Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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11-15-2012, 05:40 PM
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#1
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PassPorter Guide
 Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,041
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Feature Article: When Does Your Walt Disney Vacation Really Begin? - Making the Most of Every Moment
When Does Your Walt Disney Vacation Really Begin? - Making the Most of Every Moment
by Cheryl Pendry
When does your Walt Disney World vacation REALLY begin?
Now surely, if ever there was one, that's got to be a simple question… doesn't? Well, yes, and no. The answer is always going to depend on you as an individual, and your perceptions. For some people the moment you really start your Disney vacation is passing underneath those gates, as you enter Walt Disney World. Others will say that they're not really at Disney until they've seen the castle. But what about those of us with slightly longer journeys to even get there? There are so many points at which I could truly say, "That's when my Disney vacation truly starts." There are no right or wrong answers, but these ten points may give you some fun food for thought.
Point 1: Leaving the house Now you could argue that the second you leave the house, and start your journey to Disney, that's when your vacation begins. It's at that point that everything (hopefully!) is packed, and you're off, leaving your cares and the real world behind you. However, if you’ve got a long journey ahead of you, perhaps hours of driving or flying, it may not really feel as if your vacation has started.
Point 2: Arriving at the airport Now, if you're flying, another point where you could say your vacation starts is when you get to the airport. The worry about getting there on time, and whether you're going to make your flight (surely, we're not the only ones who think like this?!) are gone from your mind. Now you can concentrate on the flight ahead of you, and the destination you're heading to. However, there’s still check-in, unless you've done it already online, checking in your bags, if you have them with you, and the dreaded clearing of security to do yet before you get on your plane. Point 3: Getting on the plane So now, having ensured that you're not a security risk, and all your bags are (hopefully!) safely on your flight, you’re on board. You can relax, and feel like you're really starting your Disney vacation. Well, yes, and no! Of course, there could still be delays. There's nothing worse than sitting on the tarmac, waiting for the go ahead to take off, knowing that your precious Disney time is ticking away.
Point 4: Take-off Once you get to take-off, perhaps that’s the point where you really emerge into your Disney bubble. Now you're in the air, and you're on your way, but of course, you still have a few hours' travel time to get to Disney. In our case, it's nine and-a-half hours, which is essentially a full working day, which can be quite depressing at the start of the flight, knowing you have all that time still ahead of you.
Point 5: Landing So what about landing? Now you're in Florida, you’re in Orlando. You can almost taste the Disney magic! Of course, there’s still the taxiing to your gate, getting off the plane, getting your luggage, and for us poor international travellers, we still need to officially be allowed into the country!
Point 6: Leaving the airport In which case, how about once you get through all of those phases, and are finally outside Orlando International or Sanford International Airport? I know that, for us, the second the doors open to the outside world, and we felt the heat, we know we've arrived! Usually, as we tend to visit in the winter season, it’s a shock to the system, but if we've left behind exceptionally cold weather, it’s a pleasant shock too! But, you do still have to actually reach Disney.
Point 7: Passing under those Walt Disney World gates Aah... the moment that so many of us wait for, and dream about. You pass underneath those familiar arches, take a deep sigh, and you're back in the Disney bubble, into a magical land, where nothing from reality can trouble you. This is surely where your vacation starts? Well, as you might have guessed by now.... yes and no! You still have to get to your resort, and while it can be a fast process if you have a rental car, or a town car service, if you’re on Disney’s Magical Express, you may have other stops to make first before you get to your resort.
Point 8: Arriving at your resort Now you’re finally there. Not only are you on Disney property, but you’re actually at your resort, waiting to check in, so that’s surely the point at which your Disney vacation begins, isn’t it? On the flip side, you’re not yet in your room, and you’re not yet in a Disney park, which brings me to...
Point 9: Getting into your room Once you step into the room that’s going to be your party’s home for however many nights you're at Walt Disney World, suddenly you do get that "homey" feeling – well, at least we do, and I'm sure that's not just because we're Disney Vacation Club members, and are welcomed home. So that's it, surely? Well, there is just one more to cover...
Point 10: Entering a theme park Whichever your favorite is, for some people, a Disney vacation doesn’t truly start until they step foot into the parks. It could be that glimpse of the castle for the first time, or seeing the Tree of Life or Spaceship Earth, but this is what we all come to Disney for, after all.
Of course, for those of you who drive to Disney, there may well be similar points along your journey, where you pass the next hurdle, and are that little bit closer to your destination. It may be a state line, or it may be the end of a day’s drive or waking up the next morning, ready to start all over again. If you’re taking the Auto Train, a lot of the same points from flying can be applied, from boarding the train, to actually leaving, to arriving.
So which of those points do you feel is when your Disney vacation truly starts? I think, if I’m honest, I’m a traditionalist – it’s point 7 for me, as that’s when we enter the Disney bubble, and our vacation is finally underway, after all the stress of getting there.
Added to PassPorter's Article Collection on 11-13-2012 10:11 AM
What do you think? Please add your own comments, experiences, or news related to this article in this thread! Reader feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
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