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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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.
Thanks for all of the info!
We are mostly hiking, climbing smaller mountains, going to Denali National Park, visiting family...
What about the price of gas? (I know, hard to predict...)
Right now the price of gas is about $3.37 - $3.39 a gal.....expect it would be more in Fairbanks and definately expect it to be more in summer!!! It makes us all crazy the way the price of gas goes up in the summer. Last year it went up around .20 to .25 cents a gal. Thinking about switching to my bicycle if it ever stops snowing!! The past two mornings we have woken up to fresh snow (not much, but enough to see and to affect the roads and freak people out ). And yesterday it snowed, hailed, slushed and rain in a strange mutating pattern all day. Made us all a bit crazy!! I'm so ready for spring........
__________________
Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!! OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
How rude of me to start a trip report, take the trip, and then vanish! No I wasn't swallowed by a glacier. I wasn't eaten by a bear, and I didn't fall overboard during the cruise.
The truth is that upon our return from Alaska, both of my parents had surgery within a few weeks of each other. They're both fine, or almost fine now, but we spent time in the summer helping them out. Then back to school caught up with me - I'm a teacher - and here we are.
Our trip was fantastic!!! It was even better than I expected it to be!
I'm going to review the directions for uploading photos (I always forget) and finish this trip report. It won't be difficult because I journaled throughout the trip. Thanks for your patience!
June 14-17: Denali National Park and the Salmon Bake Cabins
We arrived in Fairbanks, AK on the evening of June 14. Though it was about 9:30 pm, the sun was still quite high in the sky. The temperature was chilly, and at baggage I quickly grabbed a fleece jacket from my bag. brrr!
The Denali Salmon Bake Cabins:
We drove about 2 hours to Denali, and checked into the Salmon Bake Cabins. Interesting place. It was sort of a tent and cabin hybrid, no bath, one light bulb, one hook, almost enough room for 3 people and 3 large duffel bags. The beds were old and saggy, and the floor was seriously sloped. The cabin was very clean, but the communal bathroom was only sort of clean. For the price, I guess it was OK. The biggest con was leaving the warm cabin in the morning and taking the cold, windy walk to the bathroom. The greatest assets were without a doubt the unbelievably beautiful mountains and the proximity to the National Park.
The Beauty of Alaska and Denali
The midnight sun is an amazing thing! It was difficult to fall asleep on the first few nights, but I loved the energy I felt! Weird but cool.
I had no idea how stunning the beauty of Alaska would be. I wanted to take a picture every 12 seconds! On our first morning, we got information and maps at the Denali Visitor Center, and proceeded to take several hikes over the next few days. Our favorite was climbing Mount Healy on the Mount Healy Overlook Trail, but we also loved the Savage River Trail, the Meadow View Trail, and the Roadside Trail.
We also got to spend time with my brother in law and his family, who spent the summer living in a house without running water. For the first month, they had no electricity, either!
Only 30% of visitors are fortunate enough to see Mt. McKinley. Those who do are said to be in the 30% club. We just made it! On our last day at Denali, we had a remarkable view of the mountain.
June 17-18, The Andersen Evergreen Cabin in Seward
We left Denali in a misty rain, and encountered rain for the next few days. The trip to Seward was longer than I thought it would be. I think it took us about 5 hours.
We stopped for lunch in Talkeetna, which is a funky, cool little town. All climbers of Denali stop here to register before they hit the trail.
As we drove into town, I immediately thought of the TV show Northern Exposure, the theme song playing over and over in my head. Though I didn't know it at the time, the fictitious town of Cicily, Alaska was based on Talkeetna.
I'm told Seward is a beautiful place. While we were there, it was enshrouded in fog and rain clouds, so we never really saw much. When the rain slowed to a drizzle, we went on a ranger led hike to Exit Glacier. The rain actually stopped, and we got to see the glacier up close. It was phenomenal!
Cabin Review:
The Andersen Evergreen Cabin was a HUGE step up from "The Bake." It was well lit, nicely furnished, had a bath room and was quiet. Chris and I slept in the loft, an open space above the rest of the living/sleeping area. It was very comfortable. Of course we could hear every sound made by our son and Chris's dad and step mom, but it was cozy and clean.
