The Promise of Spring: F&GF 4.0 UPDATED: 5/11 - Page 4 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Yay! You started your PTR--that means the trip is getting closer!
Sounds like everything is falling into place for you and Luke.
I just checked your dates. We'll be taking off from MCO the same day you land. Sorry to miss maybe meeting you.
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Disney Magic Western Feb. 21st, 2009
Last edited by Big Baloo; 03-02-2017 at 03:04 PM..
I was so happy when I checked the Passporter Boards today and found that you had started your PTR!!!So glad that you are flying Southwest and that the flight times worked out. Looking forward to hearing all your plans. I switched my first two park days so that we can be in the same park and got a few of the Fastpasses switched to your times, so hopefully we'll be able to meet up and ride some together.
Signing on - relieved I hadn't missed much yet. Congrats on the flights. Flying is so much easier and faster. Wish I could get to work that way!
Thanks! After being in the D.C. area lately, I can see how flying to work would be sweet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roxie2006
I am so glad I caught your journey at the beginning. SWA is the only way we fly, happy the flights worked out both ways.
There seem to be quite a few of us who really love flying SWA. In fact, I was thinking about the trip today and got excited all over again that we are flying with SWA.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Baloo
Yay! You started your PTR--that means the trip is getting closer!
Sounds like everything is falling into place for you and Luke.
I just checked your dates. We'll be taking off from MCO the same day you land. Sorry to miss maybe meeting you.
It does mean that the trip is close, and I'm getting giddier by the day. Too bad we'll not be able to meet as that would have been great!
I was so happy when I checked the Passporter Boards today and found that you had started your PTR!!!So glad that you are flying Southwest and that the flight times worked out. Looking forward to hearing all your plans. I switched my first two park days so that we can be in the same park and got a few of the Fastpasses switched to your times, so hopefully we'll be able to meet up and ride some together.
We were very pleased that the flights worked out just like we wanted and that the price was good. I was hoping that you might be able to switch. Can't wait to see you again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldmom
So glad you have a trip planned. Can't wait for the photos
I got my family tickled back in January at my DMIL's birthday party when I said I'd rather photograph animals rather than people. But that is the truth. And on this trip, I'll also have flower, lots of flowers, to photograph.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lexiemom
I am so glad your flights worked out with SWA! We love SW and I do not like flying with other airlines.
Luke was talking about our first trip in 2018 and mentioned that it might work to use Allegiant from here at home. A little while later he came back and said forget that we'll fly SWA.
Those of you who’ve read several of my pre-trip reports and/or trip reports know that we routinely spend every other trip at one of our two home resorts, specifically Animal Kingdom Lodge. We also swap back and forth between Jambo House and Kidani Village. Honestly, I love them both and enjoy that we can switch up between them. We were at Kidani Village in May 2016 so this spring we’ll be hanging out at Jambo House. Since Sunday, February 26 was the 60 day mark until the trip, we were online early. I’ll confess I was more concerned about FastPass+ choices, so that came first. Checking in doesn’t take much time at all, especially at Jambo House where the options are upper floor, lower floor, near the lobby, and near transportation. Right now the only thing we’ve requested is upper floor. Funnily, after we finished we both realized that DVC rooms in Jambo House are on the fifth and sixth floor so upper floor wasn’t actually necessary. We may make another request later, but we will be happy wherever our room is. Hopefully, since we’ll be arriving at Jambo House around 6:30 PM, our room will be ready and a text will have already alerted us to the room’s exact location – on an upper floor. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing giraffes and zebras from my room’s balcony.
Shortly after the new style Magic Bands were announced, I went onto the Disney website to check about customizing ours for this trip. Whenever it was, I could go ahead with the personalization process. Because we will be there in spring with all the blooming colors, I’ve chosen green and Luke as opted for yellow. We’ll fit right in at the Flower & Garden Festival.
Great going with the new MB selections! My MB will only be a year old this Fall, so it still should be in working order.....or at least I think as that is the usual concession with these!
I stayed at the AK once and in a Savanna room, but so long ago back in 2004. It was for ten days. I loved it so much and actually kept the deck doors open, so I could hear the animals at night and early in the morning to enliven my experience there which it did! It was an unbelievable stay for me.
But now, the nightly rates, even with discounts are just ridiculous. My rate back then in a Savanna was $225 per night including all taxes, which was great. Quite different now and as I'm not a DVC member, I won't be staying here any time soon as much as I love the resort! But, I will visit the resort as I often do, usually every other trip for a dinner! One of the very best WDW resorts!
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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!
I am so happy you started your PTR. I also can't wait to read about your DVC stay at Jambo House. This September I booked a DVC rental at Jambo for me and my significant other. Tom has never been to WDW with me. I know crazy right. I need to make a "believer" out of him on this adult only trip so I am planning a LOT of down time at our resort (he will be amazed when he sees AKL) so as to noT overwhelm him! I think I may do a TR about it as well. Keep it coming Cam & Luke!
I can't believe you are writing your pre-trip report now, it only seems a short time since I finished reading your report from the last trip!
Colour me envious - it is MONTHS until we go again! And we've been all caught up in the CBR fiasco as well, we had picked that resort as we'd never been before, but have now chosen to move to PORFQ as a free upgrade/move, in order to avoid all the building work.
Still, at least I can live vicariously through your trip report! Have a great trip!
__________________
Silvercat
(Enjoy reading trip reports? Why not try my books, "Tiggerific Travels Parts 1, 2, 3 & the new volume 4" - available now as e-books)
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Parlor Panther in 'stalking mode'
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing giraffes and zebras from my room’s balcony. 
My MB will only be a year old this Fall, so it still should be in working order.....or at least I think as that is the usual concession with these! 
My rate back then in a Savanna was $225 per night including all taxes, which was great. 
But, I will visit the resort as I often do, usually every other trip for a dinner! 
great choices on the MB colors!!
DLinNH
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