Forums Closed
|
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
|
|
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
|
 |
|
07-17-2006, 04:35 PM
|
#76
|
Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,651
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Sounds great! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img]
|
|
|
|
07-17-2006, 06:53 PM
|
#77
|
Community Rank: Trailblazer 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 5,325
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Congratulations on the free dining!! I am so glad you are able to take advantage of it! Can't wait to hear more!
|
|
|
|
|
07-17-2006, 11:54 PM
|
#78
|
Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: a mere few minutes from the Mouse! <3
Concierge Level: 2
Posts: 9,777
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Hi Marnie! It sounds like you guys are going to be dining at some yummy yummy restaurants! ([img]/ubb/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img] sorry, I just read Melissa's update about their lunch at 50's Prime Time [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]) [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/facelick.gif[/img]. I know what you mean about the Southwest airfares... I have been watching them out of Phoenix, and they are so high right now! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] Amy
|
|
|
|
|
07-18-2006, 01:12 PM
|
#79
|
Community Rank: Adventurer 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Odenton, MD
Posts: 689
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Hi Marnie!
It sounds like you have an awesome trip planned - I would expect nothing less. I'd prefer a 30" rolling bag, but in a pinch, I can squeeze into a 26" bag with minor leg cramping. Remember to label the bag "Fragile" and "Requires Adult Beverage." That ought to do it!
Regarding the airfare, I assume you saw the SWA fare sale going on right now. I think it was $59 each way out of Hartford or Providence to Orlando. Also, if you have to spend a few extra days at BC instead of AKL, I guess you can be forgiven for Free Dining's sake. Just don't make a habit of this! Oh the humanity! Good luck on snagging the Illuminations Cruise.
Btw, if you ordered this heat and humidity just to get used to Florida in August, I believe it's high time you send it back. Enough already. We’re not all so lucky as to need the acclimation to a new climate for vacation. jk.
Bon Voyage! Have a Great time!
|
|
|
|
|
07-18-2006, 01:44 PM
|
#80
|
Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Illinois
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 9,564
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Great start Marnie! Can't wait to hear more.
|
|
|
|
|
07-21-2006, 12:56 PM
|
#81
|
|
RED SOX NATION!!
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
<font color="blue"> I was supposed to call when???
Of course, my first day came for trying for an IllumiNations cruise and I completely forgot [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/foreheadslap.gif[/img] It was a Saturday and I wasn’t thinking (obviously [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img] ). And I was even up at 6 that morning! Oh well, there were still plenty more opportunities! Sunday came and went, and guess what? I forgot again [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/foreheadslap.gif[/img] I think my brain just shuts down on the weekend. Does anyone else have that problem [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] If I’m not looking into my Outlook calendar at work, I’m lost! Monday rolls around, and I finally remembered (because I was looking at my Outlook calendar). I called at bout 6:50 just to hear the closed office message (because remember the open and closed messages have different tones) and then started dialing about 6:58. But since I had forgot to call the days before, I forgot what prompts were going to be asked so I had to sit thru all of them. Geez!! I amazingly got a live person right away, and I was in like Flynn! Score that one! Of course, I wasn’t prepared for the $250 price tag. I guess I had remembered that the price had increased, but OUCH! At least you get food now!
I went back to look at our park/plan schedule, and while we could work in a cruise this day, it wasn’t as convenient. It was also EMH night at MK, which I had planned on going to. I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I just kept it! Since I now had a little more confidence (and knew the correct numbers to push to get to a live person) I decided to give it a go again two days later. This night would coincide with a planned Epcot night. We’d be staying at the BC as well so it would be more convenient to walk over to the marina. This time I was going to try for the Breathless, as at least according to Deb’s site it was supposed to be cheaper (more on that later)! Well, 6:58 AM came around again, and I was fiercely pushing numbers into the phone and hitting redial. I got the open message, began hitting the requested numbers just as the prompts started, and voilà, a live person. I asked for an Epcot specialty cruise first, but then asked if the Breathless was available. It was!!! SCORE AGAIN [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/woot.gif[/img] Of course, my happiness turned sour when he said it too was $250. I need to send a note to Deb because her prices are not up to date [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502no_prv.gif[/img] No matter. Now I need to figure out which one I’m going to cancel. Of course, I haven’t told Matt or the kids about it, as I was hoping to use it as a surprise! We’ll see if I can hold out!
