Finding Walt: a DL TR: Update 2/23/12 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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It was so great to meet you today! Thanks for taking and posting that pic--We all got the wear red memo for the day apparently! So teasers--so far I've been to Forest Lawn--wow--it's big and confusing and the staff don't want you to be there! I've been to Griffith Park as well and I don't know if it was the weather, or what, but I burst into tears at the sight of the Carrousel. You'll have to wait to see why. Today is my second day at the DLR and I checked into the Grand Californian--I've got a partial theme park view--but I'm on the first floor and now I'm off to dinner!
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I wish I could've spent some more time with you guys, but I'm glad at least we were finally able to meet!
Oh, and remember what I was telling you about remembering trivial things but forgetting important things...I forgot to wish Karen a happy birthday when I saw her yesterday!
Karen!
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Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
Well today was tour day and I have to say if you are going to be at DL anytime soon--sign up for it now--quick before they raise the price! I'm not saying that a price raise is coming for the Lights, Camera, Magic Tour--just that it SHOULD be coming. WDW does not offer a 12 hour tour of anything . . . they offer a 3 park 8 hour tour for something like $245. This tour was a blowout of experiences for a mere $199.
Right now I'm relaxing in my room--read packing--and waiting for room service so I thought I'd give you a little taste--spoilers ahead so if you don't want to hear about the tour don't read this!
The day started at the Grand Californian, in the main lobby, only steps from my room! I met my guides Michael and Dean near the Christmas tree. This was when I realized something must be amiss--everyone else seemed to know one another. Uh Oh. I checked in and was engaged by one or two people as I did so. This feels funny. Turns out I was the only non Disney Employee or family member on today's tour. I got a bit of special attention!
Everyone wanted to know who I was and how I ended up on the tour. (Well it WAS open to the public!)
So a quick run down of the day: We started with free coffee in the lobby and headed out to our very own, for the day, motorcoach. We were allowed to leave whatever we wanted on the bus because the same bus and driver would be with us all day.
We got a sightseeing tour of the I-5, which was much more interesting than it sounds. A tour of the Disney Studios and the Archives--which knocks a big one off my bucket list! Lunch at the Commissary was included and had lots of options and was pretty tasty! We had about 1/2 an hour to shop at the Studio Store--nothing to get excited about--its just a Disney Store--the only things exclusive are one table of items that say Walt Disney Studios on them.
We headed to Hollywood and got a quick tour of the 4 blocks that matter and then on to the Kodak Theater for a tour--cool, but no photography allowed--I'll tell you why in the trip report.
After that we hopped on the bus again and got a bus tour of Sunset and Rodeo with a quick walk up Rodeo as well. Then we headed out for our VIP reception and hit traffic--lots of traffic, but the sunset was beautiful and the food was good and the reception included wine and mojitos!
By the time we got back to the hotel it was 8pm and I just decided to return to my room and get things together for my departure tomorrow. I ordered a bowl of soup and a glass of wine from room service and now I'm going to sleep! See ya real soon!
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Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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