“We didn’t do THAT!!” “Well, there’s a 1st time for everything!!” PTR - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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“We didn’t do THAT!!” “Well, there’s a 1st time for everything!!” PTR
(Yes, I know it’s a long title for a PTR, but it makes sense, so bear with me!!)
This is my first PTR, but since we are under 90 days (OMG!) , I thought I would give it a try! So we begin with the backstory....
In March 2001, my DH, my D(baby)Sis, DM, DH (then fiancé) and I went to the World for the first time ever! My DSis had just graduated from Nursing school with her bachelors and going to Disney World was her graduation gift! Yes, we were a little old to be first timers, but my parents never took us when we were little. Our family vacations were usually camping trips that had historical significance (DC, Boston, NY, Gettysburg, Philadelphia, etc, etc.) The reason for this is that while Dad loves amusement parks, Mom does not, so Disney was never even a possibility!! Not that it really mattered. I loved these family vacations and the memories they gave me. Thanks to Mom & Dad they have turned me into an adamant supporter of the “family vacation”!! (Which is why my son could say he had been on a plane 3 times by the age of 4, whereas I never stepped foot on a plane until I was 22 for the Disney trip!! LOL!!)
Well, let’s just say that this trip was NOTHING like it should have been. We did no research about the parks before hand, so we had no idea what there was to offer! Plus, as I mentioned, Mom is not an amusement park kind of gal, so many things we just passed over. (Also, we didn’t have one meal at any of the park/resort restaurants! ) Another thing, now that I think of it, we didn’t even bother to pick up park maps when entering each park so we would know where things were!! Man, were we GREEN!! (Hence, the “We didn’t do THAT!” in the title!!)
(Fast forward to 2008, DH and I are now married, I am in the midst of finishing my BS in Accounting, and our son is just turning 2. ) After our family vacation to Boston, I decide that I want to take our son (then 2) to WDW before he has to go to Kindergarten and ruins the whole “going when the crowds are low” thing! LOL!! Well, that never happened because of a little, or should I say big, thing called cycling (and Lance Armstrong). Yes, that’s right, cycling. My DH started cycling and competing in races. Then came LIVESTRONG! A friend DH worked with was diagnosed with cancer and this led my DH to discover LIVESTRONG when he was trying to find out more information about the type of cancer his friend had. He found out that LIVESTRONG does charity rides in 4 cities (Austin, Seattle, San Jose (CA), and Philadelphia) every year. So….DH decided that he would start raising money to participate in the Philadelphia 100 mile ride in August of 2009. This turned into our Philly Family Vacation Aug ’09. (We also had a NYC family vacation in May ’09 when DH did the 5boro Bike Challenge!) No Disney vaca in ’09. No problem. We’ll do it next year.
So, I go into planning mode for Aug. 2010 Disney Vaca!! However, tragedy struck DH’s friend that had been diagnosed with cancer in 2008. Though he went into remission after the first bout, the cancer came back late 2009 and this time the doctors told him that there was nothing they could do. DH’s friend passed Jan 31, 2010 in his home with his family. DH asks if we can postpone the Disney trip so that he can do another LiveStrong charity ride in honor of his friend that has passed. He didn’t even have to ask!! Of course, we would!! We decided that if he did the 100 mile ride in San Jose, CA in July, we could stay in San Francisco and make a family vacation around the ride. Sounds good to me!!
(In the middle of all this, I finished my BS and MS in Accounting, started a job with a local firm, and have begun taking parts of the CPA exam. Meaning, I NEED a vacation!)
Well, here we are now. Absolutely, positively going to Disney!! (Though DH plans to ride the Philly LiveStrong 100 mile ride the Sunday before our trip. )
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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.
Thanks for the encouragement everyone!! Here's the next installment...
