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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Ahh, memories. I didn't realize they never replaced the smoke alarm. The guy probably completely forgot about it, which is probably why there was no follow-up.
__________________
Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Despite our surprise 3 a.m. wakeup call from the smoke alarm, I was out of the bed and in the shower by 6 a.m. The rest of the family gradually got moving and we were ready to head upstairs to the lounge before 7 a.m. Yes, that is an all-time record for the Koenigs family (I’ll just gloss over the fact that we were in PST ).
Our next door neighbors were ready too, so we all went upstairs to the lounge for a quick breakfast. Instead of a magic coffee machine, they had a fancy espresso machine so I just stuck with coffee. Karen was braver than me, however, and eventually came away with some type of coffee creation.
Resort guests could enter the parks at 7 a.m. that morning, so we didn’t linger over breakfast. I did grab a second cup of coffee before we headed to the elevators.
When the elevator doors opened, I noticed paper money just inside and motioned for Thom to pick it up since I had coffee in my mouth. When he picked it up, we were all super excited to see that it was a $100 bill. Maddie has this magnetic attraction to money, so she quickly found her way to her daddy’s side.
" Daddy" was soon heard.
The elevator doors opened on the 10th floor, our floor, where a couple got on. The doors next opened on the 8th floor where no one got on, but every one of us noticed the wad of cash on the floor. The man who had just gotten on bent down to get it and then Thom handed him (much to Maddie’s dismay ) the $100 bill that we had found. We were all just flabbergasted.
The man and his wife told us that they would take the money to the front desk where we assumed that the rightful owners would soon find it. Once we were in the lobby, Thom turned around and went back up to the lounge to find out if anyone had reported the lost money. When he returned, he was shaking his head.
We certainly had plenty to talk about on our short walk to DCA. All of us were dismayed that someone wasn’t running around like a crazy person looking for their money. Karen laughed that she would be turning random people upside down and shaking out their pockets. We definitely felt like we had done our good deed for the day.
When I spotted what looked like a bag check after we walked through DTD, I was confused and asked “Are we there already?” Once again, I was amazed at the close proximity of the hotel to the parks (heck, I was amazed at the close proximity of everything to everything!)
We breezed through the bag check and then passed a line of people already in line for the 8 a.m. opening time. By showing our key cards, we were allowed through a roped off area and then were right in the park.
This was our morning to really “do” Cars Land, so that’s right where we headed.
Karen first suggested (well, actually she told us and we obediently followed ) that we ride Luigi’s Flying Tires.
As I stood in the short line, I tried to figure out what you actually did on this ride. Between advice from Karen and Sharon, listening to the CM who gave instructions and watching other people ride, I thought I pretty much knew what I was supposed to do.
Mary Devall and I decided to ride together and headed to a tire when it was our turn. The first thing I did was step on the “tire” to get in. About the time my foot smooshed into the tire, I noticed the sign telling you NOT to step on the tire to get in. When we were in and buckled, we practiced how we would move in tandem to make our tire move. Mary Devall was a little more into picking up a beach ball to throw since she saw that her sister had one.
When the ride began, Mary Devall and I leaned to one side together and were off. We became tandem terrors as we moved across the floor.
I don’t know what it was about this ride - - the team work while flying across the floor and trying to either hit or avoid other tires; the beach balls flying through the air or the Italian music playing in the background - - but I simply it! The Flying Tires is a perfect example of what I love about Disney . . . they create something that at first glance makes no sense at all, but then you ride it and get that “AHA!” moment. This ended up being one of my favorite rides of the trip and I cannot help but smile every time that I think about it.
Racers FP’s weren’t available until 8 a.m. and Karen had pointed out the already forming line for them as we made our way to Cars Land that morning. It was close to 8 a.m. by this point (why someone would waste their entire early entry hour waiting in line for FP’s I have no idea ), so Karen took off for the FP line while the rest of us rode Mater. This looks like a kiddie ride, but it is pretty fierce. Thom and I got knocked around a good bit and were hanging on for dear life at times.
From there, we walked over to Paradise Pier and literally walked right on TSMM.
The CM handed me a handful of glasses and I barely got them untangled and handed out by the time that we got in our vehicles. As soon as our ride was over, Thom all but insisted that we ride again (just because we could ). We waited a little bit longer this time (about 30 seconds ) before we were riding again.
When this ride was over, we found Karen in the gift shop. Not only did she have our Racers FP’s but she had scored six bonus Scream’s FP’s also! She and Mary Devall took off to ride TSMM while the rest of us went to ride the swinging gondolas on the ferris wheel (neither Karen nor Mary Devall had any desire to ride this so we took advantage of their absence ).
