Forever Young: A Disneyland Trip 50 Years in the Making COMPLETED 1/16/16 - Page 29 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Radiator Springs looks like a ton of fun. Is it basically Test Track with a different story line, though?
RSR is basically Test Track, but even cooler and the outside track is so much longer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMA
What a great time! How nice that you got to spend a good amount of time with Jeannie! I love all the great photos of TT!
I was so excited when Jeannie contacted me via PM here about spending some time together at DLR. Getting as much time as we did was so cool.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily
I love the Stephanie Stpry! You have a teacher's bladder, so I can sympathize. It is great that you could meet another Passporter and get a hug from another one from clear across the country. Ice cream was perfect.
I always felt one of the hardest parts of a new school year was re-training my poor bladder. Hugs are always great! As Jeannie was making the suggestions, I knew as soon as she said ice cream that that would be Luke's choice. He hardly ever says no to ice cream.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
We were doing great, meeting Heather yesterday and Jeannie today.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperDave
A great time today in the parks! Glad that you got to meet up with Jeannie and have a good time together! That was a close call in your urgency to get off of Radiator Springs!
Definitely a close call and a mistake I would not make again.
What a great pp meetup! I the sweet Stefanie story too.
Thanks! That is one of my favorite Stefanie stories.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Sounds like you had a great meet up with Jeannie! Great pictures from Radiator Springs and Tower or Terror!
We truly enjoyed our time with Jeannie. It was really neat to learn so much from someone who has visited this park so many times. It was obvious by the way she talked that Jeannie loves DLR, and that helped me love it even more.
Definitely a close call and a mistake I would not make again.
Cam, you were certainly caught in the moment and having such a great time on Radiator Springs! Things can happen and it just doesn't bother you at the time, even with some urgency! Well, regarding Luke....no one in their right mind will ever turn down ice cream!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Sounds like a lovely time catching up with friends! I had no idea that Lightening McQueen drove down the streets. Does he do this at all in WDW? We met Lightening and Mater at DHS, but they were stationary. I had no idea they did this. My DS would flip out!
I just love all of your photos from Carsland. I have a lot of the same feelings about Carsland that you do, it was just like stepping into the movie. I am bummed Luigi's Flying Tires closed, Lexi really like that ride, but not as much as she loved Tow Mater's Jamboree. That ride certainly brings out the laughs!
Cam, you were certainly caught in the moment and having such a great time on Radiator Springs! Things can happen and it just doesn't bother you at the time, even with some urgency! Well, regarding Luke....no one in their right mind will ever turn down ice cream!
Oddly enough, we have a nephew who has never liked ice cream or pizza. Rather amazing. Now as an adult he will eat pizza, but still doesn't really care for ice cream.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stardust190
Sounds like a lovely time catching up with friends! I had no idea that Lightening McQueen drove down the streets. Does he do this at all in WDW? We met Lightening and Mater at DHS, but they were stationary. I had no idea they did this. My DS would flip out!
I've never seen Lightning or Mater moving at WDW, but we saw both them driving down the road along with Red. They move into the meet and greet area, which is so cool. We had no idea before we saw them moving that they did this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
What a great time you had with Jeannie! Love all the pics!
I just love all of your photos from Carsland. I have a lot of the same feelings about Carsland that you do, it was just like stepping into the movie. I am bummed Luigi's Flying Tires closed, Lexi really like that ride, but not as much as she loved Tow Mater's Jamboree. That ride certainly brings out the laughs!
Tow Mater's Jamboree caused me to laugh nonstop. So fun!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SharonK0527
Great update! Sounds like you got to spend some quality time with Jeannie and it sure sounds like she's a knowledgeable DL expert to have around
Luke's birthday banana split looked delicious!!
LOVE the Lightning McQueen photos! Looks like the movie come to life
Jeannie told us that she used to come DLR to sit on a bench and unwind after work. That would be so cool!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I'm so glad you got to meet Jeannie -
she's wonderful, isn't she? I also loved that Stefanie story.
I need to back up just a little as a surprise gift was delivered today and reminded me of a detail that I omitted from the last update. Luke and I were cleaning the floors today when he came to the kitchen where I was working on the hardwoods to tell me that I had two packages on the porch. I’ve been doing some Christmas shopping, and he was a sweetheart and did not want to peek. I knew one of the packages was supposed to be from Clinique as I had ordered some serum late last week. But I had no idea about the other, which was boldly marked fragile. I showed Luke that it was addressed to both of us, so he began to work on carefully unpacking. He pulled out a card and handed it to me. So now I knew who had sent the package, Carolyn (silvercat), another avid trip report writer. Eventually, Luke got to a box and told me to take over. What I uncovered beneath the bubble wrap had me all teary-eyed. See for yourselves!
