Shhhh ... A Very Merry Surprise! ~ PTR for 11/4 - 11/12 2011 - Page 12 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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Keep looking for a cancelation--you'll never know what might pop up!
Thanks! No luck yet, but I'll keep trying
Quote:
Originally Posted by buzzspal2
I hope the time flies by till your Disney day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Sorry about the Dessert Party! Hope you're able to get a cancellation!
Quote:
Originally Posted by dsteiny23
Whenever I read your PTR, I start to get stressed!! Being as we are on the same timeline...I guess I've got to get out my to-do list also. Wait...maybe I should make a to-do list first. Great news about the allergy plate...I'll keep my fingers crossed. I would love to do that as well, both of my boys have several allergies, maybe we'll look into that.
See you soon!
LOL, sorry, didn't mean to get you stressed out! If it makes you feel any better I have not done a thing with my to do list. Sure, I've got one, but what good is it when I don't even want to look at it
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pumpkinfrost
We'll be arriving on Nov 13th, I am getting really anxious. I'm glad you mentioned the to-do list and starting to get the necessities to start packing....its like my brain just glazed over that whole set of tasks with all of the excitement. I hope your family really enjoys the trip.
Thanks for following along! I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
Hope you can still get a booking for the Wishes Dessert Party!
So, now we are about 5 weeks out, and I have not done a thing since my last update. I don't know what my problem is. I am getting super excited about our trip being so close, but I haven't even felt like doing any of the things I still need to get done. Sure, I've looked at my list a bunch of times, but each time I start to get overwhelmed and put it away. Maybe it's because all of the fun planning is done. I mean, we've already got our ADRs and our must see lists for the parks, now all that's left is buying toiletries (yuck!), last minute odds and ends and packing (double yuck!). Can you tell, I hate packing?
So, here is my list of things left to do. I figure if I put it all here for you to see, it will sort of force me to get back into checking things off. Maybe it will be the kick in the butt that I need
Pick up toiletries and other necesseties
Pick up snacks/drinks for the car ride
Rent stroller (I am still on the fence about this one, but need to decide soon!)
Make T Shirts for DDs that I am using for the surprise reveal
Pack up the girls' travel bags (travel games, activities, etc for the car)
Figure out what I am doing about autograph books
Pack our luggage
Finish making a list of things I want to try at the F&WF
I am in the middle of working on that last one, I will update soon when I am done. We are only planning on sampling at the F&WF one day, so I know we won't get to everything.
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Good luck checking those things off your list. A couple are intimidating, but once you start the t-shirts & make a decision about the autograph book, those two will go fast! And a list of toiletries and one shopping trip, it'll be done!
Good luck with that list. I know what you mean about the fun planning being done--it's no fun when all there is left to do is laundry!
Ugh, laundry!
Quote:
Originally Posted by truenancy
Good luck checking those things off your list. A couple are intimidating, but once you start the t-shirts & make a decision about the autograph book, those two will go fast! And a list of toiletries and one shopping trip, it'll be done!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by dsteiny23
LOL...I do feel better that your to-do list isn't done. I'm actually going to try to start my PTR today while Craig is glued to Sunday football.
Yay! I just found your PTR, can't wait for the rest!
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Pick up toiletries and other necesseties Not done!
Pick up snacks/drinks for the car ride Not done!
Rent stroller Still not done!
Make T Shirts for DDs that I am using for the surprise reveal - Transfers are printed, I just need to iron them on the shirts
Pack up the girls' travel bags (travel games, activities, etc for the car) - plan on getting to that this week sometime
Figure out what I am doing about autograph books - Check! More on that below
Pack our luggage - Well, the bags are down from the attic and shoved in my closet so that DDs don't see them. Soon I'll start packing them up.
Finish making a list of things I want to try at the F&WF - Check!
So, I finally decided on an idea for autograph books this time. Perfect timing since I got a coupon in my inbox the other day which would help me get the supplies I needed at Michaels I had seen a post a while back by Unewillow where she posted links to photo cards that she had made up with different characters to use for autographs. Taking this idea and running with it, I decided that I would use 4x6 cards for the characters to sign and then place them inside a photo album (along with our picture meeting each of the characters). There was a great sale on the stickers and embellishments at Michaels, and with my coupon it made for a great deal! I think I bought out the whole Disney section there! I figure it will be a great after trip project for the girls, they can use the stickers to decorate each of the cards before we place it into the book with the pictures.
Oh, and I also checked out the Disney Food Blog, I was drooling all over the pictures they have of the offerings at F&WF this year. It really is going to be hard narrowing down the items we want to choose, as I know we will not be able to try everything. on the top of my list are the cheddar cheese soup from Canada, the beef skewer with chimmichuri from Argentina, Kalua pork slide from Hawaii and the apple struedel from Germany. There are several FABs on the list as well, but one that keeps catching my eye is the LeBlon frozen Caipirinha (it's made with lime, sugar and a rum like liquor from Brazil - think mojito, but without the mint ) ok, now I'm hungry ....
On another note, I was lucky enough to have my first PP meet today! Turns out that Dawn (DSteiny23) doesn't live too far from me here in NJ so we decided to meet up at Starbucks for some Disney chat. We'll both be there for the same week, and hopefully we'll be able to meet up during our trips as well!
We would have made our fellow PPers proud, as without even discussing it first we both brought our planning calendars with us hoping to compare notes. Of course, Dawn's is much cooler than mine, all color coded and well organized She was so sweet to think of my DDs, she brought them a little bag of Disney goodies for our long car ride down to Orlando. Thanks again, Dawn, I know they are going to LOVE all of it!
Great idea on the autograph books! And it is about supper time, so your F&WF list has not guaranteed I'm hungry! Neat that you got to meet up with Dawn!
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Being as we are on the same timeline...I guess I've got to get out my to-do list also. Wait...maybe I should make a to-do list first. 
Great news about the allergy plate...I'll keep my fingers crossed. I would love to do that as well, both of my boys have several allergies, maybe we'll look into that.
I am getting super excited about our trip being so close, but I haven't even felt like doing any of the things I still need to get done. Sure, I've looked at my list a bunch of times, but each time I start to get overwhelmed and put it away. Maybe it's because all of the fun planning is done. I mean, we've already got our ADRs and our must see lists for the parks, now all that's left is buying toiletries (yuck!), last minute odds and ends and packing (double yuck!). Can you tell, I hate packing? 
I figure it will be a great after trip project for the girls, they can use the stickers to decorate each of the cards before we place it into the book with the pictures. 
) ok, now I'm hungry ....
all of it!
And it is about supper time, so your F&WF list has not guaranteed I'm hungry! 
Not much longer! 
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