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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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This is our new blended family trip of a lifetime. It’s a one time do. And we’re going all in. This has broken the bank for all of us. But it was the time to do it. I just wish my Mother in law was able to travel with us. Sadly, she is far too ill to go. L
Cast of Characters (in order of age)
My Father in law (Grumpy) – Age 72:
Absolutely not grumpy in any form of the word. But that is the name he chose for himself. Scottish born and not afraid of a good time. He is a sweetheart of a man who has a love for all things Disney. He’s been dying to get back there as long as I’ve known him and I booked him into this trip without even consulting him because I knew he’d be in. He is a self professed rollercoaster/thrill ride fiend. But I think he may be concerned as to how much he can handle at his age.
My Dad (Papa) – Age 63:
My first love. I am Daddy’s little girl and proud of it. Both he and my mom needed to get away. And so when the spaces came available on this trip, I didn’t hesitate to put them in. He is an easy going, just happy to be around kinda guy who you could throw into any situation and he’ll make it work. Loves rollercoasters and thrill rides and will try anything without any regard to his health. This scares me.
My Mom (Happy) – Age 62:
My mom. My very best and first friend. Just as it should be… For as much as a daredevil as my father is… My mother is not. But I am hoping to get her on some of the rides with us. And at the very least, through the que.
My Love (Shiny) – Age 37:
He is the man of my dreams. Full of strength, and fearless when it comes to sports, rides, and anything spicy… But careful when it comes to our children, and finances. He’s given me a lot of leeway in the planning of this trip. I am sure he thinks that its been a little too much at times. But he is also proud of the work I’ve done. And he is starting to get excited.
Me (Doc) – Age 33:
What does one say about themselves… Well, I get as much joy out of the planning of anything than I do out of the execution. Sometimes I think, Even more. I love rollercoasters and thrill rides. But in recent years I seem to have developed some sort of motion sickness and fear. So this time, I’m bringing the gravol. I love Disney and the way everything is done. In another life, I would have chosen to move to Florida and find myself a job in the park doing something… Anything…
I have planned the entire trip from first phone call to the grocery order. This is my baby. And if anything goes wrong… It’s still my baby. I’m getting kind of nervous.
My Stepdaughter (Princess) – Age 7 (almost 8):
7 – Going on 27. She’s fabulous. And once we’re away on the trip, she should be even more fabulous. J Its good to have our family complete for such a long period of time. Especially in the happiest place on earth.
My Son (Brainy) - Age 5.5:
My heart. He’s an old soul in a little body. Every bit like Papa. Right down to the glasses but lacking the silver/white hair and the ears. He has the vocabulary of a 40 year old. And if I had a quarter for every time someone tells me he looks like the kid from Jerry Maguire, I’d have been able to pay for this trip 3X over.
The plans
Staying overnight in Buffalo on the 7th and flying out on the morning of the 8th. Staying in a Treehouse Villa at Saratoga Springs.
8th – Arriving around noon. We have the Fantasmic Lunch Package at the Brown Derby planned for 230. After Fantasmic we’re heading over to MK to do Dumbo and Big Thunder Mountain before they go into refurbishment the next day. Also hoping to do Jedi Training at some point before the show. But we’ll see.
9th – Hitting Animal Kingdom. Breakfast at Tusker house at 10am. Spending the day there and then hitting Chef Mickeys for dinner before heading over to DHS for EMH
10th – Grumpy and Papa are doing the Steam Trains tour. Happy, Shiny , Doc and the kids are heading over to Epcot. Grumpy and Papa will meet us there after. Dinner is at the Coral Reef.
11th – Breakfast at Crystal Palace before the Family Magic Tour for the whole family!!! And then lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern and Dinner at the California Grill (Thinking about cancelling lunch though)
12th- Breakfast at Chef Mickeys. Another day in MK. Keys to the Kingdom tour for Grumpy, Shiny and Doc while Papa and Happy watch the kiddos until 1pm. Then dinner at Le Cellier and back to MK for the Electrical Parade.
13th – Breakfast at the Castle and then over to DHS until dinner at Teppan Edo before EMH at Epcot and Illuminations
14th – This is check out day. L Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare and lunch at 50s Prime Time Diner and then off to the airport for our 650p flight to Buffalo
15th – Cross border and back home. L
That’s it in a nutshell! Lots of add ons. Lots of food. Bought the photopass cd too. It’s a lot. And I’m hoping it wasn’t too much.
Thoughts?
__________________
WOW! After a total 180 degree turn in life, I'm going back to Disney! SSR THV Jan. 8th, 2012 DB37, DS5, DSD7, DMom62 & DDad63, DFIL72. SOOOOOOO excited!!! PTR HERE
Read my COMPLETED Sept. 2008 pre-trip report HERE
Read my not finished Trip report from Sept. 2008 HERE
Last edited by I_am_Annie; 01-02-2012 at 08:56 AM..
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Your plans sound great! We just got back from a trip with our extended family (9 of us), and it was an adventure to be sure! I know you all will have a fabulous time on your trip too!
Thanks everyone! If only I could stop worrying about the little stuff. :P
__________________
WOW! After a total 180 degree turn in life, I'm going back to Disney! SSR THV Jan. 8th, 2012 DB37, DS5, DSD7, DMom62 & DDad63, DFIL72. SOOOOOOO excited!!! PTR HERE
Read my COMPLETED Sept. 2008 pre-trip report HERE
Read my not finished Trip report from Sept. 2008 HERE
Great start. Bet you all will have an awesome time together. Sorry mil can't go.
How will you be getting around? Rental car or disney transportation? We use only disney transportation but you are going to be doing a lot of park hopping so I was curious your plans.
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We're using Disney transportation as well. I know there's a lot of park hopping involved. When I originally planned, we were going with another family and it made more sense. Im hoping it won't be too bad.
__________________
WOW! After a total 180 degree turn in life, I'm going back to Disney! SSR THV Jan. 8th, 2012 DB37, DS5, DSD7, DMom62 & DDad63, DFIL72. SOOOOOOO excited!!! PTR HERE
Read my COMPLETED Sept. 2008 pre-trip report HERE
Read my not finished Trip report from Sept. 2008 HERE
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7 Dwarves in a Blender - A PTR
WOW! After a total 180 degree turn in life, I'm going back to Disney! SSR THV Jan. 8th, 2012 
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