Once again, we walked right on. Zack and Sharon sat on one side while Maddie, Thom and I sat on the other. Zack and Sharon probably had the best seats because they were able to get Maddie’s full face reaction every time that our gondola went into motion. Her face went from shock to fear to absolute joy in a matter of seconds. I have to admit that every so often I would wonder just how much we were going to swing. It was definitely not a ride for the faint of heart.
As we walked back to TSMM, we passed the carnival games on the boardwalk and Maddie pointed them out to me several times. I reminded her that she played the games at AK only because she couldn’t or wouldn’t ride some of the rides there . . . and that there were plenty of rides here for her to ride. She couldn’t disagree with me there and dropped the subject.
The line for TSMM had apparently grown just a tad because there was still no sign of Karen and Mary Devall. We stood outside of the gift shop from which (of course ) you exit out of TSMM. I watched a little girl run out of the shop with a toy and take it right to her mom and dad. When her mom saw what she had in her hands, she almost flipped out since they weren’t exactly standing right outside of the shop. The mom immediately took the little girl and the toy right back into the shop before the Disney po po made an appearance. The entire time that I had been watching this little drama unfold, I also noticed out the corner of my eye that a CM had come out of the shop and was watching the same thing. He was very inconspicuous and never said a word to anyone - - Disney at its finest.
There was a Little Mermaid carousel right beside TSMM, so I took Maddie over for a spin while we waited. We had just joined the line when Karen and Mary Devall appeared and they all decided to use one of the bonus Screamin’ FP’s which was right next door.
After Maddie and I were finished with the ride, I had a text from Thom to meet them at the Screamin’ exit after their ride with the Photopass plus card. Maddie and I first made sure we knew where the exit was (I was paying too much attention the day before after my ride) and then we stood at the railing to watch our people take off. We probably saw about 5 or 6 cars pass before we saw some people we knew waving at us (although the people waving in this photo are total strangers . . . our people are towards the back).
Oops . . . there they go!
We watched them go around the loop and then we headed for the exit so that they could add their ride photos to the card. While we waited on them, Maddie did a quick measure to see how close she was . . . it won't be long now.
Somebody turned the lights out for Sharon's ride photo.
Karen let us know that Eileen had arrived in the park so we headed towards the front and met her about half way there. My girls ran ahead and almost tackled her and then she was engulfed in hugs by the rest of us. We were now complete!
__________________
Sometimes words aren't needed . . .
Last edited by Jillybean; 10-12-2012 at 12:12 PM..
I love how much you're getting done and even managing to deal with Carsland without much of a problem. It's so strange how Toy Story is a walk-on most of the time in DCA!
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.
Our first piece of business was to find a good cup of for Eileen. We tried the Starbucks that had recently opened toward the front of the park, but everyone else apparently had this same idea and it was packed.
While we were near the front, Eileen went to guest services to check on getting a GAC since her injured knee was going to cause her problems with loading and unloading from rides. She was hobbling around with a cane and actually did a great job of keeping up with the rest of us. I was actually ready to put her in a plastic bubble after I watched numerous people dart right in front of her. I can’t tell you the number of times she had to stop short to keep from getting tripped.
With that task taken care of, we settled at the stop hoping to take a trolley car, but when we learned we had a little wait we decided to walk. We were only going to use one more of the bonus Screamin’ FP’s, so Karen gave the remaining four to Mary Devall to hand out to lucky strangers. You would have thought that she was handing out a Nobel Peace Prize from the effort she was putting into her decision, but she finally made two groups very happy when she gave them each two FP’s.
We walked back to Paradise Pier where Maddie and I split from the group at the bridge and headed for Goofy’s Sky School. The rest of the group was going to ride Screamin’ one more time and Mary Devall was super excited since she was going to sit beside Eileen.
Maddie and I didn’t wait too long in the standby line before we were whizzing around the tracks. I love how you go right past some of the Grand Californian rooms at one point . . . how fun would it be to sit on your balcony with that view! When we went back to our meeting spot on the bridge, no one was there so Maddie slyly suggested that we ride the Little Mermaid ride again. We walked right on and experienced life under the sea one more time.
As soon as we walked outside, we spotted everyone on the bridge. Karen and Eileen were already enjoying lattes from a coffee kiosk conveniently located right there, so Maddie and I hopped in line. She wanted a hot chocolate, but she had also spotted a Cars mug that she liked. I didn’t say a word about it, but noticed that the mug wasn’t that much more since your drink was included in the price. When Maddie wasn’t standing there, I told the CM that I would like hot chocolate in the mug and a latte.
