Merry, Magical, and Bright: Late Fall Adventures of Cam & Luke Updated 3/12 - Page 57 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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!
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Another great trip and trip report. Your positive outlook always makes me wish I could tag along a trip with you and Luke. Even the bad times don't sound so bad when you describe them. Thanks for taking the time to write everything up. It's always enjoyable reading.
Oh, you were doing so well until the rush hour hit you. Of course, you would have hit it if you had been on time, so you still gained a bit along the way. It sounds like you had a very good travel day, which is always a good thing. Thanks for taking us along on this adventure with you.
I figure we only had difficult travel for about 40 minutes of the trip home, so not too bad.
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Originally Posted by chezp
It sounds like you had a good journey home, apart from the rush hour traffic.
This travel day was not too bad at all.
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Originally Posted by purplegal
Sorry the trip is over, but you really seemed to have had a great time.
Glad you had a mostly smooth trip home. Thanks for taking us along on another adventure.
We both still had some energy when we got home, so I count that as a good travel day.
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Originally Posted by SuperDave
With the exception of the heavy traffic in Nashville it seems like the journey home went well. Even better as your flight arrived twenty minutes early.
As travel days go, this was on of our better ones.
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Originally Posted by patclairesmom
I really enjoyed your trip report! I learn so many new things about Disney reading them!
Thanks! I love the chance to relieve the trip, and always hope I'm passing on some of what we've learned while there.
Wonderful! Thanks so much for taking us along on all your adventures!
Thanks for reading about all our adventures!
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Originally Posted by 3dogknight
I always enjoy your trip reports, you have such a great eye for photo spots.
I keep practicing in hope of improving my eye for the good and great photos!
Quote:
Originally Posted by brandy_mel
Another great trip and trip report. Your positive outlook always makes me wish I could tag along a trip with you and Luke. Even the bad times don't sound so bad when you describe them. Thanks for taking the time to write everything up. It's always enjoyable reading.
That is such a sweet compliment. I have a friend who has labeled me Polly Anna, but I'm just happier if I look for the good in every day and situation. Maybe one day we'll have trips that overlap.
Another great Cam & Luke trip! Thanks for taking us along...you write the best trip reports; looking forward to your next one!
__________________
First trip DW--Nov. 1975; Senior Class Trip DW--Oct. 1979; First trip w/kids--Oct. 1995; Halloween at DW--Oct. 2002; Spring Break at DW--April 2004; Christmas/Pop Warner Nationals-POR--Dec. 2005;Cruisin'--April 2008; Mom/Son trip-POP--March 2010;Taggin' along w/DD on DH's conference-BWI--Oct. 2011; 50th birthday with the Gartner Geeks--Adults only!--BWI--Oct. 2012; The Trip That Almost Wasn't--BWI--Oct. 2013; We climbed The Summit (National Cheer Competition)--ASMovies--May 2014
Sounds like a very smooth last day at WDW. I'm always a little sad when your trip reports come to an end but I know you have another trip on the near horizon. Can't wait to see you then! Thanks once again for taking the time to share your adventure with us which always fun!
Thank you so much for your reports. You write so well, they are a joy to read. It sounds like you had a great trip. I'm very much looking forward to your next report!
Another great Cam & Luke trip! Thanks for taking us along...you write the best trip reports; looking forward to your next one!
Thank you so much! Hopefully, I can start the new pre-trip report later this week.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lindawdw
Sounds like a very smooth last day at WDW. I'm always a little sad when your trip reports come to an end but I know you have another trip on the near horizon. Can't wait to see you then! Thanks once again for taking the time to share your adventure with us which always fun!
Just 50 days until Luke and I are back in the World. It will be great to see you all agin, too.
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Originally Posted by JoanneS
Thank you so much for your reports. You write so well, they are a joy to read. It sounds like you had a great trip. I'm very much looking forward to your next report!
Every trip is a little different, but always enjoyable. Thanks for reading!
As I type up my final thoughts about our November 2017 trip, the snow is coming down heavy here in Owensboro. The prediction is for 3 – 5 inches by morning, and it looks like two inches are already on the ground. We scheduled this trip for November since our Annual Passes would expire in mid-October. That time frame allowed us to enjoy the last of the Food & Wine Festival and to catch some of the holiday decorations and events. That part of our plan worked out perfectly, though I would like to have seen my favorite park Animal Kingdom decked out in its holiday attire, but those must go up later. The F&WF seems to get better and better every year. We didn’t sample from every booth, though everything we tried we absolutely loved. Luke was especially pleased the Flavors of Fire booth while the Banfi Rosa Regale paired with the drinking chocolate at Ghirardelli was my favorite. In spite of how much we love this festival, we think that it may not be a must do every year. It’s possible that in 2019 we’ll go back later in November or early December to see some of the Christmas stuff we’ve always missed.
