So Who Is Actually Going (PTR) Updated 1/31 - Page 2 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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So Who is actually going to WDW That is the big question right? I mean it is the name of the Pre-TR!
We obviously there is us 5 (Me, Rob, Ty, Madi & Dude) but after the friends bailed on us it was looking like it would just be us 5. I was content with that. I know how we travel the parks and don't have to worry about traveling with anyone.
Well like all of us I love Disney and will talk Disney to anyone who will listen. I was talking with one of Ty's BFF's moms about our trip and how my kid (Ty) was like "Geez I don't get a birthday cake again" Laughing I had said to her "tough life having to celebrate two birthdays in WDW and not get a cake"! We laughed and she mentioned they were headed to Florida and to their condo in Fort Myers the last week in April. We continued with our friendly chat while we were at the hockey arena and that was that.
Well the next practice she out of the blue asks me to confirm Ty's birthday as she thought it was the 14th. So I corrected her and told her it was the 12th. The look of pure devastation on her face was weird to stay the least. When I asked her why she had asked, she told me she was going to try to change her vacation and have Brad (the BFF) could surprise Ty for his birthday at WDW. So she said - Well that's not going to work then. I had told her that's a shame as it would have been cool. Nydean looks at her hubby and looks back at me and says "If I can get my vacation changed would you mind if we tagged along with you guys?" So what am I supposed to say other then "Oh course"
After I got home I started to panic a little. Don't get me wrong we really like them. They are a family of 4 and their two kids are great friends with my two oldest kids but we never have spent that much time together other than me having her kids and her having mine and us talking at the arena or my birthday party last year that we invited them too. So what did I do to calm my nerves but pop on the passporter boards and ask all of you wonderful people what I should do. I got the wonderful advise that I knew I would. Sit down and talk about what we wanted to do together and what we wanted to do alone. SO I was going to do just that once everything was confirmed.
Nydeen was having a very hard time getting the time off. She could have the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday but was waitlisted for the Monday and the 2 Fridays they would need. We texted everyday and then finally on January 27th she got word that she got the time off that she requested. I happened to text her that night teasing her about how long it was taking to get a response when she responded with: So hear me out okay. Please do not scream, Breath, inhale, exhale, inhale exhale. I got the time off I requested. Kids will not find out we are going to Florida until April 7th. All they are going to know if that we are heading to the condo on the 8th.
Brad & Ty Camping last summer along the St Lawrence River at Farren Park
Madi & McKenzie at Madi's Birthday Party last year - TANK was just a puppy (man I wish he was still that small )
So I'm over the moon for my kids who will get to spend time with their Besties at WDW!! With a million things running through my head but the biggest one was how do I nicely bring up the planning portion. When I get another text from her with the following message:
So we will leave Fort Myers on Monday (11) around 3 - 4pm {I'm hopping the kids will bicker and I can use that as an excuse to pack up and leave} Go check in to WDW. Do the Magic Kingdom with you guys on Tuesday and we will do Epcot on Wednesday and then meet back up with you guys to do Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Thinking about ASSports or CBR
So this sounds perfect to me. She took care of making sure we won't be together all the time in that text message. We will be getting together before our Fast Pass window opens to figure out a few more details. We won't even be at the same resort so that at least leaves the evenings to chill if we all needed downtime. LOL unless she is just toughing me off and shows up at Port Orleans Riverside
So now we will be a party of 9.
The 5 of us
Nydean - has been to WDW a few times as a travel agent
Keith (her hubby), Bradley (14) , and McKenzie (12 aka Mickey) all WDW newbies
I'm very excited to be with newbies for their first visit and to surprise two of my kids with their BFF's when we go to the Magic Kingdom.
Sounds like great plans! So excited for you and the kids. POR is beautiful - we love it and that is where we hope to stay in September (crossing our fingers that the dollar goes up, even just a little)
Sounds like great plans! So excited for you and the kids. POR is beautiful - we love it and that is where we hope to stay in September (crossing our fingers that the dollar goes up, even just a little)
I know the dollar is killing me. It's so bad right now.
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Friday & Saturday
- We are leaving our home (Cornwall Ontario, Canada) at about 8:30 am
- cross in to the US at 9:30 am
- drive to hopefully Florence, SC (15 hours) and get hotel or pull off and sleep for a few hours
- finish up drive the following day. Should be in Orlando no later than 3:00pm
- check into our Off Site hotel for two nights
- Hubby loves Golden Coral so that's the plan for dinner
- after dinner go to Wal-Mart and grab some groceries for a few breakfasts while we are at POR
- take kids for swim before we hot the hay for a good night's sleep
Sunday
- Sleep in and take our time getting ready
- head to the new Wahlbrgers in Orlando for lunch
- outlet, Bass Pro Shop, Ron Jon Surf Shop and ABC liquor store (it's so much cheaper down there)
- Hot Dog Hall of Fame at the other park
- Early to bed as we will be early to rise
Monday
Today will be the day!!
Our Friends will be showing their kids the surprise video I made for them in the morning around 9 am and headed to Orlando from Fort Myers at 3
We will have to get up early and eat breakfast and get ready for the day. Hoping to be at the POR check in to get our magic bands (they don't ship them to Canada) and should our room be ready we will drop off our stuff. If not well then we will head right over to Epcot
We have our fast passes booked for
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
- Character Spot
Hoping to catch Illuminations today
Tuesday - Ty's Birthday - Magic Kingdom
Meet up with our friends at our 1st fast pass (thats the plan for each day we are together)
- Mine Train
- Space Mountain
- Be Our Guest Lunch reservation - Just our family
- Splash Mountain (meet up again)
- 1900 Park fare for the boys birthday I will be ordering him a birthday cake to be presented at dinner
Wednesday (we go our separate ways) - Typhoon Lagoon - Winter Summerland Mini Golf
Seeing as the water park closes early in the evening we will take this time to check our Port Orleans and head over to the French Quarter to get some of those apparently amazing Beignes