Of Course We're Going to Disney-PTR June 2016 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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'm starting this PTR awfully early. I need a Disney outlet! My friends and family are sick of hearing about our trips to Disney World (hence the title). I know my fellow Passporters will support me.
Over the last year and some odd months my life has completely changed. I broke up with my BF of 4+ years, moved into my own apartment, was promoted at work to Executive Assistant, almost lost said job, but recovered quickly and am on a path to finding myself and making my and my sons’ lives better. I love my new place, I’m better than ever at my job,I actually like it most of the time, and DS is blossoming into a fine young man. I sometimes lurked on the boards but I went into such a depression even Disney Love couldn't make it better. What could make it better? Going to Disney! Of course we’re going to Disney, DS is only 12 and has been 5 times already. It's my happy place.
I turned 31 this past June and was extremely disappointed in not being able to commit to a Disney trip with a co-worker and her son for my birthday. My son was diagnosed with an unknown heart condition and in trying to re-create the circumstances in which his last fainting episode happened, I just couldn’t commit even though I had the money. I was thoroughly disappointed when nothing happened and we could’ve gone BUT his health is more important than any vacation. So instead, we are planning a trip to Disney just the two of us!
Cast of Characters:
Me; Kymm, the Disney lover and planner extraordinaire of our small family, I turned 31 this past June. I was extremely happy to say goodbye to 30 as that year sucked and am looking forward to celebrating my 32nd year at my happy place. I love all the movies, my favorites are Beauty & the Beast, Tangled, Big Hero 6, Frozen, and the Little Mermaid…oh and pretty much every single Pixar movie! I love the parks, the movies, the music, the characters, and the history…everything Disney! My favorite characters are: Belle, Anna, Ariel, Mickey and the little green aliens from Toy Story. I'm the one who wants to stop for character interactions, but mostly because I'm a huge nerd.
DS12, Jacob will be 13 in November. He loves Pixar, Star Wars and the Fab 5. He’s the kid that watches old school cartoons, including the original Silly Symphony cartoons. Whenever he sees them playing in the parks, we have to stop. His favorite characters are Mickey Mouse, Oswald, Steamboat Willie, and Goofy. He’s turned into a foodie, and he’s lucky he’s blessed with a very fast metabolism! His main focus for our vacation will probably be food. If I could look like him and eat anything I wanted, I would probably feel the same way. He’s a huge fan of the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom so that will be an influence on our trip as well. On a side note, my wonderful son is learning to cook! My mother and I are teaching him so I’m sure he will be more interested in the kitchen store at DTD this year. The picture of him is a side by side from First day of school 2014 and First day of school 2015. It’s incredible what happens in one year!
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.
I'm so glad you're going back, Kymm! Jake looks nice and healthy now, and, WOW, has he grown! A young man now. Looking forward to the planning details.
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.
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.
I'm so glad you're going back, Kymm! Jake looks nice and healthy now, and, WOW, has he grown! A young man now. Looking forward to the planning details.
Thank you! He is a young man now. He will be 13 in less than 2 months!
Quote:
Originally Posted by belle0517
Great start!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
Great start! Jacob has grown quite a bit.
Thank you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by sparks74
We are going June 2016 too!! Can't wait to read about your plans!!
Jake is getting to the age where I just can’t justify taking him out of school any longer. He struggles without that daily structure so I decided to wait until summer vacation. His last day is June 3 so naturally we’re leaving June 4th!
We are booked June 4th through June 12th staying at Coronado Springs Resort with 7 day base tickets. We stayed at CSR in 2013 and this was Jacob’s favorite resort and one of his requests for a future trip. I did the math, for different dates as well, and it worked out for June. Our next best option was August at the Wilderness Lodge but Jacob said he really wants to go back to CSR. That’s perfectly fine with me! I’m hoping to make some new memories with just the two of us (or with my sister if she comes!) at one of his favorite places. I’ve only booked the base tickets so far, but I will probably upgrade to Park Hoppers in the next few months. We will have one day without going to a park and our departure day will probably be without a park. This depends entirely on flight times, which haven’t been released yet.
More than likely we will travel Southwest out of Akron/Canton Airport. The other option is Frontier or Spirit out of Cleveland but I like having the option of extra luggage without blowing my budget. Jacob is consuming so much food I am considering taking a suitcase of just snacks!
What we are celebrating:
My birthday is June 5th! We have gone for Jacob’s birthday twice so he requested we go for mine. I will be working on making this trip special for myself while still considering my sons’ needs and wants. We will also be attending a star wars weekend, if they are still happening; so I will probably purchase a package of some sort, although this might end up a surprise for Jake. I love him enough to suffer through Star Wars. He loves the movies but I’ve never seen them. He watches a lot of the clone wars shows as well but that’s all lost on me. It’s ok, he feels the same way about Harry Potter, and I love me some HP.
I’m not exactly sure how we will celebrate my birthday. I know we will spend June 5th in the Magic Kingdom, mainly because that’s where I want to be. I think we may have to schedule a special meal, CRT breakfast, lunch or dinner, 1900 PF dinner or perhaps the new Skipper's Cantine restaurant? I really can’t decide! I’m also thinking Jake and I will do a character hunt for at least part of my birthday celebration. I have yet to meet Tiana! I love meeting the characters and watching Jake interact with them. I think I will channel my inner nerd and jump into more interactions. I’m actually quite shy in my every day life.
In November 2013, we celebrated Jacob's birthday at Chef Mickey’s and passed out goody bags to the characters. This was such great fun! I think we will do something similar on my birthday as well. Not quite sure what just yet but maybe stickers and some candy? I don’t want to take an entire book bag into the park that day but I wouldn’t mind passing something out to characters, cast members, and some little princes and princesses! We will probably do the fire works that night so maybe I should have extra glow sticks on hand as well.
