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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
I all the safari photos! Frankie sure had some personality, didn't he? I'm glad you didn't get stuck over at MK in the storm and the rain held off enough to walk back to POP. I'm sure warm jammies and peanut butter cookies felt so relaxing after all that activity.
This picture has me cracking up -- the guy in back - his face is hysterical!!
Also - oh boy Frankie -- he was just not having it Hopefully he's grown to like his new home and is more kind to people wanting to visit him
Sorry about your bout of not feeling well -- though sounds like eating a little something did the trick. Glad the rain let up some for your trek back to POP!!
__________________
~ Jenn **Disney is REAL LIFE Magic, so much more than optical illusions **
You two sound just like us! "It's raining, we couuuuuld go to the late park... or we could hang out in the room and eat (and for us have wine!)" Hanging out in the room is just what you need sometimes to get the most out of the next day
LOVE all the safari pics. It's such a great ride that you get to ride 4 times and each one is a different experience
Wow, I got behind and missed a bunch of stuff. Stupid tax season!!!
What a great gift basket Emily got when you returned to the room.
I never thought about Pecos Bill's to eat and watch the parade. It is going on my list!
You guys are getting a ton done. I think it is easy when it is just the two of you.
Wow! KS and EE 4 times in one day at AK. Great photos too, by the way. I am loving the PP pics as well.
An absolute wonderful day at AK! I love those pictures of the giraffe with the gorgeous blue sky behind. Sorry Frankie freaked you out a bit. I love the PP pic of Emily jumping too! And glad you missed the brunt of the storm by being indoors!
Of course, you know I love all the safari photos and would have thoroughly enjoyed riding it 4 times in one day. The giraffe pics are great, but especially the one of the giraffe with the grass in its mouth. it! You got some of the best pictures I've seen of the lions. I am always bemused at what we'll do at Disney in the rain, when if we were home, we'd just stay inside. But I think you all made the right decision to stay in for the night once the storm became torrential and affected the power.
Yay I'm not TOO far behind... I love this TR! It makes me think of what our trips might be like when Meri is a teenager (though the word "teenager" still brings out terror in me). What a fun and active trip so far! I love that you're letting her lead the way, and that she's showing a little more independence (though I totally feel you on the mixed feelings there).
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
What a wonderful day at AK!!!
Great safari pictures!!! I can't believe y'all rode it 4 times!!!
Yep...sounds like a good decision to stay in and just relax.
Wow, 4 times on KS! So many awesome animal sightings! Love that the lion wasn't sleeping. He's so lazy sometimes.
Thanks!! Yes - we love the safari!!! I used to always think the lion was a giant stuffed animal they put on the rocks!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
What a great day at AK! Love all the pictures, especially of Frankie! Sorry the rain changed your plans for the evening, but you guys probably needed some downtime after all your adventures!
Thanks!!! That Frankie........he's lucky he was so cute!! Yes - this mama needed that early night in!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by num1DVCfan
I all the safari photos! Frankie sure had some personality, didn't he? I'm glad you didn't get stuck over at MK in the storm and the rain held off enough to walk back to POP. I'm sure warm jammies and peanut butter cookies felt so relaxing after all that activity.
Thanks!!! Yeah - Frankie was full of it alright!! lol! Could you imagine being stuck somewhere with no power??? Although parts of MK could have been interesting!
Quote:
Originally Posted by shazza
Great time at AK - all the safari photos are great, but the lioness (awake!) is awesome - I can see why you would make a print if that one.
Thanks!! I will have to post a photo of my "safari wall"
Quote:
Originally Posted by JenniferLynneRose521
This picture has me cracking up -- the guy in back - his face is hysterical!!
Also - oh boy Frankie -- he was just not having it Hopefully he's grown to like his new home and is more kind to people wanting to visit him
Sorry about your bout of not feeling well -- though sounds like eating a little something did the trick. Glad the rain let up some for your trek back to POP!!
Thanks!!! I noticed that guy too - I hope he is "posing" ~ otherwise I wouldn't have wanted to be his friend!!! Can you imagine!!! lol!
Quote:
Originally Posted by xwewhisper
You two sound just like us! "It's raining, we couuuuuld go to the late park... or we could hang out in the room and eat (and for us have wine!)" Hanging out in the room is just what you need sometimes to get the most out of the next day
LOVE all the safari pics. It's such a great ride that you get to ride 4 times and each one is a different experience
Thanks!! Yeah - usually the rain doesn't bother us (did you notice the pic in my last TR photo montage of Em standing in ankle deep water watching the CM trying to keep up with the drainage? ) - but torrential rain with thunder and lightning and power outages, not so much......made for an interesting evening!
Quote:
Originally Posted by disneydreamer33
Wow, I got behind and missed a bunch of stuff. Stupid tax season!!!
What a great gift basket Emily got when you returned to the room.
