Don't Stop! PRE-TRIP AND LIVE TRIP REPORT COMPLETED - Page 10 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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What a nice spread! Glad to hear there weren't many leftovers. That's the worst part about having parties. Sounds like you're all set and prepared for your American Adventure (pun totally intended). Happy and safe travels!!!
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Tanya
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Here’s our daily itinerary – eyes down, it’s a long list!
Wednesday 9 December
Drive up to Gatwick Airport and check into the Hilton Gatwick
Thursday 10 December
Enjoy the Clubhouse lounge and Upper Class treatment on our flight!
Arrive in Orlando and check into Bay Lake Tower
Dinner at the Wave
Friday 11 December
Magic Kingdom (am)
Breakfast - ‘Ohana with fellow PassPorters
Afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian with fellow PassPorters
Dinner – Chef Mickey’s
Christmas Party with fellow PassPorters
Saturday 12 December
Pick up our rental car and pick up Wendy and Ben from the airport
Check into Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani Village
Lunch – Sanaa with Wendy and Ben
See Osborne Lights
Dinner – Nine Dragons with Wendy and Ben
IllumiNations PassPorter meet
Sunday 13 December
Characters in Flight PassPorter meet in the morning
Lunch – Paradiso 37
Dinner – Kouzzina with Lorie (Minnie Lor), Larry (LLaffinPlace), Bob (Uncle Bob), Sharon (Princess Sharon) and Heather (ilovedisney247)
Osborne Lights meet with PassPorters
Monday 14 December
Lunch – Beaches and Cream with Don
Drive down to Vero Beach
Dinner – hopefully at Sonya’s
Tuesday 15 December
Visit Palm Beach and Boca Raton
Stay the night at Boca Raton
Wednesday 16 December
Visit Boca Raton (if we didn’t have time the day before) and Fort Lauderdale
Dinner – hopefully at Joe’s Stone Crabs, although you can’t book in advance for this
Stay the night in Miami
Thursday 17 December
Take a tour of Miami City, Everglades and Biscayne Bay by boat
Take the evening walking tour of architecture in South Beach
Stay the night in Miami
Friday 18 December
Visit Vizcaya and possibly Coral Gables (if not seen the day before)
Drive to Key West in the afternoon
Stay the night in Key West
Saturday 19 December:
Explore Key West
Take a sunset champagne cruise in the evening
Stay the night in Key West
Sunday 20 December:
Fly up to Tampa in the morning, then drive back to Walt Disney World
Lunch – T-Rex with Carla (cjadkins) and family
Dinner – Teppan Edo on the Candlelight Processional dining package
See 6.45 show of the Candlelight Processional with Whoopi Goldberg narrating.
See IllumiNations in special seating area
Monday 21 December:
I turn 37
Magic Kingdom in the morning
Lunch – Crystal Palace
Epcot in the afternoon
Dinner – California Grill and hopefully see Wishes from there
Tuesday 22 December:
Morning at Epcot
Lunch – San Angel (out of pocket)
See early show of Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba
Dinner – Narcoosee’s
Wednesday 23 December:
Breakfast – Akerhaus
Day at Aquatica
Dinner – Boma
Evening EMH at Animal Kingdom
Thursday 24 December:
Lunch – Tusker House
Dinner – Flying Fish Cafe
Possibly see the Osborne Lights
IllumiNations PassPorter meet
Friday 25 December:
Spend the day at Epcot
Lunch – Tutto Italia
Dinner – Yachtsman Steakhouse
Possibly see IllumiNations
Stay the night at the Hyatt at Orlando International
Saturday 26 December:
Fly up to Philadelphia in the morning and meet Sue and Steve
See the lights at Longwood Gardens – evening
Stay the night at King of Prussia Mall
Sunday 27 December:
Visit Valley Forge
Head back to Sue and Steve’s
Monday 28 December:
Stay at Sue and Steve’s
Tuesday 29 December:
Allentown PassPorter meet
Stay at Sue and Steve’s
Wednesday 30 December:
Take-your-friend-to-work day – Mark will go out with Sue
Stay at Sue and Steve’s
Thursday 31 December:
New Year’s Eve party
Stay at Sue and Steve’s
Friday 1 January:
Drive to New York
Stay the night at Newark Airport
Saturday 2 January:
Fly home in the morning.
I guess one of the final things I should say is that, because this is a multi-leg trip again (we never do anything simple! : ), then you’ll find most of it in this WDW trip report forum. However, the road trip to Key West and our time with Sue and Steve will both be in the Globetrotting trip report forum. If you haven’t visited that forum before, this is a great opportunity, as there are always wonderful trip reports from all over the world in there.
I will try and do semi-live updates as we travel, as and when I can. In the meantime, I guess I should wish you all a very happy Christmas and a very peaceful new year! I’ll be dropping in and out with updates, but starting the real thing when we return home in 2010...
Fantastic itinerary! I can't believe all the months of planning and it's finally here!! I think that you're going to have lots of relaxing time in there too!!
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Great plans, Great meals, Sounds like a great Christmas and Birthday Celebration!
Have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and a Wonderfuly Birthday! Can't wait to read your trip report; next year......
Wow! I can't believe how much planning must have gone into that itinerary! Have a wonderful trip and a happy birthday! Can't wait to read all about it when you get back!
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: ), then you’ll find most of it in this WDW trip report forum. However, the road trip to Key West and our time with Sue and Steve will both be in the 
and a very peaceful new year! 
I’ll be dropping in and out with updates, but starting the real thing when we return home in 2010... 
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