A Coast to Coast Christmas - Phase One WDW - Page 36 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Awesome pics, Larry! Especially love the water approach to BLT. That's where we were on the Oct. 2010 trip when we said, "Hey, let's see if Bob & Larry are in" and then we got that first tour. Thanks for letting us barge in.
FAB story of how you all met, Eileen! I was wondering - figured Mousefest had something to do with it. Somehow we missed that and then moved back west. So glad we got to meet you at the BLT Villa when we moved back. It's been a real joy peeking into your friendships!
Great trip report, Sharon! I may never look at the parks the same ever again. Your tales will live with us.
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I'm so sorry to see this come to an end. I LOVE CLQ trip reports. Eileen, please write one so this trip won't end so soon!
Another great report Sharon. Can't wait to read about Disneyland. I wish I were a crazy lady... Except for the walking on busy roads not meant for pedestrians part.
Soon after those trips, we began conspiring to meet up with Sharon -- and the "moms in heaven" made it happen that December, at Mousefest 2006. Again... it was like angel choirs singing in the Animal Kingdom Lodge lobby as we three finally met and hugged. We followed that trip up by rooming together for the 2007 Disneyland Girls Trip (which is still my absolute favorite Trip Report Evah!!! How to Meet Friends and Alienate Children - *Updated 8/10*) We morphed into the Crazy Lady Trio (CLT)
I'll have to reread that one. I'm also a fan of "Two Chips and a Dip." Maybe I'll look for that one too. This is really getting me in the mood for my March trip!
I'm sad to reach the end of another truly wonderful PrincessSharon TR!! I have sooooooo enjoyed reading about all of your adventures! Looking forward to your final thoughts. Now off to read about your time at DL.
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I hate all those goodbyes but at least they were interspersed with a lot of fun, most namely the walk from the Wilderness Lodge to the Poly. When I read that, I immediately thought "are you guys nuts?" and it looks as if I was pretty much right - well, I guess you are crazy ladies, right?
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Such a fun TR - sorry to have it come to an end. Hubs and I were laughing out loud (he was yowling, seriously) about the bug on the bus. Off to read the DL updates!
I love how close you guys are and how emotional your hellos and goodbyes are!
For those of us who don't know, can you (or someone else in the group) tell me how you all met in the first place?
We all met through PassPorter! Eileen gives the details. It blows my mind to think that if there hadn't been PassPorter, I wouldn't know so many amazing people! Thanks Jennifer and Dave!
Quote:
Originally Posted by sc507
I am well and truly hysterically laughing over here! Your walk was sooooo something I would do and I loved those emoticons! And la piece de resistance? The person recognizing you 'street walkers'
Street walkers. Heh. I'm not surprised that we were recognized. I'm kind of oblivious at times, but even I woulda been all "I can't believe those lunatics are walking along the street like that!" It's definitely not something I'd recommend, but it's a fond memory!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Two4Disney
Oh my goodness - I'm getting all choked up at the sadness of the good-byes - so depressing!
Love the sig pic, Sharon. Really cool!
PS - We used to walk from Ft. Wilderness to WL all the time. We tried it again Christmas Day and decided we'd never do that again - we've done it enough. But WL to the Poly??? I can't even picture that...
Yes, it's sensible to walk along the path from FW to WL. But when you think how close the Poly and the WL are, you can't really blame us for wanting to walk, especially considering it'd take a bus AND a monorail or boat to get there! And now I'm wondering why the heck didn't we just grab a taxi?
Quote:
Originally Posted by coffeechef
OMG I was busting a gut laughing over this.. of course it headed right for you. What a great story. Walking to the Polynesian, that sounds like quite the adventure. I bet calls went out to get more busses over to WL. so sad that this part is over.
And I'm such a wimp when it comes to bugs, too! I'm kinda proud I was able to speak in such a calm manner, because inside I was freaking out! The ginormous Florida bugs are a big reason I could never live there!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Great final day from breakfast at Kona to arriving home early! But it was so sad at the groups began to dwindle down. I wouldn't have wanted to be Jill, last man standing.
Yes, it's hard to decide when to go. I would hate to be the first to leave, but then you only have to say goodbye once. Being the last to go means you have to say goodbye over and over.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
And that bug!! I may be a gardener, but bugs and snakes still freak me out a little, especially when they're crawling on me on a bus, when I least expect it!! I do, however, promise that I didn't mean to flick it right at Sharon. That was just an awesome BONUS! I did get quite the giggle from Sharon's panicked reaction to it, and I had to keep reassuring her that it wasn't moving...