I never thought about Pecos Bill's to eat and watch the parade. It is going on my list!
You guys are getting a ton done. I think it is easy when it is just the two of you.
Wow! KS and EE 4 times in one day at AK. Great photos too, by the way. I am loving the PP pics as well.
Thanks! Sorry tax season is not being your friend, but glad you were able to get caught up here! It is very easy getting around with only 2 people!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
An absolute wonderful day at AK! I love those pictures of the giraffe with the gorgeous blue sky behind. Sorry Frankie freaked you out a bit. I love the PP pic of Emily jumping too! And glad you missed the brunt of the storm by being indoors!
Thanks!! It was a GREAT day!! Frankie was just a pill!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Of course, you know I love all the safari photos and would have thoroughly enjoyed riding it 4 times in one day. The giraffe pics are great, but especially the one of the giraffe with the grass in its mouth. it! You got some of the best pictures I've seen of the lions. I am always bemused at what we'll do at Disney in the rain, when if we were home, we'd just stay inside. But I think you all made the right decision to stay in for the night once the storm became torrential and affected the power.
Thanks!! I knew you would love those posts! Thanks for the praise on the lion photos! I was pretty excited to capture those!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommapants
Great TR so far - you guys are really going Commando style. But when you only have a weekend - that is the way you have to go.
I'll be heading down this year at the same time you went - how did you find the crowds and the heat?
Thanks!! We were going pretty commando - one would have never guessed that we had just been there the month before! The crowds weren't too bad - many of the locals are returning to school that week I believe - the heat, well, you know it's FL - it's hot - but it's hot at home too - but in FL there is AC everywhere!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Principessa_di_Fata
Yay I'm not TOO far behind... I love this TR! It makes me think of what our trips might be like when Meri is a teenager (though the word "teenager" still brings out terror in me). What a fun and active trip so far! I love that you're letting her lead the way, and that she's showing a little more independence (though I totally feel you on the mixed feelings there).
Can't wait to read what's next!!
Thanks for joining in!! I told you before, seeing Emily now......it's a glimpse of your future with Meri!
Quote:
Originally Posted by melduckie
Just found this and I'm all caught up! What a wonderful mother-daughter-birthday trip you're having thus far!!
Thanks for joining in! I love my mommy/daughter time with her!
Quote:
Originally Posted by travismom
What a wonderful day at AK!!!
Great safari pictures!!! I can't believe y'all rode it 4 times!!!
Yep...sounds like a good decision to stay in and just relax.
Thanks!!! We had a great day!!!
__________________
Lisa Co-Guide to Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
We woke up bright and early this morning…………….it was someone’s BIRTHDAY!!!
Like I had mentioned previously ~ originally we had 1900 Park Fare booked for breakfast this morning, but before bed last night, Emily had decided she wanted more park time rather than a sit down meal (I think it helped that we had just been there the month before!) and with it being her birthday I was letting her call the shots as far as how we spent our time.
I had also mentioned that my knee and foot were starting to bother me the day before and was not feeling that well…………this morning proved interesting……..I was having a hard time walking – like sometimes literally having to stop and think – almost having to tell my brain – “hey, this is how to walk” – it was a very bizarre feeling and my knee was a bit swollen – not too bad, but a bit noticeable to me. But I did not want to ruin Emily’s birthday so I trudged on, but warned her that we may not be able to move as fast as we normally do – she was fine – although at some points through the day, the poor kid wanted to get me a wheel chair!! This mama was not having it!!!
Anyway – the day before, we had spent the entire day at AK and Dinosaur had been down and they had EMH this morning – so Emily checked the MDE app and it was showing a very small wait time so we assumed it must be up and running – so we chose the AK bus to hop on and got there shortly after EMH opening, headed straight back to Dinosaur and YES! They were open!! So we found our Dinosaur!
And of course, did you really think that Emily could be in the park and NOT ride Expedition Everest??? Of course NOT!!! So we went for the single rider line again!
Then she was ready to head over to MK as that is where we had planned to spend the day portion of her birthday and had Fastpass+ booked for there ~ so we left AK and got the bus to TTC………….we got a few funny looks as we were literally the only people heading out of the park while the herds were coming in……….and we had the bus all to ourselves!!! Which was nice, as the Birthday wish phone calls were starting to come in, so Emily was actually able to talk to friends and family and not feel that the world was listening to her conversation!
When we arrived at the TTC we were going to take the monorail, however, it was down so we had to take the ferry. We made a quick pit stop at the little coffee kiosk there and grabbed a giant cookie for breakfast! Hey – it’s the Princesses birthday – if she wants a cookie for breakfast – go for it!! I even let her have an iced coffee!!!
