Are you the sole planner ....................... - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Re: Are you the sole planner .......................
Now that my children are grown, we plan jointly, but how we do that changes from trip to trip. We are staying at SOG this time, so my youngest daughter made the reservations (she's the one in the military) and her own travel arrangements. I've made the travel arrangements for the rest of us and PS arrangements. Two years ago my sister's family was at WDW the same time we were and she made arrangements for a family get together. We will be there again at the same time, so this year it's my turn to plan the get together.
As for what parks we visit on what days, we usually plan that after we are there. Usually we agree, but sometimes we split up. We don't want anyone to feel they have to do something.
Re: Are you the sole planner .......................
I love be the "planner" for the vacation. My boyfriend gives me his input which is mostly, "doesn't matter to me" and I do my best to book restaurants, tours, etc. I really find it to be a lot of fun
------------------ Stongette
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Comic Sans MS, Arial">quote:</font><HR>"I Only Hope That We Never Lose Sight Of One Thing - That It Was All Started By A Mouse."
--Walt Disney <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Re: Are you the sole planner .......................
I do most myself, but DD helps me pick out her favorite restaurants & rides. This year we have friends going that have never been, so I typed a 10 page itinerary for them including pictures, menus, rides early entry days, and even wake up/bed times. Then brought it to Staples and had it bound for about $2.50! It looked soooo professional!
I had them over for a "Disney Night", after dinner I gave it to them & they loved it. But the best reaction I got from all the planning I did was when the 13yr. old boy said: "When Do We Sleep?"
My answer-When You Get Home! LOL
***********************
Have a "Hunny" of a Day!
Re: Are you the sole planner .......................
Yes, I do the majority of the legwork and planning for our vacation. But for me that is part of the fun and my family and friends think I'm obsessed. However, I do require input from everyone going on that particular trip (I don't want to be held responsible for any missed attractions or such) This trip in October we actually have monthly meetings with the other family and the get "homework" (last month everyone had to pick a restuarant they want to go to...even the 3yr old and 7yr old got involved...I picked my sons, he's only 11months old; this month everyone has to pick an attraction from each of the four major parks).
Re: Are you the sole planner .......................
Hi!
Since I am a travel agent wannie be....... I do all the travel plannning for my husband and myself!
This trip I did make him look at the restaurants I choose and showed him the menus to make sure he was ok with them! He just says" Honey...you know what I like to eat so whatever you choose......but to play it safe I had him look at them!
This trip we are going with my inlaws.....sil, bil, mil and 3 kiddies!
We are on site, they are off and I tried to include them in the planning but all I got was(from my totally controlling bil was.....no planning, this is my vacation and we will "wing it" LOL! This will be something to see!
I, on the other hand, have booked all of our PS....I even got Cindy's castle for bkfst one am...and included the kids but was told"they may or may not make it there!
oh well.......at least with my handy PassPorter and all the tips from here and other forums.....WE are all set!
DH is so used to me doing all the planning....we have never gone wrong once!
Well....one time in Bermuda....he did go on strike one day and say" that is it....no more sight seeing for today......so we hung at the pool and had room service for all 3 meals! LOL! now that was no sacarfice!
Sorry to ramble!
Mrs B Potts
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[This message has been edited by Mrs B Potts (edited 03-24-2000).]
Re: Are you the sole planner .......................
Our first three trips when we stayed onsite were done by my wife. But, she would just call a travel agent and have it all done with just one phone call. Then came the internet....and I took over. I do get input first on which resort and any priority seatings first. I do everything ala cart; resort, admission tickets, flights and rental car. We have managed to lower our costs to where we now can afford two trips to the World per year now for not much more than we paid for one trip.
Don L.
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OS 4/90, BC 2/95, WL 1/97, Contemp 1/98 & 1/99, Poly 12/99, DxL 2/00
Re: Are you the sole planner .......................
I am the "official researcher". I started checking out several boards a month ago and now I'm hooked. We are going in November. DH doesn't want to hear anything until August. We will have a family meeting and lay out the itinerary before school starts.
Re: Are you the sole planner .......................
Sogger1 you don't have to wait until August with us! We would love to hear your plans!
Isn't it great that there are Disney related boards available for us (slightly excited,non-obsessive planners ) I think without them we could really drive people nuts!
Somedays I think my husband has mentally considered purchasing a oneway plane ticket to Orlando for me when I start talking about WDW..... maybe I should keep it up!
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Take Care & "Remember the Magic!"
debe-nj
Re: Are you the sole planner .......................
I used to be the only planner, but the last two years my 9 year old daughter has been doing some planning. She takes out all the guides and writes down an itinerary for us to review.
Re: Are you the sole planner .......................
Looks like a good many of us are the sole planners! (makes it easier to see and do what we like ) Those of you that have help with your planning can really have some fun times getting together as a group to plan.
Jim (Zeolifamily), that is fantastic that your daughter is very involved in your trip planning at that young age! She is actually learning (reading,writing & in setting up schedules) while doing something FUN!
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Take Care & "Remember the Magic!"
debe-nj
Re: Are you the sole planner .......................
I sure am. I ask everyone who is going is there is anything in particular that is a must see or a restaurant/show that is a must do. Once I gather that information, I plan out the schedule from there. Usually when I go it's my kids and I and my father who have all been there numerous times. However, as once before, my sister from Salt Lake and her children are flying to meet us there for my niece's college graduation (Summa Cum Laude). Anyway, since there will be 7 of us, the boys and my father usually do one room and the girls the other. I make up a poster for the week and hang it up so everyone knows what park, etc. we are headed to and what to bring (swim gear vs. dress up). That way I save phone calls in the morning when everyone is trying to get started.
Re: Are you the sole planner .......................
Like most of us here, I am the primary planner for our WDW trips. I must say I enjoy the planning and researching almost (note I said almost!) as much as the trip itself. I feel like I'm on a quest to get the most vacation for our $$. I love to pass on $$ saving advice to friends that are planning trips. There is someone at work even more obsessed than me. She has a daughter who was a cast member, so she gets GREAT deals on rooms and tickets enabling her to go to WDW 2-3 times a year. We call her the Disney queen. I am the Disney princess (queen in training!). Once I have "what parks, what days" nailed down, I do talk to my DH and DS to get their opinions on restaurants and other non-park things (Disney Quest, Cirque du Soleil, etc). If I could quit my job and become a Disney travel agent....oh to dream!
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