Celebrating Halloween-Disneyland Style - Page 3 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Well, DCA closes when WOC starts, so we made our way back to our room at VGC. I had had enough of the day. Not only had my back had enough, I was still a little "miffed" about not getting that darn job. So, DH and DD decided they were going to go over to DLR because it was open until midnight. Also, we needed breakfast!
So I pulled out my chemistry set and a couple of pillows to find that "better life" (don't worry--muscle relaxants only!) and the evening Kommandos headed out for just a couple of rides--they'd be back in an hour. Well, those two crazy people rolled it after--yes AFTER midnight!!! From what I heard, they had a BLAST. SM and ST (twice!) for a start! And who could forget BUZZ!!!! Then Blue Ribbon Bakery! For those of you who don't know, Blue Ribbon Bakery is closing, I think in January. (DRAT!)
We all needed that time. DD & DH needed a little daughter-father bonding. And I needed a little time for the lower back to heal. So, we all yawned and crawled into our respective beds around 1AM.
Next: DLR's Mickey's Halloween Party--Does it meet and beat WDW?
I remember going to DL when I was a kid and running around getting soaked and having a blast. I even took my shoes off and I don't remember anyone saying anything about it. Oh the good old days when I didn't care about getting wet.
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Trish ,
Me and the family Magic Kingdom New Years Eve December 29, 2009-January 9th, 2010
Okay-for us on Nebraska time--9amish and I'm finding myself AWAKE and wanting to take on the day! But DH and DD have a different time schedule that I do. (Did I ever mention that I think I ADHD?) After years of getting up at 5AM to concur the world, sleeping in until 7am is luxury to me. So, I'm always up before everyone else. The only difference on the West Coast is I've actually slept late than I normally do! SWEET! (Do the math--7am on West coast is 9am Nebraska time, 4 hours more sleep--okay not really, but play the mind games with me!)
I get dressed and sound the alarm--we have two hoursBEFORE DCA opens. So what do we do? Kommando Kate is in full armor this morning!!!! And then--all stops. My FAMILY says NO!!!! (can you believe it?) SLOW DOWN. SLOW DOWN, SLOW DOWN!) We will spend the day at DCA. So, I acquiesce and we start toward the rope drop! Well, my family is SLOW! Rope drop happens and we still have to wait 30 minutes in line for TSMM. Okay, I KNOW I'm getting older--but really folks-- I can't make the top 10 on the scale??? My DD is only 26 and she WALKS toward the attraction! Can you believe it?
So we take in all of Paradise Pier, DH and I ride the Mickey Wheel (I don't remember what it's call--someone PLEASE remind me). That was FUN! Not for the ride--I DISLIKE Farris Wheels of any kind. But I spent the ENTIRE time talking with the NICEST lady from South Africa! It was SO fun. We talked all the way through the ride commenting on the stops and starts--I don't even KNOW how long we were up there!!! (DD wouldn't do that ride, but she's 26 and I no longer think it necessary to for go something I want to do just because she doesn't.)
The it was on to Goofy's Flight School. LOVE THAT RIDE!!! DH didn't, but DD and I rode it and it was GREAT FUN!!!!
Then it was Little Mermaid and lunch at Paradise Pier. Meal reviews to follow---
Little Mermaid was fun. DD and I had done it before DH came and enjoyed it, but it is one that you must ride. At midday, the wait was 30 minutes, not bad for a Friday. The attraction itself is marvelous! The segway between the segments is flawless and the music wonderful. The que line move quickly with very little time spent "standing" and waiting. Even DH thought the wait was worth it. I can't wait to see the WDW version later in 2012!
Next--Foodie Review--Paradise Pier
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Beautiful Mother
Last edited by Beautiful Mother; 10-30-2011 at 10:38 PM..
Sounds like a good morning, despite the slow start. I think it's now called the Sun or Fun Wheel, I don't remember which - I think it changed from one to the other?
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
We ate lunch at Paradise Pier--the two new restaurants. DD ate at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta. SHe had the 5 cheese ravioli and it looked wonderful. But DD is tiny, so even though she's an adult, we could have split the meal and had left overs!
DH & I ate at the Paradise Garden grill. DH and I both ordered a steak kabob, while DH also ordered a Greek salad--thinking it was small. NOT! Again, one kabob and salad was enough for two people. Dessert had to be baklava--but this one was "rolled". Very good, but different than we were used to. We had left-overs, and decided to take them back to the room to eat later. YUM!!!
After lunch it was time to head to one of our favorites--TOT!!! DD will NOT rid this--Nope, never! We had just enough time to ride that and then get in line for Aladdin. We love that show! Really! This was the first time we'd not sat in the "orchestra" seats. I think I liked it better, but we were looking forward to seeing the "flying carpet" from above and it DIDN'T fly!!! Does anyone know what that was all about???? Even without that, the show was wonderful--except for the woman who was yelling--yes, yelling at her little one, Kate!
Had I had a little more ____, I would have turned around and asked her how we knew one another? She yelled in line and she whisper yelled before the show started. CM's tried to deflect some of it once we were inside, but honestly, I didn't know what this little one had done to deserve it. Poor thing. All she kept saying to little Kate was "I spent over $100 for you to come here and if you don't straighten up, you'll pay me back every penny!" We were embarrassed for her and angry that she would take out whatever the issue was on this little one. We'd stood in front of them for 45 minutes and honestly, didn't see the girl do anything to warrant that, nor did this little one say anything. Ya gotta wonder???
The "original" plan was to head back to the room around 2:00, and we weren't too far off. Of course, we had to wonder around a little--we'd picked up tickets for Soarin' so of course we had to ride that. And then there was the preview center for the renovation of DCA. And then, of course DH & I needed a glass of California wine! THEN, back to the room and the POOL.
Now you might say, Kommando--you are losing your mojo! Staying in when your DH and DD stay out 'til midnight and now stopping in the middle of the afternoon for the pool??? Are you getting old and out of shape? Actually, this was in my plan. For you see, we have tickets to Mickey's Halloween Party! And I knew that midnight was the earliest we would be in. Besides, why would I stay at VGC if I was ONLY going to sleep in the room???
So, I put my suit on and headed downstairs with DD to find the hot tub filled with kids. No adults, just kids. What gives? Now there WERE adults laying around the hot tub, but the kids were packed in there, and not quietly. Oh well, I brought my book and decided I was going to have a little afternoon "tea". We didn't have to be at DLR until our dinner reservation at 5:40pm. The party didn't start until 7pm. So, after about 20 minutes DD decided she'd had enough, but about then DH joined me and we found a waiter and got a couple of--gee, I don't remember--I think we had Long Island Ice Teas--yep, that was it! $27.00--ouch!!! but, oh, they were good!!! Just what the doctor ordered!!!
Next--Mickey's Halloween Party!--(not to be confused with MNSSHP)
Not sure of the details but there was recently an issue with the flying carpet, one of the ropes has broken and the characters had to be rescued, fortunately no one was hurt.
Sounds like a great time - and there's nothing wrong with downtime. As you said, why go for the Grand Californian if you're not going to be able to enjoy the facilities it has to offer?
I'm glad to hear that you took some time from you commando touring to relax at the Grand Californian--sorry about all the kids at the spa. $27 for 2 Long Islands sounds a bit steep!
It was steep. But we expected that. It was so worth it though. I love DD, but I everyone needs a little alone time. When mom decides to have an adult beverage, DD usually finds something else to do.
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Looking forward to hearing what you thought of the party.
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