Christmas at BLT...or is it? PTR - Page 13 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks

   guidebooks   |   news   |   podcasts   |   boards   |   blog   |   worksheets   |   photos   |   articles   |   updates   |   register   |   follow us on


Forums Closed
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

Go Back   PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums > PassPorter's Walt Disney World Resort (Florida) > Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
Register


Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.

To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.

If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-03-2017, 02:41 PM   #181
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Nice ADR choices and thanks for the link to the details about the Photopass studio - that's a nice addition.
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-03-2017, 03:24 PM   #182
DMA
Community Rank: Explorer
 
DMA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Western NY
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 8,018

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom View Post
Great changes in park plans! Congrats on the ADRs!
Thanks Marnie!

Quote:
Originally Posted by xwewhisper View Post
Woohoo for your ADRs!

Olaf had no wait both days we were at DHS and we went mid-day!
Good to know, thanks!

Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR View Post
How great that you were able to get all the ADRs you wanted!
I was a little concerned at first when I didn't see Crystal Palace on the list...then I realized it was down under "T" for The Crystal Palace.
__________________
My Previous Trips1976 - off site, 1991 - PO, 1994 - off site, 2004 - POR, 2008 - ASM, 2009 - POFQ, 2010 - POFQ, 2011 - POR, 2012 - BLT, 2013 - BCV, 2015 - BWV, 2016 - BWV, 2017-BLT, 2018-OKW
DMA is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-03-2017, 03:26 PM   #183
DMA
Community Rank: Explorer
 
DMA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Western NY
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 8,018

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp View Post
Nice ADR choices and thanks for the link to the details about the Photopass studio - that's a nice addition.
You're welcome! I'm hoping it works out for us to make it there. It's in the plans anyway.
__________________
My Previous Trips1976 - off site, 1991 - PO, 1994 - off site, 2004 - POR, 2008 - ASM, 2009 - POFQ, 2010 - POFQ, 2011 - POR, 2012 - BLT, 2013 - BCV, 2015 - BWV, 2016 - BWV, 2017-BLT, 2018-OKW
DMA is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2017, 02:35 PM   #184
pamcarey
Community Rank: Navigator
 
pamcarey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Chelmsford, MA
Posts: 6,912

Post Thanks / Like
Great plans so far! How exciting to be taking your granddaughter! I just booked a trip for December, so I'll be about a month behind you in the planning!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
__________________
Pam

June 2016
My Countdown Counting down to: Returning to WDW!
Watching DD's marching band in the Magic Kingdom!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsMarch 1989 - offsite; April/May 2002 - Coronado Springs; March 2003 - All Star Movies; May 2003 - offsite; July 2003 - Port Orleans Riverside; April/May 2006 - Port Orleans Riverside; September 2007 - All Star Sports; August/September 2008 - All Star Movies and Pop Century; June 2009 - Pop Century; August 2010 - All Star Sports & Disney Wonder; June 2011 - All Star Music; April 2012 - Disney Fantasy; April 2013 - Port Orleans French Quarter; August 2015 - Disneyland offsite; April 2017 - Coronado Springs; December 2017 - Old Key West
pamcarey is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2017, 04:30 PM   #185
DMA
Community Rank: Explorer
 
DMA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Western NY
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 8,018

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by pamcarey View Post
Great plans so far! How exciting to be taking your granddaughter! I just booked a trip for December, so I'll be about a month behind you in the planning!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Yes, it is exciting! She doesn't understand, at this point, but I bring it up now and then. She says "castle" when she sees the castle at the beginning of a Disney movie, and I tell her "someday we're going to see that castle! " Or when she looks at my pictures of our last trip and sees Olaf (her favorite) I say "Someday you'll get to see Olaf and give him a hug!" Can't wait to see her face when she sees him in person! I hope it's not a look of terror!
__________________
My Previous Trips1976 - off site, 1991 - PO, 1994 - off site, 2004 - POR, 2008 - ASM, 2009 - POFQ, 2010 - POFQ, 2011 - POR, 2012 - BLT, 2013 - BCV, 2015 - BWV, 2016 - BWV, 2017-BLT, 2018-OKW
DMA is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2017, 08:39 AM   #186
MayraLR
Community Rank: Explorer
 
MayraLR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Puerto Rico.
Concierge Level: 10
Posts: 12,253

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMA View Post
I was a little concerned at first when I didn't see Crystal Palace on the list...then I realized it was down under "T" for The Crystal Palace.
The site and the app are totally different. For example, on the app 'Ohana is at the top of the list but on the site it's towards the bottom. Makes for some adjusting when I'm searching for ADRs.
__________________

My 2017 trip - Home is Where the Mouse Is COMPLETE
My Countdown Counting down to: Sailing through the Caribbean on the Freedom
Relaxing on my cruise
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsMay 2006 - WDW / offsite; May 2008 - WDW, SW, US, IOA / offsite; May 2011 - WDW / off-site; June 2012 - WDW / POR; June 2014 - WDW / AKL ~ Kidani Village; June 2017 - WDW / POR
MayraLR is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2017, 03:16 PM   #187
DMA
Community Rank: Explorer
 