Flying for us is the best mode of transportation to Orlando. We prefer to fly out of the Nashville airport, even though that means a two and half hour car trip before our flight. We’ve been scheduling a later morning flight so we don’t have to get up unbearably early. Unfortunately, the series of delays for our flight down were less than magical and caused us to lose out on some Disney time and PassPorter meets. On the other end of our trip, I was a little disappointed that we didn’t have time for a park on the last day. Due to shorter daylight hours in November, Luke had wanted to get back to Nashville before dark. That meant we had to leave earlier than we had back in May. Additionally, Saratoga Springs is remote to any of the four parks, making it less feasible to visit anywhere but Disney Springs when your DME pickup is shortly after noon. My disappointment led me to request a later flight home for our May 2018 trip. Hopefully, there will be some final park time on our travel home day
When we were able to make our DVC resort reservation, we were stuck with one option, Saratoga Springs, our original home resort. We did not like any of the split stay options as we’d have been bouncing around the whole trip, so SSR it was. The rooms have been refurbed, and with the new walkway to Disney Springs, which happened to be right outside our building, this resort turned out to be a good option. The only two drawback were that the theming here does not make me feel at home in the way that Animal Kingdom Lodge does and the resort sprawls, meaning long walks to the amenities, at least from the far end of Congress Park. When we stay here again, I’ll probably push for us to stay in the Grand Stand section because it’s the first bus stop and it is a short walk from the Carriage House. Ultimately, it’s not a resort that makes me want to spend much time there. When we’re at Animal Kingdom, we find down time at the resort very enjoyable whether we’re using the pool, exploring the resort and its many artifacts, or relaxing on the balcony while watching the animals. We’ll be back at AKL in May so I’ll feel home again then. Can you tell I’m already musing about our next trip.
We only had one extra paid event for this trip, which was Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. We had a good time and got several things done, but I wouldn’t call it great time simply because it was so crowded that we only got to meet one character. Character meets had been my main party goal, so that was disappointing. In the past, we have managed quite a few meet/greets with waits of twenty to thirty minutes. Our one character meet this trip was at least an hour wait. We also think we might have enjoyed the party more if it hadn’t been so late in our trip. By our next to last night at WDW, we were already worn out from loads of other fun. It’s rather iffy as to whether we’ll do another party of any kind in the future due to the higher cost of tickets and the larger crowds being admitted. We both enjoyed our Caring for Giants tour back in May, which had a small group of guests, lots of personal attention, and fairly menial extra cost ($59 minus the DVC 15% discount). Those kinds of tours will remain on our to do list.
One of the attractions we were most looking forward to was Pandora, especially Flight of Passage. Luke has been reading about the progress of this new land since it was first announced. It’s an understatement to say we were looking forward to this addition with great anticipation. And once we experienced it for ourselves, the new land and its new rides did not disappoint. Flight of Passage lived up to all the hype we’d seen and read before our trip. There was my slight wooziness on our first ride, but once I figured out a method that worked for me to keep my 3D glasses steady, I had no trouble. By the way, I did take Dramamine both days we had FastPasses for this attraction. I’m sure that helped curb the motion sickness. We loved Na’vi River as a more advanced classic dark ride. The luminescence and vibrancy of this slow ride were incredible. This area’s newest restaurant,Satu’li Canteen, is a new favorite eatery for us at this park. This new land becomes even more magical after dark, so I encourage you to visit it during the day but return after dark when the whole place literally glows.
We enjoyed every meal whether counter service, sit down, or signature, except for my meal at Raglan Road that was not to my taste, but even there I enjoyed the atmosphere. Sanaa remains our favorite meal. I wish had their Indian bread service and accompaniments right now. In addition, my pork chop at Coral Reef and the steak at Be Our Guest were also excellent, and our meal with Linda and her girlfriends had the best companionship. As Disney keeps adding more and more interesting and appetizing restaurants throughout the Walt Disney World resort, it has become harder and harder for us to repeat spots from one trip to the next. Sanaa will be the only one included in our May 2018 trip as we wanted to return to some old favorites that haven’t been in the rotation for a while. Those will be revealed in my pre-trip report to follow shortly.
Thanks again for reading along as I relived our trip one more time. Writing my trip reports makes the trip seem like it lasts so much longer. Technically, it is four months later, and I’m just now finishing the trip report. And now there are about four inches of snow on the ground.
Great wrap up! I'm so glad you mentioned seeing Pandora after dark again, as that's one thing we want to make sure and do on our next trip! We thought about it in January but just didn't have time to head over there before Rivers of Light.
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Thanks for taking the time to write everything up. It's always enjoyable reading. 
Can you tell I’m already musing about our next trip. 
In addition, my pork chop at Coral Reef and the steak at Be Our Guest were also excellent, and our meal with Linda and her girlfriends had the best companionship. As Disney keeps adding more and more interesting and appetizing restaurants throughout the Walt Disney World resort, it has become harder and harder for us to repeat spots from one trip to the next. Sanaa will be the only one included in our May 2018 trip as we wanted to return to some old favorites that haven’t been in the rotation for a while. Those will be revealed in my pre-trip report to follow shortly. 
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