Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
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10-31-2006, 08:54 AM
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#46
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Community Rank: Trailblazer 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: East Amherst, NY
Concierge Level: 1
Posts: 5,128
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Re: Disney First Timers Days 1-5 Updated Wilderness Cabins
It sounds like your family is having a wonderful time!
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11-01-2006, 10:10 AM
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#47
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Community Rank: Wayfarer 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Niagara Falls, Canada
Posts: 14,404
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Re: Disney First Timers Days 1-5 Updated Wilderness Cabins
Day 10…..MNSSHP
Today is a sad day because it is our last. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/Lonely.gif[/img]I have tried so hard not to focus on this fact but I am sure you all know that dreaded feeling of your last day. I was up until the early hours of this morning packing for our journey home so that I could just relax after our Halloween party tonight. I think that was the smartest thing I could have done. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img]
The morning started with our wake-up call from Mickey. Yet again stitch has taken over MK. Will they ever bring his badness level down? [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/luck.gif[/img] While we have had the same wake-up message each morning (aside from DD’s birthday call from Goofy) I still chuckle when I hear it. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img]I had planned to get all of the kids to take a nap today before MNSSHP but I didn’t. I think this was the dumbest thing I could have done! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/foreheadslap.gif[/img]
We did take it easy today though. I sent the kids off with DH to the main pool and again I went to do laundry. I didn’t think this would be a big concern of mine when considering a DVC as laundry didn’t seem to be an issue. But taking 2 half days out of the trip to do it made me realize that a villa with laundry is a must! I know that any future visits will likely be no less than 10 days and while I don’t mind taking some down time to do laundry it would have been nicer to do the laundry at night in the room and spend the down time with the kids in the pool. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/yeahthat.gif[/img]
Everything is now packed, all of our laundry clean and I’m re-loaded with more quarters for the coin press. I haven’t mentioned the coin presses in my TR as of yet but I admit, I have become an addict! We headed to MK and I stopped in at every shop along Main St. USA to be sure there were no presses that I had missed here.[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img]There seemed like so much to do that in 10 days I really didn’t get a chance to shop much. Now I have the itch and no time left! I did pop into the Christmas Store and picked up an ornament to mark our first Disney Vacation. I managed to get in a little xmas shopping here so the hole the money was burning in my waist pack was a little smaller now. We watched the parade from a beautiful view on the platform where you board the Walt Disney Rail Road. It was nice to have no one blocking our view and a whole different viewing perspective looking down on the parade! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/court.gif[/img]
  
We stopped in at ??? for lunch to use up the remainder of our CS’s. I believe it was just after entering the castle. A bistro style eating area outside with lots of ducks and signs begging us not to feed them. It was simple hot dogs/pop/fries and cracker jacks but it hit the spot! Great for us with more simple tastes. Then it was time to hit all of the good stuff we have missed along the way or really wanted to do again. The kids were very relaxed today and so were we so it made for an enjoyable afternoon. Slowly as the day went on you could see MK convert into Halloween Haven. I was really excited for this evening’s events, as were the kids. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/woot.gif[/img]
We stopped at the CM area to get our MNSSHP bracelets just before dinner. Then it was off to the locker area to change into costumes. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/jester.gif[/img]Poor DH! Yes, he tried but that Superman costume was just way too hot, not to mention it hugged him in places he didn’t care to be hugged! All of us dressed, we ran to the Photopass guy taking pictures with the spooky castle in the backdrop, then DH ran back to the lockers to change back into Peter Parker. So much for my Super Hero fantasy. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/questionicon.gif[/img]
  
We had an ADR for Liberty Tree Tavern for 7:20. A little later than I would have liked but I tried to book an early time for weeks to no avail. This I would not do again [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502no_prv.gif[/img]as we just missed way too much of the party at a time when the kids all had the energy to enjoy it. The restaurant was packed! Kids were every where and it just seemed total chaos. The characters were all dressed in their costumes and the interaction was great, it was just too busy! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/announce.gif[/img]
  
