We Turned Her Into A Disney Lovin', Character Huggin', Thrill Ridin' Girl! COMPLETED 7/11 - Page 18 - 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
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.
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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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Loved Hearing How much your Little Dare Devil enjoyed EE, Poor Wanda and Asher LoL!! And the story about Wanda's hat was so funny!! Poor thing was probally just confused about her hat cause she was so out of sorts after her fright of riding EE!! LoL
I agree with your review of Teppan Edo. We liked it, but it was just like the places we have at home. And we love the places at home so we did enjoy Teppan Edo we just choose to go elsewhere at WDW as we get that same experience at home.
Sorry you have so much trouble with the stroller. I suppose people see the stroller and assume you're trying to break the stroller rule like a lot of people probably do, but in your case it's needed. Must be such a pain for you. Glad Selah enjoyed Illuminations! Cameron didn't like it so I'm a little jealous.
Looks like you had fun at AK too. Minus the meltdown with FOTLK. We missed that show too and I'm sad because I really like it. But the kids dictate what you're able to do and sometimes it's easier to just skip something you would like.
I can't believe your kids liked Dinosaur! And that you went on it twice. I went on it in 2009 and never again. I was terrified. I don't know why, but I was. I guess I just think of it as something that would scare kids. EE on the other hand I LOVE. I'll probably be nervous the first time Cameron asks to go on it as it is a little intense, but I love it so.
I hope your dinner at Boma is delish. It's on my list of places to try. Maybe I'll make it there next trip.
We will most likely go back to Teppan Edo at some point in the future but probably not before we try other places.
I know people just didn't see our wheelchair tag on the stroller and they just want to make sure people aren't doing something wrong. I guess I just needed to do a better job of making that tag visible. We shouldn't have that problem next time because she will be in a special needs stroller since she will be too big for a regular one. If they are confused by that...
I was sad to miss FOTLK but I have seen it so many times. It was ok. We will plan better next time.
My kids love Dinosaur! I think it may have changed a little though since the last time I rode it because I remember the part where they take your picture it seems like the dinosaur used to be closer. I know I was always covering my head in every ride picture and this time it was far away. Either they changed that part a little or I was a much bigger chicken last time. I love EE too but with Selah sitting next to me it just made me nervous but she was loving it for sure.
Dinner at Boma coming right up.
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Originally Posted by KMB733
All caught up!! Looks like you had a great evening at Epcot and a great day at AK!! Selah really is a ride junkie!!
We did! And Yes she is a ride junkie!
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Originally Posted by shnewell
Yikes -- I was not on the computer much over the weekend and missed 2 updates!
I love that Selah loved Illuminations! That is my favorite nighttime show at WDW! It makes me feel exactly the way Selah looked -- mesmerized and peaceful!
And it's great that she has made the association that getting buckled in means something awesome is about to happen!
Your day at AK sounds like a whirlwind! Your description of the family riding EE was so well written -- it definitely kept me chuckling! Sorry Asher was scarred by the experience , but I love that Selah loved it! It's one of David's and my favorite rides!
I will never forget her reaction to Illuminations much like I won't forget her reaction when she first saw Mickey and Minnie. It was just incredible!
Selah really did learn so much during our week at WDW. The things she learned do not seem like they would be major but to us they really are. We saw really how much she understands.
It does seem like a whirlwind of a day but we really did a whole let less than we would normally do at that park. We were really going at a slow pace that day. We spent most of the day in DinoLand. Only a little bit of time other places. Camp Minnie Mickey for FOTLK and Character trails. Africa for the Safari and Asia for EE. So really not as much as it seems. We just rode Dinosaur and PW two times each.
Thanks for the compliment on the writing of our EE ride. It was exactly how I felt during the ride. Looking back on it now it is really funny. I really enjoyed writing about it. I don't think Asher was scarred by it. He says he is glad he went on it because now he knows to "Never. Do. That. Again." Since we have come home he says that one day he will do it again he just doesn't know when.
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Originally Posted by lazanya
Great updates!
Thanks!
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Originally Posted by LouigiAnne
Loved Hearing How much your Little Dare Devil enjoyed EE, Poor Wanda and Asher LoL!! And the story about Wanda's hat was so funny!! Poor thing was probally just confused about her hat cause she was so out of sorts after her fright of riding EE!! LoL
Confused after the ride! If she would have thought of that she would have used that excuse!
