Our Final Itinerary-- I hope(opinions / Suggestions?) - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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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.
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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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Our Final Itinerary-- I hope(opinions / Suggestions?)
Saturday May 14th-- First Day
12pm - Land MCO
Check in to CBR
Relax at Hotel
Evening at Magic Kingdom to see Spectro/Wishes
Dinner at Casey's (I know it will be crowded, but we don't have many opportunities to see Spectro)
Sunday, May 15th-- Day at Magic Kingdom
Sleep late (which will probably be til 8am)-- then head to MK
10am - Breakfast at Crystal Palace for Danny's 2nd Birthday
Early Dinner / Late Lunch at Pecos Bill's
We'll stay at MK as long as the kids want (or until they can't handle any more)-- though we intend to take our time, with plenty of rest breaks. Going back to resort for naps does not work for us-- they nap better in the stroller, and aren't usually happy about leaving the Parks
Monday May 16th-- World Showcase Day
Spend Morning at Resort (CBR) letting the kids play in the sand, and at the pool.
Lunch at the tables by the pool near OPR
Afternoon- Head to World Showcase
Explore World Showcase all afternoon/ evening,looking for characters, making stops in kidcot stations, and long stops at all of the fountains (Aidan LOVES fountains). Kids will probably eat dinner in USA or the MCDonalds Stand near Canada-- while Joe and I will snack around the world.
7:45 - Find spot for Illuminations
Tuesday May 17th- Animal Kingdom Day
Let kids take their time waking up-- they can take a swim if they want as well.
Mid / Late Morning Head to Animal Kingdom
Lunch- Kids can get happy meals at Restaurantosaurus, Joe and I will get something from the chicken cart in Asia (whenever we head by there)
We're going to stay there for the Evening EMH
Hope to get on Kilimanjaro Safari before it closes at 5, right after Parade
Dinner - Flame Tree Barbecue
Wednesday May 18th - MGM Day
Spend morning at resort (if kids don't feel like swimming we may spend a few hours at DTD in the morning-- getting lunch at McDonalds (we'll see what they want to do-- sometimes they like swimming, sometimes they don't)
Go to MGM Early/Mid Afternoon (Aidan won't go on anything here... not even Playhouse Disney-- so my only real goal is the Parade, and taking Danny in Playhouse Disney-- We're skipping Fantasmic) Basically just exploring MGM
Dinner - Hollywood and Vine
Joe and I will go on TOT and RNRC Separately-- though Aidan is begging to go on TOT (he's 4and a half, he has watched alot of Travel Channel shows featuring TOT-- I'm not encouraging him, but we'll see how intent he is on going on this. Playhouse Disney and Its A Small World scares him, but he begs to go on TOT... go figure.
Thursday May 19th-- Future World Day
Let kids wake up whenever, take time getting ready, can swim if they want
Mid/Late Morning- Head to Future World
Let kids explore Future World-- we'll see what Aidan will do. We'll spend alot of time at Living Seas-- I'm sure (Joe and I may do MS, and Soarin separately)
Lunch and Dinner-- we'll probably head over to World Showcase at mealtimes, and eat at counter services there.
We may see Illuminations again, or we may just stay in Future World (Evening EMH)-- see what the kids can handle.
Friday, May 20th Last Day--Magic Kingdom
Spend morning at Resort Pool/Beach
Head over to Magic Kingdom after Lunch
Let the kids do whatever they want at MK
May go to Trails End for dinner at FW/ or if we don't want to leave the park-- will do a counter service somewhere-- probably either Casey's or Pecos Bill (our favorites)
If the kids need to leave, we'll leave-- or if they want to stay, we'll see Spectro again and Wishes.
Saturday, May 21st
Quicksilver Pickup at 7am
It may seem weird that we're going to parks mid-day, but leaving for breaks in the afternoon didn't work well for us in September, so we're giving this a try-- we'll see how it goes. Even though we're spending alot of time at the parks, we're not going commando, we go at least once a year, so we're pretty easygoing when touring the parks, and are very flexible to whatever the kids need/want to do etc. We'll see how it goes. We're not doing much table service, because right now, Danny (22 mths) just doesn't sit well at restaurants- too antsy. So we're just doing the one breakfast, and dinner at Hollywood and Vine (only really doing that because I don't like MGM Counter service. I'd love any suggestions / opinions. This is the last draft-- I promise!!! The only thing we're a little bummed about is that we're not doing Star Wars Weekend-- we just didn't want to do MGM on our last day-- its our tradition to start and end with MK, and the kids don't know Star Wars (I'm the fanatic), and I truly think they would prefer to be at MK the last day-- oh well. Sorry I jsut realized how long this was-- I rambled.
Re: Our Final Itinerary-- I hope(opinions / Suggestions?)
I think all your plans look great! We all have to find what works best for our family. I have a mentally/physically handicapped 19 year old who is only 3'7". But she is the energizer bunny once she enters a WDW park and goes none stop until we tell her we have to go back to the resort. People who ask her how each day went sometimes think we are crazy to go for so long with her, but she loves it and would be upset otherwise. Have a great trip with lots of magic!
Re: Our Final Itinerary-- I hope(opinions / Suggestions?)
I think your plans look great, with lots of down time. I hope going to the parks later in the day works out better for you than taking a break in the afternoon.
Re: Our Final Itinerary-- I hope(opinions / Suggestions?)
Looks like a nice family vacation. When you have little kids, it just makes the vacation worse when you try to go Comando. I think it is wise that you decided to go at the pace of the kids and see how they do. That will make it more enjoyable for you and your DH.
Re: Our Final Itinerary-- I hope(opinions / Suggestions?)
Like everyone else has said, doing what works best for your kids is doing what works best for everyone! A word a/b your 4/12-year-old and TOT: My DD was nearly 5 and just reached the height requirement for TOT. She was dying to go, so she and my DH went in. Moments later they came out - she'd made it to the second "lobby" and started to cry. YOu might find out if there is a "point of no return," as I think it gets creepier and creepier as you go up. (My DH went back alone, but I never got to do it.) Georgia asked to go back, but we satisfied her with the Haunted Mansion in the MK.