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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
I blanked out when I pulled up to the security gate to show my ID. The guard told me to check in at the Customs House and I totally forgot that the lobby was in a completely separate building. I was thinking POFQ for some reason! Panic averted and mind returning to normal, I proceeded to check in. There were about 2 people in the regular line and only 1 woman in the on-line check in area. I did the on-line check in so I headed over that way. I don’t know what this woman’s problem was, but it required the help of 3 CM’s to sort out her issues. Meanwhile, the people in the regular line were all through and I was still standing there. Finally another CM spotted me and quickly called me over. She handed me my folder and told me I was given my requests of being in Aruba and a room on the top floor. Groovy!! I drove over to Aruba and really instantly loved the theme of this resort. I’m sure the beautiful warm night helped with that!
Not knowing where exactly my room was, I started up the first set of stairs that I saw in Building 52 and walked around, following the signs for room numbers. And walked. And walked. Finally I found my room and it was much closer to the other set of stairs. Mental note for later! I also discovered that I was poolside and had a view of the lake! Apparently I had gotten a little upgrade to a water view room - Score! I dropped off my stuff, took some photos, and headed over to Old Port Royale because by now I was hun-gry!
The view right out my door!!
People have complained about the long walk over to OPR so I timed it. Granted, I probably walk a little faster than most, and without kids definitely faster! But it literally took 5 minutes door-to-door, that’s it! Not bad in my book. I must admit, this was the first time I was a little spooked by being by myself. While walking the bridge/pathway over to OPR, it is quite dark at night. And with all the little pathways (even though the gates are closed for the night) on Caribbean Cay, I was fully aware of my surroundings and who was behind me and approaching me. I got more relaxed as the trip went on, but being away from home and all alone walking in the dark – it’s just sort of instinct to be cautious.
Anyway, after looking over the menus, I decided a sandwich fit the bill. So I got a turkey BLT with a side of pasta salad and bought my refillable mug. It was delicious!!
I noticed another single woman eating 2 tables over and we exchanged hellos. I didn’t bother her anymore, but seeing that she was alone made me realize that there’s probably lots more people who come here solo than I thought! Upon return to my room, I called my DH to say I arrived safely and say goodnight to the kids.
I got in the car and headed over to browse World of Disney. I would be getting my Fun card, or whatever they called it, on my birthday in lieu of the free admission and I wanted to properly spend the money on something I would not normally purchase. Why I didn’t take the bus is beyond me. I could have, and I should have. This place was PACKED!!! It was Saturday night, Halloween night, and I never even found a parking spot. Not a one!!! I pulled into Lot 1 and police had us directed pretty much promptly right out of Lots 1, 2, and 3. They weren’t even allowing any left turns into the parking lots, so I didn’t know how these other cars had even gotten in there! It was crazy. It took 20 minutes to come into Lot 1 and out of Lot 3. I considered parking over on the West Side, but decided it wasn’t that important after all to browse on this particular night. Can you imagine how busy the stores must have been??? Crazy! My main objective was for a Ghirardelli sundae, but alas, that wouldn’t happen. Oh well, my Sweet Sunday brunch was tomorrow morning and I could wait until then for my desserts. So I just went back to the hotel, unpacked, hung up my spreadsheet itinerary (I have learned from the pros on these boards) and tried to set up my wake up call. For some reason, it wasn’t acknowledging my requests on the phone keypad so I ended up talking to someone. Being all paranoid that I’d miss the wake up call, or it didn’t work, I set my cell phone alarm as well. Not to mention the clocks turned back one hour so I was totally messed up. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep very well that first night!
Coming up: A filling morning
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Panic averted and mind returning to normal, I proceeded to check in. There were about 2 people in the regular line and only 1 woman in the on-line check in area. I did the on-line check in so I headed over that way. I don’t know what this woman’s problem was, but it required the help of 3 CM’s to sort out her issues. Meanwhile, the people in the regular line were all through and I was still standing there. Finally another CM spotted me and quickly called me over. She handed me my folder and told me I was given my requests of being in Aruba and a room on the top floor. Groovy!! 
I drove over to Aruba and really instantly loved the theme of this resort. I’m sure the beautiful warm night helped with that!
Mental note for later! I also discovered that I was poolside and had a view of the lake! Apparently I had gotten a little upgrade to a water view room - Score! I dropped off my stuff, took some photos, and headed over to Old Port Royale because by now I was hun-gry!
I must admit, this was the first time I was a little spooked by being by myself. While walking the bridge/pathway over to OPR, it is quite dark at night. And with all the little pathways (even though the gates are closed for the night) on Caribbean Cay, I was fully aware of my surroundings and who was behind me and approaching me. I got more relaxed as the trip went on, but being away from home and all alone walking in the dark – it’s just sort of instinct to be cautious.
It was Saturday night, Halloween night, and I never even found a parking spot. Not a one!!! I pulled into Lot 1 and police had us directed pretty much promptly right out of Lots 1, 2, and 3. They weren’t even allowing any left turns into the parking lots, so I didn’t know how these other cars had even gotten in there! It was crazy. It took 20 minutes to come into Lot 1 and out of Lot 3. 
I considered parking over on the West Side, but decided it wasn’t that important after all to browse on this particular night. Can you imagine how busy the stores must have been??? Crazy! My main objective was for a Ghirardelli sundae, but alas, that wouldn’t happen. Oh well, my Sweet Sunday brunch was tomorrow morning and I could wait until then for my desserts. 
So I just went back to the hotel, unpacked, hung up my spreadsheet itinerary (I have learned from the pros on these boards) and tried to set up my wake up call. For some reason, it wasn’t acknowledging my requests on the phone keypad so I ended up talking to someone. 
Being all paranoid that I’d miss the wake up call, or it didn’t work, I set my cell phone alarm as well. Not to mention the clocks turned back one hour so I was totally messed up. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep very well that first night! 
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