The no plans, no family , Florida extravaganza - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Just before our long family trip to Orlando last August one of my good friends from Aberdeen was saying she really wanted to go. We decided a girls trip was in order.
I played around on various sites looking at prices and settled on 7 nights, fling from London Gatwick to Orlando Premium economy with VA and staying at the buena Vista Palace at DTD.
As my friend Jacqueline has never been before I lent her my passporter and basically let her decide what we are doing. I haven't made any real plans but have booked an ADR most days.
We arrive on Saturday the 8th of February.
Sunday we have dinner at BOG at 5pm
Monday we dine Flying Fish
Tuesday I have booked Narcooses
Wednesday I have booked Jiko
Friday I have booked California Grill and meeting with Lauriep
I guess from our dining plans we should do MK on Sunday, Epcot on Monday, AK on Wednesday, Island of Adventure on Thursday leaving Tuesday for shopping and the spa.
Jacqueline has never been before, I have never been without my family so it will all be new. I have never driven in Orlando before but I do know the roads.
I really can't wait even though I have a work trip to get in to Brisbane between now and Orlando.
Sounds good to me. And let us know if there is anything else you would like to do. Our plans are so loose they are easy changed.
I've put your list of the parks you'll probably be in into my itinerary. If I find myself in that park that day, I'll send you at text. I think Monday afternoon at Epcot is a possibility. I'll send you a PM with my cell.
I am actually not massively excited about this trip or at least not as excited as I normally am. I have also not really done any planning at all other than the few ADRs i have booked. I also think packing will be throwing a few things into a suitcase and if it is forgotten well Walmart will probably sell it!. I have never done WDW by the seat of my pants before so this is going to be a whole new experience. I think this is because of three major things going on in my life at the moment.
The first is professionally. We currently live in Paris in a company house. When we leave the company will move the next family in. Normally my placements are 3-5 years with Paris being one of the shorter placements typically and this summer is most likely a move year for us. We have been told that we are most likely to move to Australia and that our location in Australia is more likely to be Brisbane than Perth. The move will be mid July. I'm happy about a lot of this as it is a good location compared to many we could have been offered, it is the promotion I was looking for and it gets me in line for the position I want after Brisbane (not to mention San Diego is only a 12 hour flight away) It does come with complications though. DD18 Gemma will be staying at University in Scotland a long way from parents but the biggest impact is on DS15 Peter. He really wants to also go to University in Scotland in 2016 but the Scottish universities are advising if he stays out of Scotland for the next two years and we leave Europe he will be considered an international student in Scotland and his fees will be astronomical. To avoid this and because we feel if he wants a Scottish University place the best thing is Scottish school qualifications we have selected a boarding school in Edinburgh for him. He is really excited but it is a big thing for me to get my head around. Three years ago we moved to Paris a family of 5 and now only 3 will be moving to Brisbane. To support my future position I am going to Brisbane on the 26th of January and returning on the 5th February (departing for Florida the 8th) and I go to Perth the 17th of February returning the 5th March (returning from Florida the 16th February). so by mid March I'm going to be lucky if I know which continent I am in.
Secondly personally. We keep a house in Scotland which is our family home. Until recently we had a family home in Aberdeen but we decided last July to sell it and buy one 100 miles further South just outside Edinburgh where my family is from. Mostly because this is something I have always wanted and the move to Brisbane gives us the opportunity. However, with Gemma in Glasgow and Peter in Edinburgh it couldn't have been a better decision to have made. Our house sale in Aberdeen finalised on the 6th of January and our new house which is a new build is currently under construction and should be finished so we get the keys on the 31st of March. So we are currently homeless and it is a strange feeling even though we have a roof over our heads. There are loads of activities going on at the house kitchens being fitted fireplaces, flooring and carpets being estimated so my head is swirling with all of that.
Thirdly medically I am not 100 percent. I have been having a problem with my throat since October. The Dr seemed to think it was a virus that just hasn't cleared up which is a real nuisance as the only real solution for that is rest (fat chance!) but now it is red inflamed the Dr has decided it has been infected for a while so I am just finishing a course of antibiotics which seem to be working and hoping to be feeling much better very soon.
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Scottish Hogmanay (with a stolen Picture)
Last edited by Thomhazel; 01-16-2014 at 09:23 AM..
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Great start! My gosh, you don't rest for a minute! Good luck with everything you have going on, and I hope you're feeling better soon!
I am not good at sitting still that is for sure but in the last six months life events have taken that to a whole new level. I am hoping for a calmer non too distant future.
That is a LOT to deal with! All the decisions seem like good ones, but very stressful, especially having suddenly 2 children so far from you. It's good, though, that Peter will have his big sister not too far away if he needs her. Thank goodness for skype! I think you'll be spending a lot of time there in the next couple of years! I hope the antibiotics continue to work and you feel MUCH better very soon. So sorry you have to do that quick trip to Australia before the Disney one. I love how you say that when you move to Brisbane, San Diego will be "only" a 12 hour flight away!
That is a LOT to deal with! All the decisions seem like good ones, but very stressful, especially having suddenly 2 children so far from you. It's good, though, that Peter will have his big sister not too far away if he needs her. Thank goodness for skype! I think you'll be spending a lot of time there in the next couple of years! I hope the antibiotics continue to work and you feel MUCH better very soon. So sorry you have to do that quick trip to Australia before the Disney one. I love how you say that when you move to Brisbane, San Diego will be "only" a 12 hour flight away!
Well they were considering Perth for us and a return to California is high on our to do list so I was gutted when I saw it is a 23 hour flight from Perth to San Diego
Well they were considering Perth for us and a return to California is high on our to do list so I was gutted when I saw it is a 23 hour flight from Perth to San Diego
WOW! I knew Australia was big, but that really is amazing!
Wow, you DO have a lot on your plate!! Hope you can find some time to kick back and relax with your friend. I think you need to add Tutto Husto & Cava de Tequilla to your list!
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Pixie Dust
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I know how much you're looking forward to this trip and I can't wait to talk about it again on Sunday with you! 
You have some excellent dining choices! 
Good luck with everything you have going on, and I hope you're feeling better soon! 
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