The Joys of Pin Trading and Water Slides…Our Seven Days at Old Key West! - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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!
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I'm so glad you loved the room at OKW! I just love the relaxing feel of the resort. I really wish you had a better experience at Olivia's as I just love it for both breakfast and dinner. We stayed at SSR last month and walked all the way to Olivia's for breakfast and had a great meal.
agreed on not doing a park on the first day, especially after a ride that long!! We also made that mistake, and it's now in my rule book of "stupid things that I want to learn only once."
Great TR! Looking forward to more. We love OKW.... except for the food choices. Olivia's seems ho-hum, especially for the price... and Good's to Go is sub-par. BUT... it's only a lovely relaxing boat ride away for dinner at DTD. And with a kitchen in the villa, easier, tastier, and cheaper to make sandwiches in the room than to eat counter service at the resort.
You must have been exhausted after a middle of the night, 12-hour drive! Hope you slept well that first night.
The next morning, we were up by 7 AM, and we were able to get out of the door by 7:50, as we had an ADR at O’hana’s at 8:25. By using my phone’s GPS, we were able to get there with fifteen minutes to spare! J We were seated within a few minutes, but this year we skipped the pics, as my DS16 has decided to have an aversion to having his picture taken. One thing I did this year was note a peanut allergy on our reservation, and before our server brought anything, she had the chef come out and talk to me, and that was really nice. After talking to the chef and determining what was OK for me to eat, our server brought out our drinks and food. We had sausage, eggs, breakfast potatoes, fruit, and mickey waffles, and the delicious juice (can't remember the name.) The food was delicious as usual, and we had a great breakfast, and lots of fun with the characters. This is one of our favorite places to go!
After breakfast, we headed over to Island of Adventure. Again, we used the GPS from my phone, and we were able to get there very quickly. J Once we got into the park, the boys wanted to go ride Spiderman, so DH and I headed over to HP world. J Once there, I was shocked at the line for the Forbidden Journey. It wasn’t even 10 AM, and the wait time was already 90 mins! So, I decided to try the Dueling Dragons, and I was able to get right on! (DH doesn’t like coasters too much.) Afterwards, DH and I walked around the shops, and I finally got my wand! J I got Dumbledore’s wand, which is exactly what I wanted! We were getting hot, so we headed over to the Three Broomsticks to get a frozen Butterbeer. All I can say is YUM! J It was delicious!
By this time, the boys were headed over to HP world to meet us. As we cooled off, we checked our time, and realized that it was getting close to our lunch reservation time at Mythos. So after browsing a few more shops, we left HP and headed towards Mythos for our lunch. There was already a wait at Mythos, but we had ressies at 12:30, so we only had to wait a few minutes before we were seated. We ate here last year, and really liked it, so this was a must do again. The theming is great, and the food is really good as well. After lunch, Cypress wanted to go to Seuss Landing, and Dezert wanted to go back to ride some of the bigger coasters, so DH and I took DS5 to ride the fish ride, and set up a plan to meet up with DS16 afterwards.
After spending time at Seuss Landing, we headed over to the Marvel Island. Here DS5 and DS16 both got their pic taken with Spiderman, which is my older son’s favorite character. By this time, I was in quite a bit of pain, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to walk much longer, so we decided to head back to OKW for a break. On the way back, DH and I discussed what to do on the way back. We decided that I would have to rent a wheel chair, so that I could enjoy our vacation. (I had avascular necrosis of the sesamoid in my right foot and had surgery after we returned home.)
By the time we got back, it was around 3, so we decided to head to the pool for some fun. This was the beginning of DS5’s obsession with the water slide! J I went down the slide with DS a few times, and then let DH take over, as my foot was bugging me a bit. The pool was so much fun. It was a bit crowded and loud, but so much fun! There were lots of pool games and activities, and I was surprised at how many lifeguards (5) there were to monitor the pool. We had a blast, and this began our habit of taking a pool break after a morning at a park! J
Wonderful TR so far!! It's amazing how that sign over the entrance can instantly relax you and put a smile on your face We really want to see HP, but I want to wait another year or so and let the crowds die down a bit before we attempt that! Can't wait to hear more about your trip
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PREVIOUS TRIPS: 1997- Off-site, 2002-Contemporary, 2009- POFQ, 2011- Beach Club, 2012- Disney Magic, 2013 Disney Fantasy
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.
So you never got on the forbidden journey? Was that a disappointment? Would it have been worth satying in a US propoerty for one night to get to the front of the line quicker?
So you never got on the forbidden journey? Was that a disappointment? Would it have been worth satying in a US propoerty for one night to get to the front of the line quicker?
We went last year when there was a soft opening, so I rode it last year (with very little wait), and it was a great ride, but not worth the 90 min wait. We stayed at RPR last year, and although the FOTL pass was nice, it doesn't work for FJ. Plus, with my foot issue, I knew there was no way that I could walk through the castle again. We will go again in a few years, so I know I will get to ride it again. It is an amazing ride! But the walk through the castle is my absolute favorite!
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.
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.
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Your OKW room looks lovely! Sorry Olivia's was a disappointment.
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