Ally's Great Make-A-Wish WDW Trip Report: We're Back! - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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As DD and I get through security, the suspicious characters’ line is barely moving. TSA does do extra testing on the kids’ nebulizer and enteral pump, but it’s a quick extra, and we are through the line with a “havaniceday”. DH and DS meanwhile, are still being checked out. Fortunately I have seen no patdowns or rubber hoses. When DD and I walk up to the safe end of the suspicious character line, DH and DS are joking with the TSA guy who is a nice guy, but still carefully swabbing everything in my innocent bag that is now unpacked in bins everywhere. Thankfully, he lets ME put the bag back together, as DH would never have gotten it all in there, and we are done and through security with 40 minutes to go before flight.
The Continental attendant at the gate notices our MaW button, and asks DD name. Ten minutes later, we are called as the first to board, because ‘the pilot wants to meet Ally’.
Ally not only gets to meet the pilot and copilot, she gets to sit in the copilot’s seat and wear his hat (brave man!) and hang out with the pilot for about 10 minutes. He was just sweet to her.
The pilot then says she can keep the copilot’s hat, but we don’t want to cause problems in the cockpit, so we leave it for the copilot to wear.
As we are landing in Houston, the flight attendant announces that they all hope their friend Ally has a great time in Orlando. There are stars in Ally’s eyes.
We have an hour’s delay in Houston, which is good because now we can eat lunch! Yay! Then it’s off to Orlando and the GKTW greeter!
Our greeter meets us at the first place he can, right outside security with a baggage cart and a sign with Ally’s name on it. He is Moe, and we are his third family today. He is cuter than pie, and his wife Helen (also a really nice lady) meets us at the car rental. Here we have a small snag due to *ahem* DH’s expired driver’s license. He WAS the driver listed, but now they change it to ME, the LEGAL DRIVER. Heehee! (I like to drive!) As we walk outside, we are blown away by the humidity. It’s like walking into a fogged up bathroom, only there’s no kids to yell at for forgetting to turn on the fan.And this is 6:30 pm!!
So will we make it to GKTW without getting lost? Will we be there in time for dinner? Will I get to go to orientation tonight as planned? WILL THERE BE BANANA SPLITS?
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Thanks everyone for reading! I'm honored you are joining us on our trip
Here's another update:
Something good to know about Orlando and driving is that each road has two or three names.(for example, 192 is also Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway and Vine St.) Thank goodness for GKTW and their really good directions They not only sent them to me through the MaW coordinator, they also printed them on the back of Ally’s Welcome sign My reputation must precede me
We made it to GKTW with only *ahem* one honking exasperated Florida native following me (which I think was probably justified, looking back...)
Drive-thru part of the lobby
Inside on the lobby floor. One of many in a lot of different languages
ANYWAYS, we made it to GKTW at 7:30. Dinner runs until 8 pm, and it was pot roast night. The Giant Candyland Game had been cancelled because of the rain, but DH happily agreed to take the kids to dinner while I went to orientation at 7:45 (whew, made it ) That was very interesting, there were probably about 15 other families represented, several states and a family from the UK. GKTW has served families from 55 countries How cool is that? I think they said there had been 75,000 families since GKTW had started. They give you your tickets to the parks here, as well as your GAC for Disney and Universal. These work together with your DS/ DD GKTW button, so both of them are worth more than gold. Keep your eye on the GKTW button. DD accidentally threw hers in the washer at one point. (They will replace it if you do lose it, BTW, but still)
After orientation, Marianne, who was checking us in, told us our villa # and how to get there, and we all headed over to our *home sweet Florida home*. Ours is the one on the right.
These are amazing places. They have more room in them than my house in Oregon (DH says they are about 1200 sq ft)
Much much nicer than a hotel room And sitting on the front porch rocker with my morning coffee became my favorite way to start the day.
Since I missed dinner, I could have ordered pizza from Mama Merry’s pizza (by the swimming pool and part of GKTW) but instead I went for a more nutritious meal option. Mmmm
Side note: be careful about asking for extra cherries at THIS ice cream parlor It is run by volunteers and the ice cream all comes from Friendlies. It is TOO yummy
There were several surprises for the kids both at check-in and when we got to the villa, so they were already getting spoiled...I was just happy there was a coffee maker, filters and coffee. They also put a half gallon of milk, pop (soda for you southerners), little bottled waters and an Entenmann’s cake in the fridge for us.. Very sweet! No WalMart run tonight
Coming up next: Epcot Day and our first train ride at GKTW How will we do it all? What time will we FINALLY get on our way to the Happiest Place on Earth?
