"What an idea.....A mad, crazy, wonderful idea." -- A May '14 PTR! - Page 2 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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[As I write this it is STILL. SNOWING. ...... We got nearly a foot by 9:00 last night. And it's not done. Oh May Disney trip, how I long for your arrival....!!!! ]
And now back to your regularly scheduled PTR.
::ahem: Animal Kingdom Lodge......
I mean, really.....can it get any better?! (well, sure it can if you're not into that theming or the distance from everything but AK, but I digress.... ). I have a love affair going with AKL. It's the first and only Deluxe resort I've stayed at, and I'm sure that has something to do with it. But I really do love everything about it.
I love that when you approach the front door to the lobby, a CM with a beaming smile says “Welcome home!”.....I love the grand expanse of the lobby, the warm, rich tones in the décor, the huge window which seems to bring the savannah right into your space....I love to just sit and listen to the BGM tracks.....I love the lush tropical feel to the pool area, and the little deluxe touches like the stream that runs along side the back of the building near the pool. And it all comes together to transport me into a dreamland all my own.
The first time I stayed at AKL was in 2011 when I was in the World for the Princess Half Marathon weekend. And on that trip I also stayed with Tink, who was staying in a studio villa at AKL. We scored a savannah view (!!), and I can still remember sitting on the balcony with my morning coffee, watching the animals start their day, and thinking “This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal.....enjoy every second.” Lo and behold, I have been blessed and gifted with a second opportunity! I doubt there will be a savannah view this time, but I don't care! Heck even the roof of AKL is still a treat, because it's at AKL.
Since the '11 trip was mainly for the road race, it was fairly rushed and we didn't spend too much time at the resort. Not this time. And since the AKL portion of my stay is the longer one (4 nights here vs. 2 nights at POFQ), I intend to do everything. Or, as close as I can come to everything. First on my list is to use the pool and hot tub..... ::sigh:: And enjoy another adult beverage at the pool bar. I want to sit around the fire pit at night. I want to explore more of the African displays throughout the interior and generally take about a bazillion pictures for my scrapbook.
Something new I'm trying this time is breakfast at Boma. I've had dinner there twice, and I'm looking forward to trying a new meal. I sheepishly admit that food is a large part of my Disney trip planning (and there will be chapters devoted exclusively to the subject.... ). But hey, I get to eat meals at WDW that I otherwise would never treat myself to, and who doesn't enjoy that.
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AKL sounds wonderful! Our only resort experience has been value resorts, so we are pretty excited about our upcoming stay at POR! We plan to explore some of the resorts this trip & we have a lunch ADR at Sanaa!
I fell in with AKL on our 2003 trip when we booked a standard room and were upgraded to a savanna view, and now through DVC we own a piece of it. Hope you get to do everything there you want.
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Just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who's tuned in and commented (and if there are any lurkers, thanks for reading!).
There will be a brief hiatus for a couple of weeks -- I'll be out of town for a bit and the next chapter on food will require some extra planning on my part! I hope to be back early March, as we approach the 60-day mark (!!!!) and look forward to all those NOM-tastic delights found in WDW food.
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Hopefully what ever is keeping you away is a good thing!! And possibly fun!
We'll be here when you get back!
Thank you!....I am actually going to be in Florida, but not for Disney. Better, though -- spending some time with my dad. We're very close and I try to get down there to visit as often as I can swing it.
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). I have a love affair going with AKL. It's the first and only Deluxe resort I've stayed at, and I'm sure that has something to do with it. But I really do love everything about it. 
First on my list is to use the pool and hot tub..... ::sigh:: And enjoy another adult beverage at the pool bar. I want to sit around the fire pit at night. I want to explore more of the African displays throughout the interior and generally take about a bazillion pictures for my scrapbook. 
). But hey, I get to eat meals at WDW that I otherwise would never treat myself to, and who doesn't enjoy that. 
PassPorter Guide Author
Hope you get to do everything there you want.
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
I hope to be back early March, as we approach the 60-day mark (!!!!) and look forward to all those NOM-tastic delights found in WDW food.
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