PTR: Checking off that Bucket List! - Page 6 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Okay - so going to start this PTR - yes - I have another one in the works - although that will become a TR very soon once I get the photopass CD!!!
But I figured while I am sitting here - stuck inside while "Sandy" is paying us a visit, I would accomplish what I can!
Yes - if you look in my signature, you will notice a link to my October PTR/TR..........and yes, we just returned 3 weeks ago....................we have ANOTHER TRIP in the WORKS!!!!
Let me take a small step back...................
When we booked our October trip, we played the game with Southwest (the same one we always do......checking the flights constantly!) and we had a pretty significant credit that we had to use or lose by March 5, 2013. So after looking at everyone's schedules and with all the craziness going on in our lives, it was not looking good......... and............I quietly suggested to my husband that being in WDW for for birthday (Dec 30th) and New Years was at the TOP of my bucket list................and lo and behold.........he was listening to me!!! We sat down together one night last week and had quite the conversation about that weekend. See..........we normally would spend that weekend with our friends in NJ - taking them out to dinner for hosting us with a fantastic NYE party and such - and then we usually spend a day or two in NYC either before or after NJ - and he basically said that he looked at it, and with the gas, tolls, going to dinner, spending time in NYC with dinner, possible show that it would most likely cost the same as paying out of pocket for the remainder of flights and hotel (we have the premimum annual pass......more on hotel later) and said "let's just do it!"................................NO TWISTING my arm!!!!
So..................OMG!!! Absolute TOP of my Disney Bucket List getting checked off!!!!
The plans:
The 3 of us:
Myself (Lisa) turning 41 on the trip (12/30)
Husband (Scott) 44
Daughter (Emily) 13
Leaving CT out of Providence (we have the luxury of 2 airports within an hour distance) on Friday 12/28 on a 2:25pm flight, arriving at MCO at 5:30! We will then take the Magical Express (first for us!) to Port Orleans Riverside (we are DVC members, however, there were no rooms available using points, however, plenty of rooms to choose from paying cash! Except for AoA Little Mermaid rooms) ..................and I am staying in a ROYAL ROOM!!!! Another bucket list item!!! (as I also have on there to stay at every Disney hotel, so one more checked off!)
We will stay for 4nts ~ leaving on Tuesday, Jan 1st - on a 8:15 pm flight (into Hartford) - so we have all day to play!
Side note: continue to play the Southwest game...............and as of This past weekend, we now have a southwest credit AGAIN (for the flight home) because our return flight went down $125 pp!!!! So that credit will be used for our July 2013 trip!!! (So probably one leg of that trip paid for already!)
Our plans look sort of like this for now (we are the Fredsbo's ~ so anything is bound to change! ):
Arrive Friday 12/28 - hopefully to POR by 6:30 pm ~ check in, room should be ready at this time! Unpack, either grab something at the resort, or head to EOS at DTD or we just might try to get a walk in at Chef Mickey's? Then head to MK as they are open till 2am!!!
Sat 12/29 - not sure for am yet - maybe Epcot or AK? Evening we have ADR's at CMC for dinner (first for us!) then plan to spend evening at DHS to see Osborne Lights!
Sun 12/30 ~ to me!!! Managed to snag a breakfast ADR at Tusker House with Donald and gang!!!! Spend the first part of the day at AK, then head back to POR for quick break, but definitely going to end up at MK!! Hoping to do CS at Be our Guest for late lunch ~ then hubby managed to score DESSERT Party!!!! Hoping to check out the new Fantasyland and ride Ariel! Can't think of a better way to spend my birthday!! Both my FAV parks in the same day and a dessert buffet with Tink flying over my head!!! Sigh...............can I just be there already!!! oh - and did I mention that MK is open till 3am!!!
Mon 12/31: Planning to sleep in a bit (maybe) and then spend afternoon/evening at Epcot! We will stay in Epcot for New Years eve - did manage to get late lunch ressie at Nine Dragons (we usually get chinese on NYE!) then will just hang around till late Illumninations - maybe snack around world later in evening - hopefully be able to ride new Test Track! If we feel up to it, after midnight Illuminations, we might head over to DHS that has EMH till 3am!!!
Tues 1/1: Check out day - we will visit a park or parks this day - not sure which one - we do have a breakfast ADR at Chef Mickey's (but hoping to get in earlier date) but our flight is not leaving until after 8pm, so hoping we don't have to be on Magical Express until 5 - so we have quite a bit of time in the day!
This is going to be a fly by the seat of your pants and nap on the bus/monorail, no real sleep type of trip!!!
I am BEYOND excited that I am going for my birthday/New Years Eve!! Now, I do TOTALLY understand that it will be BUSY & CRAZY ~ BUT I don't CARE!!! I am SUPER EXCITED!!!!
And as I said, this is a trip by the Fredsbo's ~ so ~ anything is bound to change!!
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to me!!! We sat down together one night last week and had quite the conversation about that weekend. See..........we normally would spend that weekend with our friends in NJ - taking them out to dinner for hosting us with a fantastic NYE party and such - and then we usually spend a day or two in NYC either before or after NJ - and he basically said that he looked at it, and with the gas, tolls, going to dinner, spending time in NYC with dinner, possible show that it would most likely cost the same as paying out of pocket for the remainder of flights and hotel (we have the premimum annual pass......more on hotel later) and said "let's just do it!"................................NO TWISTING my arm!!!! 
) ..................and I am staying in a ROYAL ROOM!!!! Another bucket list item!!! (as I also have on there to stay at every Disney hotel, so one more checked off!) 
):
to me!!! Managed to snag a breakfast ADR at Tusker House with Donald and gang!!!! Spend the first part of the day at AK, then head back to POR for quick break, but definitely going to end up at MK!! Hoping to do CS at Be our Guest for late lunch ~ then hubby managed to score DESSERT Party!!!! Hoping to check out the new Fantasyland and ride Ariel! Can't think of a better way to spend my birthday!! Both my FAV parks in the same day and a dessert buffet with Tink flying over my head!!! Sigh...............can I just be there already!!! oh - and did I mention that MK is open till 3am!!! 
~ BUT I don't CARE!!! I am SUPER EXCITED!!!! 
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