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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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It's my first day back to work after a whirlwind long weekend, haven't even been home 24 hours yet!! Imminentcrash pending!!
Why did DBF and I do this to ourselves? To celebrate his birthday of course! Since we both had to work last Thursday, his actual bday, I made it up to him with a quick, four day trip to Orlando!! I had to work two jobs Thursday (I have 3) and didn't get home until 10:30pm. Then there was packing, last minute cleaning & laundry and trying to fall asleep.
Alarm went off at 4am I always find it amazing how I can't wake up everyday for work with out 3 alarms but I'll wake up full of energy when I'm going to Disney. We hopped in the car at 6am Friday and drove 7 hours to The City Beautiful. Uneventful drive, no traffic, no scenery, no nothing. Only a strong desire to get to our destination kept my foot planted on the gas pedal and the poor Halloween Mickey antenna topper hanging on for dear life!
Now, I have only stayed off Disney property twice in all of my trips. On our 2nd trip when I was 10 (Grandma swore NEVER to go off property again ) and again 22 years later (guess what? Taxis are expensive!) So why, why, why, would I do this again?? Because I tried to save money. And I have finally learned my lesson, fork over the extra $$$ - it's worth it.
Around 1pm, we made it onto International Drive and sat in an hour's worth of traffic to go a few miles to get to our hotel. They must have paid the photographer a boat load of cash to photoshop the online photos because this joint looked NOTHING like the pics. The lobby had this shabby, Polynesian (and I don't mean THE Poly) / 70's Chinese restaurant look to it. Crowd of smokers parted to let us in to the circus that was.... our hotel. With the exception of our very first Disney trip at the Contemporary back in '78, I have always been able to get into our room upon arrival. Not this time! 4pm, no earlier. So we changed in the lobby bathroom, crammed our bags into the luggage room (which anyone had access to!!!) and headed out to the Food & Wine Festival!
We parked at the Boardwalk self parking lot and practically ran to the stairs leading to the boards. It was like angels singing as Stormalong Bay came into view across the water. We paused for some pics, inhaled some of that awesome Florida air and quickly strode towards the International Gateway.
I used up the last day on a non-expiring pass purchased back in February '07 !!! and Scott used the first day on his next one. We stopped in the shop to grab a gift card wristlet (awesome invention btw), festival map and bday pin for Scott.
A HUGE THANK YOU to WDWfan for the spreadsheet!!!!!! We knew exactly the amount to put on the gc and what to get at each kiosk. You are a lifesaver!!!
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First off, this was our first F&WF since 2003 (last year I lived in FL) and where Scott and I first met so it was just a wee bit special for us, not to mention we were celebrating his birthday.
Our first stop was France. I can't believe it, but I got Scott to try escargot and he LIKED it!!! Think the brioche helped but still, he's a picky eater seldom deviating from his set foods so I was floored!! Also tried a Parisian Cosmo Slush. Great start to the festival!!!With Cosmo Slush in hand, we grabbed a Grey Goose Citron Lemon Slush & Grand Mariner Orange Slush. WOW!!!! Now I know what everyone's been talking about on the boards! They were the best drinks of the day. Definitely getting more in February.
Next stop on the Festival Train was Spain. We got the Taste of Spain, Seared Albacore Tuna & Marques de Caceres Rioja White Wine. We sat in the grass and people watched as we ate. While the sampler was ok and the Tuna overdone, the wine was delish!!
Moving right along, we picked up a Leffe (yummy beer) at Belgium and a Tangerine Mimosa Royale & Iced Mint Tea from Morocco and sat by the fountain for a spell. All were tasty but the experienced was ruined when I noticed the young boy behind me spitting in the fountain!!! His parents said nothing, did nothing. I did think about pushing him in!!!
We then got Barramundi from Australia and Denemon & Hastumago sake in Japan. I should have taken my advice learned from my first F&WF - save the sake til last. Did I listen? Nope. This would prove to be my downfall.
