The Great Disney Do-Over—PTR for Aug 2010 - UPDATED 8/2 - Page 5 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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There are other changes as well.
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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.
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Do not even get me started on the Dream Squad of 2008. Having a child on the spectrum who has obsessive/compulsive issues who CANNOT deal with the fact that the dream team is not near by or is near and does not want to give him something....
I'm so glad you met "Grandpa Jim" On our 2008 (nasty Dream Squad, Tropical Storm Fay, DH having to leave early to fly to Japan) trip I often thought back to Passporter trip reports - where when the going got tough the Passporter headed to FAB stand! QUOTE]
Thank You!
My DD(5) envisioned her trip as walking hand in hand with cinderella all around WDW. We tried to schedule the princess meals at the start so she would not be too disapponited that her vision would not be reality! I think she was too overwhelmed to remember and be disappointed by her expectations.
I missed a reference in your post--What is FAB? (Oh....maybe favorite adult beverage??? If so, I think that may have been ONE reason MK was so tough! ha!ha!)
I'm so glad you ran into Disney Grandpa Jim!!!!!!!!!! You were def at the right place at the right time!!
I love that you commented on this. I am a big believer in things happening for a reason. Sometimes, the timing of events is uncanny, and seems unlikely (to me) that it was all a matter of chance.
For me, I believe God blesses us with things we need, if we are able to see them. (I imagine I overlook many of the blessings I am intended to receive because I am focused on my own plans!). The philosphy fits just as well whether it the "energy of the universe" or "karma" or whatever.
We got to AK about 30 minutes after opening. I pushed the stroller (and girls) to Kilimanjaro safaris while DH and DS raced to Everest to get FPs. I was happy to find the safari line very manageable at that time in the morning. We probably waited for about 30 minutes, but the lines moved continually. We liked looking at the animal photos and facts on the roof of the waiting enclosure.
The safari experience was amazing! It felt like what I would imagine a real safari to be. Like I stated earlier, our family loves this kind of thing, so we had a blast on the safari. The only negative was that while we were looking out one side of the jeep, we missed something cool on the other! It would have been fun to experience it again!
Our Everest FPs were, again, for after our lunch ADR, so we grabbed another FP for Kali River Rapids and headed to Dino Land USA. I have read a lot about how people do not like this section of AK. However, we thought it was great! It seemed like the “fair” atmosphere that the kids expected at WDW. We thought the “campiness” was fun. It also helped that it was relatively uncrowded and we were not waiting too long in any line.
We rode triceratop spin and then headed to Primeval Whirl. Here we did the child swap for both of the girls. DH and DH rode first. While we waited for them in the line, me and the girls took another “spin” on the triceratop and then enjoyed some fruit bars while watching the character greeting spot (line was too long for us!). When then boys came back, I took DS on primeval whirl again. DD (5) was disappointed that she did not meet the height requirement for this one, but DH promised more fruit bars (heck! We have many snack credits to use since we were on the DxDDP!) We then headed to Tusker House for our lunch ADR.
With our GG, we raved about our experience at AK thus far. Everyone else thought it was “fine;” just like a big zoo. Well, we do like zoos!
We thought lunch at Tusker house was fantastic! Again, a chef came to our table to talk with me about the little one’s food allergy. Here, the options for her were pretty limited, since most of the rices and pastas had some sauce or flavoring containing milk or a derivative. So she offered to make her a big plate that would include lots of safe options. Yes, he knew that she was two and we would not be paying for her. It was so comforting! I only wish restaurants at home could be so accommodating!
DS stuck to the kid friendly section, but DD (5) was much more adventurous (she like to tell people that she has a very grown-up palette!). Her favorite was the seafood stew, granted, she picked the shrimp and scallops over the oysters, but she went back for thirds! (And so did I since she kept stealing my shrimp!).
This was our first true buffet at WDW. I am not sure what we liked better here, the actual food or the serving style. The meal went quicker than all of our other TS meals, and without having to wait for food, the kids were not crabby at the start of the meal. It was the most relaxed eating experience we had yet. For this reason, I have a very warm place in my heart for Tusker House!
Even though it was faster here, it looked like we would not have enough time to make our Everest FP and also make it to the Nemo show (where we had reserved seating thanks to the Tusker House lunch). We were concerned about missing our FP return time for Everest, but a restaurant CM said we should be able to explain the situation to the CM at Everest and it would be honored. Whew!