Our Dates: Wednesday, August 24-Saturday, Sept 3
Our Party:
Me -Shauna (33) Accountant, designated planner of family fun!! (Seriously, I put together itineraries for every trip we have been on….on index cards….with addresses and phone numbers of key places. Can we say Type A? OCD, maybe? No, I like to be prepared!! LOL!!) Shauna.jpg
DH-Steve (40) Machine technician for an international plastics manufacturer (ever heard of Nalgene bottles?) Laid back, goes with the flow, and the exact opposite of my Type A which is why we are so good together! I get worked up if things don’t go according to plan, he calms me down by letting me know that (1) they never do and (2) we always make the best of it and have a wonderful vacation!!
DS –Austyn (5) Loves anything with 4 wheels and a motor. A bundle of “go-go-go” and my kryptonite! He’s logged more travel miles by the age of 5 than I had at 25! Favorite Disney movies: Cars (like you didn’t know that! So excited for Cars 2 in June!!), Toy Story (all), Finding Nemo, Up, etc. It would probably be a shorter list if I said which ones he didn’t like! Anything with princesses!! Why? “They’re for girls, Mom!!” He just turned 5 in February, so we were anxious to see what his “official” height was when he went for his 5 year checkup. ( I knew he was close to the 44” because I had been measuring.) Official measurement by the doctor – 45”!! He was so happy! He told the doctor, “Yes! I will be able to ride Expedition Everest!” Needless to say the doctor was a little confused until we explained that we are going to Disney World this summer.
DSis-Kristin (30) Nurse Practitioner – This is the D(baby)Sis that went the 1st time around. She is basically my twin that was born 1 year and 4 months later!! She’s also a tri-athlete and the one who introduced my DH to cycling. (Now I know who to blame for the continual postponing of my Disney trips!!)
DSis’s Boyfriend – Andy (28) Basically a big kid because wherever the kids are, that’s where he is!! He is also a tri-athlete. He’s never been on an airplane before so this should be interesting! He is really into photography, so he has been chosen as the designated vacation photog.
DNiece – Caitlin (7) Mini Princess, Drama Queen, you know, all those things girls in their tweens can be! She has recently been really getting in to Harry Potter books, so we may have to take a detour to that other park! (When she was little and I lived closer, I saw her practically every day from the day she was born. She used to cry so bad when I would leave, I started to have to sneak out to prevent a meltdown! She and I both have a small mole on the left side of our necks next to our wind pipe. I always tell her she got that from me!! )
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.
I hope that you and your family have a magical time at the world
__________________
Heather - "I'm Tinkerbell's biggest fan!"
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
Our Lodging: 1 Suite for the Sweet’s (Me, DH, & DS) at ASMusic
1 Standard Room for DSis & Fam at ASMusic
We were originally going to stay at CSR (DH absolutely refused to sleep in a double bed!!), but DSis didn’t want to pay extra and we saw that ASMusic had suites. (On a couple of our previous vacations we stayed with the kids in one room. What a mistake that was!! You never realize how much noise your children make when they sleep until you have to be in the same room with them!! Needless to say, we stayed in a suite when we went to San Francisco and vowed that this is how we roll from now on, even if it means paying extra.)
This will be the 1st trip for the children and DSis’s BF, which is the reason for “There’s a 1st time for everything!”
As you all know, normally you have to wait until April to find out if there is Free Dining for any part of the summer. Well, Disney decided to help me out and announced it this past summer and our dates were included!! Yahoo!! So, I got online and booked that day. We upgraded to regular dining and paid the extra because I ABSOLUTELY refuse to just eat QS when there are so many amazing TS restaurants.
