Oh the Places We Go, The People We See Updated 11/03/2013 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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.
Gosh, I read some of these replies the other day and I thought I responded ...I guess i didn't. OOps!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhinohunter
Great day. Love the treat bag. Looks full enough to have provided you guys with snacks for the rest of the trip and then some.
We loved that treat bag. my Disfriend Lisa had asked for my address and Careys and just said she had a surprise to send. It was so nice of her. She makes these and sells them on ebay and I was so thrilled that she just gave us each one.
I think we stil lhave some of the not so popular candy left. I actually might've thrown it out now (I need to check the cupbard) or gave it to Skip to take to the barn to give to the guys. LOL
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
What a great, looong day! I love the magic shots.
It was a great day. I was so excited to get some different magic shots too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JKnott17
That was a really long day, but being so tired was really worth it, you had a great time at the party!
It sure was, but we did pretty good this day for not much sleep. Actually we both did fairly good the whole trip. Claire can get really crabby , but she was a trooper. The party was so worth it. I would love to plan a trip at this time again and hit both parties again. It really was neat. The downfall is my husband might murder me if I plan one that long again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I love all the night-time lighting effects at the party. Reading this is getting me so excited that we're going back for the Halloween Party (hopefully!) for the first time in five years!
The lighting is so beautiful. I was so happy we did get to go a day earlier than planned and fit this in. It was so worth it (and worth the arguement I had with Skip about how long I was going too. LOL)
Quote:
Originally Posted by pamcarey
Claire's treat bag looked nice and full! I bet she enjoyed that!
She was in heaven. I do believe we may have a treat or 2 before bed as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommapants
what a long and tiring day, but still sounds like lots of fun. I love the lightin on POTC, soo cool, like the fort is under attack. Evan LOVED the dance party (Woody, Jessie and Bullseye) too. I think watching him dance was my favorite part of the night.
It was long, but we had that adrenaline going most of the day. It was almost perfect, wether was great, we had great resort time and fun at the party. it just would've been better if I could've had less crowds.
The dance party was really fun. Claire felto like a celebrity dancing with Woody.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cinderbrella
I enjoyed all of your pictures of MNSSHP. Cute photopass shots in front of the castle as well! The lobby at Jambo looks lovely and quiet. Looking forward to more.
Thanks.
We really injoyed Jambo. I hope to stay there again. Our next goal is a Princess room at POR, but then after that I might look at AKL again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrDolphin
Your party pics are wonderful!!
Thanks. We really had such a great time. And hangin with Carey and her family was just wonderful. They are so nice and we have a lot in common.
A new day! I think I woke up somewhere around 6:30 and 7. Claire was out like a light though. I checked my email and facebook then I showered and got ready for the day.
I took a look out on the balcony and WOW! We had a bunch of animals out there this morning.
The views were just gorgeous!
This guy was pacing all over and squawking so loudly. I think he wanted to be on the other side of the fence.
I fooled around a bit and took a few pictures of Flat Ben for my fellow Diser Dee. And I got this one that was so cute. Claire never saw it till we got home and she was surprised to see it.
I decided that maybe I would try to do laundry. I know that staying on DVC points you get free laundry services. I headed out for a bit too look. Just so you know, Claire knows that if she wakes up and I am not there she is NOT to leave the room or answer the door. I only leave for a few minutes at a time and come back to check on her frequently if I walk out. So I went in search and found a room not too far away. Now we didn’t have much laundry dirty, but I thought it would be nice to stay ahead of things. Well this was not for DVC members as you had to pay to use it. I went back to the room and looked at the resort map and still couldn’t find it. I wasn’t going to pay to do a few pieces of clothing, but I would do it for free. LOL I think I snuck out a couple of times and never could find it. In the meantime, while out searching, I was texting my Dis/Cruise Critic friend Ellen (podsnel). She had arrived yesterday as well and was staying in some fancy shmancy suite at AKL. She invited me to her room , but they were going to be leaving soon. I told her I was going to run and get Claire dressed and we would be right over. I got Claire up and she was a little slow, well VERY slow. I put her dress on and told her we would skip brushing the rats nest and her teeth and just head over so we didn’t miss them. She could do those things when we got back.
She grumbled a bit, but was a little curious to see the room. We headed out and I realized that Ellen’s room was about as far down the hall as ours was, but on the other wing. I believe this is when, as we were walking a lady came out of her room and started walking as well and then asked me if I posted on the Disboards. I told her yes and she said she read my reports. We said hellos and she told me her name …Jedijill! It was so nice to meet her!
We continued on our long journey to Ellen’s room with the clock ticking. We arrived and knocked and she answered. It was a bit chaotic in her room too, as they were getting ready to leave and some of the family was walking out the door.
