A special birthday, a diamond anniversary and a west coast adventure COMPLETED - Page 11 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
I just caught up and read all about your Club 33 adventure. My first thought was who would pay that amount of money but after I thought about it it seems to me very similar to joining a private country club, tennis club or perhaps even some swim clubs.
Do you have to be nominated to join?
You have to move up on a wait list that is LONG. Most people wait years and years for an opportunity to buy in. You are right, that the cost is equivalent to a country club or racquet club, but you don't have anything but the restaurant to make use of (even though it is a spectacular restaurant).
Cheryl, I was in awe today just hearing you were the last guests in the park, and being let out through the padlocked gate! How is that?! And your castle pictures are amazing!! I'd be framing one of those!
Enjoy your time at your parents'! (And Mark must be happy - Liverpool just got a win!)
Oh. My. Word. That bathroom is crazy!! The faucet is hilarious.... I mean, it's so very nicely done but...... wow! Chandeliers above each toilet. This is just too much for me!!!
The restaurant itself is also very nicely done, very victorian (I think?) so it fits appropriately. And the piano! So cool.
Soooooo amazing to be the last guests out of the park! That's something not everybody can say. You literally had the gates locked behind you after you left!! Very glad she approved you to take a photo of the castle as that is a most amazing shot!
Hope you're enjoying your weekend away!
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
What an awesome experience, from beginning to end! And being the last guests in the park! That was so cool! I'm glad you were able to get pictures of the castle, as it was so beautiful at night, with no one else around!
The Club 33 restroom is quite opulent. I think I'd feel rather like nobility using it. Sweet touch on Mark's dessert! So cool to be the last guests out of DL! You got so many great photos of Club 33 that I feel I've almost been there. The castle photos all alone at night are fabulous.
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Ballston Lake, NY
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 46,162
Post Thanks / Like
Likes (Given): 94
Likes (Received): 241
Thanks (Given): 0
Thanks (Received): 139
Pixie Dust (Given): 3
Pixie Dust (Received): 4
That wasn't just a meal, but an experience, and one I'm sure you won't forget anytime soon. You got some amazing photos of Club 33, including the bathroom. And that was a beautiful shot of the castle as you were leaving the park. It is a rare opportunity that you find yourself in the park with no other guests to get in your way!
Just starting thread as I fell behind during the holiday season!
Nice breakfast at the airport, which looked good! It's amazing how slow they are at Vancouver Airport as they take forever to do everything! I guess they're in no hurry! Loved the Disney figurines and that is quite a display!
Great photos from the air and a nice find in spotting DL!
Got the first three pages done!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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.
Glad you made it to the Grand California, with no problems! Your villa is absolutely beautiful and as you said a villa is the way to go! That was nice of Sharon and Karen to meet up with you at the hotel for a bit!
That is just crazy with DL's Photopass system. You'd think they could make it much easier as WDW's is!
5 down and at least 6 more pages to go!
__________________
October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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.
I just caught up and read all about your Club 33 adventure. My first thought was who would pay that amount of money but after I thought about it it seems to me very similar to joining a private country club, tennis club or perhaps even some swim clubs.
You're probably right, although they would have to be very exclusive. I've got a swimming membership that's only £360 (about $500) a year...
Quote:
Do you have to be nominated to join?
I honestly don't know. It didn't crop up in conversation.
About This Page: 
is that?! And your castle pictures are amazing!! I'd be framing one of those!
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
And the piano! So cool. 
Very glad she approved you to take a photo of the castle as that is a most amazing shot!
The castle photos all alone at night are fabulous. 
PassPorter Guide Author
Linear Mode
