Three Weeks in The World and 20 Happy Thoughts: a DTR (During Trip Report!) - Page 4 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I am coming along on your trip with you!! And, much like I plan to join your adventure in real life, I am joining your TR!
I am so so honored that *I* am the thing you're most looking forward to ... me!! Although I totally know what you mean--I'm excited to spend real life time with you, too! I was so nervous the first time we met in person!
I'm also really excited because this is the first time I've ever gone away with a female friend! I've gone on vacation with my husband. And I've gone on vacation with various configurations of family members. But never just with a girlfriend. Very psyched about that!
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Great start! I totally get the missing your husband thing! that it won't fill so bad once you starting ticking off the items on that list. Can't wait to see what you're up to the next three weeks!
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i'm here! i almost plowed over several orange construction cones (i should have taken that advice a few pages ago!) but we're here! more later--after i figure out if this internet connection is the one i'm supposed to be using!
i guess i should post a happy thought, but to be honest, the happiest part of tonight was finally walking into the condo (it's really nice!) we had a kind of annoying flight--we were early landing but then had to sit on the runway for 30 minutes-ish because there wasn't a gate available...which is frustrating. and then it took FOREVER to get our car--i completely understand why people love DME (i was looking at it longingly!) but then we found our way almost to the condo, located a strip mall with a (expensive) grocery store and a little italian place that was still open--grabbed some breakfast food (and wine) had dinner at the italian restaurant and made it to the condo by around 11pm. it's almost 1 am now and my alarm is set for 7! but i'm too wired to sleep! i'm all unpacked though, and totally ready for a day at AK tomorrow!
my mom and i spoke about dining reservations on the flight here, and she wants to try biergarten (instead of rose and crown) so i'm going to try to change that reservation right now.
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Originally Posted by Suzie-Q
Safe travels!
DH and I did a research/work trip to WDW a year and a half ago (! and still haven't done anything with the results because we've been too busy!) but we enjoyed the trip very much. It was nice to have a focus to each day that was not ride related and it made us slow down and look at things a new way.... yup, definitely a fun trip! I hope you find the same thing. We left our kids that trip for the first time in 15 years and there were a time or two when we were "kidsick" but, most of the time we enjoyed the small separation and the reunion was awesome. So, expect to be a little "husbandsick" but imagine how great the reunion will be!
awww...kidsick! i bet that's worse than husbandsick! i think i'll be ok--we plan to use facetime on our iphones to talk to each other.
if you don't mind my asking, what were you researching? it's ok if you don't want to answer, as i'm being kind of vague on my own project, too. even if you don't want to share what it was --how did you find the whole researching in the world thing? i've done a test trip--four days back in march--and it was fun, challenging, and exhausting!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MelissaSue
I am coming along on your trip with you!! And, much like I plan to join your adventure in real life, I am joining your TR!
I am so so honored that *I* am the thing you're most looking forward to ... me!! Although I totally know what you mean--I'm excited to spend real life time with you, too! I was so nervous the first time we met in person!
I'm also really excited because this is the first time I've ever gone away with a female friend! I've gone on vacation with my husband. And I've gone on vacation with various configurations of family members. But never just with a girlfriend. Very psyched about that!
have i mentioned that i'm very nice?
i'm also very excited about your visit. the condo is HUGE--i think you'll like it. and to answer an earlier question (that i think you asked in a different venue) yes, the lanai is screened in! there's also a sign that hangs in the living room that says something like 'come as strangers leave as friends'. which is PERFECT!
we are going to have an amazing girls trip! and by the time you arrive, i'll have perfected being productive whilst still ensuring others (read: my mom) have fun. so excited!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Great start! I totally get the missing your husband thing! that it won't fill so bad once you starting ticking off the items on that list. Can't wait to see what you're up to the next three weeks!
do you know that i actually HAVE a list? and that it is on a clipboard? i didn't bring one stitch of makeup with me, but i have a clipboard! and a highlighter....
Quote:
Originally Posted by TinkBrat
Woohoo! We made it!! Now, on to Disney time!!!!
very excited! tomorrow is AK day! i hope i get to see the baby elephant!
Glad you arrived safely, aside from the contsruction!! Hope you're off to AK soon and enjoy your first day of your journey!
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Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
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I am so glad you made it safely, did not plow over any orange cones and managed to find not only the condo but also food and wine! I can't wait to read your updates.
It is 6 am in CA and we leave for the airport in 30 min... maybe we will see you in the parks!
i'm coming along i love your TR's and your blog, so i'm looking forward to reading about the next 3 weeks.
glad you found the condo and are settling in. we are the opposite of you, we've always stayed off property and this year will be our first on property for more than a night or 2 staying off property isn't too bad, can't wait to hear your thoughts about on vs. off property
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