Fall, Firsts, Food And The Final Frontier TR - UPDATED 11/11 - COMPLETE!! - Page 52 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 only time we've been to disney during the Christmas season, was the week after thanksgiving. It was the last few days in november and the first few in December. That is a good time to go, as far as crowds go. Hope you eventually get to go for Christmas some time!
Hopefully one day!
__________________
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!
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.
Ok, now you're making me feel better about how much money we've just spent on the dessert party - it is a lot of money, but it is worth it.
I don't like the sound of your next instalment though...
I felt it was worth the money and glad I did it! The title doesn't sound good and you'll find out over the weekend!
__________________
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!
Great pictures from the SW fireworks! What a great time!!
Glad you enjoyed them and it was quite a great night!
Quote:
Originally Posted by wheezie
Dave, one of the best weeks to go is the week after Thanksgiving. That’s the week we’ve been for 4 trips, and it’s just a wonderful time. Crowds are usually low, weather is usually great, etc. I think the “your first trip” website marks the week after Thanksgiving as the #1 to go. Also, everything is decorated for Christmas so you get to see that. Oh, and historically it’s been included in free dining, which is huge for my family. Now, keep in mind I don’t have another season or time period to compare it to, but we think that week is just wonderful.
Thanks for the info and hope to go that week one day!
__________________
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!
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.
So glad you enjoyed the Star Wars dessert party! I can't believe your trip is almost over.
I'm so glad I did the dessert party as it was well worth it! The TR is winding down but the one from my recent trip shouldn't be too far behind!
__________________
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!
Well, this isn’t exactly an update, but I thought I’d share some photos of my purchases on this trip and in one case a parting gift from a seminar.
First off is I mentioned I replaced my HVAC unit this summer and here are some photos of my new unit compared to my old one.
My former heating/cooling unit
My new unit
My old a/c condenser
My new one. Look at the size comparison to my neighbor’s unit behind it!
Now below are some of the purchases I made on my trip to Disney World.
Three pack t-shirt combo from the Kennedy Space Center. This only cost me $24.99 plus tax and quite a deal!
This was about the same price as the three shirts above!
Set of two tumblers, which I love!
I received this cutting board at my Mix It, Make It, Celebrate It seminar at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival. Great item and use it regularly as you’ll see below
So, there you go. I hope you enjoy these!
I am hoping to get an update out sometime tomorrow!
__________________
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!
Last edited by SuperDave; 10-28-2017 at 05:29 PM..
Great purchases, Dave !!! . What a nice gist from your seminar, too!! I am so hoping for something cool from mine!! The tumblers are so cool!
Glad you enjoyed these and I was very happy with my purchases and get a lot out of them! I'm sure you'll get something at this seminar as I've done two of the Mix It,,,,seminars.
__________________
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!
Thanks and quite happy with them as getting so much use out of them
__________________
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!
Is It Christmas Day as This Is Just Insane and Beyond Belief?
Saturday, October 22nd (Part I) I was up at 7:45 am and it’s a rather sad day as I would be flying home in under 12 hours. But, I still had a good part of the day to enjoy more of Disney. I finished the rest of my packing, which didn’t take long. I also set aside those things, I would need for the day as I’d be leaving my bags with bell services in a while.
I went to grab some breakfast downstairs at The Pickup with a coffee, slice of pound cake and a yogurt, which I brought back to my room. After enjoying my breakfast, I got ready to check out of my room. Everything was ready, but just made sure I wasn’t leaving anything behind.
I went downstairs and left my bags with bell services, before checking out at around 9 am or so. Check out was easy and there were no surprises on the room bill, which is always good. I still had some time before the Disney Springs Resort bus would arrive for Epcot. I passed the time by browsing the Disney Store in the lobby. I didn’t get anything as I didn’t need anything extra to carry around during the day.
I went outside to wait for the bus and it was a lot cooler than it has been during my entire vacation. It was only about 65 degrees.
Look at this guy on the sign! Near the bus depot.
Shortly, the Epcot bus arrived and I was on my way to my last park experience for this trip. We had a stop prior to Epcot at Hollywood Studios and arrived in Epcot at about 10 am. There was quite a crowd going into Epcot as I knew it would be a busy day being a Saturday as well as with the Food & Wine Festival.
My first order of business was at The Land with a FP+ for Soarin’. This would be my fourth experience on this trip with the updated attraction. It was 10:15 am and when I got to Soarin’, I saw the standby line already had a wait time of 90 minutes! That’s amazing as Epcot has only been open for just over an hour.
