Two Chips and a Dip (The Appetizer Trip) Nov 30 thru Dec 5, 2007 - With Final Thoughts - COMPLETE - Updated 2/21 - Page 4 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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
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Moving on with the current of the years.
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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.
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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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Great Plans....I think the CBR will be wonderful and the extra money will come in handy when you buy your DH his new "iPOD"....lol (at least that makes gift shopping easy).
I have also been looking into that "Fly Late Friday" and save money which can be then spent on an extra night at the hotel which means extra hours at Disney....(I think it must be a symptom or something like that...we automatically see savings which will inturn give us more time at WDW....lol)
You could always wait and tell him on the plane. I mean, it's not like he could escape at that point or anything!!
We promise not to overwhelm him too much. Plus, he'll have the added benefit of seeing you with people who really "get" you, who think your obsession with Disney is perfectly normal.
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.
Sharon will probably do her own trip report and Karen has offered to do one, especially if I chip in and also prompt her to finish the blessed thing eventually!
But, I thought I’d take a moment to “introduce” the individuals who make up the Crazy Lady Trio® and get you up to speed on how we all became fast friends.
Karen and I are convinced that our mothers met in heaven and determined that the two of us would make perfect friends. They arranged for Karen to suddenly have a business trip to Orlando drop into her lap the same weekend that I was there in May 2005 for a grand gathering with my step-brother’s family. (The “Using My Powers for Good” trip.) We arranged a meet at Fantasmic and really connected. Many PMs and emails flew between us after that and we arranged to go to Mousefest ’05 to get to know each other better. Although Zack and Calder are three years apart in age and are both only children (and thus have a sense that the world revolves uniquely around them), they treat each other decently and allow their moms to get into hilarious situations together. They joined the Lloyds at Disneyland in February ’06 (the “DisneyWHAT? Oh, Disney LAND” trip) when my hubby got an award for one of his rides, and then visited us during Zack’s spring break. Karen also generously offered to share a one-bedroom villa at the Beach Club that June (The “Put Down Your Drink” trip.) Karen then secured her place in my heart forever by flying out to Philadelphia to make my transition from 39 to 40 much easier, even though we were due to see each other again at WDW in December and Disneyland in February/March ’07.
It just so happened that Karen and I had already been big fans of Sharon’s fabulous trip reports when it came to light that our December trips would also overlap hers. A volley of PMs later and we’d worked out that we’d get a chance to hang out together for a few days. The resulting gathering was an absolute hoot and we all got along like a house afire. Good thing too, because – by this point – we’d already agreed to be roomies for the Girls Only trip to Disneyland (“How to Meet Friends and Alienate Children” TR.) That trip was perfection itself and, other than Sharon making Karen laugh so hard she nearly wet herself our last evening, we knew that we’d have to do this again and soon!
While Sharon and I had already determined that we’d do Mousefest ’07 together, Karen didn’t sign up officially until later that spring. Once she did, though, she worked her magic with Sharon and they did all kinds of PMing and arranging and we were suddenly booked at the Wilderness Lodge for Dec 6th through the 10th. Then, once I was settled for the Two Chips and A Dip Trip and would be spending the 5th by myself before the gals arrived, they both decided to get flights out a day earlier. Instead of adding a day to the WL ressie, we floated the idea of splitting a room at the Grand Floridian – something that I don’t think any of us could do without sharing the cost with others. Perfect! To top it off, we also got a great AP rate and are paying a little over $400 a night for the room.
We went back and forth with dining options and determined that we’d not do the dining plan, but would take advantage of our Dining Experience memberships and plan accordingly. I had wondered if we could do Hoop Dee Doo (which I misspelled once in a PM to Karen as “Hoo Dee Doo” and she’s called it that ever since!) Karen booked it with her DVC discount, but it was later dropped when we wanted to try something else. We debated doing the Candelight Processional and, thanks to Sharon’s generosity, we’ll be doing it as a wonderful gift from her. (Just someone promise to pinch me if I get the giggles looking at old “Flame Head.”) We still have hopes of getting an ADR to the 1900 Park Fare dinner with Cinderella's step-sisters. Can you imagine the fun (and trouble) we'd get into there?!
Other than that, I have no idea what the plans are. When traveling with Karen and Sharon, there’s no point for me to expend energy worrying about such things. They’ll just point me in the right direction and keep my drink continually topped off.
I do know that we’re basically going to be in the Mousefest park each day and will try to make as many meets as we can. We’re going to try some new-to-me restaurants (Beaches & Cream, Biergarten), as well as a few old favs. I'll get to do the Adventurer's Club for the first time too!
Karen has some nefarious plan up her sleeve for an adventure for us – and is being maddeningly secretive about what she’s been concocting for the past few months. At one point, I wondered in a PM to the CLT® whether we’d need any special supplies for the adventure – like a set of Depends adult undergarments, a toothbrush and running shoes. Karen’s reply? “Two out of the three wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
Keep your fingers crossed that we survive this, folks! I’ll include mug shots in the TR if we get nabbed.
In the meantime, here is a little visual retrospective of us gals:
Thanks to Terri, we have this image of the three of us that seriously makes my gal pals laugh whenever they think of it – which is often, apparently, and makes their colleages and co-commuters on the train think they are either insane or having a heart attack.
