There’ll Be a Smile Where a Frown Used to Be - PTR - Page 3 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel 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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She got that name as my wife thought she and she did looked like a Star Wars EWOK but couldn't think about what they were called. Their camp isn't quite that elaborate but they do get baths and then they are stinky pretty. During the drive home they both try to crawl into my lap And do the driving for me and once we get home I have 2 everpresent companions till they get so bad I have to very sternly tell them to go lay down and the cookie jar is now closed.
So glad to learn that ERIC is looking forward to his upcoming trip and that you two are so close
Dogs are great! We have to harness ours when we're in the car or they would completely take over. I absolutely adore my girls. I've always had dogs, but these two are special!
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Now that we were confident that Eric really wanted to go to Disney World we needed to figure out where we’d stay. After staying at the Wilderness Lodge in January, my husband told me he never wanted to stay anywhere else. We are the great outdoors and spend several days a year camping and hiking in Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes.
But to me, that was a problem. We spend so much time in the mountains and we live right at the base of the foothills. We are surrounded by pine trees and forests. I thought it would be nice to stay in a place that was entirely different. Usually Steve tells me just to do what I want to do and he’ll be happy. But, I’m a people pleaser and I wanted him to be happy with our accommodations. So I corralled him one evening for a discussion about our resort options.
We agreed right off the bat that we didn’t want a standard room. Although we are close to Eric, we think that a 12 year old should have his own sleeping area. We might feel differently if he wasn’t our nephew, but that’s what we think. Steve claimed to have only one request – that wherever we stayed we would have boat transportation. That limited our resort choices to DVC properties or Deluxe Resorts with suites.
There were a few places that I couldn’t realistically consider. I’m not willing to deplete my 401k to stay at the Grand Floridian. Maybe someday, but not right now.
I know I can never stay at the Boardwalk Inn because I am terrified of clowns. I loved the DVC one bedroom we toured and I’ve loved the photos I’ve seen of the views, but there isn’t enough xanax on the planet to get me over that pool area.
How about the Beach Club? Wouldn’t a boy who just turned 12 love Stormalong Bay? Yes I think so! We toured the grounds around the BC when we had breakfast at Cape May and Steve said he liked it. AND we could walk to two parks and a mini golf course! No, Steve thinks that Eric would rather spend most of our park time at MK, so we should be closer to MK.
How about Animal Kingdom? I think a boy who has just turned 12 would love to stay there and his aunt would LOVE to have her own bathroom. We toured AKL in January when we ate at Boma. Steve said he liked it. Think of having coffee out on the verandah and seeing animals. Pretty cool, huh? "Honey, I really think Eric would want to be closer to MK. And where is the boat?" Steve responds.
All righty – no point in even thinking about Saratoga Springs or Old Key West if proximity to MK has now become a priority.
I’ve heard wonderful things about the Contemporary Resort. It’s within walking distance to MK! And Steve gets a boat to boot!!! Well, it turns out that although he enjoyed eating at Cali Grill, Steve didn’t care for the ‘feel’ of the CR. It was too modern and it didn’t have enough trees.
OK – maybe I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I realized what was happening and there was no point in even bringing up the Poly. Obviously, he was holding out for Wilderness Lodge.
As I mentioned at the start of the PTR, Steve doesn’t ask for much so if it’s trees, boats and MK he wants, who am I to deny him? But my husband is a really generous guy – he said, “You know my preference, but let’s ask Eric.”
I never even got a chance to describe the resorts to Eric. I said, “Uncle and I are thinking about where we should stay at Disney World.” Eric said, “Oh I want to stay where you stayed the last time. I still have the pictures you sent me on my phone. I’ve been dreaming about staying there the whole time.”
We’re staying in a one bedroom at VWL.
Next: I don’t care where we eat….as long as we eat at….
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OOOHHHH!!! I can't wait to do some more research on the Boardwalk Inn!!! That may be my next Disney Resort! I LOVE CLOWNS! I'm a teacher and have used clowns to decorate my classroom... only happy ones though! Thanks for the info and congratulations on finding the perfect Disney resort for your trip! kim
Ginnie suprised you didn't consider cabins at Ft Wilderness You get seperate bedroom with Murphy bed in Living room Same boat transport to MK as WL and same scenery at a closer to ground level.
Side note took girls to vet for pedicures the other day unfortunately Lucille had to take Wookie bear out side when we tried to do Maggie and there was a dog in waiting room that growled at her Maaggie heard wookie respond in kind and from then on it was like trying to wrestle an octopus to hold her for the vet to do her thing. Thankfully Wookie said " I got daddy on the floor to myself. It's good to be the QUEEN" Saturday we try that worst of 4 letter words BATH
and
I am so sorry for the loss of your brother. I have only one sister and cannot imagine losing her.
How wonderful that you are taking your nephew to WDW. I really hope that being in that magical place will help him heal. Losing your dad at such a young age must be devestating.
All of your plans sound great and I am looking forward to reading more.
Ginny, I'm so sorry for the loss of your brother. It sounds like he was a very special man.
