Of Course We're Going to Disney-PTR June 2016 - Page 3 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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 following along! We are at 85 days but not much has changed. I did receive some pixie dust this week so I thought I'd share.
Wednesday was just a horrid work day. I stayed an hour late to catch up after a work disaster (not a real disaster, just work related) so I headed to Target to purchase some items I needed. So while I was there to cheer myself up I grabbed a few gift cards and some travel items we needed. I come into work on Thursday tired but relieved it wasn't Wednesday anymore and I received an email telling me I've been recognized by one of the executive's I assist and that I have received $100 to spend in the online store!
Well I haven't a clue about this program, I've just heard it mentioned in the last 8 weeks I've been here. So of course my curiosity gets the best of me and I open the link to the catalog and there is a menu with "Theme Park" listed as an option. Of course I choose that to take a peek and I found out I am able to get a $100 Disney gift card in exchange for my award! How exciting is that!?!?!?!? I was super pumped the whole day (and I kind of still am). I would've been happy to have just the kind words he wrote but the bonus $100 for our trip just made it so much better.
My plans for this evening were cancelled so I'm going to head home and start organizing for our trip. I did purchase some new travel toothbrushes and toothpaste and the like for this trip. I have a stash on my dresser so I will organize those into the hard sided shoe box. I think I will also pull out the Disney shirts and pack them into the suitcase. After I will make a list of what we still need and hope the weather warms up! We hit over 70 a couple of days ago but it's in the chilly 40's all weekend. I might brave a walk tomorrow but we've got a birthday party as well to attend. She's the cutest! Turning 3 so of course I bought her a Rapunzel doll and the movie Tangled to go with it. What else am I supposed to do?
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So much can happen in just a few days!
I was struck down with the flu this weekend and I even missed work Monday. Before I was ill, I did manage to make all the Mousekeeping envelopes. Nothing fancy so not worth sharing but they are done and on my dresser waiting for our trip. I also pulled out our WDW ponchos and have them neatly rolled up and ready to go into a carryon. I organized everything I do have and while I do not have a completed list yet I am feeling more confident about the trip. I did not pull any clothes yet but I might soon.
Jake went through his pin board and set aside the pins he wants to trade so I need to gather up the backs and put those in my room as well. His SotMK cards are sorted and ready to be put into the carryon.
I bought some very cute cotton dresses for this trip. I figure I will not wear one every day but it will be a nice change of pace for me. These will also double as cruise wear later this year.
I went back to work Tuesday and while I was typing away Janet texted me and said she bought her plane ticket! She is meeting us for a few days! I am beyond thrilled and excited, elated even! I do want to mention how this addition to our trip came about.
So I love Janet, duh she’s my friend, and she has the biggest heart you could ever hope to come across. I mentioned she went through a hard time recently and that is because her beloved dog Chuck passed away unexpectedly. We loved Chuck dearly and miss him every day.
This is Chuck
She mentioned she needed a vacation and I said to join us at Disney so here we are! On happier news, Janet adopted a new dog this weekend and he is exploding with cuteness. Let me introduce Janet and her pups.
Who Janet, my best friend for the last decade or so
When she is coming: The morning of Sunday June 5th she will fly into MCO and fly back out the morning of Thursday, June 9th
Her favorites are Eeyore, Fox and the Hound from her childhood but Toy Story is her true love. She did mention she loves pretty much all rides. She also loves baseball, spinning class, and of course her dogs Bailey and Hank.
Bailey
Hank
She has been to MK at WDW once, that I am aware of. She went a few years ago with friends and I received a text the day she went saying Kymm, I get it now.
I have to really get cracking on the plans now so I can show Janet the best stuff. Hopefully we will not tour commando style as this is supposed to be a more relaxing trip. I think I will have to have a talk with her about speaking up when she needs a break! I do have to rearrange some ADR’s but it’s not a big deal. I have decided to give up eating dinner at BOG for my birthday. I will miss the chance for a card and a picture with Beast but meh, I will live.
I am also really looking forward to the pool day now. Before I was excited to spend time with Jake and kicking back in the sun with a book but now I get to have girl time! Adult beverages will definitely make an appearance at least once but probably a lot more.
Now that I have got confirmation from Janet I can get rolling planning awesome days for us. Stay tuned for updates!
