A 40th celebration to end the world! THREAD 2 COMPLETE AGAIN 4/27 - Page 9 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Wow, looks like you did two of my favorite things in one day: eat strawberry shortcake (soooooo yummy) and meet Pluto (I love love love him!) Now I'm a litte jealous! Too bad Mark couldn't share the fun, though.
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I also hadn't seen the new background at the Character Spot--I really like it. Puts me in mind of the mural at the Top of the World at Bay Lake Tower.
Bob and I had occasion to visit Guest Services at Epcot some years back, and I guess we impressed the young woman there with our knowledge of all things Disney, because she presented us with 'Honorary Citizen of Walt Disney World' buttons. This was the first time I had seen them. Well, not long afterwards we took the Friendship to the Studios and paused at the restroom after we entered the park. There was a Cast Member there cleaning. He spotted our buttons as we came in, and said, "Oooooo" (like he was impressed). As we proceeded about our business, he whipped out a plastic trumpet and serenaded us with a song! Frankly, I was laughing so hard that it was a wonder my shoes stayed dry! It's the little things that stick with you for years. The Cast Members make it such a special place.
The strawberry shortcake looked delicious How great that you were chosen to jump the line to ride Soarin! I agree with you that they need to rehab this ride. I've had numerous friends make the same comment to me after returning from Disney. It's a favorite ride for many but it's time to make a change. I hope Mark was feeling well enough to go out with you at night.
What a fun time wandering around solo in Epcot. Sorry, Mark was not feeling well, but better for him to get some rest!
I love the panoramic photo of the Character Spot from up on the top of the steps, looking at all the characters with the mural behind them.
The weather does look threatening in several of your pictures, but we always find it easier to forge ahead in rain when at WDW. I remember standing in a line with our ponchos last June when Morgan turned to me and said that if we were home we'd be indoors. It's just different at Disney. I can't imagine passing up Pluto; he's such a sweet dog.
Sorry Mark was still feeling so yucky. that is never fun, but I'm glad you went off on your own. I toured Epcot once solo and had a really fun time.
Is that character spot the new one, or still just a temporary one? I hated the backgrounds in the old one, it was a bit chaotic.
Hoping Mark is feeling better by this night.
Is the Guest Assistance Card like a permanent Fast Pass? You appear to have had no wait for Soarin, and I know you have difficulty standing in line. I guess I just don't understand what the GAC means and who qualifies for one. Long lines scare my sister-in-law so she avoids rides with long lines. I wonder if she would qualify for one.
It's a Guest Assistance Card and I get one for times like this, as I have chronic fatigue and, while I can walk around fine, standing absolutely exhausts me. You don't need a doctor's note, as far as I know, to get one, but I always carry one from my doctor. Wherever possible, I use Fastpasses, as I don't like relying on it, but there are some times it comes in hand.
It doesn't give you front of the line access - usually at the busiest attractions, you enter through the Fastpass line, but even then, I've waited 20 plus minutes at Soarin' and the Cast Members were at pains to say that there may still be waits even with the GAC. They kept suggesting I get a wheelchair, but I refuse to do that, as I want to be able to walk around and exercise. As I say, that side of things is fine, it's just the standing and I can't see the point in sitting in a chair all day, when I am capable of walking, so long as I don't overdo it.
Wow, looks like you did two of my favorite things in one day: eat strawberry shortcake (soooooo yummy) and meet Pluto (I love love love him!) Now I'm a litte jealous! Too bad Mark couldn't share the fun, though.
I also hadn't seen the new background at the Character Spot--I really like it. Puts me in mind of the mural at the Top of the World at Bay Lake Tower.
I hadn't thought of that before, but it does, now you mention it.
Quote:
Bob and I had occasion to visit Guest Services at Epcot some years back, and I guess we impressed the young woman there with our knowledge of all things Disney, because she presented us with 'Honorary Citizen of Walt Disney World' buttons. This was the first time I had seen them. Well, not long afterwards we took the Friendship to the Studios and paused at the restroom after we entered the park. There was a Cast Member there cleaning. He spotted our buttons as we came in, and said, "Oooooo" (like he was impressed). As we proceeded about our business, he whipped out a plastic trumpet and serenaded us with a song! Frankly, I was laughing so hard that it was a wonder my shoes stayed dry! It's the little things that stick with you for years. The Cast Members make it such a special place.
The weather does look threatening in several of your pictures, but we always find it easier to forge ahead in rain when at WDW. I remember standing in a line with our ponchos last June when Morgan turned to me and said that if we were home we'd be indoors. It's just different at Disney. I can't imagine passing up Pluto; he's such a sweet dog.
You are so right - it is different at Disney. I often think on cold days, "if we were at home, we wouldn't go out in this weather for hours at a time, but we think nothing of doing it in Florida!"
Is that character spot the new one, or still just a temporary one? I hated the backgrounds in the old one, it was a bit chaotic.
Hoping Mark is feeling better by this night.
I'm trying to remember. I'm thinking temporary, as the main Character Spot was closed for rehab, but anyone know for sure?