Great updates....loved Ally in the pilot' seat...she must have been so excited. Your driving skills got you where you had to go and you made it to orientation....no better start then that....
Awesome update! I figure your dinner was nutritious... after all, look at all the fruit you had on it! BTW -- you might have been right across from the villa we were in... I'll have to look at our old photos again! Wouldn't that be amazing!
I am so thrilled Ally and your family are getting the royal treatment! Looks like everyone had a great first day~and~you haven't even hit th parks yet!
danielle
__________________
~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
BTW -- you might have been right across from the villa we were in... I'll have to look at our old photos again! Wouldn't that be amazing!
Do look, Susan! That would be really cool! I think our road was called Paige's Way.
Thanks everyone for reading! No more pix of ice cream, sorry!
I hopped out of bed when the alarm rang, and I was ready in double-quick time. My family, however, had other ideas, and they wanted to sleep more. (Can’t think why?) So I went out on the front porch and watch the little anoles(?), geckos,* lizard-thingies* out on the driveway while I drank my coffee. They were very respectful of my personal space, so we were getting along just fine. The morning *train* chugged by twice looking for any families who wanted to come to breakfast.
Finally everyone was ready, and we got to ride too. GKTW is so great, and this was MY first visit to the Gingerbread House. There were volunteers from different resorts, I saw some DisneyHand shirts, and there were many seniors who volunteer out of the joy of it. We met a lot of wonderful people there. After the nicest breakfast I’ve had in a while (pancakes, cantaloupe, bacon, eggs..) we were finally off to Epcot (at 10 am, but who’s counting?)
The GKTW guidebook (bunny book) had excellent directions, and we drove through the Disney World arch about 20 minutes later.
The MaW button and GAC got us through parking and into a really close lot, which was VERY wonderful at the end of our day. We met my parents just past the bag check, and discovered how easy it was to find each other wearing the same shirts
After wheelchair rental, we headed for Innoventions East. (My family are dorks, I told you) So the very first number one thing we did at WDW? Make virtual robots and race them. Dorks. I rest my case.
Now you need to know that my mom is EVIL. She asked to be my partner, because she didn’t want to do the run and jump on the virtual dance pad thing..No problem, I’ll do it. Now out comes the *Gramma-Cam*. That’s fine too, gotta get all these Hallmark moments of the grandkids on tape. No, no, that’s not why the *Gramma-Cam* came out.. It’s to film my backside while I’m doing those oh-so-cute-moves trying to win the stupid robot race (Came in 11th out of 12th, thank you very much) Paybacks are NOT going to be pretty!
We did have fun making the cute little plastic robots, though, and DDad, DH and DS had a great time watching the “plastic extruder” and telling us how it worked.
After we finished with Innoventions, we found Ellen’s Energy Adventure, with our hero Bill Nye the Science Guy. That was really fun how the theatre seats moved. I hadn’t told DMom and DDad, so they were not expecting anything like that.
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DH and DS meanwhile, are still being checked out. Fortunately I have seen no patdowns or rubber hoses. 
When DD and I walk up to the safe end of the suspicious character line, DH and DS are joking with the TSA guy who is a nice guy, but still carefully swabbing everything in my innocent bag that is now unpacked in bins everywhere. 
Thankfully, he lets ME put the bag back together,
as DH would never have gotten it all in there, and we are done and through security with 40 minutes to go before flight.
(I like to drive!) As we walk outside, we are blown away by the humidity. It’s like walking into a fogged up bathroom, only there’s no kids to yell at for forgetting to turn on the fan.And this is 6:30 pm!! 
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Thank
Pixie Dust
Larry
Can't wait for more!!!
The Giant Candyland Game had been cancelled because of the rain, but DH happily agreed to take the kids to dinner while I went to orientation at 7:45 (whew, made it ) That was very interesting, there were probably about 15 other families represented, several states and a family from the UK. GKTW has served families from 55 countries 
It is run by volunteers and the ice cream all comes from Friendlies. It is TOO yummy 
They also put a half gallon of milk, pop (soda for you southerners), little bottled waters and an Entenmann’s cake in the fridge for us.. Very sweet! No WalMart run tonight 
So I went out on the front porch and watch the little anoles(?), geckos,* lizard-thingies* out on the driveway while I drank my coffee. They were very respectful of my personal space, so we were getting along just fine. 
No, no, that’s not why the *Gramma-Cam* came out.. It’s to film my backside while I’m doing those oh-so-cute-moves trying to win the stupid robot race 
Paybacks are NOT going to be pretty! 
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