Goodness! We are at 53 days until our trip. Time for an update!
On April 4th, I stayed up late to make our FP+ selections. I did forget about online check-in for a few days, but all that’s done now. I believe I’ve changed our touring plans about 12 times. I also have a room request fax all ready to go on Touring Plans. I’ve got my Vera Bradley Mickey tote pulled out and random items put in it, same as Jake’s carry-on. I also placed a Garden Grocer order for the first time. I ordered lots of beverages to stay hydrated.
I’m still debating about the refillable mugs. I know we will hit the pool each day so it might be worth the $18 purchase each. I also use the mugs we already have almost daily. If we do, I will use the tip I heard on Passporter about putting the mugs into a Disney shopping bag and then checking it with bell services so we can get off the bus, claim our bag and hit the refill stations then go back to the room. This is my favorite tip ever!
I haven’t mentioned that Jake has social anxiety disorder and our vacations (and daily life) can be tricky. As of last night, his therapist is changing his treatment because he’s not responding to his current program anymore. He is getting better about when to say he needs to leave a situation but I love Disney because they have the Guest Assistance Pass. The last trip in 2014 we got him the Guest Assistance Pass and we utilized FP+ as much as possible. I and the very nice woman at the desk explained how the pass would work and he loved it! Only one small incident last trip but he ended up making friends with a cast member right before he switched off. I will never forget her! I don’t think she realized how special she made him feel, and the distraction she caused, just by making conversation. We will be utilizing this pass again, but for the first time it will be electronic and not on paper.
Our plans for FP+ are:
Arrival to resort around 1pm then head to Animal Kingdom
3:30pm-4:30pm Kilimanjaro Safaris
5:15-6:15 Dinosaur
7pm-8pm Kali River Rapids
Magic Kingdom because it's my birthday! We will hit the parks early but take a break. Janet will be meeting us at our resort around 11 or 11:30 so we will hit the pool (Jake) and the bar (us) for some birthday drinks! I’m treating her to dinner tonight though.
2:50pm – 3:50pm Enchanted Tales with Belle
3:50pm – 4:50pm Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
5:00pm Crystal Palace reservation
6pm-7pm Big Thunder mountain
Meet Janet at Epcot at 10am.
9:45am-10:45am Test Track
10:50am-11:50am Mission Space
12:25pm-1:25pm Spaceship Earth
Break after SE and then World Showcase
Meet Janet at 10am at the front gate at Hollywood Studios
9:45am-10:45am Star Tours
11:10am Rockin’ Roller Coaster
1:35pm 50’s PTC-Janet’s kitchen looks very similar to this theme. I’m pumped!
5:30pm-6:30pm Muppet Vision 3D
Wednesday is our no park day so no FP+ needed.
Thursday-This is our extra park day. We are still debating about splurging for park hoppers or just picking one park. But what park do we pick?!?!?! Currently it’s DHS but maybe we should do AK?
4:10pm-5:10pm Star Tours
5:10pm-6:10pm Toy Story
6:20pm-7:20pm Voyage of the LM
Back to Magic Kingdom
9:50am-10:50am Pirates
11:00am Be our Guest reservation-I will try preordering our food!
11:50am-12:50pm Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
1:05pm-2:05pm Peter Pan
Final Day and we chose Epcot
12:00pm Biergarten
3:00pm-4:00pm Mission Space
4:05pm-5:05pm Test Track
5:30-6:30pm Disney Pixar short film festival
We are still debating about park hoppers. If we bought them we could hop the last three days of our trip. Janet doesn't have PH tickets so we will stick to one park a day when she's around. I am leaning towards not getting them so I can save that money for something else. Any thoughts or words of wisdom? What park would you choose for a 2nd day, Animal Kingdom or Disney Hollywood Studios? Neither?
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FP selections look real good to me. As for 2nd day at a particular I say go for the one you like best. On our last trip weather concerns caused us to extend our stay by 3 days, We used extra time to hit the parks that had biggest draw for us, 1 day AK 1Day DHS Last day MK but that is us
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I'm feeling a bit better about finances for this trip. This year is just not going as planned but I've been able to put a nice chunk into savings as of today so yay!!! I've got my gift cards at home waiting to be consolidated. I normally purchase them at target for the 5% discount but I got a couple from our grocery store for fuel perks. Yesterday I was able to fill up for $3.20! Whoo hoo!!!!
