Don't Stop - Disney part 2 UPATED 5/5 - Page 5 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Sounds like a great first day back in the bubble. What a great lunch and PP meet, I really must find time to stop there, from the pictures I have seen the theming looks amazing. Glad you had some fun at Fantasia Gardens until the room was ready, what a beautiful room, so spacious. Glad you had an enjoyable birthday dinner, we are trying Teppan Edo for the first time in August and I am so looking forward to it. Can't wait to hear all about the Candlelight Precession.
Sunday 20 December – part five: just as great as we hoped it would be
We got good seats, not too far back and reasonably central, which allowed us to get lots of good photos and video of the whole thing.
As always, this is a really moving show and it’s a great reminder of why we celebrate Christmas at all. I’m not religious at all, but I do love this telling of the Christmas story and I think it’s important that we all take the time to remember what we’re celebrating and they at this time of the year.
As for Whoopi Goldberg, she was as great as I had hoped she would be. She ad-libbed at the beginning and at the end and really put a lot of feeling into it. We knew she was also singing during parts of it, which was lovely to see. We were both very impressed with her and I was so glad that we got to see her in action. She was great and I really hope that she does future years and we get to see her again. I would easily put her on a par with Gary Sinise and we thought a lot of him.
The singing and the music was just as high standard as in previous years as well. I just feel very sorry for everyone who was trying to get into it. We didn’t see anyone who wasn’t in the dining package line get in here. We were talking to Jen and saying that this should really be moved to a larger venue. Why not put the old Millennium Village to good use and put it there? Yes, I know it’s tradition to have it here, but it’s become so popular over the years that maybe now the time is right to change things around a little...
My photos:
Mark’s photos:
When we came out, we walked through World Showcase via Italy and Germany, taking some night-time shots on the way.
There were a few Photopass shots in there along the way as well:
I really wanted to see the Epcot Christmas tree, as it looked very impressive from a distance. It was just as impressive when we got there. I really liked what they had done with it this year, with more white lighting. It looked much more classic.
We got various Photopass pictures with it, including some with Jen. We all said that it was hard to believe that we had only just met tonight, as we were all getting together so well. It felt like we had known each other for years.
We headed towards Spaceship Earth, getting more Photopass pictures on the way.
Then it was time to say goodbye to Jen, which was a shame, but we had swapped e-mail addresses, so we could stay in touch.
Next: the photo I’ve waited to get of IllumiNations
Great updates, Cheryl....you are putting me to shame...maybe you can come on over and do my TR updates as well!
How awesome to see Whoopi Goldberg; I am glad she did not disappoint. The pics, especially around SE are really lovely. Glad you had a wonderful first meet with Jen.
danielle
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
I love Epcot at night. It's so beautiful and magical and your photos just prove that fact!
I've only seen the Candlelight Processional from the sidelines and you're right it's beautiful. I bought the CD and I always play it around Christmastime.
Great updates. Your room looks great and what a terrific dinner and CP. Funny thing -- the first time DH and I ate at Teppan Edo we were seated with a CM from AK. He was actually there on the college program and his mom and girlfriend were visiting.
I am so excited to read your trip report. We were there Dec 19-23 for our first ever holiday trip. Looking to go back this December! Unfortunately my MIL got sick so we had to cancel our candlelight processional dinner package but it is a definite on our next trip.
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Goofing around at Tusker House Spring Break 2016
Michelle
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Cheryl
I have been reading all of your trip report and always love all your descriptions and photos! This has been a wonderful read for me as DH and I got engaged in the Florida Keys 8 years ago!
Thank you for putting in so much time effort into sharing this amazing trip with us
We are still waiting for the day we can enjoy CP, but vacation time at Christmas is very little until we retire. Gary Sinise is on my wish list for this experience. Love the nighttime pictures of Epcot, especially of Spaceship Earth. Your PP pictures are terrific. So neat to make a new friend that evening, too.
Sunday 20 December – part six: the photo I’ve waited to get of IllumiNations
A few more Photopass picture at the entrance...
.... and then we went on Spaceship Earth. I knew Mark wanted to get to the viewing area for IllumiNations, but I love this ride and couldn’t resist it, especially as it was a walk-on.
When we came out of there, after a few unscheduled stops on the way to get some more Photopass pictures done:
.... we went to the viewing area for IllumiNations and managed to get a front row spot just 15 minutes before it was due to start. It was a lovely spot to watch it from and we were both able to get some wonderful photos of it. I also managed not to cry too much...
This is perhaps my favourite ever shot of IllumiNations!
We walked slowly back towards the room, through Canada and the United Kingdom, with me getting slower and slower as I was getting tired by now. After all, I had done a lot of walking today.
When we got back to the room, we checked the washing, which we had put in the dryer earlier. Sadly, it still wasn’t dry, so we put it back on again. I tell you, when the dryer is on, you don’t stand a chance of sleeping. That thing is loud! So we looked through the photos we had taken and checked the net. I was really touched to already find birthday wishes for me from friends. Thank you for that, I really appreciated it and it was a great end to the day.
The weather today was sunny and dry, but with temperatures in the 50s. The best thing today was the Candlelight Processional. The worst thing today was how cold it was. The funniest thing today was our fun and games at Fantasia Gardens. Today we tried going to T-Rex And the result was we really liked the food and the atmosphere and we had some great company. The most magical moment today was seeing the Candlelight Processional.
Next: a birthday treat at the Seas with Nemo and friends