PTR: A rustic Spook-tacular adventure for two: Tricks, Treats and Eats! - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
PTR: A rustic Spook-tacular adventure for two: Tricks, Treats and Eats!
Hey guys! I'm back after a year or more hiatus to share about our upcoming trip for me and my hubby! I decided to turn off my facebook and most of my social media minus Instagram ( I love looking at pics) so this has freed up my time to focus on the fun stuff like Disney planning and the disney boards I am now finishing up a trip from two years ago on here finally While typing it out I decided to try to share again our upcoming trip because it will be the last for a few years due to our decision ot go to France this time next year.
So, to catch you guys up! In case you don't know me or my hubs its time for introductions:
The Who:
Me, Crissy, 36: I am an avid disney fan! I've been going every year to Disney since 2000 and sometimes twice per year. I love anything Belle, Beauty and the Beast! My fave time of year to go is the fall and I'm so ready for this trip! I'm a therapist and I work for a community mental health clinic here in South Carolina, though I'm originally from Tennessee. I love to work out and eat and travel
Eric, 39, the hubby: We have been together for 15 years! Wow that's forever! Eric went to disney as a child a few times but never went again until 17, he didn't love it at 17. Never went back until probably 2007 I think that was the first year I convinced him to go with me for the food and wine festival. He now loves disney, plans along and his favorite disney movie is Cars and Toy Story, he loves vinylmations and EPCOT is his favorite park. He is an engineer and thinks like one too LOL.
The When:
So, we are going October 24th and departing on Saturday October 31st. We are driving down on Saturday October 24th and having two days at our resort before starting the parks on Monday, we do parks for five days and leave on Saturday the 31st and being it Halloween we decided to stay in Port Canaveral then head home Sunday Nov 1st.
The Where:
We decided instead of Free Dining which we have had now consistently for about 7 years. We decided to take the 30 percent off room stays and book with Wilderness Lodge. We ate there two years ago and fell in love with the decor and how it felt like you were but weren't in Disney yet so close to the magic literally! We decided to have two days in the beginning to fully enjoy what this resort has to offer and we booked a WoodsView
Last year we decided to not do a trip report, mostly because we took Eric's parents with us last year and did a land and sea vacation. It was a great and amazing trip here are a few pics of us on that trip....
We are also attending the Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween party this year as we missed it last year so yay
We have 56 days to go and counting!!! I have so much to share so I'm ready to get this started! So, if you are following along for this adventure and I hope you enjoy our trip!
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.
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.
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.
Great start! I can't wait to read all about this trip.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2
Yay! well welcome along
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great start Crissy!
Thanks!! I was so glad I finally got this thing going so I can talk Disney with everyone! Nobody at work cares very much lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Great Start!!! Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!
Thanks
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kellymel
Love it! We actually leave the day you arrive. And being we are from SC too, we may pass each other!
YAY well you can countdown right with me! I think we will actually pass each other LOL I saw you are from Lancaster, I'm in Fort Mill and work in Rock Hill so we are right next to each other
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara
Fun plans!! You two are adorable!!
Aw thank yiou so sweet!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
Following along!
yay well welcome on my journey!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mpwife153
I'm glad you are doing a TR...I've missed you!
yay I've missed you too!!! I've been seeing your pics on instagram but its not the same sometimes!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Great start, Crissy! I can't wait to hear all your plans.
I'm so excited to share my plans this time!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by booklady1
I love your trip reports. Glad you are doing another one.
Aw you are so sweet!! thank you! I love sharing my trips its so much fun to have everyone tag along
Great start! Can't wait to follow along! Another from SC.....we'll be arriving Oct 30 and we are super excited to be spending Halloween at the MNSSHP!!!
So, you probably are wondering the backstory to the how of this trip. This trip had other dates, other people joining in, other ideas all together. So, lets start with how it came to be.
Originally we were not going to Disney this year. We wanted to go to Europe in Spring 2016 and wanted to save our money for that trip instead. So, last year's land and sea vacation with DHS's parents was going to be the end all for two years. I was a little tearful about that but I had Europe in my sights and knew that it was a much better trade off So, we had a wonderful trip in the fall but somehow we really didn't get a lot of EPCOT in that trip. My husband was really super disappointed which had nothing to do with our lack of planning but more to do with his parents being slower and his mom was having issues and stayed in the restroom for about two hours of our time in EPCOT and we patiently sat waiting for her. Then We were rewarded with a free dinner at Les Chefs (long story about how we got this but we did so that rocks) and this dinner turned into a 2 hour or more affair which was unsettling because the food was just delish but the service was beyond slow. WE have eaten there nearly 6 times and this was our first issue so needless to say our day in EPCOT since it was only one full day in that park was cut short in areas and my husband wanted a do-over. We thought about doing three days since we couldn't afford more than that due to saving for Europe.
Our original plan was to go down, see my dad in St. Pete, drive over do EPCOT for a day and come back home. So after this maybe being a small plan to get in a little Disney it turned out after we number crunched we were not sure we could make Europe happen in 2016. So we temporarily suspended that trip and decided to move forward with a full on trip in October.
