What A Short, Strange Trip It...Will Be: Solo PTR - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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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.
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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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Good choice on upgrading the hotel! I think you will enjoy the resort. We stayed there for the first time this past November (just 2 nights though) and loved it. We were in the Cabanas section, building 9B and it was perfect! Super short walk to the quiet pool and to the main lobby/food area. And just a few extra minutes to the main pool. It's so peaceful there, I'm sure you will like it!!!
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Good choice on upgrading the hotel! I think you will enjoy the resort. We stayed there for the first time this past November (just 2 nights though) and loved it. We were in the Cabanas section, building 9B and it was perfect! Super short walk to the quiet pool and to the main lobby/food area. And just a few extra minutes to the main pool. It's so peaceful there, I'm sure you will like it!!!
Peaceful sounds good right about now! (I teach 8th grade...if that helps with understanding my desire to be 'peaceful'! )
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Good move to upgrade. And don't forget, when your friend isn't there to talk to in person, you can talk to us!
I was planning on blogging while I'm there--I actually set up an account specifically for that purpose (more on that later) that's easy to update via iPhone. I just don't think I'm thumb-nimble enough to update on here via iPhone--it's a REALLY little screen! Though--is there wireless available in moderate resorts? If so, I'll absolutely be on here on my netbook every night...LATE every night!
Ok just got caught up. Three words; YOU ARE AWESOME!!! I love your attitude! All your plans sound wonderful! I know it’s awhile off but I want to read your book/books when it’s/they are done!
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Man, all of this snow is really giving me time to write up this PTR (and work on my proposal...and watch crappy tv...and read other people’s trip reports...and....the list goes on!) We’re on our FOURTH snow day this year (and month) in my school district, and I’m getting kind of bummed about it--we’ll now be in school until June 17th--and there’s more snow in the forecast for next week! AAACK!
But enough complaining--back to my PTR. I was just getting to the good part--food. You see, food is very important to me. I think I may have mentioned earlier that I get cranky when I don’t eat. What I did not mention is that this happens a lot, because I’m also one of those people who won’t eat just anything, particularly when I’m paying for it. I don’t mind paying to eat at a good restaurant, as long as the food is good. I do mind paying a lot of money for yucky food. Funny side story--as part of our summer trip this past year, my husband and I spent two weeks living in an apartment in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris. The best meals we had? The ones I cooked in the apartment! That is, after some slightly awkward and difficult interactions with the butcher and the grocer! I found the food at most of the places we stopped to be, well, gross and overpriced. Why? Because in the planning of the trip I put absolutely no thought into where we would eat. I imagined Paris to be this culinary mecca, where we could step off the street into any random cafe or bistro and be served amazing, mouth watering food. Yeah--not so much. Especially not so much when the places you are going are all tourist attractions (because we were, after all, tourists!) I have never eaten so little and walked so much, and I have never been as hungry as I was for those two weeks in Paris. I vowed to research restaurant options and, when needed, make advanced reservations for every future trip. And since then, I have!
As everyone knows (or at least everyone on here), the planning of meals at Disney World starts with planning your days. My trip is rather odd, given the purpose behind it and the short time period. Add the further benefit/complication of working around my friend’s schedule (she wanted to do Epcot the one night she was available, so that time period is non negotiable) and I had a bit of an interesting time coming up with my schedule. So far, this is what I have: (this is a skeleton schedule--more touring details to come...once I figure them out!)
Day 1--Arrive late at night. Go to resort. Sleep.
Day 2--MK for am EMH, lunchtime tour of monorail resorts (for research), meet friend at Epcot around 3pm.
Day 3--AK all day, Epcot again for evening EMH.
Day 4--HS for am EMH, bus to WL around lunchtime, check out WL, MK in the evening.
I’m totally open to feedback on these plans, as they don’t seem ideal (see future post about what I’m already considering...hint--extra day?) But know that I’m trying to get a lot accomplished in a VERY short period of time!
Day 5--Plane leaves at 2:30. This is awkward. Don't know what to do.
