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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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
Moving forward now as one
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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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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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Great price on the flights!!!! I haven't been able to get them that low in quite a while! The days of rest sound good and you are at the perfect resort for that! we stayed at Jambo house last summer and really loved it - it was so peaceful! Not sure how the pool at Kidani is but I loved the pool at jambo because no matter where I sat I could see Emily while she was in the pool. The Mara food court at jambo is really yummy too! the flatbread was delicious!!!!!
I know. I hadn't seen them that low in a very, very long time. That's why we quickly jumped on the deal.
My kids are happy with any pool so I'm sure they'll like Kidani's. The flatbread... I'm definitely trying that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rosanna
Your tickets sound perfect. You will get 8 days at the water parks or DQ with the WP&M option, so you will definitely have plenty to do. My DH and the kids really liked the wave pool at TL. It is crazy good fun. DH and DS also checked out DQ and found it to be pretty fun as well. Lots of options for non park days. Can't wait to hear about the rest of your plans!
My boys are really excited to try the water parks and DQ. They'll definitely have lots of fun.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Great deal on the flights! I think the bus transportation from AKL is actually pretty good because you don't stop at other resorts. There are the two AKL stops and then off to the parks, so I think that makes up for being a bit far from MK and Epcot.
I hope so. But we've become pretty laid back people when it comes to Disney. Far from the commando type of person I used to be. So unless we have an adr, we won't be in much of a hurry for anything.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Claireanddylan
Signing in so - sounds great
Thanks for following!
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Congrats on the great price for your flights!
Thanks!
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Originally Posted by mojjo
Plans look great. And avoiding San Juan for flying out always sounds like a good idea. I'll be using our local airport instead of Philly next time.
I avoid San Juan like the plague. It is such a busy airport, I have enough of that with MCO. Plus I don't have to make the 2 hour trip over there, so that's a plus.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Good deal on your flights! I think you will be fine using the buses from AKL as we've had pretty good luck with each of our stays there (and we've never had a car).
Thanks! I'm pretty sure we'll be fine with the busses. And if not, well I won't let that ruin my vacation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mushu22
Great start
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dlandmom2
Great job with the planning and getting your DH to "agree" with your choices!
Thanks! I'm getting pretty good on convincing my husband, especially with Disney stuff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
Great plans so far! Our trip overlaps so maybe we'll run into each other.
I know that for some people, the part they look foward to the most at Disney is the food. I'm no exception. I think Disney has some great restaurants that I am willing to try.
I debated for a long, long time about the dining plan. Last trip we had it and loved the idea of having everything pre-paid. We ate at lots of restaurants that maybe we wouldn't have considered had we not been on the DP. This trip is different hugely in part because Abniel is 10. In other words he's a Disney "adult". Maybe that's not a problem with some families but my srawny little kid is very picky and eats like a birdie. It would be a waste of money and food to pay for the DP. And I also don't want to be tied down to so many adrs, I want to just go with the flow. So as of today, we are not purchasing the DP, we'll pay as we go.
I did make a couple of adrs. I had each kid pick a place they wanted to eat and I added a few more I thought we'd enjoy. Here is how my list looks:
June 3 ~ Hollywood & Vine (8:20 am) - This was Adriel's pick. He loves Jake!
June 5 ~ Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party - This one is a surprise for my family.
June 6 ~ Rose & Crown (7:30 pm) - Hoping to see Illuminations from here.
June 7 ~ Chef Mickey's (7:30 pm) - Also a surprise for the kids.
June 9 ~ Sci Fi Dine In (7:00 pm) - This was AJ's choice.
June 12 ~ Tusker House (9:45 am) - Abniel's pick.
The rest of the meals will be counter service or snacks. I'll also make use of the kitchen in the villa, mostly for breakfast. I like this approach better as it is flexible and we eat what we want and when we want rather than because we have to use the credits.
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Great dining plans! I'm a go-with-the-flow person as well and just make ADRs for the few places I'd be really disappointed to miss. It's getting harder and harder to have completely free-form days, though, with walk-ups to restaurants harder to get and now FP+!!
Woah you just started this PTR and I feel so far behind on it! Glad I could help with the resort situation. You sound as excited as me about staying Deluxe. Without points rental it wouldn't be possible for us. At least not now. Sorry you couldn't get GF like you wanted, but AKL looks really nice. We'll be at AKV so I think that's similar. Plus you'll be at Disney anyways.
Glad you were able to sort out transportation. Flights are always so expensive. We're flying Delta, but my parents are flying Spirit. It was cheaper for them so my mom booked it. I haven't heard good things about them, but my mother didn't know anything at all. Not even that you had to pay for carry on's.
Sound like some good places to eat. We're not doing the dining plan this time either. And also not eating at as many TS places, but that's ok. We'll have our fun.
Good luck with the water parks. I actually want to check them out, but I'm going to wait until the kids are older and can go on the slides with me. It will be DH who works on his tan. We got our tickets through Undercover Tourist and it was great and they linked to the Magic Bands no problem.
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It's crazy how much hitting that 10 year mark adds to the cost of the Dining Plan! We were hemming and hawing over adding it for our trip last year, but I'm glad we did because we did come out ahead. Now that Kaeli is 10, it's just not happening. If we do the trip I want in November the regular dining plan will cost over $1700!! No thank you! I like your plan of just a few TS meals, and then going with the flow for the rest.
