Cam's Golden Birthday Adventure **Updated 8/23** COMPLETE - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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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
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Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
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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.
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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Cam's Golden Birthday Adventure **Updated 8/23** COMPLETE
Background: We have been DVC members since 2004, so an annual trek to the World is just a given at our house. So whether we have anything to celebrate or not, we ARE going to Disney. But it’s been fun for the past three years to figure out a special event to make merry about while there. In 2006, Luke and I marked 25 years of happily ever after with a 4 night Disney Wonder cruise and then 8 days at WDW.
Last year (2007), we took my sister and her family along.
Part of the expense of the trip was breakfast at CRT as a birthday present for our niece Morgan’s 6th birthday (even though it was in March), so I planned for her and Stefanie (who also has a March birthday) to wear birthday buttons and noted their birthdays with our CRT and Crystal Palace reservations.
But then my sister June whose birthday was actually the first day of our trip wanted to be special, too. I figured she’d think it was silly, but since she was begging for attention, she got a button and a special cake at Boma on our first night. Sorry, it was the first night, Stefanie had allowed me only about 4 hours sleep the night before, I had been literally soaked through around 4 in the afternoon by a monsoon at AK, and I had consumed my fair share of Riesling, leading to no memory of my camera; therefore, no picture of June and her really cool cake.
All that attention lavished on June got my brain cells to popping – I’d be 50 a month after we got back from our 2008 trip. So if you’re there, look for me sporting a birthday button. I also noted my birthday on two dinner reservations (all by myself). If Luke has any surprises, I don’t want to know about them – at least not yet. Actually, Luke is harder to get any surprise info out of than gold out of Fort Knox. I do know what my gift is already as I had to sign off on the paperwork when we purchased additional points in AKV. But he always has much more up his sleeve. That’s the WHY of this particular trip, now on to the details (now if you could read that with extra emphasis on both symbols and put a bit of drawl in your inflection you might actually sound like Stefanie).
Details and Other Particulars:
Cast of Characters:
Stefanie (22) -- Stefanie is simply an angel who is so ready for her 7th trip to WDW. She makes friends easily, pretty much knows everyone in our town of 50,000 (I’m probably using hyperbole, but we really can’t go anywhere in town without running into someone she knows). How Luke and I got such an outgoing offspring I’ll never know as we are both quite introverted/shy, though we warm up momentarily. She is my assistant planner, creating numerous lists throughout the year- long wait consisting of places to go, dining to do, and rides to enjoy. She volunteers 4 days a week at two different schools in my school district. At both she has a number of folks who generously purchase her gifts (she may have mind control abilities). One kind lady buys her the new Birnbaum WDW travel guide for Christmas each year. Stefanie has very low reading skills, but she definitely recognizes Disney stuff when she sees it, and she has spent hours locating places in this guide and copying them to notebooks. She has even begun making lists for friends who are hoping to visit WDW in the future. When I retire, she and I may become Disney travel agents just for the fun of it. Since our return last June, each morning her first words to me are “Not long ‘til Disney, Mom.” And then the mantra is repeated often throughout the day. Finally, I agree – it’s not long ‘til Disney.
Stefanie telling her baby all about WDW, using a DVC promo book a friend us was giving when she inquired about membership. By the way, Stefanie’s baby’s name is always the name of the boy de jour (whoever she’s currently infatuated with – at the time he was baby Bradley, but he has been renamed Andrew in the past two months).
Luke aka Batman (47) -- My husband and best friend loves Batman more than Disney, but only a little. He counts down to each trip as much as Stefanie and I, and is very ready to leave work behind and enjoy trip number 8. Recently, he came home excited because a week after we return next month, he can call to make our 2009 reservations at AKV. Our anniversary is also my birthday and the release date for Batman: The Dark Knight, so at least part of our anniversary celebration will be at the movie theater. Our upstairs bonus room is home to thousands (and I’m not using any hyperbole now) of Batman items from figures to unusual pieces, e.g. a Batman pogo stick or Batman tortilla chips. But alongside of these superhero objects are model trains, most of which are Disney related. The layout is only in its earliest stages, but some day (hopefully soon), we’ll have a model train running around the World, complete with the castle and the monorail.
