First Ever Disneyland Trip Updated 10/13 - Page 9 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
I hope you're able to get those dining packages in due course...
We were excited by how affordable the flights were using our reward points. I won't be giving up, but I wish DL would come on so I could quit worrying over getting them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by guerns17
Your trip report is really coming along! Im so glad you got the 1 bedroom! It is very nice to have laundry right there in your room. I will be very interested to see how you like Disneyland.
When I at first moaned about how many points were having to use, Luke reminded that now laundry would be easier and I was happy girl.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pris
Great use of those SWA points. Continued pixies on booking those ADRs.
My computer may get very tired of me logging into the Disneyland site.
Hi Cam - just saving a place so I can catch up later Looking forward to hearing about your plans
Glad you've signed on!
Quote:
Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
I guess you're like me! I'd much rather take the fun, magical bus than the boring blue Super Shuttle, that I could take in Any City, USA. And to answer your question, yes, you can take it back to the airport. When you book, they will schedule a return pickup based on your flight time, and then you just meet them in front of the GC at the appointed time.
Like you, I'd been saving my SWA points for my trip, but Delta had a great fare sale in February, and I was able to book cheap, direct flights with them. Southwest also had cheap fares then, but I would've had to change planes in both directions, so I took the Delta deal, and I used my SWA points for a trip to WDW in November!
Yeah! I'm so excited now because I'll be on a cute bus rather than a boring bus. That boring ride to DLR was making me a wee bit sad. Our only bad experiences with flying have been with Delta, so we've almost written them off. Luke does check them, but we couldn't do as well with them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OCEANGRLLG
Great deal on the flight! I hope you are able to get a later time for Carthay Circle!
Glad you got some ADR's done but hope you're able to get a later time How great that you were able to use your airline miles to book your flight to DL!!!
I'll keep at the ADRs, though it hasn't been as easy as WDW. Our budget is happy that we got such a great deal on the flights.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jandsdennis
Good job on using the RR points. We just love the availability to use our for our trips to WDW. It looks like tings are shaping up and I hope that the package deals come out soon. I'm such a planner that would be killing me as I am sure it is you too!
Those reward points really do help us to keep flying. I love to plan, and they are just not helping me do that right now. I thought waiting 60 days was a little late, and not for some of the ADRs it will be even later.
I was up earlier than Luke again today in order to make our breakfast ADR for the final day of our trip. We thinking ending the trip by spending some time with Chip and Dale will be fun. The Storyteller’s Café is even in the Grand Californian, so we won’t have far to go. But the Disneyland website still had to toy with me today. I logged in, went to dining reservations, and clicked on Storyteller’s Café. I selected October 12 and 8:00 AM. The website thought for a moment, and then told me that I would need to call. But based on my one experience with the DL dining CM made me think that probably wouldn’t help. So I put a new time – 8:30. This time three options came up 8:15, 8:30, and 8:45. I decided an extra 30 minutes to get ready would be nice. I clicked the NEXT button, and it took me through the next two screens without problem. On the last screen, I clicked RESERVE, and waited and waited. A message in red came up, informing me that there had been an error and I could either call or try again. I chose to try again, clicking Reserve. This time it quickly went through – finally! I was given a confirmation number and the reservation shows up in the My Reservations section, but I did not receive the confirmation e-mail has I have every other time. Weird! But I’m taking it as par for the course for DL planning. I again checked on the WoC and Fantasmic packages as well as getting dinner for Carthay Circle rather than lunch. But still no joy there! Luke has read that Disneyland depends mostly on folks who to some degree consider themselves locals, which may explain why they are slow to help out those of who are only planning to cross the entire country to get to them.
I forgot to mention in yesterday’s update that we do have layovers on both our flights. Heading out to LA, we spend a short amount of time in Denver. But we stay on the same plane, so we won’t have to disembark. On the way home, we have a slightly longer layover at Midway in Chicago and we do have to change planes, but at least it’s not at O’Hare. I am a little concerned about LAX as it’s a huge airport, but Luke couldn’t get the points to work with any other airport. Hopefully, the experience there won’t totally discombobulate me.
