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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I would have been so upset if I had fallen because of something I asked DH to do...MEN! Anyway, at least you weren't rushing around so that was a good thing, and I totally agree that there's something about grandparents that can change a child's mood from bad too good.
I was upset about falling. On the inside I was: But on the outside I kept it as I didn't want to start the vacation out with everyone crabby. And the grandparents are like magic. Instant good moods. Maybe when the kids are throwing little fits they should just go live with their grandparents for a while...
Quote:
Originally Posted by lexiemom
Sorry about your knee! I hope it didn't bother you while on vacation. Otherwise it sounds like everything is going smoothly.
The knee thing was a bummer, but everything else went well so I can't complain too much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great update!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by sparks74
Great start to the trip! Except your knee...hope it was okay! Can't wait to read more.
There's always something that doesn't go quite the way you plan. Thanks for reading!
Quote:
Originally Posted by shnewell
Glad your morning went pretty smoothly, well, except for the knee thing! I hope it didn't cause any trouble for the rest of your trip!
It was a nice relaxed paced morning. Not typical for me right before leaving.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Sorry about your knee! Not a good way to kick off your trip!
No it wasn't the best thing that could happen, but it wasn't the worst either. We were all healthy so I can't really complain too much about it.
Day 1 – Part 2 – We make it into the Disney bubble!
Day 1 – Part 2 – We make it into the Disney bubble! January 28th, 2012
Once at the airport we debated curbside checking our bags or schlepping them and a toddler to baggage check. As appealing as curbside check was I had left my winter coat in the car as I didn’t want it on the plane and it was a little chilly this morning. Cameron would have been fine as he did have his winter coat, but I was whining about being cold and there was another family checking their bags so I knew we would have to wait. Inside we went.
I believe Nate’s parents called us as soon as we got inside the airport. They were already there and met us at the baggage check. We quickly checked our bags and headed towards the security check. I had been nervous about getting through security with a toddler as I hate going through security without a toddler. We were lucky though as there was no line at all. Cameron sat pretty well in his stroller while we got all our belts and shoes and whatnot off. Then we folded the stroller which they said to put on the belt even though I knew it wouldn’t fit. It didn’t fit so they set it aside to be hand checked. We walked through the scanner thing and then had to juggle all our crap and a toddler while waiting and waiting and waiting for our stroller. Can’t the security team see the parents struggling with a kid and all this crap? Don’t they know that the bottom basket in the stroller is critical for juggling the small child and said crap? If they do they don’t care. It was a bit challenging getting our shoes on and all our liquids and such put back in our bags, but with 4 adults we managed. Finally when we were finished we got our stroller back.
Once we made it through security we headed off to find our gate and get some lunch. We got a call from Breanna letting us know that she was in the security line. Jean wanted us to wait for Breanna while I really just wanted to keep moving. Cameron was getting antsy in his stroller (who can blame him after a 40 min car ride) and I just wanted to get to the gate and let him out of the stroller to run off some steam. I told Jean that they could wait for Breanna and we would continue on. Well she didn’t like that and insisted we all wait. I told her Cameron wanted to keep moving and that Nate, Cam and I were leaving and that Breanna could find the gate on her own. Well she didn’t want to miss Cameron seeing the planes for the first time so she came with us. I guess Jim decided to wait for Breanna while we continued on.
We made it to the gate and Jean and I stayed with Cameron while Nate went off in search of lunch and the restrooms. Jim and Breanna made it to the gate before he returned. I called him to see what was happening and apparently all of the food options were closer to the security check and we would have to trek all the way back there. I told him to just come back and we could talk about it. Once Nate returned I learned that the entire airport food options were run by a single company. At least the stuff anywhere near where we were. They had a pizza option that wasn’t that far and there was a little kiosk right by our gate that sold pre-made sandwiches and such. Other than that we had Subway and possibly some other options closer to security. The thought of lugging our carry-ons and a toddler back over by security wasn’t appealing so I went to check out the kiosk. There were some yummy looking sandwiches so I told Nate I was fine with just getting something there. He was fine with that too, but the others in the travel party seemed like they wanted to go back for something else. We said they could, but that we weren’t going to bother. They stayed and watched Cameron while Nate and I went and got our lunch. Two sandwiches, a PB&J uncrustable, chips, cookies, string cheese, a bottle of water and a juice were $35. I kind of regretted my decision of not going back in search of cheaper food.
