The We NEEDED This Vacation TR!! 9/18 - 9/27 - UPDATED 7/5 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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If you don't have the time to read it (I don't blame you!) here's a quick recap.
Cast of Characters (I'm cheating and copying it from the PTR )
Me: Amy, 24 (I'll be 25 by the time we're in WDW). I'm a Senior Pharmacy Technician and college student . I've loved Disney for as long as I could remember - I had a huge Mickey on my bedroom wall when I was young, Mickey came to my 3rd Birthday Party (although my dad mysteriously had a doctor's appointment that night...), the first movie I ever saw in a theater was The Little Mermaid, etc. And none of that has changed, I still love Disney ! I'm an obsessive planner , but it's more of a fun hobby than a chore . This will be my 5th trip to WDW. My main hobby outside of obsessing over Disney is dog training. I train and compete with my lovely Malamute, Layla (in my signature) in obedience, conformation (a regular dog show), agility, tracking, weight pulling, carting, and she's an active therapy dog . My favorite characters are Mickey and Eeyore, and my favorite movies are Little Mermaid and Robin Hood.
DBF: Pat, 37. He's a manager in retail. He loves Disney too (luckily! ). This will be our 3rd trip together, and either his 6th or 7th trip total. It's easy to tease him for that, because he has a 13 year head start on me Pat's biggest hobby is movies - collecting, watching, anything to do with movies . His favorite character is Donald Duck, and his favorite Disney movies are The Aristocats and 101 Dalmatians.
Pat and I
DB (dear brother?): Russ, 17. He'll be a senior in high school this year. This will be his first ever trip to Disney! This will also be his first plane ride, as well as a whole bunch of other firsts for him. He likes Disney too, but I don't think he has any way of comprehending how amazing WDW will be. I try to discuss some of it with him, but I don't want to give everything away. I want him to "get" the magic himself and see what the big deal really is. Russ's biggest hobby is baseball - he's absolutely incredible at baseball. His favorite character is Tinkerbell but he couldn't really give me a favorite movie.
I had to cheat and take this picture from our Disney pictures; I don't really have any other ones of Russ. This is him on his cell phone - which he was on constantly. If I wasn't the planholder, I would've thrown it out when he wasn't looking. Or, when it wasn't clutched in his hand.
The short story of why we needed this trip so badly was:
I had shoulder surgery and wound up being out of work for 8 months (that was the grand total for those of you who followed the PTR)
Russ had had 2 surgeries (including the same exact shoulder surgery as I did, but he healed twice as fast)
Pat almost died and needed emergency surgery. He ruptured his calf muscle and took 6 hours to admit he needed to go to the hospital; in those 6 hours, the blood wasn't properly circulating and he wound up with a blood clot the size of a baseball in his calf.
My Grandmother, who was more like a Mom to me (I lived with her more than half my life) passed away
Layla, the love of my life (the dog in my signature) swallowed a cat toy. She ended up not needing surgery, but those few days when I worried that she would need the surgery and I wouldn't be able to get it for her (since I was having such a hard time getting disability checks from both Pat and I being out of work) made me a basketcase
I had an absolute nightmare of a time trying to get disability for being out of work. I went about 2 months without any checks TWICE, both due to other people's incompetence. Then, toward the end (September) there was another huge paperwork issue and my insurance was not only terminated, but I was being back-billed for everything since May . All of my doctor's visits, physical therapy, everything. Even though it was a paperwork issue, the doctor and physical therapist were getting billed and refused to see me until either I could pay the balance (which I would not do, 1: I didn't have the money and 2: it wasn't my mistake)
There probably were more reasons, but to say that 2010 was a rough year for us would be an understatement!
So, without further ado, here we go!
We were leaving early in the morning on September 18th. Very early in the morning
As we were driving down the Parkway to Atlantic City Airport (we were flying Spirit Airlines), Pat asked if I'd grabbed his medicine. A few days before we left, he came down with a cold. The doctor gave him cough syrup and antibiotic tablets, which he was keeping separate because we'd have to take them through security with us.
I told him no, I didn't have his medication because I assumed he would take his own medication with him!
He says that he thought I was taking it, said a bunch of profanities (which Pat really never does) and we had to get off the Parkway.
There isn't a way to turn around other than taking an exit (and paying a 50 cent toll), then getting back on the Parkway (and paying another 50 cent toll ). We turned around and started heading back home, when something made him check his pockets - and what do ya know? The medicine was in his pants pockets the whole time
So the trip itself started off a little shaky. I'm glad we didn't have to go the entire way back to the house - just had to turn around AGAIN - but I wasn't happy about being yelled at for forgetting something that he'd had in his pockets! I'm a good packer, but I can't pack things people are hiding on them. It's just an unfair trick!
