Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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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.
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06-29-2006, 01:15 AM
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#91
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Community Rank: Adventurer 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 602
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Four - Updated June 28
Your pictures are beautiful! I'm starting to ponder a trip to the Outer Banks for one of these days [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/questionicon.gif[/img]
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Sponsored links
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06-29-2006, 09:55 AM
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#92
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Community Rank: Jetsetter 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 2,072
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Four - Updated June 28
Great report and pics! It's sad to say, but I've lived in North Carolina all my life and have never visited the Outer Banks! I've always wanted to go to Ocracoke Island. Maybe one day I'll make it way out there.
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06-29-2006, 10:07 AM
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#93
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: NC
Posts: 12,270
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Four - Updated June 28
It's really not that far [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502no_prv.gif[/img] It took us about 7 hours to get there from Charlotte (that's to get all the way down to Avon....Avon is about 40 minutes down the island from Manteo which is when you first arrive in Dare County, where the Outer Banks are).
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06-29-2006, 10:14 AM
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#94
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Community Rank: Legend 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Newtown Square, PA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 23,859
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Four - Updated June 28
Great updates, Melissa!! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img] THat is a beutiful lighthouse!!
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06-29-2006, 10:26 AM
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#95
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Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 35,829
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Four - Updated June 28
Fabulous TR and great pix. especially the sunset
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06-29-2006, 12:39 PM
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#96
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Faith, Trust, Pixie Dust
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 34,171
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Four - Updated June 28
Just catching up Melissa [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]. The pics are fabulous! More please [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
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06-29-2006, 12:53 PM
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#97
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: NC
Posts: 12,270
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Five - Updated June 29
Day Five - Thursday, June 22 - We're so poor we have to catch our own food!
We decided that today needed to be an all beach day since we hadn't spent time on the beach since Tuesday afternoon. Andy and I were out on the beach first, around 9 that morning. We took a walk on the beach, this time we went right instead of left. And it's a good thing we did b/c once we got a little ways down the beach Andy spotted a dolphin swimming and jumping. We stood and watched for awhile and tried to keep an eye on him as we walked back to our spot. It's always so neat to me to see that. We also agreed it was nice to have some "us" time as we'd spent almost all our time with the fam!
A little while later everyone else showed up. Now I should mention that on our first full day on the beach (Monday) Audrey hated every second of it. She didn't like to get dirty (so Kevin and Lori said). So they brought this mat for her to sit on but she didn't like that either. Well on Tuesday afternoon when we went swimming I came back up and sat with Karen and the baby while Lori swam with the guys. I told Karen "If she were mine, I'd plop her little bottom in the sand and let her get over it" so we did.....and after a few minutes of crying and me piling sand on her and telling her to pile sand on me, we were having a good ole time!! I was so proud [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] So by today, we were having a lot of fun in the sand... we would get shells, get them dirty in the sand, and then clean them off in the bucket of water. Then we pretended to eat the shells (so she wouldn't really eat them). She would hold one up to my mouth and I'd go "Mmmm mmm" and make cookie monster noises and say "yumm yumm" and a few minutes later she was doing the same thing! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] it was hilarious!
Andy talked me back out into the water....but I didn't stick around for long b/c I decided if I don't have enough time to pull up my bathing suit bottom and wipe the sand and hair off my face before I got knocked down again, it wasn't all that fun. At one point I did get knocked on my rear and I was like "yep, stick a fork in me!" So I enjoyed gathering rays while the guys continued to get beat around out in the water.
Around lunchtime me, Andy, Matt and Dawn went back to the house and fixed a sandwich. Then we had a [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img] and decided to see what we could get the seagulls to eat on the deck [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] Geez we're awful people. Dawn tried to give one an M&M but the bird spit it out.... then we threw pretzels and they were too lazy to catch them. So we gave up. After our food had settled we headed back down to the beach.
The good thing was we had the umbrellas b/c we could have been shaked and baked out in the sun. I spent the rest of the time under the umbrella and I'm happy to say I got some tan, and no burn this time!! Granted I'm striped b/c my bathing suit has a tankini front so the bottom of my tummy is really brown...the top half of my tummy is a little tan from the tanning bed...and the back of my bathing suit is open so on my side I have this line where there's no tan and then tan begins [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img]
After we had our fill of the beach it was time to do the one thing I had wanted to do the whole trip.... we were going to go crabbing. Now I am a nerd (which you know). And my dream life is that of Allie's in The Notebook. I want my house on the intercoastal waterway...and my man out in the water everyday crabbing and fishing, getting tan and manlike [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] So it was fun to do this and hope for my dream future to come true one day!
We had our rank fish, and trust me, it lives up to it's name...and our crab pot net thing to tie the fish down on. We first drove out and walked into the Sound to try and crab....but no luck. So then we went to the pier and got advice from the fellow working there. He said we needed to find a dock on the Sound and try from there. So we drove around, found a cool looking spot, hoped we weren't trespassing and got out of the car with our gear. There was another group of young folks doing the same thing, so we figured we were okay. As soon as we walked up to the water Andy goes "I see one right there" so we scurried to get the net out of the back of the car and get it into the water. We crabbed for about an hour and a half and caught 6 good ones that we could keep. The rest were too little and they were real pains cause we'd throw them back and stupidly they'd crawl right back onto the net to eat the fish [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img] Lesson learned: crabs are stupid.. It was here that my mosquito bites began... I was getting eaten all over my legs...so we decided we'd had enough sun and bites for one day and headed back to the house.
