Two, Yes Two! Pre Trip Reports in One! (Sept and Oct 2011) - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Two, Yes Two! Pre Trip Reports in One! (Sept and Oct 2011)
And so the insanity of Disney continues. As we all knew it would.
The thing with annual passes is that they are addicting. I knew that when we started talking about buying them. But once it was firm and once they released some sweet fall discounts, I fully realized how addicting those things are!! I called my boss to talk about Disney and I referred to the passes as crack. He started laughing and teasing me by calling me his wife’s name who is a huge Disney addict. They managed to fit in four trips last year because they had annual passes. At the end of trip #2 and again at the end of trip #3, he told me that was it for the year and that they were out of DVC points, etc etc. Yeah right! There were still days left on those passes!
So, after that introduction, here is the trip report that is an ice cream topper and a floor wax in one! Yes, it’s two pre-trip reports in one!!!!
You can read the start about the pre-trip report here for the Sept 2011 trip.
Rather than keeping that thread up to date, I’m going to combine updates for Sept 2011 with updates for our Oct 2011 trip!! Yes, just one month apart we are going back to Disney!!! It’s a short trip, just four days. And it’s only Stitch and I as DB can’t take the time off of work.
Introductions, again, are always good for the new followers.
Me! Tink – the planner, the wife, the organizer, the instigator of these trips.
DB – my husband (not my dear brother). Almost nothing fazes this man and he has a wicked sense of humor. Hence why I love him.
Stitch – my girlfriend and converted Disney fanatic. Last year’s trip in Sept 2010 was her first official trip to The World. (I’ve also converted her to a Red Sox fan; I’m such a bad influence! ) She posts on the boards as KCSunshine.
Little Dude – the wonder dog. He’s Stitch’s service dog, a side effect of various past issues that you can read about in our previous reports. He’s cute, he’s adorable and he works his butt off.
For the Sept trip, Sept 5 to Sept 14 – specifically right over *that* weekend in September. Again, read the past reports and you’ll learn that this date is heavy in our hearts and just do not want to deal with the 10th anniversary this year. We’ll be staying at Port Orleans French Quarter.
For the Oct trip, Oct 14 to Oct 16 – a free weekend! Damn we are busy people! It took us 5 days for Stitch and me to figure out which weekend we could travel due to my schedule, Stitch’s schedule and our obligations. Unfortunately, because that took so long, we couldn’t get our first choice. So we will be staying at Port Orleans Riverside. We did pay for the quick service dining plan, though, because the goal of this trip is Food & Wine Festival. I figured that we’ll get our money’s worth between the snacks and quick service meals.
I stopped updating my other trip report because things were just crazy. Work was a huge part of that (and thank you to everyone who sent pixies via my thread in the Villas section of this board!) And then Stitch started to tinker with the schedule with me and things just got even crazy from there.
The first day we arrive, Stitch and I are heading to the Magic Kingdom to upgrade our 9 day park hopper tickets to annual passes. We’re using the regular dining plan for this trip as it’s free with the room. Also, as an interesting wrinkle, DB is not coming down until Friday, Sept 9. While we are all thrilled he has a job, it is as a consultant and therefore he does not get paid time off. So we’re minimizing the time away from work for him. But because Disney requires that everyone in the room be on the same plan, that means we get all these “extra” dining credits!! Stitch and I have been having a blast planning out all sorts of places to eat. It also gives Stitch and I extra time for pin trading without DB. He’s a great guy, very much one of those “go along to get along” types of people. But he was definitely tired of our pin trading at the end of our last trip. To the point where he said something! (I may sound like I’m making a mountain out of a molehill here, but really, DB is a very relaxing person to vacation with. So when he says something like that, it’s huge news.)
We also made the decision not to go to Animal Kingdom. And I have very crazy, weird logic on this, but Stitch agrees with me. It all has to do with Magic Kingdom. When the expansion opens late 2012/early 2013, I’m expecting MK to be slammed. I’m also suspecting that crowd levels will stay higher than today’s normal for a long time. I use touringplans.com’s crowd tracker, and just due to the new Star Wars ride and Fantasmic! every night in Sept, Hollywood Studios never gets below a 4 for our entire trip. For most people, a crowd level of four would be fabulous! For us, it’s a high alert for an attack - that’s just too many people to deal with.
When the expansion opens, I’m expecting that MK will crowded and that the new rides and attractions will have an even bigger influence on the crowd estimation than just two attractions at DHS; we’re talking about a whole section of the park!
At this point I know you’re asking “so what does this have to do with Animal Kingdom???” This is where my crazy, weird logic comes in. Since MK will be crowded and we won’t be able to spend the entire day there like we do now, let’s “save” Animal Kingdom for later trips when MK is not doable and then it’s a whole new park for us to explore. By avoiding it now, we can take the time on another trip to marvel at the “new” park to explore while everyone else is at Magic Kingdom.
