Ally's Great Make-A-Wish WDW Pre-trip Report - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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My DD (8) has been granted her wish to come to WDW in October by the MaW people, who are WONDERFUL. They are setting everything up, and are even trying to get enteral pumps for them to use at the Give Kids the World resort so we won't have to pack ours. (My DD and DS both have cystic fibrosis and gastrostomy tubes) My DMom and DDad have decided to plan their vacation so they can be with us at WDW and that way if DS has stamina issues or just is feeling badly, they can stay with him and Ally will be able to keep up her adventure. (just my parents!!)
So, here are the plans so far:
Staying at the Oak Leaf Plantation by GKTW:
DDad and DMom (young at heart)
Staying at GKTW:
DH Ronan(43)
me (38)
DS Logan(17)
DD Ally (8)
All first-timers to WDW but many times to DL
Leaving Portland OR on Oct. 21st, coming home Oct. 27th
No ADRs or definite plans, because I'm not sure what to expect. I'd like to eat at Sci-Fi Diner, but we'll see. Is it possible to make reservations the morning of? I don't want to mess up any plans GKTW has for Ally, so I am just finding out everything I can so that I can come up with plans on the spot. (and it's a great excuse to be on the message boards all of the time!)
I'm tentatively thinking we'll go to Epcot the 1st day, because that's the one she's most excited about. My parents wanted to take the kids to Discovery Cove and they are paying for all of us to go on the Wednesday of our trip. I haven't told the kids anything about that, but they are going to it!!
Because of DS and DD's illness, we are getting wheelchairs for both of them. I was afraid that would be overkill, but I'd rather not have them go in the hospital when we get home, and they will need the energy they save by not walking everywhere just to get through the week. I will do my best to pace them, but I know from going to DL that they both want to go commando and see EVERYTHING even if it wipes them out. I know several of you have done a MaW trip, and I am hoping to pick your brains on our plans. (thanks, snoozin) Also, I heard that they have a Wish Kids Lounge at the MK. Has anyone used it to rest during their day at the parks? I'm thinking that DS and possibly DD will want to do that, I think that is what it's intended for?
I am trying not to annoy the MaW people, they want to keep some things a surprise, but I am an obsessive planner, and it's hard to not ask questions!!!!
The only thing I would say is that if there is a place you really want to eat at, I would definitely make an ADR. Walk-up reservations can be difficult to get.
I would also recommend a few ADRs, if you can't make them due to the "surprises", which I'm sure will be wonderful , you can always cancel. If you have them, you just might be able to make it to a few places you want to get to.
Have a great trip! I'm sure it will be magical!
__________________
Tara Hanley
Enchanted Escapes Travel by Tara
affiliated with CruisingCo.com & MouseEarVacations.com
I am very excited for you and your family. I would have to agree with the others, I would go ahead and make your ADR-you can always change if you need to!!
Hope you have a fabulous trip. I would go ahead and make a few plans and ADR's, you can always cancel but you often can't get ADR's at the last minute.
I hope that you and your family have a magical time at the world
__________________
Heather - "I'm Tinkerbell's biggest fan!"
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
Some pixie dust for a Magical Vacation! Choose 3 of your dream restaurants and make the ADRs. You'll be happy to have them. It is possible to check the morning of for cancelations but you won't be guaranteed. If MaW has a bigger better plan for you, you're not relaly losing out, are ya??? Have a great time!!!
Have a wonderful trip! It will be so magical for all of you! I agree with others though. If there are places you really want to check out for dinner or lunch, make the ADR's now. Let MAW know of your intent so that they could at least work with you....Keep us posted on how it's going!