A Coast to Coast Christmas - Phase One WDW - Page 8 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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I was the first one awake (get used to that, folks). It was about 6:15 when I got up. I caught up my notes a little, since we had nothing on the agenda until late morning.
Wasn't that kind of Kdubs, to give us a morning to sleep in?!
And let me interject here and admit that I hadn't contacted the WL Club Level staff about my gluten-free needs, but Karen (and the fabu Dawn at Earstoyoutravel.com) had noted it on our reservation. I'd brought GF muffins from home and ate one this morning, but Karen told me to mention it to the CMs -- sure enough, they had GF items waiting for me each morning and they were oh-so-tasty! I did my best to gobble them all up and get "my money's worth," as Karen is wont to say.
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Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
The rest of the CLQ made it downstairs just as I took the final photo. We walked out to the bus stop, where Bob and Larry were waiting for us.
Was this the morning we had the bus driver who was militant about not letting people sip their coffee on his bus -- he was Gannoying!
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Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
When we got to Epcot, Jill was the only one with a bag, so she went through bag check alone. Then she got to try out the new entrance procedure.
That little RFID sticker they plunked on her AP was kinda cool...
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Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
When we were done with that (and the like 4th bathroom break of the day ) ).
Please note that I did *NOT* take a bathroom break yet.... though it wasn't too much later when my coffee caught up to me.
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Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
we headed upstairs and someone spotted this tree (with a huge Venus Fly Trap next to it,
That would be me.... I'm beginning to think that whenever Shashi mentions "someone" she should just append a smirking smilie next to it.
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Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
We went next to see Captain EO. It was Eileen’s first time seeing it ever. I was curious about how someone seeing it for the first time would like it. I love it because it’s awesomely cheesy and reminds me of when I saw multiple times in its first run. Without the nostalgia, would it just be cheesy? Eileen enjoyed it, so I guess not! I bragged to everyone that I used to know how to do the moonwalk, and a few days later, I found out I can still do it!
While we were waiting in the preshow area, Karen mentioned that the cheesiness can be overwhelming until the point where Michael just [and she threw her arms out and snapped her head in perfect imitation of the Gloved One] "explodes into ahhhhmazing"... so I was prepared for just the moment the awesomeness would begin.
Though there was one moment that I actually let out a loud snort-guffaw, I did like it and am very glad I got to see it.
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Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
Next, we went over to my little cottage. I was thrilled to have Eileen with me to tell me the names of all the plants I didn’t recognize.
Insert smirking smilie.
But Girlfriend was very kind about me pointing out all the flowers she could grow in her zone 7 garden with very little care needed.
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Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
After the show, we joined the rest of our group and decided to wander around WS. Eileen’s knee was bothering her, so she decided to take the boat over and meet us on the other side in time for a show. Larry decided to join her, so the two of them went off together. This happened often. Just sayin’.
My danged knee! It was generally so much better after a month of intensive therapy and workouts, but it did catch up to me on occasion, which allowed for great one-on-one time with one of my favorite gents!
Bladder buddies and knee buddies!!
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Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
Then we went inside for the Gran Fiesta Tour. It tickles me that now people on the boards associate Donald Duck’s naughty bits with Eileen. Well, Donald covering his naughty bits, but it’s funnier the way I said it.
Yeah... it's wonderful to be associated with a duck's junk.
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Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
Then I had to check in on the miniature Germans celebrating their miniature Christmas.
My... what big balls the Germans have.
C'mon... you knew I was going there!!
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Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
We went to Impressions de France next, but we were about a minute late for the show. So we went and got some Grand Marnier slushes to suck down in the 17 minutes until the next show. I don’t mean to brag or anything, but I didn’t even get brain freeze. Nor did I need a straw, like some other amateurs in the group. There was one straw that Karen was trying to make sure everyone used.
Oh... that was heeeelarious!! Karen and her straw! As we each sipped or finished each other's drinks, Karen would just flip over the straw -- her reasoning was that the alcohol in the drink killed off any germs from the recently-sipped end, leaving her safe to imbibe without fear of illness.
I got to sample the two slushies for the first time (thanks to my lovely alkie friends) and I decided that the Grand Marnier was not to my tastes, but the Grey Goose slushie was definitely on my list of To-Drinks in the near future. Unfortunately, I was in the first stages of a cold that was to knock me flat for two weeks -- and I'm still not really over it yet! -- so I refrained and had a bottle of water, ... which resulted in a very funny picture that will probably appear in Jill's TR later.
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Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
We walked out the IG and over to the BC.
Don't forget the stop at my favorite toity, which also resulted in a very funny picture from Karen.... (one that made my son guffaw when he saw it on Facebook later). When Karen surfaces again, she'll have to share it here.
The WL lobby looks beautiful! I had hoped to make it over there to see the Christmas decorations last week, but, alas, time got away from me and I never made it.
I also noticed the random venus flytrap when we went to Garden Grill for dinner.
The VOL holiday show brought tears to my eyes. I thought I videotaped it with my cool new Canon Powershot, but apparently I should have read the instruction manual before my trip!
Can't wait to hear more about the adventures of the CLQ!
Just joined the TR! You guys crack me up! I'd love to go to Disney at Christmastime. Thanks especially for all the pictures that you take and post. It makes it so much fun to read.
Please continue! This is school vacation week, so I'm doing lots of reading and posting here on PassPorter!
Great updates! You got so much done in Epcot. I've yet to see the new entrance kiosks since I usually go in at IG. I'm calling tomorrow to book my trip for next December. It's been too long since I've seen Epcot in full-blown Christmas mode.
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I'm beginning to think that whenever Shashi mentions "someone" she should just append a smirking smilie next to it. 
Eileen enjoyed it, so I guess not! 
I bragged to everyone that I used to know how to do the moonwalk, and a few days later, I found out I can still do it! 
Well, Donald covering his naughty bits, but it’s funnier the way I said it. 
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