Fall, Firsts, Food And The Final Frontier TR - UPDATED 11/11 - COMPLETE!! - Page 42 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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So far so good with so many better things to come as the day here is just underway!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Glad you are enjoying them and so much more to see and do at KSC.
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Thursday, October 20th (Part II) After exploring the Rocket Garden for a while, it was time to explore other things at KSC. Next up is the bus tour to the Apollo/Saturn V Center. I was looking forward to this as there was a lot to see there and I’m sure I’d be there for a few hours.
I boarded the bus around 10:30 am and there were quite a few people going on the bus tour. There were a few buses and they basically wait until they fill up, which is in minutes and are then on their way. It’s several miles to the Apollo/Saturn V Center and our driver pointed out a few things along the way.
We drove by some of the launch pads and the Vehicle Assembly Building. Our driver pointed out that the Vehicle Assembly Building is the largest one story building in the world! That is amazing and quite a fact! Once you get close to this building you can see how big and vast it is. It certainly stands out! We approached it down the main road some four miles away and it stood out clearly from that distance!
Vehicle Assembly Building
One of the launch pads at Cape Canaveral
What is this?
That’s the Transporter Crawler which moves the Space Shuttles and rockets from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the various launch pads and back. It can be several miles at times and it moves at a very slow place at under 1 mph. It is quite a large vehicle which is transporting a very large and heavy object itself with a space shuttle. So, it won’t be breaking the speed limit any time soon! This can take several hours to complete.
Shortly, we arrived at the Apollo/Saturn V Center and begin my next part of the day. Our driver told us when we disembarked to line up at the queue in front of the large doors. We would board an elevator to see a film about the Apollo/Saturn V program, before we could go on our own and explore the rest of the center.
It was a good ten minutes until we boarded the elevator and this was outside and was quite hot out at about 11am. Finally, the doors opened and we took the elevator upstairs and into the theater. The film was about 15 minutes long and was quite informative with a good overview of the space program. Once we exited I explored the rest of the center on my own.
Replica of Launch Control Center. I can’t quite remember but this may have been in the theater, where we just watched the film. Sorry, if it’s a little blurry as no flash was allowed.
I took the elevator downstairs and to the outside, where I entered the exhibition hall of the Apollo/Saturn V Center. There was quite a lot to see with many exhibits and films.
The first sight, when entering the hall
Van that transports astronauts to the launch pad
Close-up of Apollo rocket engines and are quite enormous
Underneath Apollo rocket, which is a model. It is 374 feet long.
Smaller model
Obviously, the most famous of the Apollo rockets with the first moon landing in July, 1969.
First stage of Apollo rocket in which the lunar module would be launched from to land on the moon’s surface
Top of Stage 1 of Apollo rocket is space capsule which would return to earth and land in the ocean. Some landed in the Atlantic Ocean, while many were in the Pacific. The landing was aided for a softer splash with the use of parachutes.
Another rocket on display in the hall.
There was quite a lot to see in the Apollo/Saturn V Center as it was quite vast with many nice exhibits with much of it explained well with descriptive displays that were very informative. Quite a few rockets on display and just taking my time trying to see it all with so much exploring to do!
NEXT: This Brings Back Memories!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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Wow! I love your tour so far!! I just asked Muffin how long it has been since we went here and he thought maybe 25 years!!! Looking forward to more!!
Glad you are enjoying it and you must return as so much has changed since you last visited! Much more to come!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Looks like you had an interesting day at KSC so far!
I'm really enjoying it so far!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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.
Glad you are enjoying them! I too am loving KSC and just beginning!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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.
Such neat things to see! I never knew they only had 30 seconds of fuel remaining when they landed on the moon! I freak when the gas light comes on in the car, I can't imagine knowing there's only 30 seconds left.
The bus tour looks excellent. Incredible what all you are seeing!
Very enjoyable so far with so much to see and explore here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wheezie
Such neat things to see! I never knew they only had 30 seconds of fuel remaining when they landed on the moon! I freak when the gas light comes on in the car, I can't imagine knowing there's only 30 seconds left.
That is quite amazing and cutting a thin line with that. Their nerves must have been rattling!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
I'm on vacation this week so glad I can another update in apart from my usual Sunday one!
