Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
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02-05-2006, 05:13 PM
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#16
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Faith, Trust, Pixie Dust
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Sasquatch Territory, Pacific Northwest
Concierge Level: 8
Posts: 17,166
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Pre-Trip Part Two
Sounds like you are all set. Now all that's left is waiting!
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02-11-2006, 01:15 PM
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#17
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Community Rank: Traveler 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 380
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Pre-Trip Part Two
Hang in there Dawn!
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02-19-2006, 12:36 AM
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#18
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But why is the rum gone?
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Needville, Texas
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 12,286
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Pre-Trip Part Two
Great start Dawn! I am glad you got your hotel booked! I can't wait to hear all about it!
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02-19-2006, 01:23 PM
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#19
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Southern Indiana
Posts: 9,239
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Pre-Trip Part Two
Hey Dawn - I FINALLY got to get all caught up! Boy I bet you're counting down now!! LOL Have a GREAT trip - and catch me all up on it the next time we meet for dinner!!
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02-26-2006, 01:59 PM
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#20
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Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: NC
Posts: 3,536
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Pre-Trip Part Two
Great start, can't wait to see how it went.
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03-02-2006, 11:27 AM
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#21
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 18,767
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Our Adventure Begins
[b]Day 1, Part 1: Our Adventure Begins
<font color="navy">4:16AM comes way too early but after one snooze, Chuck and I are up and moving around. We had spent Monday finishing up all of our errands like taking Ana to the vet and then to the kennel, (Ana wasn’t too happy with her humans to say the least.), going to the bank to get some much needed moola, and picking up a few final things. We both grab showers and finish packing up the toiletries. Before we know it, we are packing the car and making one last run through the townhouse. We lock the doors and make our way over to the in-laws as that is where the car is picking us up. Chuck, who is not a morning person, is need of a caffeine fix so we make a stop at our local Speedway and grab a drink. We made it to the in-laws by 5:10AM.
As we are walking up to the door, Chuck asks if I want to make a bet. I start to laugh because we both know that Judy and Allan are known for not being ready. I tell him that I have faith they will be ready as we called them three times the night before to make sure they were packed. Judy lets us in, and they have all of their bags in the living room. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thewave.gif[/img] Allan had taken care of the transportation to the airport as he told us “he knew a man with connections”. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] Okay then…Allan gets the call that he is five minutes away so we take their 3 suitcases and two carry-ons outside. Chuck unloads his car and sets our luggage next to theirs. Now…I look to see a mini-van come up to the 4 way stop and then it stalls. I don’t pay much attention at first and then it pulls up in front of the house. Oh boy!! Gotta love these “connections”. He loads up the back of the van and we all climb in. Luckily, we do not stall on the 20 minute drive to the airport.
Since we checked in online and printed off our boarding passes the day before, we check in our bags. Now as we are walking to security, I tell Judy and Chuck that they have to take out the laptop and put it in a separate bin (learned this on my trip in Dec). Chuck and I get through security without any issues but Judy and Allan seem to be lagging behind. I am on a bench putting my shoes back on when I notice Judy and Allan bickering about something. They finally make it over to the bench and then Allan goes running back to security and picks up a carry-on bag he left over there. Judy is not happy and Chuck and I are trying to keep a straight face. Everyone is calm by the time we reach the gate and we have about 20 minutes before they will start boarding.
We are flying Southwest so we have the A, B, C group boarding. We are in the “A” group but aren’t rushing to get in line. We see some people that were in the “B” group that are screaming at a janitor because he slightly moved one of their suitcases to empty a trash can. These are definitely some wired screaming people. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img] Chuck tells me to quit staring but I am appalled. One guy flips me off, and out of natural reaction, I return the favor. That gets me one swift slap across my leg from Chuck. Luckily, they start boarding and that’s the last I see of them. Chuck and I find a row and leave the seat in between us empty in hopes that it wasn’t a full flight. Allan and Judy do the same thing in the row behind us. I pull our books out and the MP3 player and get ready for the four hour and 20 minute flight into Phoenix. We are lucky and are able to keep the seat in between us empty so it will be a comfortable flight.
The flight itself is uneventful. We get our snack box and drinks. Judy tries to talk me into getting an adult beverage but I decline as I thought 8:00AM was a little early. I actually finish my book about 2 hours into the flight and decide that it’s time to watch a movie. I pull out the laptop and put in Lion King. Why did I choose Lion King? Well, the length of the movie is the length of my battery life. I am barely 20 minutes into the movie before I am out for the count. Next thing I know, Chuck is telling me to put my laptop up as we are beginning our decent. I put everything the laptop away and decide to pull out my camera. It’s time to take my first pictures from the airplane. Naturally I take one of Chuck first. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
Now I thought we had a non-stop flight when I started writing the trip report but it turns out we stop in Phoenix both ways. Not a big deal. We do have a 2 hour layover but that meant a much needed smoke break for Judy and Chuck. We find a bar. Now 8:00AM was too early for a drink but 10:45AM…nope. I order an amaretto sour, Chuck gets a beer, and Judy gets a rum and Coke. We finish our drinks, and the other two have had their nicotine dose. We decide to grab something small at Wendy’s and head over to the gate to eat. We board around noon and luck out and get the free seat in between again. Judy and Allan aren’t as lucky. This is only a 50 minute flight so I just read the in flight magazine and Sky Mall. Why is it some of the stuff in the Sky Mall looks so interesting up at 20,000 feet but you would never think of buying it otherwise? [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] I did grab one more picture in flight using my black and white setting on my camera.