I gave up trying for the cruises after that. It would only complicate things more if I ended up getting another day, so why make things more difficult? Now I still had to wait three weeks for the next milestone……….75 days from the cruise so I could make our reservations online. What am I going to do for another 3 weeks? Ugh.
In the midst of the IllumiNations cruise mayhem, Southwest offered Orlando as it’s destination of the week! Our fare went down from $132 each way to $104 each way. So rack up at $224 savings for me! That will work nicely for the family wedding we have to go to in California at the end of October! Ok, now I’m still bored. And there’s two weeks to go before I can do anything. I started perusing the DIS boards again. My work had blocked the site a year ago and I had never checked back to see if the settings changed, and guess what? It worked again. I spent a lot of time in the cruise forum, reading posts and downloading Navigators so I could figure out which excursions to take, what the skinny on Palo was, and what the schedule would be like on the ship! I also read the Passporter Cruise Guide for a better description of the excursions. And then I gave it to Matt to read (the excursions anyway) because I thought it would be nice if I gave him some input to this vacation. Arent’ I such the doting wife [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] I let him pick the excursions he wanted. He decided on the Discover Atlantis excursion in Nassau. I had wanted to do the Stingray Adventure on Blackbeard Cay, but I gave in. He also suggested the Stingray Adventure on Castaway Cay, as there wasn’t anything else we could really do there with the kids (this will come back at me…..stay tuned).
Coming up Next………….Would 6/6/06 curse me or be kind???</font>
|
|
|
|
|
07-21-2006, 01:01 PM
|
#82
|
|
Eileeeeeeen!™
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 28,861
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Congrats on finally snagging not one, but TWO cruises!! I hope it becomes easy to decide between them...
You're planning had been so terrific. I'm excited to see what you get up to next.
Eileen
|
|
|
|
|
07-21-2006, 01:41 PM
|
#83
|
Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 7,960
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Congrats on scoring not one but two Illuminations cruises! I can't wait to hear which one you decide to keep.
|
|
|
|
|
07-21-2006, 02:03 PM
|
#84
|
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Maryland
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 14,723
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Lucky you, got a cruise and a break on airfare! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img]
|
|
|
|
|
07-21-2006, 02:32 PM
|
#85
|
Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ohio Football Hall Of Fame
Posts: 42,304
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Congrats on your cruise and getting a better deal on your airfare!!! This trip will be here before you know it!!!
|
|
|
|
|
07-21-2006, 05:47 PM
|
#86
|
Community Rank: Globetrotter
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,651
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Great news!
Looking forward to hearing more ...
|
|
|
|
|
07-21-2006, 06:16 PM
|
#87
|
Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Boise ID
Posts: 14,396
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Congrats on getting both!! Now which one will you choose? [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/questionicon.gif[/img]
|
|
|
|
|
07-21-2006, 06:41 PM
|
#88
|
Community Rank: Trailblazer
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 5,325
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Congrats on the cruises and airfare. Can't wait to hear which one you choose!! Ready for more....!!!
|
|
|
|
|
07-21-2006, 07:14 PM
|
#89
|
Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: May 2003
Location: a mere few minutes from the Mouse! <3
Concierge Level: 2
Posts: 9,777
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Sounds like things are going your way! Congrats on the airfare savings! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img]
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] Amy
|
|
|
|
|
07-21-2006, 08:44 PM
|
#90
|
Community Rank: Trailblazer
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 5,668
|
Re: The Grand Fiesta 10th Anniversary Trip - Pre-trip Update 7/9
Congrats on getting the cruise booked Marnie! I can't wait to hear what you plan next [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
|
|
|
|
| Thread Tools |
|
|
| Display Modes |
 Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
|
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