Once Nate and I returned to the group we learned they all decided to just get lunch where we had. I’m not sure why that was. Anyways they got their lunch and we all had an airport picnic. I don’t think anyone liked the sandwich or salad they got for lunch. Everything was very bland. Of course it could have been that we had higher expectations because of what we had paid. Cameron did seem to enjoy his uncrustable. I tasted it though and thought he was crazy for liking it.
Once we finished lunch we let Cameron run around and watch the planes:
He had a good time watching the planes and just running around. Us adults took turns chasing him around. Soon it was about time to board so we got the stroller ready to be gate checked and took a potty/diaper change break and soon were being shuffled onto the plane. Nate, Cameron and I boarded early for the families with small children. I was glad we had because it was challenging to organize things in a way where we could have easy access to the things that we needed.
By the time the plane had fully boarded Cameron was getting restless and cranky. It was 1 PM and he usually naps at 12. The plane just sat there and sat there. Finally the pilot came on the speaker and said that he was just waiting for the maintenance guys to finish some minor work on the plane and as soon as their paper work was completed we would take off. Well about 5 min after that we saw a maintenance guy get on to the plane and head back to the bathroom. Another announcement: they are fixing the bathroom door and then the paperwork and then we’ll be off. Cameron was getting more and more restless. Another announcement: Just waiting on the paper work…. I was starting to get cranky because Cameron was starting to get cranky. We ended up leaving 30 minutes late.
Cameron snuggled with me as soon as the plane took off. This was him before we even hit 10,000 feet:
I tried to sleep as well, but I just can’t sleep on planes. I don’t know why. I will say it was kind of uncomfortable to sit still allowing Cam to sleep. I tried not to move, but it got to the point where my arm was falling asleep. So I adjusted myself and in the process Cam was no longer covered by his blanket. So I adjusted his blanket only to discover that the corner that had been touching the floor was stained brown and smelled something awful. Because Cameron was sleeping on my lap I couldn’t really investigate the cause. Nate feared our backpack (that was under his seat) had also fell victim to the awful smelling something. He had noticed it was damp after we took off. We were lucky, however, because the backpack was only wet because Cameron’s sippy cup of juice had leaked a little when the air pressure changed. Our DVD player bag was not as lucky as it was sitting under my seat. So it too was putrid smelling.
After about an hour the flight attendants started handing out drinks and snacks. Well that noise woke Cameron up from his nap. I think it was mostly the pop can opening that woke him, but it could have also been the chatter. We gave him a snack and soon he was wanting to leave his seat. I think he crawled back and forth between Nate, Breanna and I and then even went back and visited Jean and Jim in the row behind us. I asked him what movie he wanted to watch and he picked Ariel so we started The Little Mermaid. I wish he had picked Cars 2 or Finding Nemo as he sits better for those, but he wanted Ariel and I didn’t want to fight on the plane with the toddler so that’s what we watched.
We didn’t make it very far in the movie when Cameron kept saying “go, go” and attempted to leave. So I took him with me into the restroom even though I didn’t really need to use it. I wanted to see how the “changing table” was. Well those are really not “changing tables”. Maybe if Cameron was really short or if he was really little, but it was not somewhere I wanted to have to change a baby. I checked his diaper and it was only slightly soggy so I opted to wait until we landed.
When we got back to our seats I learned Nate had found the cause of the disgusting smelling liquid that was plaguing the floor below my seat. Someone had left a cup of coffee on the plane and it had spilled. I don’t know how old it was, but Cam’s blanket and my DVD player case did not smell like coffee. The blanket was coffee color, but the smell was awful.
We managed to keep the toddler entertained for the remainder of the flight with snacks and toy cars and such. That and opening and closing the windows were his favorites. I think we landed at about 5:30 PM which was pretty close to our scheduled arrival. That was nice after our 1/2 hour delay in leaving MSP.
