Making Lemonade out of Mousefest **Updated 2/18** COMPLETE - Page 15 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Great updates. The June trip sounds cool but nerve wracking at the same time. I'm glad that your first MF meet was a success. I got nervous several times last year before the various meets. I'm not very good at small talk. Looking forward to more.
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Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
Then I recognized Lesley from her sig pic and everything got better!
Glad I could help! It was so great to finally meet you.
Finding your car wasn't nearly as bad as you describe. I've walked farther to find my car at the local mall. (of course it's a pretty big mall - just ask Terri ) I'm glad I was able to help get you out of the parking lot. I'm pretty good at following signs and directions when I pay attention. I was thrilled to have a ride back to the resort and be dropped off right by the door - plus it gave us a chance to talk some more.
What a great evening. Sounds like everyone was having loads of fun. I can just picture all of you struting into Mexico....everyone trying to shut down and you all taking up the whole boat. Glad you finally found your car...after a wonderful ride on Soarin.
Glad you were able to make the changes for your June trip...I am sure whatever you plan will be fabulous and that Brandon'd family will love it
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Those three people in blue shirts wouldn't have been...us...would it? If so, I wish you would've come to talk to us, because we were feeling pretty lonely by ourselves!
what a crazy day - I forget where I park all the time
too funny about the naughty bits and almost being closed down in the ride
hurry back with more please
Oh Boy, I have done this before too!! And it can be more nerve racking when your all by your self!! Luckily you had Lesley to help you find the way out. I bet you had a Great Mousefest with everyone LouigiAnne
It was great meeting you, too, and I am glad we got to spend time together. I also really like HBD, so I was glad to read your positive review.
Sorry I dropped out and missed Soarin' that night, but the Ladies needed an escort [not really] and my feet were really tired [Joan would agree, I think] and I just couldn't face Mt. Epcot [entrance to The Land] again that day.
Anyway, the PP Meet was a lot of fun (and calories). I am not sure I realized it was your first time at American Adventure. Bob & I toured backstage last year and my appreciation for the mechanics of the whole operation went up an order of magnitude. Of course, I also get a bit misty over the visuals and the music.
Looking forward to your next update [because it is easier than writing my own report ].
My wake up call came at Oh dark thirty! I toasted myself a bagel and grabbed a diet mountain dew of the fake Winn Dixie variety that I had discovered in the trunk of my car. I showered and packed all of the things I would need for the day into a bag and tossed it in the trunk of my car. I stopped at the Carriage House and got some diet coke in my mug and off to the Studios . . . once again in time for rope drop . . . no I don't sleep a whole lot!
I didn't stop for photos this morning because I was determined to get a fast pass for Toy Story before Sharon's TOT meet. I don't think I actually saw the morning presentation because there were too many people jockeying for position. Insanity! I got swept right along down to Pixar Place an into FP line, which was even longer than usual because the ride was down and NO one was getting in the standby line. I eventually got my FP and I think I bumped into Bob right about then. He was grabbing his TSMM FPs too!
We all convinened at the TOT for Sharon's morning drop!
I thought I had the ride photo stolen, but I can't find it. I think its in Eileen's TR. Congrats to Jill on her first ride in many moons. Eileen had to run to the MMM and thats when Jill realized her camera was gone! Uh oh!
She and Sharon went back to the ride unload and after several cycles and a funny CM who was staring down everyone coming off of the ride a man got off with a camera and handed it to the CM! Yeah Disney!
I believe we did a little shopping, see Jills TR for more on Bling Tramp!
Then we all headed over to catch a boat to the Mega Mouse Meet!
I have to say that I was a little overwhelmed by the ballroom. There were so many people waiting in lines that I couldn't tell who was waiting for what. Jill and I started to make our way around the room, but quickly stopped when we discovered snacks! Yummy sweet cream filled pretzles! Very Healthy indeed!
Thats when Dave Marx started the first raffle drawing. He called the first number . . . nothing, no one responded . . . the second number . . . same thing. The third number . . .
An ear splitting shreeeeeeeek!
From yours truly! Jill is still recovering. I hope there is no lasting damage!
I won the first raffle of the day, which was a lovely woven throw blanket of the castle. I actually gave it to a coworker of mine who just became a grandma! I kept the fuzzy castle dreamlights throw that I had been planning to give her, I thought the one I won was nicer!
Next up! A bit of a run around! Okay a lot of run around, but Margaritas! I promise!
Good morning Heather. The time on your post shows that you don't sleep much. It is Saturday morning and you are up at the crack of dawn AGAIN. But is it nice to have someone else awake with me since DS is still asleep and DD is on a sleepover and DH is at work.
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