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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Wow - four parks in one day - impressive! It sounds like you're having a wonderful time. I love that shot of the fireworks over the Rose and Crown - so unusual to see that.
This morning, our final morning, was another epic Mousetacular event: Flying to New Heights! We met Sandy and Annie in the Boardwalk lobby at 7am, and they were kind enough to give us a ride to the front entrance of Epcot in their shiny rental car.
From there, we headed to Test Track for breakfast in the Lounge on the second floor for breakfast with another VIP guest. (Check out my updates over on Mouse on the Mind for more!) It was very special. And it got even more special, as we were led to The Land for the first ride of the day on Soarin! Rob and I were in the center front row—epically awesome!
I’ve been wanting to take this photo for so long but my camera was never good enough before!
After breakfast and Soarin, Sandy let us loose in the Park to complete a scavenger hunt. To answer all of the questions, we rode Spaceship Earth twice, Journey into Imagination once and Living with the Land once. We also explored the Canada Pavilion and MouseGears. So much fun!
Living with the Land
Having some fun on Spaceship Earth
We really make faces like that when we watch the news.
We headed back to the Test Track Lounge to tally the scores. Rob and I came in third place, so we got some awesome 2011 ear hats! Hooray!!
What she failed to mention is that, due to attrition, only 3 teams finished the hunt. ((I didn't fail to mention it ... it is creative editing. And, anyway, I think we got the best prize!))
View from the Test Track lounge
Ear hats!
During the hunt, I’d been on the phone with Disney Dining, trying to get a lunch reservation with no luck. So after the event was over, Rob and I decided to try to walk up to San Angel Inn. Not only could they take us, but they took us almost immediately. It was sort of magical.
Eating here is becoming something of an end-of-trip tradition for me, and I’ll be writing more about that on Mouse on the Mind in the coming weeks as well.
Can’t be sad about leaving Disney when you have a cocktail in one hand and you’ve got this to look at!
From there, we headed over to France to meet up with some online friends who were about to partake in a World Showcase Chocolate Hunt, but we had to get back to the Boardwalk for our DME pick up. Sad but true, our trip was almost at an end!! It went so fast, but looking back, I can’t believe how much we did!
This was an absolutely jam-packed trip, and we got to do almost every single thing we set out to do! We didn’t relax at the pool bars I’d hoped to try, but we did so much other awesome fun stuff!! We didn’t sleep much, but I do feel like we had a pretty good balance of relaxing and running around. Although, for our next trip, I’ve promised Rob that we’ll take it MUCH MORE SLOWLY!
I’ve heard that song before…
Things I’d do differently … well, I absolutely will not put in a room request at the Boardwalk Villas and silently hope it comes through. I’ll call back to confirm and then ask at check-in if there’s anything they can do. Or, better yet, I’ll simply use the points to book a better room! Our room was WAY too far out of the way.
But we won’t be staying at the Boardwalk again anytime soon. I love it there, but it’s time to explore some other DVC possibilities. I still have the same problems with the Boardwalk that I did back in October, but they were all absolutely amplified by the long walk from our room to the main part of the hotel.
No complaints about the transportation this trip. Or anything else, really. We kept moving and moving so fast that we didn’t even have time to form complaints!
4 parks in one day, way to go! Love the shot of Astro Orbiter at night!
Thanks, Mayra! We were well exhausted at the end of the day, but what fun!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by disney_duke
Playing catch up here... but loving every detail! So glad you decided to do 4 parks in one day. And still squeezed in a nap.
Thanks, Disney_Duke! It was a blast!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mushu22
Great and the duel comments. Can't wait to more.
Thanks so much! I got a new camera right before this trip, and I am loving the quality of these photos.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shnewell
Sounds like a great trip so far! You have taken some really wonderful photos. Can't wait to read more!
Thanks so much!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Wow - four parks in one day - impressive! It sounds like you're having a wonderful time. I love that shot of the fireworks over the Rose and Crown - so unusual to see that.
Thanks, Cheryl!! That means a lot coming from you--I know how many Disney photos you must see every day!!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
ok--if i finish reading this bad things will happen (involving yeast-based waffle batter) BUT...i'm commenting so you know that i'm reading it. as if you didn't already know i was reading it. ha!
also--so glad rob keeps making you stop to use the restroom. it makes me feel better about doing the same thing to you!
oh--and holy awesome photos. your camera was a good buy. that madam leota pic--i'm impressed!!!!