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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Glad you're still having a great time! Love the pictures!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
I noticed the mis-matched videos, but it doesn't matter a bit! It's wonderful to see them in any order. The canyon is an awesome sight and it looks like everyone had fun with some of the kitchier things around Vegas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Sounds like an amazing time at the Grand Canyon and I agree - everyone should see it once in their lifetime if they can.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Sounds like a great time at the Grand Canyon. Glad you're having fun at Bryce Canyon!!
Day 19 & Day 20) Grand Canyon North Rim)
I’m a little behind in writing up my updates; so my memory is getting a little foggy. But I’ll try to remember as best I can.
We stayed in our Vegas hotel until nearly noon; thinking we only had a short 3 hour drive to Grand Canyon North Rim. This was a mistake. First, it took way longer to load the van than we expected; then we had lunch issues. Winston(6) was in charge of choosing our eat out place this day and the first place he chose- Dairy Queen was nowhere to be found. The GPS said it was a few miles away; but when we “got there”, Dairy Queen was nowhere to be found. He then chose Ci Ci’s pizza. When we got there; it was so busy there was a line out the door. So, his third choice was Wendy’s and by the time we ate here due to all the delays it was nearing 2pm and we needed to get going! Wesley(14) became sick to his stomach on the drive out and we had to make several lengthy bathroom stops. Thankfully we remained in good spirits and actually started making a point to stop at McDonalds for him to use the restroom so that we could use their free wi-fi in the van. At times we were just laughing, telling him not too hurry as we were enjoying the wi-fiJ. After a few doses of Pepto-Bismol, we were able to finish the drive uneventfully.
As we neared the Grand Canyon North Rim, it was getting near 8pm and I was getting very concerned the park would be closed and we would be unable to get into our campsite. Turns out the registration and all was closed when we arrived; but thankfully they do not put up and gates and we were able to get into our campsite and officially register the next morning.
That night, Austin(9) woke up during the night asking to eat. I told him he could wait till breakfast the next morning. A bit later he was complaining that he was that he was starving and his stomach hurt. I asked him if he was starving or if he felt like he was going to throw up. He said he might need to throw up and I told him to do it *outside* of the tent. He got out of the tent, and sure enough…
He got up a few more times and got sick. I got him a garbage bag for the tent, but thankfully he was able to get out in time each time. The next morning, he woke up running around feeling great. But breakfast (sausage, grilled cheese, and oranges) didn’t set well with him and it came back up. Fortunately this was the last of it, and although he did feel a little weak the rest of the day- he was able to tour the park with us and no one else got it!
The North Rim was great! Very spectacular, different views- I am so glad we took the time to visit both rims! My brother and Wesley both said they enjoyed the north rim way better than the south; and I think I have a slight preference for the North, but enjoyed the South soooo much as well, I really would not have wanted to miss either! There was no shuttle here and we were able to drive our van to the view points and hike some of the shorter trails. There was one trail that takes you out to an overlook that is just breathtaking as it sits out over the Canyon and is a sheer drop… Definitely something everyone should see! With all that said, I will say I enjoy the South Rim campground better as despite being more populated, the actual camp sites are more isolated. But I did enjoy this one as well, despite the very, very, very cold weather!
Here are our pics from the North Rim:
The places you are visiting are so incredible. We have been to many of them and I hope to get back someday, though you are braver then me. I won't camp. Sounds like there have been a few rough spots, but it's been worth it!
I love the Grand Canyon and Bryce (although Zion was my favorite). Glad you are all back to good health and I hope it stays that way. When my kids were young someone always got sick on vacation, which the pediatrician attributed to slight variations in viruses.
I am enjoying living vicariously through your trip.
Sorry Wesley and Austin were both sick, but at least it does (hopefully!) sound as if it's all over now - I hope that's the case.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Great stop at the North Rim. Sorry about the illnesses, though! Hope you all stay healthy for the rest of the trip.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily
The places you are visiting are so incredible. We have been to many of them and I hope to get back someday, though you are braver then me. I won't camp. Sounds like there have been a few rough spots, but it's been worth it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Sorry for all the sickness!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huntermom
I love the Grand Canyon and Bryce (although Zion was my favorite). Glad you are all back to good health and I hope it stays that way. When my kids were young someone always got sick on vacation, which the pediatrician attributed to slight variations in viruses.
I am enjoying living vicariously through your trip.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Sorry the boys got sick! Hope everyone is feeling better now!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfredsbo
Amazing trip!!!! What an experience!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OneLittleSpark
Hoping everyone is feeling A-Okay now! Sounds like you all took it in a stride and let the fun continue. Wtg!
Thanks everyone! So far, no one else has been sick
Day 21) Zion National Park)
We got going early this morning to head to Zion. We first headed to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. This is known as Dog Town on television. My kids, especially Dillon (13), have seen a few episodes on Netflix and love it. As soon as they found out our itinerary would be taking us to Utah, they/Dillon insisted we try to stop by Dog Town if possible, so the kids were really excited about this pit stop! We had scheduled a guided tour for 10am and really enjoyed it. Madilyn purchased a stuffed animal dog with her own money. We finished around noon and ate a picnic lunch before leaving the animal sanctuary.
We then headed for Zion National Park. We only had about an hour drive. Once we got there, we set up camp. We did go to the visitor center and pick up the kids junior ranger books so that they could get started on that. That evening we went to the visitor center to watch the park video.
They had a great creek (actually it was the Virgin River) by the campground that kids had a great time swimming in! This day turned out to be National Park day; meaning people could get into the park for free- it was very busy- so we just hung around the campsite this first day and went out to explore the next morning- a good choice because there were far fewer people there the next day
The next morning we got going as early as we could to explore Zion National Park. This is a great park, with a lot of spectacular views! The pictures don’t do it justice, but I was highly impressed! Here are the pics from Zion: Road Trip Day 21 - YouTube
About This Page: 
PassPorter Guide Author
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
"Sparky"(My first trip.)
Linear Mode
