The Sunshine Family (and Little Dude) Does Disney Again! - PTR - Sept 2011 UPDATED 7/25 - Page 3 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
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.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
French Quarter is very quiet and very small. I really liked the comfy feeling of the resort. Even in the height of the day in June, the pool never felt out of control.
I actually felt more relaxed at FQ than the BC/YC. I love the old Jersey shoreline feel to the whole Boardwalk area (being a Jersey girl myself) but I did alot more lounging about at Port Orleans. LOVED the nighttime carriage ride between resorts too!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
French Quarter is very quiet and very small. I really liked the comfy feeling of the resort. Even in the height of the day in June, the pool never felt out of control.
I actually felt more relaxed at FQ than the BC/YC. I love the old Jersey shoreline feel to the whole Boardwalk area (being a Jersey girl myself) but I did alot more lounging about at Port Orleans. LOVED the nighttime carriage ride between resorts too!
I think then that I picked a perfect resort The whole point was to calm down on this trip and now run ourselves ragged
Sing Along!?!?!??! OMG!! Our favorite ride is Mickey's Philharmagic because we sing!! We own most of the Disney Sing Along Wii games (including High School Musical) I watched a bit of the video, we are SO there!!!
The plans look great, and I love your detailed to-do list I am sure you will get through the list in no time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lazanya
Great plans! with the to-do -list!
Ha! We're attempting to tackle #1 on the list - rent the ECV. Which then turned into a price comparison on how much cheaper it would be to own one after about two visits, but then we'd have to figure out where to store it the rest of the year! Ugh! This is like buying a car, too much research.
But once that's done, the other ones will be much easier to get through.
Quote:
Originally Posted by a&a's mama
Port Orleans French Quarter is very quiet and has a nice calm feel to the resort. There are only a couple of jokers around the resort so you have to look for them. Hope you enjoy it.
that's good to know in case anyone finds they have a suppressed fear of clowns!
Seriously, I do appreciate the feedback. It's nice to know that the resort will be quiet and calm - well quiet and calm find Disney
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.
Folks- Stitch is not the only one with issues with that date. While I appreciate your messages of support to her via me, please don't. I have massive issues with that day, I just don't have PTSD. Reading that message this morning really messed me up.
Please no mention of that day, this post and no more messages of support for any of us regarding Sept. Or instead of a pre trip report and all the fun that goes with it, I'm going to be reduced to a mess of flash backs and nightmares and be non-functioning again.
If you like sing alongs you may, one day, try Jellyrolls over at the Boardwalk area. It's a bar with a cover ($10) but weeknights are less crowded. Best sing alongs EVER!! Doors open at 7pm, grab an early table since the show starts at 8pm.
Sorry about having to take a cab to drop off Little Dude. How about having the cab wait while you're inside and having them drop you off at your final destination?
I have to say I'm a bit nervous about the themeing at POFQ - it just seems so... loud in the pictures I've seen. The Beach Club is understated in their themeing, IMO (which fits perfectly in New England, I was born there) and Boardwalk doesn't have the loud crass feel of Atlantic City of today. So I'm not sure what to expect from FQ when we get there. Some of the pictures I've seen focused on the clown and other loud themeing pieces, but that may have been the photographers choice and that when taken as a whole, it's not that loud, ya know?
Don't be nervous about the theming at POFQ. We have stayed there 2x (1994, 2004). I think the size is a big draw for me and the theming. There are a few large decorations, like the clown, but overall I think the colors, decor, etc are very calming. The pool is fabulous. We also went to the pool at POR which was neat, but much more crowded (I have an issue with crowds). We are going next month and staying at POP and Beach Club and looking forward to it. We will miss the boat to DTD though.
__________________
Eileen in South Jersey
Trips to WDW: 1994 POFQ; 2004 POP and POFQ; 2011 POP and Beach Club
If you like sing alongs you may, one day, try Jellyrolls over at the Boardwalk area. It's a bar with a cover ($10) but weeknights are less crowded. Best sing alongs EVER!! Doors open at 7pm, grab an early table since the show starts at 8pm.
We were debating about Jellyrolls last time because we were right there at the Boardwalk, but I've heard that it's so crowded. And since crowds are an issue, it's something that I try to avoid. Especially at the end of a long day, defenses are down, everyone is tired, and it's easy to get triggered. Then again, with the longer trip, maybe we won't b so tired each night because we won't be trying to squeeze in so much Thanks for the info
Quote:
Originally Posted by jennie622
Sorry about having to take a cab to drop off Little Dude. How about having the cab wait while you're inside and having them drop you off at your final destination?
Now, why didn't I think of that??
Of course! Instead of renting an ECV for the whole trip, use a wheelchair, take a cab that morning (leave the wheelchair behind), drop off the dog, take the cab to AK, and then rent a ECV for the day at AK. At the end of the day, take a cab back to the kennel, and then to the hotel. Wow, that would really work and make several items so much easier. We really only need the ECV for AK because the park is so huge, we can do a wheelchair everywhere else.
Great lists! and for figuring out the rest of your ADRs!
Thanks!!! I hope that I'm not boxing myself into a corner by leaving 6 TS credits to the last minute. I want to stay flexible if I can for the most part, and it just doesn't make sense right now to continue to book meals when we're not sure what we're going to be doing some of those days because it depends on what happens (or doesn't happen) the day before.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PamelaK
Ladies, I'm curious. Do ya'll have an autograph book to have the characters sign?
Hey Pam, Stitch made one last time. I'm not sure what she's doing for this trip, must add that to the to-do list. Either she needs to add more pages, or needs to make a whole new one I'd love to do one of those spiral ones that Lisa had for her trip with the three Lisas! But I don't have that kind of equipment. Thanks for the reminder though, I'll add it to my list to ask her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OCEANGRLLG
Your "to do list" looks good!
thanks!! Now I just have to get through it. Hard to believe I'm already at the 60 day mark!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ecmiller
Don't be nervous about the theming at POFQ. We have stayed there 2x (1994, 2004). I think the size is a big draw for me and the theming. There are a few large decorations, like the clown, but overall I think the colors, decor, etc are very calming. The pool is fabulous. We also went to the pool at POR which was neat, but much more crowded (I have an issue with crowds). We are going next month and staying at POP and Beach Club and looking forward to it. We will miss the boat to DTD though.
Whew! That's good to hear. And great news about the pool too, especially since that's one place we want to hit up daily.
And we're really looking forward to the boat ride to DTD. We never made it there last time, so I really want to squeeze in more than one visit if at all possible. I also realized that we can take the boat to DTD and then a bus to any resort for any meals we may have. I think this is a great location.