Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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03-13-2006, 01:25 PM
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#1
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Eileeeeeeen!™
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 28,861
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DisneyWHAT?? - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - COMPLETE!!
<font color="blue"> <u>Hello, my name is Eileen and I'm a Disney-aholic!</u>
Hello, Eileen!
Okay, I'll admit it, this whole trip is an excuse to get to see Karen (zacksmom_1993) and her son Zack again! (There, I said it. Admitting it is half the battle - or so I'm told!)
Anyway, what I'm telling my husband is that we're "supporting" him when he receives a wonderful award for his ride at the Philadelphia Zoo to be presented to the Zoo and Bob at the Themed Entertainment Association Thea Awards -- held at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim.
In fact, at first, Calder and I weren't planning on attending. It would be a lot of money and Bob would be so busy with the conference and, since we were going on a big trip to WDW in June AND a Grand Gathering in December, I didn't feel right spending money going to California.
Plus, I hate flying cross-country. Hate it. Really despise it. Blech!
Then, my wonderful father (prodded by my equally wonderful "step"-mother, Joan) decided to gift me and my siblings with a large chunk of my mom's estate. LARGE CHUNK - quite substantial!! And it was a surprise. (You should've seen us at Christmas dinner when Daddy handed me a thick envelope that detailed all the financial planning he'd put into this. We were all crying [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zcry.gif[/img] and I know my mom was proud of him for taking care of her estate so well. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zcry.gif[/img] Calder was flummoxed that we were all sobbing -- he didn't understand anything that was happening until later, when I explained to him about Grammy's estate and that she was still able to give us gifts, even from heaven.)
Okay, typing that made me start crying. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/Lonely.gif[/img] I have to get a tissue.
Be right back!
Eileen </font> |
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03-13-2006, 01:54 PM
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#2
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 18,767
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Re: DisneyWHAT - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/13
Oh Eileen!!! I know you'll be coming back with more but I got all teary eyed reading it. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grouphug.gif[/img]
There is no harm in making an excuse to see Karen and Zack. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
I love the title of your report because for the months before going that is all we heard.
Now..I have to get a kleenex. Looking forward to more!!
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03-13-2006, 01:54 PM
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#3
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Eileeeeeeen!™
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 28,861
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Re: DisneyWHAT - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/13
<font color="blue"> <sniff>
Sorry about that. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]
Anyway, after I deposited the big check, my husband (for whom I'd just arranged a big, spectacular 40th birthday party) called me from work. "I want you to come," he said. "You're receiving the award too!" (Which is technically true, since I'm the Creative Writer on the project.) "I can't get you into the award ceremony, since it costs $375 to attend if you're not one of the winners." Fine with me, bucko. Who wants to wear pantyhose and a formal dress when Mickey and Minnie are just steps away, beckoning me to Fantasmic!
So, I hopped on the airline websites and started looking at flights. I wanted to use AirTran because I have almost enough credits for a free round trip. Alas, they only have red-eyes on the way back and I can't imagine Calder putting up with that.
I did the Orbitz, Travelocity thing and then remembered that I had a coupon for use with United through the Entertainment book. I got a pretty good deal. Then I had to coordinate with Bob's company's corporate travel agent (which was a hassle!), but we got it all worked out and we're on the same flight in the same row.
Then, I bombarded Karen with questions about hotels and she gave great recommendations. Unfortunately, the area is extremely booked up for our timeframe (which didn't make me feel comfortable, until Karen explained that hotel bookings don't tend to relate to park crowds at Disneyland. Phew!). I really wanted to stay in the Candy Cane Inn, but we were finally set up at the Fairfield. (I think that's its name and the confirmation is on my laptop... I'll check and update you if I've had a brain fart.)
Disney is offering a special on tickets right now - "everyone plays for the kids' price"... THANK GOD! 'Cause Calder turned ten a few weeks ago and is now an "adult" in Disney's eyes and I'd've hated to pay that bill. I got us 4-day park hoppers that give us a bonus of one free "early entry." I bought Bob a 3-day, even though he'll be caught up in the conference for partial days on Friday and Saturday. I figured, if he wasn't too bushed, he might want to join us for dinner. We'll see!
I left all the PSs (that's what they're still called at DLR) up to Karen - who's been a doll to take all the planning on. For the first time in my life, I'm not obsessing about where we'll be and what we'll be doing. I'm planning on being a "go with the flow gal." [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
More later!
Eileen
</font>
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03-13-2006, 03:15 PM
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#4
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Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ohio Football Hall Of Fame
Posts: 42,304
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Re: DisneyWHAT - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/13
Great start Eileen!!! Congrats to you and your husband on your award!!!!! Can't wait to read all about your trip, I always enjoy your trip reports!!!!!!
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03-13-2006, 04:35 PM
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#5
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Eileeeeeeen!™
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 28,861
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Re: DisneyWHAT??? - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/13
<font color="blue"> A few weeks ago (when I was supposed to be working on other projects [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] ,) I made our autograph books.
 Calder's
 Mine
I was going to make some pants out of some fun Mickey Mouse fabric that I bought months ago, but I've run out of time... unless I put off another project [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] , but that would make the DH mad since it's a project for work! (We have a big presentation right after we get back from California.) If I manage to get them done, I'll be sure to post a picture here.
Today, I made a quick stop at Barnes and Noble after work and picked up the Birnbaum Disneyland 2006 book. I've pre-ordered the PassPorter Disneyland, but it won't be shipping until after we get back. Oh, well. I DID download the preview section that they offered to people who preordered it (That was a terrific idea, Dave and Jennifer!) I took a few guide books out of the library a few weeks ago, but the only one I managed to find interesting was one called Disneyland Detective (read about it here at Amazon.com ) I highly recommend this book for anyone who's interested in the design and "secrets" of Disneyland's Magic Kingdom. I've learned so many little tidbits that I'm anxious to see first-hand.