Once gaining that plan I was excited about Disney but disappointed about Europe. So, this was in February that we decided this would be our plan. Over the Superbowl Sunday we met up with some friends of mine who decided they wanted to maybe tag along but meet us there for three days because they have DVC. We were fine with that it was excited to maybe have some friends come along this time around. So, we planned out our dates just keeping ourselves in mind for the trip. We decided to make plans to stay where we could afford, for the amount of time we can afford and not bank on any discounts and plan it out that way.
So, we planned and we booked with our Disney Travel Planner, Amanda, and decided on a weeks stay with a five day park hopper over at Port Orleans FQ. We love this resort and hadn't stayed there in awhile. So, since we stayed CBR last time we thought we'd go back to our old fave. We decided on the third week in October originally with a plan to stay from 17th through the 24th.
I put down the deposit and sat back and let the planning begin. Early on, our friends decided to no go, she couldn't rent her parents points for that long and justify a family trip just a few months later. So, they backed out and we were cool because this way we can do what we want and not miss out on what we are going for.
Once they backed out of the plan, I went into full planning mode for me and Eric. We decided on the resturants first. We were thinking that if free dining came along during our stay we would book like we have free dining. But, our thought this time around were that we might rather have a room discount.
We went down to see my dad back at the first of April for a three day weekend. We took one way going down which had us completely going way out of our way from Orlando this time around. But we noticed that there was so much construction on this route it was too much really. We decided to go back through Orlando and make a pit stop at DTD instead and eat at Cookes of Dublin and do some quick looking around and get a little dose of Disney.
I'm so glad my husband indulges me and I think he secretly loves it himself We did get down there as a side stop and was able to eat at cookes of Dublin, we saw the new food trucks, we saw them building several new restaurants and we were able to park in the new parking garage. DTD is changing so much I'm sure it will have its new name all put up and be completely different by the time we get down there.
We bought a few souvies to hold us over until October and went back home. Once back home, we decided to get a definite plan for eating set up and having the thought that we could change, cancel or add to that. So, we had our travel agent make those reservations and while I cannot remember what we originally had I think that Jiko was one of our original selections that did not make the cut in the end : Its too expenseive OOP and while we it it was the first to go when the plans changed. We were able to get all the reservations we wanted other than BOG for lunch or dinner.
BOG is such a needle in a haystack really. I can never get in there and I'm not sure when I'll get in there but we think we may just walk up to see if they have any cancellations the day of when we are down there. We made our reservations six months out which I believe were the end of April first of May.
I started making payments on this trip early on. Slowly, I kept paying it until I was just a few hundred away when we got a PIN code in the mail for a discount on the room stay for dates that encompassed ours.
I will say we tried everything, we tried the free diining that was released but didn't get in for that, we tried this pin code and that didn't work for WL or AKL which is what we wanted, then we said heck we will take it for our own room and that did work. So, then my husband said lets move our dates to a week later yep here we go.
That worked we were able to use our PIN moving our dates to a week later, the problem was ............yes there was a problem,......I had already booked our MNSSHP tickets and we might just loose all that money I just paid for those tickets. I called the number listed on the ticket and the guy reassured me that I was allowed to change my dates and for the 25th of October date there were plenty of tickets still available.
So, we took advantage of the PIN code by moving our dates to a week later. We changed our dates to be check in Sunday October 25th and check out on Saturday October 31st and drive home. I was able to move our MNSSHP tickets :woot and we cancelled some dining reservations since we were paying OOP.
So, as it stands in July, I was nowhere near paid off now : and we were staying at the Wilderness Lodge and now I needed to make more payments LOL So, this is where I got Rustic, we feel like the WL is rustic and beautiful and we are just coming out of our skin excited about staying here. We AKL and they appear to look similar though I know they are much different. I'm so excited about this hotel and that we actually get to stay here!
Up next: Ch ch changes, nothing stays the same, well some things change. Typical for a avid Disney planner right???
Great start! Can't wait to follow along! Another from SC.....we'll be arriving Oct 30 and we are super excited to be spending Halloween at the MNSSHP!!!
I love it when I see SC Disney fans on here! This state is somewhat small so we are never too far away from anything living here Plus its just a short drive to Disney and a doable drive down. I love Halloween so I'm so excited to do the MNSSHP this year. its so close to it being Halloween when we go I'm beyond excited for it!
About This Page: 
I am now finishing up a trip from two years ago on here finally 
While typing it out I decided to try to share again our upcoming trip because it will be the last for a few years due to our decision ot go to France this time next year. 
and I hope you enjoy our trip! 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
You two are adorable!! 
and we were cool because this way we can do what we want and not miss out on what we are going for. 
: Its too expenseive OOP and while we 
it it was the first to go when the plans changed. We were able to get all the reservations we wanted other than BOG for lunch or dinner. 
yep here we go. 
Linear Mode