On to Italy to try Polpettine Toscane (small meatballs) & Chianti. We stopped by Via Napoli to see the new pizzeria and take pics of the pizza ovens (one for each of the three volcanos). Huge restaurant!! We also stopped in the perfumery to pick up some more Acqua di Parma cologne as I had run out. Luckily, there was a gentleman on hand to hand engrave the bottle!! Unexpected souvenir! Scott spotted a stainless steel bracelet that we couldn't pass up. Perfect fit too! I always find something (or alot) in that store and love the staff!
Next?? GERMANY! Always a great time! Made some friends in line for beer including the cast members (as usual). Tried a souvenir stein of Radeberger Pilsner. Not the best beer we've had, but something new. Wanted to get Scott a bday shot of Apfelcorn Schnaaps but they were out. "We have Jagermeister!" NO WAY!! Thankyouverymuch!
Poland always has such great Kielbasa & Pierogies. We also tried the Belvedere Strawberry Balsamic Chiller. Basically, a strawberry daquri sub vodka for rum. Still tasty, but sweet.
By that time, it was getting close to our Beverage Seminar so we strolled along, sipping our pilsner, heading for the Festival Welcome Center over by Universe of Energy. We attended the Belvedere Vodka seminar. Not very informative and I was crazy on the Pink Grapefruit flavor and thumbs down on the Orange flavor. We left after the speaker avoided answering my question. I thought it was me, but immediately after, while shopping for F&WF glassware, another attendee said she felt he didn't answer my question either. Oh well, note to self, no more seminars, go for the bigger pairings and tastings like earlier years.
This is where we should have stopped for dinner, but fueled by sake and vodka, I was feeling invincible and braved on.
South Korea had amazing Bohae Bokbunjajoo (Black Raspberry Rice Wine). I had noted on my spreadsheet to try the short ribs with cucumber kimchi but somehow, food was beginning to slip my mind - as was everything else.
We soldiered on to China and I think we had the Green Tea Plum Wine Cooler. I KNOW we had the Happy Lychee cocktail because my first sip was disasterous!!! Another festival goer spotted my face and suggested I stir it and make another attempt. That was the trick! Actually, it was darn good!
Then, finally!, Mexico!! a Passion fruit frozen Margarita with Esquites (pan fried corn with spices) Hands down, my favorite item of the day! I'm going to try to find a recipe for it online.
Then a Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce & Bodega Norton Cosecha Tardia wine from Argentina. Beef was excellent, wine was not to shabby either.
When we reached Brazil, I asked if we could have the Caipirinha on the rocks, not frozen. As luck would have it, the machine was broken and the drink couldn't be served frozen. Yippee!
Desserts and Champagne had the Dessert Trio (holy cow!) and Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial - 'nuff said.
Had some Casa Carmenere wine in Chile and it was way to dry for my taste.
The 15 Beers for 15 years was a blur for me. We got the 6 beer flight but Scott drank most of it since I was well on my way to la la land.
During Illuminations, we tried a white and a red wine from Greece. I was dissappointed they were out of Spanakopita. First time I ever encounted a booth running out of something!! But then we ended our night with a trip over to Ireland and they were out of LAVA CAKE!! So we purchased Bunrattey Honey Meade wine instead.
As you can guess, I was pretty lit by this point. We have always made the F&WF a one day affair but open to close - not six hours!!! I've always heard World Showcase is beautiful after the Illuminations crowd has left and it's true! We circled WS slowly, taking night shots and just taking our time. We didn't make it back to Int'l Gateway until well after 10pm.
Honestly, I don't remember the ride back to the hotel, heck, I don't remember anything after that. But I still had a great time.
I did not, however, have a great morning!! Let's leave it at that!
I have already started looking into staying for a few days at the Swan or Dolphin next October for their Food & Wine Classic and take a few days (not hours) to enjoy the F&WF!!!
