10 Nights of Magic in The Orlando Trifecta-TR - COMPLETE!! 12/10 - Page 43 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
It's been many years, but Luke and I have been to Las Vegas, strangely for the Southern Baptist convention back in 1989.
That is strange and not somewhere you'd think about having that! It's changed so much since then.
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Nice to hear that you liked Universal and the City Walk as much as you did. You certainly know how to enjoy yourself!
I had a great time with my first ever stay here. I definitely plan to stay here again. I always enjoy my vacations and have a lot of great plans with meals and other things to do and experience.
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Sunday, October 8th (Part I) Well, it wasn’t an easy night of sleeping in any way! I was waking up every so often on several occasions during the night. I’m glad I was in bed at a reasonable time at around 11:30 pm, which probably helped getting some sleep. Funny thing is, that I didn't feel tired as the excitement of arriving in Disney had taken over!
It’s quite obvious my excitement and arrival at Disney in just a few short hours is the reason and in fact I know it is! After all this restlessness, I decided to get up at 6 am as I wasn’t about to fall asleep again. The original plan was for 7am as I have a Mears pickup at 9am.
So, I got up and got ready for my departure day. I packed up a few more things and went downstairs at around 6:40 am or so. It was so quiet in the lobby as very few people were up now. There were a few people at the check in/out area and I’m sure most were checking out. The Orchard Court Lounge was open for breakfast and I went over there. This was also very quiet with only one table taken. I got a croissant, yogurt and coffee. After enjoying my continental breakfast fare, I went back upstairs to my room.
I packed up my last remaining items and set aside those I would need during the day as most likely my room won’t be ready at the Dolphin, when I check in around 9:30 am or so. I’d be quite surprised, if it was, but you never know! I stayed up in the room for a while just relaxing, watching TV and nearly falling asleep at times! Now, why couldn’t I do that during the night?
It was closing in on 8:30 am and time to get ready to go as my pickup will be here soon. I checked around the room and made sure I had everything. I left my room for the last time and shortly I arrived at the check in/out area and there were a few people ahead of me also checking out. I was checked out by a very friendly CM, who asked me if I enjoyed my stay and if I did anything special. I told her how much I enjoyed the Halloween Horror Nights V.I.P. Tour. She said she has done Halloween Horror Nights and enjoyed it very much. She brought up my reservation and I looked it over and there was an extra charge of $18.20 on my bill. She said these were for the two large Voss waters I used. I thought these were complimentary as they were next to the room glasses near the TV. She said they weren’t and can’t remove the charge.
When I made my reservation online it’s in the terms and conditions. I may have seen this back then, but that was several months ago! My fault! At least I got good use out of these during my four days. I used these as refills into my smaller water bottle when I was out in the parks or elsewhere. Live and learn, I guess, but wish there was a notice next to these in the room, which there should have been.
It was 8:45 am and my ride should be here by 9am. I walked around the lobby level for a while and enjoying the sights as I enjoyed my stay at the Royal Pacific so much. I hope to return here. It’s not cheap but the most affordable of the deluxe resorts in Universal. The complimentary Universal Express Pass was a big benefit of my stay at this resort and I got great use out of it. The difference of the pass cost and the next step down to a moderate with the Saffire Falls Resort is less than the $89 cost of a pass, so a wise choice.
I went outside to wait for my Mears luxury sedan to arrive and after waiting for just a few minutes he arrived at 8:55 am and earlier works for me. While, I was in the lobby I was getting text updates on my driver’s progress to the Royal Pacific. My driver is DeLeo and he put my bags in the trunk and soon we were on our way to the Walt Disney Dolphin Resort!
The drive over was quite nice and uneventful and not too much traffic. I thought, going in style to begin my Disney World portion of the trip was the way to go! Even better is I got a nice discount by booking it online. I think it was about $45 including tip, which isn’t bad.
We arrived at the Dolphin around 9:15 am and DeLeo got my bags for me. It might be good to keep his name in mind for future reference! I walked in the resort and immediately, I could see the amazing renovations to the hotel that were just completed just a couple of weeks ago. There will be photos and hopefully in this update, but first on to a few more things! I won’t do that to all of you and perform a Tara and keep you in suspense! Cheryl gave me flack for this once on my cruise TR in 2015 regarding my stay at the Orlando Airport Hyatt as I ended my update right as I was at the door to my room and not showing the room photos in that update!
