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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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That will be an early start to the day. We have found we like to spend the first day in the resort area. We pack swimsuits for the kids and the adults relax (usually at the bar ) while they swim. AKL has wonderful pools! But I think DTD would be a fun start as well and has a lot of options for meals.
Congratulations on getting your tickets and all the FP that you wanted. That is a early flight so hopefully everyone can get some sleep then start your vacation on the slow side.
Congrats on the FP+ selections! I have friends heading down the same week you'll be there and they couldn't get any times for Ann & Elsa She's not looking forward to having to stand in line, but her girls have their hearts set on it. I'm still seeing reports of lines over 4 hours long.
That's a crazy early flight! I hope Disney Magic works and your room is ready quickly after your arrival. I'd need a huge nap after that travel day. Can't wait to read more!
It's kind of frustrating that the end of the school year always feels like an out-of-control train. We have five more weeks of school...well six with the make up days tacked on at the end. In this time we have state testing, national testing, and each of the older boys are in two sports (what was I thinking on that).
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The Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Vacation, 3.0 http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post4472933
Ch-Ch-Changes July 2015
[URL="http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/sharing-adventure-disney-world-trip-reports/288847-ch-ch-changes-ptr-july-16-24-a.html"]
How am I just finding this now? I need to catch up but wanted to say that I'm do excited you get to go back. I'm sad that I don't get to meet you once again (after we crossed paths so many times in 2012). We will also be staying in Kidani, but not until July. Any chance you could stay until July lol? Anyway can't wait to read more.
Terrible to have to get up that early! You'll have a full day in Orlando, but will be half-dead, with probably a long wait for your room. On a happier note, there are tons of free activities at AKV for the boys to do, in addition to the wonderful pool area, so you can maybe sleep a bit in a lounger and wake up occasionally to watch the animals!
Yeah, I'm thinking on stuffing our swimsuits in our bags and just heading to the pool for a while. A nap in a lounge chair sounds terrific.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Wow, that is an early morning flight!! Hopefully you'll be able to get a nap in sometime today!
I wanted to have a full day in the bubble but boy is that gonna cost me. I know this day will be an early bedtime for sure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ksimas
Whoa....that is a real early flight MayraLR. As much as I can't wait to get to Disney I don't think I could get up and leave that early. Can you sleep on the plane? I know I can't. I think by 2 in the afternoon I would want a nap. And for sure no park that day..I would be to cranky. Good luck.
I've never been able to sleep in a flight. I've tried but have always been so uncomfortable with kids sleeping on me. Maybe I'll pop some pills... just kidding.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
That's like flying at night! But maybe you can catch a bit of shut eye on the plane. Sorry you'll not get to a park the first day, but I think DTD would still be a good start. Luke and I did that in October of 2012, and enjoyed a bit of Disney fix right away, but with a more leisurely start.
My original plans had me heading to AK for a while. But we had to swap that park day with another day which was supposed to be a non-park day. My plans are still up in the air. We'll see when we get there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Baloo
I agree with what other people have said about there being SOO much to do at AKL/AKV. Plus DTD is a wonderful way to start immersing yourself in the "bubble". Looking for ward to hearing more about your plans~~and good luck at the b-ball tourneys this weekend!
I know, I read in another TR all the activities for kids. Shopping at DTD sounds like a great way to start a trip though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfredsbo
Whoa!! That's an early flight!!! Hope you can sleep on the plane! And yes, there are lots of things to do at AKL!
I already told Arben that I want to buy a travel neck pillow. Maybe that will help me nap a little. I've never done an early flight to WDW before. We'll see how that goes...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Sounds like a good idea not wasting a park day when you'll be so tired from traveling!
I know everyone would be cranky and miserable, starting with me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TuffyCO
That will be an early start to the day. We have found we like to spend the first day in the resort area. We pack swimsuits for the kids and the adults relax (usually at the bar ) while they swim. AKL has wonderful pools! But I think DTD would be a fun start as well and has a lot of options for meals.
Relaxing at the bar... now that sounds like an awesome idea. Although, since I'll be so sleep deprived I'll probably be drunk after just one sip.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JKnott17
I don't envy you having to get up so early for your flight! It's probably a good idea to skip the parks that day and just take it easy instead.
