1 Mom, 2 Daughters and 3 Days of Wonder! **Completed 6/29!** - Page 8 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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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.
The "you have to pay" comment reminds me of a conversation my sister and I had. 13 of us are cruising on the Wonder in November, and with the exception of DH and I, no one has ever cruised before. So my sister and I are waiting for the time (it WILL come) when our dad orders something for dinner that he doesn't like, and refuses to get something else because he "already paid" for the first meal. No matter how many times we tell him, I don't think he is comprehending that the food is all FREE (or, prepaid, anyway)!
I have to agree with the girls...there's nothing like watching a movie on Ariel Vision while swimming in the pool on a Disney ship! Sounds like a wonderful start to your cruise!
Thanks you guys for all the lovely comments- I love reading them!
After the girls finished lunch, it was shortly after 1:30, so we headed on down to Deck 2 to check out the room. The hallway was open and we walked right to our stateroom.
When we walked in, I was very pleasantly surprised with the window. It was huge. That porthole took up almost half the wall- or at least it felt like it anyhow. The girls absolutely loved it- and I got a huge kick of showing Emily the bathroom. Of course, her first remark about how small it was- which is something a new cruiser definitely needs some time to adjust to.
Closer inspection revealed some wonderful surprises!! My Castaway Club gift was there, a wonderful tote filled with many awesome logo type things- I was thrilled with it. And then on the bed as well was the Bon Voyage commemorative photo box sent by Barb and Bob for me, then right alongside it, two gift cards for the girls- Katie would soon have a DCL Minnie to call her own, and Emily a DCL Mickey. Those items had to be picked up in Mickey's Mates later, which we planned to do after the Golden Mickeys but before dinner. Thanks Barb and Bob!!
It was about here, Katie clearly told us by action rather than word she needed down time- out came the DVD player. Emily got out her art stuff and made herself home at the desk.
It was about here I discovered the first small snafu. I had packed the swimsuits in the day bag but nothing else. The girls were able to change back into their original clothes. I went to do the same, but I could not find my shirt. I looked everywhere- and it was nowhere to be found. UGH! So as the luggage had not shown up, I had no other options but to stay in my suit and throw shorts on. Not very comfy.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. It was our stateroom host, Glenn from the Phillipines. He was the sweetest guy and already knew we had moved up from Deck 1- and handed me another gift note, then asked me if there was anything we needed. I explained the whole lost shirt, me being stuck in my suit situation without our luggage having shown up. He told me he would check into it and let me know. And true to his word, less than 5 minutes later, he returned with all 3 bags. I was thrilled!!! The gift note by the way was from Lynn- the girls would be picking up DCL lanyards in Mickey's Mates and I got a nifty stateroom credit for a FAB or two!! Yay!
I had enough time to grab a shower and then get us all ready for the safety drill. I turned the instructional video on and Katie immediately started watching. This was one part of the trip I was really worried about. I asked her to go and grab the life jackets to see how she reacted- and she did without complaint. Here's a pic- they looked pretty okay with it!
I decided to walk them up to the Walt Disney Theater early to try and avoid crowds for Kate's sake. We were the first there - the whole thing lasted about 25 minutes and there of course, were several passengers who didn't bother to show. On the way out, the assembly leader complimented both Emily and Katie on how good they were. They were too- they listened and were very quiet. I was proud!
With that out of the way, we stopped back by the cabin, dropped the life jackets off- got all our cameras and other stuff- then headed up for the sailaway!!!
So glad the girls did great for the safety drill! The room looks nice - I've never cruised before, but reading all these Cruise TRs is making me want to.
Loved the updates...you can tell how much the girls are enjoying by their christening the pool phot. Glad they had some pool time to themselves. Loved the "mom you have to pay remark" that was priceless...
Love the room, I have often worried about not wanting to sepnd the money on a patio but not liking the no window idea either. That protal is pretty large, defnitely a good in between option.
Seems like you are all having a great time already and I am so glad they were able to get you your bags quickly....
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Emily's comment about not paying for food! Aren't kids cute. 
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
Dreams, Wishes, Hopes... these are the parts of childhood we should never lose.
No matter how many times we tell him, I don't think he is comprehending that the food is all FREE (or, prepaid, anyway)! 
PassPorter Guide Author
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