Saving the Magic (with Cam and Luke plus Morgan) COMPLETED - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Saving the Magic (with Cam and Luke plus Morgan) COMPLETED
Sunday, June 3 Part 1
The alarm went off promptly at 6:30, but I lay in bed for 15 more minutes. This was not a trip I was necessarily looking forward to. I had first awoken at 2 AM and didn’t fall back asleep until almost 4 AM, anxious and excited both. June made us a pancake breakfast, and then finished packing Morgan. We loaded the car and exchanged goodbye hugs. By 8:20 we were on the road. I tried updating my status on Facebook, but failed when the app closed unexpectedly 40 minutes into my writing.
We arrived at Executive Travel and Parking around 10:00, and our bags were immediately loaded into a shuttle. We were off to BNA, the Nashville airport. We chose Express Bag Check as we had already printed our boarding passes on Saturday. After a restroom break, we passed through security where the couple in front of us decided to check one more bag. They hoped the wife could wait with their stuff that they had already piled into bins. The answer to that question was NO! But they had bottlenecked the line in the process. Once they were out of the way, we could load our stuff into the bins. Luke went through the big scanner, but since Morgan was 11, she and I went through the smaller one. The security person called her my daughter, something that will happen over and over this trip, making me smile and grimace both as I was missing “my” daughter the entire time.
We walked and walked until the end of the terminal at Gate 25. I kept the bags while Luke and Morgan returned to Burger King for lunch. This would be Morgan’s first experience eating at Burger King. So many new adventures for our niece were in store. I met a newlywed couple going to Orlando for their honeymoon while Luke and Morgan were getting lunch. The wife was nervous as this was her first flight, just like Morgan.
I had the BK Select Burger, fries, and a Dr. Pepper in honor of Stefanie; Luke had an original chicken sandwich, fries, and a Coke; and for Morgan’s first BK meal, she had a Tender Crisp chicken sandwich, fries, and a water. With our food consumed, we were just waiting.
Our stack of carry on case waiting to board the plane.
Checking out the plane at the gate.
We’re going to Disney!
Returning from the mandatory bathroom stop before boarding.
Southwest began boarding around 11:30. The ticket taker was both surprised and thrilled to be getting a gift. Morgan was anxious and excited about her first flight. We were met by the flight attendant who escorted Morgan to the cockpit to give the pilot his goodie bag in person. Cool! Later the flight attendant came by our seats to thank us, and she and I shed a few tears. Seats 8 ABC were quite comfy with the engine right outside Luke’s window.
Ear plugs are in and so is the smile.
Ready to fly!
Luke’s smiling, too!
Once we took off, we heard lots of “Whoas” from Morgan as she declared flying was not scary and not too bad. She thought it was so cool when we flew through the clouds and then above them. She even asked at one point if that was Hawaii down below.
Carpet of clouds
Not Hawaii
Just plane and sky
Easy to see we were right at the engine
Morgan had gotten a flight kit with wings, coloring book, and the neatest coloring pencil with 4 colors (red, yellow, green, and blue).
One of the flight attendants read my note out loud and asked for a round of applause for our thoughtfulness, and my eyes brimmed over with tears. Luke got a free Chardonnay in response to the goodie bags while I chose a Dr. Pepper (still thinking of Stefanie). Morgan chose a coke. When the drinks arrived we were also given three bags of peanuts. Morgan completed the book except for coloring one picture because as the pencil dulled, it became difficult to color. At one point while coloring, Morgan looked out the window and then at me, asking, “Are we in space?” I had so forgotten what an 11 year old was like, but I was totally enjoying it, too. Morgan kept me smiling!
Our flight was easy, breezy. Morgan’s final opinion of her first flight – two thumbs up! As we exited the plane, one of the pilots gave Morgan a goodie bag, including a lint roller, two decks of playing cards, a security alarm, key chain, and two luggage tags. I felt bad as they mistakenly called her Stefanie.
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I'm so happy to see that you've started your TR. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult this morning was for you, but I am happy to see that Morgan is helping you through with her sweet smiles and questions
__________________
Stacey
Why do these kids look so pathetic?
Find out in: A New Grade, A New House, and A Surprise!Final Thoughts 01/30
I'm so glad you started. Sounds like it's going ok so far. The tears are understandable. I'm glad you & Luke had Morgan with you on this trip. I just love how excited she is about everything and was happy I got to witness it myself.
Great start to your report. I admire your strength and I hope writing this TR is therapeutic for you. I enjoyed your previous TRs and I know this trip and the TR are a tribute to your angel and filled with her spirit that lives on in you
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Great flight! I'm glad Morgan had a good flight and you and Luke were able to enjoy Morgan's "little girl excitement" in all the new experiences for her. That is something that is so precious to be a part of.
Tears and smiles here too. That was funny about the "not Hawaii" picture. I'm glad you are sharing this, though it has to be hard. I am looking forward to reading more.
About This Page: 
I met a newlywed couple going to Orlando for their honeymoon while Luke and Morgan were getting lunch. The wife was nervous as this was her first flight, just like Morgan. 
Later the flight attendant came by our seats to thank us, and she and I shed a few tears. Seats 8 ABC were quite comfy with the engine right outside Luke’s window. 
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