From no trip to celebrating 20 years together… planning it all in less than 100 days! UPDATED 6/30 - Page 49 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 often give people a thumbs up when they cut in front of me. Like saying "way to go moron, you get the award for getting 1 whole car length ahead." I don't get it either!
The preferred parking at Sea World is totally worth it! I haven't been in awhile, but it's ridiculously closer and for only $5!! Good deal. Great photos so far!
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Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Those drivers who weave in and out of traffic make me so mad. I had one on the road with me yesterday. Speed limit 55, most of us we're going around 60, but this yahoo came along doing at least 80! He must've been within 2 feet or less of my back bumper at one point.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Great underwater pictures of the dolphins! I love them! Good tip about the preferred parking at Sea World! I used the preferred parking at Universal last week, and I feel like we were still at the very far end of the parking garage. I felt completely ripped off!
I hate, hate, hate I-4. We almost get into so many wrecks every year just on that stretch of road, and it's always bc someone is trying to get 2-3 spots ahead of us.
And you probably feel the same as we do - you're sitting there, going "why?"
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I often give people a thumbs up when they cut in front of me. Like saying "way to go moron, you get the award for getting 1 whole car length ahead." I don't get it either!
I have a habit of laughing out loud when they do that, so it looks to them as if 1) I couldn't care less and they haven't bothered me at all or 2) I'm laughing at them. It's up to them how they take it...
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The preferred parking at Sea World is totally worth it! I haven't been in awhile, but it's ridiculously closer and for only $5!! Good deal. Great photos so far!
Isn't it a shame that Disney couldn't follow suit with their pricing for preferred parking? The prices they charge are crazy!
Those drivers who weave in and out of traffic make me so mad. I had one on the road with me yesterday. Speed limit 55, most of us we're going around 60, but this yahoo came along doing at least 80! He must've been within 2 feet or less of my back bumper at one point.
Oh my goodness! I had a horrendous journey home from work and I came along the standard roads, rather than the motorway and I stuck to the speed limit the whole way back. This one guy was doing exactly the same thing and I'm thinking "but I'm doing the speed limit..." He overtook me first chance he got (generally it was single carriageway), then he got stuck behind someone else... karma!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Great underwater pictures of the dolphins! I love them! Good tip about the preferred parking at Sea World! I used the preferred parking at Universal last week, and I feel like we were still at the very far end of the parking garage. I felt completely ripped off!
Oh wow - not good! We paid for the valet parking and that was right by the final walkway into CityWalk, so I think it was about as close as you could get, but even that is still quite a walk away.
What is it with some of these people with the lack of driving courtesy they have? Nice start to your day at SeaWorld with some nice photos of the dolphins.
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
The second I saw the baby manatee, my heart melted. Oh my goodness, how sweet is that? I adore manatees, but to see a baby one was a real treat for me.
We were later to discover that apparently someone called in to say they thought she was orphaned, and when they get calls like that, they send someone out to monitor them for 24 hours, just in case mum returns. In this case, she didn’t, so they brought her over here, and she’s now growing and getting accustomed to eating her greens like a good manatee, and may eventually be released back into the wild.
The SeaWorld employee who told us that also told us about a manatee that was found near Mystic Aquarium, and they took her in, but then they discovered she was pregnant, so they raced her down to Florida. It turned out she was four months’ pregnant, and she was released back into the wild before she gave birth, she was doing so well. They fit trackers to them, and she made her way back to Rhode Island, which amazed people, as they didn’t realise they went that far north. Wow, you really do learn something every day.
We learnt a lot about the turtles in here, although I don’t remember all the details now, as there was a lot to take in, but the woman told you about each one in turn, and what damage they’d been through. One was called Stitch, which I found a bit odd, as I thought of Stitch in Disney terms of course, but they were named Stitch because of all the stitches they had to have done.
We opted not to stay for the 3D film, as last time it had messed with Mark’s head, and I liked the option they now had of exiting straight away. That’s a good step forward.
Here you can see the turtles and manatees from above that you’ve just had the underwater view of below…
We passed these guys, and I found it a bit concerning that people had to be told not to drop coins in here. What is it with people that they have to be told things like that?
Mark was very disappointed by this…
They have water cannons here, operated by a 25c button – sound familiar anyone?
We headed next for Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin.
It said there was no wait for the ride, and a five minute wait for non-riders. Oh good, I thought, there’s an option now – that’s good for those who didn’t do so well with the ride. We were fine, and Janine had managed to miss this on her last visit, so we figured we’d show her what she was missing. We headed inside, and got the introductory spiel, and then when we went through, I thought something was wrong. We were herded into a small area with a distinctly fishy smell.
We were then turfed out into where the penguins were, which was fine with us, it just would’ve been nice for them to have told us that was going to happen, as we’d started with Puck the penguin’s life story, and that was it. It turned out one of the ride vehicles had a door open, and it wouldn’t close. Until they could do that, that was it, no more rides….
Anyway, it was nice to see the penguins, even if it was literally freezing in here.
The Turtle Trek photos are awesome!! We didn't get to go on Empire of the Penguin when we were there in December. Even the abbreviated version looks cool!
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. We loved the dolphin nursery!! Those guys are just amazing to watch!! 
It's a shame, but I'm sure it will be amazing when it reopens.
I had a horrendous journey home from work and I came along the standard roads, rather than the motorway and I stuck to the speed limit the whole way back. This one guy was doing exactly the same thing and I'm thinking "but I'm doing the speed limit..." He overtook me first chance he got (generally it was single carriageway), then he got stuck behind someone else... karma! 
We paid for the valet parking and that was right by the final walkway into CityWalk, so I think it was about as close as you could get, but even that is still quite a walk away.
Nice start to your day at SeaWorld with some nice photos of the dolphins. 
What is it with people that they have to be told things like that? 
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