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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Imagine, if you will, a cold weekend in December of 2007. Imagine hitting an ice patch on a pretty deserted piece of interstate and hitting the edge of a guard rail. Imagine spending the day arguing with relatives over the “stuff” of your mother who recently passed away. Imagine a night in a Red Roof Inn with a heater that was barely working, your dog barking at every little sound, and just wishing you were anywhere but there. Are you getting a clear picture? Well, that was Chuck and I the weekend of December 15, 2007. As we were huddled underneath the blankets at the Red Roof Inn, he looked at me and said we are going back and going in style. My initial reaction was just okay hon as I had no idea what he was talking about. He then clarified and said we are going back to WDW. He told me to figure out some dates and talk to my mom about prices. So on that cold night, a new trip was born.
It didn’t take me long to get this trip into the initial planning stages. The following Monday, I called my mom and filled her in on what Chuck had proposed. We started looking on the calender and decided that November/December would be the best time, which is definitely one of my favorite times of the year to visit. We wanted to avoid the week of Thanksgiving and I kept going back to wanting to celebrate my actual birthday in the World. We played around some more and decided on the dates of November 15th-November 22nd. We would be arriving on the day after my actual birthday and be able to still celebrate my birthday as well as Chuck’s birthday since his was on the 30th. This where the “Duo Birthday” came in for the title.
Now that we had dates, it was time to work on which resort and which dining plan we were going to go with. Chuck said he wanted to go Deluxe for the resorts. I picked out the Beach Club and the Polynesian, while Chuck picked the Grand Floridian. He had already told me he wanted to go with the Deluxe Dining Plan as he wanted to go to a lot of the signature restaurants which took 2 credits each. I gave mom the choices and she said she would call abck with some prices later on in the day. Later on in the day means 5 minutes later in my mom’s terms. I jotted them down and then sent an email to Chuck hoping he would get back to me while I was still on the phone with my mom. He didn’t fail me and said Grand Floridian. Mom then provided me the prices for the different levels. I shot another email to Chuck and he came back stating “Theme Park View”. He meant what he said that night. We were going in style! I gave mom the decision and paid the deposit right then. So, there is the “Grand” portion of the title.
Cast of Characters:
First, there is me, Dawn, aka DawnDenise. I’ll be 37 years and one day old on this trip. This will be my fourth trip to a Disney park this year and my longest stay. I have an ever increasing love of characters with Eeyore being my ultimate favorite but never turn down some time to meet and greet any character. Looking forward to some new firsts on this trip and getting to spend some quality time with hubby since he has been traveling a lot for work this year.
Next is Chuck, my lovable DH. As previously mentioned, he’s had a lot of traveling for work over the past year and really needs this vacation. Outside of work, he has a hard time loosening up and can be kind of shy around new people. I am hoping to push him out of his comfort zone and get him to skip down Main Street with me. His favorite character is Stitch, but you can always see him smiling when he meets up with Goofy. He’s ready to relax and enjoy some QT with me, eat some good food, and do some new things!
Hopefully, we won’t be needing to bail him out!
The basics of this trip were taken care of for now. The trip kind of took a back seat as I had my trip with my mom in February 2008 and our trip to DL in April 2008. At this point in the game, my solo trip hadn’t even been a thought in my mind.
Coming Up: Where Would We Fly Out Of, Our Dining Choices, and Some Other Plans
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Great start Dawn!!! How awesome that both you and Chuck get to celebrate birthdays at Disney!!! You are going to love the Grand Floridian, way to go Chuck!!!!
So glad you started this Dawn. I've been debating on doing an actual trip report for the first time. I haven't in the past since I am not a writer what so ever. I can't even write something decent on a birthday card. Plus, with me being such a horrible writer I see it taking a lot of time, which I don't have much of.
Anywho, can't wait to see you guys down there. And ironically, my birthday is the day after Chucks. So plenty of bdays going on down there.
So happy to get in on this trip report from the beginning Dawn! You guys definitely deserve this trip to the "Red Roof Inn" (as named by the CM's at Whispering Canyon Cafe) after your trip at that other Red Roof Inn. I'm so happy that you and Chuck will get to spend a nice long trip alone together. Can't wait to hear more!
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Karen, aka Zack's Mom - Lover of all Things Disney and the San Francisco Giants!
I hope that you and your family have a magical time at the world
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Heather - "I'm Tinkerbell's biggest fan!"
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
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I jotted them down and then sent an email to Chuck hoping he would get back to me while I was still on the phone with my mom. He didn’t fail me and said Grand Floridian. Mom then provided me the prices for the different levels. I shot another email to Chuck and he came back stating “Theme Park View”. He meant what he said that night. We were going in style! I gave mom the decision and paid the deposit right then. So, there is the “Grand” portion of the title.
His favorite character is Stitch, but you can always see him smiling when he meets up with Goofy. He’s ready to relax and enjoy some QT with me, eat some good food, and do some new things!
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PassPorter Guide Author
I'm so happy that you and Chuck will get to spend a nice long trip alone together. Can't wait to hear more!
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