PTR: A Magical Time in a Magical Place--Disney at Christmas - Page 17 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Update: Two weeks till Disney, getting down to the wire but not very excitedly
As many of you followers will be aware, my DMIL died the day after Thanksgiving, a black Friday in the gloomiest sense for His Drewness and me.
Bizarre though it is to think this, it would have been just like her, knowing how much we love our trips to WDW, to have timed her passing so as to allow us two full weeks to get back home, stash the things we took for our Thanksgiving visit and begin revving up to pack for the drive to Our Happiest Place. We feared we'd leave from Thanksgiving and need to turn around midway home or would get home and have to go right back for her funeral.
But, she died on Friday, and we had planned to leave for home early Saturday morning. Extending our stay for the funeral and a few days with family and friends worked as if someone had planned it that way. Maybe she did. It was so characteristic of her to do anything she could to make life easier for others.
I am feeling a sparkle of "Disneycitement" now and then, so I expect once our held mail containing our MB's is delivered, it'll get easier to become excited about going back to WDW for CHRISTMAS!!!
Drew doesn't know yet, but he's getting a little surprise when we get to WDW and put on our MB's. He'll likely guess what it is when he reads this, but I'm still having fun playing, "I know something you don't know, and I'm not gooooing to teeelll you!"--that old childhood nagging tease. ETA: Hee hee hee. He says he has no idea what it could be. He'll find out when we unpack the stuff-that-goes-only-to-Disney Mickey suitcase.
Hey! Whaddaya know! For a moment there, I did feel excited!
__________________
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Last edited by Her Dotness; 12-04-2015 at 08:31 AM..
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Yes, we both think this trip will be a huge spirit booster, very much needed, considering.
It's just that it feels so odd that I'm not over-the-Castle excited to be going at two weeks from arrival. I felt a wee bit excited upon opening the package containing our MB's. There have been other sparkles here and there, but packing still seems like too much work for no big thrill when I'm usually all excited about starting to do that.
Yup. I need me some Disney in a major way! You're quite right.
__________________
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Last edited by Her Dotness; 12-05-2015 at 11:27 AM..
Actually, I did feel a lengthier bit of Disneycitement when I went to the nearby outlet mall yesterday to buy some new unmentionables and, of course, had to pop into the Disney Store just three doors down.
We usually only cruise it to get a little Disney magic, because they hardly ever carry anything we'd want to buy other than the rare nightshirt for me or a t-shirt for either or both of us. Not having younger relatives to buy for anymore substantially limits how much we help Disney Store stay in business.
So, I was wandering around it just looking as usual at all the VERY cool costumes and stuff for kids I always wish had been readily available when I was a kid.
And then, I spotted a display of Christmas stuffies, an ornament set and a bin of women's cotton knit slipper boots along with kids sleepwear AT 40% OFF. The pair I picked up to look at closely happened to be my size, too. And yes, they stuck to my hand and followed me home ultimately although the cashier did manage to pry them loose long enough to get my money and put them in a bag.
They are soooo cute. A snowflake pattern on red with a Christmas-costumed Mickey and Minnie applique on the front. Just perfect for slipping on after a day of walking my feet to a nubbin at WDW.
I even felt Disneycited with a big smile plastered on my face as I went to the food court to buy a peppermint mocha Starbucks. A great price always cheers me, and that I got one on some Disney I really can use brightened my mood for an hour or more.
Yeah, this dream-come-true Christmas trip will be 'zactly what the doctor ordered.
__________________
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Last edited by Her Dotness; 12-05-2015 at 12:01 PM..
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Update: Absolutely Positively Final ADR List...maybe?? With slightly disappointed musings about MK EMH
Sunday, 12/20
Was nothing brunchy initially, then Narcoosee's at almost 11:00 a.m., changed to noon
Although, I'm apprehensive we'll be too stuffed for our 4:00--
Early D--Afternoon Tea
As much as we linger over each meal, I will have to vigorously hike around the GF to be able to do justice to those lovely tea munchies. We aren't ordering as ample ones as we did last year, and I plan to get the assorted pastries as my final course, Drew the English trifle. We can always ask to have those boxed to go which easily could occur.
Monday, 12/21
B--CL Lounge
L--Was Via Napoli, changed to Coral Reef
Yes, I'm sure this will shock our last TR's faithful followers aware that touchy tummy caused me to pass on Via Napoli which Drew thoroughly enjoyed. However, we decided VN would be too tempting for me, because I dearly love good pizza and equally detest gluten-free pizza which I really ought to have. Drew hates g-f pizza more than I do. I know I'll cheat at Afternoon Tea due to g-f pastries being okay but no more than that.
One "being gluten-bad" is all I can handle every couple days, and we can get NY-style pizza nearly as good as VN's pizza right here at home. Another time for Via Napoli. ::::sigh::::
D--Citricos
Tuesday, 12/22
B--Crystal Palace
L--Be Our Guest
D--Tutto Italia
Thursday (Christmas Eve), 12/24
B--Was Captain's Grille, changed to CL lounge
L--The Boathouse
D--Trattoria al Forno
Friday (Christmas Day), 12/25
B--CRT
L--Chefs de France
D--Was Rose & Crown, changed to Yachtsman Steakhouse
Finally, gosh durn Disney anyway for making EVERY morning of our stay EMH in the MK. Yes, I can understand why, but you guys know as well as we that means the MK won't be just about deserted when we get there for our early breakfasts.
But, I dunno. Then again, maybe it won't be as bad as I fear since most people aren't awake and headed anywhere that early in the day. Sure hope our up 'n' at the parks tendency will still work well for us as we were hoping to get breakfast and most of our MKing done before any concern about the MK closing could arise.
Guess we'll play it as it goes and escape as soon as it begins getting insane. Yanno?
__________________
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Plans are looking good and almost there now! You really need this trip now!
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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!
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excited to be going at two weeks from arrival. I felt a wee bit excited upon opening the package containing our MB's. There have been other sparkles here and there, but packing still seems like too much work for no big thrill when I'm usually all excited about starting to do that. 
Update: Absolutely Positively Final ADR List...maybe?? With slightly disappointed musings about MK EMH
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