My Very First Trip Report - Pop Century 2013 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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.
Before I get going, I'll just say I'm glad we didn't break the rules about the pools!
Now, it wasn't until we were settling in for the night after Mulan that Mom actually made her final decision about the following morning. Joel and I were taking the car to DHS early, about 6:00A.M., to get in the line for wristbands for James Arnold Taylor. Joel is a major fan of JAT and knows more than most people about his voice work in TV and films. Just before we turned out the lights at bedtime, Mom told us she wasn't feeling up to getting out so early. We agreed she would take whatever time she needed and meet up with us whenever we heard from her.
Fortunately for us, when we got to DHS, the line for James Arnold Taylor was not too long. We waited for about 30 minutes, while the line kept getting longer behind us, and finally a CM came around to distribute the wristbands. We were also told that we would soon proceed to the "turnstiles." They aren't really turnstiles anymore, but whatever! At that point, the next CM asked us if we had camped out "Oh, no!" She seemed a little surprised. There's a whole thread on this topic right now under the Touring the World section of this site. Let's just say camping out for wristbands is very common!
Two very nice, obvious Star Wars aficionados, entertained us with their stories of the entire weekend, as well as the weekend before!!!! I had to stop myself from saying, "What do you mean, you have spent six out of the past ten days here??" I like to think nobody loves WDW more than I do. I go every chance I get; but the sheer size of the crowds at SWW would stop me from visiting every day for two consecutive three day weekends! The best piece of information we got from these two guys was to get a good spot for the pre-opening show by the Storm Troopers. We were right at the front of the crowd, so it was not a problem to snag a good view. The guys were right. This was lots of fun and a great way to start our Star Wars Sunday.
When the rope dropped, we headed to find a quick bite to eat and then for Star Tours. Standby was only 5 minutes, so in we went. Since it's refurb, this is definitely my favorite DHS attraction. One word...AWESOME! Next, we made our way around to Streets of America and decided to pop into The Muppets, and then on to some character greetings. We were lucky to walk right up to Lightning McQueen and Mater, and then we saw a line for a Star Wars character, but he wasn't out yet. After asking, we learned that this would be Anakin Skywalker. Insert Joel's squeal here.. There was a bit of a delay. He was supposed to be out at 9:10, but he didn't get to the greeting area until about 9:20. Well, we know enough not to move, especially at SWW, so we waited it out, and soon Joel had his greeting. Immediately after Anakin, we went back across the way to the Clone Wars area, where Joel met Commander Cody and then got right back in the line to meet Captain Rex. Those two took a total of about 30 minutes. So far, so good with the characters.
Now for the problem of the day. While we were in line for Captain Rex, I realized we hadn't gotten a Star Wars picture frame for Joel's autograph session with JAT. Last year, when he met Ashley Eckstein, she signed the commemorative frame, and I thought it would be a nice idea to continue that theme with JAT. For those of you who don't know, the merchandise location for SWW, Darth's Mall, is pretty far removed from the hub of the park. It's all the way past Rock n Roller Coaster. I knew we could never make it all the way there and back before Joel's meeting with James Arnold Taylor. My only hope was to try Tatooine Traders, the gift shop at the Star Tours exit. Excusing my way through the mass of shoppers, I found a CM and quickly asked about the picture frame. He told me where they were, but then said just to stay put. He would get it for me! How nice! About to let out a sigh of relief, the CM came back empty-handed...sold out at Tatooine Traders Our only choice was to try the shops on Hollywood Boulevard. We did, but all they had were general Disney frames. Bummer!!! I bought one anyway, because it was time to get to the autograph session.
We got to James Arnold Taylor, and he was very nice and conversational with Joel. He signed the picture frame and posed for a very nice photo with his "padawan." That's an apprentice, in the Star Wars Universe. During the greeting, I had noticed a crowd already beginning to form for the Star Wars Motorcade, so I figured we'd better get over there. We no more than got situated along Hollywood Boulevard before I knew we would need cold drinks. I gave Joel the cash to go to Starring Rolls, while I held the fort at our viewing spot.
