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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 have searched and searched for feedback from travelers who went on any of the ABD trips and found that there is little information. So, I decided that since my family and I am embarking on the Discovery Down Under tour soon, that I needed to share the before and after experiences!
First, I should say that there are 6 adults and 2 children going on this trip. One of the adults has prosthetic legs and will be using a wheelchair often. There are also 2 of us that have Celiac Disease which requires gluten free meals. With that said, I was a little apprehensive about booking the trip, but was reassured that we will be accommodated. I went through AAA to book the trip, it just seemed like it would be easier. Of course you can always call a concierge agent at Disney to book it for you as well. I did however, book our own flights and then let the agent know so she could relay the info to Disney. We also purchased travel insurance. I don't normally. but considering we'll be flying half-way around the world, I thought it was wise.
We are set to leave July 27th PM and will arrive in Australia on the 29th AM. The tour begins Aug. 1st, but we want to spend a few days in Cairns beforehand. Because we are going 3 days earlier, Disney cannot pick us up at the airport. They will provide transportation ONLY if you were staying 1 day before or after the tour. We just scheduled a shuttle bus to pick us up.
45 days before the trip, Disney sends a detailed itinerary. Well, we received our "goodies" from Disney and was quite surprised at what was in the box. We each got a back pack with an ABD embroidered logo on them! The adults got dark green and the children got a fun colorful one that straps around the body instead of the shoulders. We also got a digital frame (I think you get this from booking through AAA) not entirely sure. They also sent a detailed itinerary booklet, a countdown calendar and yellow luggage tags. Side note on luggage, you may ONLY bring 1 checked bag, 1 carry-on and 1 personal item per person on the trip.
We also need travel visas to go into the country, so I just had AAA do it for us at no cost. You can do it online, but it costs about $30 per person, I think. While I was there, I exchanged US dollars for Australian dollars. They do not have it on-hand, but they did overnight it and at no cost.
During the first 3 days in Palm Cove we decided to book an excursion to the Kuranda where we'll ride the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to several stations. At each station we will explore the rainforest and learning facilities. We will then go to the Rainforestation to go on an Army Duck tour, Koala and Wildlife Park, Aboriginal Dance Show and return to Kuranda Village for lunch and shopping. Lastly, we will take the train through Barron Gorge and near the Barron Falls back to the Caravonica terminal. This is an all day event, but I'm sure it will be worth it!
Below is a short, but sweet schedule of the Disney Tour:
The Tour - Aug. 1st to Aug. 10th, 2009.
We will have 2 tour guides who will be also taking pictures for us to get from Disney Photopass (super excited about this)! Max. tour group is 40 people. 9 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 6 dinners included in trip. All tips and gratuities included except tour guides ($5-$9 per guide/per day/per adventurer) and on your own activities.
Day 1 - Arrive at Sea Temple Resort in Palm Cove, Queensland. Have a welcome dinner and meet fellow adventurers. Day 2 - Hike through Mossman Gorge (ancient rainforest). Lunch at the Voyages Silky Oaks Lodge. Dinner at Hartley's Crocodile Adventures. Day 3 - Travel to Tjapukal Aboriginal Cultural Park and learn the culture, to throw a boomerang and spear, and paint our own boomerang. Lunch at park. Afternoon on our own at Palm Cove. Dinner on our own except there is a Junior Adventurer's Dinner for the kids only. Day 4 - Board a catamaran at Port Douglas Marina and sail to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to do some snorkeling and do a tour on a glass-bottom boat. A marine biologist will be available to answer questions. Lunch served on-board. Day 5 - Journey to Ayers Rock. Arrive at Voyages Desert Gardens Hotel. Dinner is an authentic Aussie BBQ (originally it was a camel ride at sunset, bummed about not doing this one). Day 6 - Ayers Rock Walk and lunch on our own. Then we visit Kata Tjuta (Olgas) and hike into Walpa Gorge. I'm going to try to do a camel ride after Walpa Gorge. Dinner on our own except kids have another Junior Adventurers Dinner. At night we will view the stars through the enormous telescopes. Day 7 - Fly to Sydney and arrive at The Grace Hotel. Spend rest of day on our own. Dinner at Nick's Bar and Grill with the view of the harbor. Day 8 - Private breakfast at the Toronga Zoo with a zookeeper and includes a visit form the newest arrival at the nursery. Then a privately guided tour of the zoo. We'll ride the Sky Safari cable car down to the harbor for a cruise around the harbor and opera house. Lunch at Circular Quay. Then, we will go on a bike tour of the Rocks District. Dinner on our own. Day 9 - Morning on our own. (We decided to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, super excited sbout this one too!). Lunch on our own. In the afternoon we'll travel to a working sheep ranch where we'll see sheering and herding and have a farewell dinner there. Day 10 - Breakfast and transferred to the airport.
We are taking our cell phones and plan to use them minimally. I have ATT service and I will be able to use my cell over there. I looked into renting a phone, but the charges were higher than thet $1.69 per minute in and outgoing roaming calls rate. Disney prefer's that we do not use our cell phones while on a group event, which is fine with me! Although, my teen is not going to like that!
We are ready to go and just counting down the days. I will certainly post the after trip happenings and photos. Until then, g'day mates! (practicing)
Thanks so much for sharing that with us - and I do hope you'll consider writing a trip report all about it - as I'd love to read that. Have a magical time!
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Pixie Dust
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Great plans!!
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