We get to the airport basically on time - we had budgeted time for little "instances" anyway - and started to walk toward the stop for the shuttle bus.
Except the shuttle bus was nowhere to be seen! We didn't see one at any part of the parking lot. Finally we realized how close we really were to the building and just started walking ourselves. It was pretty chilly, and I was glad for the slight exercise of walking
We got through security with no issues. This was my first time claiming liquid (Pat's cough syrup) and it was interesting to see what they were doing. I wanted to grab my camera and take a picture of them examining it, but I didn't think it'd look right
What they did was, they opened the prescription bottle of liquid and held a paper over it. Kind of like litmus paper, but I'm sure it was something else. The paper didn't change color (I assume that's what they were checking for) and off we were.
We headed upstairs and had some breakfast at their little cafe. Pat and I were trying to prepare Russ for the nastiness of Airborne, and - he claimed to have liked it! I don't understand how anyone can enjoy the flavor of Airborne. I think he was just saying that to make us think we were making a big deal over nothing. But whatever, he drank it so that's all I care about!
The airport Cafe. I think we all had pork roll sandwiches.
After that, we got ready to board our plane. It was set to leave at 6:38 am, and more or less left on time. I think they had to wait for a deer to get off the runway.
The person on the plane sitting behind us kept insisting it was a dog....with antlers
View out the window of the runway - just after the sun started to come up
I take soooo many pictures of the clouds. Pat says they all look the same, but I love them. How often are you ABOVE the clouds??
I like this one - as we're starting our descent toward Orlando, I caught the plane's shadow over the trees
We arrived with no issues, and made our way downstairs toward the DME counters.
Such a great sight!
An even better sight
The DME bus ride was fun. After the normal video, they were playing old Disney cartoons. We did stop at Caribbean Beach first, and then came back to POP.
We checked in, left our luggage with luggage services, and headed off to Magic Kingdom
Pop Century Lobby (this was actually taken another night, when it was empty, but you get the idea )
Our first bus of the trip!
We had to go to Magic Kingdom first on the first day. It's a tradition, and I just HAVE to see that castle!
It looks super crowded, but it wasn't that bad at all
We entered Main Street and saw that Exposition Hall was being refurbished. It's fun to peek in there, but that's alright.
As we were heading down Main Street, we heard the Barbershop Quartet - I think they're called the Dapper Dans? We hadn't seen them in person before!
We also were there right as a parade was coming down. I think the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It (or something like that) parade.
Sebastian!
Beautiful landscaping in Magic Kingdom
And, of course....
Our first Castle picture!
We headed right over to Liberty Square for our first ride of the trip - also, a tradition - The Haunted Mansion!
The first time we rode it, the three of us squeezed into a Doom Buggy. It was...interesting
We rode it again immediately after. This time, Russ and I rode together and Pat rode alone.
As we were leaving the Haunted Mansion to get something to eat, we heard a Marching Band - also a first! They sounded really good. Russ was amazed - he loves music and couldn't believe there were "random" parades, quartets and bands that just walk around playing music. He loved it!
We went to Columbia Harbour House for lunch - our traditional first meal. We sat upstairs and looked over Fantasyland. I had chicken nuggets and fries (and Pat did too), Russ had the Shrimp platter (fried shrimp) and I had my apple crisp. I LOVE their apple crisp!
We had the basic dining plan so this was just one Quick Service. Otherwise it would've been $46.77
After our lunch, we went to Philharmagic. It's a favorite of Pat's and mine, and since Russ loves music (and Disney movies) it quickly became a favorite of his too. Philharmagic and Haunted Mansion IMHO are both good introductions to Disney Magic!
Then, Snow White, Space Mountain (which Pat had been dying to try since the refurb; it was closed on our 2009 trip), Carousel of Progress (a favorite of all of ours), the People Mover (or TTA, whatever you want to call it), Buzz Lightyear (where Russ got 260,000, I got 164,000 and Pat supposedly got 305,000. He was riding alone though, so who knows!) and then Pirates of the Caribbean. I love Pirates!
After that ride I had to stop and get myself a Dole Whip I became addicted to them on our last trip and was craving one for almost a year. Russ tasted mine and agreed it was delicious.
At this point I was getting tired and wanted to head back to our room for a nap.
As we were passing Casey's Corner to leave the park, my Dole Whip started to get very messy There was a CM nearby (just one of the ones who hang out on Main Street) and asked if I needed napkins. I told him no, I was fine thank you. But then he came back a minute later with a bunch of napkins!
I was so touched by his courtesy - even though we all talk about the CMs being amazing and polite, it's still a shock sometimes! It was such a nice gesture, and I was very appreciative.