The only con is that the cabin had large, triangular windows near the roof line, both front and back. Nice, right? But they have no blinds or drapes, so the midnight sun streamed right through the windows, all night! I didn't care. I brought a sleep mask and some Tylenol PM. The rest of the family had a rough time falling asleep, I guess. I'm normally not smug about things like this, but Chris and his dad made fun of me for buying a sleep mask for the trip. Ha!
We had a nice time with Chris's dad and step, but we were definitely ready to make the trip our own. They flew home to New Hampshire the same day we began our cruise, so they dropped us at the dock in Wittier, then returned our shared rental car at the airport in Anchorage. The trip from Seward took a few hours, and the rain followed us.
Even in the rain, from the back seat of a compact car, Alaska is a marvelous place!
Along the way, we stopped at the Chugach National Forest Visitor Center. We went to a ranger talk about bear safety. We were enjoying the displays, when suddenly Chris's step mom looked at their plane tickets and realized that their plane departed about an hour earlier than they thought! We quickly assembled our party, but I wanted one last photo. Step was in a panic, Chris said no, we don't have time for a picture, so I handed my camera to 10 year old Peter. How could he say no to his mom?
I love this picture!! Notice the leggings - I brought 2 pairs and wore them constantly to stay warm!
At last, the Coral Princess!!
The ship is very nice! As musicians, we were very impressed with the quality of the live music that was played in the lobby, atrium, and various lounges. Our room was large, since we were able to book a handicap accessible room. Peter, always a fan of trains, loved seeing the Alaska Railroad throughout the first half of the trip. He used some of his souvenir money to buy a small Alaska Railroad train set. He actually had enough space to set it up in our room!
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
The ship seemed to have a good selection of on board activities for our days at sea. Chris and I both made use of the gym, and I enjoyed running on the Promenade Deck. We had fun with shuffle board, basketball, mini-golf, and giant chess. I made it into the pool and hot tub once, but Peter and Chris braved 42 degree weather to swim almost every day. (One pool is semi-enclosed, and the other is completely outdoors.) I also participated in On Deck for the Cure, a 5 mile walk for breast cancer.
Many people we met opted to do a "Cruise Tour," which means that they saw parts of Alaska by train or bus, and stayed in Princess lodges along the way. Then they boarded the ship. We looked at this option, but found that the cost (about twice the price of the cruise alone) was prohibitive. Also, we wanted to spend time with family, climb mountains, and hike. Everyone seemed to love the cruise tour package, but they were fascinated by our stories of going off the beaten path.
Peter wasn't crazy about the kids' club, and spent minimal time there. During the trip, he earned 3 Junior Ranger badges for completing several outdoor activities at the National Parks we visited. He earned one on the ship - a ranger from Glacier Bay N.P. came on board and worked with kids at the club. He enjoyed that, but he didn't like the other crafts and activities offered. Most kids really liked the club, but we respected Peter's wishes and didn't force him to go.
As we moved south on the cruise, the days got a little shorter, and the temperatures warmed. Glacier Bay N.P. is spectacular! My favorite time on the trip was when I was running on deck, and the scenery on one side of the ship was Marjorie Glacier, and the other side was a view of mountains.
YEP! And while I don't see glaciers on a daily basis, I can go easily to where they are if I want. And sometimes just the hour drive to my dad's house can offer some awesome sights!!! One of the reasons I love living here.
__________________
Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!! OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
About This Page: 
). And yesterday it snowed, hailed, slushed and rain in a strange mutating pattern all day. Made us all a bit crazy!! I'm so ready for spring........
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
The biggest con was leaving the warm cabin in the morning and taking the cold, windy walk to the bathroom. 
and was quiet. Chris and I slept in the loft, an open space above the rest of the living/sleeping area. It was very comfortable. Of course we could hear every sound made by our son and Chris's dad and step mom, but it was cozy and clean.
The rest of the family had a rough time falling asleep, I guess. I'm normally not smug about things like this, but Chris and his dad made fun of me for buying a sleep mask for the trip. Ha!
PassPorter Guide Author
Glad you're sharing your trip with us. 
Linear Mode
