Going north, south, east and west - LAS VEGAS - COMPLETE - Page 4 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Probably a good choice to skip it then. It really is a great place to visit - we used to take a hiking trip there in high school and always had to go in January, to make sure it wasn't too hot. If you decide to stay there, I recommend Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch (in Furnace Creek, which is one of the only true towns there). And you certainly have to visit Scotty's Castle, which isn't too far away from there. That's such a fun tour!
Such pretty pictures! Living here, we don't "brave" the Strip that often, tending to avoid the tourists. So we don't get to Bellagio's Conservatory as often as we should to enjoy it.
It's finally hit us, though. Encore hired a bunch of people for the opening, but has already laid off a number of employees. And Eschelon, which was scheduled where the Stardust used to be, was put on indefinite hold. Even City Center (the monstrous project between Monte Carlo and Bellagio) has put a few things on hold. But considering we averaged 95% occupancy for the past 15 or so years, it took a little longer to hit us and even falling off a bit, we're still holding at a decent occupancy rate (just not compared to what we used to have!).
Can't wait to see what you decided to do with your day! Now I'm really bummed I couldn't meet up with you guys. Next time you visit, we've definitely got to figure out a PP Meet!
Thanks for the advice about Death Valley - we will get there one day and Furnace Creek is somewhere I'd already identified to stay at.
Sorry to hear that the economy is being hit there - interesting about things at City Center being put on hold.
And yes, we'll definitely have to meet up next time we return to Vegas.
Thursday 30 October – part one: where shall we go today then?
Although we woke reasonably early, we spent a lot of time in the room this morning, just taking our time and yes, if I’m honest, I did spend some time opening and closing the drapes by using the controls by the bed. That really was something that amused me. It doesn’t take much.
Round the wrong way – oops!
We also took the opportunity to get some daytime shots from the room and to photograph the maintenance they were doing on the fountains below:
We finally headed out just after 10.00, with no real plans for the day, as obviously originally we had been going to Death Valley and now we weren’t. On the way out, a few more shots:
The elevator doors Inside the elevator
We knew what our first stop needed to be and that was Target to get some water and Sprite and some blank recordable CDs. We had run out in Chicago and thought that we would just get some at the airport, but my goodness, no, as there were no shops there, so this was really the first chance we had, having found out that they don’t sell them at Disneyland.
That done, we headed next for the Disney Character Premium Outlets, as we had done pretty well the last time we went there and I did again, finding an Eeyore Disneyland T-shirt, although Mark couldn’t find anything he liked. They do seem to always have a very good selection here, much more consistent than the one in Orlando.
When we came out of there, we drove over to the Reebok store, so that Mark could get some more socks and I found the pink and white tennis shoes that had been out of stock in Orlando, we I ended up getting a pair of those, after mark assured me that we would be able to get them in the cases. Where, I’m not sure, but he said it was OK. At least on the way back, we don’t have to worry about weight, just space, as the weight allowance is huge, compared to internal flights in the States.
We had a walk through the complex and found a food court, so got some sandwiches for lunch, turkey for Mark and vegetables for me. They were very nice and a bit unusual, as they had things in like avocado that you don’t usually get at home. We were served by a great guy, who obviously wasn’t local and turned out to be from Lebanon.
From there, we decided that we would go to Valley of Fire state park, which was about an hour and a half’s drive from Vegas. I didn’t really know much about it, apart from the fact that it was made up of red sand and was a state park. I figured a state park should be impressive though and off we went.
Most of the drive was on the I-15 and then we turned off to a road that literally ran through the desert, with nothing else in sight. At first we saw no other cars and that was spooky. I was really glad when we started to see some and, even better, when I ran out of fingers to count them on!
As we drove along, we saw lots of fireworks that had obviously been let off by the side of the road. We would later find out where those had come from, but more of that later… It was amazing to think that we were in such a beautiful and undeveloped part of the States. It’s good to see that some parts of the country are kept preserved.
Wow, now you got me curious what the Valley of Fire is like! I guess not going to Death Valley was a good decision, with all the driving you guys did already. I was wondering, did you check out the Bellagio's pool area by any chance?
Great update Cheryl!! I've always wanted to stay at the Paris hotel and your pictures confirm it! Egads I had forgotten how big those hotels were out there!
When and if I ever get Glenn to Vegas, I'm going to have to find a different hotel. My SIL and I have stayed at the Aladdin (now called Planet Hollywood) We had fountain views, huge room, luxurious bathroom and all for under $100 a night.
Now that they're Planet Hollywood the price has doubled. From your pictures, PH looks cheesy and tacky from the front. I wish somewhere either on the net or in a book you could find better hotel descriptions with floor plans like PP. Hey Dave aand Jennifer! ? ! Maybe you could go back to Vegas, Cheryl and Mark, and do a PP book.
Looking forward to more.
