The Don’t Postpone Your Joy and Birthday Celebrations Mousefest Trip - UPDATED 12/31 - Page 6 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel 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
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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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What a great morning at AK...with such a great group of PP's. Glad that everyone enjoyed a few trips to see the Yeti. Fun over at DHS....love the Sci-Fi (we had those little suacer tables on our trip in December too) but the food is quite yummy.
I still can't get over that you called the radio station!
You may be having wand and pin and weather envy, but reading this, I am tooootally having lush envy. Look at you, running here, running there, ing here, nogging there. This was all impossible with my specific 18-month-old, so I'm having lots of fun reading about your adventures. Thanks for sharing!
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Originally Posted by JoanW
I also got myself a key chain light sabre to keep in the car. You never know when you might have to fight Darth Vader or some other member of an evil empire. Or find my cell phone charger in the dark.
This got quite the chuckle from the Star Wars geeks in the house
So now we are warmed by the love of Walt Disney, and warmed from the heat of the theater, and warmed from our Holiday FAB’s. So we must venture on, because we have a BIG Passporter Meet to find in Italy or Germany. Great, either one. They have FABs and Passporter Love!
So we go all commando (Park Commando, Not Chandler Bing Commando), and we pull up our big girl panties and power walk to the buses. We needed to add a layer of clothing a and a scarf, possibly a long sleeved shirt. Some long underwear. So hopped a bus to the Shades of Green (there’s actually a Shades of Green Bus that runs from HS to Shades). But if you miss the bus, you have to go to the TTA where there’s a bus every 20 minutes. Not the most efficient, but it was free and we weren’t driving..
So after we relayered in our room and took note of how much our feet were hurting, we walked over to the Poly and caught a monorail over to TTA and changed to a Epcot monorail. Finally! So we found our way over to Italy where I finally had a Famous Dave Encounter. And sing with me people, “It’s a Small World”, Mary Jean meets Jennifer, who’s sister lives on the street behind Mary Jean. And, I get my Passporter Pal Pin. Yeah! We sign up for our dessert choice for after Illuminations. And here I meet Christine, and Aimee, who I actually met at a Passporter Meet in 2004 in Philadelphia when Mark and Cheryl came from England. And of course, Bob and Larry, Lesley, and Heather and Lindsey. There were some others, but I did not take one note! I have to look at Mary Jean’s photos, cause I didn’t do so good at photos at this point.
We all went over to watch Illuminations, but first I needed a coffee or something cause it was getting cold. I forgot to mention that Lesley has been prominently displaying her unshod toes, perfectly manicured in a lovely shade, but in flip flops. Coats and flip flops. She gets a prize for the most optimism towards warm Florida weather. I am usually the last one to put on shoes, but I was now in socks AND shoes and a jacket and scarf and gloves. Bravo Lesley.
I finished my coffee at about the time that Illuminations was finishing. We all made our way over to Germany for a lovely pastry or pretzel. I opted for a pretzel, and I knew it was time for…….a FAB. And since it was Germany, I had a nice bier. We all sat around noshing and talking when Eileen, and the other CLQ-1 appeared, fresh from their Dessert Soiree. Plans were discussed and our next venture was on to America. Now we’ve never made it to America, so it was a first for myself, Louise and Mary Jean.
After we waited in the warm foyer, we made our way upstairs to the theater. Passporterer Marie (CrazyCR) and her DH John and DD Sarah finally made it. I haven’t seen her in a few years, so now it was feeling like old home week, except we are all from different states and had NEVER been to Disney World at the same time, just at Passporter Meets on the East Coast! Now from my photos, it looks like Eileen was playing musical chairs. Or perhaps she was trying to sit closer to Bob and Larry. Not sure, but she finally found the perfect chair!
Okay, I’ll admit I’m a big Patriotic Weenie. I cry over Star Spangled Banner. I cry over God Bless America. I cry over My Country Tis of Thee, and the Marine Corp Anthem, and the Navy Hymn. So, this movie was right up there. Good thing I had a scarf and gloves to wipe the tears away.
