TR: Thingamabobs, Zebra & Giraffes, Oh My! Completed 3/25/15 - Page 8 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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A really nice evening. Glad the nice CM was able to fix the FP+ issues and then sprinkled a bit of magic on you. I agree that if you approach a problem in a friendly, "please help me" spirit you are more likely to get great results. Those MM pics of Emily are just adorable! I love the noodle bowl at the HBD. So yummy! I'm also not a fan of the grapefruit cake. I see the movie at One Man's Dream on every trip.
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Dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby looked very delicious. I do not like grapefruit at all, so I haven't ever tried the famous HBD grapefruit cake. I do believe I recognize that large peanut butter cookie, too.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Glad you were finally able to get those FP+ issues sorted out. You've got me really excited for our lunch at the Hollywood Brown Derby in just a few short weeks time!
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A really nice evening. Glad the nice CM was able to fix the FP+ issues and then sprinkled a bit of magic on you. I agree that if you approach a problem in a friendly, "please help me" spirit you are more likely to get great results. Those MM pics of Emily are just adorable! I love the noodle bowl at the HBD. So yummy! I'm also not a fan of the grapefruit cake. I see the movie at One Man's Dream on every trip.
Thanks. We were shocked and very appreciative of that CM - he is magic!
I Love those photos of Em also - cracks me up still that she took it upon herself to have them done!
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Originally Posted by Cam22
Dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby looked very delicious. I do not like grapefruit at all, so I haven't ever tried the famous HBD grapefruit cake. I do believe I recognize that large peanut butter cookie, too.
Thanks! Ah, that PB cookie!!! I could go for one of those now!
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Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
What a nice evening. Glad you got your FP's straightened out - and what a bonus with that extra daily FP from the CM!
Thanks! That CM was magical!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Glad you were finally able to get those FP+ issues sorted out. You've got me really excited for our lunch at the Hollywood Brown Derby in just a few short weeks time!
Thanks! We hadn't been to HBD in so long - don't think we will wait that long any longer
Quote:
Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily
I am just now catching up to this. Great you got to catch up with Heather! Hoping to do the same next November. Spice Road looks delicious!
Thanks! Spice Road is going on our must do list!
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Originally Posted by xwewhisper
Dinner looked delightful, I love that place! How awesome for the extra magic from the guest relations CM!
Thanks! That CM Was AMAZING!
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Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Glad the CM was able to get all your FPs worked out! Great dinner at HBD! Love the pictures!
Thanks! He was magical!!!
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Lisa Co-Guide to Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
Sounds like a great trip so far, Lisa! Sorry about the issues with your Magic Band, but at least it was fixed and you got some extra Disney magic! I really enjoyed seeing your pics of the Little Mermaid section, as that was still under construction when I stayed at AOA. Looking forward to more, please.
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
What a strange thing to happen with your MB and FPs! Glad it was all sorted out, and that the CM sprinkled a little pixie dust on your trip. Being kind and polite does go a long way! Great night at HS!
So glad the CM was able to straighten out the FP+ selections! And how nice to give you bonus FPs! I found the whole friend and group FP scheduling to be a bit of a pain back in Feb. I was hoping they would have it all sorted out by now. Guess not.
DHS isn't one of my favorite parks. There are a few rides I really like there, but it isn't a must do park for me. I do, however, love the way it looks at night.
We had a similar problem, although ours was with ADRs. We had booked ADRs 180 days out and had everything confirmed. But when we got to the restaurants, we weren't in the system. This happened at ever DS restaurant we went to. It was very frustrating. There were a couple of times that if we didn't have DW's phone with the confirmation #s, we would've probably not gotten a spot. But everything wound up working out.
Sounds like a great trip so far, Lisa! Sorry about the issues with your Magic Band, but at least it was fixed and you got some extra Disney magic! I really enjoyed seeing your pics of the Little Mermaid section, as that was still under construction when I stayed at AOA. Looking forward to more, please.
Thanks Sharon!!! Glad to have your join in here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by JKnott17
What a strange thing to happen with your MB and FPs! Glad it was all sorted out, and that the CM sprinkled a little pixie dust on your trip. Being kind and polite does go a long way! Great night at HS!
Thanks! We were so happy with the CM and unexpected magic!
Quote:
Originally Posted by stardust190
So glad the CM was able to straighten out the FP+ selections! And how nice to give you bonus FPs! I found the whole friend and group FP scheduling to be a bit of a pain back in Feb. I was hoping they would have it all sorted out by now. Guess not.
DHS isn't one of my favorite parks. There are a few rides I really like there, but it isn't a must do park for me. I do, however, love the way it looks at night.
Thanks! We will be trying out the friend thing again in April - so we will see if they have fixed the quirks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by princetoaprincess
We had a similar problem, although ours was with ADRs. We had booked ADRs 180 days out and had everything confirmed. But when we got to the restaurants, we weren't in the system. This happened at ever DS restaurant we went to. It was very frustrating. There were a couple of times that if we didn't have DW's phone with the confirmation #s, we would've probably not gotten a spot. But everything wound up working out.
Thanks - I remember reading that in your TR. It's such a bummer with all the new technology that there are so many quirks
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Lisa Co-Guide to Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
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I do not like grapefruit at all, so I haven't ever tried the famous HBD grapefruit cake. I do believe I recognize that large peanut butter cookie, too. 
PassPorter Guide Author
You've got me really excited for our lunch at the Hollywood Brown Derby in just a few short weeks time! 
I really enjoyed seeing your pics of the Little Mermaid section, as that was still under construction when I stayed at AOA. Looking forward to more, please. 
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