Forever Young: A Disneyland Trip 50 Years in the Making COMPLETED 1/16/16 - Page 50 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Cheryl, you must be REALLY sad, as I think your post is up six times!
I think this TR is getting to the dreaded point where leprechans take over and start double posting everything......Has anyone ever figured out the magic number of posts to avoid that? (clearly less than 735)
Nope, unfortunately it's called the daily 1:40am EST time-out when the boards appear to go on a go-slow for about five minutes and you continually have to click on things to see if they're going to work. Usually they only go through once, but obviously this morning, it went through every time.
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.
Awesome character pictures! The last few times I went to WDW, I wanted to have pictures taken with some of the characters, but I am a bit on the shy side and chicken out. Maybe when I go next year...it might be a good way to celebrate turning the big 5-0.
I'm sad we didn't do the meet and greet with Olaf when we were there, but it was just too hot for us. At least we got to meet him on the Wonder in Alaska.
If the line for Olaf had been any longer, we might have skipped it, too. The boards must have been wonky when you posted because your post appeared 5 times. I removed a few of them.
Cheryl, you must be REALLY sad, as I think your post is up six times!
I think this TR is getting to the dreaded point where leprechans take over and start double posting everything......Has anyone ever figured out the magic number of posts to avoid that? (clearly less than 735)
As I notice Cheryl explains in a post, when the boards move slowly, they also like to duplicate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SharonK0527
OMG how cute is Olaf???? Looks like you guys had a fun time exploring the Animation building and there seems to be some fun things to do there. I was sorry they decided to close that building at WDW - we always enjoyed going in there. Great place to escape the heat and chill out, away from the hustle and bustle of the park. We met some fun characters there over the years as well.
It is sad that the Animation Building has closed. It really was a great place to meet characters and cool off during our annual June trips.
Oh, those meet and greets look like so much fun. I can definitely see that you are glowing like a proper Southern lady while meeting Stitch. Olaf is one of my favorite characters. I will definitely have to meet him somewhere along the way.
I didn't use to have trouble keeping my eyes open for photos, but I seem to close them a lot at WDW and now DLR. You must meet Olaf!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Terrio
Awesome character pictures! The last few times I went to WDW, I wanted to have pictures taken with some of the characters, but I am a bit on the shy side and chicken out. Maybe when I go next year...it might be a good way to celebrate turning the big 5-0.
I think meeting characters would be a great way to celebrate turning 50.
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.
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.
Good move on escaping the heat and experiencing Animation Academy! Seems you enjoyed it and quite a bit to do there. Glad you enjoyed your time with Tricia and co. as it's always a lot of fun meeting up with PPs! Another fun experience on TSMM!
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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!
Good move on escaping the heat and experiencing Animation Academy! Seems you enjoyed it and quite a bit to do there. Glad you enjoyed your time with Tricia and co. as it's always a lot of fun meeting up with PPs! Another fun experience on TSMM!
We were definitely appreciative of the air conditioning and then there was also some fun to be had in Animation Academy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Great meet and greets with Stitch and Olaf!! Did you get Olaf's autograph?
Sadly, I didn't have an autograph book and not a scrap of paper either. I just got a hug from Olaf.
Saturday, October 10 – He had only hoped for two rides, but this will make it five. Not bad at all!
After smashing plates, popping balloons, and throwing rings, we were in the window for our Radiator Springs Racers FastPasses. So from Paradise Pier, we made our way back to where we had started the morning, Cars Land. We entered from the back, which would bring us right to the entrance to RSR. But it also afforded me an opportunity for some more photos of the clever theming in this land.
I had noticed these signs as we walked through this area at other times, but I’d not taken the time to read them. Photographing them meant I had to take the time. When I reached, the end I just had to chuckle. Poor Mater!
