A DREAM is a wish your heart makes...Halloween on the High Seas edition - updated 09/14/2014 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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.
The rides at Legoland seem like more work than fun! Pedals, driving, pulling yourself up with a rope...geez! Although after all the food I ate on the cruise, this would have been the perfect park to visit.
Legoland looks like a lot of fun for Lego lovers! I love that the rides look like they are made from Legos. The animals on the safari look so real! It amazed me that they can do things like that with some simple Lego bricks. I'm so glad they had your purse back at the Ski show, what a scare that must have been. I'm really not liking the sound of your teaser though!!
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.
That did look like a lot of work - riding those rides!
Scary about the almost-lost purse! You must have been SO relieved to find they had it for you, and that nothing had been removed! That could ruin a vacation pretty quickly!
Except for the purse episode, this all looks like a lot of fun! I can't believe how life-like the animals look. I remember seeing Miniland in Cheryl's report of the Legoland in England. I love seeing the cities and all the detail they put in. Did Lukas give himself a scare when he saw himself in the mirror?
Don't like the sound of the teaser at all!
It is amazing the detail they put into miniland and most of the exhibits had something that moved or shot water, etc. Like in front of the White House a song played and the soldiers marched. No he didn't get scared when he saw himself. After he had it done she showed him. I think he liked it a lot. Today wasn't my day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
OMG, what a scare with the missing purse! Thank goodness you found it and best of all, "Mike kept quiet". The worst thing a hubby can do is add to your frustration by making a comment. I, once, left my lanyard with all our tickets hanging on the door of a bathroom stall at Epcot. Thankfully I realized it was missing right away and ran immediately to the bathroom to get it. My hubby didn't say anything, he knows better.
He was very good. He didn't say much after the next episode either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pamcarey
Everything looks like so much fun! The animals on the safari were so lifelike! Glad you found your purse quickly!
It's crazy how life like some of the animals were. In pictures our family didn't know the giraffes were made of legos.
Quote:
Originally Posted by honeybee723
The rides at Legoland seem like more work than fun! Pedals, driving, pulling yourself up with a rope...geez! Although after all the food I ate on the cruise, this would have been the perfect park to visit.
Definitely a work out and there are some hills too and there isn't a lot of shortcuts you can take either so you have to come back to the 'hub' of miniland often.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
What a scary episode with the missing purse. Thank goodness you found it! Loved the pictures of Miniland!
I was very happy it was right there and some kind soul turned in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JKnott17
Legoland looks like a lot of fun for Lego lovers! I love that the rides look like they are made from Legos. The animals on the safari look so real! It amazed me that they can do things like that with some simple Lego bricks. I'm so glad they had your purse back at the Ski show, what a scare that must have been. I'm really not liking the sound of your teaser though!!
I think even if you didn't like legos it'd still be fun, especially for younger kids. Most things seemed geared for 5-12. It could've been worse than the purse that's for sure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
That did look like a lot of work - riding those rides!
Scary about the almost-lost purse! You must have been SO relieved to find they had it for you, and that nothing had been removed! That could ruin a vacation pretty quickly!
It could've definitely ruined it quick, but the next thing that happens could've been worse than losing the purse.
Kelly!!!!! I have been reading from my phone ( but always super annoying to respond from that)
LEGOLAND looks so cute, but I am TIRED after reading this last update...........my word, with all the physical activity and back and forth, lets not mention your scare...............so happy Mike just zipped it for ya
Kelly!!!!! I have been reading from my phone ( but always super annoying to respond from that)
LEGOLAND looks so cute, but I am TIRED after reading this last update...........my word, with all the physical activity and back and forth, lets not mention your scare...............so happy Mike just zipped it for ya
Legoland is really cute. I'm so glad we took the time to go.
You know about the next scare and how awful it was.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
What a fun time at LEGOLAND - you guys certainly packed a lot in there.
I missed the start to yours and Melissa's trip reports!
The drive down didn't sound too bad at all. We drove on our last trip in 2010 from Oklahoma, we stopped in Pensacola to pick up my mom and stay at here house. We had to take my DSis and husband and neice to AKL and my GPS took us the back way too. I never felt like I was in the Disney bubble until we pulled up at AKL!
Great view from your studio! Lots of animals.
What fun at the pool while waiting on your room.
Sanaa sounded great.
Legoland looks really cool. I bet your boys (including Mike) were in heaven!
I missed the start to yours and Melissa's trip reports!
The drive down didn't sound too bad at all. We drove on our last trip in 2010 from Oklahoma, we stopped in Pensacola to pick up my mom and stay at here house. We had to take my DSis and husband and neice to AKL and my GPS took us the back way too. I never felt like I was in the Disney bubble until we pulled up at AKL!
Great view from your studio! Lots of animals.
What fun at the pool while waiting on your room.
Sanaa sounded great.
Legoland looks really cool. I bet your boys (including Mike) were in heaven!
Thanks for joining in Liz! The drive wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think the new roomier car helped that too. All the boys very much enjoyed Legoland.
After Mike’s arm workout we were hungry for a little snack plus it was HOT today! So we went back to the place we had gotten lunch as they had ice cream there too. We explored the gift shop a little, but finding nothing we had to bring home ventured over to the ice cream. The 4 of us shared 2 treats and a few drinks. We had a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich and a birthday cake ice cream (both of these were pre-packaged, not made fresh). They hot the spot. After our treat the boys (mostly Dylan) had a little dance break in the seating area and Lukas was done with the facepaint so I used wet wipes (several) to get his face clean. Even though there’s no more diapers, I think I will continue to carry wipes around for quite some time as they come in so handy!
