My HATTQAD Decade of Dreams Trip Report **Updated 7/20** - Page 43 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I love the meerkat pic...he's just hanging out!
thought it was too funny you took that pick of lesley eating w/o you! I would've done the same thing...i might have thrown things at them instead
I love this TR...i like the part where you said you ate food...what kind? barbeque...you happy now???
Well i'm just glad you are doing both TR's even though its rough....i just love hearing about it all
Just got all caught up with your updates Sharon! How great that you got to so many PP meets! The zoom shot that you took of EE from your balcony was nice. It must have been so relaxing to just sit on your balcony to watch Wishes! Can't wait for more.
Been offline for a couple of weeks, so just getting caught up. Great updates! Love how much fun you're having, both on the trip and during the updates!
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
I am thinking I will have to try this approach to trip reports.
I am also thinking that Bob knocked over a couple of PPs and stole their pins:
Ann is looking pretty suspicious, too.
My goodness, it does look like Ann's giving him the stink eye, doesn't it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by DouglasE
I wonder how many of those frozen alcoholic beverages would have been needed to get me to do that stupid dance in the Animal Kingdom. Hmmmm?
Yes, with the combination of ridiculous dance and 100˚ weather, I decided to sit it out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by skateycat
enjoying your updates, Sha.....i love maria's idea for tr's though...ha ha ha...i'll have to remember it!
As long as you include lots of pictures, nobody will notice. I should know!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovedisney247
Sharon -- what possessed you to post that dinoland photo of me where i look surprised--like someone is pinching my bum!
Heather! I'm not sure which pic you're even talking about. To me you look equally gorgeous in every one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goofysdtr
Who're you kidding? That's exactly WHY she posted it!
I wouldn't do that! Cross my heart!
Quote:
Originally Posted by scdisneyfan
I love the meerkat pic...he's just hanging out!
thought it was too funny you took that pick of lesley eating w/o you! I would've done the same thing...i might have thrown things at them instead
I love this TR...i like the part where you said you ate food...what kind? barbeque...you happy now???
Well i'm just glad you are doing both TR's even though its rough....i just love hearing about it all
I would've thrown some stuff at them, but my aim's not great.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goofyboysmama
Awesome pix as always - MAN I am getting a new camera! Fav pic - the giraffes waiting on thier spa treatment.
The Dinosaur song is in my head... thanks!
I have to say, I my camera. I get great results, and it fits comfortably in my pocket. Plus, I always shoot in "Auto." right? But it works! And just be glad you weren't around when I wrote my "I'm a Maniac, Maniac" TR.
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Day Four, Part Two Which is better, a Yak Attack or an Italian Margarita?
We were participating in the Quest (Lesley was cohosting, and not giving me the answers ). The first stop on the quest was ITTBAB. Lesley confessed that she’d never done it before. I’m happy to report that there were no freak outs.
Next was KS. A number of us had already done it that day, but as Jennifer pointed out, every Safari is different, and indeed it was. There were enough PassPorters to fill up an entire vehicle, and more! Our driver wasn’t as good as the one we’d had earlier, but the animals were still around.
And I snagged another fantastic giraffe shot!
“Cheese!”
I just love that one!
There’s a lion in there somewhere!
When we were done with our unexpectedly-cut-short-even-though-it-happens-every-time safari, we waited for the wheelchair/ECV folks, who'd ended up in another vehicle, to rejoin us. While we were waiting I spotted our fantastic guide from that morning and asked him to pose with Lesley.
Well what do you know, his name is Justin. Hmm.
So after a bit, we scored the final Quest, and prizes were distributed. Terri and Chris got a special prize for the most correct answers throughout. I was sure I took a photo of them, but I don’t seem to have it. I’d look on the Photobucket, but, you know, HATTQAD. Also, this TR is taking way too long!
I did get a picture of Sara with a gift she got from our fearless leaders.
After that, it was time to head to the Yak & Yeti counter service place (well, not really, just the bar outside). It was time for a Yak Attack!
Bob, our host!
We hung our for a while, just enjoying ourselves. It was getting to the point where every time we got together, it was someone’s last hours in the park. In this case we were about to lose Marie, who was heading for the airport right from Animal Kingdom.
There were some plans to meet later at Epcot for a margarita, but we had dinner plans – Boma! Bob isn’t really a fan of Boma, so he headed with the bulk of the group to Epcot. Lesley, Heather, Tanya and Vanessa and I headed for AKL. Ann was going to meet us there later.
