Returning to our Happy Place: Pre-trip report - UPDATED 09/08 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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.
Returning to our Happy Place: Pre-trip report - UPDATED 09/08
We are just at 6 months away from our trip to WDW so I decided it was time to start the Pre-trip report!
Hope you guys enjoy!
Who?:
DH (Scott) 46
My best friend. The best daddy to Abby. Loves spoiling DD and I. Loves hunting, fishing, camping and Disneyworld. This will be his 5th trip to our happy place.
DD (Abby) 5
My best friend and the best thing that ever happened to DH and I. She is a great kid who is always happy and smiling. She loves to talk about anything, tell stories, ask questions and have books read to her. She loves all things Disney (especially the princesses, Jessie and Lilo and Stitch), school, camping, her puppies and vacationing at the beach and WDW. This will be her 3rd trip to our happy place.
Me (Emily) 34
Love my family and all things Disney. Love being a mommy, wife and speech therapist- in that order (shhhh don’t tell DH ) Favorite vacation destinations: WDW, the beach, and cruising. This will be my 3rd trip to our Happy Place.
Where?:
Walt Disney World of course! Staying at the Pop Century (3rd time here) with Free Dining Offer and going to the MNSSHP for the first time!
When?:
September 18- 23, 2012
Why?
We love this time of the year at WDW. We went on our first family trip in August/September 2010 and the crowds were low and it was so enjoyable. Also DH and I have birthdays in October and I will be celebrating my 35th this year so what better way approach the downhill side of 30 than a trip to WDW.
Coming up:
The beginning plans.
__________________
Check out my Pre-Trip Report for our 9/18-9/23/12 trip here:
I hope that you and your family have a magical time at the world
__________________
Heather - "I'm Tinkerbell's biggest fan!"
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
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.
Congratulations on a GREAT start. I can't wait to read more. We'll be at All-star Movies Set. 16-27th. Maybe we'll run into you guys. (We also were @ Pop for our first trip the end of August 2010 & again last Sept. in 2011. It's a small world after all)
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.
I hope that you and your family have a magical time at the world
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shelley the Pooh
Great introductions!
Thanks! More coming soon!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great start Emily!
Thank you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roxie2006
Great intro Emily..
Thanks for following along.
Quote:
Originally Posted by buzzspal2
Great start.Have a great trip.
Thanks so much!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
Great start! Can't wait to read about your plans!
Thanks! I hope to post more tomorrow!
Quote:
Originally Posted by num1DVCfan
Beautiful family and great introductions! I can't wait to hear more!
Thank you! More coming tomorrow!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommy4allkids
Congratulations on a GREAT start. I can't wait to read more. We'll be at All-star Movies Set. 16-27th. Maybe we'll run into you guys. (We also were @ Pop for our first trip the end of August 2010 & again last Sept. in 2011. It's a small world after all)
WOW that is cool!! It is a small world after all! Later when I write out my plans for each day, let me know if you if we will be in any of the parks on the same days. Maybe we can try to get a meet up !
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Great introductions, Emily!
Thanks for following Cam! Hope Stefanie is doing well tonight!
Quote:
Originally Posted by tinkerbell_3
Hope you have a great time!
Thanks so much!
Quote:
Originally Posted by nursemom
Nice start! What a cute little one you have, love the shot with the Mickey bar!
Thanks! That is one of my favorites too! It was so hot and those Mickey bars were sooo good that day!
__________________
Check out my Pre-Trip Report for our 9/18-9/23/12 trip here:
By the looks of your countdown our days at WDW may overlap. If so, let me know if it looks like our paths will cross. I would love to meet some fellow Louisianians while there!
__________________
Check out my Pre-Trip Report for our 9/18-9/23/12 trip here:
I thought I would give you guys a little background as to how this trip came to be. We first were going to try to get to WDW in January of this year to celebrate DD’s 5th birthday but unfortunately DH was not able to get vacation approved. We were disappointed about it but like the saying goes, everything happens for a reason. By December of 2011, things were going very badly in my school district (think furlough days, cuts in benefits and layoff, plus my mileage check of $200.00 per month was being held because they had no money to pay it). Scott and I realized that I needed to make a change in my current employment. I got a job offer and accepted and began working 12/12/11. It was at this time that we realized it was a good thing that we had not reserved the trip for January.
We thought about it and decided that we would just skip this year and go the next but the more I thought about it the more I realized that I just had to figure out a way to get back to WDW this year. I begged Scott to go back at the end of May again but he stood firm that he did not want to go back at that time because last year it was too busy. I understood and agreed with him. So we began to talk of a fall trip, possibly in September or October. Not long after, we got a PIN code for September. We were so excited so we decided to go ahead and book it. We went to WDW in August/September 2010 and really enjoyed it. The crowds were so tolerable. We also realized that we would be able to make it to the MNSSHP. Later I realized that we could “celebrate” my 35th birthday. My birthday is actually on Halloween but since it was going to be a “big” birthday, I thought it would be fun to celebrate it here.
So our dates were set for September 17-23, 2012. We were still hoping for free dining since we have always gone during free dining promos but we would have to wait a bit to see if Disney would come through for us. I was being told that it would probably be around April when/if Disney would be announcing the Free dining promotion. I was happily surprised a few weeks ago when I got on the boards and saw someone posted that Free Dining was being offered that day for Disney Visa card holders. I quickly got on the phone but the CM told me that all she had was All Star Sports. I decided to wait and cross my fingers that on the following Monday, Pop would open up. On the Monday morning, I called but again no Pop. I decided that I would still wait as we really wanted to stay at Pop (it is familiar to us and we love it there). The next day I called again and Pop was available! I quickly changed the reservation from the PIN code ressie to the Free Dining Promo ressie. With the dates and free dining finally secured all we had to do next was decide how we would get there and where we wanted to eat.
Up Next:
Driving or Flying?
__________________
Check out my Pre-Trip Report for our 9/18-9/23/12 trip here:
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.
About This Page: 
) Favorite vacation destinations: WDW, the beach, and cruising. This will be my 3rd trip to our Happy Place.
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
)
MaryBeth, Mark Jr. & Mark Sr.
Dana
Linear Mode