Karen called me last night and we gabbed for about 90 minutes (thank goodness for those free weekend minutes!)
So, without further ado, let me tell you the plans so far.
We fly out early on Thursday, March 16th. We get in around noon and, 'til we pick up the rental car and get to Anaheim, I'm guessing it'll be close to 1 or 1:30. We may run straight to a park unless we need to freshen up a little. (I may still be drowsy from the meds I'll be taking to survive the long trip!!)
Karen and Zack will leave home right after school and should get to us by about 10PM. I have a feeling that Calder will be sacked out by then (being that it'll feel like 1AM to him), but I'm ready to hang out with my pals - either in the hotel or in a park!
On Friday, Bob has the first day of the conference and should get done around 5PM (unless he decides that he has to also attend the schmoozefest afterwards.) He can join us at a park if he wants to. Karen knows the PSs, but I think one of them is for dinner on this night.
Saturday will be all parks - all day! Except poor Bob -- he has more conference stuff through lunch. Then, if he feels up to it, he can join us or he can rest before getting dolled up in his tux. (It's a pretty one with a buttercream yellow vest and Windsor knot tie.) The rest of us will be partying like it's 1999!
Sunday is a play day. Karen has PSs for a late breakfast for all of us and I'm hoping we'll get to spend time into the early afternoon together. Bob doesn't have to leave for the airport (to get to the NEXT conference - poor fellow!) until that evening.
Calder and I will stay in Anaheim one more night and then take a noon flight back to Philadelphia.
There ya go - that's as much of a plan as I've got right now. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
Eileen </font> |
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03-13-2006, 05:28 PM
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#6
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Philadelphia suburbs, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 5,262
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Re: DisneyWHAT??? - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/13
Have a great time Eileen. And Congrats to your DH (and apparently you, too) for the award. I'll definitely have to get over to the zoo and check it out.
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03-13-2006, 05:29 PM
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#7
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Eileeeeeeen!™
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 28,861
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Re: DisneyWHAT??? - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/13
Tanya - the ride is called Dodge Wild Earth and it's in the Rare Animal building (the one that's immediately to the right of the impala fountain, right after the entrance.) You'll probably recognize Calder - he's in all the print ads around the ride.
Eileen
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03-13-2006, 11:17 PM
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#8
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Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: California
Posts: 3,878
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Re: DisneyWHAT - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/13
You are all going to have a wonderful time at Disneyland. Have fun planning and keep us posted [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
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03-14-2006, 02:22 AM
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#9
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PassPorter Message Board Manager
 PassPorter Guide Author
Community Rank: Legend VIP 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285
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Re: DisneyWHAT - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/13
Great updates Eileen - what a magical trip you've got planned there. I can't wait to hear all about it. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
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03-13-2006, 10:16 PM
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#10
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Recovering VMK Addict!
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Thornton, CO
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 13,087
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Re: DisneyWHAT?? - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/13
You are going to have a wonderful time! Congrats to you and your husband for the award!
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03-14-2006, 06:10 AM
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#11
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RED SOX NATION!!
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854
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Re: DisneyWHAT?? - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/13
What a great time you're going to have Eileen [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] I can't wait to hear all about it! Safe travels [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/fairy2.gif[/img]
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03-14-2006, 07:55 AM
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#12
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 18,767
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Re: DisneyWHAT?? - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/13
You are going to have such a great time!! Congrats to your DH and you on your award!!! I can't wait to hear all about it!!
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03-14-2006, 12:31 PM
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#13
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Community Rank: Traveler 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: CA
Posts: 294
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Re: DisneyWHAT?? - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/13
Sounds like a great trip! The Fairfield is a nice hotel, and the location is good. There is a Mimi's restaurant and a Millie's restaurant in front of the Fairfield-both are great if you are looking for a non-park meal.
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03-14-2006, 12:42 PM
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#14
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Eileeeeeeen!™
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 28,861
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Re: DisneyWHAT?? - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/13
Great! Thanks for the info on the restaurants!
Eileen
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03-15-2006, 11:32 AM
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#15
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Eileeeeeeen!™
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 28,861
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Re: DisneyWHAT?? - oh, DisneyLAND - 3/16-20 - Pre Trip - Updated 3/15
<font color="blue"> The time is draaaaaaggging...
Can't it be tomorrow already?!
I finished a big project for DH last night and hope that I won't be forced to work on the presentation at all while we're there, but we'll see.... I'm at my regular "job" now, but I'm hoping to leave in a few minutes - all my To Do's are done! YAY!
I have one shopping stop to make so that the dog sitter will have food to feed our pooches. Then it's on to packing and prepping.
In terms of the planning, I just printed out the projected weather. It looks like it'll be chilly, so no shorts needed! There's also some forecasted rain, but we won't mind, especially since Karen says that the parks clear out when it rains. It does mean that Calder will be swimming without me. Our hotel has a heated pool, but I can't stand it when the air is too cool.
I found a shuttle service to use to get us back to LAX on Monday (Bob will be taking the rental car back to the airport on Sunday night for his flight to southern CA.) It's called the "Disneyland Resort Express" and has character images all over the bus, so that'll cheer me up as we drive away from the Happiest Place on Earth.
Other than that, I just have to battle my nerves for the flight and my anxiousness to see our friends. But I'm soooo psyched to see and fall in love with Disneyland. I can't wait.
Karen has a surprise planned for the boys, but I'll tell you about that when I get back.
Wish me luck on the flight, everybody!
Eileen </font>
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