Again - for most people, this is crazy, weird logic. But for us, it works. We’re basically “saving” Animal Kingdom to be a brand new park to make up for MK being too crowded for us to do full days in the future.
So with all these tweakings, here is an update as to what our schedule looks like as of today (8/16, with 19 days left to go...)
Monday - arrival day.
Goal: Convert the tickets to annual passes. Hit up DTD and get official pin bag holders (we have too many pins for trading!!)
Tuesday - Magic Kingdom day
Goal: Ohana’s for breakfast and Wishes Dessert party at night. And maybe Tony’s Town Square for a late lunch. This day is marked for possible burn out.
Wednesday - Um, now what?
Goal: Since we’re not doing Animal Kingdom this day, it’s gone back into the planning stages.
Surprise of the day (which I already know about ) Stitch is taking me to a dinner at Boma. This is the one restaurant that I wanted to go to that I hadn’t made a reservation for because I didn’t know how to fit it in. It sounds wonderful, I’m so looking forward to the buffet!!
Thursday - Epcot Day
Goal: 1900 for breakfast
Friday - DB’s arrival day and Hollywood Studios Day
Goal: Last day for pin trading!!. Also try to time the activities at DHS so that we can hand Little Dude off to DB when he arrives so we can do Tower of Terror over and over again! We only rode it once last trip, that was a mistake.
Saturday - Magic Kingdom day (again)
Goal: Cape May Cafe for breakfast and catch up with DB’s long lost brother Goofy. Dinner is at 1900 since I couldn't get early enough reservations at Chef Mickey’s. The goal today is the rides at MK that we can’t do with Little Dude and anything that DB wants to ride on.
Sunday - Epcot and Pin Trading Day!
Goal: Le Cellier for lunch and Cape May Cafe clam bake for dinner (it’s all about snow crab legs!!!) In between will pin trading at the public part of the show at Epcot and see if I can possibly get the limited edition Mickey pin that came with the breakfast on Friday (I wasn’t going to spend the money for the pin show, and then the extra for the breakfast for this one pin - it was the only pin that I really liked that they were releasing. Hopefully I’ll be able to trade for it)
Monday - Lazy Day
Goal: Wishes Dessert party at MK tonight - it’s booked twice and you can see why in my pre-trip report link above, it’s on one of the last pages.
Tuesday - Halloween.
Goals: First, Cinderella’s Royal Table, our first time, for a late lunch/early dinner. And then it’s the first night of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party.
I really wish my trip overlapped yours instead of missing you by one day. But I did get an SO so Jan might become a reality!!
Plans sound great so far.
SO?
I mentioned to Stitch about a possible meeting - she's neutral right now. She's very protective of her privacy, hence the lack of real names any where on this board.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Wow! Just a little jealous that you have two trips so close together! But for all that Disney time! Plans are looking great for both September and October!
I mentioned to Stitch about a possible meeting - she's neutral right now. She's very protective of her privacy, hence the lack of real names any where on this board.
I understand. It is totally up to you gals. Just let me know!
Wow! Just a little jealous that you have two trips so close together! But for all that Disney time! Plans are looking great for both September and October!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcc0313
Love that you added an extra trip in there, and the F&WF no less, sounds like you have two wonderful trips planned.
I know, I can't believe that we're going back to WDW in one month.
I'm calling it my "I'm INSANE" trip. Because, really, it's insane to be going back so soon. But I set a very careful budget (and worked some extra hours) and the whole trip, including air fare, room & food is $1,026 and change. Which is $26 more than I had budgeted, but we're staying at Riverside instead of POP.
As for F&WF - I did it almost 11 years ago on my honeymoon, back before it got so big like today. DB and I had a wonderful time with it. So I'm taking Stitch down this time so she can enjoy it as well. And we did get the quick service plan, thinking that we will definitely get our dollars worth at F&WF for snacks and counter meals. I'm a little concerned because F&WF is supposed to be extremely crowded on the weekends, but from what I've read and listening to podcasts, it's mostly adults. And we're hoping that an adult crowd, who are more conscious of personal space, will not cause too much of a problem for Stitch. And if it does, there is always Magic Kingdom
Sounds like some good plans! And two trips within a month, can you say jealous??? I hope you and Stitch enjoy the F&WF!
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Great start and great plans!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lazanya
Great start! You have some great plans!
Thanks all!!!
I have almost nothing planned for October other than F&WF. But I'm not sure you can plan much more than that anyway! Especially since we're not planning on doing any table service restaurants (this trip is to be on the cheap side!)
btw - did anyone notice (what I thought was) my very funny joke?:
"So, after that introduction, here is the trip report that is an ice cream topper and a floor wax in one! Yes, it’s two pre-trip reports in one!!!!"
About This Page: 
As we all knew it would.
Yes, it’s two pre-trip reports in one!!!!
NEW: 
(Miss Molly)
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
I hope you and Stitch enjoy the F&WF!
Linear Mode