Tommy had fixed Frogmore Stew for dinner, some of you may know it as a Low Country Boil (shrimp, sausage, corn on the cob, and potatoes, all cooked together in a big pot and then thrown out onto the table to eat...only we don't do that part....cause Matt and Dawn don't eat seafood...so the shrimp had to be cooked seperately...[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img]) He then helped us cook our crabs..and my sweet hubby cracked and pulled and got all the meat out of them for me. It was [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/yuma.gif[/img] taaasty!! And I think it was the first time I'd ever actually caught something and then ate it!
After dinner (and some [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]) we gathered up all the bonfire supplies and headed to the beach. Again, here is where I think I accumulated the rest of the 39 bug bites on my left leg!) We got our fire going, enjoyed some smores....first time I'd actually made smores that way.....man they were good!!!
By the time the fire started to run out we were approached by some kids from Philly on their senior week type trip. They were drunk as a skunk...one kid had a magnum of Corona, I swear! They wanted to know if we had any "green stuff" if you know what I mean.... Dawn pipes up and goes "We say no to drugs" [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] Then he asked us what year were in college...we were like "ummmm we finished a long time ago....we're late 20's dude".... The kept talking for awhile and the one semi sober girl got the drift that we didn't care to keep the conversation going so she got them to leave....the were like "we're going to get some fireworks..you guys stay here and we'll be back" We were like "totally dude" and then got the heck outta there. Kids! That sort of thing really doesn't happen out there...atleast it didn't used to!
After our fire we were pooped and went on to bed...
Pictures from today:
Ok, so I actually posted a picture of me in my bathing suit... but it shows you how far out into the sound you can walk and still be only knee deep...very cool! That water felt like bath water (and that was a nice change from the cooold ocean)
A really nerdy picture of Andy lookin all manly.. he normally doesn't wear a hat b/c his head is too big [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/roflmao.gif[/img] (he's gonna get me for posting that comment)... But you can see the Cape Hatteras lighthouse over his left shoulder....waaaay off in the distance...
Ok so waiting to catch a crab in the sound can get boring...so I played around with silhouette pictures. I had to photoshop it a tad to darken the white letters on Andy's shirt...but I really like how it turned out...
Andy pulling the net back in...
Can you see why we thought we might be trespassing [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/questionicon.gif[/img]
Then we got Andy into the silhouette mood...
Our crab friends.... I kind of felt bad when I looked at this picture after I had them for dinner.....
Sitting around the fire
Why make one marshmellow when you can make 3??? (Andy's foot in the shot is a nice touch!)
[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img] Look at Andy's expression!
Coming up: Thanks to you two I have to have a fear!!
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06-29-2006, 01:04 PM
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#98
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Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ohio Football Hall Of Fame
Posts: 42,304
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Five - Updated June 29
Another fun update Melissa!! What a great day at the beach!!! Your bathing suit is so cute!! Can't wait for more!!
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06-29-2006, 01:09 PM
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#99
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Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Virginia
Posts: 3,498
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Five - Updated June 29
What a nice time you had! And, oh, to be young and thin and look good in a bathing suit! What nice photos!
I know what you mean about the water knocking you down. When I was 7 months pregnant years ago, I went in the water near Salvo. I got slammed on my butt! I got the heck out of that water, or I was going to give birth right then and there! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
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06-29-2006, 01:18 PM
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#100
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Community Rank: Globetrotter
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Mahopac, NY
Posts: 3,460
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Five - Updated June 29
I am really enjoying your trip report!!!! Your pics are great and your detail amusing....keep it coming!!!
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06-29-2006, 01:42 PM
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#101
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PassPorter Message Board Manager
 PassPorter Guide Author
Community Rank: Legend VIP 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Five - Updated June 29
Great update Melissa - what a shame about your bites. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] I love those silhoutte photos, they are so [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img] And great one of you in your bathing suit - you look great in it!
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06-29-2006, 01:51 PM
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#102
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Community Rank: Adventurer
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 726
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Five - Updated June 29
Great update!
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06-29-2006, 01:59 PM
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#103
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Community Rank: Adventurer
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 602
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Five - Updated June 29
I love your bathing suit!
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06-29-2006, 02:04 PM
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#104
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Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 35,829
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Five - Updated June 29
Another great update. Keep them coming. Sorry about the skeeter bites
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06-29-2006, 02:07 PM
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#105
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: May 2003
Location: a mere few minutes from the Mouse! <3
Concierge Level: 2
Posts: 9,777
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Re: The Outer Banks - revisited... Day Five - Updated June 29
You guys look like such a fun group! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Enjoying your TR! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img]
Amy
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