DMA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Western NY
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 8,018

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR View Post
The site and the app are totally different. For example, on the app 'Ohana is at the top of the list but on the site it's towards the bottom. Makes for some adjusting when I'm searching for ADRs.
Odd that they are both different!
__________________
My Previous Trips1976 - off site, 1991 - PO, 1994 - off site, 2004 - POR, 2008 - ASM, 2009 - POFQ, 2010 - POFQ, 2011 - POR, 2012 - BLT, 2013 - BCV, 2015 - BWV, 2016 - BWV, 2017-BLT, 2018-OKW
DMA is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2017, 07:02 PM   #188
DMA
Community Rank: Explorer
 
DMA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Western NY
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 8,018

Post Thanks / Like
So, Disney planning is on the back burner for now. A few other things coming up...

My five brothers and their families are coming into town for Memorial Day weekend to celebrate my parent's 60th wedding anniversary. So we've got food, activities, and accommodations to plan for the weekend! Lots of fun! My second youngest brother and his wife and kids will be staying here with us. Festivities are all at Mom and Dad's house. They're renting a tent for the weekend. We are planning an outdoor movie night, complete with popcorn machine and tv shows from the 50s, like Leave it to Beaver, I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, and of course The Mickey Mouse Club. And I'm putting together a compilation of music for the weekend which includes hits from the late 50s.
One of my brothers is putting together a video...actually adding on to the video he made for their 50th anniversary. Everyone has contributed family pictures from the last 10 years and he puts it to music. So that will be a fun and sometimes emotional trip down memory lane.

The other big thing I'm working on is our trip to the Grand Canyon for September. Actually, more than the Grand Canyon...flying into Vegas and heading to Utah for Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon, then into AZ for the North Rim of GC, South Rim, Sedona and finally Phoenix. We are very excited because it will be a first for us! All lodging reservations are made and we have one dining reservation at the North Rim Lodge. Just made the car rental reservation yesterday. I have the trip mapped out on AAA, but have to head in there at some point and get a trip-tik.

And a few little things going on as well...I spent an hour at the doctor's office this afternoon because I had some soreness in my chest and shoulder for the last couple days. I didn't think it was anything serious, but I wanted to be sure. I called the doctor and she wanted to see me. She did an EKG which was fine, then, thinking it was over-exertion, started asking questions about what I had done differently over the weekend. Oh, yeah. Confirmation at our church. 126 kids. I directed the choir...for over 2 hours. That could be it! So, Motrin and ice should take care of it.
__________________
My Previous Trips1976 - off site, 1991 - PO, 1994 - off site, 2004 - POR, 2008 - ASM, 2009 - POFQ, 2010 - POFQ, 2011 - POR, 2012 - BLT, 2013 - BCV, 2015 - BWV, 2016 - BWV, 2017-BLT, 2018-OKW
DMA is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2017, 07:11 PM   #189
Tara O'Hara
Community Rank: Legend
 
Tara O'Hara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Newtown Square, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 23,859

Post Thanks / Like
Wow!!! Your upcoming trip sounds AH-mazing !!!! When my kids we're younger, we did a trip very similar and it was one of the highlights of my life!!! I just know you will love it!!

Chest and shoulder pain are scary things to have together!! Slow down and smell the roses!! I am so glad that it was nothing more serious!!
__________________

My Countdown Counting down to: Our Mystery Trip!!
Tara O'Hara is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2017, 07:19 PM   #190
SuperDave
Community Rank: Explorer
 
SuperDave's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Southwestern Connecticut
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 11,588

Post Thanks / Like
That should be a great gathering for Memorial Day and your parents 60th! Like the idea of the 50's shows and music for the day.

You're trip sounds great and I've been to all those places. I took a tour of the SW USA for two weeks back in 1998 through this area including LV as well as the California coast with also Yosemite.
__________________

October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew

My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World
Orlando Trifecta TR
-Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!





My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips1995-2000, 2006-Various in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, France, England, Holland, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Lichtenstein, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Morocco; 1998-U.S. National Parks (California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada) 1999-Las Vegas, 2001-Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii, 2005-Memphis, 2011-Austin, TX: ACL Festival and Orlando: Bay Hill Lodge; 2013-Paris and Eastern France's Wine Country, 2015-Memphis for 7 WDW: 2002-WL, 2003-CSR, 2004-AKL, 2005-BWI, 2007-POR, BC, 2008-Offsite Championsgate Omni & CBR, 2009-Poly, POR (Decade of Dreams), 2010-POFQ, GF, 2011-POFQ, 2012-CSR,WL, 2014-POR, 2015-DCL Magic in Western Caribbean, 2016-B Resort in DS, 2017-USF: Royal Pacific /WDW: Dolphin
SuperDave is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2017, 07:21 PM   #191
MayraLR
Community Rank: Explorer
 
