Another August Adventure: Fun, Family, Friends and Firsts - COMPLETED 11/2 with Final Thoughts! - Page 33 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Wow, Meg, you sure made great use of your last hours in WDW! I am so happy to hear Jasmine discovered her inner wild child on this trip and that Angel was truly spoiled with yummy treats. And what better way to experience it all than with Juana and Isamar.
Looking forward to your final thoughts!
danielle
__________________
~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
What a great day you ended up having at DHS. At least you all got a ride on TSMM. And one of these days we are going to play mini-golf at WDW. (I say that every trip. ). Love the Woody story...and yes, I do believe a bonus is in order.
What a great last day! Sorry your flight was a little delayed, but glad a little trip to the Disney Store helped make it more bearable Why is it that after a week in the World shopping, we STILL have to stop at that airport store and buy more??
__________________
Stacey
Why do these kids look so pathetic?
Find out in: A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise!Final Thoughts 01/30
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
You certainly make the water parks sound great. We've planned on going on a couple of trips and have just never made it to one. Add that to our must-do-someday list along with mini-golf.
Sorry RR wasn't the best, and I know how Angel feels with her limited choices. We end up with a lot of grilled chicken for Jason too.
I'd like to see the MSEP. Maybe bring back some childhood memories.
Oh boy what a wonderful, wonderful trip, how awesome. I've enjoyed reading about this wonderful girls adventure. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
Great last day! Sorry to see this trip coming to an end.
Quote:
Originally Posted by luvnwdwgal
I really enjoyed your trip report! So glad you all had such a magical trip!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
What a great last day Meg!! Looking forward to your final thoughts!
I was really happy the girls decided to end the trip with the MK, I think it was the perfect park to say goodbye and to finish off a wonderful trip.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMadonna3
Glad you were able to rescue Chocolate and the last day really looks like everyone had a good time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
What an awesome end to your trip! So glad Chocolate was found and returned!
Quote:
Originally Posted by benjiboo25
LOVE the story of "chocolate" and how it was handled by the BW staff! I instantly related to that as my girls personfiy their stuffed animals as well. I am always amazed at how quickly new "friends" are named and welcomed into the "family."
The staff at the BW was wonderful and I was so happy they were able to recover Chocolate as her face when she realized she left it behind was so sad...I would have hated if this was the way her trip ended, but instead it just made the last day more magical.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenny
I am really sad to see this trip come to an end. I "met" you and your girls with your TR last year. It's great to be able to keep up with things and see how they have grown. I think you should blow this picture up and put it on the wall: Miss Hollywood (in her dark glasses), the smiling Jasmine, and the Proud Mom; a beautiful family in the Place full of Magic, Happiness, and Dreams.
What is really nice is to have a vacation place where it is a top priority to make your trip as magical and carefree as possible. RE: the chefs attention to allergies and the housekeeper and concierge CM's efforts to make sure Angel's Chocolate made it home.
I have enjoyed following along with your adventures again, including revisiting Isamar and the addition of Juana. With this picture, I think I have the Frog figured out, but I'm still trying to decide just who the Princess is... I'll have to get back to you on that!
I'm glad the ride home was "relatively" uneventful, and I, too, like a day or two to recover and get things ready to get back into reality after a journey into Fantasyland!
Thank you for joining along Kenny, it is always a pleasure to read your comments and you are a very important part of our TR's....you did give Jasmine her very special name and I am glad that you were able to share as the Mona Lisa smile expanded on this trip.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince
Can't believe Tiana had no line! We had to come back a second time because the first time we came by, 30 minutes before she came out, her line was already full!
We really lucked out with Tiana and we really were not looking for her. I knew the girls wanted to meet her but like you said her line was always so long, it just was perfect luck that her line was almost non-existant just as we were getting ready to say goodbye to the MK for this trip.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
Great finish, Meg! And I'm really glad Chocolate wasn't left behind. I'm especially glad to hear that you liked the BWV, my new home. I've yet to stay there myself, but judging by your TR, I'm sure I'll love it. It was so wonderful to read about all the good times. Thanks for sharing with us!
