Our First Trip, MY First TR!!! (Dec. 2010) - Page 4 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks

   guidebooks   |   news   |   podcasts   |   boards   |   blog   |   worksheets   |   photos   |   articles   |   updates   |   register   |   follow us on


Forums Closed
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

Go Back   PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums > PassPorter's Walt Disney World Resort (Florida) > Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
Register


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.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-21-2010, 09:34 PM   #46
emvenable77
Community Rank: Adventurer
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: South Louisiana
Posts: 855

Post Thanks / Like
Just found your Pre-trip report. How awesome that you get to go for around Christmas time and then again in April. I think that worked out better for you that your family is so busy!!
Looking forward to your trip report.
__________________


Check out my Pre-Trip Report for our 9/18-9/23/12 trip here:

http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post3907349

My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsPop Century-August 2010, May 2011
emvenable77 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2010, 09:48 PM   #47
Diz
Community Rank: Explorer
 
Diz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: In the state of Disney Dreaming!
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 10,572

Post Thanks / Like
Wow! You've had an adventure already...and you haven't even left home!
Sounds like you're having a ball planning your Christmas trip!

We ate at Via Napoli and loved it! I would have changed Captain Grille in a flash!
Great choice!

Everything is falling into place and December will be here before you know it!
__________________

Thanks Shadowryter! I love it!!
My Previous TripsWas home in June 2012
Diz is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2010, 12:27 PM   #48
WDWHarpua
Community Rank: Traveler
 
WDWHarpua's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 256

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp View Post
Nice changes to your plans!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom View Post
Great ADR changes!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22 View Post
on the changes!
Quote:
Originally Posted by emvenable77 View Post
Just found your Pre-trip report. How awesome that you get to go for around Christmas time and then again in April. I think that worked out better for you that your family is so busy!!
Looking forward to your trip report.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Diz View Post
Wow! You've had an adventure already...and you haven't even left home!
Sounds like you're having a ball planning your Christmas trip!

We ate at Via Napoli and loved it! I would have changed Captain Grille in a flash!
Great choice!

Everything is falling into place and December will be here before you know it!

Thank you all so much! We've both had a blast planning this trip, and It's almost 2 months to go! It seems like yesterday we started talking about it!

I'm glad people are having a good time reading my PTR. It's not as detailed as some, but it has been fun to write so far!
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsDisneyland 1985, Disney Inn 1988, Offsite June 1992, Offsite March 2002, Offsite April 2007, Coronado Springs Dec 2010, French Quarter April 2011, Beach Club October 2012, Bay Lake Tower May 2013(Wedding trip!), Disney Fantasy May 2013(Honeymoon)
WDWHarpua is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 03:26 PM   #49
WDWHarpua
Community Rank: Traveler
 
WDWHarpua's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 256

Post Thanks / Like

Now that the actual “Booking things with Disney” is done, I can take some time and go over other preparations I’ve made for this trip. Since it’s my first real vacation in 4 years, I realized I don’t have Luggage… I always just used Dads old Duffel, which has a broken wheel. Got to remedy that, don’t I? So I did my research and decided that since I’m a unique snowflake, I’ll need unique luggage.

At first I was looking at the Burton Duffel bags, because my best friend has one and has used it for trips to Alaska, Hawaii, Europe and more. He claimed that he’s only ever once seen another Burton bag. But, I don’t want the same exact one as him, so I looked at the colorful ones.



Yeahhh, that’s a bit gaudy for me. So I looked into some other Companies who make similar bags, and I came up with The North Face. I love the Backpack I just got (which is going on the trip with me) so why not look into bigger luggage?







I found this at their Outlet Store in Freeport, ME and it was almost 50% off, so I had to buy it! It is big enough to get me through a 2 week trip, but I figure it’ll be great to bring souvenirs home in from this 4 day trip, so that worked out great. I even bought Beth a replacement Backpack, since that green one up there was hers, which she gave to me.

Another of the purchases I made which were justified as “I’ll need it for Going to Disney!!!” was my Nooktm E-Book Reader My mom had me pick up the Nooktm she got my Dad for Father’s Day, and as soon as I saw it I knew I’d want one myself. I went out a few weeks later, when the Nook Wifi was released for $50 less than the normal one, and got my own. It’ll be great for the Plane rides and for sitting by the pool (who sits by the pool in December? People from New England who think 70 is hot on the first week of December!). Last trip I didn’t have a book and it was the most boring trip. I’ve already got a list of books to add to it and I’ve already read about 5.



And one showing the cover



The final big purchase I made was the Camera I took these photos with. After reading Brittany’s PTR I decided that I also would need a new Camera, but not a pink one… So I started looking up cameras and doing my research on various review sites. Then I went to Best Buy and bought a camera I hadn’t looked up at all… Yeah go figure. It had all the settings I wanted and it was on sale!