While I was stopped, Roger had been looking at the sky. When I finished, he pointed out this rainbow effect in a few of the clouds right over head. I could see it with my eyes, but my camera’s eye couldn’t capture it. Roger used his cellphone, which did include the rainbows. I don’t why I didn’t think to take mine out. When we caught up with Luke and Tricia, they were curious as to why the two of us had been taking photos of the sky. Even from further down the walkway, the rainbows were visible. Pretty cool!
One more photo of the canyon, and then we entered the FastPass queue for Radiator Springs Racers.
I only managed one photo in the line as we were moving very quickly until we reached the front. We ended up with only a short wait where the two lines (FastPass and Standby) meet up right before boarding a car. Luke mentioned as we headed back for ride five that when we were anticipating this trip, he was hoping we’d be able to ride it at least twice. Five rides was beyond his dreams.
We successfully made it through the canyon and Radiator Springs, returning our car in great shape. Once again Luke and Roger stopped for the ride photos while Tricia, Katie, and I made our way leisurely through the exit. When we regrouped, I suggested something to eat, preferably cold to counteract the heat, which had again soared over 100 degrees. Luke and I had not tried any of the Cozy Cone Motel venues yet, so that became our destination. Luke got in line at the Cozy Cone where ice cream is sold. The Davids got in another line for churros, but also got ice cream. Luke purchased a large Coke for us to share, and a large chocolate cup for him and a regular chocolate cup for me. Cost = $12.39. Looking at the receipt, I notice now he did not get the DVC discount. I’m not sure if he forgot because I’d been the one to get out my DVC card each time or if this was one place that did not give the discount. Of course, it could also have been due to the heat frying our brains to mush. While everyone else was getting refreshments, I had been searching for a table, preferably one with enough shade for four adults and one child. The first table I discovered had enough shade for three of us, and just as I began to sit down. A family of four left a table, and let me know it was a much better choice. Very nice gesture! It definitely had more shade though one of us might get a bit on his/her back. As everyone finished with their purchases, I waved them over and soon we were all replenishing our energy cells with ice cream and churros. The ice cream really did the trick for cooling us down.
Luke is at the window in the next few photos.
With renewed energy, we decided now was the right time to check out and pick up our free Disney Visa Rewards Card photo from our shoot with Stitch. Tricia has done this many times before, so she led the way directly to Trolley Treats. A cast member showed us all our available shots as we would both be getting free photos since the Davids also have a DVR card. As we made our choices, the CM would add borders and other embellishments until we knew exactly how we wanted it. We choice one of us because I wanted to put it in one our many Disney frames back at home. Tricia selected one of us as a group to remember our day together. I have since printed out several of us together for a scrapbook page.
Once we had our free 5 x 7 photos in hand, we decided on one final ride before it was time for Luke and me to head out of the park. We still had not done Grizzly River Rapids, which sounded heavenly on this very hot day. On the way, we made a stop at the restrooms in Grizzly Peak. I came out before several of the others, so I got busy photographing some of Grizzly Peak, including the Grand Californian peeking over some trees.
We climbed the hill here to the ride, which had a standby time of 55 minutes. That was exactly the amount of time Luke and I had before our dinner over in Disneyland at the Blue Bayou. We didn’t want to be late nor did we want to go wet, so for us the fun at DCA with the Davids was over. The Davids decided to head back to their hotel, too, as Katie was more interested in pool time than waiting 55 minutes to get wet. So we all ended up walking into the Grand Californian via the entrance at Grizzly Peak before we had to say our goodbyes. They were truly wonderful companions for the day. We enjoyed their company and their veteran knowledge of the park.
Once back at our resort, we ran up to our room briefly to drop of the photo and refresh a little before heading back to Disneyland for dinner and Fantasmic.
NEXT: Cajun Cooking, a Ghostly Ghastly Crowd, and a Stunning Display
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At least we got to meet him on the Wonder in Alaska. 
I removed a few of them.
You must meet Olaf! 
The ice cream really did the trick for cooling us down. 
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