The Joys of Pin Trading and Water Slides…Our Seven Days at Old Key West! - Page 10 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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FINAL THOUGHTS:
1) We really thought that getting up super early (2AM) worked well for us, as the kids slept most of the way, and getting through ATL at 5AM really saved us time.
2) DON’T go to a park the first day. It doesn’t end well, generally!
3) Spend more time exploring the resort. We had so much fun at OKW!
4) Don’t be afraid to meet people! We met some of the nicest people at OKW, and they gave us some great tips.
5) Be flexible. Everything is subject to change. It’s OK. (This is for my benefit, as I am a neurotic scheduler!)
6) Utilize early EMH’s! This really helped when we went to MK. We were able to do all of the munchkin’s favorite rides in less than three hours because we were able to get up and get going.
7) Listen to what your kids (and spouse/significant other) want. It’s their vacation too! J
8) Enjoy the little moments. The munchkin had so much fun at the pool and pin trading that I got excited too.
9) If you need a GAC, don’t be afraid to get one! Having the GAC made all the difference for us this time.
10) If you need a wheelchair/scooter, get it! I was causing needless pain to myself because the first day I thought I could manage. I couldn’t. And I am so glad that DH forced me to get one. I was miserable until I did.
11) You can’t do everything, so pick a few rides/attractions that you really want to do/see. Enjoy it and don’t worry about what you didn’t do.
12) Use your PP to make notes at the end of the day. It really helped me remember some things I had forgotten! J
13) RELAX and HAVE FUN!! J
This was a much more relaxing vacation than last year, obviously because we didn’t spend time in an ambulance or ER like last summer, but I had partly given up my strict itinerary that I usually keep. I was determined that we would relax and have more down time this year. We absolutely loved OKW, so if we ever get a great pin code again, we will definitely consider going there!
We are already looking at May/June 2013 when my older son graduates from high school, but we are hoping to bring the whole family (including grandparents)! We shall see, but it’s never too early to start planning! J
Great finish! Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us!
No problem! It is a lot of fun! Thanks for reading!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunshine Family
Just finished reading your trip report after me being away for a long weekend. I can't believe DS16 babysat again! What a great kid you have there!
And what happened with the snake!?!??!?
D is a GREAT kid, but he doesn't like to blow his *cool* cover with his friends. Now, of course, I did buy him a few STAR TOURS souvenirs, but he earned them!
Ugh...the snake..I thought is was a huge worm and almost stepped on it until DH told me it was a snake..then I looked at it more closely, screamed, and ran inside to call the front desk. When the *critter wrangler* came to our door, the snake had disappeared! After that, we decided it was a good thing we were going home!
Quote:
Originally Posted by jennie622
There's a snake in my boot! ok, doorstep but still, I would have freaked out. Unless he looked like the snake from Robin Hood.
Another high five to your son for babysitting!! Raglan Road is always a good time, I was surprised how good the food was too!
This is the second year in a row that we have had snakes at Disney! Last year was POR, which does seem a bit snakey anyway. Watch where you step at Disney in the summer. Especially in the dark! And oh my, loved Raglan Road! It is on our to-do list for next time!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OCEANGRLLG
Great TR and final thoughts! Thanks so much for sharin with us!
Awww, thanks! I had fun! Glad you liked it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Great wrap-up! Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
It was a great trip! Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Great final thoughts! so much for sharing your family's adventure with us.
It was a blast! Thanks for reading!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovedisney247
Great wrap up and thanks for sharing your tips with us!
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(Miss Molly)
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Thanks for sharing your trip with us. 
After that, we decided it was a good thing we were going home! 
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