As for the meals, well, I can justify table service restaurants (time wise and money wise) because the restaurants are also part of my research (how great is that?!?) Using my trusty passporter, along with more advice from everyone on here, I decided upon Kona Cafe at POLY for my first meal--lunch on day 2, during my tour of monorail resorts. For dinner that night, I made reservations at the San Angel Inn in Epcot for my friend and myself. I’m contemplating canceling them and just doing random CS food in World Showcase, as my husband and I did that on our first/last trip and loved it (but didn’t have room for half of the things we wanted to try!)
For Day 2, I debated the various merits of the AK restaurants, and even though I’ve already booked it for trip number two in May, I made reservations at Yak and Yeti. I saw some food photos on here and I just had to make the reservation! As I return to Epcot alone that night, I made yet another reservation, thinking this day would be long and tiring, and I’d want the chance to sit down and be waited upon. I made 7:30 reservations for one (how...not romantic!) at Les Chefs de France. On our first/last trip to Epcot, I refused to eat anything in the France pavilion because of my afore mentioned awful experience in ACTUAL France! (Though I did have a glass of wine...it was the first day the new Beaujolais was out, ok? I had to make an exception!) I’m hoping this meal will rid me of my current anti-croissant stance!
For my last day, I made dueling lunch reservations, and plan to cancel one based on how I’m feeling and how the research is going (I’ve even created a shortcut to my Disney Dining account on my iPhone so I can do it quickly and easily!) I figure I’ll know by that point how much time I need to do my research (or, more likely, I’ll have given up on trying to hit all of the parks and will have focused on one for the purpose of the proposal--likely MK), and can build my day around that. Reservation number one is for The Brown Derby. I’m kind of excited about this one, even though again, my mother and I will be returning here during trip number two. Reservation number two works out even with two different scenarios--1. I stick with my plan, do HS in the morning and transfer at WL to MK. 2. I ditch the plan of going to HS because I realize I need more time in MK to get all of my notes down, and I spend the entire day at MK. Thus, reservation number two is at Whispering Canyon for early afternoon (2:00). I really wanted to try Artist Point, but sadly they are only open for dinner.
No matter what I do on this last day, I plan to be in the MK until the park closes at...uh oh. Just now--this very minute--as I wrote this and looked at the seven other documents I have open, including a firefox window with three open tabs, I discovered that I did something kind of stupid. I made reservations for my ‘final dinner’ at 8:45 at Narcoossee’s. I was very excited about this, and thought that I put a lot of thought into it. I was planning on watching Wishes at 8pm, and then booking it to Narcoossee’s for dinner before taking a cab back to CSR. But MK is open until 10pm that night! Um...ooops? Thank goodness for Pre Trip Reports!
Looking at later reservations...more soon!
Tracey, I’m so excited to read your PTR!! I can’t wait to read more about how your trip is coming together!
I also want to say … I don’t think your new life plan is crazy!!! I’m in the process of rethinking my own life plan, and I know how scary it can be. I love that you’re taking the leap, and if you need any support or start feeling unsure, please feel free to give me a holler!!
Happy planning!! I look forward to hearing all about it.
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It's all coming together nicely. I also plan my ADR's and have cancelled as deemed necessary. Somtimes, that's just the way it goes. I like the idea of sampling around Epcot; perhaps your friend can help you decide that night!!
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Tracey, I’m so excited to read your PTR!! I can’t wait to read more about how your trip is coming together!
I also want to say … I don’t think your new life plan is crazy!!! I’m in the process of rethinking my own life plan, and I know how scary it can be. I love that you’re taking the leap, and if you need any support or start feeling unsure, please feel free to give me a holler!!
Happy planning!! I look forward to hearing all about it.
awww...thanks! that's so good to hear. it's hard, telling people that you want to make a big life change. i've been given some seriously doubtful looks, always followed by the question 'what if it doesn't work out?' my new reply--well, we'll never know that if i don't give it a shot! thanks for being so supportive (honestly, i've shared more in this trip report written for people i don't even know than i have to most of my close friends!).
also--i read your entire disneymoon post a few days ago and LOVED it. you and your new husband (!!!) look so happy! congrats!
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Pixie Dust
We stayed at CSR in '08 and loved it! 
Susan
I love your attitude! 
All your plans sound wonderful! I know it’s awhile off but I want to read your book/books when it’s/they are done! 
I feel you pain. We're on our 4th snow day this year/month as well! Ugh!
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