A seed was planted and here’s what grew....Magical Memories - Page 31 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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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
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Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
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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.
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So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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These really aren’t in any particular order. It started to have an order but as I thought of things, I wanted to type it up before I forgot what it was I wanted to say. So here we go to my final thoughts on:
Disney’s Photopass
I still like the Photopass, and with the preorder, I think it’s a good deal. However, there were some disappointments this year with it. The first one being that the photographers didn’t seem to take many close ups this year. Most were taken from a slightly further distance away and even the photographers with the tripods never told us to stand closer (and with other people waiting, I didn’t want to sound too pushy by asking for more). Another thing I was disappointed with where the borders. I had more choices in 2009 than I did for this vacation. I did end up getting a lot of photos on my disc though. We had 174 original ones that I turned into 602. But that was in part due to my indecision on what size I wanted the photos to be. Ones I really liked, I saved as 4x6, 5x7 and 8x10 in case I ever print the photos.
Would I do Photopass in the future? Since it’s going to be a few years before we go back and if it’s still offered, yes I would. I do enjoy comparing the photos from year to year to see how we (and Disney) have changed. And I would also take the bull by the horns and ask for more "unconventional" shots like I did when I asked for Tomorrowland to be the back drop instead of the castle.
Our vacation length:
All in all, our vacation was almost 2 weeks long. We spent 4 ½ days traveling and 8 ½ days in Disney. This works for us because we look at the travel time as part of our vacation and as time spent together. As for the time in the parks, for us we couldn’t do any more time than that. This vacation it almost seemed like too much time. Next time, we’d go for at least the same amount of time but we wouldn’t go for any longer. As it was, by our last day, we were getting tired and (dare I say it) bored! I’m pretty sure part of the reason for that was many of the rides we would have hit a last time or two or ten were closed down (and had been for a couple of days) and that did remove some of the enjoyment for all of us.
The water parks:
We’re not water park people. Even though Abby says she wanted to go to them, there were several occasions during our trip that I asked her if she wanted to leave the theme park and go to a water park. Only twice did she say yes, the rest of the time she said no. There was even one morning when we could have gone to a water park that she wanted to stay at the hotel for the pool. Would I go again? I don’t really know. About the only thing I really enjoy is the lazy river and while I could stay there for a good long while, it gets boring for Abby and Lenny because they like to splash and swim. So until a vacation is actually being planned, I have no idea where the water parks would fit into the plans, if at all.
These really aren’t in any particular order. It started to have an order but as I thought of things, I wanted to type it up before I forgot what it was I wanted to say. So here we go to my final thoughts on:
Characters in Flight:
I’m glad we did it as it was fun to see Disney from up in the air but I wouldn’t repeat the experience. It was just too expensive IMO. And with it closing down so much due to weather, it cost a lot in time too since we don’t usually go to DTD for anything. Had I thought about it at the time, I would have bought the pins they offered for Abby (she’s now getting into the pins) to "commemorate" our flight but as usual, I’m a day late and a dollar short. They also had certificates you could buy for it too but I don’t know that I would have gotten that. Pieces of paper get lost but at least the pins are being put on a lanyard that hangs in "Abby’s" office.
Things we did or did not bring with us:
We brought tons of snacks. I don’t know why. It’s not like we’re going to the middle of nowhere. Everyplace we go there’s either restaurants or convenience stores or Walmarts and even supermarkets. And once we get on Disney property, there’s tons of places we could go to. Most of the snacks we take end up coming home with us. Pretty much the only food that is consistently eaten on vacation are the cheese and crackers I buy for Lenny to snack on while we drive. Plus when you throw in the fact we get the dining plan, we don’t go hungry on vacation. We make full use of the meal portion of our dining plan and actually have to find ways to use the snack credits. So snacks are definitely something that can come off the packing list.
Before our trip, we bought a few really large insulated mugs at Walgreens and they’re really well insulated. Between that and the room towels we wrap around the outside and over the lids, it keeps the ice we put in before we leave the hotel from melting too quickly. We also freeze a couple of bottles of water that we bring with us and we put them in insulated holders as well. So between the cups and the big "icicles" we take into the park with us, we didn’t need to buy any waters at all last year. And since the water we take into the parks stays ice cold almost all day long, we don’t need the Kool aid to mask the taste of water. And that means the Kool Aid singles I’ve been bringing can come off my list.
