Disneyland December 2013-First Disney Adventure as a parent! - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Thanks for the resizing link, Laurie! I will use in the coming week (no time today).
TR part 2: The rental house.
This was an airbnb find. Since we had a party of 6 adults and 2 kids, it made sense for us to get something spacious. Of course, I'm a penny pincher and would have gone for a fleabag hotel...$60 was kind of my maximum per night. But my DDad got a bee in his bonnet and decided to really splash out. We stayed in a beautiful place. Here's a link to the airbnb posting. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/635568
I was very happy with this home. If you go to the link, my DDad's review is the first that shows, name is Terry.
And here's a map with the location marked. CA is right there on the corner of Katella and west, just above where this map cuts off.
If you are not familiar with this residential area, it is amazing, so incredibly cute, like something out of Pinocchio's village.. The houses are what I would call storybook style from the 50/60s but I'm sure all have been extensively remodeled inside, as ours had. The yards are immaculately manicured. I would love to know the history of the neighborhood, it looks like a big building project put up just because of Disneyland being right there, which I'm sure is true.
The owner Kathy met us at the door, she is very classy and charming with a great sense of humor. She even shut the door in DH's face, we thought she was making a strange but very funny joke. Turns out she was keeping a wasp from entering the house...but it was so funny!!! You had to be there I guess, but we all got a kick out of her. She spent a lot of time talking about how great the previous guests had been and how much she enjoys renting out her place. It was obvious that she is a natural hostess.
My mom and Dad selflessly gave up the Master bedroom to My Dsis and BIL (they have a taste for luxury that the rest of us don't really have/need). Then they refused to take the room with the glass door onto the back patio too, giving it to me and DS. I was delighted with my room, it was small but so beautiful. DH likes to stay up late, and DS still shares a bed with us, so DH took the futon in the converted garage/laundry room/rec room. He was very comfortable out there with his National Geographics, internet, and pretzel supply!
This house has a pool and a hot tub that both got used multiple times a day by all of us, but the best part of it was the open kitchen with granite countertops (it had everything a good cook could want in there too) and the outdoor kitchen with seating for 12 under a canopy. Let me tell you, we listened to a lot of Jimmy Buffett while mixing up drinks here.
My dad is a huge fan of running pants from Running Funky. He bought "lime tigers" for DS (above) and DNeph. Well, it's a party!
I enjoyed all the thoughtful details of this home from beginning to end. Scented crystal stuff was delicious, seemed made to match the scent of snow on Main Street. Towels were immaculately white and very fat and soft. There were good instructions on how to use most anything we might need, and the owner was just across the street if we needed anything (we didn't, and she left us to ourselves for the duration of our stay). To be honest, I would have appreciated getting to know her more, but she respected our privacy and we lacked nothing so had no reason to ask her to come back and entertain us!
I won't be posting or reading until Tuesday, as we are going out of town to visit my Aunt and Uncle for the long weekend (with DMom and Dad). As you can see, we enjoy vacationing with my parents. They are terrific travel buddies!
Up Next: DISNEYLAND!!!!
__________________
Themed environment junkie
Last edited by KimmyAnn1147; 02-18-2014 at 10:51 PM..
We are planning to attend the park on Monday, Tuesday, Thurdsay, and Friday. Our original plan was to buy 3 day park hoppers, but my sis found a deal somewhere for 4 days for the 3 day price. (I'll ask her where if anyone needs this info).
On Sunday night my sis wants to go to the front gate and turn in our voucher for real tickets. She and I walked up there alone after dinner. We enjoyed the walk so much. The walk along Disneyland Ave was beautiful!
It's a mile and a half from front gate to front door. Hope the boys handle it well. DSis and I walked it kind of fast. She's been having trouble with her back and hip, and it started to bother her. Wish we had gone a bit slower! We got our tickets and headed back to the homestead.
MONDAY!!!!!! Had to roll DS out of bed (he's a late sleeper) for the 8 am opening. We put on our special Disney clothes, stuffed PB&J, cracker and granola packs, tangerines and hard boiled eggs into our backpacks, I filled up my CamelPack, and we were off.
DNeph's bio parents are a bit scary, so we don't post his pics (wish I could share them!!!) but here's one of me, DS, and my awesome Camelpack (so fashionable, I know.) Our entire group had clothes made with this same fabric. I made mine, DMom sewed the rest. We made quite a splash when all 8 of us were together.
Lines had formed when we arrived, but not too bad at all. We looked so great in our costumes, I was in heaven just waiting in line! Soon enough we were inside the gates.
A nice shot my dad got just before we rode our first ride, the Submarines.
The details of this day are lost, but I can tell you the highlights. Most of my attention was focused on having fun on my son's terms. He's 5, it's his first trip and my first trip as a parent. DH is not joining us in the park (he did join us on our last day). So, I'm all about the kid, as the TR will show.
1. DSis was in charge of the itinerary, and we went for the big rides first. Got fast passes etc.
2. DS liked the submarines, but was hesitant to go on other rides after.
3. DS refused to go on Pirates. We did the rider swap, which was great. While I was riding, DDad showed him the drop for Splash Mountain.
4. Inexplicably, DS decides at the last minute to go on Splash Mountain. He loves it, until the drop. I tell him when it's time to close his eyes, but he doesn't. At first I think he liked it! Then he lets loose with the most terrified, betrayed sounding holler I've ever heard. Followed by giddy, adrenaline fueled laughter when we enter the scene with the riverboat and the dancing geese. Yup, he's not doing that one again. Funny moment: My DBIL has a sick sense of humour. When DS started crying, DBIL started laughing. A lot. I don't think DS noticed, but the rest of us did. I wasn't mad, it was just a funny combination and we all laughed about it over dinner later.
5. DS refused to go on most other rides the rest of the day, so I resigned myself to just taking in the theming, which is what I like best anyways. The only time I was really annoyed was when he refused to go past the jaguar in Tarzan's tree house.
6. DS did go on a few other rides, ones that appealed to his particular interests and ones he was sure were not scary. He liked Star Tours (I love it that they have made varied stories, we got Endor and I loved zooming around the trees.) He went on the Jungle (Jingle) Cruise, and after much cajoling and comforting, enjoyed the Tiki Room (YAYAYAYAY!) He hid his face during the drumming tiki gods and the thunderstorm, but in the end was willing to go twice more before our trip was over. His favorite by far was Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlaster.
Our day looked like this: MK 8-1, rental house 1:30-4:30 for some hot food, swim, and naps, Back to MK 5-8. We watched the fireworks from the AstroOrbiter!
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You never know how kids will react to the rides, and if they don't like them it's often hard to figure out why! Sounds like a good first day, though. (I understand your reluctance to post pics of your nephew--I'm sure he's a cutie!)
My DS was 7 when we rode Space Mountain there and I thought he was ruined for life. He did go on the other rides without a problem. Thankfully now he loves Space Mountain (though I really don't). I am glad he has no problems with them now. But at the time I thought he had been scarred for life!
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