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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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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.
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06-08-2006, 01:39 AM
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#46
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Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Manchester, England
Posts: 3,595
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
Wow. I've never been to Busch Gardens, but it looks great. It looks like I'll have to figure a way of getting there on my next trip.
Can't wait for more!
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06-08-2006, 06:53 AM
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#47
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Community Rank: Scout 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Methuen,MA
Posts: 4,499
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
great report as always sharon
can't wait till you get to disney
more please
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06-08-2006, 10:15 AM
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#48
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Manchester NH
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 12,514
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
Great update Sharon... I so need to go on that Coaster!!!! I just watched a special on the Discovery Channel that featured it, my dh said I was nuts even thinking about it!
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06-08-2006, 10:25 AM
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#49
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Community Rank: Traveler 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 355
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
Just got caught up on your TR! Love it! Keep them coming! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
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06-08-2006, 11:06 AM
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#50
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But why is the rum gone?
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Needville, Texas
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 12,286
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
Great monster start so far!!! Sounds like a fun day!
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06-09-2006, 04:07 PM
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#51
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 7,960
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
[ QUOTE ]
I haven't been to Busch Gardens in over a decaded, but I love your pictures!!!!!! Sounds like you guys had a really fun day there!! Do they still give you the free beer?
[/ QUOTE ]
Since none of us drink beer, we didn't check, but when my brother visited a few months back, they still were.
[ QUOTE ]
Sharon[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img], Sharon[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img], Sharon [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img]!!!
Jill
[/ QUOTE ]
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img]
[ QUOTE ]
Great update Sharon... I so need to go on that Coaster!!!! I just watched a special on the Discovery Channel that featured it, my dh said I was nuts even thinking about it!
[/ QUOTE ]
I'll be happy to join you on it! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] We'll be nuts together!  |
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06-09-2006, 04:15 PM
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#52
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 7,960
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
Day 4 – Sunday May 28
Disney! 
I had to get up at 4:30 to take my parents to the airport. Wasn’t that nice of me? No wonder I’m their favorite!  Anyway, they were all packed up so they just needed to shower and dress. I figured I’d shower and get ready when I got back (hey – I know I smelled better than a cab driver would’ve  ).
The drive to the airport was a snap since it was so early. I dropped them off and returned to the hotel for a nap.  I didn’t sleep for long since I was excited to begin the Disney portion of the trip. I packed up and got ready
( ) then headed down to grab a quick breakfast.
I drove over to DB’s house and we chit-chatted for a bit until Erica and I could no longer contain our excitement and headed for Orlando at about 12:30. We stopped to get McDonalds for Erica since she’d skipped breakfast. I didn’t hit any traffic and we made it to Orlando in almost exactly one hour (as far as you know, I followed the speed limits exactly ).
We found our way to the Yacht Club, checked our bags and went inside to check in. We had a CM who was earning his ears, but check-in went smoothly. While I was checking in, a group of college kids were also checking in to attend an NCAA leadership seminar, which Erica thought was fantastic. Erica spent a lot of time walking around like this  She said “Auntie, this is the best hotel!”  Mind you, we hadn’t even been past the lobby at that point. Leave it to a teenage girl to decide how much she likes a hotel based on how cute the boys are. I have to admit, there were quite a few cute college-age boys in the Yacht Club while we were there. Hey, this is the 18 Again trip report after all, so I’m allowed to notice stuff like that.  Our room was ready, so we went up to check it out, only to discover that we’d been given a king room.
So we went back down to the Front Desk and I spoke with another CM who assigned us another room. That room wasn’t ready, so I was given a card to call for our room number. We jumped in the car headed for the Magic Kingdom.
We arrived just before the parade started and was it ever hot!  Erica decided she wanted to watch the parade and she also wanted to ride Splash Mountain (because, you know, it was hot ). She saved our parade spot and I ran over to get a Splash FP.
Unfortunately, just as I neared Splash, the parade started and I was on the wrong side of it. So I doubled back and grabbed us a couple of FPs for the other boat ride, the Jungle Cruise. I got back to Erica before the parade reached the hub, and she wanted to get a drink so I held our spot while she grabbed one. You may wonder how we walked up 10 minutes before the parade time and got a spot, but we were in direct sunlight and umm … it was hot, you know.
I knew the PP ice cream meet was going on across the way, and I tried to spot some PPers in the crowd, but I didn’t.  The parade came along, and I got some pictures of course.
Once the parade ended, we were both thirsty so we ran into Casey’s before the line got too long and got Sprites. I thought maybe some of the PPers might still be over at the ice cream parlor, but they were gone by the time we got there. At least we got to meet up with them later in our trip!
Erica went in to get us an ice cream to share and I grabbed a table. While we were sitting and enjoying the ice cream, I noticed a very tall man covered with tattoos and carrying an umbrella like Mary Poppins.  See, I told you it was hot. Anyway, I recognized the guy to be Dennis Rodman, even though he wasn’t wearing a wedding dress or anything. I pretended to take a picture of Erica, but I really took a picture of him. (Don’t worry, I told Erica I wasn’t really taking her picture.)
He was with his wife and their two kids and had a CM escort. They came out of the Plaza, walked right past us (I should’ve waited to get a picture of his face) and went to a backstage area. I called my DF and let him know, since he’s a huge hoops fan.  The guy at the table next to us was like, “Hey, it’s Dennis Rodman!” He called someone too. Yeah, we’re nerds.  Erica called her Dad too, so she’s another one!
After our celebrity sighting, it was time to use our JC FP, so we walked to Adventureland. The standby was listed at 20 minutes, but we walked right on. I like this ride more when it’s dark, but since it was light out, I decided to get some pictures (big surprise, I know).
