Forever Young: A Disneyland Trip 50 Years in the Making COMPLETED 1/16/16 - Page 64 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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With GC being the only DVC option at DLR it does fill up quickly. Luke tried for four days before being able to get us a room for our entire stay. It also as fewer villas available than most Disney World DVC resorts.
We have been trying for a month to get even one day there in a studio. We stayed in June in the regular rooms, but on DVC points. Which was bad as it is over 100 feet smaller, and almost twice the DVC points as the villas. We will be there in two weeks and so far.....nothing. So it looks like Embassy Suites it is. Which is a shame as I shamelessly love the GC.
I will keep calling each day as I would really love at least two days there if we can get them.
Oh, and I think they told me there are 23 studios. But all 23 can be booked as the two bedrooms, as there are 23 one bedrooms, which are all common door to the studios. So if 13 are booked as two bedrooms, then you are looking at only 10 possible studios being open.
I always tell them that they should develop the parking lot behind the GC where they park the cars for guests at the GC. Make it parking below and put in two to 4 levels of DVC rooms. Put a bridge in to link into the GC so they can get more DVC members in to CA trips.
We have been trying for a month to get even one day there in a studio. We stayed in June in the regular rooms, but on DVC points. Which was bad as it is over 100 feet smaller, and almost twice the DVC points as the villas. We will be there in two weeks and so far.....nothing. So it looks like Embassy Suites it is. Which is a shame as I shamelessly love the GC.
I will keep calling each day as I would really love at least two days there if we can get them.
Oh, and I think they told me there are 23 studios. But all 23 can be booked as the two bedrooms, as there are 23 one bedrooms, which are all common door to the studios. So if 13 are booked as two bedrooms, then you are looking at only 10 possible studios being open.
I always tell them that they should develop the parking lot behind the GC where they park the cars for guests at the GC. Make it parking below and put in two to 4 levels of DVC rooms. Put a bridge in to link into the GC so they can get more DVC members in to CA trips.
for getting at least a couple of nights at GC. I love your suggestions. Luke knew the situation going in, but I was totally flabbergasted by how little space as far as various villas there were at GC. And it so beautiful!
Thank for this trip report. We took our girls to DL for the first time last June, and are headed back on Friday night (in three days!). So your trip report has helped me tide over my excitement until we are there! And yes, I did pull up YouTube and the Paint The Night parade in HD to have playing while I read your report.
We decided to go too late and could not get any rooms at the GC so we have to 'slum' it at an Embassy Suites. lol Well, we could buy three nights at $3,300, or they did have the first 5 night open in the one bedroom El Capitan Suite. Which was only going to be $34,860.15. Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh nope nope nope nope. That's like another 250 DVC points for 50 years.
We are very blessed to get to go as often as we do, but dang! Some people are in a different planet than we are income wise. Fun note, we were at the BBQ that is closed now last June and was standing near Adam Sandler and his family and a few friends. Seemed relaxed and just a good close family. It was nice to see.
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Thank for this trip report. We took our girls to DL for the first time last June, and are headed back on Friday night (in three days!). So your trip report has helped me tide over my excitement until we are there! And yes, I did pull up YouTube and the Paint The Night parade in HD to have playing while I read your report.
We decided to go too late and could not get any rooms at the GC so we have to 'slum' it at an Embassy Suites. lol Well, we could buy three nights at $3,300, or they did have the first 5 night open in the one bedroom El Capitan Suite. Which was only going to be $34,860.15. Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh nope nope nope nope. That's like another 250 DVC points for 50 years.
We are very blessed to get to go as often as we do, but dang! Some people are in a different planet than we are income wise. Fun note, we were at the BBQ that is closed now last June and was standing near Adam Sandler and his family and a few friends. Seemed relaxed and just a good close family. It was nice to see.
Thanks for reading! So cool that you all are leaving Friday to go back to DL! I can't wait until we can get back.
Oddly enough, we have a nephew who has never liked ice cream or pizza. Rather amazing. Now as an adult he will eat pizza, but still doesn't really care for ice cream.
I've never seen Lightning or Mater moving at WDW, but we saw both them driving down the road along with Red. They move into the meet and greet area, which is so cool. We had no idea before we saw them moving that they did this.
We did have a great time!
One great piece of advice we were given was to go to DL the first day, but leave and hit up Carsland at night for our first visit to Carsland. Which was great, because as great as it is during the day, it is simply jaw dropping to see it for the first time at night. I love WDW and consider it my first choice for vacations, but Carsland at night has given me a love for DL and CA that means we will be visiting more often. Luckily (not so luckily for our pocketbook) we bought Premier passes for last June, so we had a June trip there, a November trip to WDW and now are going to fit one more trip back in to DL before the passes expire.
