We're back!! The Lopez-Pullano Family Invades WDW - 5/7/08 - 5/13/08 - Our Trip Report - UPDATED 6/17 - Page 5 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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Day 3 - Part 1 - Friday May 9, 2008 - AK; DHS; MK & More!
Day 3 – Part 1 - Friday, May 9, 2008 – Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, a trip to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and the Pirate and Princess Party!
Dining: 5:20 pm ADR at Hollywood & Vine (Disney Hollywood Studios)
Activities: 7:20pm appointment at the Magic Kingdom Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique) & Pirate and Princess Party
This was the most anticipated day for me and I was so excited from the moment I went to bed the night before until my head hit the pillow after the P&PP.
I woke up with a jolt. My father and husband had gone out for their early morning swim, again, so that left me with the shower and nobody telling me to hurry up! I jumped in the shower and got all “dolled up” and was ready to go within 30 minutes. It was only 7:15 AM. My son and daughter woke up shortly there after and within 20 minutes (and a shower for both) we were set. My husband and father walked in and they also got ready in record time. So much that we were out the door and heading to the main house for breakfast by 8:10 AM.
The funny thing about the day was that we had breakfast in record time. We had our food, ate and were ready to leave in about 35 minutes. We were at the bus stops by 9:00AM (or a hair after) and we only waited 10 minutes for the bus. The ride was uneventful and we arrived by 9:30. We saw Pocahontas outside greeting families but the line was so long, we decided against waiting. We headed in and bypassed looking at anything in the Oasis to get Fast Passes to Kilimanjaro Safaris. On our way, we had our photo taken by a Photopass Photographer. I really hoped that the pictures would come out as nice as I had pictured them.
We got our Fast Passes for between 11AM & 12PM, so we went to take the Wildlife Express to Rafiki’s Planet Watch and the Conservation Station. This was something that my family and I had never done before, so I was excited to go. As it was still early, we had plenty of time to kill before our Fast Pass time came around. The day was hot and sticky and Animal Kingdom was very crowded, so it was nice to get away. The train ride was short and enjoyable and after a short walk, we got to the Conservation Station. We lingered around, looking at snakes & spiders and learning about what exactly was happening at the station when all of sudden, who did we see but Rafiki himself! After some photos, we headed back to ride the Safari.
We ended up getting back to the train stop just after 11AM and after getting a quick snack, we got in line. We noticed, though, that for a Fast Pass line, it was starting to overflow into the walkways of the park. What was happening? We learned that there was an animal (or animals) in the middle of the road and none of the safari vehicles were able to get through. After a mere 10 minute wait, the line was moving extremely quickly and we were off on our adventure. The kids loved the ride and I enjoyed how relaxing (albeit bumpy) the ride was. We saw all sorts of animals, including a very pregnant elephant and giraffe.
After getting off the Safari, we headed towards Dino Land USA. While the rest of the family grabbed lunch and a table at Restaurantosaurus, I grabbed Fast Passes to Dinosaur. We lucked out as our FPs were for 12:35pm – 1:35pm and it was just after 12. We ate lunch, which I didn’t really enjoy as the restaurant was extremely busy and crowded, and we headed out to ride Dinosaur. At exactly 12:35, we jumped in the Fast Pass Lane and made our way for our time rover. What a BLAST! My family absolutely loved it, even my daughter, who was a bit shaken up, loved it.
It was after 1pm at this point, so we decided to wrap it up at Animal Kingdom and head over to the Studios. Believe it or not, it took us well over a half an hour just to get through and get back to the bus stops. So many PEOPLE!!! Funny enough, how lucky were we on this day to find a bus (nearly empty) and waiting to wisk us off to the Studios??? Extremely if you ask me!
Up Next: Day 3 – Part 2; Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a trip to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and the Pirate and Princess Party at Magic Kingdom!
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Just stumbled upon your TR which is great by the way. Sounds like early May is a great time to go. You got so much accomplished while at the parks. More please!
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WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
Day 3 - Part 2 - Friday May 9, 2008 - AK; DHS; MK & More!
Day 3 – Part 2 - Friday, May 9, 2008 – Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, a trip to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and the Pirate and Princess Party!
