The Best (Re)Laid Plans December TR - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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GIrl you are a hoot! I can only imagine what a blast it would be to share a vacation with you. I agree about talking to "strangers". You can meet the most interesting people and sometimes find out what a small world it really is. Anxiously awaiting more!!!!!
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Even though I should be working through my lunch hour (end-of-year bonuses to be processed, etc.), I decided to spend the hour on all you, my dear
Forgot to mention that I'd brought decorated envelopes & notes for Mousekeeping for each day of our stay -- of course, I'd already signed them all "From Cindy & Judy," so I let the Mousekeeper keep assuming there were two of us.
Usually I leave $5/day for Mousekeeping, but for Christmas I like to leave $10/day. The response is always gratifying, and Mousekeepers are responsible for so much of what everyone enjoys about WDW -- it's so CLEAN.
Here's what I'd left that morning:
And this is what had been waiting for me upon my return that night:
Priscilla and I kept up a friendly "pen pal" relationship the rest of the week.
OK, now we're ready for Wednesday! Got a Cast Member to take an early-morning pic of me in front of the WL tree before heading out to DHS.
And whom do you think I saw upon arriving at DHS? Yes, this is my current signature photo -- but you know how often I'm likely to change that, dahlings! And don't you want a larger image to drink in my great beauty?
I got there before rope-drop so I could follow the herd to Toy Story Midway Mania's Fast Pass machines. After picking up my FP, I got in the regular line (posted wait time was 30 minutes -- and I was happy to get it).
Look at this adorable girl with two of the green Army men -- too cute. (I know just how she feels. )
I passed the time and and of the surrounding board games, and I used others' cameras to capture couples and families in front of the cute Toy Story backdrops. One of my favorite parts of the ceiling in there is from Shoots & Ladders:
Hmm -- now I realize the photos of me must have been from a different day, because here I am posing in a different shirt. Oh well!
And then I got in the Single Rider Line (SRL) for Rock 'n Roller Coaster -- which was a mistake, because there were a bazillion cheerleaders paired up -- so I got to know the other SRL folks quite well by the time we were seated. Still, it was worth it.
Got myself an early ressie for lunch at Prime Time, where I enjoyed watching one of the Cast Members poke children with a long stick that he kept putting through the "windows." I had a Chicken Caesar Salad which was quite good -- wanted to be hungry for my early dinner in Epcot.
Of course I rode Tower of Terror once (still my absolute favorite attraction in all of the parks), the new 3-D Star Tours twice (but the same story line both times -- oh well -- still fun), and then used my FP to ride Toy Story again.
Don't I look miserable and lonely, all by myself?
Then I stopped for a quick pic of the greenery in front of the Brown Derby.
By this point, it was around 2:00pm -- and I took the boat from DHS to the backside of Epcot so I could meet my friend Sandy in France.
Even views from the boat docks are lovely at Disney!
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If you read my December TR from last year, you know all about my friend Sandy. We connected on Twitter (thank goodness she knows how to do that -- I took out a Twitter account just so I could "talk" to the other people coming to WDW Today/Reunion 2010). We switched over to Facebook so this old Baby Boomer could really communicate, and since we were both solo travelers we decided to meet up at the MK. Well, we had such a blast together that we spent another day at DHS together last year. This March, I happened to be at the Grand Floridian for a conference (!) at the same time Sandy, her mom & dad, and her three kids were at WDW for spring break. They let me tag along during a fun day at the AK.
I love Sandy -- she's just one of those people I felt an instant connection with. And I'd like to correct a statement I've made in the past about being old enough to be Sandy's mother -- turns out her mom is a year YOUNGER than I am, so apparently I'm too OLD to be Sandy's mother. But we don't care!
Back to the present: Sandy had flown down from her home in Windsor Ontario that morning, dropped off her stuff at Pop Century, and then hightailed it to Epcot. She would be taking Judy's place at Chefs de France & then Candlelight Processional, which Sandy had never experienced before. (I love sitting next to someone who's experiencing a Disney attraction for the first time, don't you? )
Now, ignore the fact that my butt is sticking out in this picture, won't you? Here we are, dahlings -- ready for a fabulous French dinnaire!
Sandy started with the cheese plate:
While I started with the French Onion Soup:
Which was good, but not cheesy enough (in my opinion).
Then we both had the tenderloin: c'est magnifique!
And Profiteroles for dessert, which were yummy.
I dine at Les Chefs de France almost every time I visit WDW, and I was sadly lamenting to Sandy that I have never seen Remy there. Well, here came Armand and with a flourish he revealed Remy himself!
I begged Armand to let Sandy take a photo of me with Remy, and he granted my request -- but I'll have to save that story for later because lunchtime is over and I'm really busy! So amongst yourselves until later -- maybe I'll stay late tonight to add to my story!
I love Sandy -- she's just one of those people I felt an instant connection with. And I'd like to correct a statement I've made in the past about being old enough to be Sandy's mother -- turns out her mom is a year YOUNGER than I am, so apparently I'm too OLD to be Sandy's mother. But we don't care!
I love you too!!! You are like the sister I never had. I'm so glad we were able to catch up. Age doesn't matter. You are so fun to be around. I wish I was as carefree as you are. You know how to have fun wherever you go and I'm so happy I met you
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
you always get THE BEST towel animals! love it....one of these days i will have to try chefs de france. (yeah, i know....never been there....) keep the stories coming.
you always get THE BEST towel animals! love it....one of these days i will have to try chefs de france. (yeah, i know....never been there....) keep the stories coming.
Sheri, you and I will have to go there dahling! And yes I'm still at work -- just finished running all the bonus checks. Looks like I'll have enough for a trip to WDW or two. . . .
OK, one more quick note before I stop for the day. I just talked to Pam (in Maui) & got her email address so I can send her our PhotoPass pictures. I also sent her the link to the Passporters board, so I sure hope to see a reply from her on here.
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of the surrounding board games, and I used others' cameras to capture couples and families in front of the cute Toy Story backdrops. One of my favorite parts of the ceiling in there is from Shoots & Ladders:
Here we are, dahlings -- ready for a fabulous French dinnaire!
Great pics! 
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