Your new home is amazing, we are hoping to stay there for our MNSSHP / F&WF trip next year. The girls just loved the resort....and so did their mom
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grammy Grumpy
Absolutely AWESOME TR!!!! DDH and I were there the same time, so very sorry we missed meeting you all! Thanks for sharing your adventures.
Hopefully our trips will overlap again, I would have loved to get a chance to stop and say hi.
Quote:
Originally Posted by disneydani
Wow, Meg, you sure made great use of your last hours in WDW! I am so happy to hear Jasmine discovered her inner wild child on this trip and that Angel was truly spoiled with yummy treats. And what better way to experience it all than with Juana and Isamar.
Looking forward to your final thoughts!
danielle
Jasmine and her smiles and her trying new rides really did make this trip so magical, and it was great to take a trip and spend some extra time with Juana and Isamar, at home our schedules are just so busy it is rare that we ever find time to just visit and enjoy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dsteiny23
What a great day you ended up having at DHS. At least you all got a ride on TSMM. And one of these days we are going to play mini-golf at WDW. (I say that every trip. ). Love the Woody story...and yes, I do believe a bonus is in order.
Back to page 23...
He did love the pictures of me and Woody, and he loved the sketch and the autograph, he said it was the best gift ever
Quote:
Originally Posted by sc507
What a great last day! Sorry your flight was a little delayed, but glad a little trip to the Disney Store helped make it more bearable Why is it that after a week in the World shopping, we STILL have to stop at that airport store and buy more??
I laugh at that all the time, no matter how much we might purchase along the way there is always room for one more surprise once we get to the airport....like the last dose of Mickey Magic before we get home.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dsteiny23
You certainly make the water parks sound great. We've planned on going on a couple of trips and have just never made it to one. Add that to our must-do-someday list along with mini-golf.
Sorry RR wasn't the best, and I know how Angel feels with her limited choices. We end up with a lot of grilled chicken for Jason too.
I'd like to see the MSEP. Maybe bring back some childhood memories.
I had never got a chance to see the MSEP but I was really glad they extended it and that we were able to see it at least once, I really loved seeing all the floats.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pinkyt177
Oh boy what a wonderful, wonderful trip, how awesome. I've enjoyed reading about this wonderful girls adventure. Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
Thanks for reading along, I will post the final thoughts tomorrow.
Well guess it is about time to wrap this trip up , I have really enjoyed reliving this trip thought my TR as there were just so many magical memories and this turned out to be such an amazing trip.
The flights were great, I have always loved Jet Blue and will continue to use them. Even with the slight delay due to weather on the way home, we have always had a great crew, smooth flights and it gets us to our happy place and back home.
Weather:
August is hot and it did not dissappoint this trip but we really lucked out that for the majority of our days while it was hot, the humidity was not bad. Even Jasmine who usually complains about the heat said the weather was perfect. We only had rain for the first two evenings of the trip and the rest of the trip was sunny. There really were no complaints so that even when the last two days really heated up, we were just happy that we lucked out as we did.
Hotels:
The POR will always be a favorite of mine, there is just something so welcoming, and even when it is crowded we still feel that it is so peaceful. Nothing compares to the relaxing ride to DTD and while we have always been happy with our room locations this trip beat them all....Building 14 was a step away from the main building, a 2 minute walk to the pool and even with the 5 of us in the room we were comfortable and will definitely return.
This was also our first split stay and like others have said it was easy to do. We ended up taking a car service early on our transfer day and really lucked out when our room at the BWV was ready (even at the early hour of 8 am). I really have to say I loved the BW and I was so appreciative of my co-worker who has truly given me the gift of magic by allowing me to use his points (since he is unable to use them at this time). We all fell in love with the Boardwalk, there was always something going on, yet our room while a step away from the pool still felt remotely peaceful we faced the Swwan and the Dolphin. The girls loved the ammenties, the pool, the community hall and having the Epcot resorts to walk to each morning was a highlight for me and Juana. The Boardwalk will definitely be a place we return too.
