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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
DH and I are finally getting away at the end of May and I wanted to surprise him with while we were down there. He is working full time and going to Nursing School full time, so I want to do something specialfor him. We are staying at the All Star Music, and my first choice was to upgrade our hotel and not tell him until we got in line for the Magical Express. However, once I called to get prices for other resorts I quickly remembered why we chose the ASM. I am already going to order a cake for our Anniversary dinner at Yachtmans, but since we did this last year he is already expecting this...
So I need help. What else can I do that won't totally break our budget? I was hoping to keep it under $250. I want to find something romantic/fun to do.
How cool that you want to do something special we will be there at the end of May also... I am trying to do something romantic for my DH also...Good luck w/ your planning
Good luck coming up with ideas. We're going in May too to celebrate our anniversary. Our official anniversary dinner is at Yachtsman, too.
I've been considering the Segway tour at Fort Wilderness but DH didn't give any positive feedback on that. So I'm still looking for some ideas too.
How about a Illumination or Wishes cruise? (you can sign up for a share on the Disboard site)
Behind the scenes tour like the Keys to the Kingdom (so awesome) or at AK?
Setting aside one day that HIS day. He picks the ADR and what to do that day.
Rent a car for the day and go to the beach.
That's all I have at the moment. Have fun planning!
__________________
şOş ~*~
Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
You could have a surprise basket delivered to your room. Memories by Betsy (www.memoriesbybetsy.com) lets you decide what goes into the basket and then delivers it to the resort of your choice. She's very good at making suggestions for what to put into the baskets.
And if you're there for your anniversary, you should make sure you get some anniversary pins and make a note of the celebration on your ADR's. We got some lovely attention when we celebrated at WDW last year; personalized menu's at Yachtsman and Narcoosee's, a serenade by the servers at Tutto Italia, cupcakes, and lots of good wishes from Cast Members and guests.
There is a couple's massage "instruction" session @ Grand Floridian. A little more than the $250, but I always thought it would be romantic. We ate at CRT last year for anniversary and DH really liked that. Also, there is dinner w/ Imagineer that my DH has always wanted to do.
have you looked for discounted room options? i upgraded from a value to a moderate for a four day stay in march and only paid $180 more (POP to CSR).
if not--could you do something as simple as (secretly) order breakfast room service the first morning you are there? i did that for my husband on a recent trip and you should have seen how happy it made him to roll over and have a tray of pastries and a pot of hot coffee waiting for him (and i was being super cheap and only ordered the continental breakfast--best $15 i've ever spent!)
How about something fun like Hoop De Doo Review that would be a surprise until your ADR time--you could tie it in with a carriage ride at Ft Wilderness. Dinner at Yachtsman sounds like a great idea, what about a night at the Boardwalk after? A fireworks cruise would be fun too--or how about a day sailing on the Breathless? I know that some of the resorts do private room service dinners with fireworks viewing--I think the Grand Floridian is the place to look for that. I've also found that a couple of drinks from the Tambu Lounge and watching Wishes from the beach at the Poly is incredibly romantic!
Thanks everyone! These are some great ideas. I really like the idea of going to the spa to have a relaxation day but couldn't find any prices on the WDW website. We did talk about a segway tour a few months back also...why are the DH so hard to pick something for???
Has anyone oredered anything from the Disney Florist before? I saw some fun little things filled with snacks and goodies that may also be worth trying out.
I know I may be over-thinking everything, but I just want it to be a great vacation!