I snuck outside to grab a cigarette (yes, bad mom!) and the parade was strolling by. I noticed Woody dancing in the room beside LTT and there was just so much going on that we were missing out on. I didn’t dare tell the kids inside, they haven’t even served us dessert yet. The meal was delicious, loved the warm apple/ice cream treat. Yummy! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img]. It was 8:30 by the time we got out of there and MK was the busiest it had been since we’ve been here. I was thinking when I bought the tickets that it would be more open to move around but no, we were shoulder to shoulder most of the night. The rides were not an option as the kids were just too cranky to wait. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/envy.gif[/img]
I have to say that the set up here was amazing! The displays, lights, parade, and music were great but the fireworks were uncomparable to anything I have ever seen before! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img]We did take a ride on Astro Orbiter and it was really beautiful to see MK all done up like it was, the view at night was gorgeous! That was the only ride we visited this evening but the kids did make a few candy stops before passing out in the stroller.  The older 2 strolled along with us to Toontown where we heard there were special guests doing pictures. Inside the Toontown Hall of Fame (I think that’s where we were) there was a huge line up so DH stood in line for the photo opp.while I headed with my photopasses to the Kodak station to view our pictures. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/Flash.gif[/img]It was half priced pictures tonight for MNSSHP guests. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/jack.gif[/img]I viewed all of the pics (some great ones at BBB) and decided to just buy the cd for $99. Just too tired to pick which ones I liked the best. Amazing the money you will spend to when you’re tired! No complaints though, the pictures are great and how do you choose just a few? [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/questionicon.gif[/img]
The special guests here tonight? Cinderella, Prince Charming, Princess Aurora, Queen of Hearts and Prince Phillip.[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/king.gif[/img]That was a nice surprise. Unfortunately we missed out on seeing any villains tonight. It was just too packed to stroll around looking for them. We did enjoy MNSSHP but will be sure next time to get a good nap in ahead of time,[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/snore.gif[/img] book an early dinner and be raring to go! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thewave.gif[/img]
We headed for the boat by about 10 and we were all asleep by 11. A great end to our first truly magical Disney vacation! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/fairy2.gif[/img]
One more post to follow....our trip home and some advice from a first-timer to fellow first-timers! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/Rumour.gif[/img]
(I apologize for the picture sizes, I really did try to get them smaller!)
Carrie |
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11-02-2006, 09:11 AM
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#48
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RED SOX NATION!!
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854
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Re: Disney First Timers Days 1-5 Updated Wilderness Cabins
Great updates Carrie [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] Love the pictures, and how great that your son got to be an honorary Power Ranger of the day (I'll have to remember to bring DS's costumes the next time [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img] )!
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11-02-2006, 05:38 PM
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#49
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Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,651
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Re: Disney First Timers Days 1-5 Updated Wilderness Cabins
It sounds like you had a great last day. Looking forward to your final thoughts.
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11-02-2006, 08:34 PM
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#50
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Community Rank: Jetsetter 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 2,183
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Re: Disney First Timers Days 1-5 Updated Wilderness Cabins
Another great update Carrie! I loved your pictures. (I just love pictures [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]) Can't wait for the rest (ok well your thoughts) Are you a Disney Freak like us???
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11-03-2006, 01:03 AM
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#51
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: new york
Posts: 9,202
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Re: Disney First Timers Day 1 Wilderness Cabins/MK
more please
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11-03-2006, 10:20 AM
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#52
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 7,960
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Re: Disney First Timers Day 1 Wilderness Cabins/MK
Sorry you missed some of the events at MNSSHP, but it looks like you had fun anyway! Looking forward to your final thoughts.
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11-04-2006, 05:24 PM
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#53
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: North Central Ohio
Posts: 21,629
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Re: Disney First Timers Day 1 Wilderness Cabins/MK
Thanks for the update! Looking forward to your final thoughts! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
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12-01-2006, 07:21 PM
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#54
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Community Rank: Trekker 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,457
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Re: Disney First Timers Days 1-9 Wilderness Cabins/MK
Hope you'll get a chance to post those first-timer thoughts. In January, we're taking our family of 6 for the first time since the 3rd & 4th were born. I could use all the tips I can get!
We have a special-needs child, also, which makes a WDW more challenging, but also more magical, as you found out! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/fairy2.gif[/img]
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12-01-2006, 10:24 PM
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#55
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: new york
Posts: 9,202
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Re: Disney First Timers Days 1-9 Wilderness Cabins/MK
more please
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