From no trip to celebrating 20 years together… planning it all in less than 100 days! UPDATED 6/30 - Page 95 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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.
Not long after we got past this bridge, we had some wildlife sightings – first these ducks…
… and then this squirrel:
We were amazed by him. Can squirrels swim? Don’t worry, it’s not a test, it’s just something we were curious about, as he was trying to get his hands on berries from branches suspended above the water. Goodness knows what would’ve happened if he’d have fallen in!
Once again, we gave way for a Friendship, but still not the one we’d seen docked at the Swan and Dolphin.
We headed up to the Studios…
We saw some more wildlife…
… and the squirrel was still dangling precariously over the water when we got back there…
We headed back towards the Swan and Dolphin, still not seeing the mysterious Friendship that was docked there. What the heck happened to it? Maybe it suffered some kind of problem? Odd…
We also found a bird who was fighting a battle with a fish that was perhaps a little too big for him!
We made our way back towards the dock…
… and Mike was waiting for us. We’d told him the story about our encounter with the boat the Wilderness Lodge last night, and how he took three attempts to berth. I did say to Mark that the pressure was now on him, as he’d joked about the guy’s performance, and Mike would be expecting him to berth perfectly first time around! Well, he just about managed it, enough for Mike to grab the rope anyway, which was the important thing…
It had been a huge amount of fun, and all for $33! I would really thoroughly recommend it, as it’s a really fun way to spend half an hour, and it gives you a different perspective of Disney.
The boat ride does seem like a great way to relax! BC looks just beautiful from the water. (well, all the resorts do, but BC has been on my bucket list for quite some time. One day!)
When we have ridden the friendship boat to DHS, I thought I remembered that there was an alternate exit from the Swan/Dolphin stop. This map confirms it.
The boat ride sounds wonderful and relaxing!! I think I will add it to our list for November as we have some wiggle room and we just love Crescent Lake!! Hmmmm.......that disappearing boat is really something!!
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.
I would love for my DH and I to take a boat out but neither of us have ever driven a boat before and we're not knowledgeable of the rules of the water.Maybe we should try the little mouse boats first. Glad you enjoyed it so much!
The boat ride does seem like a great way to relax! BC looks just beautiful from the water. (well, all the resorts do, but BC has been on my bucket list for quite some time. One day!)
I hope you get to stay there one day, it's a beautiful place.
When we have ridden the friendship boat to DHS, I thought I remembered that there was an alternate exit from the Swan/Dolphin stop. This map confirms it.
Hopefully, the link takes you to a map of the friendship boat route on crescent lake!
So I guess the boat you were waiting for went out the back way.
Hmm... it does, but I still can't see where it could've gone, apart from the other side of the dock for the Swan/Dolphin? The only way I can see from the map to take a boat out of service is still via Epcot, unless I'm missing something on the map?
I would love for my DH and I to take a boat out but neither of us have ever driven a boat before and we're not knowledgeable of the rules of the water.Maybe we should try the little mouse boats first. Glad you enjoyed it so much!
Oh honestly, you really don't need to know anything before you take one out, as the Cast Members talk you through any details first. It really isn't complicated. The only complicated bit is docking, but the Cast Members are on hand to help you back in. I'd really encourage you to give it a go.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
I would really thoroughly recommend it, as it’s a really fun way to spend half an hour, and it gives you a different perspective of Disney. 
(well, all the resorts do, but BC has been on my bucket list for quite some time. One day!)
Linear Mode