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Day 4 Animal Kingdom Lodge. What Do We Think Of Boma and What Do We Do With The Rest Of Our Evening 2/1
After we get loaded back in the car we have almost 2 hours before it is time for us to be at Boma so Jamie says he wants to take Wanda by the place we used to live. We lived in Orlando for 9 months in 2007. We lived off of 192 in Windsor Hills so we were only a few minutes from AK. If you took a back road into WDW you came to AK first and when you get on the road from where we lived you could see the Tree Of Life so we were that close. Anyway, while we lived down there Wanda never had a chance to come see us. Jamie said we had time and he just wanted to ride over there real quick. I was really not interested in leaving the Disney bubble but we were so close that I said ok. We get there in a few minutes and pull up to the gate. It is a 24 hour guard gated resort. We told the guard what we were wanting to do. We just wanted to drive in and back out. We were not going to be there but a few minutes. He told us that we could not do that. In the 4 years we have been gone they changed the policy and they no longer let people tour the property without a realtor. Bummer. Even bigger bummer that we left the Disney bubble for nothing. So we turned around and headed to AKL. We have never been to this resort so we had no idea where we were going. We pulled up to the gate and told them we had ADR's at Boma and the CM waved us on through, then we asked where to go. He smiled and told us where to go. We were able to park right up front. We walked in and saw a store to the right, I think. Then saw the elevators. We had no idea where to go once we were in but we figured there would be signs at the elevator. Sure enough there was and we found where we wanted to go. First stop was the savanna for animal viewing. On the way there we saw Boma. Everything looked and smelled wonderful. We were very excited about this. We head out to see the animals hoping to see some giraffes. Some zebra would be nice too. Here is what we saw.
Giraffe!!
Asher was very happy to see giraffes twice in one day and this time he was pretty close to them. Asher was sitting on a rock with his face pressed against the fence. I don't know why I did not think to take a picture of him. I was too busy taking pictures of the animals.
After a while Selah started getting tired of just sitting in one place. So we went in to see if we could be seated early. We were all getting hungry and were ready to try some yummy food. When Jamie and I were looking at places to try he saw pictures of the food here and wanted to try both breakfast and dinner so this was our dinner and we had an ADR for Friday for breakfast here. We got checked in and only waited about a minute before our buzzer went off and we were seated. We had a table in the back by a window and were pretty much by ourselves back there which was perfect because if Selah got loud she would not disturb everyone. Our waiter came over and asked if we had been there before and when we told him no he told us about the buffet. When he was finished he took our drink orders and then Jamie, Asher and Wanda headed to the buffet to fill their plates. Jamie came back first with his and Selah's plates. Then I went up to check it out. While I was at the buffet I could hear Selah. I don't know why this was but on this trip Selah decided she did not want me out of her sight. It was strange because she has never been clingy. Has never had separation issues. Nothing like that. Most of the time she doesn't even noticed when I leave and if she does she is not bothered by it. Well, at Disney it was a completely different story. She wanted me with her at all times. She was not upset crying but she was loud and pointing in my direction like, "mom is over there! Get her back!" So I quickly looked at everything on the buffet and decided to start with a salad and some fruit. When I got back to the table I saw that Jamie also had salad and fruit to start with. Asher had some chicken, I think and some macaroni(?) maybe. I can't really remember for sure. I just know that it was kid food from the kid buffet. Selah also had kid food but this was another time when she decided she was not eating. I am so thankful that we had free dining because it would have been a waste of money to pay for dining for Selah and Wanda. Wanda because she just can't eat much since her surgery. Sometimes she can't eat at all. Ever since her surgery 8 years ago she has battled nausea, can only eat very small amounts and somethings she can not eat at all. Anyway, I was happy we did not pay for the dining plan. I can't remember anything that Wanda got but this ended up being one of those times that she could not eat. She tried and I do remember her having some sort of dessert but that is all. She then said she needed to go lay down in the car and rest. She was not feeling well at all. She assured us she would be fine and she just need to lay down. So she went to the car. We continued eating. Jamie went back up for some meats and other assorted things. I went up for a few more things. Then it was time for dessert. I had seen somethings I wanted to try. Jamie brought back a sampling of things for us to try but while I'm sitting there I am starting to feel bad. I had not eat very much so it wasn't that I was full. I took a few bites of dessert and said I was finished. Jamie only had a couple of bites too. It was time to head back to the resort. On our way out we walked through the store. When we got out to the car Wanda was feeling better and was hungry. Luckily she always has snack food with her. She really just has to snack all day long versus eating meals. We head back to the resort and Asher is wanting to go swimming. It was a little cooler than I like for swimming but we told him we would go see how warm the water was. We got back to our room and got our swim suits on. In our room we found that Mousekeeping did get their tip that morning and they left us a surprise.