As we were getting off the plane we told the flight attendants that there was coffee spilled in our row and that it smelled awful. I told them I thought it was left by the last flight as I hadn’t had any coffee, but I don’t think they believed me. Oh well. We got off the plane and forgot to stop at the doors and get our stroller. So we asked someone working at the desk where we get our stroller and she told us we had to go back to the plane door. Well Nate didn’t want to bring the bags with him so he exited and left us with the bags and attempted to go back to the plane door. Someone tried to stop him as he didn’t have “clearance” when the lady who we had asked about the stroller finally noticed and said he was fine.
Once we had our stroller we headed to the Magical Express. I will say I don’t think the check-in area is signed well. Especially when you see the buses and assume that’s where you’re supposed to go. I’ve done this before, but it confused me this time. We waited maybe 20 minutes for our bus to Pop and were pulling into the resort by about 6:30 PM.
I had done online check-in so Jim and I waited in that line while the others entertained Cameron. The line went fast and was a lot shorter than the regular check-in line. I’m glad I did online check-in. We got our Keys to the World and found that we got the room location that I had requested: 50’s section, facing the lake with connecting rooms. This made me happy. We also got our First Visit, Happy Birthday and I’m Celebrating buttons.
We went to find our rooms and drop off our bags so that we could finally get dinner. I think everyone was tired and hungry after a long day of travel. Halfway to the room I realized that I had forgotten to ask for our Garden Grocer order. When we got into the room, however, I noticed that the order was already there waiting for us. One less thing to deal with.
We explored the TINY room a little. Cameron thought it was cool running from our room to his “a-ma” and “a-pa’s” room. And I will say that having connecting rooms made the rooms feel bigger, but they were still very tiny. I quickly made a call to housekeeping requesting a pack and play and then we headed to the main building for food.
I really don’t remember what we all had for dinner, but I think everyone liked what they got. I got the Tie Dye cheesecake for dessert and that was delish. Cameron enjoyed it too. Although our tongues were quite colorful afterwards. We had gotten our refillable cups and I filled mine with hot coco and we returned to the room.
By this time it was around 9 PM and we still had not received our checked bags from Magical Express. We had landed at 5:30 PM so I was expecting them by now. I had packed everything we needed for the night in our carry on so I decided to call luggage services to see if they would drop our bags off in my in-laws room so that we could get Cameron to sleep. When I was on the phone with them there was a knock on the door and our bags arrived! I really love that you can skip baggage claim and they deliver your bags to you! Even if you do have to wait 3 1/2 hours before you see them.
Once we had our luggage we noticed we could see some of the Epcot fireworks from our window. It's not a great view as there are a lot of trees in the way, but you could see the high ones. Cameron watched a bit and said "boom, boom". I told him we would see the fireworks later and that it was time for bed. The pack and play had been delivered while we were having dinner, but Cameron was a little wound up as it was exciting to have his grandparents and auntie Bree right next door. We managed to get him into the crib shortly after 9. I think he was up until about 9:40 PM though. We were asleep by 10:30 PM and ready to start our vacation!
Best thing about today: The short security lines at our airport! Worst thing about today: The spilled coffee on the plane and how awful it made things smell. Number of steps taken: 6813 (about 3.4 miles – a small number compared to the rest of the trip) Weather at home: 15 degrees cold and windy Weather when we landed: 70 and already getting dark. Because the sun was down it felt cooler than I thought it would.
Yay -- you're there!!! Sorry about the nasty coffee on the plane -- ick! But otherwise the flight sounded like it went smoothly. Glad you were able to make up the lost time from the maintenance delay.
How cool that you're wearing a pedometer! I'll be interested to see how many steps you take each day.
What a first day! That really stinks (literally) about the spilled coffee. I am glad you were able to have connecting rooms, sounds like it made things easier!
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But on the outside I kept it 
as I didn't want to start the vacation out with everyone crabby. And the grandparents are like magic. Instant good moods. Maybe when the kids are throwing little fits they should just go live with their grandparents for a while...
I guess Jim decided to wait for Breanna while we continued on.
I kind of regretted my decision of not going back in search of cheaper food.
Cameron enjoyed it too. Although our tongues were quite colorful afterwards. We had gotten our refillable cups and I filled mine with hot coco and we returned to the room.
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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