Our Fall 2014 Trip Report - Coming to You Barely Live from Orlando - Page 18 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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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.
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Beautiful last day photos. Glad you were able to enjoy (mostly) trip. Perhaps one day we will get to meet. Enjoy a nice fall in Maine. I am sure that you will be able that mother nature will give you a lot of beauty to photograph while there.
The weather was perfect on your last night, and the photos really show it. They are beautiful! Glad that dinner at R&C was just as good the second time around. I had fun reading along, I'm sorry that your trip has come to an end
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I know that I keep repeating myself but your pictures are just so beautiful!I love the balloon pictures from the MK along with the Haunted Mansion!!! I'm so glad that you had such nice weather for your last evening in Epcot! Thank you so much for allowing us to tag along on your trip!
Love all your photos!!!
WAT looks like a lot of fun and a definite must do on one of my future trips.
Your Elsa picture is priceless....!!! It looks like you had a wonderful day at MK.
I enjoyed looking at your Boardwalk pictures because very soon, I'll be arriving there for our trip!!! I can't wait and since I'm and early-to-rise person, those morning pictures made me even more excited for my trip!!
Thanks, Regina - I'm glad we did MK that last day. Only 10 days left for you!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Beautiful photos of your last evening and early morning. I love waking up super-early in Florida. The best air of the day! The photo where the boat's wake messed with the reflection turned out very cool! Glad you got some beautiful weather for your last night. Even with the iffy weather, this seemed like a really good trip and a big step for you on the path to full recovery.
Beautiful last day photos. Glad you were able to enjoy (mostly) trip. Perhaps one day we will get to meet. Enjoy a nice fall in Maine. I am sure that you will be able that mother nature will give you a lot of beauty to photograph while there.
Thanks, Michael. Unfortunately, wind and rain are messing with fall leaves, but we are still enjoying Maine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
You're right about that beautiful evening light - perfect and as for your early morning shots, just breath taking!
Thanks, Cheryl.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfredsbo
Beautiful photos (as always ) around the Boardwalk!
Thanks, Lisa - notice I didn't get up and early on very many mornings this trip. Lazy in my old age.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elbodans
love love love love love your photos. sad your TR is coming to an end.
Thanks for joining in. I've been checking out your blog - so interesting!
The weather was perfect on your last night, and the photos really show it. They are beautiful! Glad that dinner at R&C was just as good the second time around. I had fun reading along, I'm sorry that your trip has come to an end
It had to end, but there are more on the horizon...thanks, Jenn.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pamcarey
Wow, the weather really did look gorgeous on your last night!
thanks, Pam - weather was great that last night.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lindawdw
I know that I keep repeating myself but your pictures are just so beautiful!I love the balloon pictures from the MK along with the Haunted Mansion!!! I'm so glad that you had such nice weather for your last evening in Epcot! Thank you so much for allowing us to tag along on your trip!
Thank you for joining in, Linda.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great last night!
Thanks!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by princetoaprincess
Glad the weather was so nice. Hate you had to leave. But great pictures until the end.
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.
Absolutely fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed every bit! Thank you for sharing
Carnival Elation 2010
Disney World 2011
Carnival Fascination 2011
Carnival Ecstasy 2013
Disney World 3013
Carnival Dream 2014
Carnival Liberty 2015
Disney World 2015
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It’s difficult to succinctly wrap up this trip; the weather was not good, we had a shaky start for the Halloween Party, and it seems we only accomplished 60% of what I’d hope to do. On the other hand, we got to spend a whole week at Walt Disney World, we had nice accommodations, we shared delicious meals, and I was able to do about 50% more than I thought I might just a month before the trip.
Accommodations - I’ve stayed at BLT before on a solo trip, and loved the proximity to the Magic Kingdom. I still value that, but for us, the boat ride from WLV is not a big deal, so even the location of BLT isn’t that big of a draw for future trips. I thought I was okay with the more sterile environment, but once we checked into The Boardwalk - it just felt like we were really in “Disney.” No doubt, the size of the one bedroom unit at BLT was huge - and the second full bathroom would be a boon to a family. I thought Lou might be taken with the size of the unit at BLT, but he much preferred The Boardwalk (and the Wilderness Lodge Villas). This was also our first stay at The Boardwalk since becoming DVC owners there. We made the right decision for us - love the Beach Club, but being able to book the Boardwalk View is our preference.
Crowd Levels - These were predicted to be low for this time period, and they were (except for the crush at MNSSHP). We especially enjoyed a crowd free day at Hollywood Studios.
Dining - Our dinner at Rose & Crown with the surprise Illuminations viewing was spectacular and a nice surprise. Dinner at Monsieur Paul was better than expected, Artist Point and La Hacienda lived up to previous visits, and Flying Fish was really good. Lunch at Brown Derby was also excellent. Tony’s at The Magic Kingdom was just right for lunch on a hot day. Be Our Guest for lunch was our only disappointment. Lou would have liked more sit down breakfasts, as he looks forward to that on vacation - next time.
Food & Wine Festival - We are glad we experienced it, but I don’t think we’ll make a special effort to go back. This may not be the popular view, but the Festival wasn't the best fit for us. Sure, weather and other circumstances may have taken away from our experience. But, I think we are just too happy to spend time enjoying a full, relaxing meal at the restaurants in The World Showcase. We’d rather have lunch inside the atmospheric San Angel Inn, or join the festivities inside the Biergarten. We enjoy dinners too much to trade that time for visiting the kiosks. I love the idea of beer and wine samplers, but just don’t drink much. I do think we would have enjoyed the Festival more when we were younger, and not so keen to use valuable touring time for a sit down meal in a restaurant. This is just our view and I can see why some folks love the Festival.
MNSSHP - Not the best overall experience, so I will have to go again some time in the future. I did get some of my favorite castle and fireworks photos, so it was not a total bust. I was sorry to miss my meet up with Rhinohunter.
Special Tours - Both The Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour, and the Wild Africa Trek exceeded expectations. So glad we did both of these.
In summary, it wasn’t a perfect trip, but it will go down as one of the best ever. I was shaky about my stamina when the trip started, and we were also just coming up on a year from Lou having Open Heart Surgery. Being at Disney gave me the motivation to get out and walk. The first few days were difficult, but I finished the week much stronger than I started, and Lou is in better shape physically than he has been in years. This was a big positive for both of us, and the past year will soon be a distant memory.
Future Travels - I’m always concerned I will overdose Lou on Disney, and he continues to surprise me. As we were driving home, he asked me to check on a Disney Cruise over the holidays. It turns out the kids and grandkids are coming to visit us in Florida. I wasn’t quick enough, so he checked himself and picked out a New Year’s Eve Cruise (!!!???!!!). I explained we wouldn’t be able to get our choice rooms, he’d have to wait in line to get on the ship, and it might be crowded. He’s OK with all of this, so we are now booked on a 4 Night Bahamas Cruise on The Dream. It’s a repeat of last year’s cruise, but the grandkids are ecstatic.
As for Walt Disney World plans, we will be back in February to share a stay at the Grand Floridian with good friends, and are also scheduled to be back at The Boardwalk in April. We’re on for another trip (non-Disney) to Alaska in August, and I’ll be looking to book December at the Wilderness Lodge. This should keep us out of trouble for most of the year.
Thanks for reading our report, and for your generous comments. It’s a privilege to be able to share a trip report with all of you.
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) around the Boardwalk!
It looks like you had a wonderful day at MK. 
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