To Alaska and Beyond! Updated 4/28 x 3 and it's COMPLETE!! - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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We’ll be heading to Little Rock around 7:30 am in order to arrive at the airport in plenty of time.
12:15 flight to Dallas – Fort Worth and then 5:05 flight to Vancouver, arriving 7ish Vancouver time.
Head to hotel and I’m sure grab dinner before turning in.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Kevan and I hope to get up early to tour some of Vancouver, specifically Gastown if possible. We should be able to drag the kids with us but if not I’m okay with letting them sleep in.
Plan to depart the hotel at 11:00 am and head to the port.
Hopefully be on board by 12:00 or 12:30.
Most of the day will be spent exploring, signing Aaron and Matt up for their age group programs, and unpacking- along with the safety drill, sailaway, etc.
Dinner plans are in the main dining room but I may get outvoted on that- hit buffet instead.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Cruising Day so no specific plans because I don’t have the Compass to see what activities are offered. We did think about possibly giving the rock wall a go as well as some mini golf. And of course, lots of gazing for wildlife as we make our way north.
Dinner plans are for Chops Grill for Kevan and I- our anniversary dinner. The boys can either do buffet or go to the kids programs.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Our first port day at Icy Strait Point! We have booked a Marine Mammals Cruise. I am a little nervous about it- hope the boat isn’t so packed we can’t see anything. I understand it’s mostly humpbacks in this area- but I am still holding out hope for orca sightings.
We may try to check out the village of Hoonah after the cruise but that will all depend on what kind of shape we are in after the whale watch. Lunch may be in town as well.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Tracy Arm Fjord- Cruise Passage
We hope to see some amazing things as we make our way towards the other ports. If there are naturalist presentations, we definitely hope to catch them. This is where the balcony should help- we would like to camp out there and up on top decks to observe as we make our way.
Dinner tonight should be main dining- we plan to celebrate Kevan’s 40th at this one.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Skagway, Alaska
Shore excursion will be to a musher’s camp and meet sled dogs. Got fairly good reviews and even though we won’t be in snowy conditions- they have a summer sled we get to try out. The excursion includes a tour led by a musher as well as a chance to see sled dog puppies. After, we plan to get right into town and visit the infamous Red Onion Saloon, have lunch. After that check out the Corrington Museum of Alaskan History and do some shopping.
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Today is going to be packed! Excursion is to Mendenhall Glacier and a tour of the Macauley Salmon Hatchery. It takes up about 3 hours and we only have til about 2:30 until the ship leaves port. Wish there was more time here. We plan to also try to do the Mount Roberts Tramway and visit the Red Dog Saloon for the history buff that is my DH- some interesting memorabilia there.
Tonight at dinner we will be celebrating Aaron’s 16th birthday.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Cruising- Day at Sea
More time to enjoy the ship and I hope to score a deal on a spa treatment if possible. We’ve left our options wide open. In the evening, we will be packing like mad I am sure.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Depart ship and get to the airport by 10:00 am in time for our 12:10 flight to Las Vegas.
Scheduled to arrive in Las Vegas at 2:53, get rental car and check in at Mirage.
If we have enough energy, we plan to head down to the Freemont Street Experience for some sightseeing as well as dinner, possibly Evening plans include touring the strip, especially the fountains at Bellagio, and possibly Madame Taussauds at the Venetian.
Sunday, July 12, 2009 (Happy 36th to me!)
I have to check in for the conference but hope to be back in the room by 10:00 AM.
Tour Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage.
Have lunch and see M&M’s World as well as the NY NY Hotel; and whatever else strikes our fancy.
Tonight I will be seeing LOVE at 7 pm. Just me, myself and I- a nice little treat- me time!
Monday, July 13th, 2009
Leave Mirage around 6:30 am or so. My workshop is from 8:45 to 10:00 am- hoping to be back at Mirage by 11:00. The boys may take a side trip out to Red Rock Canyon while I am gone.
We’ve kept this day open for anything else we didn’t get to or may want to see.
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009
Leave Mirage for airport at 4:30 AM (Yikes!) for our flight to Denver, then on from Denver home to Little Rock. Hopefully home by 5:00 pm.
That just about wraps up this pre trip report! We've got alot planned and the schedule in general- just by way of the trip's length is ambitious. As I write, the suitcases are mostly packed and later today, I will be able to check us in online for our flights. Hard to believe it's finally here.
I will try to post updates and greetings from along the way- I am thinking the best forum to do that would be in the Sunroom- so keep an eye out there; and of course on Facebook. Am planning to get some internet access on board the ship in lieu of the huge international roaming with the iPhone, and then back to the iPhone once in Las Vegas.
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Have a marvelous trip! I'm about the meeting with the musher and seeing LOVE. The rest of it sounds fabulous. Can't wait to read about it all.
Safe travel
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Howdy hey!! We are back and it was an amazing trip I hope you will stick around to read about- hope to get going with installments tomorrow. We had a fabulous time in Alaska and on the ship! See ya soon!
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about the meeting with the musher and seeing LOVE. The rest of it sounds fabulous. Can't wait to read about it all.
ºOº ~*~ 
Lisa 
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