had a moment of panic as I pulled out receipt after receipt, each too hard to read because they were all wet! I finally found the right one and was able to get my stuff AND my $5 deposit!
It was to be an Epcot evening, with another showing of Illuminations, but I was much too soaked to head over there directly. I decided to hit the bus to Pop so I could change, and then head to Epcot. Here's the only complaint I have about Pop: the buses are so stinkin' far away from the parks! (I know, you get what you pay for...but that's not something I want to hear when I'm soaked to the skin and just want dry clothes! )
When I finally approached the Pop bus stop, I could see about 200 people waiting ahead of me. The roads were quite flooded, which was holding up the bus situation. I must have waited about 20-25 minutes before finally giving up and heading back to the MK. I took the monorail to the TTC, a second monorail to Epcot and a bus to Pop from there. It probably wasn't the most direct route, but it was better than just waiting for a bus that might never arrive! What's funny is that when I arrived at Pop, I saw two girls entering the building just ahead of me. They had been waiting at the MK bus station with me (I recognized them because they were wearing Universal ponchos! ) and now they had made it to Pop at about the same time. I don't know what route they took to get there, but it's funny that we arrived at the same time!
I took a quick shower, got some clean clothes and dry shoes and hit the road for Epcot! I brought my poncho this time, as well as the DVC hat I'd gotten the day before, in case the rain followed me to Epcot!
I arrived around 8:00 and spent a little time in the China pavilion. I love this pavilion and never get enough time here. Here is China's only Hidden Mickey (Clue 42 page 64)
While I was in China, I bought an identical little panda to the one our oldest DD had purchased last spring. It seems the our youngest DD had taken a liking to it, and confiscated it. The rightful owner wanted it back, so I told her I would buy her baby sister her own little panda!
Next up, Germany!
Snow White's new meet-and-greet area:
I stopped in Japan to catch the Hidden Mickey there. This was a tough one to find! Clue 51 page 65
It was time to find a viewing area for Illuminations. I'd been happy with a spot in Germany in the past, but wanted to try a new spot to see if it was even better. I went to France this time; note to self: stick with Germany next time!) There was a lot of fire in this particular show, so I don't know if there was excess fuel or what. Unfortunately, the fireworks were somewhat obscured by all the smoke from the bonus fires! I also discovered that you really can't hear the music very well from the location I chose, and the music is my favorite part!
I hadn't eaten since Columbia Harbor House, and was in the mood for something French, so I headed to the Bakery! I bought a ham and cheese baguette, milk and chocolate mousse and took it out to the promenade! I ended up eating it right outside of the American Adventure. It was EMH tonight and I ate while I waited for the 9:45 show! I was able to finish my sandwich before the show, but didn't have room for the mousse. I tucked it inside my sleeve and planned to eat it later on...
When I got to the door of the American Adventure pavilion, there was a CM and a security guard checking IDs for EMH. I'd forgotten to have mine ready, and as I fumbled in my bag to find it, the security guard tapped my hat and said, "I'd almost vouch for her; these hats are hard to come by!"
Up next: American Adventure pics and the rest of Epcot Evening EMH!
Neat pictures in the rain! We got caught at Imagination with Figment once when the rain was coming down sideways. My sister who lives in Orlando says that happens frequently, but it was a bit freaky for us.
Wow! You really did endure some serious rain. I'm glad you were able to find your receipt to get into your locker. That would have been terrible if you hadn't. I look forward to hearing about your time at Epcot during EMH.
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I never thought about taking pictures of the rain before. Wow. It was really coming down. We've experienced that kind of rain while there before....not fun.
Sorry your Illuminations spot wasn't good. We usually watch from the area b/w Norway and Mexico, but sometimes watch from the bridge near France/England or the entrance to World Showcase. Our worst spot ever was in Canada.
The rain certainly makes for great pictures. I have some shots taken from the top of the train station looking right down Main street to the castle with NObody in them. Just rain and a wet Main street. All the people are huddled under the canopies along Main St. It's quite funny! I even did a panoramic shot of the Square with nobody as well. I'm glad you weren't afraid to melt in the rain!! Epcot sounds fun so far!
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) and now they had made it to Pop at about the same time. I don't know what route they took to get there, but it's funny that we arrived at the same time!
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