The "It Practically Pays For Itself", End of Summer, Split-Stay Sojourn.COMPLETE WITH FINAL THOUGHTS!!!!....UPDATED....11/18...... - Page 15 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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
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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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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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I love the pictures! I'm assuming Izzy took at least one of them. She's quite the budding photographer! And Andrew's pout is too funny! Sort of sums up the feelings about the trip being over.
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Every trip to WDW in wonderful in its own special way… and this one was no exception. As always, I feel very blessed that we are able to go as often as we do; WDW is our happy place and one where we can really let loose.
There were a few new experiences on this trip:
*Split Stay: this was our first time trying a split stay and for us, it was great! Having a car made the transition pretty easy, although I had pre shipped our clothes to each resort so as to not have to worry about the transfer. It was almost like two vacations in one as the atmosphere and feel of the AKL and GF are so very different. We love both hotels though my kiddos are giving AKL the edge over GF. Me, well, I do adore the monorail access to MK as well as watching Wishes from the balcony at night which probably gives the GF an edge. Doing the split stay was the best of both worlds.
*Blizzard Beach: it was our first visit as a foursome to a WDW water park and it did not disappoint. I found my courage (or lost my mind) and went on my first thrill ride in a very, very long time. Okay, perhaps Teamboat Springs is barely a thrill ride but considering my self acclaimed ride weenie status, it was a major accomplishment for me! The weather was perfect for a water park visit and timed in the middle of the trip, it was a nice break from the major parks.
*The Wave: we were all looking forward to trying the new restaurant with the menu boasting a more health conscious flair. Our meal was plentiful and fresh with some interesting takes on traditional fare. I am glad we tried it out and would go back again.
Food, Glorious Food….
Since we had a split stay, I crunched numbers and came up with this. Our first three nights at AKL were booked with free dining upgraded to the deluxe. Our second three were booked at GF with an AP rate. Since the DxDP credits didn’t expire until midnight of our fourth day, it was a great deal. The plan paid for all our CS lunches, lunch at Chef Mickeys, dinners at Flying Fish, Narcoossee’s, Jiko and Brown Derby, as well as 24 snacks which we bought before the plan was up but then continued to enjoy afterwards. I have almost all our receipts and calculated that we would have spent roughly $1200 on the above meals and snacks making the almost free DxDP a great deal for us. For our remaining TS meals, we were able to apply the Tables in Wonderland (DDE) discount which kept our overall costs down.
I realize the DxDP is not for everyone; it is a lot of food and definitely time consuming. Forgive me if I go on here a bit….If you read my trip reports, you know that my DD has, among other things, very serious and life threatening food allergies. She is highly reactive and has had five episodes of anaphylaxis requiring 911 as well as countless smaller reactions requiring medical attention. Eating in a restaurant is just something we cannot do. Basically, Izzy doesn’t eat anything that doesn’t come from my kitchen. That may not sound like a big deal but trust me, it is. We can never just say…”oh, let’s not cook tonight and grab such and such instead OR let’s celebrate and go out to (insert restaurant of choice)”. Every meal and snacked is carefully planned out and provided, every single day. So, the idea that at WDW, we can sit down as a family and enjoy a lovely three course meal….I cannot even begin to describe how wonderfully special and magical that it is. We are all foodies and absolutely adore our meal times at WDW; I am so very thankful that WDW can accommodate Izzy’s needs and give her the experience of being a bit more normal. Given our eating habits, large appetites, and restaurant preferences, the DxDP definitely works for us.
That Was Then, This is Now:
Remember how bummed we were to leave WDW without another trip on the horizon? Any bets on how long it took before I righted that situation and got something on the books?
Thanks to all of you who read along and commented; I appreciate it all!
danielle
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
Glad you had a great trip. I totally understand your problem with Izzy getting to enjoy eating out--we have food allergies too only not that severe. Looking forward to reading your Christmas trip report.
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Great trip report! I'm so glad that WDW has such wonderful restaurants that are able to work with food allergies so that you and your family could enjoy so many great family meals! Looking forward to your next trip!
What a great wrap up Dani...the split stay sounds like it won all around, and you definitely had some great meals. I can definitely understand your feeling about eating at WDW...it is the one time I really every feel comfortable eating without having to worry about something snuck into a meal that might get me or the little one sick.
Glad that another trip is on the horizion....can't wait to hear all about it.
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1900 Park Fare sounds looked like the perfect way to end your stay! I'm so happy for you that you've found Disney to be so accomodating for Izzy. It must be a great relief to know that you have such a wonderful place to vacation and not have to worry about her allergies.
I'm guessing you had your next trip in the works within a week of being home!
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Love the pictures.
Looking forward to your wrap-up!
Bring on the next pre-trip report!! 
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