It’s the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W350. It’s 14.1 Megapixel, It has the 4x Optical Zoom, and I got the 4GB card to go with it. I also have an 8GB card but don’t think I’ll need that much for a 4 day trip.


Part 6!!!!!! (Previous Post)
Part 7!!!!!!! (This Post)
Part 8!!!!!!!! (Next Post)


__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsDisneyland 1985, Disney Inn 1988, Offsite June 1992, Offsite March 2002, Offsite April 2007, Coronado Springs Dec 2010, French Quarter April 2011, Beach Club October 2012, Bay Lake Tower May 2013(Wedding trip!), Disney Fantasy May 2013(Honeymoon)

Last edited by WDWHarpua; 10-13-2010 at 01:28 PM.. Reason: added Part 8
WDWHarpua is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 08:02 PM   #50
Cam22
Batman's Gal/Mickey's Pal
PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
Cam22's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Owensboro, KY USA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 95,254

Post Thanks / Like
Great purchases!
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsAKL Jambo April/May 2017--SSR/OKW Sept/Oct 2016 --AKL Kidani May 2016 -- Polynesian Village Resort May 2015 -- OKW/Magic December 2014 -- AKL Jambo House October 2014 -- VWL May 2014--SSR October 2013--AKL/Kidani June 2013--CBR October 2012--BWI June 2012--AKV Jambo House/Kidani Village June 2011 -- November 2010 Beach Club -- June 2010 Beach Club -- October 2009 CBR and Gaylord Palms -- June 2009 AKV/Kidani Village -- June 2008 VWL --June 2007 OKW--June 2006 Disney Wonder/SSR -- June 2005 SSR -- June 2004 VWL -- June 2003 AKL -- August 1997 Off Property -- March 1980 Cocoa Beach
Cam22 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 08:09 PM   #51
Colexis Mom
RED SOX NATION!!
PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
Colexis Mom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854

Post Thanks / Like
Congrats on all the purchases!
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsAUG '16 - POFQ, APR '12 - POFQ, JUL '10 - DL, AUG '09 - DCL Western, AUG '08 - POFQ/BC, AUG '06 - AKL/BC/DisneyWonder/Poly, DEC '05 - AKL, APR '05 - AKL/BC, DEC '04 - AKL, MAY '04 - AKL/BC, MAY '03 - WL/BC, MAY '98 -offsite, MAY '94 - BC, AUG '85 - Poly, AUG '83 - Poly, AUG '81 - Poly, JUL '79 - World Inn, JUL '76 - World Inn
Colexis Mom is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-04-2010, 10:00 PM   #52
Pinkyt177
Community Rank: Trekker
 
Pinkyt177's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Normal, Illinois
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 1,593

Post Thanks / Like
Awesome, love the bag and the camera, and the nook!
__________________
Cassie


My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Tripswdw 1976 off property, wdw 10/2007 sheraton vistana, disney cruise 12/2008 aboard the Wonder, 7/2010 Pop Century, 12/10 AKL, 3/12 POFQ, 1/13 AofA, 3/13 Disneyland
Pinkyt177 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2010, 01:50 AM   #53
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Great purchases!
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2010, 03:21 AM   #54
ilovedisney247
 
ilovedisney247's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 15 Minutes from the House of Mouse!
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 13,838

Post Thanks / Like
I just read the whole PTR so far and it sounds like its going to be a great trip! Your ADRs sound good and MVMCP is a real treat! I have an older model of the camera you just bought--the 7.2 megapixels version and (its pink) I love it! It takes some practice to get the settings right for fireworks and the parades, but I've ended up with some really great shots once I played with the settings. Hope to hear more soon!
__________________
My Previous TripsWDW 1985 off property, WDW 1987 Contemporary, WDW 1989 Poly, WDW Sept. 2006 Pop, WDW Sept. 2007 CBR WDW Aug 2008 ASMu Dec 2008 SSR, May 2009 SSR, June 2009 SSR/VWL, Oct 2009 AKVC, Dec 2009 AKV, June 2010 SSR, Oct 2010 BWV, Nov 2010 CR, Dec 2010 ASp, April 2011 AKVC, June 2011 SSR/ASM, July 2011, ASp, Oct 2011 AKVC, Dec 2011 VGC
ilovedisney247 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2010, 12:16 PM   #55
WDWHarpua
Community Rank: Traveler
 
WDWHarpua's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 256

Post Thanks / Like

We’re at 50 days today!!!!

I'd like to thank everyone for their comments here and helping to make planning this trip such a great experience!

As an added pre-trip bonus I figured I’d post up some photos from my new Camera. I’ve been testing it out!

This first one is Me and Beth sitting on the end of my parents’ dock last weekend. It was windy. Don’t mind the flyaway hair.




