The Fantastic Five Family Furlough Disneyland Report - Updated 3/6 **Complete** - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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The Fantastic Five Family Furlough Disneyland Report - Updated 3/6 **Complete**
This is my first attempt at a trip report. I love living vicariously through all of your reports, and I enjoy reading them so much! There are so many things that I have picked up on…for example, I love how mattnkatsmum (Karen) posts pictures of all of her cast of characters (which I plan to do in my next update). I love how Princess Sharon (Sharon) shares so many wonderful pictures with all of us. Actually, my DD is so inspired by Sharon’s reports, that she has her camera ready, and is planning on documenting every – little – thing for this trip! So expect lots of pictures after this update. And I really love reading Caldercup’s (Eileen) wrap-up’s at the end of each of her days (the best thing about today was…today I tried…), so I plan on incorporating that into my report. Thank you to everyone for your inspiration and support!
PRE-TRIP REPORT
Cast of Characters:
Amy (me), ilovedisney0_0, 36 yo: I grew up in San Diego, so all school trips, family vacations, etc. were spent at Disneyland. I have been there umpteen times, and you would think I would get bored. (Well, you, my Passporter pals, KNOW that could never happen! :wink: ) I still get so excited the night before a trip, I can’t sleep. I love that nervous energy, the excitement and anticipating the adventures that await! I am ecstatic to try out the new version of POTC. It has always been my favorite attraction, so I am looking forward to experiencing the changes.
Kaitlyn, DD, 14 yo: Kaitlyn (or Kaity) has been to Disneyland 8 – 10 times that I can remember. She is a lover of all things Eeyore, and a huge pin collector. She is also completely obsessed with all things Captain Jack. She is finally brave enough now to love Tower of Terror and all of the other big thrill rides. Her favorite attraction is California Screamin’, and she is looking forward to several trips on the coaster this time! She is such a fun kid!
Lisa, DSis, 32 yo: My sister lives in Southern California, so for this trip we are fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of the So Cal offer of ‘buy one day, get the second day free’. My sister grew up in the same house as me, so I find it odd that she is not as obsessed with all things Disney like I am! Still, she has a great time when she goes, and we are really looking forward to this weekend. We just found out that my brother in law (who works for the US Army) is being stationed in Japan. My sister and nieces are leaving for Tokyo in just a couple of months, and they will be gone for 3 years!! :crying: This trip is going to be one last get together for us, for quite awhile.
Morgan, DN#1, 7 yo: The last time we all went to Disneyland, we had quite a magical moment with Morgan. We were in Fantasyland very early, and gotten a lot of the attractions done within an hour. We were giddy with excitement, and loving having the whole place practically to ourselves. We looked up, and who should be standing there but Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins was beautiful, and so kind. She walked right up to Morgan and spent quite a bit of time with her. Then, she proceeded to teach her to dance. It was so special and filled with pixie dust, and my sister and I just had tears in our eyes as we watched. Needless to say, DN has never forgotten that. Mary Poppins is now her favorite, and she absolutely loves her gloves! Morgan loves Mullholland Madness, and likes to make as many passes as we will allow her each time we are at Disneyland.
Madison, DN#2, 6 yo: Madison (or Maddie) is our little spitfire. She is a blonde, blue-eyed little cherub who loves trouble and gross-out humor. She loves shock humor, and is a little devil. She definitely keeps things lively in our family and she is always the life of the party. Maddie loves all princesses, and her favorite ride is the Teacups.
Our Journey:
My DD and I have been planning a trip to WDW for awhile, now. We have our park hoppers, have made our reservations, and have really been anticipating the trip. Still, when I saw on Mousesavers that the ‘buy one day, get one day free’ offer for Southern California residents was back on again, I immediately emailed my sister at work about another Disney trip. She was game, so we planned a weekend trip! I downloaded DING on my computer at work, and started watching for Southwest fares from Phoenix to Ontario. My plane tickets are now purchased, and my sister will pick us up at the airport. My brother-in-law doesn’t like Disneyland , so it is always just us girls. And I love these little trips, they are so much fun!
The thing about Disneyland is that it is close enough for me that I feel like I can relax, enjoy it and if I don’t do something this trip, it won’t be years before I get back (like WDW). So, we always bargain hunt and go as cheaply as possible. We will get a hotel on Priceline at the last minute; we will hit the Disney outlet mall for souvenirs for the kids (and us! :embarrassed: )before going to the parks; we have already purchased our park tickets, and we will bring tons of snacks in our new Baggellini’s (thank you, Passporters!).
