The Fun-Old-Fashioned Family Vacation 3.0 - Page 29 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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.
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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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Congratulations on the closing and the upgrade! Way to go celebrating at Great Wolf
Thank you! We had a blast
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Congrats on the house! Sounds like a great time at Great Wolf!
It was a really great time - and we enjoyed just letting the boys dictate what we did
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The Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Vacation, 3.0 http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post4472933
Ch-Ch-Changes July 2015
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The boys woke up early the next morning - which shocked me because they weren't in bed until after 10pm. Nevertheless, Cullen woke me up at 6 am. True to his nature, he was content with a cup of cereal and orange juice. I showered, Brian then showered and we got the other two up and around. We decided to try the breakfast buffet, and would be paying cash because we wanted to save the food credits for when we were in the water park.
We were quickly seated, and I'd alerted both the front desk and our server that we had people with a food allergy. A chef came to the table and asked what the allergy was. When I told him the younger two had a dairy allergy he said, "can they still eat eggs?" We get this a lot. They can have eggs, but they cannot have any type of cow protein. Once I explained to him what they had to avoid he said he couldn't help because he was a "white" coat chef and he needed to call a "black coat chef" over. Our server explained that the coats were coded to show who was the head chef and who the sous chefs were. Black= head chef.
The head chef said he'd be able to send up scrambled eggs and an order of DF pancakes. The only "Safe" buffet items came from the fruit table where bowls of fresh fruit were placed along with prepackaged cereal.
The buffet price of $14.99 for adults included a breakfast beverage. I found it a bit odd that the kid price of $7.99 didn't include any type of beverage. In tiny print is stated we could add milk for $1.00 Our server was a bit flustered when we asked to substitute apple juice for the kids' milk. In the end, we had to settle for lemonade because juice isn't an option for breakfast.
The food was typical breakfast fare - eggs, breakfast meats, Keilbasa and peppers, and three versions of pancakes. The fruit bar contained strawberries, oranges, apples and bananas. There were a few containers of yogurt and cream cheese as well as a toasting station with various bread.
In all, we had a good meal, but I wouldn't rush back to repeat it. Next time, we'll bring more in the way of breakfast foods for our room.
After breakfast, we got ready to go down to the water park. Because it didn't open until 10, we took our sweet time and tidied up the room too. Nolan left a cute note for the person cleaning our room and we headed down to the park. We spent two and a half hours in the water park - most of it outside. We'd brought lunch stuff for the kids, so we headed to the room to dry off, eat and relax a bit. Actually, the entire family ended up taking a nap.
After naps, we headed to the lobby for some activities. The younger boys each got a balloon animal and colored a fish to hang up and they played a version of a scavenger hunt.
By 3:30, they were ready to return for water fun! We swam and played downstairs until 7 pm before ordering hot dogs (Patrick), chicken strips (Cullen) and two slices of pizza (Nolan) along with hot pretzel (Patrick) and two orders of fries (Cullen and Nolan). We took the food to the room and they ate and then showered. Then it was time for the arcade room. Nolan hit a huge jackpot of 1300 tickets. By the time their game cards were emptied (purchased by my parents as gifts), they had more than enough to get several stuffed animals, some candy and a few other small items.
We stopped for ice cream at the gift shop - Nolan found an Eddy's flavor (Cookies and Cream) and the younger two found Rasberry sorbet.
We returned to the room just shy of 10 pm and discovered - we could see fireworks from nearby Kings Island!
With the waterpark not opening until 10 the next morning, and the lack of a good place to change other than the resort room, we opted NOT to swim on Saturday and instead were on the road home by 10:30 am. We pulled into our driveway a short 45 minutes later, exhausted but happy we'd made the spontaneous trip happen.
Next update:
Conquering the Mountains in one day?
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The Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Vacation, 3.0 http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post4472933
Ch-Ch-Changes July 2015
[URL="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/sharing-adventure-disney-world-trip-reports/288847-ch-ch-changes-ptr-july-16-24-a.html"]
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Sounds like you all had a wonderful time at the lodge!
It was a truly fun time - just what we needed after a hectic week getting the house to closing and after the rough year with my foot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara
What a fun day!!
Thanks! It's something the boys still laugh at - we gave them 10 minutes to pack their bags and get in the car
Quote:
Originally Posted by num1DVCfan
I love the spontaneous trip. I'm surprised that juice wasn't part of the breakfast option, that's so odd to me.
Right? It was crazy because buffet meals typically include a beverage.
__________________
The Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Vacation, 3.0 http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post4472933
Ch-Ch-Changes July 2015
[URL="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/sharing-adventure-disney-world-trip-reports/288847-ch-ch-changes-ptr-july-16-24-a.html"]
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Sounds like a great time at Great Wolf!
We get this a lot. They can have eggs, but they cannot have any type of cow protein. Once I explained to him what they had to avoid he said he couldn't help because he was a "white" coat chef and he needed to call a "black coat chef" over. Our server explained that the coats were coded to show who was the head chef and who the sous chefs were. Black= head chef.
. By the time their game cards were emptied (purchased by my parents as gifts), they had more than enough to get several stuffed animals, some candy and a few other small items.
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