Go your own way - Decade of Dreams - UPDATED 6/24 - COMPLETE!! - Page 12 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Apologies for the delay in updating this, but Mark took the day off work yesterday and I wanted to spend my time with him, not on the computer, after a week away.
Anyway, I have some updates written up, so let's start....
Today started with a full day of work, which flew by, mainly because there was still plenty for me to do to keep me busy. I had agreed with my car sharing partner to leave early and its probably just as well I did, because all you know what started to break loose just before 5.00. Despite that, still I managed to get out of the door early and just as well, as I got a text message as I walked to the car that DMIL and DFIL would be coming round basically as soon as I got back.
I made it home a couple of moments ahead of Mark and carried on the last of my packing. Why is there always so much to do just before you go, even when you do so much early on? Its a mystery. Finally, I was finished and we were ready to go just before 7.00 and headed off to the airport.
We had a good drive up to the airport and it was a lovely evening, but we were both very sombre and there wasnt much talking. It was hard, knowing that only one of us would be heading off this time. We quickly found the hotel, which is linked to the north terminal and checked in. The lobby here was beautiful and it looked like a good choice.
The next challenge was getting to the room, as you had to use your room key to operate the lift and ours was a little temperamental. Thank goodness there was another couple in there with us to help us out. Otherwise we wouldve been in trouble. The room was really nice as well, spacious and overlooking the lobby, which was nice. This was certainly a good choice and one that I would definitely stay at again in the future.
The only downside is that theres no free parking here, even for the night we were staying here. I was a little shocked when the guy checking us in told us that we would have to pay for the parking, but there was nothing that we could do about it. Mark went to put the car in the car park, while I phoned my parents. When he came back, we headed through the walkway into the north terminal and then took the monorail to the south terminal.
Fortunately, this was something we were familiar with, having had to do this when we flew to Spain and went to the wrong terminal by accident.
Doesnt he look miserable?
When we got there though, we did take a wrong turn and it took us a minute to realise that we were in the Gatwick train station. I thought the signs looked a little odd
We made our way into the south terminal and quickly found check in A, which is where you usually check in for Virgin Atlantic. It was very quiet and there was a sign there, saying that check in was actually in zone E, so off to zone E, we went. There we found quite a long line and I knew after a minute or two in that, that it would be a killer for me, as I could feel myself getting more and more emotional, the longer we waited.
By the time we got to check in, the women there asked if it was only me flying and I said yes in a bit of a broken voice, trying not to cry and she said bless you. That was it, the tears just come after that. More than anything else, it was the fact that she was being so nice to me and caring so much that finished me off. She kept giving me words of encouragement and trying to make me feel better. At that point though, that thoughtfulness just made me cry even more. I was very glad when check in finished and at least she put me on a Fastrack through security for the morning, she felt so sorry for me. Just as we had got to the airport tonight, Mark had told me no tears and I had already failed on that count.
We headed off to find dinner and went to Frankie and Bennys, which we havent eaten at in some time. I got the mushroom Alfredo for appetiser, which was a huge serving and very filling and Mark had the chicken wings. For main course, I had the pesto salmon and Mark had the steak with shrimps. Lets just say that the service was very lacking. Mark had also ordered olives as an appetiser and he watched them sit up there, waiting for about 10 minutes and then he had to ask for them. It wasnt exactly quick and my salmon was a bit on the dry side. At least, it filled us up, but I have had better from Frankie and Bennys in the past
Frankie and Bennys:
Appetiser 8 ―
Main course 7 ―
Service 5
Value for money 7
Average score: 7.00
With a glass of wine for me and two beers for Mark, the bill came to Ģ47. Not as bad as I guess the hotel restaurant wouldve been, but not exactly cheap either.
We headed back to catch the monorail back to the north terminal and the hotel and, by now, the alcohol was taking over and were joking around. In truth, I guess the joking also helped to stop us from getting melancholy about the fact that we would have to say goodbye in the morning. Mark pretended to fall over the moving walkway, as it came to the end, taking the mickey out of the warning that told you that you were nearing the end of it.
Then there was an incident with a woman who was bending down to deal with a child. Lets just say that from the way she was kneeling down, it was obvious that some undergarments of clothes were a little lacking, shall we say! We saw a fair bit and couldnt stop laughing about it the whole way back to the hotel. As we went up to our room in the lift, Mark pointed out that she had come into our hotel with her family and was now in the lobby. Fortunately, by then, it was all covered up again.
Then it was back to the room and off to bed.
Today I walked 1.00 miles The weather today was dry with temperatures in the high 50s The best thing today was our hotel room The worst thing today was crying at check-in The funniest thing today was the woman on the way back to the hotel Today I tried checking in on my own for a flight to Orlando And the result was it was horrible.
Ahem. I know how sad you were at leaving Mark, but you better believe I had a different reaction leaving my family! I all but RAN out of the house! Of course, they didn't care, they were busy snarfing Papa Johns. They wished me well and continued eating! Gotta love that.
Continue. I'm always excited to read the TRs you do, even this one as I know everything that happens is awesome!!
Mark does look so sad you are headed off with out him. The hotel looks fabulous! Sorry the service was bad,but the pics sure do look . MyDH always manages to spot some woman who is lacking in the undergarment department . Can't wait to hear about the rest of your "solo" adventure.
Awww, you got me It's one thing to fly across the US for a trip without your spouse but I'd imagine it's even more gut wrenching to fly across the pond without him.
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šOš ~*~
Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
Ahem. I know how sad you were at leaving Mark, but you better believe I had a different reaction leaving my family! I all but RAN out of the house! Of course, they didn't care, they were busy snarfing Papa Johns. They wished me well and continued eating! Gotta love that.
Continue. I'm always excited to read the TRs you do, even this one as I know everything that happens is awesome!!
More please!
So funny! I think my moms reaction would be a lot like yours.
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Dinner looked pretty good!
I all but RAN out of the house! Of course, they didn't care, they were busy snarfing Papa Johns. They wished me well and continued eating! 
. MyDH always manages to spot some woman who is lacking in the undergarment department 
. Can't wait to hear about the rest of your "solo" adventure.
It's one thing to fly across the US for a trip without your spouse but I'd imagine it's even more gut wrenching to fly across the pond without him.
šOš ~*~ 
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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