From no trip to celebrating 20 years together… planning it all in less than 100 days! UPDATED 6/30 - Page 63 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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It is a nice walk between the hotels.
Your photopass pics are catching some of the best light of the day. Looks great on you two!
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Tanya
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What a great afternoon in Epcot, despite the heat! Love all the topiaries, and it looks like some great eats! Love the PP pictures in DHS! Can't wait to hear about the dessert party!
Nice photos from the Boardwalk area. Always love the area between the Swan and Dolphin hotel and the promenade there! Nice PP pics!
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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!
Glad you were able to get a little break back at the room before heading over DHS with the heat as bad as it was for you. I agree with you about the noise in the afternoon at the main pool at the Boardwalk! We've experienced it a couple of the times and I actually said to my DH that future stays at the Boardwalk resort will have to be near the DVC pool as there are no kid games and loud noises going on over there in the afternoon. We enjoy a break too but it's just too obnoxious hearing all that noise. I actually wrote a letter to Disney regarding it a couple of years ago because all the deluxe resorts seem to feel like they have to entertain the kids at their pools in the afternoon. Whatever happened to the good old days when kids thought the pool itself was the entertainment. I bet if you surveyed most adults without kids, they would say that they would prefer it being quiet at the main pools! OK, rant off. Glad you were able to snag a FP for GMR before your Star Wars Fireworks Party!
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Your Epcot photos are stunning! Epcot looks so beautiful! I wish I was there right now. And I know it was hot, but the bright blue skies really add to the beauty of the park and your pictures!
Glad you were able to get a little break back at the room before heading over DHS with the heat as bad as it was for you. I agree with you about the noise in the afternoon at the main pool at the Boardwalk! We've experienced it a couple of the times and I actually said to my DH that future stays at the Boardwalk resort will have to be near the DVC pool as there are no kid games and loud noises going on over there in the afternoon.
That's something for us to bear in mind for the future.
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We enjoy a break too but it's just too obnoxious hearing all that noise. I actually wrote a letter to Disney regarding it a couple of years ago because all the deluxe resorts seem to feel like they have to entertain the kids at their pools in the afternoon. Whatever happened to the good old days when kids thought the pool itself was the entertainment.
Oh my goodness, that's exactly how I was as a kid - you are so right!
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I bet if you surveyed most adults without kids, they would say that they would prefer it being quiet at the main pools! OK, rant off.
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Thursday 2 March – part nine: a tender moment with the Stormtroopers
We actually ended up with time to kill before our Fastpass, as it was only 5:20pm, so we decided to go over to the Star Wars Launch Bay…
We watched the feature playing in the theatre there. Oh my goodness, seriously do not miss this! It is such an uplifting film, made up of the key people now involved in the Star Wars franchise, and how many of them got into movie making as a result of the original films. I just love things like this, showing how popular culture can have such a positive effect on people.
When you come out, you then progress through the rest of the launch bay, although we missed this bit when we only did the character meets:
I like the way Disney and now SeaWorld are offering people the option to opt out of things, but in this case, you do miss quite a lot if you don’t do it.
Mark had a fun interaction with the Jawwas before we left….
When we came out of there, the check-in was open for the dessert party, but as it was only 5:40pm, I thought it was a bit early, so we started to head over to the Great Movie Ride, but we got distracted by two Stormtroopers…
We were particularly touched by what happened on the way back in. Their handler obviously told them they needed to go in, but there was a disabled guy in a wheelchair, and the Stormtroopers stopped to interact with him, and honestly the delight on his face was just a complete joy to see. I think everyone around was just staring in wonder at how they were spreading the Disney magic.
We made our way over to the Great Movie Ride…
We walked straight in, and they were calling for a two, and we were literally the last people to be loaded, so it was a complete walk-on for us.
I always forget how much fun this ride, and also how much goes into it, particularly with the Cast Members acting out those various parts. I was also very impressed with how my camera coped in the low light conditions. This bodes well for more ride photography…
Next: experiencing the Star Wars Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party
I can't wait to read about the dessert party, I'm (not so) patiently waiting for the October dates to open up so I can book it for us. I have a Star Wars obsessed DH and an equally Star Wars obsessed 8yr old DD!
Ps I really do enjoy your trip reports, thank you for doing them
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Disneyland Paris approx 2004, Caribbean Beach April 2013, Polynesian May 2014, Old Key West October 2015, Wilderness Lodge Oct 2017, Disneyland Paris October 2018 and looking forward to AKL Sept/Oct 2019 trip!
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your Photopass pics!!
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Pixie Dust
Love the PP pictures in DHS! Can't wait to hear about the dessert party! 
Nice PP pics! 
Glad you were able to snag a FP for GMR before your Star Wars Fireworks Party!
PassPorter Guide Author
It is such an uplifting film, made up of the key people now involved in the Star Wars franchise, and how many of them got into movie making as a result of the original films. I just love things like this, showing how popular culture can have such a positive effect on people. 
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