Cam's Golden Birthday Adventure **Updated 8/23** COMPLETE - Page 4 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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There are other changes as well.
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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.
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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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As I mentioned earlier, we are DVC members with our first home at Saratoga Springs. So when we decided that this trip would be in celebration of my 50th birthday, Luke asked me where I wanted to stay. My first choice might have been Animal Kingdom as I fell in love with this resort and the giraffes when we stayed there on a super deal in June of 2003. But last July when we were discussing where to stay in ‘08, we didn’t think we’d be able to purchase my present (additional points at Animal Kingdom Villas) until after we got back from this year’s vacation, so no chance for an 11-month reservation. I also knew that the villas there were already booked up very far into the future and we’d probably be waitlisted at the 7-month mark. So what was my choice? Some back story is necessary here. When we purchased our initial points back in 2004, SSR was booked way into the future, but our agent Celeste asked Luke for our top three choices and he gave our first choice as Wilderness Lodge. Back in 1997, we made our first trip to WDW as a family. Luke surprised me that July by saying he wanted to go to Disney World the first week of August. I went into panic planning mode over the next three weeks, but couldn’t scrounge up a reservation at a single Disney-owned resort. So off-property at Days Inn it was. The hotel was fair, but it shared transportation to WDW with at least five other hotels. We spent a many hours on buses as the budget didn’t allow for a car rental. We also used the Disney bus transportation and at one point our bus stopped at WL to pick up passengers. Luke saw me staring wistfully at the resort and squeezed my hand, saying sometime we’ll stay there. I’m pretty sure neither of us believed that would ever happen, but then in 2004 Celeste asked so Luke had to try. As I type this I have tears in my eyes because due to SSR’s popularity, we got our first DVC trip for 10 nights at VWL. Proof again that Walt is right -- Dreams really do come true. I didn’t’ even have to think twice when Luke asked – I wanted to stay at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge for another 10 nights. At the 7-month mark, Luke booked VWL for a second visit. What a long story for the where of this report.
Dates: While we were working out the location of our stay, my sister-in-law called to see when we’d be headed back to Disney. My niece had gotten engaged at Christmas of 2006 and they were working on the date for the wedding in June of 2008. Our family on both sides gets excited with us for each trip as they know how much it means to all three of us, and it is so sweet how they don’t want to interfere with it either. My niece and her fiancé were considering Saturday, June 7 as they thought it would be cool to be married on 06-07-08 (and it is). Then to Stefanie’s surprise her cousin asked her to be the maid of honor. We debated dates, but the second two weeks work best for Luke as it’s not a difficult time for him to get away from work. We don’t sleep well or much the night before a trip anyway as Stefanie is just way too wound up. So we will head out very early on Sunday morning June 8 and stay until late in the evening on Thursday, June 19.
Flights:
For most all of trips we have flown out of Nashville either with Delta or Southwest, but last year we flew Delta out of Evansville (a 45 minute car trip as opposed to a 2 ½ hour trip). The experience was excellent as we only had a short trip home after being delayed in Atlanta for over 3 hours and getting Evansville after 11:00 PM. But this year flights to Orlando from the Evansville airport were much higher than either Nashville or Louisville. We thought it might be nice to try Louisville as we found a non-stop with Delta there a little cheaper than in Nashville. Louisville is also about an hour closer to our home. Some time during the first week of April while Stefanie and I were on spring break, Luke asked me when he could book DME. I told him we could do it anytime as we already had our flight information, but he remembered that last year right after he booked DME, our flights changed and he had to call and make corrections. The very next morning bright and early we get an e-mail from Delta that our flights have changed from nonstop to a layover that would have meant running from one terminal to another with a physically handicapped kid. No way! Delta offered us a nonstop option on Monday, but we already had a room and dinner reservation for Sunday. Luke also didn’t like the customer service he was getting from the Delta agents, so while talking on the phone to Delta, he began an on-line search for other options. Delta in Louisville said they couldn’t change our flight to one offered at another airport, but could get us a full refund. Luke took it and then promptly booked us a flight with Southwest out of Nashville for a savings of $80. I breathed a sigh of relief, especially as we had tried the layover route last year and it really wore Stefanie (and me) out. Our flight to MCO heads out at 10:50 AM, which means we’ll probably being the road trip of our journey around 6:00 AM. Stefanie will be so excited as vacation begins for her as soon as the sun begins to shine. We already have our DME tags and Stefanie and I have partially packed our bags. Soon, very soon, we’ll be free to fly around the country. We head back to BNA at 9:24 PM, so we should get quite a bit of final park time in before we leave the sunshine state.
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
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I loved staying at the WLV in April. It is so quiet and peaceful there!
I am sure your stay there will be wonderful!
I am sorry about the whole Delta hassle! Yike!! I am glad Luke was able to get you guys on a flight with SW!
Just think - we will be there very soon!
Oh - I just had a thought! Make sure to take plenty of pics of Stefanie at the wedding!
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Maid of Honor!!! How awesome That is really something she will remember her whole life. I hope she realizes what a big deal that is And to be leaving for WDW the day after . . . . that's an incredible weekend, Cam!! I LOVE the WL and I know you guys will too
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Previous trips: POFQ 2005 & 2007, Boardwalk 2008, BCV & AKLV 2009 (our honeymoon) & 2012, BCV & BLT 2011, BCV 2013, AKLV 2014
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I am glad Luke was able to get you guys on a flight with SW! 
And to be leaving for WDW the day after . . . . that's an incredible weekend, Cam!! I LOVE the WL and I know you guys will too 
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