Disneyland x 8 The Story of our Spring Break - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Cast of Characters:
Me—Chief planner & Disney Nerd
Zoie (13)---Another Disney Nerd
Hallie (11)---Vacation Princess, really prefers to stay in luxury hotels
Jack (8)---Mr. Enthusiasm and lover of sugar and popcorn
Kathy---My friend and the only other adult on this trip! Second trip to Disneyland.
Anna (11)—daughter of Kathy, best friend of Hallie, First trip!
Mitch (6)---son of Kathy, First trip!
Emily (6)---daughter of Kathy and another first timer!
Rather than do a play by play of this trip, I’m just going to share my general impressions of each day(you lucky people:biggrin.
Our trip was born last summer one day when Kathy and I had taken the kids to the local public pool for a swim. While they were cooling off, we just started talking, and well that’s all it takes for me…I had a full-blown trip planned shortly thereafter.
First Up—Accommodations. We discussed all the various options and decided on two rooms (adjoining) at the Disneyland Hotel, it being their first trip and all…We’d use Zoie’s AP to snag a good rate.
Next---Transportation. Flying was pretty much out of the question due to the cost of the accommodations and size of our group. $200 x 8= Kathy and I both drive cars that seat 7 people, so we’d either need to drive separately or rent a larger car. We eventually decided to rent, as it’d make the trip more enjoyable for both of us. Gigantic SUV reserved.
On to Tickets---DL had the everyone plays for the kids’ price promotion going on, so we each ordered 5 day park-hoppers online before the trip.
Food---We decided to do a quick breakfast in the room most days, so I shopped for cereal cups, Pop Tarts, and muffins. We made a pit stop at 7-11 before check in for milk. I made one PS each day.
Now on with the trip…
Our drive down was smooth. With six kids in the car, I could hardly believe we only stopped twice during our eight hour drive! Once at Schatt’s Bakkery in Bishop, California (for bread ) and a second potty stop at a Burger King in the desert. We arrived to a huge fire burning homes and 90 degree temperatures. Check in went smoothly, we were assigned adjoining rooms in the Sierra Tower and we could even see Grizzly River Run and the Sun Wheel from our balcony.
For the most part, we enjoyed our stay here. Our rooms were humongous and very quiet. It seemed we were the only people staying here (although I’d heard it was sold out). We never once encountered anyone else walking to or from rooms…Very odd. I probably won’t fork over the dough to stay here again. It was a farther walk (too far with tired kids) than some of our cheapo favorites on Harbor Boulevard and while it was nice, it just wasn’t worth the cost imho. The pool area was gorgeous, but it was often closed (even though it was so hot). They were having some sort of trouble with the chlorine levels. I liked the décor of the rooms and hotel in general. It felt very Disney. I really don’t have any specific complaints, I just much prefer the Grand Californian for both location and theming.
Our first PS was at Goofy’s Kitchen for our arrival night. Everyone enjoyed themselves and the boys had some fantastic interaction with Pluto in the lobby while we waited. I was a little disappointed compared to past trips. The food was good, but the only characters that came to the table were Chip and Dale, and Goofy came out and created a ruckus by dropping dishes on the floor and creating an impromptu band with the kids, but wasn’t available for pictures or autographs. I think the attention has gone to his head. Did I mention the service? Oh, I forgot, because it was, well, interesting. Our server was clearly having some issues, but was pleasant enough.
After dinner we hit the pool (super crowded) and then the fireworks—which were spectacular as always. Sigh. We did enjoy the monorail to get us a little closer to the hotel. It was fairly convenient, and we got a great view of the new submarine ride as well. The six year olds “loved everything at Disneyland except the walking.” That’s a direct quote. :giggle:
Up next…Our first full day…will the little ones like the rides?
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About This Page: 
Disneyland x 8 The Story of our Spring Break
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Kathy and I both drive cars that seat 7 people, so we’d either need to drive separately or rent a larger car. We eventually decided to rent, as it’d make the trip more enjoyable for both of us. Gigantic SUV reserved.
) and a second potty stop at a Burger King in the desert. We arrived to a huge fire burning homes and 90 degree temperatures. Check in went smoothly, we were assigned adjoining rooms in the Sierra Tower and we could even see Grizzly River Run and the Sun Wheel from our balcony.
Did I mention the service? Oh, I forgot, because it was, well, interesting. Our server was clearly having some issues, but was pleasant enough.
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Pixie Dust
Sorry that you had a weird CM at dinner. Can't wait to read the rest of your TR! 
PassPorter Guide Author
That was the best quote ever!
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