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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 seriously almost forgo writing a PTR but as many of you have said it so gets me in the Disney Bubble Mood.
This trip is going to be a little different than the last few years visits. It's going to be missing one cast member(DS#1)
But our next trip I promise it won't just have that one cast member returning but an additionalcastmember(DS#2).
Okay so the cast members this trip are:
My DH, 36 this trip. This will be his 6th trip to WDW. Like many of men in our lives he had to be sold into it. I sold it good too, because that is where he took me for our honeymoon. Now he can't wait to go back especially if the words Food &Wine Festival are involved. With that being said his favorite park is Epcot. If I had to create my DH into a character it would be hard I think I would put him as a combination Grumpy and Goofy.
This cast member is 37 and I this will be my 8th trip to WDW. My favorite park is also Epcot but MK, DHS and AK tie for second. Since I couldn't think of a character to describe myself I am just going to list my favorite character: Mary Poppins. Perfect in Every Way! My favorite encounter with her is when they used to have the Early Mornings for Preschoolers during the fall. She was sitting on a bench near the Tea Cups reading stories and singing children songs. She did Itsy Bitsy Spider with DS#1. I will see if I can find a picture of that and include it.
How did this trip come about: Well I have led myself to believe that I need a trip to WDW every year. More often as needed. My DH led me to believe that by letting us join DVC. Then he decided to bust my bubble shortly after DS#2 was born. He said, we couldn't go back to Disney until he was walking. Okay don't think I haven't been practicing with him daily to get him to walk(he is only 6 months old) and every now and then I catch DH doing the same. So some how I had to think of another way to go. So I pulled the if I can get my mom to come stay with the boys would you be willing to go for a long weekend during F&WF. I will think about it is the response I got. Okay a few weeks later I decided to play another card and said what if we could go during Free Dining. Another favorite word of hubby's. Again I got I'll think about it but I could see the sold sign already. So since I am writing this PTR we all know that I sold it.
So I played with some dates and then I remembered that Crissy aka scdisneyfan had said that they were going for Free Dining so I decided to see if any of the dates I was playing with would make it where we could meet up again. I was so excited when she replied with almost the same exact days that I was working with. Great minds think alike is all I have to say on that one.
So my mom will fly in on September 28th from Portland, Oregon. I will give her one day of orientation of Kindergarten drop off and pick up of the infamous car pool lane on the 29th and then she is on her own. We fly out on the 30th via SWA at 0630. Thanks mom we will be back in a few days.
Up Next: Our Plans and What do you mean NO Biergarten
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They caught us all smiling and looking at the camera!!!
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
So I set the dates of September 30 through October 4 with Heather from Small World Vacations. We had wanted to stay at Port Orleans French Quarter but there weren't any rooms available during our time slot. So we chose Port Orleans Riverside. We have stayed there a few times and really like it.
I then went about planning our ADR's to coincide with touring plans. I knew I wanted to try Sanaa since we had to cancel our reservation there last year and I wanted to try Le Chef de France and Whispering Canyon Cafe. Then I asked DH to choose a couple that he wanted and he chose Liberty Tree, Prime Time and he wants to eat at the counter service in Morocco. Okay that was workable.
October 1:
10:00 Kona(new)
Epcot for a few hours since it is open day of F&WF
Then AK for Evening EMH (I love this park at night)
8:30 Sanaa(new) and then maybe a night cap with Crissy at AKL
Oct 2:
Epcot for a few hours
MK with a 1:45 ADR at Liberty Tree
See Spectro and Wishes
Oct 3:
DHS Day Evening EMH
Prime Time 1pm
Fantasmic(this is the only night we would be able to see it since the only other night it is playing is during our night at MNSSHP)
Oct 4:
Epcot with maybe a round of Miniature Golf before our DME
I also made a Garden View Afternoon Tea ADR for 2pm
DME pick up some time around 5
But what is a Trip Report without changes. I showed DH my mock up of our plans. He kept looking at it like it was missing something. Obviously in his standards it was. Where was his beloved Biergarten? Um, was that on your list? No but I guess I am to assume this is a must each trip. So, DH what is your suggestion that we change. He actually had a great suggestion LET'S ADD another DAY! Okay, so before he could change his mind I contacted Heather and we are now September 30 through October 5th. With plans to have dinner at the Biergarten on October 4th .
UP Next: Can a PTR only have ONE Change?
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They caught us all smiling and looking at the camera!!!
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You sell very well, even an extra day! Great start!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bkwrm
You are quite the saleswoman. Your plans sound great!
Sharon
Thanks Cam and Sharon. Now I am hoping I can help my son sell at least one batch of cookies for his school fund raiser. Don't they know I only sell Disney Trips! LOL!!!
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They caught us all smiling and looking at the camera!!!
YAY you started one I was so excited to hear you guys were going and we could meet up again
I so glad you guys were able to swing this trip...its much deserved for you two
I am excited to read along and countdown with you