Are we opening a can of worms?? - UPDATED 11/18 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Alrighty folks. Come one come all to the crazy circus I call my life!! Sit back, relax, and let's see if I'm making a mistake.
Your cast of characters this evening- Me, Emily Kyson- 9 Aspen- 8 Sage- 7 (will be on the trip) Farren- (the husband, but isn't going with us due to work reasons)
"Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start....." oh, wait, that isn't Disney. Lets try this one... hmm. Can't think of right now, maybe you can help with that.
Back to the beginning. We took our first DisneyWorld vacation in April of 2009. The day we got back, I was instructed by my husband to pick a hotel, so the kids and I could go again in October of 2009. He left for work and I got to researching hotels. I was SO excited. We hadn't been home 12 hours and here I was about to book again. Then the phone rang. It was Farren. "hey, have you booked that trip yet?" "No, I haven't decided where I want to stay" " Don't book it I just got layed off" " Ya okay, whatever, talk to ya later" He is always a jokester. I went back to researching hotels. 20 minutes later he walked through the front door, carrying a box with all the belongings from his desk. He was out of work for 7 months. He did still have a night time job, so we were able to pay bills, but all extras had to go, obviously including vacations.
October of 2009 he landed a day job. Yea. Life can get back to being almost normal again. We got DVR, and I just couldn't help myself. I would record every Disney show the Travel Channel had to offer. I think he got sick of watching them with me, because one day in March, out of the blue he said Go book a trip, I know you really want to go. I was shocked and so excited because I hadn't mentioned wanting to go. I made plans for October of 2010. Yea!! Carribean Beach Resort for 10 days. Then I found out I was pregnant. I knew I couldn't fly 7 1/2 months pregnant, (and I wouldn't want to go pregnant anyways) So again I cancelled. A few weeks later, I miscarried that baby. Were we EVER going to go back? Everytime we have decided to go since then, something bad has happened. I'm almost waiting for bad news now.
Jump ahead to early this month. I got an email saying Free Dining for January and a few other dates. My kids are off-track in January, so that was pretty neat. I decided, just for the heck of it, to check flights. I couldn't believe it! 193 round trip. I can never find it for less than 350 round trip. Between the kids being out of school, the airfare, and the free dining, things were lining up, but would DH go for it?
We talked about it, very light conversations, discussing how it would effect Christmas, and Sage's birthday (which is in January) The conversation never went much further. Then this past Sunday my husband and I drove to Nevada to a casino for a day. For the first time ever, I did very well. My 60 dollars I brought quickly turned into enough to cover our airfare. On the drive home I was teasing him about see, its just meant to be, and he said when I get home, lets book it. SO, I did.
January 26 2011 through February 4th at Carribean Beach Resort. I tossed back and forth wether we should stay there or at POFQ, which is where we stayed last time. You see, my daughter REALLY wants to stay at Caribean Beach because of the pool, but I worry it may be too cold to swim. But, we are bringing their suits and even if she is cold (she has a disease that makes her feel warmer than other people) I will still let her swim, at least once, for a few minutes. I would hate to BE there and not have her use the "pool of her dreams"
Next up, Am I Opening a Can of Worms?????
__________________
I love this picture because my daughter's facial expression matches the Queen of Hearts exactly, and it was completely unintended!
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hope 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
Thank you everyone for your kind words. I just can't believe how excited I am. It is totally euphoric.
Now where was I....
Oh yes. That blasted can of worms. To some this may not seem like such a delima, but I have been stressing out about what to do here for days.
My darling Sage turns 7 on January 11th. Just 2 weeks before we are schedualed to take on the World. Of all my kids, she is easily the biggest Disney World lover. (After me of course) She has all the stuffed animals, constantly looks at her Autograph book, and then there is this photo. I took that on the Magical Express as we were leaving POFQ last year. She said, Goodbye Disneyworld, Goodbye Hotel and burst into tears, sobbing the rest of the drive to the airport. She LOVES all things Disney.
My husband and I thought this would not only be a marvelous birthday present, but economical as well. No big party, no big stack of gifts. Just a few things. And, of course, she would have the World handed to her on a silver platter. Well, at least wrapped with a silver bow. Okay okay... a note stuffed in a gift bag that doesn't even have tissue paper. Thats more my procrastinating style.
But wait. WHAT would happen when the other kid's birthdays roll around. They are going to want their own trips as well. Hmmmm... Maybe this birthday at the World isnt the best idea,
Are we opening a can of worms here?
__________________
I love this picture because my daughter's facial expression matches the Queen of Hearts exactly, and it was completely unintended!
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.
Ooo yeah I think that would be opening a can of worms unless you say for XX birthday we will take you for your birthday? Maybe spread it out over a few years that way? Otherwise, it might appear you are picking favorites? Kids do get jealous.
Maybe you make the trip not the birthday present but give her gift cards for disney as her gift. That would still be economical as she could buy her own souvenirs and you could count the gifts cards as birthday gifts? Just a thought... good luck!
That might be a can of worms! The other kids are old enough to know. We went for DD's birthdays when she was 4 and 5 (well, it just so happened that we went at that time and her birthday coincided with it) but DS was 1 and 2, so he didn't really have a clue!
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Thats more my procrastinating style. 
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