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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Isn't Cars Land just beautiful at night? I love how Lexi had it all planned out to ensure she got her swim in and I couldn't agree with you more about how compact Disneyland is - it's so nice to be able to just walk everywhere.
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I agree, I agree, I agree-- with all your observations! The WOC winter version sounds wonderful. Sounds like a great day for everyone-- especially Lexi! I'm not surprised she was tired by the time WOC came around. She looks so cute in that Minnie hoodie.
You're TR is really making me want to get back to DL, after vowing to never return after my trip in 2004. Lexi's Minnie hoodie is beyond cute -- LOVE it!
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~ Jenn **Disney is REAL LIFE Magic, so much more than optical illusions **
sounds like a wonderful evening. What is it with kids and pools. They will swim in them no matter how cold they are. Bugs land does look cute and dinner looked really good.
Carsland at night looks so amazing! I cannot wait to experience it myself. Pluto's winter outfit looks adorable. Dinner looked good too. We'll be doing lunch at Carthay Circle to get the WOC dining package. Good to know about the line.
Sounded like a great evening in CA. We didn't get to see World of Color, but I here it is amazing and I am sure the holiday one was really spectacular!
My girls loved Bugsland! The detail was just amazing!
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Your spot for WoC is incredible. I saw Winter Dreams with a FP in early Dec. The show was neat but dealing with DS5 on shoulders the whole time was a bit of a trick.
From your TR, I am realizing we could have seen a lot more at CA. I am such a MK fan that I didn't get invested in much at CA. (And I can blame my navigator as well, right?) Glad you had such a nice time there, way to go!
Fun times at DCA! Apparently I don't keep up enough with what's going on there. I mean I knew about Cars Land, but I had no idea there was a Monsters, Inc. attraction. I haven't been to DCA in a long while. I was at DL in 2004 (or maybe it was 2006), but we skipped DCA that trip. I MUST go check it out soon.
Isn't it funny how kids can swim even if it isn't quite warm enough? Maybe you should have left her with Ariel and friends - little fish!
Isn't Cars Land just beautiful at night? I love how Lexi had it all planned out to ensure she got her swim in and I couldn't agree with you more about how compact Disneyland is - it's so nice to be able to just walk everywhere.
Cars Land was so beautiful at night. I it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
I agree, I agree, I agree-- with all your observations! The WOC winter version sounds wonderful. Sounds like a great day for everyone-- especially Lexi! I'm not surprised she was tired by the time WOC came around. She looks so cute in that Minnie hoodie.
Thanks! It was a great day, very long, but great!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfredsbo
Sounds and looks like a great dinner!!! That looked yummy!
Love Lexi's Minnie hoodie!
Thank you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Russi01
Sounded like you have a great dinner and evening. Love Lexi's hoodie!!
Thank you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
You got a lot done tonight too! I think Lexie's hoodie is the cutest ever!!
CarsLand at night is gorgeous! I can't wait to see it some day in person.
Cars Land was amazing at night.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JenniferLynneRose521
You're TR is really making me want to get back to DL, after vowing to never return after my trip in 2004. Lexi's Minnie hoodie is beyond cute -- LOVE it!
Thank you! I am glad I could inspire you possibly revisiting DL!
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommapants
sounds like a wonderful evening. What is it with kids and pools. They will swim in them no matter how cold they are. Bugs land does look cute and dinner looked really good.
It has to be at least 85 for me to even think about swimming. It reaches the 60s and Lexi thinks its swim weather. Kids!
Quote:
Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily
Carsland at night looks so amazing! I cannot wait to experience it myself. Pluto's winter outfit looks adorable. Dinner looked good too. We'll be doing lunch at Carthay Circle to get the WOC dining package. Good to know about the line.
You will love Cars Land. The atmosphere at night is so amazing! The WOC package is so worth it for the great view.
Quote:
Originally Posted by disneydreamer33
Sounded like a great evening in CA. We didn't get to see World of Color, but I here it is amazing and I am sure the holiday one was really spectacular!
My girls loved Bugsland! The detail was just amazing!
The holiday version was so good and I hope to see the regular version some day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KimmyAnn1147
Your spot for WoC is incredible. I saw Winter Dreams with a FP in early Dec. The show was neat but dealing with DS5 on shoulders the whole time was a bit of a trick.
From your TR, I am realizing we could have seen a lot more at CA. I am such a MK fan that I didn't get invested in much at CA. (And I can blame my navigator as well, right?) Glad you had such a nice time there, way to go!
CA ended up as my favorite day, mainly because of the crowd levels. I would love to go back to spend more time in both parks though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FanOfMickey
Love Lexi's hoodie I am really wanting to go back to Disneyland now. To see cars and world of color.
Thank you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by JKnott17
LOVE that Minnie hoodie, it's just the cutest!
Dinner at Ariels' Grotto looked amazing too, and what great spots you got for WoC.
Lexi lives in that hoodie now, it is so cute!
