Are You Ever Coming Home?...No! I am playing with Wizards, Farkles and Sparkling Friends completed 10/21/2017 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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.
Since we fly out of Columbus usually, and it’s a 2 ½ hour drive away, we typically head down the day before and stay with my sister who lives there.
We told Amanda we wouldn’t be coming till the evening though, as we needed to spend some extra family time with Skip.
At some point this day or the day before (memories are blurred that weekend. LOL), Skip asked us when we were coming home. Yes…that’s right, he never asked us how long we would be going till right before we were leaving. Hahahaha. And really if he had, he would have said I never told him anyways. I told him we would be flying home July 10th. He did the math in his head….You are going to be gone for Half a Month! Yes we are! For some reason this time he seemed like he was going to miss us more than usual. I mean I am sure he always misses us, but he is usually so busy that the time just flies. This time was different and he did fuss a bit about how he was going to be so lonely.
I finished up the packing of last minute things and started to load the car in the afternoon. This is when the comedy show started. Seriously, if anyone was filming this, I am sure it would provide many people with lots of laughs. I weighed the suitcases before putting them in the trunk and they were all way under…Hmmm. How did that happen? Well let’s pull them back out and condense them down to 3 then. I had to really stuff things here and there to make it fit, but fit it did. Weighed again….still under. OMG…I was weighing in KG’s instead of pounds. Ok, rearrange again now that some are overweight. I had them sprawled out in the garage and I was moving things all over the place. Finally I got them all underweight, with some on the border. I weighed with 2 scales and I figured I would have Amanda weigh with hers too and if needed, I would throw something in my carryon. I was trying to keep those semi-light so I could add water bottles in them later to take to the port.
I totally worked up a sweat doing that! But I was able to now have 3 checked bags instead of 4. One bag was mainly Fish Extender Gifts, so that would empty out and even though we would be getting some in return, I highly doubted that the gifts for one kid would take up the whole suitcase. (I was almost wrong there. LOL).
Ok, we are packed and ready to go. Since I had misplaced my license and debit card on my trip in Feb., I showed Claire that I had them and where they were so there would be no issues later. We also pulled out our passports and opened them up to show each other that we had the correct passport and then to show we put them back in our bags which then went in the car.
We said goodbye to Skip and then headed off to my sister’s house. I listened to an audio book and Claire had her headphones on the whole time….probably listening to Harry Styles.
We made our traditional bathroom stop at McDonalds about half way down and got something to drink and went on. Skip called right as we were pulling in to see if we made it yet. Um no…only half way so far!
We arrived at my sister’s condo then and brought our suitcases in the house for safekeeping. She had made tacos for dinner so soon we were sitting down to have a nice meal and chat about our upcoming trip. Amanda also was telling us about her weekend with her friends and it was just a nice evening.
My plan had been to drive to the airport and leave our car in the parking lot while gone. Our return flight came in at 4:10 and Amanda works till 5 and she said she really couldn’t take the time off to get us. Skip had told me to ask again, but I told him I was not going to keep bothering her about it.
We discussed what time we should leave and I mentioned that I worried about the outside check in desk not being open that early, and if it wasn’t then we were going to have to haul our bags on the shuttle from the parking lot because I was not allowing Claire to sit with them at the terminal and wait for me at 4 in the morning.
I had tried to dig around to see what time it opened but nothing returned anything that confirmed it one way or another.
Amanda asked what time our return flight was again and I told her and she said she may be able to come get me after all. I told her if she was late, that would even be fine. It would make things easier for drop off for sure that early in the morning….and of course save me some parking money as well.
After that, we headed outside and walked around her complex for a little bit and talked and worked off our taco dinner. Then we needed to get to bed. I knew I would have issues sleeping and we would be up super early, but I figured at least if I got a little rest, it would help immensely.
And I was right! We both tossed and turned quite a bit, though at one point Claire was snoring and very loudly! Of course she told me the next day she never slept a wink. I should have recorded her snores! Even though it was not the best night’s sleep, I did get some and it kept me going the next day!
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Nice start and sounds like another winner of a trip for you!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
This sounds like a great trip. I hope that the large amount of pixie dust you have experienced so far continues for the rest of the trip. It certainly looks like everything is falling into place. Judy and I were at WDW the last two weeks of June. Sorry we missed you guys on your whirlwind days at the parks. Glad you realized the kgs vs lbs mistake before you left. That could have been an expensive error.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Poor Skip, being alone for half a month. How great that Amanda can pick you up at the airport! That means for spending money in your pocket.
I know. He seemed to be heartbroken about it. It was kind of funny.
I was so happy she was able to. It really made it work much better for us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Oh poor lonely Skip... Too funny about the kgs versus pounds!
I know...poor guy. I am so glad I caught that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperDave
Nice start and sounds like another winner of a trip for you!
