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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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That is . . .Top Ten Reasons To Celebrate Turning Ten at Disney!
Two years ago, Mary Devall and I started a fun little tradition of traveling together on her birthday. We both love choosing the destination, planning the trip and then enjoying some one-on-one time. We did Disney in 2009 and NYC in 2010, but decided to return to our happy place to celebrate turning double digits . . . because you only do that once, you know.
In honor of Stacy and her top ten, Mary Devall decided to name the top ten reasons why she loved celebrating the big 1-0 at Disney this year. As our story unfolds, I will let you know anytime an event is deemed important enough to be ranked as a top ten. So . . . without further adieu, let the show begin . . . .
As soon as we returned from our June trip (like the day after ), I immediately began planning the birthday trip. We were traveling a ton during the month of July, so I knew that we had to watch the budget.
We’re one of those families who forever stay in a “borrowing” state with our DVC points, so I just decided to borrow some more 2012 points and book us a studio for 4-nights. With less than two months to go, I knew that Saratoga Springs would be our only choice and it was. I booked it, but asked the CM to put us on a wait list for the Boardwalk. He asked if I wanted to wait list another resort and suggested VWL since he looked ahead and saw that 2 of our 4 nights were already available. We love VWL, so I was immediately on board with that suggestion. A mere 5 days later, I received an email that our wait list for VWL had come through. We were ecstatic!
With our accommodations set, Mary Devall and I began laying out our park plans and the all-important meals! Mary Devall’s actual birthday was on a Saturday, so we planned that day first and then the rest of our days fell in place. We even checked out the kids’ menus to make sure that there was something that she wanted to eat in the restaurants she chose - - mainly we made sure that they had pasta on the menu. I felt a certain bit of Disney parental pride listening to her work out where she wanted to eat.
Our final decision had to do with transportation. We love taking the train, but after significant delays coming and going in June, I wanted to give the train a break. Plus, this was a budget trip and driving was by far the least expensive mode of transportation. Mary Devall was fine with it and even Thom took less convincing than I thought (of course, he pretty much knows that there is no changing my mind once I’ve made it up ). My parents, on the other hand, were a bit of a problem.
Our original plan was to leave early on Thursday morning and then drive back the following Monday morning. This would give us roughly 3 and ½ days of Disney fun. As usually happens, the wheels began turning. Why not just leave Wednesday after work and get a few hours of driving out of the way?
Thom used to travel to Brunswick almost on a weekly basis, so he thought we could make it there with no problem and found us an inexpensive Hampton Inn for the night. It was exactly halfway (and I mean “down-to-the-mile” halfway), but that also had us getting there pretty late Wednesday night. Hmm . . . more wheels began turning. Why not have Thom bring Mary Devall to work that afternoon and, if my crazy meeting schedule cooperated, we could even leave a little early?
Of course, there was one little piggy tailed individual who was now old enough to realize that something was going to happen without her. Maddie wasn’t too happy at first (think pouty lower lip and arms crossed angrily across her chest ), but when I explained that Mary Devall wouldn’t be able to ride any of her favorite rides on her birthday trip if Maddie wasn’t willing to ride them, she saw what the problem was. Remember she was the one who explained the child swap process to me when she didn’t want to ride EE. Maddie is nothing if not practical. The promise of a new fluffy didn’t hurt the cause either. She and her Daddy soon had a weekend full of fast food and fun planned.
Fast forward through trips to Wisconsin and Hilton Head and we were suddenly packed and ready to head to Disney. The night before we left, we met my parents for an early birthday dinner. I knew something was up when my dad looked at me and began speaking in a very serious tone. With their health scares over the past several years, my mind immediately went there and my stomach dropped. Daddy began telling us how much he loved us . . . and then how he wanted to make sure we were safe (okay, now I see where this is going ) . . . and then that he and my mom wanted to pay for us to go on the train.
Once I was assured that they were okay and my heart rate had returned to normal, I explained to him that I was only going to drive in the daylight hours and that Thom had booked us a hotel for the following night. I realized that he was playing hard ball when he told me that Thom would have to cancel the hotel. It took a couple of minutes of back and forth with Mary Devall even chiming in that we would be okay before the subject was dropped.
You might wonder why my mom had remained silent this entire time. She had yet to speak a word, but believe me, her words were being spoken. My entire life my mom has brought out the big guns, a.k.a. my dad , when she really wanted to make her point. My dad would have never said a word if she had not of put him up to it. She knows it, we all know it and she even knows that we know it. The true proof was when she slouched down in her seat and spoke just one word “stubborn!” Mary Devall and I were now officially free to enjoy our trip the way that we wanted to enjoy it!
The next day at work went surprisingly smooth. I had an all-afternoon meeting, but I had told Thom to just text me when he arrived with Mary Devall and I would just duck out since it was essentially just a review session. Shortly before 4 p.m. I received the text and all but ran out of the room to get my girl in the lobby.