We checked in and it took a while to get seated, but then we hit the buffet. I was able to enjoy so many tasty treats, and I was delighted that they had my favorite soup, the butternut squash soup. Sigh. Wish I could have some of that right now.
Anyway, Princess Vanessa was a great eater and was a pretty good girl. She also showed off her hidden talent.
After dinner, we decided to check out the action on the savannah. There were several giraffes right next to Arusha rock. There was a beautiful dark-skinned one that I was in love with!
The zebras were enjoying their dinner nearby.
Back in the lobby, we found Peggy and Janine, who’d had dinner at AKL as well. I mentioned that there were very comfy chairs, but the seats were quite long, which made it difficult for anyone but the tallest of people to have their feet touch the floor. Heather, the resident shorty of the group, demonstrated.
Doesn’t it look like she’s sitting in one of those gag oversized chairs? Peggy is taller, but still looking itty bitty in the chair
We headed out to the bus stop and waited for an Epcot bus. And waited. And waited. And waited. It got so bad that Tanya decided to take Vanessa and head back to POR in a taxi. After 40 minutes, a bus finally showed up and we were on our way to Epcot. On the way, my cellphone buzzed to let me know it was time to check in for my flight home. I think I got A21. Peggy was on the same flight as me, and her sister checked her in from home. I think she got A24 or something.
Once we arrived at Epcot, we made tracks to Mexico, where there was another FAB meet happening. I snapped a quick shot of the Fountain on the way past.
I wasn’t trying to be anti-social or anything, but I just wasn’t in the mood for a margarita. Well, I was, but I wanted an Italian margarita. I seem to have some kind of obsession with them. We popped in on the PPers and said quick hellos. Bob, Lesley, Heather, Ann and I (I think that was everyone) headed to Italy and had our FABs. They were nice and frozen and very tasty.
Since we were there, we watched Illuminations from Italy. It was one of the rare nights that Wishes and Illuminations were on at the same time, and you can see both from Italy. It was fun as a once-in-a-while thing, but it was a bit distracting, so I wouldn’t want to watch it that way. I only took a couple pics.
Illuminishes? Wishinations?
After Illuminations, we strolled out. When we got to Mexico, we saw that Jennifer and Dave were making their way out as well. I was happy to get a chance to thank them for everything they’d done and say goodbye. I also may have mentioned that we should do it every year! As tired as they were then, I’m not sure how they liked the idea.
We said goodbyes or see you tomorrows to the rest of the PassPorters left, and then Bob, Lesley and I walked up to get the monorail. While we were waiting, Liz rolled up in her ECV. She joked that we shouldn't stand behind her when she was driving into the monorail as she’d nearly tipped it before. Danger, Will Robinson!
We switched to the resort monorail at the T&TC and then said goodnight to everyone after getting off at the Contemporary. I think Lesley and I stopped at the Contempo Café for something to drink before hitting the sack.
Up Next: Too Many Goodbyes
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
I love the giraffe grin. Too funny. Also love the various pictures of everyone sipping their yak attack. Some hilarious expressions there.
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ºOº ~*~
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?
About This Page: 
Who're you kidding? That's exactly WHY she posted it! 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
I second this! What a beautiful picture this is of those little guys.
PassPorter Guide Author
And those dino walk pics are classic - I love how intent Sara looks. 
Liz 
My goodness, it does look like Ann's giving him the stink eye, doesn't it? 
Yes, with the combination of ridiculous dance and 100˚ weather, I decided to sit it out. 
I wouldn't do that! 
my camera. I get great results, and it fits comfortably in my pocket. Plus, I always shoot in "Auto." 
right? But it works! And just be glad you weren't around when I wrote my "I'm a Maniac, Maniac" TR. 
). The first stop on the quest was ITTBAB. Lesley confessed that she’d never done it before. I’m happy to report that there were no freak outs.
Bob isn’t really a fan of Boma, so he headed with the bulk of the group to Epcot. Lesley, Heather, Tanya and Vanessa and I headed for AKL. Ann was going to meet us there later.
We popped in on the PPers and said quick hellos. Bob, Lesley, Heather, Ann and I (I think that was everyone) headed to Italy and had our FABs. They were nice and frozen and very tasty.
Danger, Will Robinson! 
Deb
ºOº ~*~ 
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