A Disney Trip 10 Years in the Making. PTR 10/14 - 23/2011 - Page 5 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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.
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Ballston Lake, NY
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 46,162
Post Thanks / Like
Likes (Given): 94
Likes (Received): 241
Thanks (Given): 0
Thanks (Received): 139
Pixie Dust (Given): 3
Pixie Dust (Received): 4
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommapants
A word to the wise, if you see a great rate – BOOK IT. We missed out on an $88.00 ROUND TRIP fare with Spirit about a month ago. I told my sister and there was this big debate on booking it before SW had their rates. I was like “screw it” I’m booking this. Nothing is going to be this low. I went to book it a few days later and it was gone.
Boy, did I learn this the hard way! I booked a flight on SW for my parents for their trip to AZ and got a good wait. Since I was leaving a week after them, I held off booking my ticket and I shouldn't have. When I went to book it, it was almost double the price!! I final ended booking with another airline, but I could kick myself for thinking I could get a better deal or the airfare would be the same prince.
I know what you mean about airfare. We should have booked SWA when the flight came out, but we didn't and now we're waiting, waiting, waiting....
I think we'll be touring like you. Everyone comes together for the meal and/or event of the day,but try to all stay in the park and just do whatever you want.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
We will be visiting WDW just after you, as we arrive on October 22nd, for a week! October is a great time of year to visit we have visited in October/November for the last 3 years!
We took Evie, our daughter to WDW last year, for her first visit about 2 weeks before she turned 5 - it was just the perfect age, I am sure it it will be perfect for Evan.
It is interesting to me to read about when children in the US start school. Here in the UK children start at school in the year they turn 5yrs (the cut off is 1 September), which I think is a year earlier than in the US. Our daughter is about a year older than Evan (she was 5 in November 2010) but started at school in September 2010.
I think airfare can be one of the trickiest parts of planning a trip -- when is the best possible rate and time to book. We just recently got a credit with Southwest when our airfare went down. Your other plans are looking very good!
Congrats on getting you flight booked. I looked at flights (yeap still trying my best to get to Disney this year!!!) the other day and they are over 450.00 pp just to Florida (and I am closer then you are!!!)
__________________
Me and Cole in the Sears Tower Skydeck, 103 floors up, in a glass box hanging off the side!
It's never to early to start a PTR, Holly! Just found it, & I'll be following along. I agree that everything seems so much more real once your flights are booked! Looking forward to hearing more.
WOW what a set of plans. I like doing one park a day and letting everyone scatter. Your idea of doing one great meeting a day should work out. We have never tried planning for more than 4 or 5 at a time. The more I read teh more excited i get for you and your family. Looking forward to seeing it all come together.
Looks like you've got it under control! Even with a smaller group it's nice to break things up. I agree on the airfare - just book it when you see a good deal.
Congrats on the airfare! Looks like the plans are coming together!
So far so good - coming together nicely
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Boy, did I learn this the hard way! I booked a flight on SW for my parents for their trip to AZ and got a good wait. Since I was leaving a week after them, I held off booking my ticket and I shouldn't have. When I went to book it, it was almost double the price!! I final ended booking with another airline, but I could kick myself for thinking I could get a better deal or the airfare would be the same prince.
Looks like all your plans are coming together!!
I hate that - I could just kick myself for not booking sooner.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
I know what you mean about airfare. We should have booked SWA when the flight came out, but we didn't and now we're waiting, waiting, waiting....
I think we'll be touring like you. Everyone comes together for the meal and/or event of the day,but try to all stay in the park and just do whatever you want.
It is just too hard to move a group of people around the parks - splitting up is the way to go
Quote:
Originally Posted by emmalovesdisney
Wow, I have just found your ptr and it is great
We will be visiting WDW just after you, as we arrive on October 22nd, for a week! October is a great time of year to visit we have visited in October/November for the last 3 years!
We took Evie, our daughter to WDW last year, for her first visit about 2 weeks before she turned 5 - it was just the perfect age, I am sure it it will be perfect for Evan.
It is interesting to me to read about when children in the US start school. Here in the UK children start at school in the year they turn 5yrs (the cut off is 1 September), which I think is a year earlier than in the US. Our daughter is about a year older than Evan (she was 5 in November 2010) but started at school in September 2010.
Thanks for joing in - sorry we will miss you seeing you. Sounds like Evan will be the perfecr age for the trip
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Great idea to have everyone do the same park, but not necessarily together. Should work out well with the different age groups.
Keeping my fingers crossed
Quote:
Originally Posted by buzzspal2
The trip is all coming together. Looking forward to more.
Thanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by islandgirl
Your plans are looking great!!! I really want to go back to HDD again someday-we loved it!!!
I haven't been to HDD since I was a teenager. I think they will like it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
I think airfare can be one of the trickiest parts of planning a trip -- when is the best possible rate and time to book. We just recently got a credit with Southwest when our airfare went down. Your other plans are looking very good!
I'd love a refund if fares went down, would take a credit but I'm not holding my breath for either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OCEANGRLLG
Congrats on getting you flight booked. I looked at flights (yeap still trying my best to get to Disney this year!!!) the other day and they are over 450.00 pp just to Florida (and I am closer then you are!!!)
hope something cheap becomes available for you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goofysdtr
It's never to early to start a PTR, Holly! Just found it, & I'll be following along. I agree that everything seems so much more real once your flights are booked! Looking forward to hearing more.
Thansks for joining in.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhinohunter
WOW what a set of plans. I like doing one park a day and letting everyone scatter. Your idea of doing one great meeting a day should work out. We have never tried planning for more than 4 or 5 at a time. The more I read teh more excited i get for you and your family. Looking forward to seeing it all come together.
I'm excited too. I hope the one big meet a day works out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by debrabrown
Looks like you've got it under control! Even with a smaller group it's nice to break things up. I agree on the airfare - just book it when you see a good deal.
I know I really should have booked it, but I can't go back in time - just need to move forward.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ariel14
Looks like everything is coming together!!!!!!!!!!
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
Susan
Deb
hope something cheap becomes available for you.
Holly: 
Linear Mode