All of the kids plush toys were anxiously awaiting our return. Selah is checking them out and taking one of her Minnie's.
You can see in this picture that Mickey has his hand on Asher's new Sabertooths back. I guess the sabertooth was getting a little restless waiting on us.
I was still not feeling great. We all headed out to the pool. Asher wanted to go to the main pool but later in the trip we realized it didn't make any sense to go all the way to the main pool since the slide was closed. We had a quiet pool right by our building we could have gone to. Oh well. I wasn't feeling great so I wasn't think straight. We get to the pool and there are quite a few people in it. The hot tub is very full so we didn't even attempt that. Selah was really excited when she saw the pool. She knew she was going to go swimming because she had her swim suit on. She kept showing me that just in case I forgot. She would touch me and then touch her swim suit, then smile real big. We tested out the water and it was nice and warm. In we go. Asher and Selah both had a great time in the pool. Wanda sat by the pool and read. She wanted in the hot tub but there was too many people in it as it was. Eventually she headed over to the Riverside Mill to get a snack and fill her mug with some hot chocolate. Then she went back to the room. Jamie, Asher, Selah and I stayed out at the pool for almost an hour but I was feeling worse by the minute. I finally had to call it a night. We all went back to the room together to get ready for bed. We had a very early morning the next day with a 7:20 ADR at Chef Mickey's. That was the only time I could get. When we got back to the room I quickly changed and got straight in the bed. I was feeling really bad. I was concerned I was not going to be making that ADR the next day and would miss out on our last park day too. We were going to MK the next day. Jamie got the kids ready for bed and they were quickly asleep. Then Jamie got himself ready for bed. I was still not asleep because all I could do was concentrate on not vomiting. When Jamie got in bed he said that he had steadily been feeling bad all night long too. Hmmm… Did we have a stomach virus? Nope, food poisoning. That is what we determined. Jamie and I ate the same thing at dinner. We were the only ones to eat it and we were sick before leaving the restaurant. If it was a stomach virus (which I was very thankful that it wasn't) Selah gets it. She is very quick to get a stomach virus when she is around someone with it. Then if she gets it and is vomiting we have to go to the hospital so that she can receive her meds by IV. I did not want to have a hospital stay while we were in WDW. The last time she had to stay in the hospital for a stomach virus she was there for 5 days. Food poisoning wasn't great but it was the lesser of two evils. Jamie and I were both up half the night. I was finally able to get it out of my system and then I was on the road to recovery but Jamie was not.
I know this was not a fun installment. Sorry.
Up Next: Do We Make Our 7:20 ADR at Chef Mickey's? Do We Go To MK?
Not a good way to end your night at all, I'm sorry you and Jamie both got sick What was it that you both ate? Glad the kids didn't have it too! Hope you are both feeling better in the morning so that you can enjoy the day at MK!
Oh no--so sorry---I got the rotovirus the last 3 days of one of our WDW and I tried to go to DHS but instead visited the hall of bathrooms--you know I'm sick if I want to go back to the room at WDW
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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.
WOW, I missed 3 days, took forever to catch up. So enjoying your TR. Loving all the pictures. Glad you are having a great time, except for getting sick.
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It's awful being sick on vacation!! I got sick from something I ate at Crystal Palace one year. I think I visited very bathroom at MK. In one of them, I met someone else who ate at Crystal Palace the same time we did and she and I had side by side, sick stalls. I'm sorry you didn't have such a great night. Hope it gets better?
Thanks for joining in! I have recently read some of you older TR's and reading about some of the difficulties you had in your first trip. I am glad that you didn't write off Disney as a no go for your family after that first trip. It is such a wonderful place for our families but the first trip being difficult could make some families not want to deal with it again.
I hope you love POR as much as we did! I don't think you will feel squished at all.
I hope Hannah does great on your trip in August and I will be looking forward to reading your TR!
!
I have so many thing I want to comment on but you write so much in your posts that it is hard for me to remember it all!
Thanks for letting me know you have read my older TR. It was very therapeutic for me
About the tipping and stuffed animals...We did not know about tipping for the first trip and never saw anything interesting in our room. We knew all about tipping the second time and made our special envelopes and hope for towel animals. Many days, the mousekeeer did not take the envelopes. We always had the animals arranged, but nothing particularly special or memorable. I do not think we got a towel-animal-talent fairy....