If you look closely, you can see Luke even has on Mickey Mouse Christmas pajamas (mine are Tinkerbell and Stefanie’s are High School Musical).
And here he is with his favorite character, Goofy, and Stefanie.
Cam (49, soon to be 50) – What to I say to sum up me. I’m shy and awkward in new situations, but once you get to know me I might just talk your ears off. Some teacher friends swear I’m an undiagnosed AD/HD individual who has learned to compensate for my flitting brain by being exceptionally organized. I’m also a bit Monkish as in the OCD detective of the TV series, though I love order in multiples of 2 or 5 rather than 10. My parents always vetoed the yearly plea by my sisters and me to visit Disney World, even the year that my great-uncle received free tickets as a fringe benefit of working construction on the Magic Kingdom. So I was really surprised to learn recently that my Dad’s dog (acquired while he was fighting in the Korean War) was named Mickey because he has always loved Mickey Mouse. In fact he told me about seeing Steamboat Willie as a kid. The things a kid simply does not know about their parents?! Finally in 1980, I had both money and opportunity, and a WDW trip was planned. Luke and I both visited WDW for the first time when we were in Florida over Spring Break in college (I was 21 and he was 19), but he went with his “girlfriend” and I went with his and my roommate on separate days because both roommates found his “girlfriend” not to their liking (for a nice way to put it). Well, I’m definitely rambling. So to conclude this digression, noting that I’ll be celebrating 50 years of life with my three pals, Luke, Stefanie, and Mickey along with a slew of my favorite characters.
Here I am with my favorite girl mouse, Minnie, and my bestest daughter at LTT last summer.
I’m the photographer for my family as so I’m rarely in photos. That’s why I PhotoPass. At least I have proof I was on vacation, too. This picture is from Stefanie’s Special Olympics meet this April. She participates in the walk races. In fact she finally got her first 1st place finish this year after competing for 6 years.
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What a great start, CAm!!!!!!! I too love all the pictures. Congratulations to Stephanie on her 1st place finish!!!!! When are you going in June????? I just might see you with your cool B-Day button on!!!! I don't think my Dh would ever get excited aboiout being able to make the dining ressies for our next vacay a week after we return!!!!! Go Luke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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'99 off-site
'03 off-site
'04 AKL
'05 French Quarter
'06 Old Key West / French Quarter
'07 SSR
I eagerly awaited the arrival of my 2008 PassPorter so I could begin making the big decisions – where to eat each night. When my Passporter arrived, I tore off the cellophane and carefully put the new pages in my deluxe binder. Then immediately the binder was ripped from my hands by the munchkin who proceeded to ooh and aah over resorts and maps and pictures and everything while letting me know I would have to wait.
Finally, I had my grimy hands back on the most valuable planning tool I own. This year I typed up a list of restaurants and had Luke and Stefanie circle the ones where they most wanted to eat this summer. I frequently had to read them descriptions from PassPorter as they narrowed down their choices. Eventually, we came to an agreement on the following spots and at the 180 day mark I was on the phone early, oozing with Disney excitement and anticipation.
s 6/8 – Arrival day with a possible decadent lunch of ice cream at Beaches and Cream. Dinner at Crystal Palace for 7:30. Stefanie is so excited as we haven’t done a character meal on the first night in several years. After dinner we’ll make our first SpectroMagic Parade and Wishes Fireworks.
s 6/9 – We’ll spend the day at Magic Kingdom and then have an early dinner at Whispering Canyon Café for 5:00. We’ll probably go back to MK for a second dose of Spectromagic and Wishes.
