PassPorter Podcast: Episode 75: Walt Disney World Questions and Answers - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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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.
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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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PassPorter Podcast: Episode 75: Walt Disney World Questions and Answers
PassPorter Moms Podcast: Disney & Beyond Episode 75: Walt Disney World Questions and Answers - (06-22-2011 12:00 PM)
Podcast Description: Join Jennifer and Sara as they discuss this week's newsletter, announce celebrations and contest winners in our community corner, and answer questions about Walt Disney World.
First of all I agree, the Terrace Noodle Station is not a very good palce to watch the Wishes fireworks. I do have a suggestion - depending on what Carla and her family want to spend, for about $350, a group of 10 can enjoy a Wishes Cruise or an Illuminations Cruise. I think the Wishes dessert party is about $25 - 30 per person, I would choose a cruise over the dessert party any day!
First of all I agree, the Terrace Noodle Station is not a very good palce to watch the Wishes fireworks. I do have a suggestion - depending on what Carla and her family want to spend, for about $350, a group of 10 can enjoy a Wishes Cruise or an Illuminations Cruise. I think the Wishes dessert party is about $25 - 30 per person, I would choose a cruise over the dessert party any day!
I have done the Wishes dessert party as a treat for my birthday and I did enjoy it very much! It was nice not to have to fight for a spot to view the fireworks and camp out in a crowded street 30-60 minutes ahead of time. That said, I also agree that it is pricey and not something I would do every time. Even though some of the fireworks can be blocked by the trees, Tinkerbell flies directly to you until she lands on the roof above your head. My daughter still remembers Tinkerbell waving at her as she slid by.
If Carla wants to thank her parents for the plane tickets, I might suggest treating them to the desset party so they have a special Disney moment just the two of them while the rest of the family grabs a Mickey bar or Dole Whip and watches from in front of the castle. Maybe then Grandma and Grandpa could wait at the party for the rest of the family to meet up after the fireworks and then go from there (they may also have been able to save a few treats for the kids ;-).
Carla also asked if they can see the parade from there, the answer is not really. You can see the illuminated floats go by, but only the tops above the trees and you can't really hear it. The MSELP needs to be experienced up close.
Our family of 4 adults & 3 teenagers loved the dessert party. The view of the fireworks was not the greatest so most stood at the banister, which of course hampered the view for those sitting at their table. The dessert offerings where absolutely spectacular. We enjoyed it as a great way for the family to all be together and enjoy each others company while waiting for the fireworks. We have also done the Illuminatins cruise. A great view but it is really a great experience for adults. Young children I'm sure, would get very bored and the limited space could create a problem for them. The cruise is a definite for adults and the dessert party for a family with young children is better where there is more room to roam and if need be go for a walk if they get bored.