Thirty-five minutes of sipping our drinks in the very warm sun later, the motorcade was quite a production. It is worth the wait. The costumes of those in character are remarkably authentic. But, as soon as the motorcade was over, we skipped the intros on the stage and headed for the Premiere Theater to line up, thankfully in the shade for the Behind the Force show. Again, this was worth the wait. Three of the weekend's celebrities were there, all very entertaining, and there was a special surprise guest, Tom Wilson. This guy is an actor and comedian. His most famous role is probably as the bully, Biff Tannin, in the Back to the Future movies. He's also got a supporting role in the upcoming movie The Heat, with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. He's really funny and added a lot to the show. One of the best things about this show is that it is indoors and air conditioned!
During the show, I got a text from my mom, saying that she was on her way. I had told Joel earlier in the morning not to be surprised if she didn't feel like joining us at all that day, but she was on e bus! As soon as the show was over, we met her at Min and Bill's Dockside Diner for a hot dog on a pretzel bun. What? Yep. Joel's single food request on vacation was a hot dog wrapped in a pretzel...who'd a thought it? In the future, if I get another one of these, I'll order it without the Dijon mustard. There was just too much of it! Otherwise, we enjoyed our time at Min and Bill's. We watched the screen outside the American Idol Experience, where Joel identified somebody named Sean Klitzner. I had never heard of him, but apparently he has a YouTube video called Interactive Disney Adventure...okey dokey!
After my education about Mr. Klitzner, the day was about half over...to be continued...
OMGosh! Sounds like you guys had an amazing trip..... it sounds like everything was perfect, and I do mean perfect.
BTW.... what is GAC? ===== First stop was Guest Relations to check on a GAC, since Joel has Asperger's.
Guest Assistance Card
It's designed to offer reasonable accommodations to guests with disabilities, either physical or otherwise. The accommodations depend on the guest and the circumstances.
I haven't caught up reading all of your TR, but I love what I have read so far. We were there the same time and I keep thinking of stuff I want to put in mine, so I take a break from reading yours and write mine. I love hearing all about your family. Your TR is a great mix of stuff at the parks and personal stuff about your party. Write on!!!!
Oh Boy, as Mickey would say, did I have some catching up to do on your TR! You all have a nice method of packing it in on some days and resting on others. Glad you all had such a wonderful time and everyone got to do some of what they liked.
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.
Chapter 5.2 - Star Wars Weekends Day Concludes, June 2
We relaxed at the table beside Min and Bill's Dockside Diner for several minutes, before Joel decided he needed to share Star Tours with his grandmother. The GAC is for Joel, but this trip, it was a lifesaver for Mom, too. She could not have stood in even one long line. So, we used the card for Star Tours. Looking back on it, it was the first time we had used it that day, but it would get a bit more use before day's end.
After our Star Tours encore, we headed for Pixar Place, and along the way we encountered some kind of informal Storm Trooper greetings. They were just casually strolling, posing for random photos, so we got Joel to pose with one of them. However, the real purpose of a visit to Pixar Place is to ride Toy Story Mania, and that is what we did. We checked to see if Fastpasses were possible, but they were all issued, so we used the GAC again.
From there, it was on to the Animation Courtyard. First, we tried The Voyage of the Little Mermaid, but the wait for the next show was about 25 minutes, so Joel opted for character greetings in the Magic of Disney Animation building. He was a little disappointed that they weren't doing the little show in that theater - the one featuring Mushu from Mulan. Joel really enjoys that little show, but it wasn't being done that day, so we headed straight to the greeting area. The main goal here was Ralph and Vanellope from Wreck It Ralph. The queue is adorable, and it kept us somewhat entertained while we waited about 20 minutes for the characters and then another 20 for Joel's turn. Ralph and Vanellope were so cute! I think Joel would like to have seen The Incredibles, too, but they had gone in by the time he finished the Wreck It Ralph area. We've met The Incredibles a couple of times, so I said we should move on.
We went back to the Little Mermaid, and we were placed right in front of the group to go in for the next show. We stood in the pre-show room for a few minutes, and when the doors opened, we were told the show would be full and to proceed all the way to the end of the row, which we did. This time, I was the one who was disappointed. We didn't get misted during the show, and that is my favorite part. I thought they just didn't do that effect, but then zjoel told me when we were talking about it the other day that we were just too far across the theater. He said it misted, but with us being on the end of the row, we didn't feel it. Another bummer!
Oh well, onward and upward to The Great Movie Ride. We walked right in to this one. It was pretty much the same as it always is. Joel enjoys the Raiders of the Lost Ark scene, but I don't think you can beat the Wizard of Oz. This time, the thing that struck Joel most was probably the Freddy Krueger sweater on display in the pre-ride area. Why in the world is my son so interested in the horror genre lately? ICK! Joel is the sweetest, most mild-mannered kid you'd want to meet, but he loves those Halloween movies right now. I don't get it!
