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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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My First Disney Vacation (09/09/12 – 09/14/12) – PTR
The Cast
Becky (Asuka) – Age 22
I’m twenty two now, but by the time I go on the trip I will be twenty three. I am a huge advocate of expressing your inner child and I very much embrace my own. I love Disney and always have loved Disney ever since I was young. In elementary school I always saw the kids who went to Disney as being from wealthy families. Somehow I knew how expensive Disney was even without having a concept of money. It was a dream to go there one day.
My parents surprised me with a day at Disneyland during our week long vacation in California when I was twelve. Sadly, the one day that my body chose to be sick during the trip was that day. I had a bad cold from the time I woke up until the next morning. Still, I very much enjoyed it and remember how Ariel told me that my hands were very cold.
In high school I joined the marching band. Every other year our band was invited to march down WDW Main Street for Magic Music Days. I was so excited to go! However, I ended up being miserable. It was late May and it was hot and crowded. I knew absolutely nothing about Disney so I didn’t know what I wanted to do or see aside from characters. Since I was only fourteen, my parents made the rule that I couldn’t walk around by myself so I went with a bunch of my classmates. Sadly, these were the ones who wanted to hit every thrill ride and that’s it. I’m the type of person who avoids these scary nightmare traps like crazy (See my question answered in Epcot Wishlist Passporter Podcast). So I ended up waiting in the heat for hours at a time while everyone else went on Rocking Rollercoaster and other such rides. I had one good day during the whole trip when I found someone to go to Epcot Japan with me. Needless to say though, I had a terrible time and was very upset about it.
I decided then that one day I’d be able to go back on my own terms and be able to see what I wanted to see. That’s why I’m considering this trip my first trip because the other one was too pathetic to really remember.
Zac – Age 28
Zac is my boyfriend. We’ve been together since November 15, 2008. He is from Edmonton, Alberta. We met online years ago in a roleplaying (think interactive storytelling) chat room. He has always enjoyed Disney movies but hasn’t been a huge fanatic like I have been. Zac has been to Disneyland before when he went to Anaheim for a Japanese anime convention called AnimeEXPO. He has never been to Disney World before.
He hasn’t been as crazed with planning as I have and has even asked me to stop talking about it so much. He thinks I’ll ruin the magic if I research everything and tell him about every little detail. Still, he is excited to go. He wants to see me happy. I think he’ll catch the Disney bug once we get there. Here’s to hoping!
The Journey
Sunday, September 9th, 2012
Departing Philadelphia via AirTran
Friday, September 14th, 2012
Departing Orlando via AirTran
Our Lodging
Port Orleans French Quarter – King Size room, River view requested.
Originally we wanted to stay at the Grand Floridian but decided that we didn’t have enough time to save the money for it. Then we debated between POFQ and POR. I was very much attracted to the Royal Rooms that were about to open at the time. However, Zac wanted a king size bed because he is a big guy and I couldn’t convince him otherwise. Also, the French Quarter looks beautiful and easy to get around.
Our Special Plans/ADRs
Sunday: Cape May Café (Dinner)
Monday: Akershus (Lunch)
Les Chefs de France (Dinner)
Tuesday: 1900 Park Faire (Late Breakfast/Lunch)
La Nouba
Wednesday: Cinderella’s Royal Table (Dinner)
Thursday: 50’s Prime Time Café (Dinner)
Friday: ‘Ohana (Breakfast)
Being on the free dining plan is a definite help. I paid out of pocket for Cindy’s and I didn’t feel guilty about it at all. Although I am worried two princess meals will be overkill. Still, I want the magic of the castle. We will probably pay for ‘Ohana out of pocket as well since it isn’t as expensive as the other meals. It was ridiculously hard to settle on these places. There were so many others that used to be on this list that had to be taken off. I often joke that I’m going to Disney to eat because the food is what I seem to be most excited about.
I hope to fit Katsura Grill in on Sunday for lunch and I’d like to do Wolfgang Puck Express for dinner on Tuesday. I am a little worried about Monday’s lunch and dinner being close together. I made our lunch ressie for around noon and dinner is around five. I didn’t want to miss Remy who comes around to visit at 5:20.
That’s about it so far although I’m sure I will update as the trip gets closer and I get more and more excited. If that’s even possible.
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