I think this is such a wonderful thing that you're doing for Eric! Reading his text messages to you filled my eyes with tears. Sending more s for Eric's healing and hoping that this trip will be just the thing he needs! I think he will love VWL. We've never stayed DVC there, but we love, love, love WL!!
So sorry for the loss of you brother. Glad that you are able to take your nephew for this special trip.
My first trip to WDW (2004) was just my son and I as a gift for his high school graduation. He is a smart student but struggled to graduate as his Dad suddenly passed away the year before and it was a struggle for my son to stay at school each day. He would just leave the campus and go for drives. While on our trip for some reason he had a breakdown and was able to release his emotions that had been bottled up for a year. His path to healing began on that trip and today he is a grad student at UCLA. I don't know what it was but something in the air helped him on his way to recovery.
Sending to Eric in hopes that this trip will also help him on his way to healing from his loss.
Thank you! We had such a wonderful experience at WL in January. I can't wait to go back!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
I just had a feeling from the beginning of this update that you all were going to be back at WLV! Great choice! We the WL, too!
Yes - I am nothing if not predictable . I still want to stay at AKL - it's my dream resort.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Miss Alaska
OOOHHHH!!! I can't wait to do some more research on the Boardwalk Inn!!! That may be my next Disney Resort! I LOVE CLOWNS! I'm a teacher and have used clowns to decorate my classroom... only happy ones though! Thanks for the info and congratulations on finding the perfect Disney resort for your trip! kim
The BWI is really so pretty and so convenient. I wish I could overcome my fear of clowns but I just can't seem to do it . Cam's current TR has some beautiful photos of BWI. Though I did hurry over the ones of the pool area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeL
Ginnie suprised you didn't consider cabins at Ft Wilderness You get seperate bedroom with Murphy bed in Living room Same boat transport to MK as WL and same scenery at a closer to ground level.
Side note took girls to vet for pedicures the other day unfortunately Lucille had to take Wookie bear out side when we tried to do Maggie and there was a dog in waiting room that growled at her Maaggie heard wookie respond in kind and from then on it was like trying to wrestle an octopus to hold her for the vet to do her thing. Thankfully Wookie said " I got daddy on the floor to myself. It's good to be the QUEEN" Saturday we try that worst of 4 letter words BATH
You know Mike, I wish I had thought of the cabins . I love the Ft.W area quite a bit. Those cabins look really nice too. Maybe next time. I'd also like to think about bringing our RV and camping. Then I could bring my girls.
I love the story about the vet visit. We just went through the same exercise with my girls. The one in the waiting area was crying like she was the one getting the shots and the nail clipping. Got to love them!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I love the process you went through to decide on your accommodation!
My husband is an engineer. There are no decisions made in our house without lots of analysis - thank goodness he didn't ask for spreadsheets!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfredsbo
Got in a bit late.......but all caught up!!!
What a special trip this will be!! so excited for you - but also so so sorry for your loss
so far everything sounds terrific!!!
Thank you for your condolences. I am hoping that this will be an uplifting trip for this little guy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by omd
and
I am so sorry for the loss of your brother. I have only one sister and cannot imagine losing her.
How wonderful that you are taking your nephew to WDW. I really hope that being in that magical place will help him heal. Losing your dad at such a young age must be devestating.
All of your plans sound great and I am looking forward to reading more.
Thank you for your kind thoughts. The past 9 months have been very difficult - some days it's as raw as it was the day it happened. I wish it was easier for his children, but he was such a huge presence in their lives so the void is just as huge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shnewell
Ginny, I'm so sorry for the loss of your brother. It sounds like he was a very special man.
I think this is such a wonderful thing that you're doing for Eric! Reading his text messages to you filled my eyes with tears. Sending more s for Eric's healing and hoping that this trip will be just the thing he needs! I think he will love VWL. We've never stayed DVC there, but we love, love, love WL!!
Thank you so much for the pixies. I appreciate them more than I can say. I love getting Eric's text messages. He's always been very tech-ie. When he was around 5, his dad would let him send me instant messages on AOL while I was at work - to try to annoy me. But it never bothered me. I would just marvel at his spelling and the things he wanted to talk about.
This is our first DVC visit too. Maybe it will convince my husband to buy in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Asuka
I can't wait to see the rest of your PTR. I hope this trip helps your nephew come out of his shell.
Thank you - I really hope so too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shari2137
So sorry for the loss of you brother. Glad that you are able to take your nephew for this special trip.
My first trip to WDW (2004) was just my son and I as a gift for his high school graduation. He is a smart student but struggled to graduate as his Dad suddenly passed away the year before and it was a struggle for my son to stay at school each day. He would just leave the campus and go for drives. While on our trip for some reason he had a breakdown and was able to release his emotions that had been bottled up for a year. His path to healing began on that trip and today he is a grad student at UCLA. I don't know what it was but something in the air helped him on his way to recovery.
Sending to Eric in hopes that this trip will also help him on his way to healing from his loss.
