An Island Frame of Mind (A Cam and Luke PTR) Updated 5/22 - Page 29 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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I would not wait 6 hours to do anything at Disney World (or anywhere else for that matter)! That is quite a waste of precious Disney time!
The train room is coming along nicely! Luke is so creative! Very cool! And I love that you featured the shelf of Stefanie's treasures at the entrance to the room.
Seeing the clever things you've done with your house really makes me want to do something with our three extra bedrooms upstairs. They've been empty since our kids moved out. Though, I guess empty is not a good word since they contain a myriad of odds and ends.
The train room is coming along nicely!! I love Stefanie's bookcase! It makes me tear up looking at all her things. I never met her (or Luke & yourself) but she is definitely missed!!
Wow! Luke did an amazing job on the brackets! Are they metal or plastic?
And I love the Stefanie bookshelf!!! And it's a perfect location.
They are metal, black iron and steel depending on the part.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
I can't believe those waits for Trader Sam's!! But I also think it looks so awesome!
Nice work on the train set up, Luke! And how sweet to retain the shelf of Stefanie's stuff. Lots of happy memories on that!
I love how Disney has retrieved items from extinct attractions to include in the decor. We each picked out the items on Stefanie's bookcase because these are the dearest ones.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
The train room is going to be awesome! I love the themed shelves in Stefanie's bookcase. So many wonderful memories.
Now I need to tackle some of the boxes and bins in here so Luke can have the floor space.
Oh my goodness, those waits are just insane! Looks like it's all going well in the train room.
I was so disappointed when I read the Disney Park Blogs review because I fear the waits will still be long when we go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by B.M.
The room is coming along beautifully! Love the memory shelf of Stephanie!
There's still work to do, but it is coming along quite nicely.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara
6 HOURS?!?!?!? That is pure insanity that anyone would stand in line for 3 hours and then wait just as long again to get in!! The place looks very cool, but wow!
The train room looks amazing and Stefanie's treasure shelves are beautiful and a perfect sweet reminder for you guys.
Tara
That is an insane wait. I fear that it won't be much shorter when we're there in May, but we'll check. Though I do not plan to wait more than 45 minutes or so.
I was telling my husband about Star Wars weekends. So when you do this trip report I am going to show him the pictures. I think he would love going during this time!!
Hopefully, we'll get some really cool Star Wars photos. One year we were in the right place at the right time totally unplanned when a whole bunch of the characters were moving on to the stage. We were so close to them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NanaTink
I can't believe people waited that long JUST TO GET THE PAGER! Then another 3 hours? 6 hours?
Hope it's died down a bit by the time we go in November...
The train room looks AWESOME!! Luke has done a fantastic job with that! We have a grocery store here that has two trains running along the ceiling. My grandson is mesmerized
The article mentioned that the Disneyland Trader Sam's is notorious for long waits and Disney is hoping the WDW version becomes just as popular.
Luke is quite talented in his construction ideas. The Train Room is looking great. I love Stefanie's bookshelf with the themed shelves. So sweet.
Luke just keeps amazing me with the ideas he comes up with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DMA
I would not wait 6 hours to do anything at Disney World (or anywhere else for that matter)! That is quite a waste of precious Disney time!
The train room is coming along nicely! Luke is so creative! Very cool! And I love that you featured the shelf of Stefanie's treasures at the entrance to the room.
Seeing the clever things you've done with your house really makes me want to do something with our three extra bedrooms upstairs. They've been empty since our kids moved out. Though, I guess empty is not a good word since they contain a myriad of odds and ends.
Originally, Luke intended to build his train layout in our bonus room over the garage, but he has overwhelmed that area with his Batman collection.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilsEagles08
The train room is coming along nicely!! I love Stefanie's bookcase! It makes me tear up looking at all her things. I never met her (or Luke & yourself) but she is definitely missed!!
Thank you for your sweet words! I've been missing Stefanie a lot the past week or so. The 21st will mark 3 years since I've been able to hug my little princess.
Thank you for your sweet words! I've been missing Stefanie a lot the past week or so. The 21st will mark 3 years since I've been able to hug my little princess.
You and Luke are always in my thoughts at this time of year, Cam.
I just cannot imagine being in line for 6 hours for anything. There is just to much to do. That would be something to look forward to on our next trip. What a very awesome idea Luke has with his train room. It all looks great. Love the memory shelf too.
I have gotten so far behind in your PTR. I am catching up slowly and really enjoying it! First, Luke's train room looks so great! My Dad was such a huge train buff and he would have been so proud to have a room like this to go in and "work" on his trains. He may never have left it.
I really hope you guys get to experience Trader Sam's. On our last trip to DL, we stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and went to the Trader Sam's a couple of times. It is a blast there! The first time we got lucky and walked right in and found a seat, but the next time we had to wait and wait for a seat. I remember that we could sit outside sooner, but all of the fun happens inside. That is something I am most looking forward to on our next race trip out there in the Fall.
Luke's train room looks really nice. I'm glad you kept Stefanie's bookcase.
We have a train wall in our family room. It's nothing like that.
I can't ever imagine waiting 6 hours for anything at Disney or anywhere else for that matter.
I've been to Star Wars weekend once back in 2006. My daughter and husband usually go but this year she got a new job and they're buying a house so no Star Wars weekend this year. They didn't renew they annual passes either.
Liz
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Star Wars Weekends sound like a lot of fun. I can't wait to hear what you think about Trader Sam's. I've been hearing really good things about it.
Luke's train room is really coming along great! I think you picked the perfect location for Stefanie's bookcase. I love that picture of Stefanie and Chip (at least I think its Chip)
You and Luke are always in my thoughts at this time of year, Cam.
Thank you so much, Laurie! Sometimes we just miss her. But making ways to remember her do help so much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
Wow, Luke did an amazing job! How creative!
Love Stefanie's bookcase! A great way to remember her by.
We both agreed from the beginning of the room transformation that we wanted to keep a bit of her there. The lamp on top was never off as she didn't like the dark at all. It is still on 24/7/365.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roxie2006
I just cannot imagine being in line for 6 hours for anything. There is just to much to do. That would be something to look forward to on our next trip. What a very awesome idea Luke has with his train room. It all looks great. Love the memory shelf too.
I wouldn't nor do I think I could wait for 6 hours. As you've said there is just too much else to do. Luke is expecting additional track to arrive tomorrow, so he can actually set the train up on the shelves.
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And it's a perfect location.
Looks like it's all going well in the train room. 
There's still work to do, but it is coming along quite nicely. 
That is pure insanity that anyone would stand in line for 3 hours and then wait just as long again to get in!! The place looks very cool, but wow!
. There is just to much to do. That would be something to look forward to on our next trip.
What a very awesome idea Luke has with his train room. It all looks great. Love the memory shelf too.
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