The way too soon to even be a pre-trip report report! - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
The way too soon to even be a pre-trip report report!
I don't think anything can top my family's first trip in 2007 (where we all went TOGETHER... all four of us -plus two-... so much fun!) but this trip-that-I'm-not-supposed-to-be-planning-yet-but-I-am-anyway! is going to be so much fun.
Figured that I'd confused people with my hotel questions a few days ago, so I'd give a little background AND is also lets me tell a supercute (IMHO) story.
I had been planning for a WDW trip for myself and my best friend (we went this past Jan) for about a year. Ever since she came for Christmas in 2007. Haille Rae (cutie in my siggy) was about 18 months old and just starting to really get into and follow conversations. She is my cousin's daughter, and my aunt (who I live with) is her grandmother.
Anyway, one day, when Haille was over visiting, she got ahold of the Disney Vacation Club DVD packet that Disney sent me INSTEAD of the WDW planning DVD (not that I'm complaining) it was that really cool pop up book thing. There was a picture of Mickey holding a little kid around Haille's age and her face just lit up and she kept saying "That's Haille!" try as we might we couldn't get her to drop the subject. Haille has loved Mickey Mouse since she was 3months old. She loves his voice and would laugh and bop around to Mickey Mouse clubhouse (still does).
So when we took her home after a long weekend, I was talking to my aunt about my trip planning, and we didn't think Haille was paying attention. All of a sudden this little voice pops up from the back saying "Haille go, too!" and we said "no, not this trip... just Toni and Erin are going on this trip." and she'd reply with "Haille too!"
So finally my aunt told her "When you turn FIVE gramma and Toni will take you down to see Mickey, okay?". That STUCK in this kid's mind. She has talked almost non stop about going and seeing Mickey when she's five. She would walk around and would keep saying "Mickey" and "five" (holding up her hand with all her fingers out lol) if you were counting and you'd get to 5 she'd start saying "Mickey Mouse and Haille..." and hold up her fingers lol
It's such a cute little obsession of hers, and she's definitely holding us to our promise (which we have always intended on keeping). Though, this year, she has been trying to talk us into going when she's four... but finances and other things just aren't where they need to be for that. Besides, she has to be potty trained (she's being super stubborn about it, so that's another condition of going and seeing Mickey lol... and that's the ONLY bribe that is working, all of a sudden it's a priority she's willing to work on).
The last weekend that she spent the night we were sitting at the dinner table after watching 101 Dalmations and she started talking about her trip. "For my birthday, when I'm five, I get to go see Mickey Mouse... and go shopping." - "Yes, Haille." - "And I'm big enough for the rides." - "Yes. and we can see the princesses." - "No, just Mickey Mouse. Not pwincesses." - "Okay, Haille." ... "Gramma comes to see Mickey. And Haille comes to see Mickey... and mommy, and Toni comes." - "Well, Haille, what about daddy?" - "*thinks* Yeah, daddy too." - "And what about Gaylord? (my aunt's bf who I could rant about for days)" - "Okay." - (me)"What about Erin?" - "Well, we'll have to see about that."
So yeah, she's been thinking hard on this trip, she has a guest list, and a plan on what she wants to do. I'm seriously thinking of getting her a copy of the DLR passporter along with mine when I order it next year lol.
So I guess the guest list/cast list of this crazy trip looks like (so far):
Haille Rae - turning five and gonna celebrate with her main mouse, Mickey! Gramma Judy - we won't give her age; my aunt. Juanita - Haille's Mom Tony - Haille's Dad; he might come, he's not sure. Gaylord - Judy's live in boyfriend (blah!) Toni - ME! Erin - my best friend (Chef_Erin on here).. she's coming so that she can offset some room costs for me ha ha!
*possible guest/cast* Haylee - Gaylord's granddaughter who will also be five. Judy thinks the two Haille's need to meet and be best friends. *I* think we shouldn't have her steal MY Haille's thunder LOL
Oh and our trip will be around Feb. 2-12, 2011 (Hallie's bday is Feb. 4, 2006 - 2-4-06!!)
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.
What a cute story! So glad you all will be able to take her to see her main man - Mickey - at such a good age. When my niece turned 9 and still hadn't been to Disneyland, I told my brother if he didn't take her, I would. And so I did.
Looking forward to the real trip report - when is it again?
I agree it's way too soon the be a PTR, but it is such a cute story. Kids are the greatest but they do always seem the hear the things you don't want them to.
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.
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
What a cute story! So glad you all will be able to take her to see her main man - Mickey - at such a good age.
I can't wait! it's going to be AMAZING. the biggest worry is that she won't want to meet him once we're there (She's still afraid of 'characters' like Chuck E. Cheese) but I think she'll have a blast either way.
I've tried so hard to get her to see that Donald is WAY better, though, and she won't have any of it. She's a total Mickey girl.
About This Page: 
The way too soon to even be a pre-trip report report!
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
Linear Mode
