A Spring Adventure: Wilderness, Flowers, and the Force (with Cam and Luke) PTR Updated 5/22 - Page 66 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Love the new VB bag!!!! I have a VB carry-on too! I forget what the style is called, but it's just a bit smaller than the weekender.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2
I think it is going to work very well as my carryon!
Quote:
Originally Posted by clio
I have the old weekender in Doodle Daisy. It doesn't have the trolley sleeve. I was surprised at how much it holds. I also have the grand traveler. It is quite a bit bigger and I haven't had a chance to use it yet. Luckily the Vera Bradley outlet is 2 hours away or I'd be in big trouble.
Liz
I'm lucky that a store isn't closer or who knows how much I'd own.
Because we have been so many times, I sometimes worry that I’ll operate on auto-pilot and forget to do something necessary. So I still do lists. And then there is the fact that I lists, keeping them for almost everything. The May 2014 version looks like this.
1. Put tips in envelopes. The envelopes are printed, but we need to fill them with some actual money.
2. Set up vacation stop for newspaper and mail. Luke usually does this on online, which is quite easy.
3. Provide my Dad and Luke’s mom with itinerary. Doing this makes them both happy and does keep someone in the loop as to where we are.
4. Check prescriptions and refill, if needed. I’ll try to do this at least a week ahead in order to having time for refilling.
5. Arrange for lawn mowing. We’re lucky that one of our nephews owns a lawn service, so we’ll give him a call to come at least once while we are away.
6. Water plants. We only have a few indoor plants, which should be fine for the week+ we are away if they are watered well. I’m going to hold off on plantings outdoors until we are back.
7. Check doors, windows, and locks.
8. Unplug electronics/computers and small appliances. Luke will also check that the stove is off and remind me it is when I ask.
9. Remove perishables from refrigerator/cabinets and discard. Since it is just the two of us, we don’t often have leftovers. But I’ll still check as come home to bad smells is no fun.
10. Empty wastebaskets. Same precaution to avoid stinky smells on our return.
11. Arrange for garbage to be set out. The day we leave is the day before trash pick up, so I’ll probably ask a neighbor to bring the toter back up by the garage.
12. Program the thermostat. programmable thermostats. This is another of Luke’s jobs.
13. Timers for lights. We actually hae one light that stays on a timer, but Luke will hook up one or two more in other rooms.
14. Print parking coupon. The place we use has an online coupon that reducing the price per day considerably.
In addition, we have two projects we’d at least like to start before heading to Florida. For probably 10+ years, Luke has had a lawn service provide treatments for our yard (fertilizer, weed control, pest control, etc.), When he was analyzing our budget for alterations now that we are retired, he decided that he has the time now to care for the lawn himself. We save a nice little chunk of money. So stay tuned to our progress on this before Disney.
The other project is to clean out the garage. Luke’s mom wants to have another family yard sale the first week of June. We’ll be working on her garage as well as ours. I’m pretty sure this won’t be easy or entirely pleasant, but it needs to be done.
We spent the day with June, John, Morgan, John Paul, and Daddy today. Morgan and John Paul have recently had birthdays and we needed to deliver their presents. JP is really into trains right now, so we got him a Lionel yellow construction train. Morgan is officially a teenager now, so a shopping spree was in order. Fortunately or unfortunately, in shopping for her, I found a few things on sale at Gap. So I’ll be reworking my packing list again.
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.
Great list! I can't believe Morgan is a teenager already! Glad you found some things too! Garage sales are a hassle but worth it if they are successful!
We are off in 12 days and reading hour updates made me realize how much I still needed to do. The kids got travel size things in their Easter baskets today so they should be all set. I went through the closet and found the other things that are needed; our hanging organizer, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, etc. I have piles started now! Thanks for getting me focused!
Your lists are awesome--and while I have never actually sat down and written it all out, there must be a certain Jedi-like calmness that must come as you check off each item. Does it help you to start achieving that vacation relaxation that we all enjoy?
And can I tell you that you have inspired me to do a smashbook of DH's and my upcoming October trip? Thank you for the wonderful idea!
Thank you for reminding me that I need to buy sunscreen for my upcoming trip! Love how pp help each other out!
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First trip DW--Nov. 1975; Senior Class Trip DW--Oct. 1979; First trip w/kids--Oct. 1995; Halloween at DW--Oct. 2002; Spring Break at DW--April 2004; Christmas/Pop Warner Nationals-POR--Dec. 2005;Cruisin'--April 2008; Mom/Son trip-POP--March 2010;Taggin' along w/DD on DH's conference-BWI--Oct. 2011; 50th birthday with the Gartner Geeks--Adults only!--BWI--Oct. 2012; The Trip That Almost Wasn't--BWI--Oct. 2013; We climbed The Summit (National Cheer Competition)--ASMovies--May 2014
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I am with you Cam I love lists also. They are just a great way to not forget anything and have your mind at peace by not thinking you are forgetting something.
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.
Love the new bag! You will be traveling in style this trip!!! I also admire your lists... I love to make lists, too. Such a great feeling to check off each item! (Sometimes it's the little things in life!)
Love your organization skills Cam. I'm pretty good myself as I also write up those "To Do Lists" prior to my trip.
My packing list is also broken down into various categories such as Toiletries, Clothing, Golf Stuff, Various Items (includes everything from Airline tix, Magic Bands and resort ressies) and Last Minute Items to Pack or Bring. This system seems to work quite well for me.
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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!