The "Last Minute (...No, I MEAN Last Minute) Trip" (Nov 5-12, 2012) - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
The "Last Minute (...No, I MEAN Last Minute) Trip" (Nov 5-12, 2012) Updated 1/1/13 post #2
The Pre-Trip Confusion
Ahhh... so you want an explanation?! But first... The Characters: Me: Kenny. Officially OLD at 60, but still a kid at heart! Disney dreaming since I was at least 3 when I received a Pluto plush while in the hospital having a hernia repaired. This would be my 4th trip to the World. DW: Brenda. 50 something. Keeps me stable, while still just as much a kid as me(...Shhhh! Don't tell anybody!) This will be her 4th trip staying on property, though she has many more day trips in earlier years. She brought out THE DISNEY in me that had been hidden deep inside for my whole childhood. DS: Scott. 30. A good "kid." Works hard at his job as an IT tech for an internet service provider. Enjoys the company conventions every year, which this time is at Coronado Springs Resort at WDW! We must have raised him pretty good because he invited his loving Mother and Dad to share their trip to Disney! Never stayed on property, but has been a few times many years ago. DS'sGF: Elizabeth. 30. (AKA: Beth which I will be using more often because I'm lazy!) I don't know her Disney history at all. She is a very nice girl and keeps Scott from getting too far out on a limb.
The Explaination...
Once upon a time there were a couple of humans, Kenny and his Devoted Wife, Brenda, who lived in Never Never Land. This was NOT the Never Never Land you know and love from your childhood memories, but the land you never want to be stuck in... the land of REALITY!
In this day and age of $4 gas, paycuts, and $60 baggage fees, not to mention huge cell phone bills! (Yes, we now have "Smart Phones" that we just can't seem to live without.), we have found it difficult, at best, to be able to afford a Disney vacation this year. I finally had to tell my favorite Travel Planner, Amanda, that we would not be able to go this year.
Then, about a month ago, our DS, Scott, told us his company would be having their annual convention at WDW November 6th through the 9th, at Coronado Springs Resort, and wouldn't it be nice if we could go down and spend some time with him and his DGF, Beth, in the "World". Uh, well, yes! They live in Charlotte, NC, so we don't get to see them very often. But, we just got back from 2 weeks in New England and were not sure we could afford the trip, but we would see.
Brenda began going over the bills and projected income. I notified Amanda what we were considering, and Scott was working with his company's travel department to see how we could fit it all together. Things did not look good. We just couldn't justify the expense. I finally had to tell Amanda, again, we would not be able to work it out.
Then about a week and a half before the convention, Scott told us we would be able to stay in the room with him and Beth for just the extra person charge ($15 p/day + tax each). They were staying an extra day and would be leaving Sunday, 11/11. Brenda looked over the finances again and said we may just be able to squeeze it all in, if we just did one day in the parks. So, exactly one week before leaving, I checked with my boss and, although it was very short notice, was able to get a week and a days vacation. Brenda just had to see if she could get into the dialysis clinic in Celebration, FL for that week... (she did, but not till the Friday before we would go! ).
Still, though, the money was just too tight. Then, that Thursday, I was checking my truck out for one more trip before vacation when I lost my footing and fell off the truck , flat on my back from a height of about 3 feet! I thought I was hurt bad! But, I was able to get up and run my trip, just a little more sore than normal. ...and still, we were just not comfortable with the money.
On Friday night Brenda called me (I was still on the road) and said she had come up with some extra money she had not been aware of, and, if we watched our expenses really close, she was confident that we could make the trip! I messaged Amanda, apologizing for not using her services because Scott's company was making all the arrangements, we were just tagging along. We did receive a pin code for next year, though, that we intend to take advantage of!
So... we had a plan... sort of. We would drive down because it was too short notice to get FF tickets and flying is too difficult now with an oxygen machine and we would need a car to get to Celebration anyway. As I am a truck driver, driving is no problem. Brenda was able to get her Monday dialysis session moved up to 6am, so we would be able to leave about 9:30-10:00. I was hoping to get to about Orangeburg, SC which would be about 490 miles, which would leave 400 to go on Tuesday. We would probably be arriving at Coronado Springs Tuesday evening for a late dinner, then. So, the plan:
Mon, Nov 5, 2012: Brenda has an early treatment. I will take our big dog, Katie to the kennel, then do some last minute things and pick up Brenda about 9:30. We would take our Chihuahua to my Mom's as we leave. We would drive to Orangeburg, SC to our hotel, arriving about 7pm. Tue, Nov 6, 2012: Leave the motel and Orangeburg about 9am. Drive to WDW arriving between 4 and 5pm, hopefully. Meet up with DS, Scott and Elizabeth and get checked in, then find something to eat. That will most likely be it for the day. Wed, Nov 7, 2012:We have to get up in the wee hours today. Brenda has to be in Celebration at 5:45am! After her treatment, 9:30ish, we will look for something to eat near the clinic since we will not have had anything yet. Go back and check out the Resort, maybe go to DTD for dinner. Thu, Nov 8, 2012: Another "Just hang around the Resort" day. Scott will be in meetings all day anyway, so we won't be missing any time with him. Maybe see if we can arrange a meeting with our friend Amy and her Mom who live here. Fri, Nov 9, 2012: Brenda's brother arrives home from meetings and classes in California. They live in Longwood, on the other side of Orlando. We may go up there and see them today. Sat, Nov10, 2012: Scott will have no meetings, so we will do our one park day with him and Beth. We will make suggestions, but the attack plan will be theirs. Sun, Nov11, 2012: Ugh!!! Leave for home. We will hope to get to Columbia again, or Charlotte, NC, if possible. Mon, Nov12, 2012: Finally home. hopefully not too late, I have to go back to work on Tuesday.
Such is the plan... of course, you can't always follow a plan! Sometimes, life just gets in the way of the best laid plans of man.
Up Next: Will we get out of town on time??? ...or not!?
Glad you got to go and glad you decided to write it up for us! I can't believe you didn't hurt your back with that fall. You must have landed just right. Maybe you missed your calling as a stunt man.
About This Page: 
The "Last Minute (...No, I MEAN Last Minute) Trip" (Nov 5-12, 2012) Updated 1/1/13 post #2
They live in Charlotte, NC, so we don't get to see them very often. But, we just got back from 2 weeks in New England and were not sure we could afford the trip, but we would see. 
if we just did one day in the parks. 
So, exactly one week before leaving, I checked with my boss and, although it was very short notice, was able to get a week and a days vacation. 
Brenda just had to see if she could get into the dialysis clinic in Celebration, FL for that week... (she did, but not till the Friday before we would go! 
). 
, flat on my back from a height of about 3 feet! I thought I was hurt bad! 
But, I was able to get up and run my trip, just a little more sore than normal. ...and still, we were just not comfortable with the money. 
I messaged Amanda, apologizing for not using her services because Scott's company was making all the arrangements, we were just tagging along. We did receive a pin code for next year, though, that we intend to take advantage of! 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
PassPorter Guide Author
Dreams, Wishes, Hopes... these are the parts of childhood we should never lose.
Linear Mode