I went to the check in area, which is quite large around the outer portion of the lobby. There was a bit of a line and waited about ten minutes until it was my turn. A young guy Dominic was the CM who handled my reservation and he was very good and friendly.
When Dominic brought up my reservation and printed it out, it wasn’t showing the rate I should be paying. It should have been $1,060 for my six night stay but instead it was $1,797. It showed that I had a promotional rate but it wasn’t being applied. He tried correcting this but the reservations system was giving him a problem. He went to the backroom and have a supervisor work on this with him. He was back in a few minutes and all was good!
I’m also receiving a free room upgrade with this promotion which is included with the Super Bowl promotion I’m getting as the Patriots had won the Super Bowl in 2017. Dominic told me what it was, but I will hold off on this, until I get to my room. He also informed me my room is not ready yet, but I will receive a text once it is.
We were done here and so I went over to bell services, which is just to the left of this area and I checked my bags to be put into storage until my room is ready later. I also will begin my park time in Disney very shortly. I grabbed a couple of things out of my carry on bag and they gave me a receipt for my two bags for pickup later.
Before, I go to my first park on the Disney portion of the trip, I wanted to explore all the great renovations that have been made recently in the lobby area. It looks very nice and they did an amazing job with it.
First we’ll start with the new grab ‘n’ go eatery that has been added in the lobby. It’s called Fuel, which is a good name and is also counter service with several tables inside as well.
I like the modern look of Fuel and openness of it as it doesn’t seem cramped as many of the Disney resort counter service eateries tend to be.
Now on to the lobby….
Love these ceiling light fixtures!
These guys are a nice addition along with the fountain!
The new lobby bar Phins and love this as well!
Well, that’s it for now but there will be many more photos of the Dolphin resort’s lobby in the coming days as I gave it plenty of coverage and deserves it! I love the new modern look of the lobby which is so bright, cheery and welcoming. The old lobby was a bit dated and quite dingy. They did a good job with the renovation. I’m so glad it was done for my trip and it was completed about ten days ago! Timing is everything!
After checking out the lobby for a few minutes, I headed for the lobby exit next to Fuel and wait for a bus to my first Disney park on this trip!
NEXT: It Has Actually been 45!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Last edited by SuperDave; 05-01-2018 at 01:07 AM..
Sorry you didn't get much sleep - yes, that is always the way, you can't sleep during the night, but my goodness you could later. That water business was bad. I suspect they catch a lot of people like that and I'm with you - it should have a sign by it, as that's a lot of money!
Yay, you're in the Disney bubble and thanks for all the photos of the lobby - isn't it amazing? I can't wait to hear about the room upgrade now and your first visit to a Disney park.
That stinks about the bottles water and you are right, there should have been a note by it stating that it was not free!! Other than that, though, it sounds like you had a terrific stay at USF!!!
Fun to get a nice ride to the Dolphin!! The lobby is gorgeous!!
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.
Great update! Glad you got good use of those expensive water bottles, it is very deceiving when they are out in the open. The lobby of the Dolphin looks so nice. I love the look of the bar in the lounge.
Sorry that you didn't sleep well but the Disney excitement does take over! We checked out the renovations at the Swan and Dolphin on our January trip and thought they did a beautiful job too!
Sorry you didn't get much sleep - yes, that is always the way, you can't sleep during the night, but my goodness you could later. That water business was bad. I suspect they catch a lot of people like that and I'm with you - it should have a sign by it, as that's a lot of money!
Yay, you're in the Disney bubble and thanks for all the photos of the lobby - isn't it amazing? I can't wait to hear about the room upgrade now and your first visit to a Disney park.
Always tough to sleep with the anticipation building! I wasn't too happy with the water bottles and they couldn't remove the charge. At least I got good use out of them.
I heard Las Vegas hotels are worse with these things as they use use RFID chips (like the Magic Bands) that are implemented on the room snacks which are displayed on one of the room counters. If you even touch one of the snacks and don't use it, you get charged for them with the sensitive RFID chips. But they can remove the charge at the front desk. Kind of a scam as some people may not want the hassle. But there are signs in the room mentioning this, which is good.
