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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I got four days off next week. In. A. Row. I usually work 5-6 days a week and more shifts than there are days in the week. However, it appears that leading up to the holiday my hotel is completely empty. I mean about 20% occupancy. REALLY slow, in fact so slow, the bar in the lobby is closed.
I started thinking about places to go . . . I briefly considered Nashville. I had a guest early in the day from Nashville. Then a little later I had a guest and then a co worker, who had just come back from my favorite place.
I flirted briefly with going to California to Disneyland. Flights were $400 each way plus hotel room and park tickets.
I found a flight to Orlando on SWA, direct with the times I like to fly for just under $250 round trip! I booked it, on my iphone standing in front of the security desk at work. Why? It was the last seat at the cheap price. Then I realized I was leaving for WDW in 3 days and needed a room ASAP.
I hit the computer as soon as I got home. I could book a room at the Pop for $307 for 3 nights. Then I started thinking about stayin off site. Well I could get a room really cheap at the associate rate, but then I looked at rental cars. $200 for 4 days. Hmm that negates the savings on the room.
So I booked the Pop Century, right?
No of course not. I super dislike the Pop. Its just not my speed. That's why I'm a DVC member. (A DVC member who is out of points until Dec 2011 due to concierge level stays at AKV in April and October 2011.) I could have waited until morning and borrowed 2011 points, but I hate doing that AND I already borrowed a few. I super dislike exterior hallways when I'm traveling alone. That knocks out quite a few choices. Remember now that I'm three days away from checking in. No availability anywhere right? Nope. There are rooms everywhere. I even managed to secure an AP rate for the first two nights. Where you ask?
At the Contemporary, of course. Much more my speed, even though I find the exterior of the building kind of strange looking. I wanted to stay at the Poly, but it was the one place there weren't any rooms. The Grand was just a bit too much for me to stomach price wise. I thought about the Wilderness Lodge, but eventually decided that monorail access was the way to go.
I also managed to secure my dinner reservations. I was amazed at how much was available. I learned a dining website trick. You can just put in the day/time you prefer and all of the available restaurants will pop up.
So I decided on The Wave for dinner on Monday, which is new for me. Artist Point for dinner on Tuesday, which is one of my favorites. Teppen Edo for Wednesday, because I thought it might be fun to have some company for dinner. Finally lunch at Mama Melrose on Thursday. I know, I know . . . Italian on Thanksgiving, but there were no openings for lunch at the Hollywood Brown Derby.
I also mapped out my touring plan, as it looks from the Crowd Calendar that its going to be relatively insane. Monday I'll go to the MK after I arrive, have dinner at the Contemporary and then head to DHS to see the Osbourne Lights--they have EMH. Tuesday morning I'll head to AK then have dinner and head to the MK to see Wishes and the MSEP. Wednesday I'm going to Epcot, probably all day. Thursday I'm going to the Studios in the morning and I fly out at about 7pm.
My AP is getting a work out this year. Its fairly amazing that I managed to plan an entire trip to WDW in two hours flat. I purchased my airfare at 11:50 and it is now 2am. Practice, Practice, Practice.
In case you are wondering . . . I'll be completely solo this trip. I've never done a completely solo trip. I've been to WDW by myself before--but always with plans to meet people or at least the idea of meeting a group of people--starting with Mousefest 2008, where I met so many of my wonderful Passporter friends. We'll see how this goes. I like the idea of being able to do whatever I want, whenever I want. I also suppose its good that many of my favorite things are not high traffic rides.
I'm looking forward to the Hall of Presidents, Country Bear Jamboree, The Peoplemover, and Carosel of Progress at the MK. I'm also looking forward to seeing the progress on Fantasyland, I haven't seen it in 6 mos. At Epcot I'm finally going to get to see the movie in France and I'm looking forward to the Voices of Liberty and the American Adventure. I want to see the parade at AK and walk the trails, also Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo. This trip really came to be because I was lamenting missing the Osbourne Lights. Also on the DHS list is finally seeing Beauty and the Beast and perhaps the stunt shows. I've never done any of them!
So I've got to work tomorrow, doubles on Saturday and Sunday and then Monday morning I'm off! Woo Hoo!!
How exciting, Heather! I am the same way when I'm confronted with a bunch of days off in a row (but in my case, it's almost always because of holidays, not a PTO situation). For pros like you, it doesn't take much to plan a vacation, especially when you've got no one to please but yourself. Enjoy your solo trip!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Congratulations Heather!!! Your trip sounds amazing. Wish we were going to be there at that time (we leave 12/4) but I know you will really enjoy the soloness of your trip. Safe travels!
How great, Heather! Solo trips are wonderful and probably just what you need after the last trip. I like both Keys and Undiscovered FW, so I don't know which to recommend. Maybe Keys would allow you to spend some time at MK without having to deal with the crowds?
I've already made a change. I looked at the menu for Teppen Edo and decided that I can get very similar food for about 1/3 of the price here at home. So I changed my Epcot dinner reservation to Rose and Crown. The appetizer sampler on the All Ears website sounds yummy!
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