Our "Loop Hole" Trip to Disneyland: December 28, 2009 - January 3, 2010 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Our "Loop Hole" Trip to Disneyland: December 28, 2009 - January 3, 2010
Our "Loop Hole" Trip to Disneyland: December 28, 2009 - January 3, 2010
We are leaving for California in just six weeks! Can I successfully plan a trip in this short amount of time? Or will we "go with the flow," following the itinerary laid out for us by the group we're traveling with?
The Cast: Me: I’m Michele, the mom. I love Disney, and after taking 3 trips to WDW within the past 4 years, my husband has declared a moratorium on WDW trips. I never got to go to Disney as a kid, and I am a relatively recent convert. Chris: He’s my husband. We’ve been married for 20 years. He is the person that I admire most in this world - I chose wisely! He likes Disney, but doesn’t love it with the same fervor and delight that I do. Peter: He's our 10-year-old son. He’s a fun kid! Like me, he loves Disney. Unlike me, he doesn’t love thrill rides. I’m not sure how this happened. Ben: Our son Ben passed away in 2003, at the age of 16 months. He was a beautiful boy who was born premature, and dealt with many health problems during his brief time with us. He is in my heart always, and I feel his presence very strongly when we are at WDW. I wonder if DL will give me that same feeling?
How this Trip Came to Be:
We are going to California with a large group from Ohio University. My husband has been invited to accompany the group on this trip because he is a low-ranking university administrator. Peter and I are going along for a nominal fee. We are welcome to go with the group to the Tournament of Roses Parade, Knotts Berry Farm, Disney Land (!!!) and a few other LA attractions. Or, we can treat the group’s itinerary as a cafeteria plan of sorts, selecting some activities and making our own plans on other days. My secret hope is that we'll spend a little more time at DL and DCA than the day that is listed on the itinerary.
The Itinerary - So Far :
Monday, December 28, 2009 Fly from Columbus, OH to LA, check in at Knott’s Berry Farm Resort, Dinner at Downtown Disney in Anaheim
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 - Spend day at Universal Studios Theme Park in Hollywood
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 - Tournament of Roses BandFest at Pasadena City College, Sightseeing in LA (TBA)
Thursday, December 31, 2009 - Tour of Hollywood: Chinese Theater, Walk of Fame, Kodak Theater, Visit Santa Monica Pier and Beach
Friday, January 1, 2010 - 121st Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, Afternoon spent at Knott’s Berry Farm Theme Park
Saturday, January 2, 2010 - Spend day at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure
Sunday, January 3, 2010 - Depart LA for Ohio
The Title of this Trip Report:
My last Trip Report was called Our Last Trip to Disney…For a Long Time (see the link in my signature.) The title reflects Chris’s declaration that we would not return to WDW until we went to Yosemite, The Grand Canyon, and Alaska, as well as a few other places he would like to visit. This trip to California is particularly exciting because I’ll get my Disney fix without going against my word!! I love a good loop hole!
About This Page: 
Me: I’m Michele, the mom. I love Disney, and after taking 3 trips to WDW within the past 4 years, my husband has declared a moratorium on WDW trips. I never got to go to Disney as a kid, and I am a relatively recent convert. 
Chris: He’s my husband. We’ve been married for 20 years. He is the person that I admire most in this world - I chose wisely! He likes Disney, but doesn’t love it with the same fervor and delight that I do. 
Peter: He's our 10-year-old son. He’s a fun kid! Like me, he loves Disney. Unlike me, he doesn’t love thrill rides. I’m not sure how this happened. 
Ben: Our son Ben passed away in 2003, at the age of 16 months. He was a beautiful boy who was born premature, and dealt with many health problems during his brief time with us. He is in my heart always, and I feel his presence very strongly when we are at WDW. I wonder if DL will give me that same feeling? 
My secret hope is that we'll spend a little more time at DL and DCA than the day that is listed on the itinerary. 
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