Another thing we’ve been bringing that hasn’t seen much use has been the Disney backpack we put on the scooter. For the past 4 trips, it’s been attached to the seat of Lenny’s scooter and I can probably count on one hand how many times we’ve needed something that was in there. I hate to not take it at all as we do keep some useful things in there such as extra t-shirts for those of us who are prone to spilling things and extra pairs of socks for me which came in extremely handy when my shoes and socks got soaked from a downpour in 2009. We don’t necessarily need to keep it on the scooter though as it is an extra thing that keeps us in the security line longer. So this might be something that will still come with us but possibly be kept in the truck while we’re in the parks (with the exception of the MK).
Something we haven’t taken but should is something like Pepto Bismol. Last year it was definitely needed for Lenny as he had some stomach problems. We don’t know if it came from something he ate or drank, if it was from the stress of driving, or something else. Lenny and I are pretty certain it happened it 2009 too. If it’s not in my TR for that trip, I probably left it out thinking it would have been TMI to include. So our philosophy for the next time is if we actually bring it, then hopefully it won’t be needed at all. If it is needed, then well we’ve prevented over paying for it at the gift shop.
Another thing I’d like to take with us just in case is my heated electric throw blanket. For some reason on this trip, after we’d gotten back to the room for the night, my feet would get really, really cold. Luckily we had a heating pad and extension cord with us which helped but I was wishing for something bigger than a heating pad. Will I need it in the future? Who knows but after this last trip I don’t want to leave it home.
Something we did bring that was a last minute idea from Lenny was our glue gun and glue sticks. He asked me to pack it "just in case." At first I didn’t want to but then I figured why not, it’s small enough. It was the weirdest thing though - Lenny asking to bring it - because he ended up needing it not once but twice on vacation. Once was for our camcorder battery charger that stopped working. With the glue gun and a few tools from his tool box (including things like his volt meter), he had it working again in no time. I forget what else he used it on though. So that is something that will be packed again.
We also brought not one, not two, but three, yes 3, fans with us on vacation. Excessive? Yes and no. Yes compared to the people who wouldn’t even take one with them. No for our family. The first fan is one that can run off an AC adapter in the house or off the battery in the truck. It was nice to have in Florida because where we put it (hanging securely between the front two seats but pointing at Abby) it helped to push the cold air back to Aby so she could cool down as well. The second and third fans were used the rest of the time. For the hotel going down (we actually used only one here), it was great for the white noise - we all sleep better with it, but Lenny and Abby especially. Both of the fans were used on the train because sometimes it gets hot and the fans help move whatever air there is. And it also doubles as white noise. The once at Disney, one fan gets put on the nightstand in Abby’s room and the second gets put on Lenny’s nightstand. He gets it becasue he’s the one who gets hotter quicker and needs it blowing on him. I don’t always care for it blowing directly on me (that would be 90% of the time I’d say) so I’m more than happy to let him enjoy it. I can still hear it so that’s all that matters.
My boys like to sleep with a fan also (so do I actually, but I seldom do). We would appreciate bringing a few fans, but with 5 kids there really isn't much room left in the van for luggage, let alone fan's.
I've also contemplated Flights of Wonder. I would like to go up in a hot air ballon but the price is more than I would like to pay, so I'll just have to play it by ear next trip....
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I had to laugh at the glue gun because I would have never thought of bringing one but obviously Lenny was pretty smart as he used it twice.
It was great to read all of your closing remarks and hope that you will be able to visit WDW again very soon so we can follow along with you, Lenny and Abby.
My ceiling fan is the thing I miss the most when we stay at hotels that don't have one - I need that white noise! If we drove, I'd probably bring a fan too!
__________________
Stacey
Why do these kids look so pathetic?
Find out in: A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise!Final Thoughts 01/30
Thanks so much everyone for sticking with my TR. I'm sorry it dragged on so long - especially my final thoughts. I had hoped that Abby and Lenny would give me their opinions to put in this year but with Abby, everything was either awesome, really fun, really great, etc and Lenny just agreed with everything I typed. And too, with it dragging on so long, I've acutally forgotten where I was going with my final thoughts. Our trip just had so much magic happening that I guess I'll just end the report that way - it was a totally magic filled vacation and we loved it. Will there be another trip in our furture - absolutely. And who knows, maybe the magic from last vacation will continue to show it's presence.
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