10 Nights of Magic in The Orlando Trifecta-TR - COMPLETE!! 12/10 - Page 93 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Always sad on the last day but you definitely made it great!
It certainly is! That's the way to look at it and how great of a trip you had!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara
What a wonderful, full trip you had!! Thank you for sharing it!!
It certainly was with packed days but never felt overtired from this. I did have my downtime but probably could have used more. It was great trip and my longest Florida trip since 2009.
Glad you enjoyed it Tara! Still one last update to go.
__________________
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!
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.
Saturday, October 14th (Part IV) It was 2:15 pm, when I arrived back at the Dolphin. I went upstairs and walked over to bell services, which I had left with them before I went to Epcot. There was no one in line, which was good and I got my bags back rather quickly.
The guys in bell services hamming it up for a photo
I had about 15 minutes until my Mears shuttle was due to arrive, so I just relaxed in the lobby for a bit and got some photos, while I waited for my transportation to arrive.
I now had five minutes until my pickup time at 2:35 pm, so I left the Dolphin for the last time and went outside to wait for my Mears shuttle. I was only out there a couple of minutes when my ride showed up. Always good with an early arrival, even if just a few minutes early.
When Mears arrived, it wasn’t a van as I was expecting but an SUV. A nice surprise as it will be a much more comfortable ride to the airport. An even bigger surprise as there was a familiar face. My driver is DeLeo who is the same man who drove me from the Royal Pacific to the Dolphin last Sunday. I told him, “I know you!” He remembered me from that pickup. What are the chances of this? It wouldn’t be an express ride to the airport as we had one pickup at the Hilton Lake Buena Vista over on Hotel Plaza Boulevard near Disney Springs.
Once DeLeo put my bags in the car we headed for the Hilton. It took longer than expected as a lot of traffic in the Disney area. Once we arrived at the Hilton, it just took a couple of minutes to begin heading to the airport as the other passengers were waiting outside.
My resort from my 2016 WDW trip, which is also on Hotel Plaza Boulevard
The ride to the airport was a relaxing one and I nodded off a bit, but there was a lot of traffic, so it took a little longer to get to MCO than I expected. Most of the traffic was concentrated to the Disney area and once we got out of here, it was a lot better. My flight is at 5:35 pm (I think), so I wasn’t worried about not getting there at time.
We arrived at the airport at 3:30 pm and DeLeo retrieved my bags from the car. I entered the terminal and went to the Jet Blue counter, just to drop off my bag as I had checked in for my flight on my phone yesterday. Always good to use that as it’s a time saver.
My flight doesn’t begin boarding until 5:10 pm, so I just hung out in the terminal for a bit, not doing much of anything really. I just took a seat by the fountain and spent some time here as I always enjoy this area near the Hyatt. I checked the flight on the board and so far, no delays like last year when my flight was delayed about four hours!
I didn’t want to spend too much time here as I know how bad the security lines can be at this airport. It’s almost never good, unless it’s later at night when there are fewer flights. But, I should save some time as I have an Even More Speed ticket for my flight and get access to a much quicker line.
After I was done relaxing by the fountain, I walked over to TSA security which was close by. I entered the line at the left, which was for me. They just checked my ticket to make sure I could use this line and the usual things before going through security. The line was quite long as you’ll see below, but I was through in about five minutes! Glad I go with the seat upgrades. This is a nice perk.
Once I cleared security, I headed for the monorail and took one to my terminal. There was a bit of a wait with the monorail as only one was running out of the two to my terminal with the construction. The wait was just a few minutes. Once I arrived at my terminal, I walked to my gate and just hung out for a while until boarding was announced.
There was a bit of a delay with the boarding as my flight had just arrived from Mexico City and the flight crew was cleaning up and preparing the cabin for my flight to Westchester. The delay was only about ten minutes and at 5:20 pm the boarding process began. I was one of the first to board with my ticket. Another good perk! The upgrade costs more but not too much.
I have the same seat with 1A as I did for my flight to Orlando. Once everyone had boarded we began to taxi to the runway at 5:40 pm. Just five minutes later my flight took off for Westchester, NY.
During the flight, I had coffee with a bag of Terra Blue Chips and a bag of pretzels as well. I hadn’t eaten since my lunch at Spice Road Table several hours ago and I was beginning to get hungry. I watched some programming on Direct TV during the flight and had a little nap as well.
I woke up and shortly we began our approach to Westchester airport. It wasn’t long until we landed at 8:10 pm. This is a small airport and it’s just a short walk to baggage claim. I retrieved my bags in about 15 minutes after the flight landed. Try doing that at one of the big airports as it’s not going to happen! One of the nice things about small airports even though they don’t have much for amenities.
