The Third Time’s the Charm! Fourth (Third) Annual Mom and Me Trip--Updated twice on 10/21--now COMPLETE - Page 13 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Mable’s Sweet Tip: Sugar is one of the basic food groups.
I was having one of those days where a lot of little things go wrong. Nothing to really ruin my day, but just enough to be annoying. But I was going to Disney, so nothing really could ruin my day. Unfortunately, the trend continued.
We left for the airport a bit later than I’d expected, after an unexpected treasure hunt. There was nobody waiting ahead of us to check suitcases, and we quickly made it through security, but alas, our flight was delayed because of the weather.
We settled in to wait. I sat at the comfy chairs next to the outlets with my laptop. DM went to the shop to buy a bag (there was a sale advertised, and DM can’t resist a sale). She also came back with something to occupy her while we waited…
After about 30 minutes, I noticed that the battery in my laptop was losing power. It was plugged in so it shouldn’t have been losing juice. I tried the other outlet, but it still wasn’t working. Finally, DM and I got up and went to the empty gate next to us, and the outlets there were working.
I sent a text to Crissy (scdisneyfan) to let her know we were delayed and we’d miss the Illuminations meet. That was one of the things I’d been most looking forward to. At that time, I was hoping we’d make it to Epcot before it closed since it was an EMH night, but we ended up being too late.
After a while, I realized that we needed to get food or we’d be starving by the time we landed. I ended up with a salad that was surprisingly tasty for an airport food court.
DM had polished off the Mike & Ikes, so she got some chili cheese fries. I was surprised that she hadn’t gotten pizza and told her so, and she said she didn’t see the pizza place (which was right next to A&W, where she got the fries).
After a long delay, we finally boarded. I was happy to get the exit row. We had a fun crew for the flight. Once drink service began, DM and I had cocktails (thanks to disneydani, who sent us coupons ). By this point, we felt like we’d earned them!
Our flight wasn’t rough, but we still lost a little more time. Once we’d landed we strolled over to the DME check in and were happy to see no line. We boarded a bus and were underway within a few minutes, which was a nice change for me. Usually I’m one of the first ones on and end up waiting.
We stopped first at Caribbean Beach, and then the BWI. We’d finally made it! Check in was quick and our room was close to the lobby, so we were in our room shortly. I thought it was a lovely room, but it smelled kind of strange. Like the family in the room before us had a beach ball in the room, and that plasticy smell was lingering. Luckily, it went away that night.
I took some photos first thing.
We had a lovely surprise from my TA, Keri (MrsM).
I took better photos of it later in the trip (but before we’d dug into it )
I stepped out on the balcony to check out our view. We were overlooking the courtyard and boardwalk. It was a fantastic location that was close to everything. We could even see when a boat for one of the parks was coming and have time to run down and catch it. The view, of course, was amazing.
We had a few offers in the room. One was a $100 gift card for taking the DVC tour, and the other was a free dining bounceback offer.
Since our flight was supposed to land much earlier in the evening, we didn’t have our luggage, but we were ready to turn in. It just so happened that I’d packed my pajamas in my carryon bag (because my suitcase was too full). DM didn’t have anything. We discussed whether we wanted to wait up for our bags or get them in the morning.
I let Mom decide, since she didn’t have anything. She decided to call and see if our bags were here. While she called, I turned on the tv to help me stay awake. I found an Appliance Direct infomercial.
Unfortunately, they’ve gotten even worse and now Sam is hardly in it at all. What a tragedy. I guess the bags weren’t ready or whatever. I’m not sure what happened because I fell asleep even before the end of the boring part of the AD commercial. Good thing I’d set a wakeup call before I got into bed!
Up Next: Geeking Out at TOT
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
What an awesome view! The room looks beautiful. Looking forward to more.
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ºOº ~*~
Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
You are so good! Look at you getting right on the TR!
Sorry for the flight delays and that you missed the Illuminations meet! Glad you have finally arrived! I the refrub of the BWI rooms. They look awesome and what a great view!
Glad mom was able to occupy herself with some Mike and Ikes and some chili cheese fries!
What a bummer about the PP meet. Mother nature still gets her way sometimes! Smart move on the jammies in the carry-on, even if it wasn't planned that way! And the view from your room is great - can't wait to see it in the morning!
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Tanya
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Great start to your report. Yum, candy and chili cheese fries - my kind of meal! The room looks really nice, I like the monogrammed throw pillows on the bed, that's a very regal-looking touch.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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Will there be a PTR??? And tell Mable I said Congrats on the DVC purchase!!! How cool 
Danny and I at Epcot 8/14/08
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Pixie Dust
). 
By this point, we felt like we’d earned them! 
and were happy to see no line. We boarded a bus and were underway within a few minutes, which was a nice change for me. Usually I’m one of the first ones on and end up waiting.
We’d finally made it! 
ºOº ~*~ 
I like your Mom's style.....Mike and Ike's and then chili fries!! 
the refrub of the BWI rooms. They look awesome and what a great view!
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