Cindybelle's DoD Trip Report, May 2009 WDW--Updated 6/19 - COMPLETE! - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Cindybelle's DoD Trip Report, May 2009 WDW--Updated 6/19 - COMPLETE!
I had a great time, particularly when I met some delightful Texas gals: Robbie and Clari (clarigirl) and their group of girls: Vanessa, Alexis, Tiffany, Lauren, and Jeanene. I whooped and hollered on the thrill rides with the girls on Monday night (at Tot), on Tuesday afternoon (at AK), and a little bit on Wednesday (at DHS) --which is when I had to say "Adios" and head for home.
Here I am with Tiffany, Jeanene, Alexis, and Lauren on Tuesday morning. We headed straight for Kali River Rapids (my first time ever). Alexis sat with me, and we hardly got wet at all. (Of course, at day's end when we rode it one more time, Alexis and I were not quite as fortunate -- or as dry!)
These girls are as sweet as they are cute -- and that's saying a lot. BTW, Robbie is proud mom to Tiffany (in picture below, Tiffany is on the far left) and Clari is proud mom to Vanessa (the smallest girl, to the immediate right of Tiffany). Alexis (far right) is Clari's sister-in-law, and Jeanene and Lauren aren't related to either Robbie or Clari -- just a couple more of their daughters' friends. A really fun group of young ladies.
Of course, I immediately identified with the most rambunctious kid, Jeanene, who lost no time in asking to borrow my Pirate Goofy hat -- no problem, since I was wearing my brand new long-billed Goofy cap (which kept the sun off my face nicely at AK). One of the last things Jeanene said to me as we prepared to ride RnR one last time on Wednesday was "You're a good friend, no matter how old you are." Right back at you, Jeanene!
I love this pic of Tiffany (top) and Lauren, who were peeking at me from their seats ahead of me on Expedition Everest. I rode this attraction 8 times, but the girls netted even more rides than that. I couldn't keep up with them!
On Sunday, PassPorter enjoyed two enormous celebrations -- and both involved food. Our special lunch in a beautiful private room at Finding Nemo & Friends was so much fun. Jennifer gave each participant a commemorative picture frame and encouraged each of us to autograph everyone's frame. Here's mine, along with one of my favorite ToT "meets" from this trip -- you'll see several PP folks on board the elevator -- or maybe you won't. We had a lot of daredevils on this ride, most of whom were holding their hands up high, so you may not identify many faces!
Top row, left to right: Sheri, Alexis, Lauren, Jeanene, Tiffany, Vanessa, Cindy
Bottom center (in blue shirt): SuperDave
I'm jumping all over the place now, but here are some pics from DHS. Jeanene and I wanted to pose with one of the Toy Story army men, and so we did:
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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.