December 2-12, 2007 (Grand Californian Hotel) - First Trip to Disneyland for an Early Christmas & Dose of Disney Magic **Updated 10/30** COMPLETE - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
December 2-12, 2007 (Grand Californian Hotel) - First Trip to Disneyland for an Early Christmas & Dose of Disney Magic **Updated 10/30** COMPLETE
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Glad you had a great last day!! Thanks so much for sharing your adventures with us!!
It has been my pleasure . I felt a big sense of achievement as I brought the TR to an end, as it left me with a finished product I can read when I get a lot older and can't remember things as clearly, or when I just want to relive the trip at any age . I've still yet to get Nest to read over it - he thinks it's too long!
Your last day sounds so wonderful, but I know you were sad to leave. I'm glad y'all had a great time. Is a trip to WDW in Orlando in your future?
I must admit that I didn't write any notes for our last day (the intention to was there - I even bought a notepad at the airport!), which is why it's a bit short. When I came to write about that day 10 months after it actually happened, I had a bit of a panic, but most of it came back to me with the help of photos, receipts, the park maps, and two scattered sentences in my Passporter - phew! I'm happy with the result
, a trip to WDW is most certainly in my future - I've been planning a return since 2005, as my first trip there was SO rushed that I didn't feel I did it justice. When I think about it, it doesn't really feel as if I've been there to begin with . And my diary for that trip - absolutely appallingly short! Even more shocking - I didn't even get to Epcot , as I accompanied my friend to the hospital instead (her foot had swollen up big time!) My friend and I spent a week at WDW at the beginning of December 2005 - we spent a day each in the AK, MGM Studios, SeaWorld, Celebration Hospital, and the rest in the MK.
For our first day in the MK, I organised a surprise for her with the company, Presentations : Gifts of a Lifetime, and a photographer to record the experience for us in pictures. This is the one part of our trip I wrote about in detail, and I've been thinking of posting it up in the WDW section for everyone to share, as we had such a brilliant experience with them, and I'd love to think it would motivate people to organise the same thing for a friend or family member, and have an equally enjoyable time as we did
As for my upcoming WDW trip, I have it all planned (the Universal Studios leg is the only activity left open, as I want to visit Harry Potter World when it opens, and as yet, I have no details about it) - I just need the money to fund it, which will take ages to get together, as I want to bring my bros too. They don't have proper jobs at the mo, and airfares to Florida cost over $3000 each when I last looked . I know I'm just gonna sooooooooooooooooooooo appreciate the trip when it finally does become a reality - I'm busting to do the Christmas Tour, the Keys to the Kingdom tour (I'm not sure about my bros though, as I don't want to ruin the magic for them), and see how much things have changed since my last visit. I'm also looking forward to taking things at a much more relaxed pace than last time, experiencing all my fave rides again (as well as the ones I didn't get on at all), and exploring all the hotels done up in their Christmas finery (I can't believe I didn't get this done last time!) Oh, and Epcot is most certainly on the list too - EVERYTHING is on the list! I'm aware the Disney water parks wont be open at that time of year, but that's ok, as I can't swim, and have plenty enough on my plate as it is for when I do get over. I'm also really interested in visiting Big Cat Rescue and Busch Gardens in Tampa. Oh oh oh - and all the restaurants - that will be a big priority too, as I just trying new yummy foods!
Even though I'm busting to come back to Florida, my brothers and I are also really interested in spending Halloween in California before-hand, as the celebrations are non-existent over here in Australia (plus my brothers are interested in seeing Alcatraz and riding over the Golden Gate in San Francisco, going to Vegas, and attending the Halloween parties at Universal and Knott's in particular, as they've received rave reviews.) This was scheduled for next October, but just recently I've had to admit that the funds just aren't there, so I've had to delay it until they are . There's just so many exciting things to do in life! I've invested in a few lottery tickets in an effort to speed things up, but have yet to come up trumps . At least I've got loads of motivation to get up and go to work in the mornings! Sometimes I think about combining the two trips into one huge one - the possibilities are endless!
Look at me rambling on here!
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Little Brother & Big Sister
Cruising the Pacific Coast on the Disney Wonder
September/October 2012
Last edited by Big Sister; 11-04-2008 at 09:04 PM..
Reason: Missing two words
Sounds like you and Nest had a wonderful final day! What a wonderful bonding trip it has been!!
I'm close to all my brothers, but I find I'm exceptionally close to Nest. I think it has something to do with the age I was when he was born, and being able to cope better with things like that. These days, we're extremely alike in the way we think and speak, as well as in interests. It has been absolutely wonderful sharing such a huge fantastic trip to Disneyland with him! I'm looking forward to sharing future trips with more of my brothers
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I finally found the time to read about your last day. You really made the most of your time. It's too bad you didn't manage the bulkhead, but it seems like that was one of the only little disappointments of a fantastic trip. I really enjoyed reading about your holiday. Thanks for sharing it with us!
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
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About This Page: 
. I felt a big sense of achievement as I brought the TR to an end, as it left me with a finished product I can read when I get a lot older and can't remember things as clearly, or when I just want to relive the trip at any age 
. I've still yet to get Nest to read over it - he thinks it's too long! 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
I'm happy with the result 
, a trip to WDW is most certainly in my future - I've been planning a return since 2005, as my first trip there was SO rushed that I didn't feel I did it justice. When I think about it, it doesn't really feel as if I've been there to begin with 
. And my diary for that trip - absolutely appallingly short! 
, as I accompanied my friend to the hospital instead (her foot had swollen up big time!) My friend and I spent a week at WDW at the beginning of December 2005 - we spent a day each in the AK, MGM Studios, SeaWorld, Celebration Hospital, and the rest in the MK.
trying new yummy foods!
. There's just so many exciting things to do in life! I've invested in a few lottery tickets in an effort to speed things up, but have yet to come up trumps 
. At least I've got loads of motivation to get up and go to work in the mornings! 
His pictures were amazing! 
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