"Pop-pop how does Mickey go potty?" and other life questions trip report - UPDATED 8/30 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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"Pop-pop how does Mickey go potty?" and other life questions trip report - UPDATED 8/30
Warning! I tend to overdo things as well as over explain. My apologies in advance. I just wanted to share my excitement and my plans!
The Trip:
The first one in 12 years!
My Grandaughter ( 4 yr) ,My Grandson (2 yr) and My dear Son In Law’s First Trip EVER!
The week of my Mother’s Birthday.
The longest one we have ever take to WDW!!
The Cast:
Myself
Dear Husband
My 13 year old daughter – she is homeschooled and travels a lot with us so she does not have a lot of that “ I don’t wanna be with ya’ll” attitude. She has her moments but she is really a joy to travel with!
My 19 Year old Son.
My first born – my oldest daughter
Her husband
The best 4 year old in the world –Maddie! My granddaughter.
The cutest 2 year old boy in the world – Logan.
My mother
My father
My son’s girlfriend is still unsure of whether she will be able to spend any time with us.
The Dates:
March 1-March 11 2012 ( March 6th is my mother’s birthday)
A little Background:
Even though we have not been in an – ahem – few years, we are lifelong Disney lovers. Because my dad spent time in CA while in the service, he had fallen in love with Disneyland ( he won’t admit the love part though) and when he became aware of WDW he of course had to be there. So I was there on OPENING DAY! I was all of 2 years old so I remember nothing. After that we went just about every year. My first memories of Disney are of Thanksgiving 1975 and the summer of 1976. In fact the camera strap on my favorite 35 mm was purchased by my dad in Disney the summer of 1976. That visit is when I rode Space Mountain for the first time!
I am going to sit down soon with mom and try to list all of the trips. I know I was there in 1984 at least once . I marched with my high school band in Donald Duck’s Birthday Parade. And Grad night in 1987. By the time I was in high school we averaged at least twice a year. There were many a Friday I got home from school and my father called me and said “Start packing for you and your sisters, we are going to Disney! (We are all 7 years apart so by HS I was really good at packing a younger child).
So one of the reasons I liked my husband ( ok love him) is his shared love of Disney. We honeymooned there! My youngest child took her first steps when she saw her daddy getting off Space Mountain during a kid swap! It was the summer the Disney TV commercials featured a young child telling their infant sibling that “Mom said we can’t go to Disney until you learn to walk” but they go anyway and the child takes her first steps at Disney. That was our last visit.
We wanted to expose our children to experiences other than Disney, I went back to school, I have had some health issues and a myriad of other reasons we did not go back. I have kept up with news and changes and planned to one day go back. So here we are. My parents have Florida Resident APs.
Where we are staying:
Off Property! We have rented a Vacation Home with Private Pool in Emerald Island.
I am really looking forward to the down time as much as the Disney time. My parents are staying at Fort Wilderness in their RV. I wanted to do a cabin there at first but once a friend recommended a Vacation Villa and I started researching this just seemed the way to go. Plus with the savings we can stay longer and do more things. Also, we can put the little ones to bed and still be able to spend time together.
Grandma’s Extra Magic…
I have been collecting stuff here and there so I can make welcome baskets for everyone. The little ones will have a note from Mickey to welcome them to his home. I will detail those later. I also have ordered Mickey themed paper plates,napkins,etc for use at the Villa because,well I tend to overdo everything.
If it were up to me I would plan every last minute, but my husband wisely curtails my planning. We all know the meltdowns and disappointments that can occur with overplanning. Especially with a large group that includes small children and first timers. I am so glad to have found the Passporter! I used it to plan ( of course) and also as a guide to discuss what the others wanted to do during our monthly Disney Meetings. Yes, we had them. I will give a brief overview of those later.
For now I need to get back to work,gotta pay for those Vinylmations!
We arrived safely at Mom's in White Springs,FL. I will update with pics tomorrow night when we get to the villa but let me outline the trip thus far.
-Rain
-We had to stop 4 times in the first 15 minutes of the trip.
-Hubby's water pill kicked in.
- 4 month old puppy kept trying to drive so we put her in my DD's SUV
-she got carsick all over SUV
-switched my grandson for the dog.
- my cell phone dropped UNDER the seat.
We have a tiny Volvo. We are not SUV or minivan people. When I purchased it I was NOT planning on Grandkids. Or traveling much for a while. HAH.
Anyhoo, I am tired and need to get back over to bed. My parents place is hard to explain without seeing it so I am going to do a blog post but for now just think of each normal room in your house in a separate building - spread out over 3 acres. In the swamp. Babies are asleep - we watched Toy Story and went over the attractions list. Then I went and took a nice long soak in my mom;s huge bathtub. I have a big one but I think you could keep a sea lion in there. There was an ugly incident with bubbles.
I promise to update tomorrow with some neat pics!
So you traded the kid for the dog. At least it was AFTER the dog got car sick! LOL. Sounds like great plans and you are headed for a magical trip! Enjoy. Looking forward to hearing more.
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.
That was one drive down to remember for a long time to come! Glad you made it safely. Looking forward to more!
I homeschool my DS and we loved that we did not have to get our recent trip approved by the school before we could take him. Just makes things so much easier.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Thanks all! I do not know what I was thinking when I thought I cwas going to post the updates every night.
I am exhausted.
I can that BBB was worth it.
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.
We are home and I think we have decided on another home. Before we do DVC hubby wants to look into a Villa purchase in one of the neighborhoods. Yeah. The same guy that moaned about having to drive 3 minutes to Disney.
I am working on a trip report really,I am.
We decided not to do the DVC spiel this trip as we are going back in September - I'll get to the story about AP later. I always get the new people.
And we are pretty sure we will be back with just DD 13 March 10-16 next year.
But I have to show you this pic. It pretty much sums up the trip.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
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