We said to Thom and then went back upstairs for me to shut down my laptop. After a quick hello and goodbye to my co-workers, we stopped by the restroom for me to change clothes and then we hopped in the minivan to begin our adventure at about 4:30. In hindsight, I should have taken a minute to let Mary Devall buy a few snacks from our vending machine, but I was so anxious to get on the road that the thought didn’t even cross my mind.
We could hop right on I-26 from where I work, but that was the only easy thing about I-26. It was packed and I honestly expected the same from I-95, so I was pleasantly surprised when I veered on to 95 an hour later and discovered that we were about the only car on our side of the road. I set the cruise control and just kicked back as we made our way to Georgia. The traffic picked up a bit outside of Savannah and a thunderstorm decided to join the party, but we just kept right on trucking.
Mary Devall had already decided that she wanted to eat at Cracker Barrel, so once the rain had slowed to a drizzle we stopped at one in Savannah. We had a quick meal of macaroni and cheese and a chicken salad sandwich, but we skipped dessert in lieu of candy from the store.
Mary Devall had a gigantic m&m white chocolate lollipop while I channeled my inner youth and bought supersized smarties and the caramels with powdered sugar in the middle. The rest of our ride was a sweet one!
According to the GPS on my phone, we had about 1 and ½ more hours to drive, but the signs on 95 said otherwise. I gave the phone to my navigator and asked her to type in the address of the hotel as our target instead of just the Hampton Inn in Brunswick. When she did, our drive was cut in half. Apparently, the phone was trying to put us in the Hampton Inn in St. Simons! We were both pretty happy when we realized that we were almost there.
At about 8:30, we pulled into the Hampton Inn which was right off 95. We quickly checked in, found our room, called the appropriate people (a.k.a Thom and my mom ) to let them know that we had arrived safely and hunkered down for the night reading and watching a little tv.
Yay!!! We were halfway to our happy place!
__________________
Sometimes words aren't needed . . .
Last edited by Jillybean; 10-05-2011 at 11:14 AM..
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Love the TR so far! I hope I can keep up with it! I keep starting TR's then losing my spot about halfway through, and then falling so far behind that I don't catch up for months!
So excited to see the start of the Mary Devall birthday trip. Glad that you and Mary Devall were able to convince your parents you would be fine driving, but how sweet that they wanted to pay for the train instead of thinking of the two of you alone on the road.
Ok loved the picture of Mary Devall in the hotel...I had to laugh as Angel does the same thing. She lays all her animal friends out, the remote, any snack she might have in perfect position so she is totally set for some relaxation.
Glad that Maddie got over being left home quickly...I am sure she and Thom had a fabulous time as well.
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), I immediately began planning the birthday trip. We were traveling a ton during the month of July, so I knew that we had to watch the budget. 
With less than two months to go, I knew that Saratoga Springs would be our only choice and it was. I booked it, but asked the CM to put us on a wait list for the Boardwalk. He asked if I wanted to wait list another resort and suggested VWL since he looked ahead and saw that 2 of our 4 nights were already available. We love VWL, so I was immediately on board with that suggestion. A mere 5 days later, I received an email that our wait list for VWL had come through. We were ecstatic! 
Mary Devall’s actual birthday was on a Saturday, so we planned that day first and then the rest of our days fell in place. We even checked out the kids’ menus to make sure that there was something that she wanted to eat in the restaurants she chose - - mainly we made sure that they had pasta on the menu. 
I felt a certain bit of Disney parental pride listening to her work out where she wanted to eat. 
Plus, this was a budget trip and driving was by far the least expensive mode of transportation. Mary Devall was fine with it and even Thom took less convincing than I thought (of course, he pretty much knows that there is no changing my mind once I’ve made it up 
Maddie wasn’t too happy at first (think pouty lower lip and arms crossed angrily across her chest 
), but when I explained that Mary Devall wouldn’t be able to ride any of her favorite rides on her birthday trip if Maddie wasn’t willing to ride them, she saw what the problem was. Remember she was the one who explained the child swap process to me when she didn’t want to ride EE. 
She and her Daddy soon had a weekend full of fast food and fun planned. 
Daddy began telling us how much he loved us . . . and then how he wanted to make sure we were safe (okay, now I see where this is going 
It took a couple of minutes of back and forth with Mary Devall even chiming in that we would be okay before the subject was dropped. 
The true proof was when she slouched down in her seat and spoke just one word “stubborn!” 
to Thom and then went back upstairs for me to shut down my laptop. After a quick hello and goodbye to my co-workers, we stopped by the restroom for me to change clothes and then we hopped in the minivan to begin our adventure at about 4:30. In hindsight, I should have taken a minute to let Mary Devall buy a few snacks from our vending machine, but I was so anxious to get on the road that the thought didn’t even cross my mind. 
decided to join the party, but we just kept right on trucking. 
Apparently, the phone was trying to put us in the Hampton Inn in St. Simons! 
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Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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