From no trip to celebrating 20 years together… planning it all in less than 100 days! UPDATED 6/30 - Page 16 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Your Busch Garden pictures are beautiful. It is such a pretty park but I'd never ride any of those rides. The close ups of the tigers are great. They're one of my favorite animals.
They're just so majestic, aren't they?
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The beach pictures are very nice. I love going to the beach of course the beaches on the Great Lakes are nothing like the ones on the gulf.
Sorry your food was so bad. The hotel is nice, though.
Oh it was an amazing place and, to be honest, the fact the food wasn't that great really didn't matter that much. The setting and the company more than made up for that.
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.
What a gorgeous hotel! And the beaches are so lovely along there! I've stayed in a beachfront hotel in Clearwater for business, and it was so nice to get up and go swimming in the ocean in the morning before work!
That is a gorgeous hotel!
I love Brussels sprouts with bacon (or I normally use pancetta).
Sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon. And after paying that much for parking, seems smart to have just settled in there for a bit.
Saturday 25 February – part eight: what the heck is going on with those clocks?
We got some final photos on our way out…
… and sadly said our goodbyes. I am so glad we were able to spend this time together, as it was so much fun.
We set off across the bridge from St. Petersburg, and we should definitely have come this way on the way over, as it was only 75c – bargain! It was much more picturesque too.
Sadly, our trip was not going to be that easy home, as we soon hit traffic on the next major bridge…
We watched as the GPS told us first we’d be back at Old Key West by 7:30pm, then at times it went up to 8:20pm because of accidents on our route home!
Of course, the darker it got as we made our way back, the more tired Mark became as well, completely understandably. He had been a total star with all the driving today.
I had another problem. I needed a bathroom and urgently, and the further we went, I became unsure as to whether it was a stomach problem, as suddenly I had cramps and also my temperature appeared to be fluctuating. Thank goodness for McDonald’s is all I can say. Thankfully it was nothing more than just needing to use the restroom, as I was fine after that and no stomach incidents – phew!
We made it back to Old Key West about 8:00pm, and headed over to our two bedroom villa. We headed up the stairs…
… and then my MagicBand didn’t work. I couldn’t believe it! Thankfully Mark’s did, and we were inside our spacious new home. It was insane how much space there was in here. You could tell this was the first to be built, as they really didn’t care about floor space, as shown by the fact the washer and dryer are both on the floor here, taking up more room, rather than other resorts, where they’re one on top of the other. It just felt wonderful, although definitely a crazy indulgence for just the two of us. But heck, why not?
We called for bell services, and when the guy brought our luggage, we got him to sort out the clocks in the bedrooms, which were both reading 4:22pm, rather than 8:22pm. It was very odd. He got those sorted, as I didn’t want a shock when I woke up in the middle of the night, as invariably I would.
The weather today was cloudy at first with light spots of rain, then hot and sunny with temperatures in the low 80s. The best thing today was meeting up with Tanya and Tonya. The worst thing today was the traffic getting to and from the Don CeSar. The funniest thing today was our afternoon with Tanya and Tonya – so many great laughs! Today we tried going to St. Petersburg beach And the result was beautiful as it is, it was a nightmare to get to. The most magical moment today was watching the gorillas.
Oh my goodness, so much fun! Trying to get pictures in the sun without laughing....
Such a fun afternoon.
We had more traffic too, but not quite like yours. I can imagine Mark was pushing to stay awake! What a trooper! Were you able to catch any of the sunset, or it was behind you? It was a pretty one.
What a treat to be in the 2 bedroom. It's huge! Very cool.
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Tanya
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Oh my goodness, so much fun! Trying to get pictures in the sun without laughing....
Such a fun afternoon.
Oh it was! We loved it.
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We had more traffic too, but not quite like yours. I can imagine Mark was pushing to stay awake! What a trooper! Were you able to catch any of the sunset, or it was behind you? It was a pretty one.
Sadly it must've been behind us, as we didn't see it.
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What a treat to be in the 2 bedroom. It's huge! Very cool.
It was amazing! It's the first time we've ever stayed in a two bedroom and, although an indulgence, it was huge fun to have that much space!
The Don Cesar Hotel is quite a place but the parking fee is ridiculous! Looks like all of you had a good time. You'd think at a place like this that the bar food would be much better!
Can't believe the traffic problems you're having! Your villa looks quite nice at OKW and sorry for more Magic Band problems for you!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
The Don Cesar Hotel is quite a place but the parking fee is ridiculous! Looks like all of you had a good time. You'd think at a place like this that the bar food would be much better!
You'd hope...
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Can't believe the traffic problems you're having!
No... we were a bit shocked with the problems and this wasn't the only day. We came to the conclusion, after talking to quite a few people, that the traffic issues may partially be down to the snowbirds. A lot of people we met during this vacation commented on this and said that in the winter months, they find more issues on the road with people less familiar with Florida's roads, shall we say?
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Your villa looks quite nice at OKW and sorry for more Magic Band problems for you!
Do you know what? I'm just getting resigned to having constant problems with the MagicBands. I'm not sure they'll ever get them fully sorted out.
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I cannot be.ieve you had more problems with your Magic Band. Not very magical at all.
I do still think OKW is in serious need of a refurb. Does anyone know when they were last done? Given their age, I'd assume they've been updated a couple of times by now?
I cannot be.ieve you had more problems with your Magic Band. Not very magical at all.
Not really!
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I do still think OKW is in serious need of a refurb. Does anyone know when they were last done? Given their age, I'd assume they've been updated a couple of times by now?
I know they have been, but off the top of my head, I couldn't tell you exactly how recently.
Getting caught up. I miss Busch Gardens. My aunt used to live in Clearwater, and then in Largo (between Clearwater and St. Pete), and when I'd go visit her, Busch Gardens was usually part of the trip. Sadly, she passed away in 2011, and I haven't been back to the Gulf Coast since then - combination of too many memories, and not wanting to leave the Disney Bubble.
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.
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them! Seems like a mixed bag of food, but the company was great. 
I am so glad we were able to spend this time together, as it was so much fun. 
Thankfully it was nothing more than just needing to use the restroom, as I was fine after that and no stomach incidents – phew! 
I couldn’t believe it! Thankfully Mark’s did, and we were inside our spacious new home. It was insane how much space there was in here. You could tell this was the first to be built, as they really didn’t care about floor space, as shown by the fact the washer and dryer are both on the floor here, taking up more room, rather than other resorts, where they’re one on top of the other. It just felt wonderful, although definitely a crazy indulgence for just the two of us. 
Looks like all of you had a good time. You'd think at a place like this that the bar food would be much better! 
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