The ornament has a beautiful white feather inside, and Stefanie’s name on the outside. On the other side it says “Feathers are reminders that angels are near.” Such a precious treasure! Thank you, thank you, Carolyn! I’m going to purchase an ornament stand and it will remain out all year long beside my feather jar.
Now to the story Carolyn’s gift reminded me of. While we three were sitting at the table at Ghirardelli, a small white feather wafted down to the ground. The feather caught both mine and Luke’s attention, but landed near the feet of folks at the table next to ours. As soon as they left, Luke retrieved it and I secured it in my billfold. Stefanie was wishing her dad a “Happy Birthday.”
Right after I took this photo, Luke rejoined me from the restrooms, and we decided to take a spin on Monster Inc. Mike and Sully to the Rescue. As we were walking back into Hollywood Land, Luke asked for the camera. I’m not sure why but I wasn’t paying any attention to what he was specifically photographing. He did get a cool shot.
]
Then we were off again for Monster Inc. As we came up to the standby line, the cast members there gave us a colored card and told us to head into another line.
]
We found ourselves in the handicap accessible entrance and just a few steps away from boarding. I still managed a few photos of the boarding area.
]
Soon we were aboard a car and heading into Monstropolis.
This really is a cute little ride that recaps the basic story of Monsters, Inc. I loved it, but did wish that at some point we could have ridden a door on the conveyor belt. That would have been thrilling! As we disembarked, I could tell I was not feeling well, and really, what I needed was food. I checked the Disneyland app for a restaurant nearby, and discovered that Award Wieners was just around the corner.
Hot dogs hadn’t really been on the agenda, but I needed to eat now. Luke ordered me a hot dog and chips while he spiced his lunch up with a chili dog and chips. Again he got a large diet Coke and I had a regular Fanta Orange. We found an area of tables under cover. No problem finding an empty table as only two were already occupied. I practically inhaled my hot dog and chips. After refueling, I was the one who now needed a restroom break. The ones Luke had used earlier were just behind us.
It was really getting hot, so our next choice was based on Jeannie’s excellent advice. Unfortunately, because I had needed to eat, we were getting in line for it a little later than she had suggested. So where were we headed, Hyperion Theater.
We knew we wanted to see Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular because with the new Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land coming to DLR, it is closing soon. Since we were late arriving, we simply selected the line that still seemed to have some room. Our queue would take us in at the orchestra level. Probably within 5 minutes of our arriving, the line began to move into the theater. Luke and I were the very end of our line. When we got inside the theater the folks in front of us were grabbing any empty seats left. Luke noticed two seats but they were separated by a couple that was keeping an empty seat on either side of them. I leaned down to the gentleman to ask if we could have the two seats. He surprised me by having his wife scoot down, giving us to the two seats next to the aisle. He really was quite sweet. He even got excited that we were seeing this show for the first time. He told me several times that I was going to love it, and he was so right. Jeannie was right, too.
Now in the words of Scar in The Lion King, “Be Prepared.” I took a lot of photos because I didn’t want to forget what I’d never see again. Aladdin and Jasmine were very good actors and singers. But it was the Genie who stole the show (and made me miss Robin Williams all over again). The special effects were breathtaking, especially when Aladdin and Jasmine were soaring over our heads on a magic carpet. The part where Jafar turns into a genie was very cool, too. If you’ve never seen the show, I think you’ll feel like you have after the next series of photos.
When the show was over, we made our way back to Buena Vista Street. I took a photo of a shop that we momentarily stopped it that had a sweater I really liked on display. I planned on returning to purchase it later in the evening. But right now we needed to take care of a few wishes for the birthday boy.
Well, I tried and experiment that did not work. I added some of the photos in as I was writing the update in Word. But those aren't showing up, so I'll add them in here. Sorry!
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
So very sweet!
I love your photos and the PP ones!!
Well, regarding Luke....no one in their right mind will ever turn down ice cream! 
PassPorter Guide Author
I also loved that Stefanie story. 
That would have been thrilling! 
Linear Mode