Dining:
We lucked out with free dining on part of our trip and then we purchased the DDP for our stay at the BW. We had no problems getting the ADR's we wanted and we really enjoyed all our meals, even though some really stood out for us. We tried a lot of new places this trip and we also tried some of our favorites, some will move off the list for a bit while some of the new ones will definitely become repeats.
We also had amazing service when it came to Angel's allergies, from creating her a special plate to making sure that she had a yummy dessert that she could enjoy, I cannot say enough of how safe I feel coming to Disney and for Angel to truly enjoy her meals and not feeling left out from any of the fun.
After waiting so long to finally try it a last minute ADR at San Angel Inn provied to be one of our favorite meals of the trip. Our all together favorite meal was the Yachtman's Steakhouse, there was nothing but amazing food from the rolls to the dessert. The staff was amazing and the beautiful cake that was created (thanks to Christopher at the YS and Disney Dani for all her help) made the birthday girl one happy little girl.
We finally made it too Cape May for brekfast and we all enjoyed. The character interaction was great and the food was nice and filling before a long day in the parks.
Raglan Road was fun, and a place I would like to retrun too as there were so many dishes that looked interesting but it might be a while as this was the one place that it was pretty difficult to deal with Angel's allergies. While she enjoyed her meal, it was pretty limiting for her so I would probably hold off for awhile. The only dissappointment was the R&C which has been a favorite for us, I think it was the combination of a bad night on their part, a terrible rainstorm and maybe just a bad night for us but this will take a break from our list for a bit, even though watching Illuminations from a dry, perfect location did make it worthwhile from that respect.
Firsts:
We did a lot of firsts this trip, like going to play minature golf at Fantasia Gardens, this was hysterical, while it took us ages to get around the course we just had so much fun and going later in the day was a great way to take a break from a long day in the parks.
We also spent a great morning at TL. We really loved the water parks and definitely want to add at least another morning trip on our next long trip. The kids loved the wave pool and the slides....and the lazy river was just the most relaxing attraction of the trip.
Magical Moments of the trip:
It was great getting to visit with Passporter friends. I was so happy to finally meet up with Beth (mom to 3 princesses and 1 prince). She has a beautiful family and I was so glad that we were able to visit for a bit.
We had some great visits with Terri (Dr. Dolphin), both my girls loved talking with her and I was so glad that not only did I get to spend time with her, but that I had the chance to meet Chris. They make such a lovely couple.
Sharing this trip with my SIL and my neice made it extra special. Between work and school schedules there isn't enough time to just enjoy each others company, it is really sad that even though we live close it is really only special occasions or holidays when we really can just relax and enjoy so getting to travel with them and have such a wondeful trip really made this extra special.
Jasmine....what can I say, seeing her really open up and enjoy this trip, she smiled in almost every picture, she had tons of fun with the characters and she really took chances and tried so many of the rides she never wanted to try....and for the most part enjoyed them all. Jasmine has always been my "un-emotional child" so seeing her react this trip is such a positive way was great for me. She truly had fun and let her guard down and already is getting excited about our trip next year.
Angel....my Disney princess (or fairy as she would say). I just love seeing WDW through her eyes, she just loves everything from the rides to just people watching to stopping to see all the special magic. There is nothing more fulfilling to me then watching her just have a blast. This year was a tough one for her, going through some learning issues at school, and her allergies getting worse but at the same time this was a special trip as she was turning "double digits". From being princess of the day at the BBB at DTD to enjoying her special cake and the most amazing platter at the Wishes Dessert Party she had a smile from ear to ear the whole trip.
This was the first time that no one was "sad" when we left, of course we all were sad to say goodbye to WDW but we were satisfied, there was nothing we wanted to do that we didn't, there was no drama or moodiness on the trip that took away from the magic so when it came time to say goodbye we were all ready.
Not that plans for the next one wasn't in everyone's minds but we were ok with going home....I think if I had to sum it up it was just "perfect". We all came home smiling and filled with great memories and I don't think it gets better than that.