You’ve already “met” me, but I have a little more to reveal:
Here I am writing an update in a POFQ room during LeeNee-palooza last year. My “royal” status has been bestowed upon me for my trip report writing. (To paraphrase Mrs. Elton in Austen's Emma, “I wouldn’t say this myself, but my friends call me the Trip Report Queen.”)
I’m also notorious for my shamelessness when it comes to making people laugh by acting goofy. Unfortunately, these same people frequently have cameras in hand and don’t hesitate to capture my goofiness forever!
My ability to take the WORST photos sometimes extends to ride photos and a few of them set me to giggling whenever I see them!
Karen has a nickname of K-dubs. She’s also known as the Spreadsheet Queen. Her Big @$$ Spreadsheet (henceforth to be known as the BASE, the Big @$$ed spreadsheet of Everything) is a thing a beauty, but she’s very secretive about it and it’s hard to get one’s hands on.) She pretends she’s not a hard-nosed commando tourist, but she is, I tell ya! She is!
That’s the BASE in her hands. It’s the only time I got to see it during the whole DLR trip.
She really knows how to shake her moneymaker and I’m hoping to witness a repeat of her moves when Dawn (DawnDenise) and Tiff join up with us during the trip!
She has a thing for tiaras, but they rarely stay on her head.
It seems to be a trait that she’s passed on to her son…
(Not that there’s anything wrong with that!)
One of my fav pics of the two of us is this one:
Sharon was given a nickname of P-Sha after the rampant lack of fact-based trip reporting from the Disneyland Girls Trip. It’s pronounced “p-shaw” as in “I don’t believe you one bit!” She is also known as the FastPass Queen and can truly school anyone to make the most of their FPs so they get as many of the “biggie” rides done in short period of time. Just read any of her trip reports to see just how many drops on the Tower of Terror she squeezes in on any given day.
In person, Sharon zingers are offered with such a droll delivery that she has nearly succeeded in making Karen and me wet our pants. She also has one of the most infectious laughs (especially on rides) and the brightest, warmest smile you could ever hope to see!
We keep her humble by taking her on Buzz Lightyear whenever we feel that her head is swelling.
And we make her feel good about herself by messing with PhotoShop once we get home!
Sharon has a “thing” for Goofy that rivals my “thing” for Minnie:
And this is one of my fav pics with Sharon
I’d like to point out that I don’t have a nickname. But, maybe I’ll do something so ridiculous this trip that I’ll be forever stuck with one!
Anyway, I think that’s all I have to share pre-trip-wise.
I’ll be back on the 10th and will try to make my first update on the 12th – or on the 11th, if my boss is distracted and I can sneak onto the boards.
Looking forward to meeting you all. It's true about the COLDS!! I woke up yesterday with a TERRIBLE sore throat. My 16 yo daughter thinks it's her fault (she gave it to me, ya know she did it on purpose! LOL) so I'm milking it for all it's worth and getting lots of hugs and attention that she's normally WAY too cool to give me when I'm well. LOL Anyways, looking forward to the meets!
__________________
Yvonne:
My Gorgeous Daughter the Graduate----------------->
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.
That trip was perfection itself and, other than Sharon making Karen laugh so hard she nearly wet herself our last evening, we knew that we’d have to do this again and soon!
So is Karen bringing Depends, or do I have to keep my mouth shut?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
(Just someone promise to pinch me if I get the giggles looking at old “Flame Head.”)
OMG! You'd better not!! I'm one of those people for whom laughter is contagious, so we don't want to get me started, mmmkay?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
That picture cracks me up every stinkin' time I see it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
That picture cracks me up every stinkin' time I see it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
Sharon was given a nickname of P-Sha after the rampant lack of fact-based trip reporting from the Disneyland Girls Trip. It’s pronounced “p-shaw” as in “I don’t believe you one bit!”
Well, that's how it happened, but I tell myself it's more of a tribute, like A-Rod or J-Lo.
I am beyond excited and cannot wait to see you and Karen again!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Karen has some nefarious plan up her sleeve for an adventure for us – and is being maddeningly secretive about what she’s been concocting for the past few months. At one point, I wondered in a PM to the CLT® whether we’d need any special supplies for the adventure – like a set of Depends adult undergarments, a toothbrush and running shoes. Karen’s reply? “Two out of the three wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
Dude, I would bring all three - just in case. :rofl
Love, love, love the pre-trip report. You really outdid yourself with those photos. Too cute! And while I don't understand Bob's hesitation on spending more money with Disney I guess we have to respect that and buy him that darn iPod!
It sounds like it's going to me a magical, fantastical time with both your two chips and your CLT counterparts.
I so incredibly hope that I get to meet you, P-sha and K-dubs!!
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I'm loving the plans! And I seriously hope that Bob gets the Ipod!
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But, maybe I’ll do something so ridiculous this trip that I’ll be forever stuck with one! 
Boy, I can't wait to read about this one.......it's going to be hilarious 
I'm one of those people for whom laughter is contagious, so we don't want to get me started, mmmkay? 
I guess we have to respect that and buy him that darn iPod! 
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