We're going to WDW! Adventures of a Mom & Toddler the TR! 9/24-9/30/2010 - Page 26 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I wish we could join DVC. I'm not really sure about what it costs or anything, or how the payments work, though. Maybe I should get the DVD so that I can check it out. Either way, I doubt it would be affordable for us for at least a few more years.
Just to let you know that I financed our DVC purchase even with our less than perfect credit. Just make sure that the payments are not a hardship amount for you. I pay Disney just under $400 a month for our 210 points--that is the loan and the fees combined--okay 2 loans and fees, we have two contracts, one for 160pts at AKL and 50pts at Saratoga Springs. I have also made a couple of additional payments toward the principle, but that doesn't lower your monthly payment, just shortens the loan duration.
DVC was one of the best purchases we've ever made...if you plan on going a lot it's definitely well worth the money. Hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day too!
Happy Mother's Day too. I can't see spending the money for DVC. I have looked into it a few times and can't see the lay out of money. I can take a heck of a lot of trips for the cost of the points. I suppose if I went every year it would be great but I was at an every other year trip before Evan and now - being a single mom - I'm at an every 4 to 5 year trip. Good luck with your decision making.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
and for considering DVC membership! We have been so happy with each of our purchases (3 total contracts to get points at both SSR and AKV). Never a single regret! Luke had a pay off plan in place each time that was quite manageable for us and then we worked really hard to pay it off ahead of our own goal.
Thanks so much everyone. I hope I can highly convince Erick on the DVC, especially since the next time we go to Disney, I really would love to stay at a nicer resort and think it would be better money spent than on a bigger wedding/VR. Jodi, you have defanitely got me sold on DVC and especially from a family on a budget and trips (and really I would love to go much more frequently than once every few years) and still being able to experience staying in the nicer resorts on property at practically the price of the Values.
Not to mention, I did mention this to Erick after getting back from our trip and my now 14 year old brother saying there's nothing at Disney for him to do, and Universal Studios has more than Disney (we all know that isn't true). When I had a chance to talk to him after our Papa's Funeral I told him there is a lot more to Disney than he could experience in 2-3 years and that being there every day. I did mention that the next time we take a trip, I would love for him to join us since I know Skyler has seen and done more at Disney than Matt has (and Matt was the same age as Skyler on his 1st and only trip and only slept through his 1/2 day at Disney and couldn't enjoy the big kid rides with our sister & I).
Here's some other news from our end, after Skyler's done with school this year, we're heading to Lexington, KY for a week (we're getting back a day or 2 before Skyler's 4th Birthday) to go meet our new Niece Maddy who's now 3 months old. Erick had mentioned since we aren't heading to the Outerbanks of NC (DFIL keeps changing his mind on that, but is also having knee surgery in 2 weeks) and DILs are heading out there to visit DSIL, DBIL, & DNiece, he wanted the 3 of us to go out there too. We are so excited, and this is Skyler's & my first time out to KY.
Also come Sept., Erick & I will enjoy 4-5 days of peace and quiet from Skyler, as he's heading with DMIL, DFIL, & DNiece to New Orleans. One of my DFIL's DBs is coming to the states from Costa Rica, so they're going to go out there to meet them (and give Skyler & Maddy's Great Grandparents a chance to see them both together). I have no idea what I'm going to do without Skyler for a few days.
Skyler is enjoying school and making new friends. It will be nice when their Summer Vacation starts as a lot of his friends from school will be around this summer, so hopefully he will have friends to play with. His school has Field Day coming up June 2nd, so I'm going to volunteer to help their class with it (my mom even got all Nostaglic remembering all of the School Field Days she helped out with for my sister and I). Skyler has actually been a little more teary eyed as I drop him off at school, but luckily 2 minutes later he's over the tears and realizes how much fun he has with his friends at school.
Thank you, I had a great Mother's Day hanging out at home with Skyler since Erick decided to work an all-nighter and didn't get home from work until 7:30 am from work (and his scheduled shift Sat. was 10am-7pm). We were nice and let Erick get much needed sleep, while the 2 of us colored, did some gardening, had a picnic lunch of PB&J with fresh strawberries, made chocolate covered pretzels and chocolate covered strawberries, he even let me do some Disney Princess Word Searches while he played quietly with his toys. Nothing over the top, but just perfect for the 2 of us.
I have noticed since Skyler's been in school, he's ready for naps when he gets home from school, and doesn't give me a hard time when it comes to bed time either. He is also a lot more mellow at home too, and very rarely now do I have to put him in time out or does he have tantrums at home. He even has become a better listener when it comes to asking him to put away his toys right away.
Glad Skyler is enjoying school! I'm sure all that goes on at school makes him more tired and seeing other kids & having to listen and learn taking turns, etc. has helped him at home. There are days Dylan comes home and basically falls asleep on the couch before dinner because he's run himself ragged at daycare (which we call school).
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Pixie Dust
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with deciding about the DVC - the best decision we ever made was to join it! 
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Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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