I decided to have a little fun when Maddie returned and saw that a drink was being made in the mug. I told her that I decided to have my latte in a mug and she looked at me as if I had thrown one of her fluffies away. She stood there looking all mopey until I handed her the mug with the hot chocolate. She was very happy, but she gave me “the look” and said “Mommy, you tricked me!”
This was about the time that Karen decided to spring our surprise on Eileen. When Karen told her how proud we were of her and that her surprise was club level at DLH, Eileen squealed in only the way that she can. She was most happy with her surprise.
A PP photographer was stationed right there, so we put down our drinks long enough to take a few pictures.
We then walked to Cars Land and introduced Eileen to the wonder that it is. We ran right into another PP photographer and had to stop again.
After our photo session, we headed right to the Racers FP line. While we waited, I saw something in the standby line that I had never seen before – a CM was actually walking through the line selling water to people as they waited. When you have a captive (and thirsty) audience for that long, I guess it makes sense.
When we reached the front of the line where they took your FP’s, Eileen explained to the CM that she would need help loading and unloading. They sent the eight of us to the special assistance line where six of us were immediately loaded into a vehicle and Thom and Maddie went in the second vehicle.
This truly was a cool ride, but there is so much detail that you cannot possibly take everything in during one ride. I did enjoy the outdoor parts of the ride the most simply because the scenery was so amazing.
After we unloaded, we stood off to the side waiting for Thom and Maddie. As we stood there, two CM’s wearing the notorious plaid (a.k.a. VIP) vests were leading groups right up to where we were. At Disney World, it’s almost rare any more to see a celebrity with the plaid vested CM’s since people quite often pay for the VIP service. Thom and I had already spotted a Disney Channel star the day before with a plaid vested CM, so I already figured that our odds were a little higher considering where we were.
I quickly scanned the crowd until I saw a face that I would recognize anywhere given that I’ve been a big fan of Weeds for years. Mary-Louise Parker was enjoying a beautiful Sunday afternoon with her family just like I was. She may play a drug dealer on tv, but she was a mom too.
The small area had suddenly gotten very crowded, so we moved out of the area to wait. Since we were a little bit away, I took that opportunity to get the best picture that I could without getting in her space (she's in the white top). I had shared my enthusiasm with Sharon and Eileen, but apparently missed letting Karen in on my excitement as I discovered later.
When Thom and Maddie caught up with us, we walked through Bugs Land to get to the trolley stop. When the CM manning that stop told us that it would be about 20 minutes, we left Eileen and Sharon there and went back to Bugs Land for one ride.
When we got back to the stop, the trolley was just arriving. After the trolley was turned around, we boarded and then enjoyed a fun ride back to the front of the park.
Absolutely love all of Zack's poses on the Photopass pics! Very neat about Mary-Louise Parker - she looks just as good in the photo as she does on screen - and sickening thin with it!
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.
Love all the great pictures! Laughing at the Zack poses! So happy that Eileen finally joined the cast of characters! The group is complete! More please!
About This Page: 
I didn't realize they never replaced the smoke alarm. The guy probably completely forgot about it, which is probably why there was no follow-up.
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
The rest of the family gradually got moving and we were ready to head upstairs to the lounge before 7 a.m. Yes, that is an all-time record for the Koenigs family (I’ll just gloss over the fact that we were in PST 
).
Karen was braver than me, however, and eventually came away with some type of coffee creation. 
Daddy" was soon heard.
) the $100 bill that we had found. We were all just flabbergasted. 
Once again, I was amazed at the close proximity of the hotel to the parks (heck, I was amazed at the close proximity of everything to everything!) 
) that we ride Luigi’s Flying Tires. 
it! The Flying Tires is a perfect example of what I love about Disney . . . they create something that at first glance makes no sense at all, but then you ride it and get that “AHA!” moment. This ended up being one of my favorite rides of the trip and I cannot help but smile every time that I think about it. 
As soon as our ride was over, Thom all but insisted that we ride again (just because we could 
She and Mary Devall took off to ride TSMM while the rest of us went to ride the swinging gondolas on the ferris wheel (neither Karen nor Mary Devall had any desire to ride this so we took advantage of their absence 
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
PassPorter Guide Author
She stood there looking all mopey until I handed her the mug with the hot chocolate. She was very happy, but she gave me “the look” and said “Mommy, you tricked me!” 
Very neat about Mary-Louise Parker - she looks just as good in the photo as she does on screen - and sickening thin with it! 
,
Linear Mode