After the JC, we didn’t really have time for much since we had a 5:40 ADR at ‘Ohana, so I decided a spin on the WDW RR was in order. We picked up Splash FPs on the way to the Frontierland station. The return time was for right after when we would be finished eating at ‘Ohana, so I picked them up. Here’s the lesson for today in my Fastpass Optimization System. Even if the window was smack dab in the middle of our dining window, I would’ve gotten the FPs anyway. FPs are good for any time after the start time, so they don’t actually expire when the window ends.
Surprisingly, the line for the train was quite long. I didn’t even realize there was as much of a queue as there is but we ended up having to wait for the second train. It was interesting to see the station, as that’s something I’ve never taken the time to do before.
Continued…
Last edited by PrincessSharon; 11-14-2007 at 11:19 AM..
Reason: fix images
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06-09-2006, 04:23 PM
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#53
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 7,960
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
We rode the train around to Main Street U.S.A., then walked over and hopped on the monorail. I was looking forward to my dinner, but the real reason I booked this PS was for the pina colada  We got to the restaurant at 5:15 and checked in early. I’ve always had a long wait at ‘Ohana, so Erica and I sat down and the moment we settled in, a waitress came for our drink order!
Shortly after it arrived, our table was ready and we were seated at a window table with a view of the castle 
Erica and I enjoyed our meal (and I enjoyed my pina colada  ) and we were completely stuffed when we rolled out of there. We hopped right back on a waiting monorail and then headed directly to Frontierland. We still had a bit of time before our window opened, so Erica decided she wanted to see the Country Bears.
Once we were out of there, we headed over and rode Splash. We got the back row, so we didn’t get wet at all. We checked out our picture, then headed back to the Country Bears, our favorite Spectromagic spot.
We still had about an hour before the parade would start, so Erica held the spot while I went over and got on the Haunted Mansion.
When I came back, she went over and rode. By the time she came back, people were trying to crowd me out of my spot, but I stretched out enough so no one moved us out. We had my favorite spot, right in front of the Country Bears where the boardwalk juts out all the way to the parade route. No one ever tries to crowd in behind us there and no one can crowd ahead of us since we are right at the rope. Also we can sit on the little boardwalk thing and lean on the pole. It’s quite comfortable. I’ve given away a good secret, so if you ever get it and see me walking by, kindly let me sit with you.
The only bad thing about this spot is that the parade starts at Main Street, so it takes 20 minutes to get to FL. When it came, I was able to get some pictures.
After the parade, Erica decided that she wanted to check out the hotel  , so we decided not to stay for Wishes. We’ve been lucky enough to watch Wishes from the front of the monorail in the past, but this time there was someone waiting, so we couldn’t.
When we got the parking tram, some people got on in the row behind us in the middle of the parking lot, completely lost! They couldn’t find their car, but they knew which section it was in (which was not the section they got on at). I guess they thought it was either one or the other and it turned out to be the other. It’s pretty frustrating, I bet! I am pretty good at remembering my parking space, it’s my room number I always forget. So I’ve started taking a picture of it with my digital camera (often it’s the first picture so it’s easy to look up when necessary). Anyway, they got off when we did and the tram driver yelled at them to get back on, so I guess he knew where they were going if they didn’t.
When we got back to the YCR, I just stopped at the front desk for our room assignment since no one was waiting. We had room 3045, which turned out to be an upgrade! There is quite a contrast between the rooms and the lobby. The lobby is quite dark, but I love the décor of the rooms, very bright and cheerful.
And check out our view …
Erica wanted to hit the pool, so we headed down, only to discover that Stormalong Bay was closed. It’s open from 10 AM to 8 PM. So we decided to turn in.
Up Next: Floating in Paradise
Last edited by PrincessSharon; 11-14-2007 at 11:32 AM..
Reason: fix images
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06-09-2006, 04:27 PM
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#54
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PassPorter and WDW Addict
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Texas
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 12,489
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
Another great update! How cool to get a celebrity sighting in on the trip!
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06-09-2006, 04:34 PM
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#55
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Community Rank: Adventurer 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: loveland, colorado =)
Posts: 689
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
What a fun day you had!! I [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/love.gif[/img] your pictures!! Thats cool that you got to see Dennis Rodman, love the comment about the dress [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] looking forward to more!!
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06-09-2006, 04:54 PM
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#56
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RED SOX NATION!!
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
Fantastic first day at Disney Sharon [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img] Love the pics of both parades! You certainly got a lot done today!
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06-09-2006, 05:09 PM
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#57
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Community Rank: Globetrotter
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,651
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
Love the pictures! Great update. Do they always close the pool that early? Interesting. We like watching the parade from Frontierland also. Last summer we got the very end of the route, on the Pecos Bill side. It was a small courtyard-type area (possibly a smoking section?) and we stood by the fence so nobody could get in front of us. Looking forward to your next udpate!
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06-09-2006, 06:46 PM
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#58
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Community Rank: Scout
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Methuen,MA
Posts: 4,499
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
loving you report princess sharon
I hope to stay at th YC some day I love your pictures
more plesae
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06-09-2006, 07:07 PM
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#59
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Columbia, SC
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 7,014
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
Great, great day Sharon! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
As soon as my DH gets home with our takeout dinner, I'm showing him the picture of Dennis Rodham! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
And you made me extremely jealous with the picture of you and that pina colada! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img] And I promise to always share a spot with you at Spectro now that you've given away your secret (I also didn't know that about the FP [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]).
The room at the YC is gorgeous! Can't wait to hear more!
Jill
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06-09-2006, 11:58 PM
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#60
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Community Rank: Globetrotter
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 3,294
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Re: Eighteen Again! - Pre-trip
Great update, Sharon. Can't wait to hear more.............
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