This story is funny now, but if it had landed on me? It would've been epic-er. Yes, so epic that it needs a new word made up for it. I think I would've been running up and down the aisle of the bus, screaming and frightening children. And now, picturing that scene, I'm cracking myself up!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caldercup
If I may gush a little, I have to say that, for me, I find this group to be the perfect mix of laugh-a-minute joking, thrill seeking, sight-seeing, go-go-go-go commando-ing, sitting-on-benches-and-people-watching, eating, drinking and generally soaking in the pure joy that is Disney. There's no complaining, no whining, no grumpiness (no matter WHAT all those pictures of Karen on this trip have led you to believe!) We are sometimes all one group, and sometimes we split up and do our own thang -- often times that ends up being bathroom breaks.
We don't always get to vacation together, but when we do... they're some of the best moments of my adult life.
You said it, sister! I love these people so much!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovedisney247
I hate good byes!
Sharon--I don't have dates for October yet--I've been slacking. Our APs expire on the 17th--so before then. (If my pass expires on the 17th--can I use it on the 17th?) What would work for you? I'm flexible!
Well, DM is coming with me, and she chose the dates this time. We'll be there October 5th through the 9th. That's Columbus Day weekend, which I normally avoid, but DM doesn't have to take as many days off, so it works better for her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DisneyDana
Sharon, you write the BEST TR's! You inject so much of your personality in there. I almost died at the picture of all of the traveling smileys and the frog in the middle of them! hahahaha!
Thanks, Dana! When I was putting in all those cars and stuff, it made me think of that old video game Frogger, and I felt like we could've been playing a live-action version of it, so I had to put the little frog in there!
Quote:
Originally Posted by njlaura
I'm so sorry to see this come to an end. I LOVE CLQ trip reports. Eileen, please write one so this trip won't end so soon!
Another great report Sharon. Can't wait to read about Disneyland. I wish I were a crazy lady... Except for the walking on busy roads not meant for pedestrians part.
I think Eileen has retired from trip report writing. Luckily, she still contributes witty remarks on my TR (and Jillybean's). So she gets to do the fun part and Jill and I do the grunt work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
Great trip! Sad it's over, though! The walk to the Poly sounded treacherous!
Hey, when are you coming to DC , and any chance of a PP meet?
I'll be in D.C. May 4-7. A meet would be terrific! Are there any other D.C. area peeps out there?
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
I hate all those goodbyes but at least they were interspersed with a lot of fun, most namely the walk from the Wilderness Lodge to the Poly. When I read that, I immediately thought "are you guys nuts?" and it looks as if I was pretty much right - well, I guess you are crazy ladies, right?
We definitely lived up to our name that day! Luckily, we are none the worse for wear (well, except my white sneakers got all dirty).
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrDolphin
Such a fun TR - sorry to have it come to an end. Hubs and I were laughing out loud (he was yowling, seriously) about the bug on the bus. Off to read the DL updates!
Now that I'm safely like 1,000 miles away from that creature, I can see the humor in it! And it really helps that it didn't get on me! Although, the trip reporter in me would love to tell the tale of my giant freak out if it had gotten on me!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
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I think Eileen has retired from trip report writing. Luckily, she still contributes witty remarks on my TR (and Jillybean's). So she gets to do the fun part and Jill and I do the grunt work.
That's why I love you UNDERLINGS. You do all the heavy lifting and I get to sit back and bring the snarky good humor without spilling a drop of my cocktail.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PrincessSharon
I'll be in D.C. May 4-7. A meet would be terrific! Are there any other D.C. area peeps out there?
I'm only a train ride away... and Joanie could come too, I bet!!
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but at least they were interspersed with a lot of fun, most namely the walk from the Wilderness Lodge to the Poly. When I read that, I immediately thought "are you guys nuts?" and it looks as if I was pretty much right - well, I guess you are crazy ladies, right? 
I'm not surprised that we were recognized. I'm kind of oblivious at times, but even I woulda been all "I can't believe those lunatics are walking along the street like that!" 
It's definitely not something I'd recommend, but it's a fond memory! 
But WL to the Poly??? I can't even picture that... 
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