We posed for a photo for Famous Dave, yet to be seen, and some of us made plans to go to Mexico to look for Donald Duck’s Naughty Bits. Now, I’ve never quite heard duck privates called Naughty Bits, nor have I EVER seen naughty bits. But I’m with the group and we are going in search of Naughty Bits. Mary Jean and Louise, however, are tired. They decide to go back to the room. They keep asking if I will be okay with this strange group. I tell them I’m in great hands. Not to worry. They head off to catch the monorail to the bus. Buh bye you tired weenies.
My first photo I tried to get all the group from behind me, as it was Eileeeeen and myself in the front. Only I got just Sharon. So, I apologize Sharon, when I announced, it was “just Sharon”. Not that I didn’t want your lovely face in the photo, I was trying to get the group. It was not “I got a rock” moment.
Now in this next photo you see the swimsuit that Donald WAS wearing. Which amazes me, because he never wears pants.
Now I never really saw any Naughty Bits, but Donald covered his hands over the general area of where Naughty Bits might actually be “housed”. I’m just sayin.
Our group finished up finally after ALL the boats were cleaned of trash with those trash pick up sticks. One.Piece.At.A.Time. Per.Boat. Finally.
Okay, group adventure #2. Let’s go ride Soarin. This is where we separate the Enthusiasts from the Party Poopers.
This looks like an Enthusiast to you, doesn’t it???? NOT! She’s a Party Pooper! Jill’s Mary Devall puts her to shame!
No, here are the real Enthusiasts!
That’s Bob, and although he’s somewhat hidden, has this perpetual grin on his face. Larry pooped out. Lindsey, Heather, and Lesley, myself, Aimee and I think Christine all made the cut for the Enthusiasts.
Can’t you smell the pine? Can’t you feel the whoosh?
We had the top row and it was a fabulous last ride. We all made our way out of the park, each of us going in different directions. I got on the monorail heading towards TTA and met a nice family going to Shades of Green, and we all rode together all they way to the hotel. Seems they were from Dover, Delaware, and we chatted about Annapolis the entire time and have eaten in some of the same restaraunts. So, I was not totally alone on my ride back.
I think I got into the room at 1:45, where my sister had been worried the whole time and hardly slept. I told her go back to sleep, I had been with Passporters. I popped a couple of Tylenol PM’s cause I knew I was aching already, and crawled into my side of the bed, the other half was full of clothes and shoes from earlier. I was tooo tired to clean it off.
Up Next: More HABs, FABs and BIG Passporter Love at the Mega Meet.
I forgot to mention that Lesley has been prominently displaying her unshod toes, perfectly manicured in a lovely shade, but in flip flops. Coats and flip flops. She gets a prize for the most optimism towards warm Florida weather. I am usually the last one to put on shoes, but I was now in socks AND shoes and a jacket and scarf and gloves. Bravo Lesley.
Us Chicago girls have hardy souls with thick blood!
Quote:
Okay, I’ll admit I’m a big Patriotic Weenie. I cry over Star Spangled Banner. I cry over God Bless America. I cry over My Country Tis of Thee, and the Marine Corp Anthem, and the Navy Hymn. So, this movie was right up there. Good thing I had a scarf and gloves to wipe the tears away.
Right there with you Joan! This show gets to me every time.
Quote:
Mary Jean and Louise, however, are tired. They decide to go back to the room. They keep asking if I will be okay with this strange group. I tell them I’m in great hands. Not to worry.
Didn't they know by then that you were one of us!
Quote:
This is where we separate the Enthusiasts from the Party Poopers.
I was glad to be one of the Enthusiasts! It was a wonderful way to end the night.
I hope while you were crybabying to that "Americaaaaa. Americaaaaaaaa" song at the American Adventure you noticed the heavily rain-geared Gorton's fisherman to the right, because I feel he represents me. (Sort of.)
for being a fearless Enthusiast and not going back when your family was all (<--or at least supposed to be.) Looks like there's more fun to come, can't wait to all about it!
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Pixie Dust
Look at you, running here, running there, 
ing here, nogging there. This was all impossible with my specific 18-month-old, so I'm having lots of fun reading about your adventures. 
Thanks for sharing!
Hurry back with more!! 
PassPorter Guide Author
Lisa 
This show gets to me every time.
(<--or at least supposed to be.) Looks like there's more fun to come, can't wait to 
Liz 
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