Sunshine, Freedom, and a Flower: A Cam and Luke PTR Updated 5/19 - Page 7 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Loved reading your background story as it is just such a sweet one Luke's train room is really coming along nicely and you can see the joy that he gets from creating it! It sounds like you're really enjoying retirement
I am sure that many of you who’ve read my PTRs and TRs over the years could write a brief description of Luke and me, even if you’ve never met us. But I’ll see if I can offer some new insights about the two of us.
That is so me - I bet I could! And we've still never met, despite many close calls in the last couple of years.
Wonderful update! It's neat to learn more about you guys! My youngest son would love Luke's train room..... I love your princess comparison -- I, too, am far more a Merida than a Cinderella!! For starters, I'd love to have her horse.
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.
Loved learning more about you two. I already could tell I'd like Luke from the past few TRs I've read, but after reading about his hugs and his bone marrow transplant for Stefanie, I'm quite sure he's a pretty fantastic guy!
I feel like I've known you and Luke for years now through your PTR's and TR's. You guys are an inspiration and I love reading all about your many adventures!
I love your trip reports, and I'm glad to hear more about you guys. I love the stories with Stephanie as sadly I only started to read your trip report when she was sick, I know you must love sharing her with all of us. Could anyone love disney as much as she did?
I do already feel like I know you, even though we haven't met! I always love hearing more about your sweet family!
I think those of us who write and read TRs learn so much about each other both from our trips and our responses. You all are my friends, even if I haven't met you yet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lindawdw
Loved reading your background story as it is just such a sweet one Luke's train room is really coming along nicely and you can see the joy that he gets from creating it! It sounds like you're really enjoying retirement
We are enjoying retirement. I came home from volunteering on Wednesday afternoon, and he immediately asked me to come to the train room with him. Luke loves set up sound systems. We have one in the living room and another in the master bedroom. And now we have one in the train room, too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
That is so me - I bet I could! And we've still never met, despite many close calls in the last couple of years.
I know when we finally meet it will sort of be like picking up where we left on the boards. I also know Luke will feel he knows you and Mark, too, because I'm always summarizing your adventures to him. I figure it's just a matter of time before we finally meet in person.
Wonderful update! It's neat to learn more about you guys! My youngest son would love Luke's train room..... I love your princess comparison -- I, too, am far more a Merida than a Cinderella!! For starters, I'd love to have her horse.
.
I wouldn't mind having a horse either, though I know practically nothing about riding one. A great uncle used to have horses, but the one time I visited, the only horse I could ride was a pregnant mare, and she was huge. My little legs could hardly get around her.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeL
Thanks for a greater insight into your lives
You are welcome!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
I love that in each TR we get a more detailed picture of you and Luke!
I'm always a smidge afraid of boring you all, so I dig to think of new things.
About This Page: 
Susan
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Luke's train room is really coming along nicely and you can see the joy that he gets from creating it! It sounds like you're really enjoying retirement
PassPorter Guide Author
I love your princess comparison -- I, too, am far more a Merida than a Cinderella!! For starters, I'd love to have her horse. 
Linear Mode