Now, remember when we got our magic bands we were in the early testing phase. When we had booked the Fastpass+ for today, it automatically added a bonus one for us (didn’t allow us to choose, it chose POTC for us)! So we had 4 Fastpass+ selections for today at MK. And I will totally admit right here and now, that at that time, with the paper Fastpass machines still up and running – I did not think anything of us still using those as well ~ so when we arrived at MK, Emily went up ahead of me (she could walk a lot faster than me this morning) and grabbed paper fastpasses for Space Mountain for later, and I met her there and we used our Fastpass+ for our first ride at MK today.
Our second ride for the day was our bonus Fastpass+ which was Pirates of the Caribbean – so we headed over to Adventureland and visited Jack for a while.
Then it was nearing the time we could use the paper Fastpasses for SM, so we started heading back that way again…………(yes, we were racking up the mileage today…….this was my BIGGEST gripe about the Fastpass+ system – if you booked all your Fastpass+ selections back to back, then you could be bouncing back and forth……so we will remember this in the future ~ especially in MK, as it is so big!).
On the way, we saw Stitch, so we stopped to say hello!
Remember the storms from the night before………….um, yeah – Stitch was checking out the flooding that occurred from it!!! He was looking for waves and his surf board!
Riding Space Mountain again……….
We were getting hungry – that cookie did not last too long!!! So we stopped at Friar’s Nook and ordered the Teriyaki Chicken Nuggets with chips to share and found a spot to sit and enjoy those while people watching and resting my foot (which would be fine for a bit, then act up a bit – so I really thought it was the tendonitis flaring up).
After lunch, it was time for our next Fastpass+ at Splash Mountain (oh and while I was resting my foot – Emily had also run to get paper Fastpasses for Under the Sea and was given bonus paper fastpasses for Mickey also!!! Jackpot for the Birthday princess!!! ). We lucked out and did not get totally soaked on Splash…….we purposely chose the back seat and ducked really low after the photo!!!
Big Thunder Mountain did not have too long of a wait, so we took a ride!
From there, we decided to ride the Railroad to Fantasyland (to save those feet!) as it was nearing our time for Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid.
We had noticed the wait for Ariel in her Grotto was not too long (believe it was about 15 minutes?) so we met her and she was excited to wish Emily a Happy Birthday!
Our final Fastpass+ for the day was with the Princesses, so we headed over there next ~ and we met Cinderella, Aurora, and Rapunzel – all of them wishing Princess Emily a very royal Happy Birthday!
We had timed it just right and our bonus paper Fastpasses were ripe for Mickey right after, so out one door and through the next!
Mickey was quite excited about Emily’s shoes ~ and they had a little tap dance together – although Mickey was not so good at dancing!!
When we came out of visiting Mickey – it was nearing the start of the parade time, and we noticed an empty rocking chair on the porch of the theater – so I sat there, Emily went to the Confectionary and got herself a Rice Crispy treat and me a diet coke – and we sat there and watched the parade!
When the parade cleared out, we went back up Main Street a bit to get some Photopass Photos!
We also made a pit stop in the Emporium…..Emily made a few small purchases, and I purchased myself some Mickey sneaks as well!!!
It was time to head out of MK, as Emily wanted to finish her birthday up at DHS and they had EMH this evening, so we headed back to the Pop to drop off our purchases and to change my shoes!
Up Next: Will she ever really see the Western version?
__________________
Lisa Co-Guide to Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
So, what are those people in the second row looking at???
Emily had a great start to her birthday!! You got a lot of rides in, and it looks like you are having a ton of fun in your pictures. One of my favorites is one of Emily, laughing as you are going through a waterfall on Splash, she looks like she is having a ball!
I love the matching shirts too I couldn't make out what was on yours though, what does it say?
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.
About This Page: 
all the safari photos! Frankie sure had some personality, didn't he? I'm glad you didn't get stuck over at MK in the storm and the rain held off enough to walk back to POP. I'm sure warm jammies and peanut butter cookies felt so relaxing after all that activity.
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Hopefully he's grown to like his new home and is more kind to people wanting to visit him 
~ Jenn 
Liz 
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
I am always bemused at what we'll do at Disney in the rain, when if we were home, we'd just stay inside. But I think you all made the right decision to stay in for the night once the storm became torrential and affected the power. 
Holly: 
I love this TR! It makes me think of what our trips might be like when Meri is a teenager (though the word "teenager" still brings out terror in me). What a fun and active trip so far! I love that you're letting her lead the way, and that she's showing a little more independence (though I totally feel you on the mixed feelings there).
*Melissa
Sorry the rain changed your plans for the evening, but you guys probably needed some downtime after all your adventures! 
Could you imagine being stuck somewhere with no power??? Although parts of MK could have been interesting! 
about the Fastpass+ system – if you booked all your Fastpass+ selections back to back, then you could be bouncing back and forth……so we will remember this in the future ~ especially in MK, as it is so big!).
Linear Mode
