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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 great start Sharon The room at POR is so beautiful! I never really had a desire to stay there before the redo but now I will definitely be putting it on my resort list of places to stay!!! Can't wait for more.
Oh I am so glad you posted this update today!! I am so excited to be there in one of these rooms in just TWO DAYS!!! I think the faucets are my favorite detail, but really, they're all just lovely!
I wanted to get that posted before you left. Just made it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jillybean
What a cute room - - fit for a princess, indeed!
Jill
Yes, I was quite comfortable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcneal
Oh Man....love that room! Did you ask if they would let you bring the throne home?
It wouldn't fit in my suitcase anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfredsbo
OH MY GOODNESS!!!!! I so WANT to stay in that room!!!!!!! So freakin' ADORABLE!!!!
And I have to say - you are just adorable in that throne!
Aww, thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
What a wonderful job they did with the room! The wallpaper borders are wonderful-- and, yes, I had a choked-up moment, too, when I saw Jac and Gus-Gus. And the faucet! I'm glad you got everyone's boarding process settled before your flight. I really envy you flying from that small airport. When I fly from Logan the line for security is at least a block long.
I love my little airport! And the fact that it's also usually the cheapest option and not close to home is icing on the cake!
Quote:
Originally Posted by sc507
Those rooms look fabulous! I hadn't considered staying in one ever because my little prince might not like the 'girly' room, but it's not over the top girl. So, perhaps on a future trip!
They did a wonderful job of making it not too girly. I guess that's why they officially call them "royal" rooms.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elisa1006
your room. Makes me even more frustrated that my fam of 5 can't stay there. Looking forward to seeing your Epcot snacks!
That stinks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by kangelop
My adult daughter and I will be staying at POFQ in less that three weeks--now I am thinking maybe we should have booked a royal room at POR!
I was happy with my choice to stay there!
Quote:
Originally Posted by honeybee723
The room is ADORABLE!!! I have to be honest and say I haven't really been a fan of the over theming on a lot of the newly refurbished rooms (think Pirate rooms and Nemo rooms), but I really love this. I especially love the faucet on the sink...I want that for my bathroom!
I think I know what you mean - I think you like these more because the little touches are more subtle, maybe? Not screaming "princess" anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
My favorite "fabulous little detail" is the Hidden Sharon in that picture!!
Or this one:
And that faucet -- ADORBS!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
It was great running into you. Sorry I was a bit of a mess.
What a fabulous room!
I'm just happy we had a chance to get together! Especially with my phone being somewhat unreliable!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Sharon, I was scrolling down, amazed at how beautiful the resort was and then the room. Then I saw the picture of Gus and Jaq, but not your comment, and had my own Stefanie moment before I realized you had, too. I just kept thinking with every picture that she would have loved to stay here with all the princess touches and then her favorite mice were the icing on the cake. I started to read your update last night, but felt so tired that I decided to save it for tonight. I'm glad I did because tonight was when I needed that Stefanie moment.
I feel like Stefanie stayed with me in spirit in the royal room!
Quote:
Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily
I'm so glad you've started! I love those rooms! Thanks for posting such detailed pics. They answered some questions I had.
Glad I could help!
__________________
Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
It was a fairly short walk to the bus stop, and I waited about 10 minutes before an Epcot bus came. It was pretty crowded, so I stood. Before I knew it, I was entering the park.
My first order of business was to exchange my voucher for the Photopass+ card. On the way, I spotted a man wearing a Mickey umbrella hat. It’s an umbrella that you wear as a hat, with a giant Mickey head on it – complete with Mickey ears! I decided to test out my camera’s zoom function and took a picture.
I loved it, but at the same time, I would never actually wear it! But I guess it does keep the sun off of you!
I exchanged my voucher, which was painless because I hadn’t taken any Photopass pictures yet. It’s not difficult when you’ve already got pictures, it just adds another step. With that task complete, it was time to feed my belly, so I headed for WS!
I had something in mind that I wanted to eat, so I went right when I got to WS. I made a little visit to my dream cottage.
Then I continued on to the France pavilion.
I noticed that the line for the bakery was stretched outside as usual, but luckily only by 2 or 3 people and soon I was able to get inside into the air conditioning. The line always seems long, but that's because of the way the ordering is set up. I'm glad it's getting a refurb! Heather had told me about this “snack” on my snacks only trip. It’s technically a snack because it isn’t part of a meal and can be bought with a snack credit, but it was absolutely a meal for me. It was a rustic ham tartine (they had one without meat as well).
It was a lot like a French bread pizza, except it wasn’t on French bread, more like a rustic, herb ciabatta type bread. Whatever it was, it was tasty! And filling. It was a great value, especially if it serves as a meal for you. Thanks for the tip, Heather!
I couldn’t make up my mind what I wanted to do next, so I checked the Disney Parks app to see what was happening nearby (and soon). I saw that the Beast would be out for a visit, so I walked over, but the line was crazy long! No visit with the Beast for me this time.
Oh! I just remembered that this is when I passed an expert traveler. I overheard her telling her family to “Feel that breeze? That’s not normal for Florida. Thank the hurricane.” I’m so surprised to learn that there’s never a breeze in Florida! Thanks, lady! And thanks, Hurricane Isaac! And the funny thing is, it was just your everyday gentle breeze. Not an actual windy day, like the day Jill and I visited Aladdin and Jill ended up looking like she was wearing a side ponytail because her hair was blowing so much. There must’ve been an unadvertised hurricane that day!
