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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Tracy ou two will LOVE HDDR jokes are corny but even after seeing it so many times we still laugh . Congrats on 2 cruises
Chuck Just a friendly reminder of lesson NUMBER ONE from "The Official Handbook for HUSBANDS" The most IMPORTANT thing you can ever tell your wife is YES DEAR or YOU ARE RIGHT DEAR. Failure on your part can and will result in another round of her favorite game " Guess Why I am Peeved NOW!!!!" And we allways lose that one
What a scare for Chuck but glad he is doing so much better now! This trip will feel even better now, once it get here. The King bedrooms at POR are very nice and try to get one when I can as there is one less bed in the room and make it that much more spacious. Plus they are corner rooms and there is an extra window. You will love QVR at V&A's as it's an unbelievable dining experience!
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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!
So glad to hear things are mostly back to normal and I'm personally loving your food porn on FB Our trips would have just overlapped had I not bailed on WDW for a Med Cruise! Maybe one of these years we will finally meet!
So glad that you are getting to go to WDW & the cruise even if it was such a long time in coming. What a great way to celebrate Chucks recovery (even if there are some hiccups in it) and your anniversary. You should Book It - You Made It Through!
You two really deserve your upcoming trips. I am glad that things are going better and that you have wonderful adventures to come. I am so jealous of the back to back cruises!!
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Waiting for our next adventure after enjoying our Alaska cruise. Jenn
Even though I feel I have followed everything on Chuck's health since last winter, I was still anxious as I read. I'm truly glad he is doing better and the little scare this week could be fix with changing meds. Continuing for both of you! Now I definitely have to see you all again as you both describe hugs! :grouphugs:
Thanks Cam! Hugs always help!
Quote:
Originally Posted by benchley
What a torrid time you've both had. The good times ahead will seem even sweeter for coming after months of,difficulty.
It will! We are definitely looking forward to it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by NanaTink
I usually just read without comment...but wow, the two of you have been through the ringer! I can relate to the hospital fears and wanting answers...Sully had a heart attack Christmas night 2004. I was never so scared in my life!
You will love the QVR...we did it for our 30th anniversary. Magical!
Thanks! We are really looking forward to it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great start Tracy! You both certainly need this trip!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeL
Tracy ou two will LOVE HDDR jokes are corny but even after seeing it so many times we still laugh . Congrats on 2 cruises
Chuck Just a friendly reminder of lesson NUMBER ONE from "The Official Handbook for HUSBANDS" The most IMPORTANT thing you can ever tell your wife is YES DEAR or YOU ARE RIGHT DEAR. Failure on your part can and will result in another round of her favorite game " Guess Why I am Peeved NOW!!!!" And we allways lose that one
We've been once before - but it's been about 5 years. Well, we've made it to 20 years so I guess he's got the handbook memorized by now!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperDave
What a scare for Chuck but glad he is doing so much better now! This trip will feel even better now, once it get here. The King bedrooms at POR are very nice and try to get one when I can as there is one less bed in the room and make it that much more spacious. Plus they are corner rooms and there is an extra window. You will love QVR at V&A's as it's an unbelievable dining experience!
Thanks! We are really looking forward to this trip!
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
I remember a lot of posts about all of Chuck's health issues on FB. Both of you definitely deserve this vacation!
Thanks! Yeah - those of you who follow me on fb get to "re-hear" this saga.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xwewhisper
So glad to hear things are mostly back to normal and I'm personally loving your food porn on FB Our trips would have just overlapped had I not bailed on WDW for a Med Cruise! Maybe one of these years we will finally meet!
Well, I can't blame you for bailing for a Med Cruise! That looks like it would be so much fun! We will meet! It will be in the cards - I'm sure!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SharonK0527
Glad Chuck is doing so much better! What a time you two have had
Thanks Sharon. We managed to land on our feet!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cattailmarsh
So glad that you are getting to go to WDW & the cruise even if it was such a long time in coming. What a great way to celebrate Chucks recovery (even if there are some hiccups in it) and your anniversary. You should Book It - You Made It Through!
The cruise isn't for another year (June 2017) but it gives us another trip to look forward to - even after our trip this Sept! While it's still a process, we are making it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by manticorjenn
You two really deserve your upcoming trips. I am glad that things are going better and that you have wonderful adventures to come. I am so jealous of the back to back cruises!!
Thanks! We won't be cruising until June 2017 - but I'm really looking forward to that one too!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Today countdown day #100 so you know what that means . . . . . .
We are officially in double digits tomorrow!
So here is The Plan
The way my work schedule is - I will be off Friday 9/16 through Monday 9/19, then I work Tuesday 9/20 then I'm on vacation until Tuesday Oct 4. So I will have some extra "home time" before and after our trip! Prior to our trip, I don't plan on going crazy with food prep for the kids (who will be house/animal sitting) as I usually do. Maybe just some cookies and one of their favorite dishes - then give them pizza money. Our trip isn't as long as we have done in the past. Then when we get home, I will have time to unpack and clean and make up to the fur babies before having to head back to work.
Saturday 9/24 - Flight at 12:15 pm this brings us into Orlando at 2:52 pm. We normally try to go a little earlier but this way we don't have to rush. We always stop at Nathan's for a hot dog on our way out of the airport. Then we will make our way down to Magical Express. Hopefully, our room will be ready. Then we can settle in and hit the pool before our 8:30 dinner at HDDR!
Sunday 9/25 - Morning, plan for AK with leaving close to noon to hit DTD (just can't call it Disney Springs yet) where we hope to get Chuck a shave at "The Art of Shaving" (I'm going to try to schedule that beforehand). Then head back to the resort for a quick swim and get ready for V&A's! We need to be at Grand Floridian at 5 pm and since we will be sporting our fine duds, we may just splurge for a taxi. We have been burned with trying to get to a reservation and it taking 90+ minutes on Disney transportation.
Monday 9/26 - A park day (we still haven't figured out which but probably MK) we almost always come back for pool/hot tub time and then Narcoossee's at 7:30 for dinner.
Tuesday 9/27 - We have a lunch at DTD - Bongos at 1:15 pm. So we may get up early and do a half day (like at Studios) then go back to the resort, swim and head out to a different park (hopefully AK) for the evening. Or we could just sleep in, hit the pool before going downtown and then off to a park after lunch. For the evening, we would like to try to get DVC party tickets for the AK party. This would be the only day we could do it.
Wednesday 9/28 - We have no reservations for this day. So I'm thinking we may be eating our way around the world. F&WF! Epcot!
Thursday 9/29 - We have lunch reservation at Splitsville for 12:55pm so this may be a repeat of Tuesday.
Friday 9/30 - Our final park day. We will figure out which one(s) we want to see again before we go. Dinner at Morimoto's Asia in DTD at 7:45 pm. We will probably walk around a bit and maybe hit Ghirardelli's before heading back to the resort.
Saturday 10/1 - Our flight home isn't until 5:40 pm so our Tragical Express probably will pick us up around 2:30pm. We will probably just head to DTD to get some treats to bring home and maybe lunch. I'm thinking a sandwich from Earl would be good for a treat on the plane maybe. Landing around 8:15pm means we will be home by 9pm-ish.
Our touring style has always been a bit laid back but I think that this trip may be even more so due to health and stamina. But that's ok. It is vacation.
Up next - Double digit dancing - more of the everyday life (aka -biding time)
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.