From a Panda to a Mouse and a Marathon along the way - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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From a Panda to a Mouse and a Marathon along the way
Who: Myself 37, Husband (not allowed to call him DH) 39, Son 3, Son 16 months
Adventures planned: San Diego Zoo, Legoland, SeaWorld and finally Disneyland and California Adventure
When: 8/11- 9/9 in total
Why: Disneyland half marathon for me, my first race ever!!
The Plan: To drive from Denver CO to Oceanside CA with a few stops along the way. Stay at our family vacation condo that we have for the month of August. We have been to the SD Zoo a couple times before but it would be our first time to Legoland and to Seaworld. We planned to spread out our adventures over the time we had at the condo so my husband could work and I could train for my race. Our condo is on the beach so we could spend lots of time with the boys in the sea and sand. At the very end of our trip we would drive to DLR and stay 5 nights at the Grand Californian. We have stayed there once before a year ago with younger boys and much less time. This time we will be able to really take it easy and enjoy touring at our toddler and preschooler’s pace.
Such great plans! But I've done that too and travelled with 3 little kids...... so I'm very curious to see how it all panned out!!!
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Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Arriving:
Our drive went well, the boys loved the DVD system in the new car. My 3 year old found a great love for Handy Manny in a matter of a day and we actually stopped to pick up a DVD along the way! We rested for the night in St George UT at the Wingate and we were upgraded to the King Suite and it was amazing. The complimentary breakfast in the morning was perfect, lots to choose from and fresh! Once we arrived in California I got us settled in the condo. It takes a bit to get us organized and stocked up but it is the beach so totally worth it.
San Diego Zoo:
We arrived around 11 am and bought the zoo tickets that include unlimited double-decker bus tours and the Skyfari Aerial Tram. We did do the Skyfari tram at the end of the day to get us back to the front of the park. It is apparently very similar to the old Skyway ride at DL.
We got in line right away for the Giraffe Feeding. On Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 1pm and then 5-6pm you are able to pay $5 for 3 biscuits (you can buy many) and hand feed these sweet gentle animals. We had done this once before so we knew how very cool it was to do and how long the line can be. My 3 year old loves animals but giraffes in particular and he was so excited, he would have done it all day if we had let him. I cannot more highly recommend doing this. They take pictures for you and the giraffes are amazing. It is magical!!
They have opened the new Elephant Odyssey and it was very cool. It has great viewing areas, lots of room and an area for them to “play” with lots of BIG toys. After this we went to get some lunch at Sabertooth Grill attached to the Odyssey. I got the Chicken rice bowl and it was yummy and healthy with lots of veggies. Hubby got the fajita nachos it was a big plate with lots of steak, he liked them quite a bit. We got the boys a kid’s meal that included an animal bucket that we used at the beach for the rest of our trip!
I love the pandas so we did wait in that line. It can be a long line but it moves very quickly. They give you information about the two specific pandas that they have out that day as you walk past and take pics. A must do on our list every time.
We saw many more animals and by late afternoon we had a crashed out 3 year old in the stroller and 1 year old sleeping in the baby carrier. I picked up some t-shirts and a hat and we headed back to the condo for dinner some beach time.
A couple things we noted this time, as it was quite warm that day, is the abundance of shade and the abundance of steep hills . Be prepared if you have kiddos in strollers for sore calf muscles from the uphill pushing.
Yes, those hills. I had no idea there would be so many hills at that zoo!! Provided a bit of a workout. Sounded like you guys had a great day though!
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Let me start by saying my husband loves Legos! He jumped at the chance to take the boys here. I think he was thrilled to hear there was a lot for them to do. I was still worried there would not be enough for my boys with them being young but we found many rides and activities for them. They dug in the sand with buckets and shovels at Dig Those Dinos. We rode the train and saw lots of Lego animals at SafariTrek, my 3 year old is quite the driver! Water works was a nice way to cool off the boys and mommy and daddy too as we chased them around. When my youngest fell asleep in the carrier we did the Coast Cruise, the humor is very tongue in cheek and reminds me of the Jungle Cruise.
We got lunch at Knight’s Table BBQ. We ordered chicken and ribs and fruit and cornbread. Everything was surprisingly good quality and we even enjoyed the "gold sauce" so much that we are looking to buy some online.
MiniLand USA was unbelievable The miniature Lego cities were amazingly detailed. My hubby was in Lego heaven; he spent a good 45 minutes taking pictures and video. The kiddos and I did a snack in the shade so he could take his time.
About the middle of the afternoon my 3 year old started acting a bit off. He was grumpy and super clingy to me. As I carried him I noticed a slight fever on top of the hot day. Even though there were other rides we planned to try we decided to call it a day and get him some medicine and rest. He slept in the car almost immediately. Poor cutie. He was under the weather for a couple days but perked up just fine with rest and extra snuggles.
Can't wait to take the kids to Legoland some time soon. It really sounds pretty cool! I'm glad your little one wasn't too ill. That can be extra scary on vacation!
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
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Waiting to eat with Goofy - DLR May 2010
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Pixie Dust
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Love being Goofy on Space Mountain!! LOL 
and the abundance of steep hills 
. Be prepared if you have kiddos in strollers for sore calf muscles from the uphill pushing.
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