Simply Having a Wonderful Disneytime! (PTR) - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Well, he had the surgery on Wednesday and last night they had him out of the hospital and into the nursing home/rehab. Haven't gotten an update yet today, but it's looking like all has gone pretty well. Thank you for all your good thoughts and pixies.
I've got another "chapter" of my pre-trip in the works and hope to post it next week (or maybe sooner!).
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If you read last year's trip report, you can probably guess how we became five and who's joining us. Yes, its my in-laws. They joined us last year (arriving a day before and leaving a couple of days before we did) and stayed at the Contemporary with us. While we were upgraded to the Atrium Lounge, because of us (and our wonderful friend), they were also upgraded from Garden Wing with trash can view to Tower Room with view of the Bay (and access to our floor).
I warned them that going in December is NOT as inexpensive as September. And I think they got the picture when they tried to price out the Contemporary. Once they saw that pricing was higher than the previous year, they weren't going to go. Then they decided they could afford to stay at the AKL and got a room with a Savannah view. (I have to admit, I don't think I'd stay there if I didn't have a Savannah view...the one time we did stay there back in 2001 the view was just so incredible and that was before the resort was "officially" opened. Hubby & I LOVED the place and wished we'd stayed there longer). They also purchased the dining plan and then when free dining was offered, they were able to get some money back and take advantage of the free DDP.
(NOTE: I am not happy that there will be free dining while we are there. And it's not necessarily because we don't qualify for the program. I really felt that last year during free dining the restaurant staff was overtaxed and as a result I nearly ended up in the hospital. For someone with food allergies, it is my opinion, that free dining means less attention to detail. Which, if you have food allergies, intolerance's, or anything along those lines, is KEY. Hopefully I'll be proved wrong this year and find that last year was just a fluke).
Like last year, my in laws will be flying down on a Friday and leaving on Wednesday. We will be eating most meals together (as we did last year), but there are some they will be skipping (although I'm not sure which ones). Since they are on the dining plan, they will NOT deviate from it. They will not eat 2 sit down meals a day so they are going to have to make decisions as to which ones they do not want to participate in. I am just hoping that they don't try to skip Boma (which I think they will) on their last night as we will be meeting our good friend Amber that night (who is a chef at Boma and I'm sure will have lots of good stuff ready for us). In-laws don't seem to like the menu that much, but there is so much to experience...if they will try it.
That night they will also be taking Jimmy to sleep over! It will be his first sleep over and I'm hoping that we don't get a call to come get him when they put him to bed. (Think once he's asleep he'll be fine). Again, those of you who read last year's report will recall that my in-laws said they would take Jimmy so hubby and I could have some "us" time (which we rarely do...and I'm not complaining. It took us a LONG time to become a family and we treasure each moment being one!). That never happened. Of course we never really planned anything specific either. This year the plan is to get to AKL in the evening with a change of clothes and PJ's for Jimmy. Go to dinner at Boma and then leave Jimmy with them. The next morning we will all meet at AK and then the in-laws will head home.
Hubby and I really should plan out what we want to do with our "free" time. A couple of times we have taken Jimmy locally to our Little Gym's Parent Survival Night and we end up doing nothing special (other than maybe some grocery shopping -- how special is that?). If we have time, I think I'd like to go to Epcot. We do not have ressies for the CP, which is one of my favorite holiday things. I just don't think Jimmy would sit through the whole thing. Maybe we can catch the end of the last one of the evening and then stay for Illuminations (my favorite nighttime show at Disney -- although Fantasmic runs a close second). But we have nothing set in stone...and we really should or else we'll just end up not taking advantage of the time.
Ok, so let's do a quick recap of our players:
Me (Bfth): The Disney Commando
Hubby (Sds910): The Disney Fan who tries to get me to relax and NOT go all Commando
Son (Jimmy): HM fan. 3rd trip to WDW and first time during the holidays. I'm pulling him out of a week of kindergarten so that he can experience the wonder of the holidays at Disney. (He loves those holiday lights).
MiL (Marcia): Retired teacher, picky eater (sigh)
SFiL (Mike): Jimmy's foil. The man loves the kid. He is a PitA most of the time, but when he's around Jimmy, he changes. And when I say PitA I mean it (in a loving way). He asked me if my friend at the Contemporary could get him an upgrade at AKL! I was VERY LUCKY to get an upgrade last year and I was VERY GRATEFUL. I am PAYING for the Atrium Club because I know it will be busy at WDW (even though it won't really be the holiday season yet) and I wouldn't dream of trying to get an upgrade. And yet he wants me to get one for him???? Ummm...I don't think so!
Think that covers it for now...next "chapter" -- the ADRs!
The plans look great, I remember from your last TR some of the issues that you had during free dining. We just came back from free dining (and we have a ton of allergy issues also) and I have to say we had amazing service. last year (during free dining) we had no issues, but this trip I found some of the restuarants just went above and beyond....great service. Hope that it all works out for you for your trip as well.
The plans look great, I remember from your last TR some of the issues that you had during free dining. We just came back from free dining (and we have a ton of allergy issues also) and I have to say we had amazing service. last year (during free dining) we had no issues, but this trip I found some of the restuarants just went above and beyond....great service. Hope that it all works out for you for your trip as well.
Good to hear. I'm hoping they've learned from past mistakes and are really focused this year!
Glad you in-laws can join you again! We Boma! So neat that you know one of the chefs.
I'm glad to say that I don't just know Amber; she has become a dear friend. I've followed her from Liberty Tree Tavern to the Rose N Crown and the Food & Wine Festival and now to Boma! She's a GREAT lady.
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Boma! So neat that you know one of the chefs.
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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