The Trip of a Lifetime to Alaska – Land and Sea – Trip Report - COMLETE!! 4/13/12 - Page 9 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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What a great first day! Looks like a wonderful location for your hotel as well!
I'm curious about the airplane tv's at your seats. What kind of programming is it? Do you have a choice of channels? I haven't seen them on my last few flights, but it sure would be great if we have them on our upcoming trip. 5+ hours on a plane with an antsy 7 year old is gonna be tough! Also, how much is it?
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What a great first day! Looks like a wonderful location for your hotel as well!
I'm curious about the airplane tv's at your seats. What kind of programming is it? Do you have a choice of channels? I haven't seen them on my last few flights, but it sure would be great if we have them on our upcoming trip. 5+ hours on a plane with an antsy 7 year old is gonna be tough! Also, how much is it?
On the Continental flight, it was Dish TV (or was it Direct? I get them confused). Pretty much live programming, there were probably about 80 channels, with some taped channels (which we had to use when we lost the signal going over some part of Canada). I think it was $7 or $8 per TV, you saved $2 if you had a Continental Mastercard! Unfortunately, our flight home from SEA didn't have them. You should have heard the "groans" from the gate area when they made that annoucement!
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Why is air travel so pleasant these days...NOT! I'm glad that they didn't hold the plane for the late arrivals to board, but the inefficiency of the boarding procedures is mind-boggling when you consider they do this umpteen times a day. I've never flown Southwest, but it's good to know somebody has it right.
I love that when you land at Anchorage the airport is "Alaska" themed and it's just a shuttle ride to your hotel complete with fishing stream. Gets you right into the feeling of being in a new place right away.
Great start! I hate when people are late to things like plane flights, brand new movies. Really, you have a group of 6 and you think you are going to find seats together 10 minutes prior to start????!!!!! Some people.
Can't wait to read more. I hear Alaska is just beautiful, can't wait to see all your pictures.
Definitely a hectic day before leaving, but they always are...you got so much done...and only 2 1/2 hour sleep before flight, I am surrpised you made it as long as you did.
Love the trolley...dinner sounded filling, hope the weather brings sunshine for your wake up.
Great start - although your flights sounded a little... well... uh... interesting. Glad you had the personal TVs, and that you got a short nap on the flight between Chicago and Anchorage.
Great start Marnie. Flying is such a pain now a days, I'm so turned off by it. I too miss the good old days when your ticket actually meant you had a seat on the plane (not costing extra) and you could bring a normal size and weight suitcase with you - for free.
I don't mide the added security due to 9/11 but all the other stuff is just the airlines being a PITA!
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.
My ds and dad also got pulled out for the special scanner and pat down at the airport. And we also paid for the television access on our long flight.... definately worth it for us!
How crazy about the lady yelling to get off the plane! Honestly- with a family of 6, she should have taken the three seats and let the other three catch up.... it would be a lot easier than trying to get 6 on a plane.....
Great start! Seems like the plane ride wasn't too brutal. My SIL is from Anchorage. We live in South Louisiana and they say that is a LONG flight! I wish to go there some day. My mom flew up there for my brother's wedding, she says it's the most beautiful place she has ever seen! Can't wait for more pictures!