You can find me in da Beach Club -- COMPLETE!! Final Thoughts UPDATE 7/1 - Page 20 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Karen, you really make me wish that both our MGM days had not been marred by illness of the vomiting kind (first me, then the girls). We didn't see ANY characters at the gate, and didn't get to most of the places you did. And to see Mickey in his Sorcerer's hat! We also had to miss Fantastmic due to my illness. Thanks for helping me to enjoy MGM through your eyes (but also for making me a bit jealous!)
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Karen, very enjoyable update as always. I recently was reading one of your old trip reports that was most amusing. So I hope you'll understand when I tell you I was thinking of you at the grocery store this week. There was a new kind of ice cream , HOKEY POKEY! " I laughed out loud and threw some in my cart. Apparently it's not rude here in Canada!
Great update! Sorry Kat fell but I'm glad she was ok. Sorry you had to miss dinner at Le Cellier for Mama Melrose but at least Kat was happy seeing Fantasmic Looking forward to more!
Not being a big fan of tomatoes either, I can say with delight that the Penne Ala Vodka was delish at Mama's. As that's all I've had there (other than a flatbread pizza a few trips ago when I wasn't hungry), I don't have much of an opinion on the food.
But, I have to say that this:
Quote:
Honestly, all the CMs were lovely. Especially when it wasn’t their fault. (It was Steve’s )
...totally cracked me up. I was feeling all worried about Kat and hoping that things were okay and you just slayed me with that comment!!
Great update, Karen! You are a much better parent than I (will be, someday, I suppose )...I would have had to tell a little fib about Mickey cancelling his show, again, in order to secure the filet and soup in Canada.
So sorry about Kat's fall, but glad everyone recovered. Can't wait for more!
glad Kat was not injured in her fall...amazing how calm you and Steve remained- I probably would have passed out and needed medical attention myself!
sorry you had to trade Le Cellier for Mama Melrose but glad Kat was able to see Mickey overcome the villains!
danielle
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
I'm glad Kat is okay. I would have been freaking out!!! I'm not a fan of alot of tomato either. I've wanted to try Mama Melrose, now I'm not really sure I do. Your trip report is fantastic - can't wait for more...
Whew! Glad that Kat was okay - - sounds like quite a tumble. This sort of thing happens to us whenever we venture outside - - drama tends to follow us (in the form of a five-year-old ) Anyway, the CM's were so nice especially since we all know that it was Steve's fault.
We've kept the same DVC rep, but she called us earlier this year to let us know that she had moved to Southern California - - while we had her on the phone we bought more points. Um honey, Susan is on the phone . . . do you want more points? Sure!
And I'm kind of torn on Mama Melrose's. The one time that we ate there is was okay, but the portions were so huge that I was overwhelmed. I remember having the vodka pasta and it was good.
Sorry that you missed Le Cellier, but you guys had a fun night. Oh . . . and the boat thing. If you have read any of my tr, you know of my deep love for that particular boat ride. I recently read a restaurant review and the person mentioned taking the "quick boat ride" from the Boardwalk to MGM.
Congrats on your extra DVC points!!! I was not impressed with Mama Melrose (last time I went there was 1992) and I actually think I got food poisoning from there. Hope Kat enjoyed fantasmic!!!
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Great update, Karen! I don't understand the need to "cover up" a guide's decision to leave the company. People leave jobs, so why wouldn't people leave Disney too? So sorry to hear about Kat's fall, but glad she was able to recover! She really is adorable! the Swalphin comment!! :grin:
What a scary tumble Kat took! I get shaken up like that as well when one of my boys gets hurt, so I understand your feelings on being a bit dazed after that. I would be too!
I've only been to Mama's once and it was okay. I liked the steak with red pepper polenta. We're headed back again so I'll let you know about the tomato sauce on everything. That's how I feel about Tony's. Blech!
I sure am taking notes on your travel tips to and from the Beach Club. I'll remember to walk to MGM if at all possible.
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but I'm glad she was ok. Sorry you had to miss dinner at Le Cellier for Mama Melrose but at least Kat was happy seeing Fantasmic 
Looking forward to more!
)...I would have had to tell a little fib about Mickey cancelling his show, again, in order to secure the filet and soup in Canada. 
I'm not a fan of alot of tomato either. I've wanted to try Mama Melrose, now I'm not really sure I do. Your trip report is fantastic - can't wait for more...
) Anyway, the CM's were so nice especially since we all know that it was Steve's fault.
for that particular boat ride. I recently read a restaurant review and the person mentioned taking the "quick boat ride" from the Boardwalk to MGM. 
the Swalphin comment!! :grin:
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