This was such an awesome fun meet though. I have been following Ellen’s reports for about a year now. She is married to Pods and has 3 boys, Sean, Tyler and Timmy. I believe her brother in-laws family was staying with them too. I got to meet them all! It was so unreal to be saying hi to Timmy and Tyler. They were just as she writes about them. Super cute boys, btw! I bet they are breaking hearts all over. After saying hi, all of them left except for Ellen and Sean, who was sleeping on the couch. Sean is Autistic and so is my nephew. After reading some of Ellen’s reports, it’s so funny how similar they are. I give Ellen a lot of credit, because I do know how hard it can be to raise a child like that. My nephew is wonderful too, but stubborn at times. I believe Ellen once had to take one of Sean’s favorite books ransom in order for him to get on a plane to fly to Florida one year. These are things my SIL has to do at times too. We left Sean sleeping and Ellen gave us a tour of the place. I am going to say I was really bad and not on my game as I mostly gawked at the beauty of this place rather than taking pictures. I think it had like 4 bedrooms and a pool table room, a living room and kitchen too, if I remember right and several bathrooms. Ellen was beaming. She said it was the best place she had ever stayed at. Here are the few pictures I did take.
This is the master bathroom.
Isn’t this just so cool!
I think this was the shower tiles in there.
They had a walk in closet that was the size of some people’s bedrooms. It was massive!
We headed out to see her view.
They had 3 huge balconies! It was just amazing.
We settled in for a bit and chatted. She was telling me how they had to cancel their annual girls cruise, as one of the girls now had to work. That was a bummer, as I love reading their reports about them. They really have a good time. She also started talking about a Diser who lived in her town and was a school teacher, but also did side work in the same industry as I. I asked her the name and she told me. Well what a small world …that girl is my co-worker Nikki! Soon we needed to wrap things up. WE needed to check out of our room yet and have our bags taken and go to our morning ADR and she needed to get Sean going and off to meet the rest of the family.
Claire was a tiny bit bored too. (love the wild hair)
We had Claire take pictures of us. She brightened up when we asked her to do that.
And this was the one she took with Ellen’s camera.
As we headed out, Ellen showed me one other bathroom we had missed.
Then we said good byes. She was going to be here for several more days too and we talked about possibly meeting up later in the trip, but I was so busy, as I am sure she was too, that it never happened.
We rushed back the long journey to our room. Claire brushed her teeth and I made a call to bell services to pick up our bags. I then had the task of brushing rat city out of Claire’s hair. And guess what, the darn brush broke in it! UGH! I got it kind of put back together to finish the task and then I called my mother. They were on their way to my sisters, (where most of the family was meeting to go to the airport) and her and my Dad were stopping off at the pharmacy first. PERFECT! I asked if she would buy a new hairbrush for Claire and bring it down and she said no problem. Thinking back, I am sure the gift shop probably had something, but I was in a small panic mode thinking that I wouldn’t have a brush for the rest of the trip. Soon we had a knock on our door and a lady was there to take our bags. She was so nice and so funny. She asked if I normally stay at Grand Floridian, and I told her no, (I wish) and she said there is a lady who had my same hair that stays there all the time and she always recognizes her by the unusual hair. So there you have it folks. I am NOT the only one who has this crazy color, as my Mom would say. I told her I never got a voucher for Magical Express on my door and she told me just to go to Bell services later and they will be able to write one for me. Claire and I were using Magical Express today to get back to the airport where we would meet up with the rest of the family and then rent cars to head over to Port Canaveral. I had called a few days prior, as told by ME and had it arranged and given a time to leave. Since we weren’t catching a flight, we only had to leave about an hour before their flight arrived.
Well there was no time to take a breath and relax. We had an ADR to get to …..Boma! We headed down and checked right in.
We only had to wait for a few minutes.
We were led to a table for 2 next to a window. I will state right now, that almost all my pictures are fuzzy or blurry. I guess I didn’t have my “game” on this morning.
We headed up and got Claire a plate of fruit.
I got a little more than fruit. LOL
Not sure why she is making such a weird face.
We both headed back up a couple of times. Claire really liked the sausage and the ham from the carving station.
Wow, that suite is something else! Do you think it was a suite or a DVC Grand Villa? Whatever it was, it was amazing. As for the free DVC laundry. If it works the same as at the Boardwalk, the machines look like they are coin operated, but the slots are filled with fake coins that just stay there. You put your laundry in, slide the coin thingy, and the machine starts up. Info for next time!
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.
Great update! Glad you were able to meet up with some more friends. Their 3 bedroom looks pretty darn nice!! Boma looks delicious! You guys must be getting excited about boarding your ship!