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Your dining plans sound great! I hope you enjoy Sci Fi Diner. We went last year and it was not as much fun as we thought it would be. I had to sit behind the kids in our "car" and you don't feel like you can really talk because of the movie clips playing on a loop. However, I know there are a lot of people who really love it...something about milkshakes?
I think your dining plans sound wonderful. We've never done a dining plan as we really just want one big meal a day and like the flexibility of breakfast in the villa and deciding whether we'd rather have lunch or a snack on the spur of the moment.
All caught up. Your plans sound wonderful. I would love to stay there one day but right now I am happy just to stay anywhere!! Can't wait to follow along.
Great dining plans! I'm a go-with-the-flow person as well and just make ADRs for the few places I'd be really disappointed to miss. It's getting harder and harder to have completely free-form days, though, with walk-ups to restaurants harder to get and now FP+!!
Especially with FP+. We'll see how that works out for us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stardust190
Woah you just started this PTR and I feel so far behind on it! Glad I could help with the resort situation. You sound as excited as me about staying Deluxe. Without points rental it wouldn't be possible for us. At least not now. Sorry you couldn't get GF like you wanted, but AKL looks really nice. We'll be at AKV so I think that's similar. Plus you'll be at Disney anyways.
Glad you were able to sort out transportation. Flights are always so expensive. We're flying Delta, but my parents are flying Spirit. It was cheaper for them so my mom booked it. I haven't heard good things about them, but my mother didn't know anything at all. Not even that you had to pay for carry on's.
Sound like some good places to eat. We're not doing the dining plan this time either. And also not eating at as many TS places, but that's ok. We'll have our fun.
Good luck with the water parks. I actually want to check them out, but I'm going to wait until the kids are older and can go on the slides with me. It will be DH who works on his tan. We got our tickets through Undercover Tourist and it was great and they linked to the Magic Bands no problem.
My husband and I are very excited to be staying there. Not being crammed into a tiny room for 12 days will be amazing.
Spirit, I don't like at all but I just couldn't get over the price Jet Blue and Southwest had. I'm hoping it's not that bad.
I priced out the DP the other night, out of curiosity and it was $2,000+. No thank you! I don't think we'll be spending that much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by greentie
Your plans sound great so far! We stayed in a 1 bedroom at Kidani for part of our honeymoon and loved it (although we're at Jambo House this year).
I liked the layout of the villas at Kidani better but I liked Jambo House more. Oh well, I guess I'll be visiting Jambo House a couple of times.
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Originally Posted by Russi01
Signing in so I can go back and read about your trip!!
Thanks for joining!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mojjo
Good meal choices!!!
We're going to have the same dilemma next time with my youngest. Adult prices for a kid appetite.
Tell me about it. I just couldn't bring myself to pay the adult price for him on the DP. At least with paying OOP, at some restaurants he can order from the kid's menu.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JKnott17
It's crazy how much hitting that 10 year mark adds to the cost of the Dining Plan! We were hemming and hawing over adding it for our trip last year, but I'm glad we did because we did come out ahead. Now that Kaeli is 10, it's just not happening. If we do the trip I want in November the regular dining plan will cost over $1700!! No thank you! I like your plan of just a few TS meals, and then going with the flow for the rest.
For me it was around $2,700. I almost fainted.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Great dining choices!! I like be flexible too when vacationing at Disney, but there are always a few places that I must eat at!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rosanna
Your dining plans sound great! I hope you enjoy Sci Fi Diner. We went last year and it was not as much fun as we thought it would be. I had to sit behind the kids in our "car" and you don't feel like you can really talk because of the movie clips playing on a loop. However, I know there are a lot of people who really love it...something about milkshakes?
We've never been to Sci Fi. We had an adr last time but I ended up cancelling. I've heard about the milkshakes and also about the burgers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
I think your dining plans sound wonderful. We've never done a dining plan as we really just want one big meal a day and like the flexibility of breakfast in the villa and deciding whether we'd rather have lunch or a snack on the spur of the moment.
That's exactly how I plan to do it. I'm not a big eater so I know some of my meals will consist of a snack.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great dining plans!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Russi01
All caught up. Your plans sound wonderful. I would love to stay there one day but right now I am happy just to stay anywhere!! Can't wait to follow along.
I thought I'd never be able to stay deluxe, much less in a villa. So I'm really looking forward to it.
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Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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I'm definitely trying that.
I think you will be fine using the buses from AKL as we've had pretty good luck with each of our stays there (and we've never had a car). 
Maybe that's not a problem with some families but my srawny little kid is very picky and eats like a birdie. It would be a waste of money and food to pay for the DP. And I also don't want to be tied down to so many adrs, I want to just go with the flow. So as of today, we are not purchasing the DP, we'll pay as we go.
Previous trips: POFQ 2005 & 2007, Boardwalk 2008, BCV & AKLV 2009 (our honeymoon) & 2012, BCV & BLT 2011, BCV 2013, AKLV 2014
Deb
No thank you! I like your plan of just a few TS meals, and then going with the flow for the rest. 
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