A Spring Adventure: Wilderness, Flowers, and the Force (with Cam and Luke) PTR Updated 5/22 - Page 2 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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
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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. So happy you are starting this - although usually when your Trips are occurring it usually means that mine is really close......this time I will have to wait a bit longer but that's okay because I know you will love the F&GF!!!
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I have been able to go to the F&GF a few times, including last year. As a teacher, it works well for me because our school calendar includes a week off in mid April. I predict that you will love it! The addition of the food booths was a brilliant idea. Don't forget to get your passport! Oh, and a tip for you.....if they have the Mango wine this year, try it. It was awesome!
We're very excited about get to experience both events in the same trip.
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Originally Posted by Amy L
Yay you have started your PTR! I always look forward to and learn so much from your reports!
I'm glad you enjoy them and even learn from them. I have picked up so much information from reading all the trip reports here.
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Originally Posted by lfredsbo
. So happy you are starting this - although usually when your Trips are occurring it usually means that mine is really close......this time I will have to wait a bit longer but that's okay because I know you will love the F&GF!!!
I keep checking all the stuff about F&GF as it started Wednesday. At this point, Luke may be tired of me turning my laptop to face him, saying, "We get to see this before long. For ourselves!"
I have been able to go to the F&GF a few times, including last year. As a teacher, it works well for me because our school calendar includes a week off in mid April. I predict that you will love it! The addition of the food booths was a brilliant idea. Don't forget to get your passport! Oh, and a tip for you.....if they have the Mango wine this year, try it. It was awesome!
:thanks; for the tips. I had wondered if there were passports for the F&GF as there are for the F&WF. I had planned to check as soon as we got to Epcot, but now I'll just be sure to pick one up. Mango wine sounds lovely.
I didn’t mention previously in our time selection that the choice of resort was a factor in when we were going. We’ve done split stays, but don’t really enjoy them. We like to make ourselves at home from day one by unpacking and settling in. In the end we juggled our dates to avoid a split stay. Our first and second choices were the Grand Floridian and BLT in that order. We’ve yet to stay at a monorail DVC resort, but we’ll keep trying as long it doesn’t interfere with our time at AKLV. The Grand Floridian was a total bust with no studios available for all our days. BLT had a few studios, but none with a park view that matched all our days. If we stay there, we’d want the advantage of seeing MK from our balcony. We just didn’t want to spend that many points without the view.
One of the neat aspects of the DVC website now is that it will show several options for the chosen dates. AKL-Kidani Village had studios available, but we’ve agreed on every other year for this resort. Our last stay here as some of you will remember was June of 2013, so that was a non-option. But it’s cousin resort Wilderness Lodge, designed by the same architect, was also available with a studio for all 8 nights. So the end result of our juggling of dates and places is 8 nights/9 days in a deluxe studio at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge. Our last stay here was in June of 2008, so we are excited to return.
A Back Story:
The first trip we took with Stefanie was in 1997 when we stayed off property at a Days Inn. Luke decided three weeks before our trip that we were going to Disney. I was both excited and mortified. I immediately made a call to Disney reservations and a kind CM went over all the options available to us in just a few seconds. There were no options for what we could afford at that time. Every single value resort was totally booked. So Luke researched resorts in our price range near WDW with free bus service to the parks. The result was a Days Inn. It was okay, but we were disappointed that our once in a lifetime trip hadn’t been on Disney property.
One day our touring plans had us at Blizzard Beach for the morning. From there we took an internal Disney bus to Magic Kingdom. The bus we took from Blizzard Beach stopped first at Wilderness Lodge. I was sitting next to the window as we pulled up to the lodge. As I looked at all that luxury, I wondered if we’d ever be able to stay in such a place. I turned to face Luke who had clearly read my expression. He leaned in, telling me, “Some day, some day.” Through tears, I smiled at him, hoping “some day” would come. But I also knew that this trip had taken all we had financially.
Fast-forward to April 2004. Luke had been impacted by Stefanie’s constant watching of the DVC channel in our AKL room when we finally returned to WDW in June 2003. She would ask him over and over if we could do that, and I would avoid talking about it because I was pretty sure it was beyond our means. But when we got home, he revised the budget, got some debt paid off, and then bought our first 160 points at Saratoga Springs Resort. The paperwork arrived one day in April while Stefanie and I were at school. When Luke got home, he pulled I all out, saying that I’d need to sign some documents. To say I was puzzled is an understatement. Then he clarified, and I’m pretty sure Stefanie understood first. She began to jump and down excitedly while it finally sunk in for me. Then I was weeping.
As I signed page after page, Luke said, “By the way, there were no rooms available at SSR for our first stay, so I decided to book Wilderness Lodge for the first week of June.” Now my mouth dropped open. We were going to Disney in less than two months. By the way for the trip in 2003, I think he managed to give me 4 months to plan. So one of the advantage for me of DVC membership was a year to plan every trip. Such luxury!
We returned for a second stay here in June of 2008. So this place holds fond memories for us. And now for some pictures of the lodge during our '08 visit.
One of our favorite things about Wilderness Lodge is the boat ride from there to the Magic Kingdom.
I wonder just how many kids have had their picture taken with the totem pole inside the main lodge lobby.
I'm looking forward to the refurbished rooms at WLV. The new linens are supposed to make the rooms brighter and lighter.
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Wow! Wilderness Lodge!! Now I'm REALLY excited for you! I think it is a beautiful resort and I love to look at pictures of that place...the atmosphere just seems really peaceful and calm (I guess this kind of stands out for moms with active kids, huh?). I hope you have a fabulous stay there!
Yay. I can't wait to follow along. I love your reports!! Wilderness lodge would be one of my favorites that we plan on visiting. We are going to miss you guys by a week.
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I always look forward to and learn so much from your reports! 
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but that's okay because I know you will love the F&GF!!!
PassPorter Guide Author
I'm glad you enjoy them and even learn from them. I have picked up so much information from reading all the trip reports here. 
The Grand Floridian was a total bust with no studios available for all our days. BLT had a few studios, but none with a park view that matched all our days. If we stay there, we’d want the advantage of seeing MK from our balcony. We just didn’t want to spend that many points without the view. 
Kristin
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