Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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08-05-2005, 04:30 PM
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#1
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Community Rank: Wayfarer 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: New York City
Posts: 127
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My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 2, Updated 8/30
Hi! This is my very first attempt at writing a trip report. I hope you guys enjoy.
CAST: Me,Diana. Just turned 31 y.o. Been to WDW 4 times. Ist solo trip ever.
WHEN: June 5 – June 9
WHERE: Disney’s All Star Sports Resort
REASON: a birthday gift for myself, and a so needed vacation.
PRE-PLANNING
I wasn’t planning a trip to WDW maybe till 2007. As summer vacations got approved from my job, I didn’t get the 2nd week I requested, and my BF could not get the same week as I did. Ever since Disney announced their “Happiest Celebration on Earth”, and I saw pictures of the newly decorated Cinderella’s Castle, I was itching to somehow go. But, it would mean that I would be traveling alone to the Happiest Place on Earth. I struggled with the thoughts of feeling awkward and lonely when I get there, but reasoned with myself that, it was one of those experiences in life that I needed to take. Plus, the words of encouragement from my fellow Passporters also helped, so thank you.
So it’s time to go into planning mode. I had less than 3 weeks to get everything settled. I called CRO to ask for availability in Pop Century, but they didn’t have any discounted offers. The friendly CM was able to find an AAA discounted room at AS Sports for $94.92 (tax included) totaling $379 for 4 nights. I was still hoping for Pop Century, so I contacted Grand Getaways Travel and Courtney was eager to help me out. She also arranged for Disney’s Magical Express for my airport transfers. Courtney tried, even till the day of my departure, but nothing came up in Pop Century. To Courtney, thank you for your efforts and for being so nice.
I booked plane tickets with JetBlue out of JFK for $195.40, roundtrip, and I bought my 4-day MYW tickets with hopper/expiration option at WOD in NYC for $234.30. I didn’t plan on any sit-down meals; just counter service whenever I felt hungry. I packed dry cereal and planned to buy milk at the food court for breakfast. I checked out WDW website for park hours, EMH days, parade and fireworks show times, then I’ll determine what parks to hit when. My arrival on 6/5 was going to be the last day for Epcot’s International Flower and Garden show, and MGM has Star Wars Weekend with EMH, so I planned to somehow hit those parks when I arrived.
6/5 Departure. Day 1 Epcot & MGM:
I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m leaving for WDW, I can’t sleep the night before. I probably got 3 hrs of sleep then my alarm rang at 5am. My DB and BF drove me to the airport. The traffic was okay and it took us about 45 min from Staten Island to Queens. Airport traffic was bearable and they dropped me off at Terminal 6 (JetBlue). I kissed my BF goodbye; told him I was going to miss him so much and they were off.
Check-in was painless, got some breakfast, and then walked to my gate. The flight to Orlando was smooth and we arrived on time. I was seated towards the back of the plane and JetBlue lets us exit through the rear of the plane, onto the tarmac, then up to the terminal. It’s nice to see the palm trees swaying at the distance, but I quickly noticed the heat and humidity of Florida. Took the monorail over to baggage claim, picked up my luggage (DME tags did not arrive in time), and then went to look for DME.
I saw several CM with Mickey hands directing guest to DME before you go down to baggage claim. I read in Mousesavers that DME was located somewhere in Terminal A. I walked the length of the terminal and found nothing. I saw some passengers going down the escalator, so I followed, and lo and behold, there was DME counter. I had the idea that DME occupied a small dinky space in the terminal, but the area was huge. They occupy more than half the counter space in the lower level of Terminal A. I noticed the huge crowds right away. The long line was snaking close to the Alamo counter. A CM was announcing to everyone that only 1 family member was needed to get in line to control the crowds. I overheard a guy behind me saying, “Disney is already preparing us for the long waits in the rides.” that made me laugh. There were at least 20 CM behind the counter, checking in guest going to the resorts, and also the cruise. It took me at least 20 min from the start of the line to the counter. I gave my last name to the CM and they gave me a voucher with a barcode to show to the driver. That took less than 3 min. I was directed to another area where you wait to board the buses. I gave the driver my luggage, got on the bus, and we soon left after. It looked like most of the guests took their own luggage in the bus as well.
The driver announced we were going to Coronado first, then AKL, and lastly AS Sports. The ride over was comfortable and it took about 1 hr from the airport to the last resort stop. They show a cute video on board, with Disney characters, about how DME works. I got excited when I heard that one of our stops was AKL. If I ever was to have a resort home, my heart belongs to AKL. I fell in love with the place the first time we stayed there in 2002. As the bus turned up the driveway and the straw roofs came into view, I wanted to get out of the bus so bad and say, “Ah, I’m home.” Maybe next time.