We are celebrating life! As I mentioned above, Jacob has an unknown heart condition. He has had three instances where he passes out while he swims. Each time we’ve been extremely lucky and someone has always been right next to him to prevent him from drowning. He sees the top pediatric cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic and we’ve stumped him. Last May, Jacob had a loop recorder implanted in his chest to monitor his heart beats. These recordings are read once a month and so far nothing. His last episode was New Years Eve 2013. The episode before that was October 2011 so it’s not something that happens regularly. I make him swim an awful lot in hopes that we will get something recorded but nothing since this was implanted last year. I have mixed emotions about this because I’d rather nothing happen ever again, but not knowing if it could or if it might when he’s older and no one is there to save him terrifies me.
I’m a commando when it comes to the parks but I am working REALLY hard to not be that way this year. I’m hoping that with just the two of us we can accomplish a lot more in a shorter amount of time. We will only do what we want not what anyone else wants! Because it’s our first time traveling in June I’m looking forward to extended park hours and more pool time. I am sad we won’t be traveling in the fall. I love the decorations and MNSSHP. Last year was the first year we did costumes and it was so fun! I’m hoping the fact it’s my birthday will make up for this.
Next up: You eat so much food! So where do you want to eat?!?
It's so sweet that Jake wanted to be there for your birthday this time. I hope you don't have lots of snow days that push the last day of school later!
I haven't updated in a while because life has been insane. Because it's been so busy and so up and down I've been unable to plan a whole lot for our trip until recently.
Jacob will be 13 on Wednesday this week! My baby will officially be a teenager. As most know, teenage boys eat a lot. Jacob has ADHD and is on a stimulant medication to help him in school. We did a med adjustment last spring because he was failing classes and I am proud to report that the meds have done their job, and he's done some growing up, and he has straight A's this quarter! The downside to the medication is his appetite is decreased. He doesn't have a lot of weight to lose but he lost two pounds these last few months so we're on a watch about his weight. He doesn't eat a ton at school because of the meds but he eats all the time at home. I don't medicate him on the weekends or school breaks so during our trip he will be off medication which means his appetite will be quite large.
Our budget will be a bit tighter than I anticipated for a multitude of reasons. The main one being we are committed to a cruise next November! We will be spending Thanksgiving with my sister and some of her very close friends (whom I've also known for years) on board a Carnival cruise. One of Jake's very good friends will be going so we're both pretty pumped!
Having said all that, I have had to rethink our eating habits! Food will be one of our biggest expenses and I blame my son. I found 2 round-trip plane tickets for 1/3 of our food budget! We both like to snack throughout the day and we're not huge dinner eaters anymore. We both like to eat breakfast but not super early in the day, like not before 8 or 9am. I am fortunate we have very similar eating habits!
Our ADR window is approaching and I think i will make one or two extra ADR's in hopes that we can afford them and if not, we will have plenty of time to cancel. I am basically following Jacob's desires for food on this trip and just nixing the ones I can't afford as we're paying OOP or having "final say" on ones I just don't want to do. I really wish he'd talk a little more so we could try some new places but it's hard to deny his favorites! His requests were many but we've narrowed them down to:
Biergarten for Lunch
Skippers Cantine (my birthday meal if we can snag it!)
Tusker House Breakfast (one of my requests)
50's Prime Time Lunch (his request) OR Sci-Fi Dine In Lunch (my request)
Whispering Canyon Cafe for Dinner on our down day
Crystal Palace Breakfast
We will also eat around the world in EPCOT as he wants to try new foods from different countries. Whenever we try this we usually get full halfway through so hopefully his larger appetite will allow him to try a little more. I will be giving him a $25 gift card for this for his birthday and Christmas and probably Easter so he can pay for whatever his stomach desires.
Now that SWW will not be happening at DHS we will spend way less time than normal in that park. We've done 50's PTC each time we've been to Disney since 2009 so I am half hoping he will give in to try Sci-Fi but he loves his 50's. The last time we were there our server was slow and no antics but the table next to us had an awesome cousin. He even involved Jacob when he observed how hard he was laughing which I greatly appreciated. I am fine with either choice so it really is up to him.
I'm going to start a new research project and really read up on the counter service choices. I'm hoping I can find some of Jacob's favorites so he doesn't want to eat at a sit down each day (can we say Free Dining has spoiled us!?). I will probably keep a list of places and his favorites served there so we don't play the "what do you want to eat?" game. I can just give him a choice or two and ask what he thinks sounds better. I love my son but the whole teenage "I don't care" answers drive me nuts! Simply because it's the same each time I ask and then when we get to somewhere he gets upset because he doesn't like anything on the menu at that moment.
Also to save money we will bring some snacks in our luggage, order from Garden Grocer and/or purchase refillable mugs. I did not select a preferred room so I will guess the refillable mugs won't be convenient at CSR because it is so large but we will be spending time at the pool. I've thought about doing both so I will make that decision as we get closer to the trip. We will bring water with us to the parks each day to save a little plus some small snacks for Jacob's never ending appetite.
I'm hoping to snag a BOG lunch ressie but won't be heartbroken over it. We will also go to Disney Springs to get ice cream at Ghirardelli and then shop or wander around.
I'm over-estimating or food budget by $175 since I've never traveled with a teenage boy before. I'm hoping I've thought everything out and no crazy speed bumps while we're there.
Good luck finalizing your dining choices! We're hoping to get an ADR for Skipper Canteen, too, but it was not showing up when I could make our ADRs on November 11. I'll be trying back weekly or as soon as I hear these are available.
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.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Linear Mode