MayraLR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Puerto Rico.
Concierge Level: 10
Posts: 12,253

Post Thanks / Like
The trip sounds amazing! And your parents' anniversary celebrations sounds like lots of fun.
__________________

My 2017 trip - Home is Where the Mouse Is COMPLETE
My Countdown Counting down to: Sailing through the Caribbean on the Freedom
Relaxing on my cruise
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsMay 2006 - WDW / offsite; May 2008 - WDW, SW, US, IOA / offsite; May 2011 - WDW / off-site; June 2012 - WDW / POR; June 2014 - WDW / AKL ~ Kidani Village; June 2017 - WDW / POR
MayraLR is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2017, 07:23 PM   #192
DMA
Community Rank: Explorer
 
DMA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Western NY
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 8,018

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara View Post
Wow!!! Your upcoming trip sounds AH-mazing !!!! When my kids we're younger, we did a trip very similar and it was one of the highlights of my life!!! I just know you will love it!!

Chest and shoulder pain are scary things to have together!! Slow down and smell the roses!! I am so glad that it was nothing more serious!!
We are really looking forward to going out west! It was never really on our radar until last year, some friends of our went, and Jeff said I think we should do the Grand Canyon. So we are!

Yeah, I usually put off seeing the doctor but I was pretty concerned about this. I was quite relieved it was nothing more than inflammation from over use.
__________________
My Previous Trips1976 - off site, 1991 - PO, 1994 - off site, 2004 - POR, 2008 - ASM, 2009 - POFQ, 2010 - POFQ, 2011 - POR, 2012 - BLT, 2013 - BCV, 2015 - BWV, 2016 - BWV, 2017-BLT, 2018-OKW
DMA is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2017, 08:29 PM   #193
pamcarey
Community Rank: Navigator
 
pamcarey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Chelmsford, MA
Posts: 6,912

Post Thanks / Like
Your road trip sounds amazing! I'd love to do one like it myself!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
__________________
Pam

June 2016
My Countdown Counting down to: Returning to WDW!
Watching DD's marching band in the Magic Kingdom!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsMarch 1989 - offsite; April/May 2002 - Coronado Springs; March 2003 - All Star Movies; May 2003 - offsite; July 2003 - Port Orleans Riverside; April/May 2006 - Port Orleans Riverside; September 2007 - All Star Sports; August/September 2008 - All Star Movies and Pop Century; June 2009 - Pop Century; August 2010 - All Star Sports & Disney Wonder; June 2011 - All Star Music; April 2012 - Disney Fantasy; April 2013 - Port Orleans French Quarter; August 2015 - Disneyland offsite; April 2017 - Coronado Springs; December 2017 - Old Key West
pamcarey is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2017, 09:40 PM   #194
DMA
Community Rank: Explorer
 
DMA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Western NY
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 8,018

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by pamcarey View Post
Your road trip sounds amazing! I'd love to do one like it myself!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
It certainly will be a LOT of driving! But the good thing is, it's only 3 or 4 hours at a time and there will be some incredible scenery to look at along the way!
__________________
My Previous Trips1976 - off site, 1991 - PO, 1994 - off site, 2004 - POR, 2008 - ASM, 2009 - POFQ, 2010 - POFQ, 2011 - POR, 2012 - BLT, 2013 - BCV, 2015 - BWV, 2016 - BWV, 2017-BLT, 2018-OKW
DMA is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2017, 09:47 PM   #195
DMA
Community Rank: Explorer
 
DMA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Western NY
Concierge Level: 4
Posts: 8,018

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperDave View Post
That should be a great gathering for Memorial Day and your parents 60th! Like the idea of the 50's shows and music for the day.

You're trip sounds great and I've been to all those places. I took a tour of the SW USA for two weeks back in 1998 through this area including LV as well as the California coast with also Yosemite.
We are all looking forward to the family weekend! It's always fun spending time together.

Wonderful that you've visited all those places! My brother and his family have done several trips out west. They drive across country and stop at lots of cool places along the way. They always come away with lots of great stories to tell. He was the one who encouraged us to visit the North Rim as well as the South Rim saying it has a completely different feel.
__________________
My Previous Trips1976 - off site, 1991 - PO, 1994 - off site, 2004 - POR, 2008 - ASM, 2009 - POFQ, 2010 - POFQ, 2011 - POR, 2012 - BLT, 2013 - BCV, 2015 - BWV, 2016 - BWV, 2017-BLT, 2018-OKW
DMA is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Reply



Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump














Please login or register to hide these ads -- it's free and easy!

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:44 AM.

-->

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like v3.4.0 Patch Level 1 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
(c) 1998-2017 PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc.
Celebrating 19 Years of Making Dreams Come True
Ad Management plugin by RedTyger