Returning to my Happy Place with my Disney Partner in Crime - PTR - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Returning to my Happy Place with my Disney Partner in Crime - PTR
Well, I have decided to try my hand at a PRE-trip report. I don’t have the best track record with actual trip reports (I think I have 2 incomplete ones out there…), but I’m thinking maybe if I complete a PTR, I’ll actually be inspired to follow-through with the TR. We shall see…
So, let’s start with some background. I am a somewhat recent “Disney nut”. I did go to WDW as a child for a few day trips because my grandparents lived in Daytona Beach, so I have a few spotty memories of some things, but nothing major. Although, one memory in particular that my mom and I recall and laugh at often… We were at the Pleasure Island section of Downtown Disney (I have no idea what DTD was actually called at that point) and I asked my Mom for some ice cream and she said no, because we didn’t have the money. Well, I called heresy and exclaimed, “But you just WON all that money from that machine!” … it was an ATM. Hahaha
Moving on…
In addition to my day trips, we were fortunate enough to go as a family (Mom, Dad, brothers) for Christmas in 1994 (I was in 7th grade). We were there for the actual week of Christmas and each got one small gift to open in our room at the Yacht Club on Christmas morning (being at Disney was gift enough!). The best and strongest memory I have from that trip is swimming on Christmas Day with my daddy in Stormalong Bay! I thought it was the coolest thing to be swimming OUTSIDE on Christmas! That remains such a sweet memory for me since my dad has now passed. It is my one Disney memory with him!
Fast forward 12 years to my early 20s. A good friend of mine’s brother moved to Celebration and she would go visit him and his wife frequently and visit the parks often. The opportunity arose for me to join her on a trip and it would be first time back since 7th grade. I was completely enamored by her knowledge of where everything was… the best route to this attraction or that… what kind of food was at all the restaurants… and so much more. I thought, “I want to know everything about this magical land, too!” 2 return trips and 1 Disney cruise later (which my mom attended with me), Mom and I were officially hooked. We took our first mother/daughter only trip in March of 2009 and it has been a glorious state of magical, Disney-filled bliss ever since.
Now, the reason for the title of this PTR. Though my mother has been my Disney partner in crime for a few years now, I did get married to the most wonderful man EVER last May and the two of us embarked on his first ever trip to WDW last December… without my mom Of course, I was BEYOND thrilled to be alone with my husband, introducing him to everything Disney. But it was a tad bittersweet being without my mom. It had become “our thing”. But now we are going back and she is coming with us! Along with my brother and his 2 children! I will tell a tad more about everyone involved in my next update when I introduce the cast of characters!
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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.
Great Start! I got hooked as an adult also as that was my first ever trip and even though it took me several years to get back want and will go every year now LOL!!!
Great Start! I got hooked as an adult also as that was my first ever trip and even though it took me several years to get back want and will go every year now LOL!!!
Okay, I teased the cast next, but as I write it up, it makes more sense to talk about “when” first. This could all get confusing, so hang with me!
We first started talking about this trip probably 2 years ago. We knew this trip would involve some, if not all of my family (“all” meaning my immediate family and their offspring). As far as myself and Richard and my mother are concerned, we are flexible and can go anytime. However, with my brothers and their families involved, there were only 2 times of year we could consider: July and October.
The reason for July is that my brother, Dan, is no longer married to the mother of his children and he has them every year for the entire month of July (which is when they tagged along with us once before). So, that makes July an option. The other option of October is due to fall break, which Dan doesn’t technically get the kids for, but he felt he could work it out with their mother and was wanting to try a less hot and crowded time of year, if possible.
My other brother (Dusty) and his family (wife & teenage daughter) are in a different school district and it turns out they aren’t having an October fall break, but rather the full week of Thanksgiving off. So, that took October off the table. In the meantime, Dusty & Rachel (his wife) have been attempting to adopt a baby for quite some time now. Their teenage daughter is actually adopted as well; she’s been with them since she was 13 (now 16). The deeper we got into this Disney-planning phase, it was beginning to look more and more like they would actually be getting a baby soon, so they ended up backing out entirely due to the unsure nature of what their situation would be by the time the trip rolled around. And spoiler alert, they did end up adopting a sweet baby girl in December 2013! Isn’t she the cutest????
I know some of you may be thinking, “Well, why aren’t they going now that they’ve got the baby and things are settled??” Well, they certainly are not the “eat, breathe, live Disney” types, so the thought of taking a 9-10 month old baby to WDW did not sound appealing to them. So with their absence…that puts October back on the table!
And now I can safely say we are all set for next month!!!! We arrive 10/3 and everyone but me and Richard will leave on 10/8, but Richard and I are staying an extra 2 nights, just the two of us
We did originally plan to arrive on 10/5, but once the free dining dates were released, 10/5 was not part of them. The first set of dates ended with 10/3. So, we decided to adjust with it, which means the kids will have to miss the Friday before fall break, but I’m sure nothing major will be happening those days…
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Of course, I was BEYOND thrilled to be alone with my husband, introducing him to everything Disney. But it was a tad bittersweet being without my mom. It had become “our thing”. But now we are going back and she is coming with us! Along with my brother and his 2 children! I will tell a tad more about everyone involved in my next update when I introduce the cast of characters!
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Pixie Dust
Love your backstory!
~ Jenn 
Parlor Panther in 'stalking mode'
Love your Disney memories! 
![[SIGPIC]](signaturepics/sigpic27594_7.gif)
Liz 
We arrive 10/3 and everyone but me and Richard will leave on 10/8, but Richard and I are staying an extra 2 nights, just the two of us 
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