__________________
Disney Trips: BLT & Poly Bungalow 2016, VGF 2015, Fantasy 2015, Saratoga Springs Resort 2014, Grand Villa at VGF 2013, Fantasy 2013, BWV and Kidani Village 2011, BWV and Kidani Village 2010, BWV and Saratoga Springs Resort 2008,Beach Club Villas 2008,Villas at Wilderness Lodge 2006, BWV 2006, BCV 2005, HHI 2004,Polynesian 2003,Grand Floridian 2000/concierge, Honeymoon at Polynesian 1994,Polynesian 1980,Polynesian 1978
_______________
Sue
Wow, that suite is something else! Do you think it was a suite or a DVC Grand Villa? Whatever it was, it was amazing. As for the free DVC laundry. If it works the same as at the Boardwalk, the machines look like they are coin operated, but the slots are filled with fake coins that just stay there. You put your laundry in, slide the coin thingy, and the machine starts up. Info for next time!
It was a DVC grand villa. It was amazing.
Good to know about the laundry. I didn't look super close, so they were probably that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cinderbrella
Great update! Glad you were able to meet up with some more friends. Their 3 bedroom looks pretty darn nice!! Boma looks delicious! You guys must be getting excited about boarding your ship!
Thanks. Boma was nice. I am glad we had a chance to try it. AKL is kind of far out, so not sure we would head out that way normally just to try it.
I want to know more about that room as well - I was wondering the same thing, whether it was a suite or a DVC three bedroom villa?
Yes Grand Villa. It must've been the 3 bedroom. She said it was mega points and she absolutely LOVED it.
I really wish I took more pictures, but wit hso many people there, they had a lot of personal things laying around as well, and that was another reason I didn't take pictures everywhere. It was fantastic though. The balcony alone was worth it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JKnott17
Oh, that room your friend had at AKL was amazing!!
Breakfast sounded yummy too!
It sure was. I have to say I was a little jealous. Unless I win the lottery, my chances of owning DVC is next to none. My husband thinks that kind of thing is dumb, and being a stubborn farmer, he isn't like to change his mind.
I lover you signature!!!
I need to change mine. It's almost a year old now.
More nice pics - looks like lots of animals outside. That looks like the Grand Villa at Jambo House. The ones at Kidani don't have a pool table, and have a two story configuration (still, very nice - we scored one a few years ago with the Florida Resident discount, but I think I would pick Jambo next time.
More nice pics - looks like lots of animals outside. That looks like the Grand Villa at Jambo House. The ones at Kidani don't have a pool table, and have a two story configuration (still, very nice - we scored one a few years ago with the Florida Resident discount, but I think I would pick Jambo next time.
Yes. I think it would be great to have, but as much time as I spend in the room, I don't know if it would be worth it for me to ever stay there. But it sure is nice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
The grand villa was amazing! The master bathroom, I'd soak in that tub all day.
We finished up our meal at Boma. We really enjoyed it. The juice is pretty darn good too! I paid the bill and we gathered our belongings and headed out. Once again, we no longer had a room, so we had to carry with us what we needed for the day till it was time to leave.
We made a stop to take a couple of pictures of Claire.
And a stop off at the bathroom.
MEANWHILE! …………
My family was preparing to head to the airport. My Mom had arranged for a bus to take 10 of them to the airport in Detroit. That left Katie, Thad and their boys to go up there on their own.
Mom said they came across a bad accident on the way up and quickly called Katie to tell her to avoid it.
They arrived at the airport and settled in till it was time to board the plane. They were flying Delta.
Abby is always happy if she has a good snack.
Mom said they boarded on time, but Katie and family were practically running to the plane. I guess they had run into the accident after all and were running extremely late. I do think the flight time actually might’ve been changed to a bit later of a time. I had made the arrangements for everyone and I had it all written down in my planner so I knew when to get to the airport to meet them, but they ended up landing about 10 minutes later than I had written down. Mom said it was all “on time” and she wasn’t sure if the time changed or not. LOL
So Claire and I had just finished a nice brunch. We headed outside a bit. I think we checked out the hot tub and took a look at the Flamingoes again.
We then decided to go over and look at the Savanna, so back through the resort we went.
A few peeks out the windows.
A picture of my little sweetheart.
We went and admired the animals. There were a ton of giraffes out today.
Your experiences at the AKL were really great. Your friends villa would make anyone envious. Just can't get over all of the animals in the savannah. AKL is on my eventual to do list. Budget issues have kept us from staying there.
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.
About This Page: 
The lobby at Jambo looks lovely and quiet
. Looking forward to more.
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
You guys must be getting excited about boarding your ship!
PassPorter Guide Author
Linear Mode