Since I am the planner extraordinaire of the group, I was left with the task of planning everything. (Personally, I kind of like it that way since I will know where, when, and how for every detail of the trip. DSis, the nurse, is punctuality challenged and if I left everything up to her……) I gave DSis my 2010 Passporter (had not received my 2011 yet), told her to look through it and pick out things that were “must dos/sees” and what restaurants she wanted to try. After waiting a while, not bringing Disney up at all, I finally asked if she had looked through it and picked out the restaurants she wants to try. This was December and she said, “Why does it matter now? We are not going for 8 months!” Oh, you silly girl! I then proceeded to school her in Disney procedure and let her know that one HAS to make reservations 180 days out if you plan on getting any of the restaurants you want. She was incredulous , could not believe this to be true, etc. I said “Obviously, you didn’t even look at the Passporter or you would have seen the section about making ADR’s!” I then proceeded to show her the sections on dining reservations in 3 of the guide books I have, needless to say, then she believed me. So, her typical response, “We are so alike, you just pick and whatever you want will be ok with me.” (As you can clearly read, we are NOT alike!! Personality wise, yes. Anything else, fu-ged-aboudit! ) Lucky for me, I had already planned on this and had a list prepared. She scanned through the list, glanced at descriptions in the guides, and gave the ok. PHEW!!
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) Another thing, now that I think of it, we didn’t even bother to pick up park maps when entering each park so we would know where things were!! Man, were we GREEN!! 
(Hence, the “We didn’t do THAT!” in the title!!)
) After our family vacation to Boston, I decide that I want to take our son (then 2) to WDW before he has to go to Kindergarten and ruins the whole “going when the crowds are low” thing! 
LOL!! Well, that never happened because of a little, or should I say big, thing called cycling (and Lance Armstrong). Yes, that’s right, cycling. My DH started cycling and competing in races. Then came LIVESTRONG! A friend DH worked with was diagnosed with cancer and this led my DH to discover LIVESTRONG when he was trying to find out more information about the type of cancer his friend had. He found out that LIVESTRONG does charity rides in 4 cities (Austin, Seattle, San Jose (CA), and Philadelphia) every year. So….DH decided that he would start raising money to participate in the Philadelphia 100 mile ride in August of 2009. This turned into our Philly Family Vacation Aug ’09. (We also had a NYC family vacation in May ’09 when DH did the 5boro Bike Challenge!) No Disney vaca in ’09. No problem. We’ll do it next year. 
DH asks if we can postpone the Disney trip so that he can do another LiveStrong charity ride in honor of his friend that has passed. He didn’t even have to ask!! Of course, we would!! We decided that if he did the 100 mile ride in San Jose, CA in July, we could stay in San Francisco and make a family vacation around the ride. Sounds good to me!! 
Meaning, I NEED a vacation!)
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Thank
Pixie Dust
), Toy Story (all), Finding Nemo, Up, etc. It would probably be a shorter list if I said which ones he didn’t like! Anything with princesses!!
Why? “They’re for girls, Mom!!” He just turned 5 in February, so we were anxious to see what his “official” height was when he went for his 5 year checkup. ( I knew he was close to the 44” because I had been measuring.) Official measurement by the doctor – 45”!! 
)! Can't wait to hear about your plans!
Dora
)
(When she was little and I lived closer, I saw her practically every day from the day she was born. She used to cry so bad when I would leave, I started to have to sneak out to prevent a meltdown! She and I both have a small mole on the left side of our necks next to our wind pipe. I always tell her she got that from me!! 
), but DSis didn’t want to pay extra and we saw that ASMusic had suites. (On a couple of our previous vacations we stayed with the kids in one room. What a mistake that was!! You never realize how much noise your children make when they sleep until you have to be in the same room with them!! 
to just eat QS when there are so many amazing TS restaurants. 
, I finally asked if she had looked through it and picked out the restaurants she wants to try. This was December and she said, “Why does it matter now? We are not going for 8 months!” Oh, you silly girl! 
I then proceeded to school her in Disney procedure 
and let her know that one HAS to make reservations 180 days out if you plan on getting any of the restaurants you want. She was incredulous 
, could not believe this to be true, etc. I said “Obviously, you didn’t even look at the Passporter or you would have seen the section about making ADR’s!” I then proceeded to show her the sections on dining reservations in 3 of the guide books I have, needless to say, then she believed me. 
Can't wait to see what happens next!
NEW: 
(Miss Molly)
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