The Great Disney Do-Over—PTR for Aug 2010 - UPDATED 8/2 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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It did seem as if "something" was saying "Oh no!! You cant give up...try again!!" Between the delay with the vouchers, the pin code and then the luck you had with plane tickets, OMG!!! WTG!!! Was that before the vouchers? Did you really end up paying $47 a ticket?? That is fantastic!! Its still an awesome deal if $147 was with the vouchers. I just paid $538 for 2 tickets from Providence to MCO.
Glad to hear you got some down time, and some alone time with DH. I am also happy to hear your trip ended on a good note, even with the plane problems. It sounds as if you made the best of it.
I will be watching my inbox for a new installment, I am also looking forward to your TR about this trip. I know, I know, you still have a couple months before you go, hahahaha! With your PTR I am almost as excited as you are for your trip to get here!! LOL
It did seem as if "something" was saying "Oh no!! You cant give up...try again!!" Between the delay with the vouchers, the pin code and then the luck you had with plane tickets, OMG!!! WTG!!! Was that before the vouchers? Did you really end up paying $47 a ticket?? That is fantastic!! Its still an awesome deal if $147 was with the vouchers. I just paid $538 for 2 tickets from Providence to MCO.
Glad to hear you got some down time, and some alone time with DH. I am also happy to hear your trip ended on a good note, even with the plane problems. It sounds as if you made the best of it.
I will be watching my inbox for a new installment, I am also looking forward to your TR about this trip. I know, I know, you still have a couple months before you go, hahahaha! With your PTR I am almost as excited as you are for your trip to get here!! LOL
Thanks for sharing my excitement! Yes! The plane tickets were $147 (plus taxes and such, of course) BEFORE we added our vouchers! Our 5 round-trip, direct tickets cost us (for real) about $350! About the same amount we paid for EACH ticket last fall--and thought we were getting a good deal! It was hard to pass up a trp when our airfare was so cheap....
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Shelly - what a great deal! So glad you guys get to come back and do it over again! We absolutely loved BC and I'm sure you guys will too. It's a gorgeous resort. I loved your description of your girls picking up the Mickey sparkles. Would you believe my daughter (5) loves to do the exact same thing? I was finding them in the laundry for weeks since she'd stick them in her pockets. And I'm usually rushing her along, too. I think I'll take a cue from you and let her stop and pick them up for a while on this trip :-) We are leaving tomorrow so I am looking forward to reading new installments of your TR while we're at Disney and when we get back!
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15 total family trips with stays at the Poly, AKL, Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club, Swan, Dolphin, POFQ, Pop Century, All Star Music, Movies & Sports, and Coronado Springs.
Just caught up and let me say I think it's awesome when I hear people talking about doing GGs, that's ALOT of compromising involved that I'm not sure I'd be able to handle...I'm so used to doing what we like Our family would probably end up not talking anymore
I'm so glad you're doing a do-over and I can't wait to hear about it, I'm sure it'll be great! It was meant to be from your magical last day, to the delay that gave you airflight vouchers...meant to be!
What a wonderful last day! I your pictures! I couldn't help but tear up as I read about your magical day! I'm so glad that you were able to get out of the rut your family got caught up in, and that you were able to enjoy the little things and Disney at its best. Those are memories you will never forget. I'm so glad you are going back~ to do it all over again.....
I was so excited to see you had updated your trip report and after reading your latest entry I have goosebumps! I loved hearing about what a great time you had on your last day. I am really looking forward to hearing your plans for the August trip!
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Hi Shelly! I just spent the last three days catching up on your trip report! I loved it . I enjoyed your honesty. I am so glad that you guys can try it again. This summer will be our 6th trip and I feel like I "get better at it" every time! (There's alot to "Disney Science") .
Looking forward to hearing all about your planning for this new adventure! I'm a summer traveler too, and my best advice would be to plan for LOTS of breaks--the heat can be brutal, but we all are able to cope MUCH better after a dip in the pool, or nap in the AC!
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Read all about it in my TR, "Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!" Jill Phil. 4: 13
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What a wonderful job u did writing this trip report. thank you for sharing so honestly. Our last trip was a GG and we went thru alot of the same emotions...this August we are doing a "do over" trip also....cant wait to hear about your plans... I too am worried about the august heat!!
So glad that you got the Disney magic back and got a "do-over"! Glad you all could slow down, take it all in and just truly enjoy yourselves not matter how much or little you did each day. Congrats on the next trip!
Shelly - what a great deal! So glad you guys get to come back and do it over again! We absolutely loved BC and I'm sure you guys will too. It's a gorgeous resort. I loved your description of your girls picking up the Mickey sparkles. Would you believe my daughter (5) loves to do the exact same thing? I was finding them in the laundry for weeks since she'd stick them in her pockets. And I'm usually rushing her along, too. I think I'll take a cue from you and let her stop and pick them up for a while on this trip :-) We are leaving tomorrow so I am looking forward to reading new installments of your TR while we're at Disney and when we get back!
PLease let me know how your daughter reacted to being able to pick up the "Mickey Sparkles." We filled an entire stroller cupholder with them. My daughter was adding them to all her christmas cards. I have a little baggie to put in the scrapbook.
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