Once I got my bags, I called my friend Sharon from work as she would be picking me up. She had driven me here on my departure day as well. She was on her way and arrived in 15 minutes. It was an uneventful ride home with not too much traffic. I arrived home at 9:15 pm. I went through my mail and began some of my unpacking. I also had a late dinner as I was quite hungry.
This ends my FINAL trip report on the Passporter Forum. I have enjoyed sharing these with all of you and I know you have as well from all your great comments, which I also love responding to. It’s very sad to see this forum come to an end as it’s been such a big part of me with my Florida trips. I have enjoyed this forum so much with all the great threads which I have gotten so many useful tips for my trips and information. I have also enjoyed all the TRs many of you have written as well.
I’m glad Reval has found us a new home over at PixieDustLane, which we all are enjoying already after a month. I would hate to lose our community. I will continue my TRs over on Facebook and may use the Passporter Trip Reports group or may even start my own one. This will be for my October Las Vegas trip. We shall see. It won’t be until after Christmas at the earliest or New Years as this time of year is busy for me as it is for all of you. I also will go over Cheryl’s tips for posting the TRs over here. I’m sure it won’t be too difficult!
That’s it and it has been a pleasure sharing 2 PTRs and 5 TRs with all of you the last five years! As they say in Hollywood, “It’s A Wrap!”
__________________
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!
Oh my goodness, I'm even sadder than ever to see one of your trip reports come to an end, knowing this is the final one here.
I've loved reading them and I hope you will post others on Facebook - I promise it's not that difficult to get your head around. It's a different way of doing things, but it's not too hard to get used to.
See you there and thanks for sharing all your trips here!
Sounds like it was a smooth flight home for you. It really is sooooo very sad for me to see Passporter ending for us in a couple of weeks but I have really enjoyed reading all your trip reports on these forums. Thank you for taking the time to post your PTR and TR's for our enjoyment over these many years. I'll look forward to reading your future trips reports on Facebook too! Until then...Merry Christmas.
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.
Oh my goodness, I'm even sadder than ever to see one of your trip reports come to an end, knowing this is the final one here.
I've loved reading them and I hope you will post others on Facebook - I promise it's not that difficult to get your head around. It's a different way of doing things, but it's not too hard to get used to.
See you there and thanks for sharing all your trips here!
Glad you have enjoyed my TRs so much as I have loved sharing them even more! It's a great way to keep reliving your trips! It's sad that it's my last one and will be even sadder in a few weeks when the forum shuts down for good! Certainly an end of an era for all of us! I'm looking forward to doing these on FB and just a matter of getting used to the format.
I hope there is a way to create sub folders there to separate the various TRs by individuals and perhaps by each TR by the days or whatever you chose to do this!
__________________
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!
Last edited by SuperDave; 12-12-2018 at 07:13 PM..
Sounds like it was a smooth flight home for you. It really is sooooo very sad for me to see Passporter ending for us in a couple of weeks but I have really enjoyed reading all your trip reports on these forums. Thank you for taking the time to post your PTR and TR's for our enjoyment over these many years. I'll look forward to reading your future trips reports on Facebook too! Until then...Merry Christmas.
It's going to be so sad when PP is finally gone! Glad you have enjoyed my TRs over the last 5+ years as I enjoy doing these so much, sharing them with you and all the great comments everyone leaves! I'm looking forward to the new venture over on FB! Have a Very Merry Christmas as well Linda!
__________________
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!
Sounds like an excellent travel day home! So sad to see this trip report end as it makes the closing of the boards seem even more final.
My flight home was much better this time around as no delays! Thanks Cam and it's quite sad and more so in a few weeks! I'm glad I got to share these all with you as I know you all enjoy them as I do to! I'm happy I completed this before the boards cease to exist!
__________________
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!
Thanks for sharing this amazing trip. Look forward to seeing you on Facebook for your next TR
I'm so glad you enjoyed it as I love sharing these so much! Looking forward to the FB experience after New Years and hope you will enjoy these as well. First up being my recent one week Las Vegas trip.
There will be lots of photos and food as well and much more! It was a good trip! Been since 1999 since I was last there. So much has changed!
__________________
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!
Last edited by SuperDave; 12-12-2018 at 11:10 PM..
Glad you had an uneventful ride to the airport and an easy time getting through security. It's always such a pain at MCO!
Thanks for sharing your trip, and yes, very sad that Passporter Boards won’t be around for much longer!