Finding Walt: a DL TR: Update 2/23/12 - Page 6 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 have no advice on what to pack for you. But if you can get some space saver bags - they really do work wonders in getting more stuff in a bag or suitcase.
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.
I'm thinking that the solution is doing a load of laundry once I get checked in to the Grand Californian-there are free washers for DVC use right?
The only 'free' washer and dryers are ONLY in the 1-bedroom,2-bedroom and Grand Villas. The Studios do NOT have these, however, there are washer and dryers on the ground floor of the DVC wing of the hotel that cost I think $1 per load for each washer and dryer.
The only 'free' washer and dryers are ONLY in the 1-bedroom,2-bedroom and Grand Villas. The Studios do NOT have these, however, there are washer and dryers on the ground floor of the DVC wing of the hotel that cost I think $1 per load for each washer and dryer.
That's surprising! At all the WDW DVC resorts the laundry facilities on the ground floor are free to members.
Okay kids I've got 10 days to go before my trip! I'm definitely going to dinner at Tam O'Shanter's. I was trying to decide between seeing the Muppet Movie at El Capitan and going to dinner. I've seen the muppet movie--and I cried through almost the entire thing because it brings back so many memories and it really is kind of a sad movie. So I'm going to skip seeing the movie at El Capitan and keep my early dinner reservation at Tam.
I am going to start packing very soon. Tomorrow is my day off and I'll be starting putting things in the suitcase. I have to figure out what I did with all the chargers!
Glad you'll be able to go to Tam O'Shanter! I checked out the menu the other day and didn't find much I can eat, but it looks like a place full of history. I hate having to travel with all the electronic gear, but we're literally hooked! On my last trip I forgot my phone charger and worried the whole time it would die.
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Yay, 10 more days! It'll be here before you know it. In fact, I can't believe it's only 10 more days! It seems like just yesterday you were talking about your plans! I think you'll need to pack for cold weather...it doesn't look like there's going to be any significant warming while you're here...but then, it's still 10 days out!
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Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
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.
. Does the Walmart in Anaheim sell groceries--and wine?
Not 100% sure about wine (though I think I recall seeing some), but there is a Target down Harbor Blvd. in Garden Grove that has a grocery section. Head south on Harbor a couple of miles, cross over Chapman Ave. and Target is on the left.
I need to figure out where I can do a grocery store stop once I'm in Anaheim. I'm going to need a few bottles of wine for bedtime while I'm there and some breakfast provisions, as I like to grab something easy in the morning and get a move on. At WDW, if we aren't staying CL at AKL, I have bagels and fruit delivered. Does the Walmart in Anaheim sell groceries--and wine?
I just checked Walmarts website and the answer is NO, The closest Walmart to DLR is way up in Baldwin Park. Never fear however, If you go onto VONS web site you can order your food and wine and they will deliver it to any of the three Disney hotels, however, when it comes to the wine, you have to be checked in and able to sign for the shipment, otherwise, the hotels will hold your order until you get your room. If you go this route it would be best to have the delievery made after 5pm, this insures your room will be open for you.
This time next week I'll be getting home from work and getting ready to go to the airport. Good news! I've got a week's worth of free parking at the USPark.net. Apparently for every 35 days you park your car in a year you get a free week of parking. I've already spend 35 days this year on vacation--ummm ooops? I really try to take 5 days of vacation every 3 months--I guess I accomplished that this year! (I'm sorry to those of you who have set amounts of vacation time every year--I really like our flexible Paid Time Off plan. I earn hours off based on how many hours I work each week and we are not required to use our PTO to take time off. Sometimes I work double Sat/double Sun and take the rest of the week and don't use any PTO for my vacations--right now I have more than 2 weeks off banked.)
My flight leaves at 7:30am CT and I arrive at 9:57am PT at LAX. I have a aisle seat! Woot! Sadly I know that my flight is sold out so I'll have someone in that middle seat. Hopefully I'll be able to get a quick nap on the 4 1/2 hour flight. I used to have no problem with long flight--of the 13hrs to Europe variety, but lately I'm finding myself having trouble keeping myself occupied on flights that are longer than 2hrs. The other thing I'm concerned about is using up the battery on my iPhone. I know that I need it charged for the first few segments of my day because I need the maps app to give me directions. I think I'm going to buy a real book to read on the flight instead of using my iPhone kindle app.
So here's what my days look like so far!
Saturday
5:30am Up and out and on the way to the Louis Armstrong Airport!
7:00am boarding flight
7:30am Take Off
9:57am Landing and pick up car!
10:35am on the road to Forest Lawn
1pm lunch, grocery stop and Griffith Park
hopefully I'll have time for the carousel, the barn, and the observatory
5:15 dinner at Tam O'Shanter
7:30pm check into the Renaissance Hollywood--have a drink at the bar!
Sunday
Early morning check out and drive to Anaheim
Check in to the Marriott Anaheim
Meet Sharon, Karen and Zack
Touring!
Dinner at Steakhouse 55 (I think?)
Monday
Move to the Grand Californian
Touring!
World of Color dinner at Wine Country Trattoria!
World of Color!
Tuesday
Breakfast at the Plaza
Touring
Holiday Tour!
Dinner at Storytellers
Wednesday
Candy Canes!
????
Karen and Sharon are leaving on Wednesday
I need to call and reserve dinner for this night--what should I do?
Thursday
ABD tour!
Late Dinner/snack at Trader Sam's
Friday
Finding Walt tour at DL!
Well that's it--I've got the suitcase out--ok I moved it from the living room back to my bedroom and it is looking pretty sad--my cats have been clawing at it. I bought new undies and socks on Thursday--I like having those new for vacations--don't know why but the dryer seems to eat both items. I have mailed my Christmas Cards!! Woot!
On a last note--Brandon is incredibly jealous of this trip--so there may be another DL trip in the works soon. He can't come on this trip because his Mom arrives in town the 18th. She and her husband are going on a cruise and arrive back on Christmas. She's upset because we're both going to have to work on Christmas Day. They are staying a few more days--so hopefully we'll be able to all sit down and have a meal together at some point.
I'm super excited for this trip--I'm also super scared of driving in California. I grew up driving in NJ traffic, but it's been a long time since I've had to deal with aggressive driving.
Good night everyone! I should be updating again, once I get the packing underway!
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Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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with the packing! Not long now! 
Head south on Harbor a couple of miles, cross over Chapman Ave. and Target is on the left. 
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