We continue with exploring the Apollo/Saturn V Center.
After seeing a lot inside the center, I noticed a lot of people also going outside so there must be something to see there as well. And there was! There were quite a few doors inside to go outside and they were quite noisy and probably why I noticed this in the first place.
Viewing stands for the various rocket and space shuttle launches. I’m sure this is a tough ticket to get!
Water inlet outside the center
Vehicle Assembly Building
One of two launch pads that can be seen from here. Either 39A or 39B. All moon and space shuttle missions were launched from these two pads.
Other launch pad across the inlet. So, you can see how far away you must be to view a launch. I think it’s about two miles.
Launch pad close to Vehicle Assembly Building
I loved the views from outside and so glad I got to see all of this as it puts things into perspective. Especially, how far away you must be to see one of the launches with the power of one of the rockets or space shuttles outputs. I can only imagine how loud it must be here on blast off!
I went back inside and did more exploring. I also saw another film in a small theater about the Apollo 11 moon landing, which was quite fascinating.
A view inside one of the Apollo rocket models with some of the control panels
Ready for a space mission!
One of the actual space capsules. You can see how worn it is from the heat when reentering the Earth’s atmosphere.
Model for one of space vehicles that landed on the moon
Moon buggy replicate for exploring the surface
I had pretty much seen everything I wanted to see here, except I decided to look at the various displays on the ceilings and along the walls of the Apollo missions. One of these was of significant interest to me and that was the Apollo 16 mission. This brings back memories! First some photos and then the story!
Date Apollo 16 landed on moon
It was April 16, 1972 and my parents had taken my two brothers and I on our first trip to Florida. I was about 7 or 8 years old at the time. We were staying in West Palm Beach. It was a great vacation and we all enjoyed it so much as we got to see and do a lot. This day we got up very early and made the several hours drive to Cocoa Beach. Here we would watch the Apollo 16 rocket mission blast off into space. We got there in plenty of time and there were many other people along the beach of the Atlantic Ocean to watch this as well. I think we were about ten miles away from Cape Canaveral.
I checked the records of this and Apollo 16 blasted off at 12:54 pm. Even though we were many miles away we saw the rocket hurtling into the sky at a high rate of speed with an unbelievable amount of thrust and it was still quite loud with the amount of power Apollo 16 generated. We probably only saw it for about a minute or so but it was quite something to witness first hand.
After this, my parents took us to Disney World for my first ever experience there. It was a nightmare to say the least and how I managed to get over this and return on an annual basis I can’t explain!
It was extremely hot and I had never seen crowds like that in Disney even to this day. It was very unorganized and had been open for about six months. We didn’t go on any attractions and it was impossible to even move along Main Street. It was very difficult to even find food or beverages but we finally did after my mom persevered with some CMs to help us out. After this we left Disney World and my mom went to guest services and performed a bit of drama and told them about our experience and that us kids couldn’t even go on any attractions and how upset we all were. She managed to get refunds on our tickets for the five of us! It’s certainly a lot better organized and guest friendly now!
After finishing up in the Apollo/Saturn V Center I went outside to wait for a bus to take me back to the Visitor Center. I had to wait a few minutes but not too bad. We waited until the bus was quite full until we began the drive back. I was a bit tired already and began nodding off a bit. Not much time for a good nap! We arrived back in about ten minutes or so. I asked our driver where he recommended to eat as there are several counter service options at the Visitors Center. A good person to ask. He said some are good and some are mediocre at best.
NEXT: Mark Isn’t the Only One Who Crashed the Space Shuttle!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Last edited by SuperDave; 07-19-2017 at 06:11 PM..
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.
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That is amazing and quite a fact! 
This can take several hours to complete.
Finally, the doors opened and we took the elevator upstairs and into the theater. The film was about 15 minutes long and was quite informative with a good overview of the space program. Once we exited I explored the rest of the center on my own.
I just asked Muffin how long it has been since we went here and he thought maybe 25 years!!! Looking forward to more!!
We probably only saw it for about a minute or so but it was quite something to witness first hand. 
She managed to get refunds on our tickets for the five of us! 
Not much time for a good nap! 
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