Bunnies and Princesses, Magic, a Rebel Spy and Poop! 10/18-10/24 Trip Report. UPDATED 12/28 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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.
Sorry about the lack of updates. Silly real life. Messing with m Disney Roll...
I left this too long... Because I did not journal it has all gotten smushed. Which I HATE.
I will highlight what I can remember at this point and Mr Red is digging out receipts so that I can have my memory jogged. I have also been planning DD 14's 15th bday trip. Kid is obsessed with Stitch. She got to dance with him in Tomorrowland and she has not stopped talking about it. She is also cheering for her HS next year so... I wonder who is chaperoning that Disney trip
-DH and I got more time than I thought we would at EPCOT for F and Wine. We went back, just us, and I can NEVER EVER whine about not getting to walk the whole showcase because WE did. Oh did we. Who knew he had such a fascination with Mexico...
- we met my parents again at the Beergarden. Because my dad was an army brat who spent a good deal of his childhood in Germany. He even has the lederhosen..My mom did the chicken dance. There.are.no.words.
-We left everybody with my parents with plans to meet at Soarin. Which we did and Maddie got her wings!
-and then we left them with them again. because we are old and that lady in Japan tripped me when I was going back for more Sake. SHE so did.
-One night just DH and I somehow got Magic Kingdom time alone. HE did not want to go make out in the Hall of Presidents so I settled for Coffee on Tony's front porch. You know.. behind the goofy statue. We are in SO many people's pictures now...
We decided a few things on this trip. Maybe because we are older and w..well older. We used to giggle at my parents who will park the RV at Fort Wilderness and only venture out for specific things. We no longer do. HOWEVER.. I do not think I could handle a trip to Disney without one of my descendants. We have not been to WDW without one since Sept 11,1988 ( we got married on the 10th). Oh I could handle seperate rooms... but I know why my parents meet us and enable us. Disney is for kids and the kids in us.
-On property and dining plan. Don't care whether DDP is free or not. We did the math and even when it costs a few bucks more..everything is taken care of,paid for,done. You can send a kid off with a sibling and know she can eat.
-Disney has come a LONG way in crowd control.
-Disney has come back to it's roots. The New Fantasyland is PURE Disney.
I'll be back once I get those receipts. And I have backup batteries and a new camera for the next trip. We had to pare it down to June and October because of schedules..for now...
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.
The June trip is making me scratch off one of those things I never said I would do at Disney- Star Wars weekends... We are arriving on one and staying through another... Now before I upset anyone..I love me some SW. To this day ( and I am looking real close at 50) I do not go see a new SW movies without my dad. And I wish I had my original Princess Lea and Han Solo barbies. And all the other original toys I had.. THOSE would pay for a few Disney trips. It is not because of the over zealous fans and the dressing up and well all that is involved. It is because I do not like heavy crowds. And at this point in our lives we have to go when we can.
I know this whole trip update is a mess and part of the reason why is because I did not have a camera and I just ENJOYED the trip. I also took a closer look at how well Disney has gone back to it's roots. 10 years ago there was a lack of upkeep. Even down to the fact that on a busy day we saw ONE cast member sweeping. ONE.
Now they are back in droves.
I also had a conversation yesterday with someone about WHY I do Disney and not other trips.. Well honey let me tell you.. I have done other trips and with this dysfunctional crowd you stick with what works. You do not leave too much to chance. With Disney we know what to expect and know that we are not spending a bucket of money to have flights cancelled,lost passports,11 year old detained by customs( oh yes that happened...they were also patting down a 6 year old AND MY DAD WALKED THROUGH WITH A POCKET KNIFE IN HIS SHORTS HE FORGOT ABOUT)major expectations dashed because of a bad hotel,bad service,overpriced stuff...
I want to go where I know we will have an awesome time, where I know how things work and how to deal with the calamities that will ensue with any trip. So yeah...crazy lady that brags about her *international trips* (2 cruises to nowhere) my money is on Disney.
*note* my family is not really that dysfunctional. Just...odd..
I've really enjoyed your trip report. Your style of writing is great. It makes me feel like I really can pull off a late 40th B-day/Christmas Trip with my extended family in 2014 without totally losing my mind...knowing that I can share the details here if I do lose my mind and at least 1 person will understand.
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.
Reading your last two installments has me smiling. I thought I was the only one. My DW believes that another but a B52 or C5 are unfit to fly in and anything but the USS New Jersey or Ronald Reagan are unseaworthy so that limits us to where we can drive. Well after a 15yr absence on my part ( I gave in to her dislike of MM) I had enough and booked us a trip. Lo and behold she steered me into booking this years trip and has announced that we NEED to get a Mobile Home for future trips So we can go for XMas one year Like 2016 when I turn 60 and this way we can bring the GIRLS
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
Linear Mode
