FIRSTS, BIRTHS, and GIRTHS…A September 2013 PTR - Page 30 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Exciting! Although after testing out a lot of the MDE website I have not been impressed. Just doing simple tasks of planning my vacation have given me a headache. I'm so disappointed in the system already and I haven't even used it in the parks. I think I would LOVE it if it worked, but so far not so much with the working as advertised. If you are selected to test I'll be interested to see how you think it works in the world. I have a feeling if you like it that I will. We seem to plan a like (re: plan to insane levels ). I did just log into the DME site and when I click on Fastpass+ I still get the same message I've been getting for weeks. So nothing has changed for me at all. I'm fully expecting the system to be live for my trip in 2014 though!
I'm with you...initially I was pretty disappointed in the website; I'm still not completely sure how I feel about it. Many of the things that frustrated a lof the users, I didn't experience because I had a travel agent this year. But I'm definitely open to testing it in the real world. Obviously, if we are selected, I will provide a very thorough review when I come back and start my trip report. But yeah, I was getting the same generic message until today. I read somewhere else that people had it timed to, on average, at the 17 day pre-trip mark people were receiving either email or UPS mail invitations from Disney; however, most already knew they were selected and had received their MagicBands just under 30 days before their trip by simply logging into the site. Crossing my fingers!!
Really...you all must poop pixie dust because after talking to you magical people...I received my Disney Mail yesterday!!!!
I'm officially "bouncing in my seat" excited!!!
I'm not sure if Linny posts on here, but I know she farts pixie dust.
Yay on Disney mail!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by KHarrod
DH and I were discussing, earlier in the week, the possibility of taking DD to the carnival tonight. Last night, we told her, "guess where we might go tomorrow?!" She responded, "Disney World!" It actually broke my heart to tell her, "Sorry...just the carnival!" But at least now I know that if that type of question comes up again, she's rearing to go! The surprise is looking more and more like it will be a success!
I hope she has a great reaction when you tell her she's actually going to WDW!
This morning I logged on to the Disney website and to my glorious amazement, I was allowed to select FP+ options for our trip! I quickly called my mom and made her log in too to see if she could do the same and she was also selected! We went through each day trying to sync up our selection (plus I made edits later in the afternoon) and confirmed our choices. Unfortunately, we were unable to customize our bands but I wasn't worried because I read that others experienced the same thing and after logging in a few days later, they were able to customize the.
Out of curiosity, I logged back in this evening and I was able to customize the bands and confirm my shipping address! Yeah!!!!!! As soon as I get them I will post pictures for you all to see.
we got picked as well cant wait to try the bands out
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Really...you all must poop pixie dust because after talking to you magical people...I received my Disney Mail yesterday!!!!
I'm officially "bouncing in my seat" excited!!!
I just read your PTR start to finish, and this was the first thing I saw that I felt the need to quote. Poop pixie dust!
I was going to tell you that we received an invitation via UPS for the MagicBand testing, but you figured out you were selected anyway.
I'm bummed that you'll be arriving the day we leave. Too bad! Oh, well. Maybe next time. I had forgotten you could do online check-in 60 days out. I just did my check in a couple days ago.
I plan on taking Briana to Disney World for her fifth birthday as well, so I've really been enjoying catching up on all your ideas and plans. (It'll probably be Disneyland for us the next few years, if we go at all...it's more affordable with the flights and everything.)
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Glad you were able to make Fastpass+ selections. And that you were able to customize the bands. It's always nice when you log into the DME website to find that something actually works for you. I'm giddy at the moment because they finally have park hours up for my trip. Can't be OCD about planning without park hours! Looking forward to your review of Fastpass+ and the Magic Bands.
we got picked as well cant wait to try the bands out
Congrats! DH is FINALLY getting excited! A week earlier than he said he would!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Congrats!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Congrats!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
So exciting! Can't wait to see your bands!
Coming right up!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jessie092408
I just read your PTR start to finish, and this was the first thing I saw that I felt the need to quote. Poop pixie dust!
I was going to tell you that we received an invitation via UPS for the MagicBand testing, but you figured out you were selected anyway.
I'm bummed that you'll be arriving the day we leave. Too bad! Oh, well. Maybe next time. I had forgotten you could do online check-in 60 days out. I just did my check in a couple days ago.
I plan on taking Briana to Disney World for her fifth birthday as well, so I've really been enjoying catching up on all your ideas and plans. (It'll probably be Disneyland for us the next few years, if we go at all...it's more affordable with the flights and everything.)
Can't wait to read more!
Welcome! I'm really glad you are able to test the bands for your trip too...you definitely deserve the extra pixie dust! It is too bad that we will just miss each other, but there are always future trips! I absolutely understand doing what's best to save money...once they come out of diapers and formula and baby food, you feel like you've gotten a raise! Then the daycare expenses start to decline...I'm just holding my breath for the day everything has to be name brands like the kids at school...thankfully, we have some time before that!
Quote:
Originally Posted by stardust190
Glad you were able to make Fastpass+ selections. And that you were able to customize the bands. It's always nice when you log into the DME website to find that something actually works for you. I'm giddy at the moment because they finally have park hours up for my trip. Can't be OCD about planning without park hours! Looking forward to your review of Fastpass+ and the Magic Bands.
Yes...the website is working as advertised...so far! YEAH PARK HOURS! I laughed at your OCD comment because I completely understand...it's like a "duh" moment!
First...can I just say, "HOLY COW I'M GETTING SO EXCITED, I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ONLY HAVE 2 WEEKS AND 3 DAYS TO GO!"
Another big update...DH admitted that his excitement has kicked in! A whole week and a half earlier than he said it probably would!!! I think with the arrival of our MagicBands and the additional sneaky packing plus the responses I provide to his inquisitive questioning; everything all combined has affected his level of excitement and he's starting to "get it."
So, our MagicBands arrived on Monday; unfortunately I was home with a migraine but fortunately I was home to receive them!!! My parents received theirs on Tuesday (pink and blue). DM is getting really excited too!
Here are the pictures I have for you:
The Box The MagicBands Arrived In
Our Beautiful MagicBands!
When DH learned what these babies were capable of...he was pretty impressed and happy that we wouldn't have to carry the KTTW cards around (but I probably will, just in case ).
Slowly ticking away at my To Do list; it gets smaller every day!!
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Just doing simple tasks of planning my vacation have given me a headache. I'm so disappointed in the system already and I haven't even used it in the parks. I think I would LOVE it if it worked, but so far not so much with the working as advertised. If you are selected to test I'll be interested to see how you think it works in the world. I have a feeling if you like it that I will. We seem to plan a like (re: plan to insane levels 
). I did just log into the DME site and when I click on Fastpass+ I still get the same message I've been getting for weeks. So nothing has changed for me at all. I'm fully expecting the system to be live for my trip in 2014 though!
Kristin
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
But at least now I know that if that type of question comes up again, she's rearing to go! 
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
I was able to customize the bands and confirm my shipping address! Yeah!!!!!! As soon as I get them I will post pictures for you all to see. 
YEAH PARK HOURS! I laughed at your OCD comment because I completely understand...it's like a "duh" moment! 
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