What are you looking forward to most in 2012? - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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As it's almost the new year, I thought it might be nice to look ahead to the forthcoming 12 months and hear what everyone's looking forward to doing/achieving in 2012.
My top five are:
1) London 2012 Olympics and being able to enjoy morning sessions of the athletics and seeing one of the run-up events in the diving
2) My best friend coming over to visit me during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
3) Celebrating my 40th on board the Fantasy
4) Cruising the Norwegian fjords
5) Hopefully (if it all works out) finally visiting Hawaii and Aulani
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1. My Wedding in October
2. Daughter graduation from 8th grade in May
3. Disney trip in May with our PA friends
4. Machinac Island Honeymoon in Oct (hope to see Northern Lights)
5. Everyday I get to spend with my great family.
I am sure there is a ton more but these came to mind first
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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
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
For the new year:
1. Getting a job, finally! (after 6 years of school and 22 years of being a house-wife, it's about time!)
2. DD Lauren graduating grade 8 - although the school houses grade 8 in the high school, with the same teachers, etc. so it's not as big deal as with most kids
3. Behind the scenes Beluga Whale adventure at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago - in Jan!
4. Using my YMCA membership more, now that my life has calmed down a bit.
5. Putting new flooring in my entry, 1/2 bath, dining room and kitchen!
Celebrating my 25th Wedding Anniversary! And the icing on the cake for that one: I'm coming home from a trip (alone) to Disney on the night of our Anniversary and DH was absolutely fine with that, knowing my time away would make me happy!
Healthy Kids
Hopefully paying off another credit card
MAYBE ripping out my kitchen... not necessarily putting in a new one until 2013 , but I'd really like to at least rip out the old one! (I own a coleman stove now!)
And if my hip/leg are better I might just sign myself up for the Oct Wine and Dine 1/2 marathon... that one is a big if right now...
As it's almost the new year, I thought it might be nice to look ahead to the forthcoming 12 months and hear what everyone's looking forward to doing/achieving in 2012.
Attending Arisia 2012 in January (major Sci-Fi convention), and getting the opportunity to meet Phil and Kaja Foglio, even if only for a few moments ... because I'm a uge Girl Genius fan!
finally, FINALLY paying off my loan to good friend J - a loan which bought me this PC, and the gorgeous monitor attached to it, as well as quite a lot of software for it.
Starting my Fun-Money-Fund for our 2014 WDW trip!
Taking the first steps from turning the lawn at our new home from "big featureless expanse of grass" to something a bit more "cars slow down to admire the landscaping"-ish.
perhaps planning, or even taking, a long-wanted trip to Washington, D.C., with my Ohana.
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Hopefully going to Arizona in May for my niece's first birthday.
A visit from my sister in July
Maybe a visit to WDW with my BFF in September
Possibly a trip to Disneyland with my family for Christmas
My biggest event is my wonderful first born son and his delightful fiancee will be marrying in August. I am looking forward to both the wedding and trip to Texas.
My second born son will be defending his thesis and getting his masters and hopefully getting a great job.
My DD is applying to graduate programs as we speak, with her eyes toward eventually going to med school. She'll be back in school in September. She is also beginning work Tuesday with a top notch research team.
This year because she is back in school she'll be able to do equitation finals again-for some reason the adults (over 18) go during the week. I love watching her compete even though getting a ribbon when there are 150 in the class is not easy.
1. Our family trip to WDW in March
2. Getting my new furniture in February
3. Going back to college in August to finish up my college degree in Education!
4. My baby being able to attend VPK in August
5. Watching the Olympic games with my hubby!!
6. Our 2nd Annual F&WF trip with Steph and Russ!