This next one is a froggy we saw on the steps leading up from the dock. He wasn’t nervous about us being there at all. He’s about the size of my fist.



We went to one of the local farms to pick apples, and I got this shot of their giant pile of Pumpkins.



I think they show off the simple Point and shoot ability of the camera. I changed no settings and just let it do its thing and I think these all came out great!


Part 7!!!!!!! (Previous Post)
Part 8!!!!!!!! (This Post)
Part 9!!!!!!!!! (Next Post)

__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsDisneyland 1985, Disney Inn 1988, Offsite June 1992, Offsite March 2002, Offsite April 2007, Coronado Springs Dec 2010, French Quarter April 2011, Beach Club October 2012, Bay Lake Tower May 2013(Wedding trip!), Disney Fantasy May 2013(Honeymoon)

Last edited by WDWHarpua; 10-15-2010 at 04:36 PM..
WDWHarpua is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2010, 01:08 PM   #56
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
50 days? You'll be there before you know it!

Love the photos!
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2010, 02:12 PM   #57
Cam22
Batman's Gal/Mickey's Pal
PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
Cam22's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Owensboro, KY USA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 95,254

Post Thanks / Like
Not too much longer now! Nice pictures with the new camera, too!
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsAKL Jambo April/May 2017--SSR/OKW Sept/Oct 2016 --AKL Kidani May 2016 -- Polynesian Village Resort May 2015 -- OKW/Magic December 2014 -- AKL Jambo House October 2014 -- VWL May 2014--SSR October 2013--AKL/Kidani June 2013--CBR October 2012--BWI June 2012--AKV Jambo House/Kidani Village June 2011 -- November 2010 Beach Club -- June 2010 Beach Club -- October 2009 CBR and Gaylord Palms -- June 2009 AKV/Kidani Village -- June 2008 VWL --June 2007 OKW--June 2006 Disney Wonder/SSR -- June 2005 SSR -- June 2004 VWL -- June 2003 AKL -- August 1997 Off Property -- March 1980 Cocoa Beach
Cam22 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2010, 02:33 PM   #58
MGW
Community Rank: Trekker
 
MGW's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Virginia
Posts: 1,472

Post Thanks / Like
We will be there that same weekend! I love WDW at Christmastime! And I loved our stay at Coranoad Springs a few years ago, that is still where you are staying? Anyway, can't wait to hear all about your adventure!
__________________

Donning my Wellies to cut Peat in Scotland
Melissa
My Countdown Counting down to: First Time at the F and WF!
Showing our Friends around the World!
My Previous TripsEaster 1979 WDW First Trip, April 1987 WDW School Trip, March 2000 WDW First trip with DH - All Star Movies, October 2003 WDW First trip with DS (almost 3 years old) - All Star Movies, February 2005 WDW Parents' First Winter as CMs - Port Orleans Riverside, December 2005 WDW Parent's Second Winter as CMs - Off-site, February 2007 WDW Parent's Third Winter as CMs - Off-Site, February 2008 WDW Parent's Fourth Winter as CMs - Coronado Springs Resort, February 2009 Parent's Fifth Winter as CMs - Carribbean Beach Resort, February 2010 Parent's Sixth Winter as CMs - Beach Club & Pop Century, December 2010 - off site, March 2011 Mom's Seventh Winter as a CM - All Star Sports, Scotland July 2000 & 2006, September 2011, Other favorite destinations Gettysburg, Gatlinburg, Williamsburg & Myrtle Beach
MGW is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2010, 04:45 PM   #59
islandgirl
Community Rank: Navigator
 
islandgirl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Virginia
Posts: 6,848

Post Thanks / Like
Great purchases!
__________________
Susan

A Whole New World - Disney Vacation 2015

Our "30 Year Anniversary" Disney Vacation 2014 [February 7-14]
My Countdown Counting down to: Going back to Disney!!!
Let the MAGIC begin!!!!
My Previous Trips1st Trip * Nov 1987 Off-Site * Jan 2008 Coronado Springs * Jan 2010 Caribbean Beach * Feb 2011 Beach Club * Jan 2012 Caribbean Beach * Dec 2012 Caribbean Beach * Feb 2014 All Star Movies * Feb 2015 All Star Music * March 2016 All Star Music
islandgirl is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2010, 05:05 PM   #60
RunningPrincess
Community Rank: Adventurer
 
RunningPrincess's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 512

Post Thanks / Like
Hi, just found your pre-trip reportand everything sounds great, in order, and mostly ready to go.
One of these days I am definitely going to WDW during Christmas time and I don't care if it's by myself
RunningPrincess is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Reply




Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump














Please login or register to hide these ads -- it's free and easy!

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:34 PM.

-->

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like v3.4.0 Patch Level 1 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
(c) 1998-2017 PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc.
Celebrating 19 Years of Making Dreams Come True
Ad Management plugin by RedTyger