It was a great trip.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhinohunter
This sounds like a great trip. I hope that the large amount of pixie dust you have experienced so far continues for the rest of the trip. It certainly looks like everything is falling into place. Judy and I were at WDW the last two weeks of June. Sorry we missed you guys on your whirlwind days at the parks. Glad you realized the kgs vs lbs mistake before you left. That could have been an expensive error.
Oh wow! I didn't know that. We were pretty much go go go for the most part. Did you experience a lot of rain? I know that this June it rained more than normal. We had one day that was pretty wet, but we survived.
Rise and shine….ooooh so not so bright, but very early. But we had no issues popping out of bed and getting ourselves ready. Cass, Jeanne and Brook had all arrived a few days earlier and I was anxious to get down there too. I had that “I’m missing out on things” feeling.
We loaded the car and double checked we had everything (we had reweighed the bags again the night before) and headed off. Amanda had totally miscalculated how long it would take us….because there was no traffic at 3:45 AM…so we arrived much faster than anticipated. And good news! The Curb Side check in was open that early and we were able to drop our bags off right there. Yay! Less toting is good!
We got our tickets and headed through TSA precheck, which was very fast and soon were at our gate. Columbus is a very small airport, so it was super easy. Unfortunately nothing was open at this time and we could not get any snacks or Starbucks, which is what Claire wanted. There was a line for Starbucks already but the time they opened and as long as the line was, I was worried we would be cutting it too close.
Soon boarding started for our flight and we got in line and then boarded and found some good seats. I was really hoping the flight would not be full. Who else is dumb enough to fly this early in the morning….well I guess a lot of people are. Every seat was filled according to the flight crew. UGH!
Soon we were taking off and on our way! We were served some small snacks and we also ate some we brought along, though it wasn’t hitting the spot and I was getting a little Hangry.
About 2 hours later we landed and we quickly got off the plane and used the restroom and then headed on to the fake monorail.
Finally we decided to take a picture. Yeah, I was slacking in that department this morning.
Once we filled, we were told we had 3 stops, and I think we were stop number 2. I got an email saying our room was ready. You have got to be kidding me? This early! YES!!!!! I was happy that we could just go and drop off our carryon bags there and not worry about them later on.
I had debated about doing online check in prior to coming as I didn’t want it to mess up my requests. I looked at a map and our room was exactly where I requested and I was so happy.
This is another property I had yet to step foot on, so it was exciting to stay here!
We pulled in and we got our carryon bags and made our way in. I totally sucked at taking pictures…..sorry. But I was HUNGRY! We were going to head to get some food before going anywhere else. Claire knows I am not always nice when I am starving.
I didn’t want too much, just something to take the edge off, so I got a muffin and some milk. I think Claire took a bite, but she was fine. She doesn’t eat breakfast often.
That’s our building blocked by trees in the next picture. I don’t think I ever took an actual picture of it. I really sucked at getting some pictures this time around.
Disney is going with these white comforters now on all the resorts beds. I am not a fan. I wish they kept that runner strip on the end to add a bit of color.
These are the new toiletries that all resorts, even Values, are supposed to now have. I did find out later that they are still phasing out the old stuff at the Values…aka the crappy shampoo/conditioner combo.
How great to arrive and have your room ready for you! I like the look of the new toiletries and I prefer the wipes to the can, less wasteful I would imagine.
How great that your room was ready so early! I agree, the white comforters are kind of boring, and I didn't find them warm/heavy enough. I ended up having to put the extra blanket on the bed. The new toiletries look nice! Is that the same shampoo and conditioner as DCL?
Wow, how lucky to have your room ready already!
You could've had beignets for breakfast!
I don't think they have them there....at least I never saw them. I think they are just at French Quarter.....I would have if I saw them!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grammy Grumpy
Riverside is my favorite moderate but we always stayed in the Aligator Bayou section, not the Mantions. Can't wait to hear more of your adventures.
I here good things about that section. I never made it over there....some day I will.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
How great to arrive and have your room ready for you! I like the look of the new toiletries and I prefer the wipes to the can, less wasteful I would imagine.
The bad thing about wipes is trying to get your head. We spray our head usually too...those darn bugs like us...but to wipe your head is kind of gross.
The new toiletries are nice...but they don't refill like they used to. I heard that Mousekeeping is technically not supposed to unless they see an empty bottle in the trash. I hadn't brought extra with me and we used up that bottle in the 2 days we were there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by pamcarey
How great that your room was ready so early! I agree, the white comforters are kind of boring, and I didn't find them warm/heavy enough. I ended up having to put the extra blanket on the bed. The new toiletries look nice! Is that the same shampoo and conditioner as DCL?
It was so hot, that I was comfy with what I had, but if it was cooler out I probably would be cold.
Yes they are the same as DCL. Eventually all resorts are supposed to have them.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
How great that Amanda can pick you up at the airport! That means for spending money in your pocket. 
PassPorter Guide Author
Too funny about the kgs versus pounds! 
I like the look of the new toiletries and I prefer the wipes to the can, less wasteful I would imagine.
Linear Mode
