A 40th celebration to end the world! THREAD 1 COMPLETED 2/16 - Page 53 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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.
Cheryl
I can't believe we were finally there at the same time and still missed each other.
If only that internet had not been down I think we could have met in Epcot that day.
I am still hoping someday.
I know. If you're going to be down at the same time as us again in the future, let me have your cell phone number and you can have ours - then we might have more chance of meeting up.
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.
One of these days, Luke and I will see a Cirque show.
If our trips ever coincide (one day I hope! ) then we'll definitely go with you. Any chance of end of October/start of November this year? Just asking...
[QUOTE[Artist drawings show it looking very Victorian in the end, though it looks a bit industrial right now. Luke and I definitely want to stay there when it is done. [/QUOTE]
It certainly does look industrial now, but I'm sure it will be beautiful once it's done. I still can't believe they're not yet selling points in it and it's supposed to be opening later this year. I'm hoping it will be open on our next trip, but right now, I'm not holding my breath...
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Oh, I might be thinking again now that the GF villas is "closing "the area in a little and loosing some views. Eh, only time will tell. I'm a fan of GF so I know whatever they do will look stunning.
The water play area is adorable!!! I can't wait to see that.
I do love the breakfast at Ohana' but bummer the characters were a bit off this day. I could totally see the foggy windows too in your pics. Weird, right?
Sunday 9 December – part three: “I’ve never seen that before”
We got some great views of the construction work at the Grand Floridian Villas.
Mark sneaked a few shots…
… by doing this:
I was pleased to see the spa is pretty much ready to go for its re-opening, with the new signage already in place.
Soon we were passing the Wedding Pavilion.
I will say here that Mark got more response from when we arrived at the Grand Floridian through to our walk over to the Polynesian to his hat. A Cast Member told me “I’ve never seen that before” and he was asked by a couple of people where he got it – Disneyland Paris was the answer!
As we walked along the beach by the Polynesian, it suddenly became a lot more humid, and my goodness, I started to feel it. It was beautiful though…
However, I was very glad to get back to the Great Ceremonial House, and its air conditioning.
Because neither of us was feeling great with the heat, we decided that, instead of going to SeaWorld, as we’d originally planned, we’d have a break back in the room for a while.
When we got there, I took the opportunity to alter our dinner reservation at Tokyo Dining from 8:00pm to 7:30pm, as I thought we might be cutting it a bit fine otherwise for IllumiNations.
Next: a British (and American) get together in Japan!
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.
Fantastic photos of the GF! Love the one of Mark holding the camera on the monopod! That just looks hysterical with the hat and all!
How long of a walk was that from GF to Poly?
__________________
Lisa Co-Guide to Sharing the Adventure: Disney World Trip Reports
That's some enterprising photography, Mark! Interesting shots. I love the walkway between the Poly and GF. I've always wished they had a walking path all around the lagoon, but I guess there would be security issues.
What a beautiful walk! Such sly photography skills. Looks like he's got a back up career should he ever need one. Footprints in the sand - so cute!
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
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.
About This Page: 
PassPorter Guide Author
If you're going to be down at the same time as us again in the future, let me have your cell phone number and you can have ours - then we might have more chance of meeting up. 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
) then we'll definitely go with you. Any chance of end of October/start of November this year? Just asking... 
[/QUOTE]
Linear Mode
