The Trip of a Lifetime to Alaska – Land and Sea – Trip Report - COMLETE!! 4/13/12 - Page 3 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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What an undertaking! You have some awesome plans, your massive research looks like it will pay off! What a deal on the rental car! Y'all have lots of fun and interesting things planned.
I like Alexa's choice for the Husky Homestead Tour. Hope y'all get some pics of the pups. Huskies are beautiful dogs.
Thanks for including all the links. Doubt we will be visiting Alaska anytime soon so I can't wait to read more and see pictures!!
Marnie you plans look amazing, and I cannot even imagine all the research and hours it took you to pull this all together. I love how much you are doing besides the cruise - I am so excited for all of you, I think there is something for everyone on this trip.
I was so excited to see that you were doing a TR for your Alaska trip Your plans sound awesome but somewhat overwhelming to me! I give you a lot of credit planning this trip by yourself It seems like you found some really good websites to help in the planning. I'm looking forward to reading your TR upon your return. Alaska is a trip my DH and I hope to do sometime in the future.
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Marnie - your plans look amazing!! I went to Seward in 2009 when I was in AK for work (got to meet w/Jen too!!) and also hiked to Exit Glacier - here is some video from that hike.
Ol I am so glad to see that you have started a PTR! I have wanted to go on an Alaskan Cruise and do the whale watch, I just think that would be the coolest thing! Yalls plans look great! Please take lots and lots of pics! I am so excited for yall, this trip is goin to be AMAZIN!
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Me and Cole in the Sears Tower Skydeck, 103 floors up, in a glass box hanging off the side!
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Holy smokes Marnie, you've done some serious planning for this trip, it's sure to be amazing!! I'm so excited to find your TR, I don't read too many, but I noticed your countdown and have been hoping you'd do a report! Alaska is on our bucket list too, so I can't wait to hear all about it as well as what you think of Radiance of the Seas. We sailed on a RC ship last year and loved it, however we've never been on a Disney cruise so I didn't have any comparison. Not much longer now, I hope you have the time of your life on the Trip of a Lifetime!!
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
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Just discovered this TR (well, PTR as of right now!). Alaska has always been a dream of mine. My bio-dad (don't know him) was born in Alaska and is 100% Inuit, so I've always wanted to experience that aspect of my heritage.
Your plans sound amazing! I hope you have a great trip!
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Oh boy, do I know that feeling of coming home exhausted and broke... 
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Your plans sound awesome but somewhat overwhelming to me! I give you a lot of credit planning this trip by yourself
Andrea
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