It's my first day back to work after a whirlwind long weekend, haven't even been home 24 hours yet!! Imminentcrash pending!!
Now, I have only stayed off Disney property twice in all of my trips. On our 2nd trip when I was 10 (Grandma swore NEVER to go off property again ) and again 22 years later (guess what? Taxis are expensive!) So why, why, why, would I do this again?? Because I tried to save money. And I have finally learned my lesson, fork over the extra $$$ - it's worth it.
gift card wristlet (awesome invention btw), festival map and bday pin for Scott.
What happened next?? Stay tuned....
I am a WDW newbie, and have stayed on property each of the two times. In all the reading I have done, I have never seen how what you are "losing" of the Disney experience could me made up with the nomial savings in accommodations...I am looking forward to your description of this.
I am a WDW newbie, and have stayed on property each of the two times. In all the reading I have done, I have never seen how what you are "losing" of the Disney experience could me made up with the nomial savings in accommodations...I am looking forward to your description of this.
And...what is the wristlet?
I figured, since we are going to Old Key West in February and most of our weekend was spent at Universal (more on that in my next post), how about saving a few bucks and staying right outside of Universal?? With the package I chose, it was $270 for three nights - a steal, so I thought. Plus, we would have our own car to travel around in. The hotel ROOM itself wasn't bad (again, more to come) but Disney spoils you and my expectations are set so high, it was inevitable that I would be disappointed.
The wristlet is a Disney gift card specially designed with the F&WF logo and at present, only available at the festival. It is reloadable so it can be used for future trips. It's tiny and attached to a stretchy coil that fits around your wrist. Just visit the festival Welcome Center or select merchandise registers and ask for it. We used our Disney Visa (3x points!!) to put $250 for the day. At each kiosk, we placed our order and the cashier just swiped and gave us a reciept, no signing. The reciept is then handed to the food/bev counter and you recieve your items. No fumbling around with cash/change, pulling out your credit card and signing each time. I noticed a TON of people with them.
I was not counting as you detailed the drinks...but I kept wondering...how big were these drinks?
Last trip, I had a margarita in Mexico that was the STRONGEST I have ever had in my life. I am a beer girl, but enjoy the occassional slushie drink. DH thought I was being a wuss, but when he tried it...he agreed. It was STRONG! We finished about half of it, I was feeling the effects more than I would have like given how HOT it was that August day, and we ended up tossing almost half of the $10 drink...
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I always find it amazing how I can't wake up everyday for work with out 3 alarms but I'll wake up full of energy when I'm going to Disney. We hopped in the car at 6am Friday and drove 7 hours to The City Beautiful. Uneventful drive, no traffic, no scenery, no nothing. Only a strong desire to get to our destination kept my foot planted on the gas pedal and the poor Halloween Mickey antenna topper hanging on for dear life!
) and again 22 years later (guess what? Taxis are expensive!) So why, why, why, would I do this again?? Because I tried to save money. And I have finally learned my lesson, fork over the extra $$$ - it's worth it.
The lobby had this shabby, Polynesian (and I don't mean THE Poly) / 70's Chinese restaurant look to it. Crowd of smokers parted to let us in to the circus that was.... our hotel. With the exception of our very first Disney trip at the Contemporary back in '78, I have always been able to get into our room upon arrival. Not this time! 4pm, no earlier. So we changed in the lobby bathroom, crammed our bags into the luggage room (which anyone had access to!!!
) and headed out to the Food & Wine Festival!
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With Cosmo Slush in hand, we grabbed a Grey Goose Citron Lemon Slush & Grand Mariner Orange Slush. WOW!!!! Now I know what everyone's been talking about on the boards! They were the best drinks of the day. Definitely getting more in February.
we had the Green Tea Plum Wine Cooler. I KNOW we had the Happy Lychee cocktail because my first sip was disasterous!!! Another festival goer spotted my face and suggested I stir it and make another attempt. That was the trick! Actually, it was darn good!
'nuff said.
Hybrid Mode