s 6/10 – We’ll start with our only breakfast this trip at ‘Ohana for 8:00. We tried here last year and Stefanie thoroughly loved the character interaction. We’ll hop on the monorail for a quick ride over to Epcot for the day. Later at 8:00 we will have dinner at The Rose & Crown, and I’m crossing my fingers and toes that we get outdoor seating for Illuminations. We tried for this last summer, but it had rained for about 2 hours before our ADR and Stefanie and Luke just didn’t want an outdoor seat by that time.
s 6/11 – We’ll spend the day at DHS and I’ve booked a Fantasmic Package at Hollywood & Vine for 5:00.
s 6/12 – We’re headed early to AK for EMH. In the later afternoon (4:30) we’ll have dinner at Yak & Yeti, which is a new one for us. We all can’t wait. Well, Stefanie is still a little apprehensive as I keep talking about all the cool stuff Luke and I can try. She’s not sure anything other than chicken and shrimp is cool.
s 6/13 – We’re headed to DTD and hopefully, lunch at Bongos. Bongos doesn’t take ADRs so we are hoping that getting there at 11:00 when it opens will guarantee us a table. In the evening we’ll head to the Grand Floridian for dinner with Cinderella and crew at 1900 Park Fare, a recent addition to our list of family favorites.
s 6/14 – The remainder of our vacation we have not designated specific parks for the day, but plan on doing as much park hopping as our little hearts desire. The only definite times are for our ADRs. Tonight will be Teppan Edo at 5:00. We have never tried this one; actually I had reservations last year for Teppanyaki, but learned on the boards that it had closed for refurbishment, so I called Disney Dining and made other arrangements (Rose & Crown).
s 6/15 – Father’s Day is for fathers, so Luke picked the Gospel Brunch at House of Blues for 10:30. When I called the House of Blues to make the reservation, I mentioned something about Stefanie’s diminutive stature and so we now have a front row center table. Luke’s happy about that, too. Dinner will be one of two that I have designated for my birthday. We’ll be headed to Tony’s Towne Square Restaurant at 6:55. We were treated very special here on our 25th anniversary two years ago without my even noting it on our reservation. So I’m hoping to feel real special this evening.
s 6/16 – Another birthday celebration is planned for tonight at Boma, my absolute favorite Disney dining. We celebrated my sister’s birthday here last summer (as I mentioned early in this report). Special definitely describes the way we all felt for her dinner. Note to self: eat here for your birthday, too.
s 6/17 – We all three love Mexican food and really can’t imagine a whole vacation without it, so tonight is San Angel Inn at 5:00.
s 6/18 – Our last night (I don’t want the vacation to be over) will treat Stefanie to dinner at Chef Mickey’s for one last character and food extravaganza.
s 6/19 – Return trip home (oh how vacation time flies), but not before we try for a chance to ride POTC when it reopens. This is a Stefanie favorite and she is bummed that it will be closed all the rest of the time we are in WDW. Lunch will be at 12:10 at Sci-Fi Dine In Theater where since Stefanie is so little we usually all squeeze into the seat together. We have a late departure from MCO (9:25) so DME pick up will probably be around 6:30 at the earliest. Who knows what fun we can cram in after lunch.
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I hope that you and your family have a magical time at the world
__________________
Heather - "I'm Tinkerbell's biggest fan!"
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
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.
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birthday button. I also noted my birthday on two dinner reservations (all by myself). If Luke has any surprises, I don’t want to know about them – at least not yet. Actually, Luke is harder to get any surprise info out of than gold out of Fort Knox. I do know what my gift is already as I had to sign off on the paperwork when we purchased additional points in AKV. But he always has much more up his sleeve. That’s the WHY of this particular trip, now on to the details (now if you could read that with extra emphasis on both symbols and put a bit of drawl in your inflection you might actually sound like Stefanie). 
PhotoPass. At least I have proof I was on vacation, too. This picture is from Stefanie’s Special Olympics meet this April. She participates in the walk races. In fact she finally got her first 1st place finish this year after competing for 6 years.
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