I decided to just walk around and enjoy myself, my normal M.O. at Epcot. I texted my BFFs to let them know I missed them. Karen was at some kind of Japanese thing (she explained it to me, but I still kinda don’t get it ). I figured that was a sign I should spend some time in the Japan pavilion!
I noticed the drummers were doing their act right in the courtyard rather than in front of the building today. I actually liked it better, because you can see better, but I understand it disrupts traffic flow. Later in the week, they were back in their normal spot, so I’m not sure why the change this time.
Then I went into the store for a little browsing. I spotted a Dragonball Z action figure doing one of the poses Zack would do during our DL trip. I took a photo and tried to text it, but after about 15 attempts (seriously), I gave up. I’d gotten my phone wet the day before, and I’d immediately shut it off and dried it out. It seemed to be working fine, but this is when I discovered that everything wasn’t fine after all. There’s my bad electronics mojo at work again (although, it’s more of me not being careful enough than a bad mojo per se). Anyway, the phone would work sometimes, but not at other times. It’s still acting kooky, so I’ll be getting a new one soon.
To take my mind off my phone woes, I continued my lap of WS, stopping occasionally to take a few pictures.
Unfortunately, I was too late to catch the Voices of Liberty, and we missed it on our other Epcot day. I’ll just have to watch them twice next time!
I learned in Venice that the colors/stripes on the poles are used to designate your “parking” spot!
I checked out the miniature village in Germany. Just everyday life happening now, nothing special. I tried focusing this time on the little out-of-the-way buildings.
I was ready for a little snack at this time. I'd passed up the kaki gori in Japan because I knew I wanted something from the caramel shop in Germany, and I would be too full for both. I decided on the milk chocolate salted caramel, and it was as good as I remembered.
Wish I had one of those right now! They’re big and gooey and chocolaty and slightly salty. Perfection!
After eating my treat (and I ate the entire thing by myself ), I continued my stroll.
I wanted to buy a fan to keep in my work bag (you’d understand this if you had to take subways in NYC in July ). I found a pretty red one (my favorite color). The CM even offered to write my name on it in Chinese.
I love the flowers in Norway!
I love how artsy-looking this one is!
Because I was inside the Mexico pavilion, I figured a ride on the GFT was in order. There’s never a line for this attraction, and I happen to think it’s pretty good.
After my lap of WS, I decided I needed a little retail therapy. I looked around Mouse Gear, but I didn’t actually buy anything. I was tempted to get a calendar to hang in my cubicle, but there isn’t a spot for it now so I decided against it.
I decided to go back to POR and enjoy the room a little, but I stopped for a spin on Spaceship Earth on the way out. I had big chunks missing from my head again. I decided the next time I rode I’d slouch, figuring that being in front of the blue vehicle would help distinguish my head from the darkness of the ride.
I waited about 5 minutes (not even that long) for a bus back to POR.
I took a few more pictures of the room now that it was darker and the lighting was a little better for certain shots.
I even took a little video, if you want to see the fireworks in action.
Click the photo to see the video
I relaxed in the room for a while before turning in for the night. I planned to go to AK in the morning and then head on over to AKL to check in and meet my family.
Up Next: Those animals are definitely wild!
__________________
Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
Your cottage looks as lovely as ever , and your snack choices are making me hungry!! The salted caramel sounds delish.
Thanks for all of the great pics of the Royal Room, I love them! I think they did a really good job with all of the details, without going overboard. I agree, that even though it's a room full of Princesses, they did a great job keeping everything somewhat gender neutral. I wish I had splurged and booked us a Royal Room for November Oh well, next time!
What a perfectly, lazy way to spend an afternoon strolling around Epcot. Ahhhh! I'm glad you went back to POR early to relish in your royalness though.
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Wonderful photos of World Showcase. I just can't wait to be back there again! Thanks (and thanks to Heather) for the tip about the pizza-like "snack" at France. That would definitely be a meal for me. I'll give it a try in November.
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"Sparky"(My first trip.)
The room at POR is so beautiful! I never really had a desire to stay there before the redo but now I will definitely be putting it on my resort list of places to stay!!! Can't wait for more.
might not like the 'girly' room, but it's not over the top girl. So, perhaps on a future trip!
your room. Makes me even more frustrated that my fam of 5 can't stay there. 
Looking forward to seeing your Epcot snacks!
I feel like Stefanie stayed with me in spirit in the royal room!
And filling. It was a great value, especially if it serves as a meal for you. Thanks for the tip, Heather!
expert traveler. I overheard her telling her family to “Feel that breeze? That’s not normal for Florida. Thank the hurricane.” 
I’m so surprised to learn that there’s never a breeze in Florida! Thanks, lady! 
And the funny thing is, it was just your everyday gentle breeze. Not an actual windy day, like the day Jill and I visited Aladdin and Jill ended up looking like she was wearing a side ponytail because her hair was blowing so much. There must’ve been an unadvertised hurricane that day!
). I figured that was a sign I should spend some time in the Japan pavilion!
There’s my bad electronics mojo at work again (although, it’s more of me not being careful enough than a bad mojo per se). Anyway, the phone would work sometimes, but not at other times. It’s still acting kooky, so I’ll be getting a new one soon.
), I continued my stroll.
). I found a pretty red one (my favorite color). The CM even offered to write my name on it in Chinese. 
I decided the next time I rode I’d slouch, figuring that being in front of the blue vehicle would help distinguish my head from the darkness of the ride.
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