Quote:
Originally Posted by stardust190
Fun times at DCA! Apparently I don't keep up enough with what's going on there. I mean I knew about Cars Land, but I had no idea there was a Monsters, Inc. attraction. I haven't been to DCA in a long while. I was at DL in 2004 (or maybe it was 2006), but we skipped DCA that trip. I MUST go check it out soon.
Isn't it funny how kids can swim even if it isn't quite warm enough? Maybe you should have left her with Ariel and friends - little fish!
DCA was so much more than I expected. I wanted to visit for Cars Land, but ended up enjoying the entire park.
Lexi would be so happy to swim our entire vacation if we let her. Wouldn't that be a fun meet, swimming with Ariel.
We had a very early morning on our last day. We got ready and after I packed up our last minute items, I sent Justin to the car with our luggage. Lexi and I would meet him at Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast. We took our time wandering around and taking pictures.
This is where the quick service is located at the DL Hotel, we never did go inside.
Goofy's Kitchen is located in the Convention Center area.
Lexi and I waited outside for Justin and he soon joined us and we headed inside. With the help of a very grumpy CM we found the line for check in. At GK you pay before you eat, which is kind of nice not having to worry about settling the bill when you are ready to leave. While waiting in line, Pluto came out for a visit. He wasn't doing a meet and greet, he was just entertaining us while we wait. The family in front of us didn't get that memo and kept trying to get autographs and pictures with him. Finally after a few gestures from Pluto, they got the hint.
A few pictures around the convention center while we wait.
Once we paid for our meal we were told to have a seat in the lobby and our name would be called shortly. You could get your picture taken with Goofy before breakfast, but Goofy wasn't available and Pluto took his place. Since we already met Pluto last night, we skipped having our picture taken. I am sort of bummed, we didn't see Goofy until the very end of our meal and never got our picture taken with him at his own restaurant.
Pluto acting up while waiting for someone to visit.
A few pictures around the lobby.
Goofy's Kitchen serves brunch and Lexi was very happy to see Mac & Cheese on the kid's buffet, but she was very confused when she saw hot dogs for breakfast. There were many yummy dishes to choose from and I stuck mostly with breakfast items. There was also a very large dessert buffet which I barely touched, I was so stuffed. I tried Goofy's famous peanut butter and jelly pizza. It was just okay. The crust was very dry, but it could have just been an off day. I ended up with two favorites from this meal. The yogurt bar where I made a delicious yogurt parfait and the banana crepes. Both were fanastic.
Pictures from the buffet.
Goofy's Famous Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza
While we ate we were first visited by Alice. She was very proper and made sure Lexi was enjoying her breakfast.
Up next was Dale. He was very sweet with Lexi giving her kisses on the top of her head.
For the third time this trip, we met Pluto. He was now an old friend and Lexi claims he is a favorite character.
After Pluto left we had a bit of a break from the characters and we were about to leave, but Justin saw the Mad Hatter a few tables away, so he decided to have some coffee and dessert and we waited for the Mad Hatter. I am so glad Justin suggested waiting because this was one of the best character interactions we have ever had in both DL and WDW.
The Mad Hatter finally made his way over to us and immediately took the extra seat at our table. He was very happy that we saved him a seat for our tea party. He then pulled out a tea cup from his pocket and began “drinking” his tea.
Alice had noticed the Mad Hatter at our table and came over to make sure he was behaving himself. When she found out we were having a tea party she asked for a cup of tea. The Mad Hatter told her no, she could not join our tea party and Alice was very sad.
I told her not to worry as the Mad Hatter had not offered us any tea either and he said “Oh my, so I haven't” and pulled out a tea cup for Lexi and a tea cup for me.
He finally gave in to Alice and let her have his cup of tea. Before he handed it to her he asked if we knew what kind of tea he served. We had no clue, so he told us it was 'M' tea and tipped his cup upside down. He was a riot and had us cracking up!
Finally giving in to Alice. His expressions were classic!
Alice asked to 'cheers' with Lexi.
After our tea party Chip walked by our table and noticed we had company so he said he would be back. The Mad Hatter would have none of that and told him to get back over to our table and join us. Chip wanted to sign Lexi's autograph book, but did not know her name. He looked for her name on the front cover, but it was not filled out. Alice remembered her name was Lexi from meeting her earlier and asked her to write her name in the front of her book so Chip knew how to spell her name. The Mad Hatter decided that Lexi looked more like a Molly and kept telling Chip that her name was indeed Molly. When she wrote her name in her book he said “well that's a funny way to spell Molly.”
Alice then slipped away so we could get our picture with Chip, but the Mad Hatter was not happy that he had not had his picture taken with Lexi yet, so he got in on the picture, too.
He also remembered she needed his autograph.
It was now time for the Mad Hatter to head to the next table, but not before telling Lexi goodbye with a “Goodbye Molly it was nice to meet you.” We had so much fun and my stomach was aching from all the laughing. As we were leaving our table Alice came back over and apologized for the Mad Hatter and told us she didn't know what was wrong with him. I assured her that he made our breakfast one we would never forget. As we exited the restaurant we passed by Goofy and gave him a quick wave.
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