Sparky's Gone to the World- A TR 9/13/11-9/20/11 - Page 13 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I was just noticing how close your trip is getting. The way this month flew by, it will be here in no time!
I know! Time is just flying! I can't believe it will be the 4th in a few days. I will be back tomorrow with an update...I think...in the morning. I have some new plans I added to my schedule, pretty cool. Stay tuned, girl!
I have just been very curious with all I have read about it! I haven't read anything about 'Ohana yet, but I plan to ask my TA. I just haven't done it yet. But I do plan to very soon. I will definately post on here when I find out one way or another.
Thanks! I also heard that HDDR was changing times? When does that start I wonder - we are booked for that also! Looks like I may have to do some research too.
Thanks! I also heard that HDDR was changing times? When does that start I wonder - we are booked for that also! Looks like I may have to do some research too.
Okay so I just looked it up and it seems that the new showtimes for HDDR start on Nov. 12 and go through Feb. 11 2012. So if you are going between those times, I would call.
A couple weeks ago, I noticed a thread on here about who is going to be at WDW in Sept. The woman (named MaryBeth, mommy4allkids) was looking to find some people with kids to meet up with as she thought that would be fun for her son. I ended up replying that I would be there at the same time, but I have a 7 yr old girl (she has an 11 yr old boy), so I didn't think that would fit.
She ended up replying that if I was interested her son gets along with all ages. Which works out bc so does my DD. So after numerous PM's back and forth we have a plan!
It just so happens that MaryBeth had made a 5 pm ADR for 'Ohana on 9/13, which is the same night we have an ADR at 7pm. She had read my PTR here and knew my plan for fireworks and the EWP, and said she thought that was a great plan. SO.....I now have 2 PP meets!!! One the first night for fireworks and EWP on the Poly beach and with Jess and David on our last night! MaryBeth and her family also might meet us for a swim after meeting with Jess and David, because we are also staying at the same resort....in fact we requested buildings next to each other. LOL
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Okay so I just looked it up and it seems that the new showtimes for HDDR start on Nov. 12 and go through Feb. 11 2012. So if you are going between those times, I would call.
Congrats on the PP meets. They always sound like fun. I haven't noticed any for my travel time yet, but I haven't posted one either.
It's funny because I didn't start with the intent of having meets, but as you might have read before I met up with Jess and David last year. We both knew that we were planning to book bouncebacks for Sept this year if we got them. So we had pretty much decided right away we would meet up for this year. Which is super cool, because I really like Jess...I like David too, I just talk to Jess a lot.
I responded to MaryBeth just to say "hey!" but when she PM'ed me and we started talking back and forth...I thought she seemed real nice and one thing lead to another....PP meet! I am so excited for my 2 meets!!!
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Originally Posted by lazanya
Congrats on the PassPorter meets!
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Originally Posted by Coop
Ha! We are going on Nov 6! Thanks Sparky.
Your welcome Coop! Glad your ADR wont be affected.
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Originally Posted by KMB733
Congrats on the PP meets!!
Thanks Kathy! I am very excited about my 2 meets! I think it will be fun to meet up with a PP friend on the beach to watch the fireworks, and I am excited to see Jess and David again.
Next year will be the BIG PP meet, for me. I am in the process of planning a trip for Dec 2012 with my friends from here DisneyDana and Ashli. We are planning 4 nights and 5 fabulous days...just us girls! I know I have probably mentioned this a bizillion times...but I can't help it! I am just so darned excited! There will most definately be a PTR/TR for that!
I think it's very neat! I am very much looking forward to them. Though I do have to say that being friends with Jess for about a year now, and over on FB. I feel like we are really friends, so meeting with them is like meeting up with old friends...not just a PP meet.
Same, same, same thing for DisneyDana and Ashli next year...they are two of my closest friends. I can't wait to meet them after talking to them for a couple years...A LOT!
Hello again friends! I am back to say that I just had another payment go through which makes our balance $120.08!! Plus the insurance when we add it. I know that went up. So for us it will add another $133.90 so we are actually at $253.98. But that is still FABULOUS for our final payment!
Also, my DH's profit sharing check came yesterday so that will go in the bank tomorrow. By Tuesday I should be ordering some more gift cards. I have decided with what is left I am just buying gift cards so we don't have to put anything on the credit cards, other than what we HAVE to. So I will buy a gift card or two each for DH and I and one for tips. That should cover that! Question my friends....
I plan for tips, snacks, extra meals....$250. $200 spending money for me and $150 for DH. How would you buy the gift cards? I thought about breaking them into 2 cards. I am so afraid of losing them...but I don't want to carry around a crap load of cards either. Though, I could just go to the front desk and pay some of whatever does get charged off with the gift cards and not even carry them at all. Hmmmm.....
WWYD?