I did a flight like this once to Chicago and I was so incredibly tired. I looked like a zombie. Hopefully I'll get to nap somewhere, even if it's on a Disney bus.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Russi01
Congratulations on getting your tickets and all the FP that you wanted. That is a early flight so hopefully everyone can get some sleep then start your vacation on the slow side.
I know Arben, Abniel and Adriel will have no problem sleeping on the plane. AJ and I, let's just say I feel sorry for us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mfirst
Congrats on the FP+ selections! I have friends heading down the same week you'll be there and they couldn't get any times for Ann & Elsa She's not looking forward to having to stand in line, but her girls have their hearts set on it. I'm still seeing reports of lines over 4 hours long.
That's a crazy early flight! I hope Disney Magic works and your room is ready quickly after your arrival. I'd need a huge nap after that travel day. Can't wait to read more!
It's kind of frustrating that the end of the school year always feels like an out-of-control train. We have five more weeks of school...well six with the make up days tacked on at the end. In this time we have state testing, national testing, and each of the older boys are in two sports (what was I thinking on that).
Aww, that's too bad your friends weren't able to get the Anna & Elsa meet. I thought for sure I wasn't gonna get it either as I wasn't able to make FP+ selections right on the 60 day mark.
Tell me about the end of school year! My kids have about 4-5 weeks left and soon the teachers will start piling the final exams on them. Plus Abniel and Adriel will be doing their Communion and Confirmation, so I have to prepare them for those exams too. And to top it all off, Adriel's basketball games every weekend.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lissybri
How am I just finding this now? I need to catch up but wanted to say that I'm do excited you get to go back. I'm sad that I don't get to meet you once again (after we crossed paths so many times in 2012). We will also be staying in Kidani, but not until July. Any chance you could stay until July lol? Anyway can't wait to read more.
I wish I could stay all summer but my husband has to work. Crazy, huh!
We don't hit the parks on arrival day. Our youngest says we get grumpy by the end of the day and we are forbidden from doing it anymore But we are going to DTD next time too. Notice we aren't forbidden from the Lego store.
We don't hit the parks on arrival day. Our youngest says we get grumpy by the end of the day and we are forbidden from doing it anymore But we are going to DTD next time too. Notice we aren't forbidden from the Lego store.
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After a relaxing day and a good night's sleep, we'll be refreshed and ready for some park time. This will be one of only a few days that Arben's required to get up early to go to a park. Yes, he's still hung up on sleeping in. Crazy man!
This morning we'll be heading over to DHS. We have an 8:20 am ADR at H&V. This will be a last hoorah at this character meal before Adriel is completely over the Disney Jr. characters.
Since we will only be visiting DHS for 2 half days, I decided to make today's FP+ selections at this park. Our FP+ selections are as follow:
TSMM 9:00 am - 10:00 am All 5 of us
Star Tours 10:35 am - 11:35 am All 5 of us
TOT 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm AJ, Abniel & I
Lights Motor Action 12:50 pm - 1:10 pm Arben & Adriel (AKA the scaredy cats)
Abniel has decided to give TOT another chance. I've warned him that if, after our MB are scanned, he decides to chicken out, he will go out by himself to wait for us. He'll go through the chicken exit and wait in the gift shop for AJ and me. He's ok with this.
Adriel, who use to be a daredevil, now refuses to go on hardly any thrill rides. Just like his father.
After Arben and Adriel are done with LMA, we'll head to the resort. Arben will probably nap, the kids will probably want to swim and I'll just relax on a lounge chair with a book.
Afterwards, we'll head on over to Epcot. I have no plans for this. I imagine the standby lines will be long so we'll just head to WS. Arben kept asking about the pizza place we ate at on our last trip - Via Napoli. The boys didn't like it that much, but since Arben has had hardly any say in our plans, I decided to check for an ADR. I decided to add this just last week. Luckily they had a 7:45 pm one so I quickly snagged it. I have to make my hubby happy, after all he is paying for the trip. This will be a surprise for him.
After dinner we'll take our sweet time walking out of the park
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whoa that is an early flight. I hope you get to sleep on the plan a little. I like Laurie's idea of catching a snooze on a lounge chair at the resort.
Nice first day park plans
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