We proceeded to Sunset Boulevard and decided to visit Darth's Mall for shopping and characters. I went ahead and bought the Star Wars picture frame that we couldn't get early enough for the autograph session. We'll just put the picture in it anyway and use the generic Disney frame for something else. We also got Joel a Star Tours name tag, printed in some sort of alien language, plus this year's logo t-shirt. Best of all, he got to greet Princess Leia while we were there. Of course! She's another one of his Disney crushes!
While we were in the area, we rode Rock n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. Joel was less than excited about the Tower, but when it was finished, he declared that he now loves it!!! Score one for perseverence!!! We finished there and could just hear the beginnings of the Beauty and the Beast show, so we made our way up the ramp and managed to get a seat near the back. In the years that we have been vacationing at WDW, I don't think this show has changed much, but we still like it.
Dinner was pizzas (the round kind) and Caesar salads from Catalina Eddie's at the open-air market area on Sunset Boulevard. I ate mostly salad, but Joel took care of my leftover pizza. We let Meem have all of her own pizza and salad.
On to one of the most important events of any Star Wars Weekend day - Hyperspace Hoopla at the Sorcerer's Hat stage. This show is very funny, poking fun at some of the characters that are usually more serious and/or evil. There's music and a dance-off and just a general good time. The one issue here was the rain that was beginning. Fortunately, I had a couple of those cheap, disposable ponchos from the Dollar Tree, so we were okay. My mother, always over prepared, had an umbrella for herself. So we managed to make it through Hoopla.
Really, Joel, you want to ride Star Tours AGAIN???? Okay, we would check the wait time, which was only 10 minutes. Over the years, that usually means by the time you get to the boarding area, you're ready for 3D glasses and to line up for boarding. "Okay, we'll ride one more time!!" Mom opted out, so it was just Joel and me, but as usual, Star Tours was great. Did I say great? No, No, No, that doesn't begin to describe this ride. Have you been on it? There's a passenger singled out and identified as the "rebel spy." I leaned over and said to Joel, "I hope you get to be the rebel spy." WHAT??? He WAS the rebel spy!!!!! When they showed his photo on the screen, he flipped out. Everybody on the ride started laughing at his over-the-top reaction; but again, it was all in fun.
After that ride, I thought we would try to get to Fantasmic, but Joel was so pumped up about his turn as the rebel spy, that he didn't think anything else could top it. He wanted to leave...done...finished...nothing else could compare to being the rebel spy!! I asked Mom if she wanted to try Fantasmic, and she said no, so we left and headed for the car. On the way, the rain began to pour, so we went pretty slowly...safety, safety!
I knew the way back to the hotel. Pop Century is literally three turns from DHS. It would be hard to mess it up. The toughest part was getting out of the parking lot in the pouring rain. There were cones everywhere, and Mom always thought I was about to turn the wrong direction, even though I never did. Once I got an idea which way traffic was flowing, I fell into line, we got off the property and back to Pop. It was straight to the room, slogging through the downpour all the way.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
"Oh, no!" She seemed a little surprised. There's a whole thread on this topic right now under the Touring the World section of this site. Let's just say camping out for wristbands is very common!
Our only choice was to try the shops on Hollywood Boulevard. We did, but all they had were general Disney frames. Bummer!!!
. During the greeting, I had noticed a crowd already beginning to form for the Star Wars Motorcade, so I figured we'd better get over there. We no more than got situated along Hollywood Boulevard before I knew we would need cold drinks. I gave Joel the cash to go to Starring Rolls, while I held the fort at our viewing spot. 
for the Behind the Force show. Again, this was worth the wait. Three of the weekend's celebrities were there, all very entertaining, and there was a special surprise guest, Tom Wilson. This guy is an actor and comedian. His most famous role is probably as the bully, Biff Tannin, in the Back to the Future movies. He's also got a supporting role in the upcoming movie The Heat, with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. He's really funny and added a lot to the show. One of the best things about this show is that it is indoors and air conditioned!
PassPorter Guide Author
Once I got an idea which way traffic was flowing, I fell into line, we got off the property and back to Pop. It was straight to the room, slogging through the downpour all the way.
Linear Mode