Can’t believe this!
From the time making the walk down the long corridors to the three boarding gates of A-C, I was on Soarin’ in ten minutes, which is quite good. Amazing in a way with the long standby time already. I had Gate B and front row, just left of center. Quite good for the ride experience. It was good as always and I enjoy this upgraded version so much more than the original with the international theme with the original just focusing on California. I enjoyed the previous version, but this version makes the experience so much better!
It was 10:45 am and my next FP+ wasn’t until 11:10 for Living with The Land. I walked over to The Seas with Nemo and Friends to see how long the stand by wait was and I was quite surprised. It was 45 minutes! I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than 20 minutes for this. It was indeed going to be quite a busy day in Epcot.
I walked around a bit outside to waste some time before my FP+ window opened back at The Land pavilion.
I returned to The Land and walked around inside and got some photos, while I waited for 11:10 to arrive.
It was finally time for my FP+ for this attraction, which I always enjoy. There were only a few people in front of me in the FP+ line, so I got on a boat right away. This is a great attraction to take photos as it’s slow moving and there is a lot of great things to see in the greenhouses. Today, was no exception as I captured a lot.
As far as I know, all the produce grown here goes to the various Walt Disney World restaurants.
Like the Fall theme here!
Tequila anyone?
Look at the size of these eggplants!
Living with The Land is quite a long ride and lasts a good 15 minutes. It quite informative with the narration and you certainly see a lot. I’ve always been interested in taking the Behind the Seeds tour as it looks like a good one. I hope to one day and it’s a matter of fitting it in, which isn’t always easy.
After I exited the attraction it was nearly 11:30 am and I have an ADR in the World Showcase at noon, so I began to head in that direction.
Quite a crowd at Islands of the Caribbean and the kiosks only opened at 11 am.
I continued onward through Canada and to France, where my ADR was in 15 minutes. It seems as it was getting quite crowded and more so, the closer I got to France.
One of the V.I.P. viewing areas for Illuminations in the United Kingdom. Some are basic parties while others go all out with upscale dinners
In a few minutes after crossing the International Gateway bridge into France, that is when things started to change and not for the better. This is the scene that greeted me when I arrived at the F & W Festival kiosk in France!
Look at the lines in France! Is it Christmas Day as this is just insane and beyond belief? I’m glad I went during the week as there were never lines like this at the various kiosks! I had a French onion soup here on Monday and I think there were only a couple of people in line ahead of me. How things change and many of you here have said to avoid the weekends at the festival and this just supports it. I will NEVER come for the festival on a weekend , but going for lunch is fine with an ADR. A lot of this is the local crowd and not resort guests.
Not quite as bad in Brazil, but there is quite a line on the ordering side on the right, which you can’t see in the photo.
I recall Lisa (elbodans) mentioning in her TR from last year as she was here the same day as I was. She mentioned that the Epcot parking lots were completely full and were closed. Not sure where people go to park, when this happens! They must have other lots they can open.
My ADR at Chefs de France was now in five minutes, so I walked over there to check in.
NEXT: Not the Text I Wanted to Receive and Wish It Had Been 10 Minutes Ago!
__________________
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!
Last edited by SuperDave; 10-29-2017 at 07:33 PM..
So neat that you got to ride Soarin' four times on this trip. Thank goodness you had an ADR for lunch because the lines at the food booths were truly insane.
So neat that you got to ride Soarin' four times on this trip. Thank goodness you had an ADR for lunch because the lines at the food booths were truly insane.
I was quite happy getting to ride Soarin' four times. One of them I got back on line on my first day in Epcot as the stand by line was pretty short as it may have been only about 9:30 am after riding it the first time. The plan was an ADR for lunch and not booths as I've heard so many horror stories about the weekends for the festival and it certainly was for the booths.
__________________
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!
Yep, that's why we'll never go to the Food and Wine Festival on weekends if we can avoid it, because of scenes like that! Just think, it's even worse on a Saturday night...
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
That’s the week we’ve been for 4 trips, and it’s just a wonderful time. Crowds are usually low, weather is usually great, etc. I think the “your first trip” website marks the week after Thanksgiving as the #1 to go. 
PassPorter Guide Author
But, I still had a good part of the day to enjoy more of Disney. 
Is it Christmas Day as this is just insane and beyond belief? 
A lot of this is the local crowd and not resort guests.
They must have other lots they can open. 
Linear Mode