Our Plans:
On Saturday, February 24, 2007, Kaity and I will leave Phoenix at 8:35am AZ time, and fly to Ontario. Lisa and the girls will be waiting to pick us up…yay!! We will first head over to the Disney Character Warehouse Outlet at Orangefair Mall, which opens at 9:00am CA time. We always have lots of fun in there, and manage to find lots of stuff to buy! Plus, I have already printed off 10% off coupons for both my sister and I, which means I can buy more stuff! We will then drive over to DCA, which is maybe 5-10 minutes away (with traffic). I love DCA! I know a lot of people do not agree, but I think it is such a fun park! We always do DCA on Saturday, and DLP on Sunday. Maybe it is my imagination, but I feel like when we do it that way, we are zagging when everyone else is zigging. :shrug: We always do Disney commando, so we will stay until the kids are tired. For dinner, we are scheduled to go to Ariel’s Grotto. Kaity and I have been here before, by my nieces have not. I am excited to be with them while they experience this fun dining experience! After more park time, it is off to the hotel (I don’t know where, yet, as we are waiting until the last minute to do Priceline), where we will fall into bed in blissful exhaustion.
Sunday, February 25, 2007 will find us at DLP. Our group doesn’t follow touring plans, because we have been there so much, I guess. We just wander around, making sure to hit all of the attractions the kids want, and we soak up the Disney magic. Still, Disneyland is always new and filled with pixie dust, every time I go. I learn new things, and see new things, on every single trip. Maybe that is why I love it so much!! This trip, I am in search of a Dole Whip. I have read such glowing reviews, and every time I read Nala’s description my mouth starts watering!! So I have the places where Dole Whips are available all mapped out for my WDW trip, but I am going to try like heck to find one at Disneyland, too. We are really excited to try the Blue Bayou for the first time this trip. My sister and I have always wanted to dine here, but I have always thought our girls were too young before. But, after I read a glowing dining report on the boards (thank you, Tink and Co!), so I am anxious to try it. We are definitely going to try the Cookie Boat! This should be a fabulous lunch, and I know my nieces will be fascinated, watching the POTC boats drift by! We will enjoy the parks until about 3:30pm or so, and then it will be back to the airport in Ontario for us. My sister will drop us off for our 6:30pm flight, and she will head on home to finish packing for Japan! On the upside, though, next year I get to plan a trip to Toyko Disney!!
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Saturday, October 9, 2014 - Kaitlyn and I before the Happy Haunted 5K at ESPN Wide World of Sports
Amy
Last edited by ilovedisney0_0; 02-18-2007 at 10:34 PM..
Thanks for your encouragement, everyone! I was able to get a great deal on Priceline this morning…we will be staying at the Crown Plaza Hotel! I just love great deals!!
Only a couple more days to go… we are now just impatiently waiting for the time to go by!
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Saturday, October 9, 2014 - Kaitlyn and I before the Happy Haunted 5K at ESPN Wide World of Sports
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more please. I hope that you and your family have a great time at the land.
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We are back, and we had a FABULOUS time! I can't wait to tell you all about it. We tried a few things that we have never done before, and it was wonderful. Sadly, we were not recipients of any Dreams, but we saw tons of people in the parks who had received them! I am working on my TR, and will be posting in the next day or so.
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Saturday, October 9, 2014 - Kaitlyn and I before the Happy Haunted 5K at ESPN Wide World of Sports
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She is finally brave enough now to love Tower of Terror and all of the other big thrill rides. Her favorite attraction is California Screamin’, and she is looking forward to several trips on the coaster this time! She is such a fun kid! 
Still, she has a great time when she goes, and we are really looking forward to this weekend. We just found out that my brother in law (who works for the US Army) is being stationed in Japan. My sister and nieces are leaving for Tokyo in just a couple of months, and they will be gone for 3 years!! :crying: This trip is going to be one last get together for us, for quite awhile. 
Morgan loves Mullholland Madness, and likes to make as many passes as we will allow her each time we are at Disneyland.
and she is always the life of the party. Maddie loves all princesses, and her favorite ride is the Teacups.
, so it is always just us girls. And I love these little trips, they are so much fun! 
On the upside, though, next year I get to plan a trip to Toyko Disney!! 
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Pixie Dust
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I just love great deals!! 
I can't wait to tell you all about it. We tried a few things that we have never done before, and it was wonderful. Sadly, we were not recipients of any Dreams, but we saw tons of people in the parks who had received them! 
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