We arrived at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at about 2PM and wandered around a bit at first. As my husband had broken the stroller we brought from home the night before, I stopped off at the gift shop just to the left after getting through the turnstiles. I purchased a stroller for 2 X the cost of the one we brought from home, but truth be told, after about Day 5, it was worth its weight in gold. Not to mention there was no way I was going to rent one, even with someone else’s money!
We walked toward the iconic Sorcerer’s Hat and decided to ride the Great Movie Ride. My father passed, deciding that he would rather wander off on his own and enjoy the day. We agreed to meet at Hollywood & Vine at 6:00 PM for our ADR at 6:20PM. With that, he was off and we went in to live our adventures in the movies. My daughter and son loved the ride, although how they knew the movies that were displayed is beyond me. My husband and I cracked up at the corny monologue that our “tour guide” was giving. He did a great job, but he had a heavy accent (much like my father) so at times, it was a bit hard to understand. He was a joy and played his part well.
After our grand “exit” off the Great Movie Ride, we decided to wander around the Streets of America. We took pictures of the New York skyline, the San Francisco skyline and the kids “singing in the rain” under the umbrella. We were all set to take the Studio Backlot Tour, however something happened and the Tour was a no go. We decided to head back to ride Star Tours, or at the very least, get a Fast Pass.
As it turned out, Star Tours had a standby line with a wait time of only 5 minutes. What luck! We jumped right on line and were heading for the moon of Endor (or at the very least trying). We got off and ended up in the shop. Just as we headed outside to get the stroller, we saw that the Jedi Training Academy demonstration had begun. We watched as kids were picked from the audience and were trained in the ways of the Jedi. We watched Storm Troopers brandish weapons and finally, the battle with Darth Vader!
We wandered over to the iconic Sorcerer’s Hat and noticed that an area had been taped off. Bella and I noticed right away that there were Lava Springs flags (for those of you who know your High School Musical 2!) and realized that they were for the HSM 2 show. A cast member came over and told us that the show would start shortly and where we were to go once the float made its way in. My husband and son took this time to head over to one of the carts to purchase hats as the sun was extremely brutal this day!
Bella and I caught the show (which started promptly at 4:35pm) and we sang along with the dancers and performers (funny how I know all of the words to all of the songs!) and were lucky enough to sit right up front! The performance included music from both movies and they allowed for the audience (kids mostly) to come up and dance, make noise and limbo! We tried to hold out for the end of the show, but Bella had to potty in the worst way, so we snuck out of there and headed to closest bathroom.
After a quick potty break, we headed over to Hollywood & Vine for our 5:20 ADR. What happened next made my perfect day just a little less perfect…Promptly at 5 PM, we headed up to the podium to check in. The host said we were all set and would be seated shortly. I asked if we needed a pager and he said no. We sat on the nearby benches and waited. After about twenty minutes, we noticed that several parties (4 people and more) who had checking in with ADR times after us were already being seated and called. My husband, being a bit perturbed, went right up to the podium and requested a pager. The host (the same guy) had the nerve to get snippy with my husband! He stated that he had already given us one. My husband coolly replied that he had not given us a pager and we have been waiting to be seated. The host finally gave in and we were seated within 5 minutes.
Hollywood & Vine was another new experience for us so we were so excited to experience it and we were definitely pleased with the atmosphere. I have to admit that I would have enjoyed it a lot more if we weren’t so pressed for time! We had a pleasant meal overall and enjoyed our time. As it was a buffet, we went up and indulged ourselves in several different types of food (including pasta, mashed potatoes, carving stations & chicken) and desserts (mini cheesecake bites, ice cream station, carrot cake (yum!). Our waitress was sweet and worth her tip!
At 6:30 PM, we headed out and made a mad dash (or as best a dash you could make on a full stomach!) for the front entrance and the buses. We needed to at least get to Magic Kingdom by 7 PM in order to get our Pirate and Princess Party wristbands and make it to Bella’s 7:20 PM appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. We put our game faces on and were determined to make it work!
Up Next: Day 3 – Part 3; FINALLY! A trip to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and the Pirate and Princess Party at MagicKingdom!
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.
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
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.
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