A Coast to Coast Christmas - Phase One WDW - Page 38 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I love visiting WDW at Christmas time, but the best thing about this trip was getting to spend time with people who are so special to me. I am so thankful for having found PassPorter, because without it, I would not have these fabulous people in my life. I try to see them as often as I can (hey, any excuse for a trip, right? ), but it is a rare occasion when we can all be together. Just needed to say, I love you guys!
I’m happy to say I know for sure when I’ll see everyone again. In case you’re wondering, here it goes (in chronological order, so nobody gets hurt feelings ). First, I’ll see my wonderful friends Bob and Larry in April, to help Bob celebrate his 65th birthday. Hey, according to my co-worker, I advertise on Craigslist for that privilege!
Then in May, I’ll get another double dip – JoanW and Eileen. I hope to see Eileen again in July, but I know I’ll see Karen when I venture out west to Disneyland again (and I hope to see a few other PPer friends that trip as well). And last but certainly not least, Jilly. Unfortunately, I’ve got to wait until December to see her again. I think I’ll have to fix that. The bad news is I don’t know when we’ll all be together again, and maybe even better, get to have Lesley join us too. But no matter when I see them, they’re always with me. My besties.
Okay, enough of the sappy stuff, let’s move on!
This trip I was delighted to spend time with PassPorters other than those in our travel group (again in chronological order). It was so much fun to meet Linda after seeing her on the boards for so long. And she kept popping up, which was so great. Then we got to meet Brandy. Brandy was so sweet and charming and just a delight! I didn’t mention it in my TR, but after she left (telling us she felt like she met celebrities), my friends asked me if it was uncomfortable or weird to have people say that. I was all, “No.” Trust me, I got teased about that! Honestly, I’ve gotten used to it (and I admit, maybe also had a few star-struck moments myself). It’s always just a moment full of fun for me! So if you ever see me wandering around the parks or something, come on up and say hi! I won’t think you’re odd, honest!
The other PPer I got to hang with for a bit I’d met before (although it was my first time meeting her DD). Wendy is a delight and I always enjoy spending time with her. Although we only had a short conversation this time, Wendy travels to WDW often (as do I), so it’ll only be a matter of time before we meet again.
The Firsts:
With so many trips under my belt, it gets harder and harder to come up with firsts, especially when nothing new has been introduced at WDW since my last visit! Also, I don’t want this list to be “first time trying a Caesar salad at the food court,” so I do try to space out my new experiences, so to speak.
First time meeting Phineas & Ferb First time dining at Citricos First Chef’s-table-type experience
Transportation:
Southwest Airlines – I almost never have issues with SWA. They are hugely convenient for me, and often the cheapest option to boot. SWA had me at hello.
Disney Transportation – I must admit the one strike I count against the WL is the transportation. It’s so close to the MK, but often it takes a long time to actually get there, particularly if you walk up right as a boat is leaving! This time we had some interesting bus rides (hello, lady who refused to get off the bus, and I don't want to even think about that bug again ), but I don’t really think we experienced any long delays (not even when we left to walk to the Poly that time).
Wilderness Lodge:
The Wilderness Lodge is strikingly beautiful, especially at Christmas time. It’s just such a peaceful place, and you totally forget you’re in Florida while you’re there. The staff in the Old Faithful Club were super friendly and very attentive to us. It was a fabulous experience!
The Food:
I had some fabulous meals this trip, including our meal at Citricos, one of the best meals I’ve had in a very long time!
1900 Park Fare – This meal is always a winner. The Tremaines are a hoot and always willing to play along with us (I don’t know if you can tell, but we like to kid around some). The food is always fresh and tasty as well.
Citricos – I’m kind of kicking myself for waiting so long to try Citricos! It was beyond fabulous, and that’s just talking about the food. Add in the terrific service and the laughs and great conversation (and all of us looking simply smashing with trees on our heads). It’s a meal of a lifetime!
Artist Point – Despite questionable service, we had a fine meal here. The food was delicious, we got to see a couple get engaged and there were lots of good times.
The Parks:
The parks seem kind of like an afterthought for this trip, but we were able to get quite a lot done. It was busier than it’s been in years past at this time, but I think that’s a matter of timing as much as anything. If everyone decides to go to a park one day, that leaves one park very quiet. If you choose the busy park all the time, you’d think it was crazy, while the group that chooses the quiet park walks onto everything!
I loved seeing all the special holiday stuff like the Candlelight Processional, one of my favorite shows no matter what time of the year. And the Osborne Lights are a sight to behold. They alone are worth a trip during the holiday season. Spectacular indeed!
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – Even though Karen and I were very late to the party, we still got to experience all the party-specific stuff. I love the festive atmosphere the MK gets during the special parties, and it’s always fun to see the rarer characters out greeting their fans. The cost of the party’s kind of outrageous, but I still think it’s worth it, because the parade and fireworks are very well done.
So that ends all my rambling. Sort of. If you can’t wait until my next trip, read about my Disneyland trip (if you’re not already reading). And if you’re waiting for my next WDW TR, you won’t have to wait long. It’s only ::checks ticker:: 28 days, 14 hours, and 22 minutes away, give or take. Actually less than that, as I’ll be starting a PTR about a week or so ahead. Thanks for reading!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
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Clearly I didn't catch up oh...28 pages ago... But I'm back and on a mission to finish these two TRs this weekend.
We took Jason to the Christmas Spectacular for the first time this year. (Tyler's 3rd trip) And I cried about as soon as my butt hit the velvet seat.
Yeah...the spiders on the IG always creep me out!!! There are soooo many all the time!!
Love the picture of the castle as a gingerbread castle. Just beautiful!
And my mother LOVES fruitcake. I'll have to get her opinion on roasted chestnuts.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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Great wrap up Sharon! I love reading your trip reports! It's a good thing you don't get creeped out when a stranger recognizes you, as if I ever see you in the parks I'd come running over like a maniac, wanting a picture.
Great wrap up Sharon! I love reading your trip reports! It's a good thing you don't get creeped out when a stranger recognizes you, as if I ever see you in the parks I'd come running over like a maniac, wanting a picture.
Looking foward to your next TR!
And I'm sure my DH would be standing behind me yelling, "Princess who??"
About This Page: 
I am so thankful for having found PassPorter, because without it, I would not have these fabulous people in my life. I try to see them as often as I can (hey, any excuse for a trip, right? 
), but it is a rare occasion when we can all be together. Just needed to say, I love you guys!
). First, I’ll see my wonderful friends Bob and Larry in April, to help Bob celebrate his 65th birthday. Hey, according to my co-worker, I advertise on Craigslist for that privilege! 
I think I’ll have to fix that. The bad news is I don’t know when we’ll all be together again, and maybe even better, get to have Lesley join us too. But no matter when I see them, they’re always with me. My besties. 
Trust me, I got teased about that! 
), but I don’t really think we experienced any long delays (not even when we left to walk to the Poly that time). 
and there were lots of good times.
Thanks for reading! 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
But I'm back and on a mission to finish these two TRs this weekend. 
Katie's graduation
Always so much fun to read! 
And I'm sure my DH would be standing behind me yelling, "Princess who??"
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