We land without any problems and head straight to baggage claim. My first opinion of Ontario airport is that is small, efficient and very clean. It’s very easy to navigate. As the men are getting the bags, Judy and I step outside with all the carry-ons so I can call the shuttle service. I am using Express Shuttle and they find my reservation and tell me to check in with the transportation woman across the street and she will call our charter van. The men join us and we cross the street with bags in tow and she tells us it will be about five minutes.</font>
View from Shuttle Waiting Area
<font color="navy">True to her word, our shuttle arrives and the driver loads all of our bags. We climb in, and he verifies where we are going. We settle into our seats and off we go. We are just chatting away when I notice that the driver keeps talking into his phone and pulling out maps from every direction trying to help another driver. My first thrill ride in California begins. We are in the carpool lane going about 80 MPH. Normally, this would not bother me as I have a lead foot. Unfortunately, our driver is not paying attention to the road at all. His head is in a map with one hand occupied by the phone. We keep inching closer and closer to the inside barrier wall. At this point, my eyes are being covered and my head is down. Chuck is about to say something when the driver says, “Oh crap…I missed your exit.” I bust out laughing at this point. We eventually get turned around and we finally make it to Portofino Inns and Suites. I resist the urge to kiss the ground as I exit the van. I settle the bill, and Chuck insists that I still tip the guy a little something. I must admit that I did not do a whole lot of researching when it came to the shuttles but the Ontario Airport website recommended them. Next time, more research will be done or we will rent a car. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img]
We gather our belongings and head in to check-in. It’s about 1:30PM and we are able to get our rooms immediately. We head to our rooms and walk-in and I see two double beds. Our reservation clearly states a King for both of us and a smoking room for Judy. We head back to the front desk, and within 5 minutes, we are given new room keys and directed to the tower across the way. Judy and Allan are on the 2nd floor, and Chuck and I are on the 5th floor. We separate and agree to call in about 30 minutes with our plans for the rest of the day.
We are pleasantly surprised at our accommodations when we walk in. I’ll let the pictures tell the rest about our room.
 
 
After bathroom breaks for both of us, Chuck plops down on the couch and turns on the TV. I begin unpacking and get our suitcases out of the way. I call Judy and we decide to take a nap and meet up around 4:00 to head toward DTD. I finally take the time and look out our big window. I snap a couple of pictures as I can see parts of DCA from our hotel.</font>
See the back of the Tower of Terror
See the Sun Wheel and Mailboomer
<font color="navy">Now Chuck crashes in a matter of minutes. I think he fell asleep before I finished unpacking. I know at some point I was talking to myself. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] I, on the other hand, am wired. I watch some TV and then freshen up. I get Chuck moving again and we are downstairs waiting on Allan and Judy a little before 4:00.</font>
Coming Up: Doing a little shopping, a little eating, and a little drinking in DTD. |
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03-02-2006, 12:30 PM
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#22
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But why is the rum gone?
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Needville, Texas
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 12,286
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Our Adventure Begins
Great start to the trip Dawn!!! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img] I busted out laughing at you laughing at the driver.
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03-02-2006, 12:41 PM
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#23
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Community Rank: Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Posts: 27,691
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Our Adventure Begins
yay!! I have been waiting for this report, Dawn. I cannot wait to read more!!
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03-02-2006, 12:53 PM
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#24
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Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ohio Football Hall Of Fame
Posts: 42,304
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Our Adventure Begins
I lept checking back to see if you had made an update yet and was so excited to see that you had started your report!!!!!! Sounds like some really weird people flying out that day, nothing like flip of the bird to get the adrenaline flowing. Your hotel looks beautiful!! Can't wait to read more!!
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03-02-2006, 12:55 PM
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#25
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RED SOX NATION!!
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Our Adventure Begins
Great start Dawn [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] More please [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
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03-02-2006, 02:32 PM
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#26
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Community Rank: Jetsetter 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: San Mateo, CA
Posts: 2,490
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Our Adventure Begins
Even though I know some of the story, I can't wait to hear about your reaction to Disneyland for the first time! Honey, you DON'T want to rent a car the next time you go. I actually think the driver only doing two things while driving (reading a map and talking on a cell phone) is good for So Cal. Usually, the other car drivers will be reading a book, talking on a cellphone, eating, applying make-up or fixing a tie, and turning around to discipline the kids while changing lanes at 85 mph. They're CRAZY down there. All the sane Californians live in Northern California, don't you know? [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Seriously, can't wait for more!
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03-02-2006, 03:16 PM
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#27
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: second star to the right
Posts: 13,308
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Our Adventure Begins
I can't beleive you flipped some one off - obscene finger gestures from such a pristine young lady!!
Great update - can't wait for more.
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03-02-2006, 05:34 PM
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#28
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Community Rank: Globetrotter
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: California
Posts: 3,878
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Our Adventure Begins
Great start! I was not impressed with the way SW does their seating on our recent trip. The lines were [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] for us. I also loved you story about your drive [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img]
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03-02-2006, 07:07 PM
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#29
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Illinois
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 9,564
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Our Adventure Begins
Can't wait to hear all about this trip!! I want so BAD to go someday!!!
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03-03-2006, 01:51 AM
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#30
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PassPorter Message Board Manager
 PassPorter Guide Author
Community Rank: Legend VIP 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285
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Re: Heading West to the \"Original\": Our Adventure Begins
Wow - that was a thrill ride you experienced from the airport! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/jawdrop.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img] I'm glad you made it safely and your room looks great. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
More please! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img]
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