The Reunion Tour- A Pre Trip Report *New-6/7* - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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.
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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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Planning Your Adventure: Your Plans
Okay folks I'm going to give it a try . . . I'm going to PTR and TR at the same time, so hold on to your hats. At best guess, I'll try and update this PTR at night while finishing my DoD TR in the mornings. Wait . . . Wine . . . BRB.
For any of you wine bargin hunters out there: Whole Foods has some house Chard and Merlot on sale for $3.65 a bottle. The Merlot is passable and the Chard is fine (okay I've got it on ice)
For those of you not so bargin wine hunters I had a bottle of Rocket Science ($44) that was SO not a $44 bottle of wine, shouldn't have run me more than $20--unimpressed. It did not live up to the fullness promised by my wine hack.
Okay back to the Pre Trip Report, which along with the Trip Report will probably involve lots of wine. Stay tuned for nightly wine reviews!
Who did that nut job Heather finally get to go on vacation with her? No not her family . . . that seems to be a lost cause. Brandon and I are taking HIS family on vacation with us. I didn't even have to pay them!
(Okay so maybe we did pay for the room using our DVC points, but that's not the same as bribery is it?)
So who are these people?
Me--Heather--Yeah you know me . . .
Thats me at Mousefest '08
Brandon--my best friend--currently exiled to St Thomas USVI in the kitchen of the Ritz Carlton, currently treasure hunting for the escape hatch. He's been to WDW twice with me.
Brandon's Mom--Julia
I don't have a picture on my computer of any of the Cooler-Scheffksy Family
Julia hasn't been to WDW in 20 years
Julia's Husband--Mark
I don't know that Mark has ever been to WDW, though its possible
Brandon's Brother--Blake
This will be Blake's first trip to WDW--he just turned 17.
At the outset of this I was given total control, that of course also means total resposibility for everyone having a good time! I hope I manage to accomplish that!
In addition to Our Fam we're going to be seeing lots of other friends. A whole bunch of Passporters will be joining us for FABs at the Mexican Pavillion and Illuminations on June 9.
Jilly and her Fam will be making an appearance along with Karen and her Fam, Eileen and Sharon! We'll be sure to raise our glasses to friends with us in spirit . . .
I'm not sleepy yet, so I'll continue in the next post with our travel plans and accomodations.
Travel was a little bit harder to coordinate, as we're coming in from three different locations, by two different means of transportation.
I will be flying Southwest on the morning of June 7th--direct from New Orleans to Orlando. My flight lands at about 1:30
Brandon will be flying American from St Thomas through Miami to Orlando that same morning, he arrives about 15 minutes before me and will shortly be getting his DME tag in the mail from me, with directions (and a map) instructing him to meet me at the DME counter line.
We will be vacationing for 6 nights 7 days.
The Fam is driving from South Carolina. They are leaving on the 7th, stopping in Jacksonville and then pressing on to WDW on the morning of the 8th. They will be vacationing for 3 nights and four days.
Now we have everyone in place, but there seem to be a few discrepancies in arrival and departure dates, which leads to my fun Room Rodeo.
Staying in Style: The Resorts/Hotels
Arrival night peeps: Heather and Brandon
Resort: Saratoga Springs
Room: Studio
I actually requested a lock-off room, why? Because it is noted on my two reservations that I'm moving from a studio to a 2 BR lock-off and wouldn't it be nice if the room assignment people just happen to be able to have the 1bedroom on the other side of the door be the other half of our 2 bedroom . . . a lot less luggage trouble in my humble opinion. Of course I will be moving from the studio into the Master Bedroom. (They are my points after all).
Then . . . I realized as we were well into the planning of this trip that some of my friends were going to be staying at the Wilderness Lodge for their annual June vacations. So instead of two more nights at SSR for Brandon and I, we're going to pack up and move clear across town
11-13 peeps: Heather and Brandon
Resort: Villas Wilderness Lodge
Room: Studio
And there you have it . . . the Who, How, and Where questions answered.
The plan all sound great and I am sure Brandon's family will have a blast! Good luck getting the second room added to the first, certainly would make life a bit easier!
I will keep my eye out for you (and all the other PPs, too...it is gonna be hopping in early June!)....we arrive the 9th.
danielle
__________________
~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
I hope that you and your family have a magical time at the world
__________________
Heather - "I'm Tinkerbell's biggest fan!"
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
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Pixie Dust
PassPorter Guide Author
with the two trip reports at the same time, I know how much fun that can be, doing that! 
Liz 
No, really, I am. . . . . Can't wait for more. 
Danny and I at Epcot 8/14/08
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