Wednesday 12 December – part six: is Mark going to make it out for the evening
I grabbed some photos on the way out of Epcot…
… and got a Photopass pic done too.
I even had time to find our Leave A Legacy…
As I left the park, I power walked my way over to the buses, and it’s just as well I did, as there was on waiting for me, which I got on, along with another couple, and it left a minute later. We were soon back at the resort.
When I got back to the room, Mark didn’t appear to be much better, although he’d spent much of the afternoon sleeping. I was really hoping he’d be Ok for dinner at Jiko with Elaine and Keith, and the new night-time safari, but to be honest, I was now worried about him getting to either.
In the end, he did make it to Jiko, although he wasn’t looking good the whole way through it. We were seated almost immediately at a lovely seat by the window. I will say here that I didn’t think our server, Omar, was anything special. It was a bit like the first time we ate there. The second he knew that we weren’t having wine, I felt as if the level of interest went down a notch, which I hate. I did get a Victoria Falls Mist cocktail (which was very nice), so that was something…
I also didn’t think he particularly sold the menu, if that makes sense? Usually at a signature restaurant, they’re busy explaining all about the various dishes, which are the chef’s specials etc., but not a bit of that here.
For appetiser, I decided to go with the artisanal cheese selection, which ended up being Pave D’Affinols, a cow cheese from France, Carmody, a cow’s cheese from America, Fromage d’Affinois de Brebis, a sheep’s cheese from France, Pecorino Tuscano, a sheep’s cheese from Italy, and Smokey Oregon Blue, a cow’s cheese from America. Unfortunately, it came with a pear terrine, and peach chutney, so I had to ask for both to disappear, as I’m allergic to both. Our server came back with a tangerine chutney, which was absolutely divine, and some honeycomb biscuits, which were slightly odd with the cheeses. All of the cheeses themselves were absolutely beautiful, and I really could’ve eaten more of all of them. In fact, it was so good, I could’ve got it again for dessert, but that’s another story to come in a moment… Can you believe I totally forgot to photograph it?
Mark went for the crispy beef “babotie” rolls, with cucumber raita, green mango atjar and roasted groundnuts. It certainly smelt spicy when it arrived, and Mark told me it was, and perhaps therefore not the best choice for him at the current time…
For entrée, after much debate (the grilled swordfish sounded good too), I went for the maize-crusted Atlantic black grouper with vegetables of the moment, and tomato-butter sauce. It was exceptionally good, and beautifully presented, with some good flavours in it. I was pleasantly surprised to see three fish dishes on the menu, along with a vegetarian option, so there was plenty for me to pick from.
Mark went for the oak-grilled fillet mignon, with ancient grain pilaf, Brussels sprouts, and South African red wine reduction. It was an odd combination of ingredients, and it has to be the ugliest entrée I’ve ever seen at a signature restaurant. Poor Mark only managed a little bit of it…
When the dessert menu came out, I realised I’d made a mistake, and should’ve done my usual, and asked to see the dessert menu at the start, so I could decide where to have the artisanal cheese selection in the meal. Had I done that, I would’ve opted for having it for dessert, as the appetiser selections were much more appealing. I knew Mark wouldn’t have anything, but the rest of us all looked at it, and really weren’t impressed, which was a shame. In the end, Keith and I opted for the peppermint crunch crème brulee, mint custard with a chocolate ganache bottom.
What is it about peppermint being pink here? I’m used to mint things being green, so it’s a bit far too out for me… When I took the first bite, I wasn’t impressed at all, but when I took another bite, which included the chocolate ganache, that was a lot better. It was certainly odd, not unpleasant though, and I’d probably describe it as a bold attempt. It’s certainly nothing I’ve ever come across before.
The atmosphere of the place was good, although I wish that people wouldn’t bring kids along late, if they’re going to be tired, as a crying baby does really detract from this place. It’s quite loud already with the acoustics, so that just makes it ten times worse.
Because Mark wasn’t feeling well, the ratings are only from me, as we figured that his ratings would be skewed by how he felt.
Jiko
Appetiser 10
Entrée 9
Dessert 7½
Service 7½
Atmosphere 8½
Value for money 8½
Average score: 8.50
We said goodbye to Elaine and Keith, and we headed back to the room. We had about 20 minutes or so before we needed to leave for the night-time safari tour, and I was hoping against hope that perhaps Mark would feel better, and would be able to go on it, but it wasn’t to be so I went off on my own.
Just try to think about candycanes which are red and white. Probably they used the red peppermint because it was the holidays when candycanes are used. Haha..that's my only good guess...or it's just an America thing.
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Now I'm a litte jealous! Too bad Mark couldn't share the fun, though.
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Frankly, I was laughing so hard that it was a wonder my shoes stayed dry! It's the little things that stick with you for years. The Cast Members make it such a special place.
How great that you were chosen to jump the line to ride Soarin!
We were soon back at the resort. 
I did get a Victoria Falls Mist cocktail (which was very nice), so that was something… 
Poor Mark only managed a little bit of it… 
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