We headed back to POP and found our room. We'd requested the quiet side of the building on a high (3rd or 4th) floor. We were on the 4th floor, but we were on the side of the building facing the pool
We asked if they could change our room and said they could switch it the next morning.
When we got to our room, our luggage was all there (yay! ) and we took a nap.
We had dinner reservations at Planet Hollywood - our final First Day tradition. Even though it gets mixed reviews, we like the huge portions and enjoy the food itself.
We were on either the top floor or second to top floor, and had a great view of everything:
Russ had the ribs, and said they were fantastic.
Pat had a steak, and said it was very good.
I had the Teriyaki Salmon and it was FANTASTIC!
For dessert, I had the key lime pie - sooo good!
Russ and Pat shared the Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie (for two). The plate was empty when they were finished
This was just one Table Service credit, but it would have been $113.77 if we had to pay for it
After dinner, we walked all through the West Side, then Pleasure Island (what's left of it ) and through the Marketplace. Places were all closed by this time (we had a very late dinner) but we enjoyed walking and window shopping.
But, since the Marketplace closed earlier, there were no buses there - and we had to walk allllll the way BACK to the West Side for a bus!
Our first day was spectacular! It was a perfect first day at Disney.
From our Passporter Passpockets:
Memories of our Journey
The weather was nippy when we left and beautiful and warm when we arrived
The best thing about our journey was the DME bus and passing through the Disney gates
The worst thing about our journey was Pat thinking he forgot the medicine and turning around unnecessarily
The most magical moment during our journey was our luggage waiting in our room for us
Memories of our Rooms
The first impression of our room was nice and cozy
The best thing was flat screen TV, new beds and new mattresses
The worst thing was how close it is to the pool
The amenities were good, new
We tried asking for a room change and the result was they'll move us the next day
The most magical moment was the luggage waiting for us
Memories of Our First Day
The weather today was gorgeous; warm nice breeze
The best thing today was: Pat: Haunted Mansion, Russ: Everything
The worst thing today was: walking all the way to Marketplace, which had no buses and having to walk all the way back
The funniest thing today was: "So, do you guys think that's the devil?" (Okay, backstory. On the car ride to the airport we were listening to the radio. That song from the 80's, "I Wear My Sunglasses at Night" came on. We were all listening peacefully. Halfway through the song, Pat goes, "So, do you guys think that's the devil?" We had NO IDEA what he was talking about! We're driving on a pitch black road in the middle of the night. Apparently there was a conspiracy that the song was about the devil? I haven't heard that one either. But Russ and I were so confused at what the heck Pat meant, it was funny at the time )
Today we tried: Russ: Dole Whip, Pat: New Space Mountain, Amy: Planet Hollywood's salmon and the result was: Russ: It was fantastic, Pat: the same, no huge changes, Amy: delicious
The most magical moment today was: Seeing the castle for the first time (and the nice CM with the napkins)
Tomorrow - EPCOT!
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Last edited by Wolfy6688; 04-18-2011 at 05:08 PM..
About This Page: 
)
. I've loved 
Disney for as long as I could remember - I had a huge Mickey on my bedroom wall when I was young, Mickey came to my 3rd Birthday Party (although my dad mysteriously had a doctor's appointment that night...
), the first movie I ever saw in a theater was The Little Mermaid, etc. And none of that has changed, I still love Disney 
! I'm an obsessive planner 
, but it's more of a fun hobby than a chore 
. This will be my 5th trip to WDW. My main hobby outside of obsessing over Disney is dog training. I train and compete with my lovely Malamute, Layla (in my signature) in obedience, conformation (a regular dog show), agility, tracking, weight pulling, carting, and she's an active therapy dog 
. My favorite characters are Mickey and Eeyore, and my favorite movies are Little Mermaid and Robin Hood. 
). This will be our 3rd trip together, and either his 6th or 7th trip total. It's easy to tease him for that, because he has a 13 year head start on me 
Pat's biggest hobby is movies - collecting, watching, anything to do with movies 
. His favorite character is Donald Duck, and his favorite Disney movies are The Aristocats and 101 Dalmatians.
. All of my doctor's visits, physical therapy, everything. Even though it was a paperwork issue, the doctor and physical therapist were getting billed and refused to see me until either I could pay the balance (which I would not do, 1: I didn't have the money and 2: it wasn't my mistake) 
I'm a good packer, but I can't pack things people are hiding on them. It's just an unfair trick! 
I don't understand how anyone can enjoy the flavor of Airborne. I think he was just saying that to make us think we were making a big deal over nothing. But whatever, he drank it so that's all I care about!
There was a CM nearby (just one of the ones who hang out on Main Street) and asked if I needed napkins. I told him no, I was fine thank you. But then he came back a minute later with a bunch of napkins! 
) and we took a nap.
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