Thank you for sharing your story. It made me cry but also gave me a feeling of hope. My brothers children are all very sad. His teenaged daughters will be fine one minute and the next they are holding each other crying. Some of their FB posts break my heart. As awful as this is for them, they are most concerned about their little brother because, like your son, he is struggling to get through every day. I am happy to hear that your son is doing well - at my alma mater.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lazanya
I've never stayed at VWL, but it's on my list to try. DH & I are outdoorsy people, we love hiking and I kinda like WL for that feel.
We are very outdoorsy too! We do lots of camping and hiking. We used to backpack, but I'm not wild about sleeping on dirt anymore. I think WL just transports you!
I keep saying that my husband doesn’t ask for much, and in the overall scheme of things he doesn’t. But there are a few meals that really make his Disney vacations.
One thing he insists upon having is Mickey waffles. This is a strange because he is an autoimmune diabetic and waffles have never been part of a balanced breakfast for him . We’ve always worked at keeping Steve’s blood sugar below 90 and his A1C below 7. But these crazy little Mickey heads are an absolute must have and I am powerless to keep them off his plate. His favorite place to get these beauties is Cape May Café.
Steve, who claims to not be character-crazed, always wants at least one meal at the Crystal Palace. He’s not a big eater, so surely it isn’t the buffet. What else could it be? Well, just between us, I’ve never seen him shy away from having his photo taken with Eeyore or Pooh (or any character for that matter), so I think it’s the character interaction .
He is also a big fan of Le Cellier. He really likes their burger (sans bun) at lunch and LOVES their cheese soup . He’s enjoyed dinner there as well. I’ve had one or two so-so meals, but he has really liked every meal he’s ever had there. So a stop in Canada is a must.
He also likes Chefs de France, which is another take-it-or-leave-it for me. He made a specific request for this trip and since I don’t have to endure the Biergarten again (sorry – a definite yuck for me), there was no pain in giving in to this request. Plus I get to see Remy!!!
Steve’s only other request was Whispering Canyon Café. We (well, actually he) wound up eating there several times in January. It was completely unplanned. I had a Crohn’s flare and could barely eat, we were staying at WL and it was convenient. But – it was wonderful. The s at WCC are amazingly kind and so accommodating. Steve loves the atmosphere (he says who could be in a bad mood in a place like that?) and the food was OK. He thinks that Eric will enjoy witnessing or participating in the antics.
There were two other meals that Steve asked me to book. Spirit of Aloha and Hoop Dee Doo Revue. We’ve been to both before and really enjoyed them – I like HDDR much better. He thinks that Eric will have fun at both of these dinner shows.
So after telling me he doesn’t care where we eat as long as we eat at the 7 places listed above, the rest of our meal planning was up to me.
Now I know some folks don’t like to make a zillion ADRs so that they can be more spontaneous about where and when they eat. I envy them. But in my world having set meal times and restaurants eliminates a lot of “Are you hungry?” “I don’t know, are you?” AND “Do you want a salad?” “I don’t know, do you feel like fish?” conversations. This is particularly true because we would both rather go on rides than eat.
However, as I mentioned before, Steve is diabetic and we space out meals and snacks accordingly. I carry his insulin pen in my bag so that he can take his injections at specific intervals as well. We have never had a low or high blood sugar experience. Knock on wood.
Plus, having hung out with Eric quite frequently, we know that he never eats. It’s not surprising that he only weighs 60 pounds even though he’s 12. If we left the decision to stop touring and eat with Eric, we’d all be 60 lbs by the end of the vacation.
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the great outdoors and spend several days a year camping and hiking in Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes. 
and I wanted him to be happy with our accommodations. So I corralled him one evening for a discussion about our resort options.
Although we are close to Eric, we think that a 12 year old should have his own sleeping area. We might feel differently if he wasn’t our nephew, but that’s what we think. Steve claimed to have only one request – that wherever we stayed we would have boat transportation. That limited our resort choices to DVC properties or Deluxe Resorts with suites. 
but I realized what was happening and there was no point in even bringing up the Poly. Obviously, he was holding out for Wilderness Lodge.
OOOHHHH!!! I can't wait to do some more research on the Boardwalk Inn!!! That may be my next Disney Resort! I LOVE CLOWNS! I'm a teacher and have used clowns to decorate my classroom... only happy ones though! Thanks for the info and congratulations on finding the perfect Disney resort for your trip! kim
PassPorter Guide Author
and 
. I still want to stay at AKL - it's my dream resort.
. Cam's current TR has some beautiful photos of BWI. Though I did hurry over the ones of the pool area.
. We’ve always worked at keeping Steve’s blood sugar below 90 and his A1C below 7. But these crazy little Mickey heads are an absolute must have and I am powerless to keep them off his plate. His favorite place to get these beauties is Cape May Café.
.
. He’s enjoyed dinner there as well. I’ve had one or two so-so meals, but he has really liked every meal he’s ever had there. So a stop in Canada is a must. 
s at WCC are amazingly kind and so accommodating. Steve loves the atmosphere (he says who could be in a bad mood in a place like that?) and the food was OK. He thinks that Eric will enjoy witnessing or participating in the antics. 
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