Glad to be in Disney now and love the new lobby, which is so beautiful and well done! My first park will be in next update and looking forward to sharing!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Yay! You have arrived! What a scam with the water! There should definitely be a sign next to it telling you the charge if you choose to consume it.
I certainly agree it's a scam. I loved everything else about my resort.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara
That stinks about the bottles water and you are right, there should have been a note by it stating that it was not free!! Other than that, though, it sounds like you had a terrific stay at USF!!!
Fun to get a nice ride to the Dolphin!! The lobby is gorgeous!!
I wasn't happy about the water! Everything else about the Royal Pacific and USF was so good and will return for a stay! The ride to the Dolphin is the way to go to begin the WDW portion. I love the lobby so much as the old one was not so good and so outdated!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Great update! Glad you got good use of those expensive water bottles, it is very deceiving when they are out in the open. The lobby of the Dolphin looks so nice. I love the look of the bar in the lounge.
The water went to good use but a rather expensive one unfortunately! So very true when out in open view! Everything about the lobby is so well done and glad I got to experience it for the first time in its' glory. I was wondering if it would be fully open when I arrived and opened about ten days before as I remember seeing this on the DFB in one of my emails, when it officially opened!
I have six nights at the Dolphin and I will be sharing much more of the lobby including the bar, which I will officially experience later tonight!
Quote:
Originally Posted by purplegal
The lobby of the dolphin looks very nice, looking forward to how you find the food if you eat hear.
Just love the newly reimagined lobby! There will be at least one dining experience to share from the Dolphin later in the TR!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Great pictures of the Dolphin! Glad you were able to get the room rate sorted out! Hoping the upgrade goes thru!
Glad you are enjoying these! It was a bit of a hassle with the the room rate and they got it done rather quickly and was quite happy with this! You will find out about the upgrade later this today, when I return from my first park.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lindawdw
Sorry that you didn't sleep well but the Disney excitement does take over! We checked out the renovations at the Swan and Dolphin on our January trip and thought they did a beautiful job too!
That is always true about a trip but usually only get it on my departure day and not on a transfer to another location! But then again this is WDW so it's understandable! The renovations are done so well and will make me want to come here more often, even if I'm not staying here and in the Epcot area for dinner or something during a future WDW trip!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
I heard Las Vegas hotels are worse with these things as they use use RFID chips (like the Magic Bands) that are implemented on the room snacks which are displayed on one of the room counters. If you even touch one of the snacks and don't use it, you get charged for them with the sensitive RFID chips. But they can remove the charge at the front desk. Kind of a scam as some people may not want the hassle. But there are signs in the room mentioning this, which is good.
Well I guess that's something. Imagine saying to a kid - yes, there are snacks there, but you can't even touch or move them. Not exactly easy!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
About This Page: 
It's changed so much since then.
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
I definitely plan to stay here again. 
I always enjoy my vacations and have a lot of great plans with meals and other things to do and experience.
I was waking up every so often on several occasions during the night. 
I’m glad I was in bed at a reasonable time at around 11:30 pm, which probably helped getting some sleep. Funny thing is, that I didn't feel tired as the excitement of arriving in Disney had taken over! 
After all this restlessness, I decided to get up at 6 am as I wasn’t about to fall asleep again. 
The original plan was for 7am as I have a Mears pickup at 9am.
I got a croissant, yogurt and coffee. After enjoying my continental breakfast fare, I went back upstairs to my room.
I stayed up in the room for a while just relaxing, watching TV and nearly falling asleep at times! Now, why couldn’t I do that during the night? 
I told her how much I enjoyed the Halloween Horror Nights V.I.P. Tour. 
She brought up my reservation and I looked it over and there was an extra charge of $18.20 on my bill. 
She said these were for the two large Voss waters I used.
She said they weren’t and can’t remove the charge. 
My fault! At least I got good use out of these during my four days. 
He also informed me my room is not ready yet, but I will receive a text once it is. 
PassPorter Guide Author
We checked out the renovations at the Swan and Dolphin on our January trip and thought they did a beautiful job too!
Linear Mode
