Our Stop and Smell the Roses (a.ka. ditching the itinerary) Trip Report- COMPLETE!! 2/16 - Page 13 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 TR & great wrap-up! We have gone in January the past 2 trips and feel the same as you. We love the lower crowds& the temps for the most part, but the weather can be unpredictable.
Finally all caught up! Ok, so where is this art shop in MK you can order the prints from? We have the matted Tomorrowland one like you, but you're right about not being easy to frame.
Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us!
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No trip in sight for us anytime soon either... so we'll have to live vicariously on the boards!
I know what you mean! I have a whole bunch of ideas swirling in my head for 2011 so hopefully we'll be back next year!
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Originally Posted by islandgirl
Great TR & great wrap-up! We have gone in January the past 2 trips and feel the same as you. We love the lower crowds& the temps for the most part, but the weather can be unpredictable.
Thanks! We'd definitely do January again too.
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Originally Posted by Russi01
great trip report. THanks for sharing and hopefully someday we will get there ourselves. Until then I have to live through you guys. Thanks again!
Hope you get there real soon!
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Originally Posted by lazanya
Great final thoughts! Thanks Heather for sharing your TR with us!
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Originally Posted by TheMadonna3
I enjoyed reading about the trip. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you both and thanks for reading!
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Originally Posted by OhToodles!
Finally all caught up! Ok, so where is this art shop in MK you can order the prints from? We have the matted Tomorrowland one like you, but you're right about not being easy to frame.
Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us!
The art shop is on Main Street, on the right-hand side of the street as you're heading toward the castle. I'd say it's about 1/3- 1/2 way up. I don't know the name of it but it's pretty small and kind of easy to miss so keep you're eyes out for it -- it's almost like a little alcove. You can also get them in the art store at DTD -- they have the same computer kiosk to place your order.
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Originally Posted by kdevoe
I loved reading your trip report. I felt as though I was on vacation with you! You took some really great picture! Thank you again!!!!
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Originally Posted by genie1953
This has been such an enjoyable trip report to read......I have loved and anxiously awaited each new installment.... Thanks bunches!
I just finished re-reading this and I'm so glad I did! We are thinking of doing SLCL at the Floridian in Sept and I needed some pics of the offerings! Plus, I wanted to do the tea at the Floridian and I saw that you did that, too. I'm glad I remembered this TR and definitely thanks for sharing! Some of the most valuable info I've been able to find on the sugar loaf CL and the pics are a hhhuuugge help!
I just finished re-reading this and I'm so glad I did! We are thinking of doing SLCL at the Floridian in Sept and I needed some pics of the offerings! Plus, I wanted to do the tea at the Floridian and I saw that you did that, too. I'm glad I remembered this TR and definitely thanks for sharing! Some of the most valuable info I've been able to find on the sugar loaf CL and the pics are a hhhuuugge help!
Hi! I'm glad the info helped! Can't wait to hear more about your plans.