Nala & pride "A Bucket Full of Magic" TR - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Two more great pictures of Kiara on the beach. I have to say, fresh seafood, at the ocean is one of the tastiest meals I ever have. And it really should be fried. You make me want to take a quick jaunt over to Maine this weekend.
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Wow! You guys are having a blast and you're not even on Disney soil yet! I absolutely love the sunrise picture of Grumpy and Kiara! And I loved the idea of a seafood Thanksgiving!
What a gorgeous picture of the sunrise with the seagulls. Perfect timing. I do love a beach sunrise. And also love me some PJs...what a great shopping idea...and so fun!!
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.
Absolutely gorgeous sunrise pics - they are simply magical. I second the motion to see your scrapbook pages of the beach trip (and the rest of the trip!)
__________________
Stacey
Why do these kids look so pathetic?
Find out in: A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise!Final Thoughts 01/30
The drive from Amelia Island to the happy place seemed to take FOREVER! While our weather was good and traffic was not bad, it just seemed that each mile was dragging by. The only issue we had was when we got close to the Daytona exit and in front of us, the highway suddenly became a sea of red brake lights.
Traffic in the lane we were in came to a screeching halt and we assumed there was an accident somewhere up in front of us. Our lane was the only one not moving and Grumpy swerved to our left into a clear lane. There was not an accident, but was we saw made us happy we were not headed to Daytona. From all directions, traffic that was moving towards Daytona was at a standstill. Our exit came up quickly and we noticed that from every direction, every ramp and every lane heading that way was blocked, and backed up for miles. Lucky for us, we sailed on by, but I felt sorry for anyone going that way.
We knew we were getting closer when signs for various WDW spots began to appear and finally the time came. We were entering the bubble!!!!!
We headed to the Downtown Disney area to hit a gas station and pick up some provisions for the first few days (adult beverages in cans and/or bottles ) and made our way to Port Orleans Riverside. Grumpy gave our name and showed his photo ID to the guard at the security shack, and when all looked good, he looked at us and said “I have one question for you”. I wondered what he was going to ask us and then he said “Do you really live Walt Disney World?”
It took me a minute to figure out why he had asked us such a thing and then it dawned on me. He had figured out my license plates! Well, almost. I then said to him that we not only live WDW, but we also love it. I almost told him that I didn’t want to spend $250 to buy a vowel, (which would clarify it was meant to be love not live) but I figured he wasn’t the type of guy to get corny “Wheel of Fortune” humor. He waived us on and we headed to check in.
There were only a few people ahead of us in line, but the process was moving very slowly. Finally our time came and we were checked in by a great CM who happened to be from northern Il. The check in process was oh, so slow and I asked her how the new upgrades to the system were going. Clearly, things had not gone well at the Port, and she started sharing horror stories since the last few upgrades. I really felt bad for her, and it didn’t help that the line behind us was growing ever longer. Finally, things moved along, and she informed us that our room was not ready yet. I fully expected that, but she also pulled out a map and showed us which building we were going to be in. Building 18 in Alligator Bayou! I had requested AB, so I was happy about that, but I was thrilled when I saw the location of our building. It was perfect!
Before we finished, she stated that she had a delivery for….. and she stated my name. First, maiden and married. Sarafina turned her back towards me and I saw her waiving her hand in an effort to hush the CM up. She then whispered (as if I couldn’t hear her as I was standing right next to her ) that it was supposed to be a surprise. I am actually shocked that she didn’t spell the word surprise. The CM looked a bit shocked, as if she had just ruined some major moment of magic, and apologized, but stated she had to advise us that a delivery would be made to the room. I assured her it was fine, we gathered our packet and finally left the line. But, I had to wonder what Sarafina had up her sleeve.
Since the food court was right there, and since I had skipped breakfast, and since there was a pasta dish with my name on it that I was dying to try, I suggested we grabbed lunch. The pride was game and we headed in and took a look around. Thanks to the menu on All Ears, I was able to tell everyone what was available, and when I pointed out they had fish and chips, Grumpy headed off to get some for both himself and Kiara. I found where I was heading, but pointed out what was available to Sarafina and waited until she made a decision before placing my order. Pasta sounded good to her too, so we both stepped up to place our order.
I went for the penne with alfredo, and loaded up on the veggies.
Sarafina also got the penne, but with chicken, marinara and a few veggies. We headed to our table that Grumpy and Kiara had already claimed, and were digging into their fish and chips, and the four of us tore into our lunches. Everything was delicious, even if the pasta portions were a bit large. Being the trooper I am, at least when it comes to food, I forced myself to attempt to clean my plate. I almost made it, but not quite.
When we were finished with our lunch, we decided to explore the resort. What a lovely place Riverside is. The grounds are beautiful and we all thought the rustic décor of the old mill was charming. It was nice to take a little time walking around and just taking it all in. Lucky for us, we didn’t have to spend too much time exploring, as about fifteen minutes after we finished lunch, Grumpy’s phone rang. Our room was ready!!
Up next: Settling in to our room and a surprise delivery
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And I loved the idea of a seafood Thanksgiving!
Previous trips: POFQ 2005 & 2007, Boardwalk 2008, BCV & AKLV 2009 (our honeymoon) & 2012, BCV & BLT 2011, BCV 2013, AKLV 2014
Our exit came up quickly and we noticed that from every direction, every ramp and every lane heading that way was blocked, and backed up for miles. Lucky for us, we sailed on by, but I felt sorry for anyone going that way. 
and then it dawned on me. He had figured out my license plates! Well, almost. I then said to him that we not only live WDW, but we also love it. I almost told him that I didn’t want to spend $250 to buy a vowel, (which would clarify it was meant to be love not live) but I figured he wasn’t the type of guy to get corny “Wheel of Fortune” humor. He waived us on and we headed to check in. 
The CM looked a bit shocked, as if she had just ruined some major moment of magic, and apologized, but stated she had to advise us that a delivery would be made to the room. I assured her it was fine, we gathered our packet and finally left the line. But, I had to wonder what Sarafina had up her sleeve. 
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