"The Only Place I Don't Want to Eat at is Tony's!" PTR June 3-8, 2017 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
"The Only Place I Don't Want to Eat at is Tony's!" PTR June 3-8, 2017
Hello everyone! I'm back again. It has been awhile. Having two teenage boys in show choir has kept me extremely busy. Add band, a part in Footloose for one of them, and working one full time and one part time job, my life has been pure chaos. But in the midst of that craziness, I have planned a trip to Disney World this summer for my family and a family friend that we basically adopted.
Introductions first: Me, Amy, mom, wife, teacher, travel planner professionally and as a hobby. Favorite character is a toss up between Mary Poppins, Chewbacca, and Minnie Mouse. Obsessed with all things Disney, which is why I fit in so well here.
Tim, my husband, converted to Disney obsessed. Loves all things Star Wars mainly, but has a great time with other characters, especially chipmunks. Also a teacher, dad, and occasional Podcast guest.
Preston, son. He will be 18 in June! Where did time go? He is in show choir, has a part in Footloose, loves chess, video games, and has gotten a knack for broadcasting. I think he will be a script writer some day. Favorite character will always be Oswald. He is very shy, despite loving to perform on stage, and he is getting more adventurous at trying new things seeing that college is right around the corner.
Caden, son. He is 14. Also in show choir. He plays the tuba in concert band and the trombone in jazz band. He lives Sorcerer Mickey. He has also discovered a new love. Girls. My kid who wouldn't even look at kissing on tv has a group of girls following him everywhere now and has become quite the flirt. We are in trouble with this one.
Connie, friend, adopted grandma. We knew Connie from church, and we were in the same Bible Study together. She has a wicked sense of humor and we needed her as much as she needed us. She wanted to go to Disney World, but her daughter refused, so we told her she could come along with us. So she is, she and she has no idea what she is in for. She loves Mary Poppins, Snow White, and we've converted her into a huge Harry Potter fan. I know that last one isn't Disney, but it's been a fun ride.
Where are we staying? Port Orleans Riverside. It was quite the drama ending up there, but that's a story for another time.
When? June 3-8, which is not enough time but I just have to live with it, or so I've been told. Smirk.
Why? Connie has not stayed on property and she hasn't been to Disney in a couple of decades. She needs to see it done properly. Plus we are celebrating Preston's 18th birthday and probably our last trip with him for quite awhile. Sigh.
So that's the beginning. The Tony's comment? It will all make sense to you later on.
__________________
Last edited by dutchdisneyfamily; 03-19-2017 at 05:57 PM..
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.
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 and nice overview and background on the cast! Nice title and will be interesting how this falls into place in your PTR! POR is a nice resort and have stayed there three times for a total of 22 nights, so I know the resort pretty well!
__________________
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.
Great start! I look forward to finding out about the POR drama and the Tony's story.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nemo125
Great start! And I love Port Orleans Resort! Can't wait for more!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Great start and I'm intrigued about the Tony's comment....
Quote:
Originally Posted by patclairesmom
Great start! Looking forward to hearing the intrigue behind POR and Tony's!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great start Amy!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperDave
Great start and nice overview and background on the cast! Nice title and will be interesting how this falls into place in your PTR! POR is a nice resort and have stayed there three times for a total of 22 nights, so I know the resort pretty well!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Great start and cast of characters, Amy!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMA
Great start! Sounds like it will be quite an adventure! Nice of you to adopt Connie and take her with you! Looking forward to reading more!
Thanks everyone! I will write more tomorrow that will cover the resort drama!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
Great start Amy! Our dates overlap and we're even staying at the same resort.
I saw that. Yay! Maybe we will even get a chance to meet up!
Last summer we were actually talking about making a trip out to Disneyland. Connie joined up with us and we had a planning night. Reservations hadn't opened yet. Then we got to talking, and pricing, and Connie came to a realization. Disneyland wasn't in Florida! She isn't fond of flying. Florida appealed to her for that reason. It was half the time in a plane. We could go to Disney World for cheaper. And then I went on my solo trip in August and I was able to get free dining on a bounce back for all of us. And so begins the resort drama.
I had originally booked a 7 night trip at Coronado Springs. Well, things happened and even with free dining it was more than I wanted to spend. So we talked about all staying in one place instead of two rooms. So after research and pricing we transferred to Fort Wilderness cabins. Well, after that setting in, my eye began to twitch. I don't see well in the dark, which is a hereditary condition, and my anxiety started to rise at the thought of trying to get back to the cabin in the dark. I wasn't sure about how well lit it was. The biggest thing was all of us sharing on bathroom. That isn't really appealing to Connie. And among other things, we decided to go back to two rooms. So back to Coronado Springs we went.
A few weeks later we decided to add a day to the end. Well that was a problem because we couldn't stay at Coronado anymore. We had to switch to Port Orleans Riverside to a Royal Room. I was good with that. We love it there. Connie was especially happy. She loved the pictures of the resort even better than the ones of Coronado Springs.
And then we took a financial hit. Lots of things happened and needed to be paid. So, what to do, but cut off some days. I called and I was able to cut a day off the front and end. I was also able to adjust our flights to our new dates.