NEXT: The Continuing ADR Saga and Some Special Fun
So crazy with your ADRs and DLRs system! I would like to know, which variation of neanderthals are running this site as saying it's primitive is....just unbelievable and you as a guest shouldn't have to tolerate this crap! Just ridiculous! That's a smack in the head to the DLR! I don't know what to say Cam and hope things improve with the rest of your ADRs! Perhaps, they should do it like WDW! Now there's a thought!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
Great job with the SW flights! I was happy to read you decided on Carthay Circle. Like I said before we really enjoyed our meal there and it was a late lunch just like you have. This gave us plenty of time to eat and then enjoy the parks some more before World of Color that evening.
Wow, they sure don't make it easy, do they? I'm glad you were finally able to get the last dinner reservation!
That sure don't. But maybe if I hadn't gone to WDW first and had all the planning advantages, I wouldn't notice it so much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperDave
So crazy with your ADRs and DLRs system! I would like to know, which variation of neanderthals are running this site as saying it's primitive is....just unbelievable and you as a guest shouldn't have to tolerate this crap! Just ridiculous! That's a smack in the head to the DLR! I don't know what to say Cam and hope things improve with the rest of your ADRs! Perhaps, they should do it like WDW! Now there's a thought!
This is becoming more long and drawn out than I expected.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amy L
Great job with the SW flights! I was happy to read you decided on Carthay Circle. Like I said before we really enjoyed our meal there and it was a late lunch just like you have. This gave us plenty of time to eat and then enjoy the parks some more before World of Color that evening.
We won't be doing the WoC with Carthay Circle, and if dinner never opens a late lunch is still okay. As we'll still have some park time afterward then.
Luke had found the DVC discount info online and I'm making a note on my ADR sheet of all the ones that have the discount. We'll have to remember to check each time we do CS, too.
The good thing is that I found that most CMs will ask if you are an annual pass holder (so they can give you the AP discount). That's a good reminder to say "No, but I'm a DVC member." 😀
I, too, was worried about being overwhelmed at LAX but while it is huge, it seems compartmentalized -at least the SW area is. That made it much more manageable. I only flew out of LAX, though, so I can't speak to baggage claim.
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're right that glitches are par for the course with Disney on-line planning! You seem to have won the battle, though, and your plans are looking great. I've flown in and out of both John Wayne and LAX and yes, LAX is HUGE, and I prefer a smaller airport, but I didn't find LAX difficult to navigate at all. From Cheryl's experiences, though, I think we can be glad we don't have to go through customs there!
I'm a little late to the PTR but I'm SO SO excited for this one!! I have used the Disneyland Express through gray lines for both of my trips to DLR through LAX. Both times was enjoyable and ALMOST felt like the Magical Express in WDW without the fun video. I have only seen the outside of the Grand Californian but I would LOVE to stay there one day. The pictures are breathtaking!! If you find yourself looking for another restaurant if something falls through the Catal restaurant in DTD is outstanding!! It is still the best meal I have ever had anywhere! I'm so excited to hear more about your plans!! I'm a 15 time WDW veteran but I LOVE DLR just as much and for different reasons and would love to go back soon!
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.
Oh my! The frustrations with booking Disneyland dining sound aggravating. I am not looking forward to that when we go. Glad you were able to get some of the plans settled though and congrats on the flight savings. I have only flown in to LAX once and then flew out again to San Diego so I can't tell you a whole lot about the airport there. I know that sounds strange but this was quite some time ago and my Mom worked for Delta then and she wanted to see the new look of the LAX airport. So we flew in there and then to our final destination of San Diego. What we did see was very open and had lots of signage so hopefully you will be able to navigate it easily.
Glad you got your reservations almost done! Storytellers Cafe is a fun character meal! Actually, you've got some great meals planned - many of them I'll be doing myself on my upcoming trip.
__________________
Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
About This Page: 
My computer may get very tired of me logging into the Disneyland site. 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
And to answer your question, yes, you can take it back to the airport. When you book, they will schedule a return pickup based on your flight time, and then you just meet them in front of the GC at the appointed time.
On the way home, we have a slightly longer layover at Midway in Chicago and we do have to change planes, but at least it’s not at O’Hare. I am a little concerned about LAX as it’s a huge airport, but Luke couldn’t get the points to work with any other airport. Hopefully, the experience there won’t totally discombobulate me. 
I would like to know, which variation of neanderthals are running this site as saying it's primitive is....just unbelievable and you as a guest shouldn't have to tolerate this crap! 
Just ridiculous! 
That's a smack in the head to the DLR! 
I don't know what to say Cam and hope things improve with the rest of your ADRs! 
PassPorter Guide Author
,
Linear Mode