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Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
I can't wait to see your Valley of Fire pics! Did you hike to Mouse's Tank? I haven't been there since I was a kid. Now I've got 2 things on my list to do this weekend - go to Bellagio for dinner and take the kids to Valley of Fire. I may not be able to read any more, or my weekend will go up in smoke!
[wearing "Cliff Claven" hat]
This is a picture of one of the high roller suites, which are located on the 3rd floor (of all things). Some of them are HUGE! (I got a tour of the hotel during one of my jobs) like, way bigger than my house. They are the suites that Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and George Clooney stayed in while filming Ocean's 11. So, we could be looking at a picture of a pool that George Clooney swam in!
[removes "Cliff Claven" hat and fluffs hair]
Quote:
Now that they're Planet Hollywood the price has doubled. From your pictures, PH looks cheesy and tacky from the front.
It's not too bad and inside is an interesting mix of trendy and "old Vegas" tacky (but not necessarily bad). But, keep an eye on prices. In the old routine of supply and demand, demand for rooms is down so prices are going down and deals are being had all over.
That certainly looks like a desolate road you're on. Interested in hearing about the park visit. Great daytime shots from your room. Glad you found several things at the outlet stores.
Wow, now you got me curious what the Valley of Fire is like! I guess not going to Death Valley was a good decision, with all the driving you guys did already. I was wondering, did you check out the Bellagio's pool area by any chance?
Unfortunately we didn't have time. I got some photos, which I'll share over the next few days, but we didn't try it out for ourselves. :
Now that they're Planet Hollywood the price has doubled. From your pictures, PH looks cheesy and tacky from the front. I wish somewhere either on the net or in a book you could find better hotel descriptions with floor plans like PP. Hey Dave aand Jennifer! ? ! Maybe you could go back to Vegas, Cheryl and Mark, and do a PP book.
Looking forward to more.
What a great idea that is! Not sure we'd be the right people to do it though, as it's a long way to travel!
I can't wait to see your Valley of Fire pics! Did you hike to Mouse's Tank? I haven't been there since I was a kid. Now I've got 2 things on my list to do this weekend - go to Bellagio for dinner and take the kids to Valley of Fire. I may not be able to read any more, or my weekend will go up in smoke!
[wearing "Cliff Claven" hat]
This is a picture of one of the high roller suites, which are located on the 3rd floor (of all things). Some of them are HUGE! (I got a tour of the hotel during one of my jobs) like, way bigger than my house. They are the suites that Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and George Clooney stayed in while filming Ocean's 11. So, we could be looking at a picture of a pool that George Clooney swam in!
[removes "Cliff Claven" hat and fluffs hair]
It's not too bad and inside is an interesting mix of trendy and "old Vegas" tacky (but not necessarily bad). But, keep an eye on prices. In the old routine of supply and demand, demand for rooms is down so prices are going down and deals are being had all over.
Unfortunately we didn't make it to Mouse's Tank : It was too hot and we were too tired.
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OMG such a great start to your trip. I did find a hidden mickey though sort of... In the picture of the fountain while not running if you look at the big O and the 2 smaller O's off to the side...
OMG such a great start to your trip. I did find a hidden mickey though sort of... In the picture of the fountain while not running if you look at the big O and the 2 smaller O's off to the side...
Thursday 30 October – part two: into the Valley of Fire
We soon got to Valley of Fire and went past a sign saying that we were entering the park and, almost immediately, there was a change of scenery, with lots more red rock appearing in the landscape, but the best bits were saved for after you entered the park and had paid your $6 to do so. Really that was a bargain for the stunning scenery that we were presented with over the next few miles. The trouble was that, once the wow factor wore off, then you became a bit blasé about seeing such beautiful sights everywhere you look.
Out first stop was to see the beehives, so called because of their shape. They were created by the wind and to see the different texture on them, it’s amazing to think that nature created them this way.
We saw a sign saying Atlatl Rock, so we thought that we would go and have a look. The highlight here was the petroglyphs that dated back 4,000 years. We had quite a hike up to see them, but it was worth it. By the way, in case you’re wondering, the signs also told us about that…
Showing how red the sand is
Our next stop was just a little further down the same road to see the natural arch – and that’s exactly what it was. It took us a moment to find it, as you do have to be in the right spot to see it, but once you are, it’s very obvious, as you can see.
From there, we drove down to the visitor centre, which was very comprehensive. We didn’t stay long, but long enough to learn that once, many millions of years ago, this whole area was underwater and that some of the more brown hills that we could see in the distance had been formed at a different time to the red rock here and hence the differences in the rock colour in the area.
A book and a fridge magnet bought and we drove off to Mouse’s Tank, but when we discovered that it was a half mile round trek and all it was was an area that collected water, we opted not to bother, as the heat was horrendous. In the visitor centre. It had said that the expected high today was 81 degrees. Well, if that’s right, then I’m very glad that we didn’t go near Death Valley, as this was unbearable enough.
Next: turning off the cell phone here seems sensible...
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At least on the way back, we don’t have to worry about weight, just space, as the weight allowance is huge, compared to internal flights in the States. 
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