I saw that beverage prices have increased at WDW so I'm very glad I placed the garden grocer order. Since I'm drinking a ton more water in considering purchasing a new Brita water bottle to compensate in the parks. I really don't want to deal with a water bottle though. I did order two cases so hopefully that is enough.
I have purchased some not very healthy snacks and I am looking forward to eating them all week! I have a small list of items to pick up including cups or bowls and plastic spoons. We will be eating cereal in the room a couple of days, I'm really looking forward to peanut butter captain crunch. So yummy but so not healthy. A perfect vacation food!
Poor Jake will be dragging the suitcase full of snacks through the airport. His carryon is hard sided and is a spinner so he's the lucky duck. His carryon will then be empty for souvenirs, unless I decide to ship them home.
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We are 30 days until Disney! Where has the time gone? It’s May already!
I have purchased some clothing for the trip and I finally found some new shoes. Poor Jake is in the middle of another growth spurt so I will probably buy him new shorts just before we leave. I also have my new Fitbit tracker to track steps, I cannot wait to compare what I normally do to what I walk while at Disney.
I have been having trouble getting my shopping for the trip done so I spent time last weekend while Jake was visiting grandparents to do what I could. I ended up ordering two spray sunscreens, ear planes, and packing cubes from amazon. I ventured out to Wal-Mart, which I hate doing, and only managed to purchase a couple of luggage tags and some blister band-aids for our trip. Another item I did purchase at Wal-Mart that I am hoping is worth the $5 spent is a Frogg Togg poncho. It supposedly keeps you cool while wearing them so I bought two but I also bought two disposable ponchos to keep stashed in my purse. In addition to our Disney ponchos we now have 4 reusable and 2 disposable. I think I’m prepared for the afternoon thunderstorms.
I did start putting together a first aid kit. I bought an organizer from the dollar store and cut the labels from the boxes of items we need and taped them to the lid. Under each label is a section filled with that medicine. So far I have Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and Aleve but I will add more. I will also use this for our cruise in November. Much smaller than a bunch of bottles and it takes the guesswork out of throwing everything together and trying to figure out what is what. I will need to tape paper envelopes to the bottom for Band-Aid and moleskin storage. Then voila! A very simple but effective first aid kit that takes up hardly any space.
To make the countdown to our trip more exciting, we had Mickey Pasta with chicken sausage the other day. I’ve also broken into the last bag of Mickey Pretzels I purchased in December. I also ironed some clothes and put them in the suitcase. Now that I have my packing cubes I will be able to organize better. I will probably accomplish some packing this Saturday while my car is getting worked on.
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I was super pumped the whole day (and I kind of still am). I would've been happy to have just the kind words he wrote but the bonus $100 for our trip just made it so much better. 
so I'm going to head home and start organizing for our trip. I did purchase some new travel toothbrushes and toothpaste and the like for this trip. I have a stash on my dresser so I will organize those into the hard sided shoe box. I think I will also pull out the Disney shirts and pack them into the suitcase. After I will make a list of what we still need and hope the weather warms up! We hit over 70 a couple of days ago but it's in the chilly 40's all weekend. I might brave a walk tomorrow but we've got a birthday party as well to attend. She's the cutest! Turning 3 so of course I bought her a Rapunzel doll and the movie Tangled to go with it. What else am I supposed to do? 
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Pixie Dust
Before I was ill, I did manage to make all the Mousekeeping envelopes. Nothing fancy so not worth sharing but they are done and on my dresser waiting for our trip. I also pulled out our WDW ponchos and have them neatly rolled up and ready to go into a carryon. I organized everything I do have and while I do not have a completed list yet I am feeling more confident about the trip. I did not pull any clothes yet but I might soon.
you could ever hope to come across. I mentioned she went through a hard time recently and that is because her beloved dog Chuck passed away unexpectedly. We loved Chuck dearly and miss him every day.
Poor Jake is in the middle of another growth spurt so I will probably buy him new shorts just before we leave. I also have my new Fitbit tracker to track steps, I cannot wait to compare what I normally do to what I walk while at Disney.
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