Then sadly, will have 'stay-cations' for a while until we build up more DVC points as we have already borrowed too many against our 2016 year (October).
I've really enjoyed your trip report of Disneyland! Thank you for providing so much great detail and description.... I was taking notes, as we will be visiting Disney Land for the first time June 2017/In just under a year.... We are also from the south east, having visited WDW several times, but never Disney Land.
While I am really looking forward to our trip- your description of the heat has scared me a little, but now at least I will be prepared for it.... I associate California with year round temps in the 80's- obviously I'm mistaken.
Sounds like you had a great trip and I really enjoyed reading about it!
I've really enjoyed your trip report of Disneyland! Thank you for providing so much great detail and description.... I was taking notes, as we will be visiting Disney Land for the first time June 2017/In just under a year.... We are also from the south east, having visited WDW several times, but never Disney Land.
While I am really looking forward to our trip- your description of the heat has scared me a little, but now at least I will be prepared for it.... I associate California with year round temps in the 80's- obviously I'm mistaken.
Sounds like you had a great trip and I really enjoyed reading about it!
Glad you enjoyed the trip report and found it helpful. As to the heat, we were told by several Californians that the hot spell we experienced was rather a fluke as usually it's Santa Ana winds that create that heat. But this one just seemed to come out of nowhere. Normal highs in October were listed as mid 70s to mid 80s. Hopefully, it will be more pleasant weather-wise when you all visit.
I've really enjoyed your trip report of Disneyland! Thank you for providing so much great detail and description.... I was taking notes, as we will be visiting Disney Land for the first time June 2017/In just under a year.... We are also from the south east, having visited WDW several times, but never Disney Land.
While I am really looking forward to our trip- your description of the heat has scared me a little, but now at least I will be prepared for it.... I associate California with year round temps in the 80's- obviously I'm mistaken.
Sounds like you had a great trip and I really enjoyed reading about it!
No big road trip for you and your family this summer as I enjoy your Road Trip TRs?
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Nope. We had to take a year off due to a combination of finances and conflict schedule as my oldest started college this year.
But we have full plans to resume next summer.
Sounds good and look forward to this TR as I always enjoy the videos!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
I've really enjoyed your trip report of Disneyland! Thank you for providing so much great detail and description.... I was taking notes, as we will be visiting Disney Land for the first time June 2017/In just under a year.... We are also from the south east, having visited WDW several times, but never Disney Land.
While I am really looking forward to our trip- your description of the heat has scared me a little, but now at least I will be prepared for it.... I associate California with year round temps in the 80's- obviously I'm mistaken.
Sounds like you had a great trip and I really enjoyed reading about it!
What Cam said is 100% true...that heat wave came out of nowhere and was not even remotely close to our normal temps at that time of year (should've been 80s during the days, 60s at night).
Also bear in mind for your June trip...in a "normal" year, you will have cool and cloudy mornings with a marine layer over you that burns off by midday and temps in the 80s. This year, we had one of the hottest Junes ever with hardly any marine layer and temps in the 90s up to 100s. Again, that was nowhere near the norm!
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Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Going in 29 days, This will be my first trip to Disneyland as well, I love reading this!
Thanks so much for reading! I hope you all have the best first time trip to Disneyland. You'll love park hopping since the two parks are so close to one another.
Thank you, Cam and Luke, for sharing your trip. I came back to your report, as we have scheduled a January trip to Disneyland, and I need some ideas! We have 5 nights at the Grand Californian, and can’t wait.
Thank you, Cam and Luke, for sharing your trip. I came back to your report, as we have scheduled a January trip to Disneyland, and I need some ideas! We have 5 nights at the Grand Californian, and can’t wait.
I was surprised to see this one come up as it was 3 years ago. Luke and I will be returning to Disneyland in May of 2019, and I can't wait. We'll be at the Grand Californian again.
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Now as an adult he will eat pizza, but still doesn't really care for ice cream.
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Glad you enjoyed the trip report and found it helpful. As to the heat, we were told by several Californians that the hot spell we experienced was rather a fluke as usually it's Santa Ana winds that create that heat. But this one just seemed to come out of nowhere. Normal highs in October were listed as mid 70s to mid 80s. Hopefully, it will be more pleasant weather-wise when you all visit. 
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