Cypress Gardens was in the area and we hadn’t seen it yet so that’s where we headed next. I wanted to see the remaining part of the original park. It’s very beautiful back there and I would’ve loved to have spent more time meandering the paths, but 2 little boys were not having it. Still it was a nice detour.
The boys thought this was Belle.
We then finished up Miniland spending quite a bit of time in the Star Wars area. Imagine that! The detail put into the land and especially Star Wars is incredible. It’s amazing what they can do.
This picture shows the scale a bit as there's a maintenance guy working in the lower left of this picture.
And now for Star Wars Miniland:
The yellow ship in this pic is out, but it would go back in the hanger too.
And here's Darth Maul and Qui Gon fighting
This was the coolest! The Millenium Falcon rose up off the ground! And was huge!
We’d done almost everything that the boys wanted or could do except for World of Chima. This is a recently opened part of the park and is based on a lego show which the boys have seen. The main part of the land is a water ride called The Quest for Chi which is a water ride. Now you briefly see the ride when you go through the queue and they warn you that you’ll get wet. Ok no big deal. There are cubbies to put all your stuff so I left my purse and camera (even though it’s water proof) there. Forgot to mention they have these cubbies for lots of rides to leave your things, which is really nice. So we get on and take off. It’s basically set up like a boat with 2 benches on opposite sides (back to back) we were the only people in our boat and you shoot water cannons at things. Then comes a waterfall and you go right through it. I’m talking buckets pouring on your head waterfall. It was no longer fun. Lukas freaks out so now I’m trying to cover him, keep his head down so he doesn’t get all the water in his face, which he hates. And we are all completely drenched from head to toe. There are no dry spots. Then after that kids on other boats can shoot water at you and I’m trying to protect Lukas as best I could. Finally after going through a nice, cold a/c tunnel we were able to get off.
Can you see how wet they are?!
We made it to the stroller and then it dawned on me…my pump…oh crap! My pump! Yes the insulin pump that is battery operated that is not waterproof had been on my body as I went through the waterfall. The buttons weren’t working and then the alarms started. I freaked out. I didn’t know I was going to do. We were getting n a ship to sail to the middle of the ocean in 2 days!! This was a Friday how was I going to get something before we left. I always pack syringes with me just in case, but by insulin is fast acting, not long lasting so I was imagining giving myself many shots over the next few weeks. I had 2 perfectly useable insulin pumps at home – 1000s of miles away. I was determined to hide this from the boys and make the last hour or so at Legoland good for them so they each got to choose one more ride they wanted to ride. Mike took Lukas to Coastersaurus while Dylan chose the Joust. While Dylan rode the Joust several times in a row (there was no line so I let him go over & over) I called my Mom to see if she could find the pump at home and overnight it to me. Yes a Saturday delivery, but this was my life we were talking about. After the initial shock of me calling and crying thinking something happened to one of the boys she said she’d take care of it. Once I had my mommy to calm me down, reason sunk in and I realized I could call the manufacturer of my pump to see what they could do. Before that Mike had returned with Lukas and we told a little white lie that Lukas was really 4 so he could ride the Joust too – he was tall enough just not old enough but I knew he’d be fine on it.
I called the 800 # and got through to product support and since my pump was still under warranty they could overnight me a brand spanking new pump straight to AKV! They also said it should arrive by noon. All I had to do was return the malfunctioned pump within 30 days – or I’d receive a bill for $3800. YAY!! Hallelujah!! Crisis averted. I called mom back and told her Medtronic would take care of it and she didn’t have to. During this time Mike took the boys on the carousel again and maybe Merlin’s Challenge again too. The park was about to close and at the last minute Dylan decided he wanted to try The Dragon roller coaster. I quickly took Lukas through the store as I didn’t want to explain to him why he couldn’t ride it (he wasn’t tall enough). But in the end Mike & Dylan were too late and by the time they reached the ride the ride and the park was closed. The park closed at 5 today so it wasn’t too late. We made our way out of the park and to the car. In the car I called my doctor to see what I should do in the mean time since my pump wasn’t working. He gave me orders on what to do now and in a few hours and should I eat and then to call me later.
It had been a very long day and it wasn’t even dinner yet. While the boys loved Legoland and really enjoyed everything there, the end of the day did put a bit of a damper on how I feel about it. I’m sure we’d go back again if we had the time & money and could stand being out of the bubble again. One thing is for sure, Lukas & I won’t be riding the Chima ride anytime soon!
Up next…a happy ending to the day because we got to see PPs!
What a terrible and scary way to end such a nice day. I'm so glad the company came through with sending a new one, but I'm sure you didn't relax until you had it in hand. After being so used to the pump it must have made you nervous being responsible for the shots and managing your diet until then.
I hate water rides that drench you like that unless they're at a water park. Not fun at all. Poor Lukas!
Oh Kelly, how scary! Glad a new pump is on the way!
I didn't realize Legoland took over Cyprus Gardens! I visited there on my very first trip to WDW in 1981! Haven't been back since, but I recall it being really beautiful.
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.
About This Page: 
Pedals, driving, pulling yourself up with a rope...geez! Although after all the food I ate on the cruise, this would have been the perfect park to visit. 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
PassPorter Guide Author
Liz 
Linear Mode
