The Promise of Spring: F&GF 4.0 UPDATED: 5/11 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Once we had settled on our dates, Luke began checking weekly and eventually daily flights and fares out of the four potential airports. After a few months, he eliminated Allegiant as the fares for Southwest were for dates earlier than we needed we already coming up significantly cheaper for us. Now it was down to Louisville or Nashville. Nashville has quite a few more non-stop flights to Orlando International Airport than Louisville, and eventually, became the front contender. Back on Thursday, November 3, Luke logged in to Southwest soon after he got up. I was emptying the dishwasher when he asked if I could come look at the computer for a moment. There before we were several flight options out of Nashville. We were agreement rather quickly to take the flight in midafternoon because we wouldn’t have to get up too early and would have plenty of time to travel, park our car at the facility, and pass through security. Our flight out of Nashville, if it is on time, will leave at 2:35 PM CDT and arrive in Orlando at 5:25 PM EDT. That will still allow us to have a bit of fun in the bubble our first evening. PLAN will arrive in a later update. We weren’t done yet because we needed to get back home at the end of the trip. With the advantage of more flight options, we hoped to even get a little bit of Disney time in at the end of the trip as well. We didn’t want to leave Orlando too late as we would still have a two and a half hour drive back to home. Eventually, we settled on a late afternoon flight. Our flight leaves Orlando at 5:00 PM EDT and arrives back at Nashville at 5:55 PM CDT. After we pick up our car, we’re hoping we might even make it home by 9:00ish. And right now that is just sad as in one update I already have us back home.
Last month Luke asked what the time frame was for booking Disney Magical Express. I told him any time after we had our flights booked. He didn’t say anything else, but recently I noticed on My Disney Experience that he had already confirmed our flights with DME. When I mentioned this, he told me that he did it so we’d have plenty of time to request additional tags since only two are sent initially. I think he might be excited. He has also mentioned that closer to time, he’ll check the parking service website as it usually has quite a few coupons. Then he’ll reserve a spot on the lot for the Edge to spend it’s vacation.
In summation, we’re excited about flying SWA, visiting Nashville (if only briefly), and taking a couple rides on the DME buses.
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Always makes me feel excited and that the trip is real when I get the airfare chosen and paid for. It does seem like Luke is in planning mode again this trip - he definitely has gotten bitten by the Disney planning bug![emoji4]
Always makes me feel excited and that the trip is real when I get the airfare chosen and paid for. It does seem like Luke is in planning mode again this trip - he definitely has gotten bitten by the Disney planning bug![emoji4]
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
Me, too! He definitely enjoys planning along with me, especially the resort and flight details.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara
How exciting that you are again going back for the F &GF!! Your plans so far look wonderful!!. We love SWA!!
I really love this time of year at WDW and so glad that we can manage to make it for the F&GF. SWA rocks!
Nice going with the flights and hope you got a nice deal on them! Great planning by Luke as he already has your flights linked for DME! It is sad when you are already thinking about the return, but unfortunately that's part of the planning!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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Great update. I enjoy reading your per as well as the trip teapots.
Thanks so much!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperDave
Nice going with the flights and hope you got a nice deal on them! Great planning by Luke as he already has your flights linked for DME! It is sad when you are already thinking about the return, but unfortunately that's part of the planning!
Luke loves taking care of the flights, though I always stand by him as we make our choices. I'm much happier taking care of dining, tours, FP+, and Memory Maker. We like to divide up the tasks.
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Your plans so far look wonderful!!
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