Halloween, Hawaii and holiday celebrations - THIS SECTION COMPLETED 12/27 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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You really got some great shots during your flight! I never made it over to see the villas at the GF (I intend to correct that next month), so I really am enjoying your photos of it.
Make sure you do, as it's definitely worth the visit!
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We were waving to you guys from our spot in the Poly lounge, right across the water.
We were sort of waving back in our jet lagged state!
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.
Your plane pictures are wonderful!! I love looking out the window during a flight and watching the different types of landscapes.
GF Villas look beautiful!!
Can't wait to read all about them!
Getting all caught up. I agree with Disney Duke that the mystery photo is a ski resort. An dhow cute are the hidden Mickeys in the carpets at the GF Villas? So fun!
I loved the fountain with the penguins! I'm really liking the looks of everything at Villas at GF so far, but it is crazy that they didn't include a small sundries shop to finish off the hominess of it for DVC members. I can't wait to stay here some 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.
I loved the fountain with the penguins! I'm really liking the looks of everything at Villas at GF so far, but it is crazy that they didn't include a small sundries shop to finish off the hominess of it for DVC members.
Mark and I were talking about it last night and saying that it is a missed opportunity and were wondering if Disney would ever add anything in...
Wednesday 30 October – part six: the photos do not do this justice!
We made our way down to our room, a one bedroom villa with a lake view, and fortunately both our MagicBands worked to open the door, so that was a good start.
We were absolutely blown away when we walked inside. We just fell in love with the place and the theming immediately in a way I wasn’t expecting to. Sure, I’d seen all the photos to date online of how beautiful this place was, so I had an idea of what we’d be seeing, but my goodness, the photos just do not do the rooms justice They were so much better in real life. We both immediately loved the colour themes to the room, and the old fashioned feel to it, although of course peppered with the most modern of amenities. It was like stepping back in time, but keeping the very best of present day living, along with lots of new things not seen before in DVC villas, more notably the TV in the bathroom of course.
Ok, eyes down, because I think the best way to take you on a tour of our amazing villas is through photos, and as I say, I’m not sure they’ll 100% do it justice, but here goes…
The view to the left as you enter … and looking back towards the main entrance door along the same corridor The vanity area by the shower The shower – look at the size of this thing! The Victorian whirlpool tub The famous TV in the mirror – it’s the blue bit… And here it is on… The closet off the main bedroom – note the dressing gown in here, a very nice and much welcomed touch! The main bedroom The living room A cute touch in the living room – see Duffy? … and another nice little touch The pull out bed underneath the TV in the living area – very clever! The seating area in the kitchen Looking back to the living area from the seating area Looking into the seating area and kitchen from the living room The kitchen The fridge is a nice size We loved the fact that the freezer comes stocked with ice! The rest of the freezer The washer/dryer Need the vacuum or ironing board? It’s in here..
Then we headed outside to check out the view, which was pretty cool.
The view out towards the wedding pavilion and the rest of the Villas… … looking straight across the Seven Seas Lagoon … and we could just about see the Contemporary A close up of the Villas… … and the wedding pavilion The balcony is a nice size
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.
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