My only shot of the gate from the bus:
AKL entrance:
Finally, I arrived at AS Sports around 12:45pm. I walked into Stadium Hall- AS Sports main lobby (includes check-in and lobby concierge, gift shop, arcade and food court). Check-in took about 15 min, and the CM who helped me was earning his ears. Good news, my room was ready. I was placed on Center Court, Bldg 4, 3rd flr, room 4316. On my way to the room, I passed Surfboard Bay (the main pool), which was crowded, surrounded by Surf’s up bldg (preferred bldg). I actually got lost finding my bldg. I went into Hoops Hotel until I realized it. My bldg. was Center Court. It didn’t register in my brain that the motif was tennis not basketball. At last, I found the room. It was near the elevators and stairs, very convenient. Although, I only used the stairs twice during my stay. Who wants to trudge up the stairs after a whole day walking in the parks? The room was nice and clean. It had 2 double beds, a table, 2 chairs, tv, a dresser drawer, iron, and board. The shower had a soap/shampoo dispenser, and there’s a single sink outside. I freshened up a bit and was out of the room in search of lunch.
My room at Sports:
I’m used to walking, so I didn’t find the distance to the main hall to be all that bad. I checked out the food court, nothing appealed to me, so I decided to just eat in EPCOT. The approximate wait times for the bus during my stay was between 10-15 min. All the park buses make stops at all 3 All-Star Resorts, except for MK buses. By the time we left Movies, it was mostly standing room only.
Continued on next post... |
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08-05-2005, 04:37 PM
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#2
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Facebook Addict
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Philadelphia
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 39,682
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
Good start to your trip, can't wait to read more.
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08-05-2005, 04:57 PM
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#3
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Community Rank: Wayfarer
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: New York City
Posts: 127
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
Continued:
EPCOT:
In EPCOT, the bag check is right in front of the ticket turnstiles, making entry into the park a long wait. Guests were also having problems with the finger scans. Once through the turnstiles, I took pictures of Disney’s Fab Five as topiaries in front of SE. I liked the Mickey’s in Pluto’s collar.
I headed towards Mission Space to see the area. I was just totally awestrucked by the exterior of this ride. The stand-by line posted a 20 min wait, so I picked up a fastpass. I didn’t even get to use it because I was just too exhausted to enjoy the ride.
I made my way towards WS in search of lunch. There were flowerbeds in the shape of butterflies by Innovations East. More beautiful topiaries by WS lagoon included a spinning Tinkerbell with a Hidden Mickey on the back of her wings, and our favorite characters from The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast.
 
To be continued... I think I need to resize my pics. |
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08-05-2005, 05:05 PM
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#4
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But why is the rum gone?
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Needville, Texas
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 12,286
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
I can't wait for more.
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08-05-2005, 05:31 PM
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#5
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Community Rank: Trekker 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Near Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,183
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
Maybe long...but definitely not TOO long!!!
Enjoying every bit! Can't wait to read more!
Tina  |
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08-05-2005, 06:01 PM
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#6
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Community Rank: Wayfarer
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: New York City
Posts: 127
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
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08-05-2005, 06:16 PM
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#7
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Community Rank: Wayfarer
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: New York City
Posts: 127
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
Continued...
I made my way to Canada, where I saw the evil-looking Bambi topiary (it’s the eyes). Off Kilter was also playing as I passed by.
Canada:
As I walked into England and passed by Rose & Crown, I suddenly had this urge for fish & chips. I ordered some at Yorkshire County Fish Shop, found a quiet area with benches behind R&C, and enjoyed my lunch taking in the view of WS. At that point, I was still having a hard time believing I was actually in WDW. I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience.
Scenes in UK:
Pooh & Friends:
To be continued... |
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08-05-2005, 06:30 PM
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#8
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Community Rank: Trekker
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Near Seattle, WA
Posts: 1,183
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
Very nice pictures!
Tina
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08-05-2005, 06:32 PM
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#9
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Community Rank: Wayfarer
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: New York City
Posts: 127
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
Thanks Tina!!
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08-05-2005, 09:38 PM
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#10
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Community Rank: Adventurer 
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Gilbert, AZ, USA
Posts: 922
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
Great trip report so far. I love the pictures too! Can't wait to read more as my first solo trip is coming up in September  ! |
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08-05-2005, 09:52 PM
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#11
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Illinois
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 9,564
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
Wonderful pictures and great report!
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08-06-2005, 05:30 AM
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#12
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Community Rank: Jetsetter 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,022
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
Great report. Thanks for sharing all the great pictures.
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08-06-2005, 10:54 AM
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#13
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Community Rank: Traveler 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Arizona
Posts: 261
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
I love your pictures. Great start to your trip report. I can't wait for the next installment.
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08-06-2005, 10:57 AM
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#14
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Community Rank: Traveler
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Frakes, KY
Posts: 470
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
You are doing a great job! The pictures are wonderful. Can't wait to read more.
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08-08-2005, 05:43 AM
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#15
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RED SOX NATION!!
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854
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Re: My 1st Solo Trip to WDW (6/5-6/9): Day 1, VERY LONG.
Great start  You're pictures are fantastic 
More please  |
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