Not having enough time to squeeze in a ride, forced us to take our time and look around the Tusker House area a bit. The kids liked playing with some of the musical instruments around, and we bought each of them a recorder/flute from the stand. (Although we wished we would have passed on a noisy souvenir!). The girls even made friends with a CM in the area. This was our first moment of “doing nothing.” It was magical.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review of the Tusker House! We have ADR's, and I know I've talked with you before because my 2 year old has the same food allergy your child has. Anyway, my husband has been panicked over eating out because our local restaurants are NOT friendly toward milk-protein allergies. I called him at work, read your review to him and he told me to go ahead and keep our ADR's - though he still thinks I should try and pack special food for our son, "just in case". Thank you again for your encouragement - it is so hard to express how wonderful it will be to take a vacation and eat at places that understand food allergies.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review of the Tusker House! We have ADR's, and I know I've talked with you before because my 2 year old has the same food allergy your child has. Anyway, my husband has been panicked over eating out because our local restaurants are NOT friendly toward milk-protein allergies. I called him at work, read your review to him and he told me to go ahead and keep our ADR's - though he still thinks I should try and pack special food for our son, "just in case". Thank you again for your encouragement - it is so hard to express how wonderful it will be to take a vacation and eat at places that understand food allergies.
I understand your fear--I was terrified about how we would manage at WDW with this allergy! (DS also has allergies to nuts/seafood, but compared to our milk allergy kid, his are VERY mild, and it SO seems much easier to avoid nuts and seafood than milk!).
There is absolutely no need to pack "safe" foods for your DS. If you keep reading, (assuming I keep writing) you will hear about how Disney responds to an allergy...I have never felt so safe. Chefs brought her plates of food beyond what any 2-year old could eat. They wanted to make sure she had as many options as possible! It semes the buffet restaurants were even mroe accommmodating than the regular TS restaurants. It was at tusker house where there were a couple things safe for her n the buffet (the ribs and chicken). I said I could get that for her while they made the rice/pasta/veg/fruit separate. The chef said HE would feel more comfortable allowing him to plate the meats, just to be SURE there was no cross contamination! WOW!!!!
The QS restaurants were definitely trickier than TS meals, but compared to what we deal with at home, it was AWESOME! Enjoy your trip without fretting!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review of the Tusker House! We have ADR's, and I know I've talked with you before because my 2 year old has the same food allergy your child has. Anyway, my husband has been panicked over eating out because our local restaurants are NOT friendly toward milk-protein allergies. I called him at work, read your review to him and he told me to go ahead and keep our ADR's - though he still thinks I should try and pack special food for our son, "just in case". Thank you again for your encouragement - it is so hard to express how wonderful it will be to take a vacation and eat at places that understand food allergies.
I have heard so many people talk about how accommodating the restaurants are at WDW for people with allergies. My son has a tree-nut allergy and they were fabulous. In addition my cousin's daughter has wheat, milk and egg allergies (not sure what's left to eat, but that's another topic!) and they had a wonderful time at WDW- all the restaurants were fabulous with them. I hope your experience is the same and how nice not to have to carry meals with you everywhere (I know that is what they typically do - she said it was a vacation in itself not to have to do that!)
Glad for the positive review of Dinoland - have yet to make it there and it is a must-do for us this trip. Loving the TR - more please!
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15 total family trips with stays at the Poly, AKL, Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club, Swan, Dolphin, POFQ, Pop Century, All Star Music, Movies & Sports, and Coronado Springs.
I am enjoying reading this TR very much and am so glad I found it.
How amazing you met "Disney grandpa Jim!" That is Disney magic at its best.
I can appreciate your sentiment of finding out what works and does not work for your family and needing to break away from the GG. Our past 2 trips our parents accompanied us and we were more than happy when they went their own way so we could do our own thing and not feel guilty.
Your day at AK sounds wonderful, and the smiles on the kids faces says it all. Glad you had such a great meal at TH, we have allergies here as well and we have always felt safe and had great meals at WDW, they definitely stand out in that aspect.
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Just catching up! How wonderful to run into your fairy godfather, Disney Grandpa Jim. It sounded like you all could have used some major pixiedust and magic and lo and behold, there's Disney Grandpa Jim! Wow, talk about being at the right place at the right time! I've discovered from previous trips, that no matter how much we plan and have lists of all the must do's, structured itineraries and such, we have a much more enjoyable vacation if we just slow down, relax, take in all the sights and small things and just go with the flow. Before, we've tried cramming in so much and ended up being miserable in the end and missing all the "magic". Now, I still make plans, but keep it "loose" and prefer to go with the flow.
About This Page: 
Having a child on the spectrum who has obsessive/compulsive issues who CANNOT deal with the fact that the dream team is not near by or is near and does not want to give him something.... 
On our 2008 (nasty Dream Squad, Tropical Storm Fay, DH having to leave early to fly to Japan) trip I often thought back to Passporter trip reports - where when the going got tough the Passporter headed to FAB stand! 
QUOTE]
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
You were def at the right place at the right time!! 
so we had a blast on the safari. The only negative was that while we were looking out one side of the jeep, we missed something cool on the other! It would have been fun to experience it again!
The girls even made friends with a CM in the area. This was our first moment of “doing nothing.” It was magical. 
Deb
We 
PassPorter Guide Author
FAB can be favorite adult beverage or frozen adult beverage!! 
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