a trip to bring us smiles... our first trip pre-trip report - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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a trip to bring us smiles... our first trip pre-trip report
WOW I can not believe that we are 27 days away from going on our first trip to WDW. First let me introduce the party
ME: 35 years old, Navy wife, mother and waitress.
Hubby: 36 years old, navy man ( 15 years) and ALWAYS away
Son: 13 ( in a few days)
Daughter: 7
Nanny: 56 years old
I have always wanted to bring my children to WDW. With the military we have moved to Japan, Hawaii, Washington, California, Pennsylvania and now Virginia. The only family vacation we have taken together has revolved around our moves. I always tried to make it fun but it was always never relaxed because we were always on a mission ( moving ).
We had a VERY hard year this year. My daughter was attacked and our life had been forever CHANGED. We moved away from my parents ( first time living near them in 13 years ), I had to choose my family ( dh and kids) over my FAMILY ( aunts and grandmother) because it was an attack within the family. My sweet baby girl was placed in counseling and I too began counseling. It has been almost a year now ( it will be year the day we get to WDW) and things are finally getting better. Court is over ( system failed us ) , We are back into doing things and to be honest I am finally getting out of bed everyday. It is amazing how brave my daughter has been threw this whole BAD situation. She is my hero. I wish I could be so strong. It took me forever to finally get out of the house, to finally get out of bed, to finally stop crying. I was the wreck, while my daughter moved on.
So this trip to me is like starting over. Making that day be full of JOY, Happiness, MAGIC and not full of anger and disppear.
I know I have been OVER planning this trip. With this past year events I have been very controlling of what happens in out lives. My schedule even includes bathroom breaks ( lol i know a little to much and I WILL ( saying it out loud) lighten up when we get there ) It is so funny I think I might be more excited about this trip then everyone else. I want to see a SMILE on my children's face. I want to see the sparkle in my daughters eyes on the day that the sparkle was taken away. I want our family to be OKAY and I feel that is what this trip is about.
So in 26 days and a wake up ( military term, never count the last day because that is one day more you are adding that you won't see your hubby ) we are headed to a place that I have heard is magical and right now our family could use some magic.
Some might say "wow she is very open to what has happened to her daughter" and I am very open because I do believe talking about it heals me, but I also want to let someone know that they are not alone in what happened. That there are others that can help you threw the hard days. I felt ALONE through this horrific situation and I wish I had known someone was out there that understood.
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I hope that you and your family have a magical time at the world
__________________
Heather - "I'm Tinkerbell's biggest fan!"
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
Can't imagine what you and your family have been through. My heart goes out to you. I truly hope this time together brings some joy back to your lives.
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Thanks everyone... We are soooo excited.. I started wearing Mickey mouse ears out and about LOL people think I am crazy but I don't care I am sooo excited
I think you're going to find that WDW will be the best medicine and the healing with continue with all of the magic you will encounter during your trip!
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WDW is truly a magical place and I know that you will have a wonderful time. I hope that this much needed vacation helps you and your family begin to heal from the horrible year you have had.
Thanks again everyone. WOW we are in November already time is coming quick for us to start packing. Thank you all for your kind words. I will be sure to post about our MAGICAL trip.
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) we are headed to a place that I have heard is magical and right now our family could use some magic.
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