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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
Hello everyone! I am SOOOO sorry it has taken me this long to begin my TR. So much has been going on and I was waiting for my PhotoPass CD to come in the mail, which it finally did. So, without further ado.....
March 1st, 2013-Day before the trip
I'm starting this TR the day before because that is when the chaos actually began. The day started with having to drop Bolt, our dog, off to the Doggy Boot Camp he was attending the week we were gone. Bolt was pretty excited about going on a ride in the car, but not so excited when we go to the place. The trainer, Paul, was VERY nice and understanding. Bolt growled and barked at him but he didn't mind. He told me that Bolt behaved that way because I was weak and Bolt sensed it and was always trying to defend me I couldn't really get offended because I did baby him and he probably did always feel like he had to be my defender because Aiden and I are home by ourselves pretty much most of the day. But I knew it needed to be stopped so it was very hard for me to leave but I did, tearfully. Mike headed straight to work after that so I had to pick up Aiden from school and get some last minute shopping done that I had forgotten about. You know, things like razors and stuff. I double checked the bags to make sure I brought enough clothes and enough warm attire for the trip, as I knew from last year at the same time, it can get rather chilly. I thought I had the perfect amount of warm and cool clothes so I brought the suitcases downstairs and was done. Keep this in mind because it will be a mistake that haunts me this ENTIRE trip. So, while I'm at home, packing and doing some tiny cleaning jobs here and there, I get a phone call from Mike. This isn't unusual but the conversation was one I was not expecting.
He starts off with "How much do you love me?" and I knew this COULD NOT be good. I immediately think it's something to do with the trip and started panicking. But when he assured me it had nothing to do with that, I calmed down.....until he told me what it was REALLY about. His friend Patrick was kicked out of his sisters house because he couldn't pay his bills. He was jobless and now homeless, living in his car. Mike was trying to get him a job at his work and everything looked good, and then the job fell through. Mike wants to know if I would be okay with Pat could stay at our house while we were on vacation so he wasn't sleeping in his car. Sure! I certainly don't want someone sleeping in their car, especially when it gets chilly at night. : He said Pat was going to be looking for jobs while we were away, using our computer to do so. This is also fine with me. Then he lowers the BOOM on me. Now that he has me sympathetic and what not, he wants to know if Pat can stay with us for A FEW MONTHS, RENT AND BILL FREE. I said he can certainly stay with us and we will see what we can do about bills and stuff, after vacation. Mike thanked me repeatedly and then went back to work. I had a feeling in my gut that this wasn't going to go as planned. And, it hasn't. Pat is a big guy who has hygiene issues. He hardly showers, doesn't use deodorant as far as I can tell, he sleeps until noon, ON MY COUCH, plays video games and computer games LITERALLY all day. Has not looked for a job in a month. He eats like he has never had food before. For example, in ONE day he ate 4 eggs, half a ring of kielbasa, two pieces of toast, a whole frozen pizza, two hard salami sandwiches, two crispy club sandwiches from McDonalds, and two bowls full of rice later. Plus snacks. And that is not an exaggeration. My food bill more than doubled since he got here. My house smells, my downstairs bathroom is always dirty now. I'm at my wits end. Ugh.. He is leaving soon though, so hopefully this madness will end when he leaves. Now, back to Disney.
After that phone call, I went and picked up some food for Pat and then settled in for the night. Mike came home, showered and then went to bed because he still had to work very early the next morning. As for me, I had visions of castles dancing in my head
Location: Texas Baby!!!! Where Else would anyone wana live
Posts: 1,297
Post Thanks / Like
Likes (Given): 0
Likes (Received): 1
Thanks (Given): 0
Thanks (Received): 0
Pixie Dust (Given): 0
Pixie Dust (Received): 0
Wow. I would expect your Hubby to say something, since it is his friend, and it was his idea. Sorry that things are really "Stinking" for you right now.
On a lighter note; really looking forward to reading your TR.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Omg...get that guy out now. Really. My husband asked if we could have a friend stay with us a while. I agreed, but after a week I was at my wits end. Seriously, this can cause irreparable damage to your marriage. I flipped out at dh's friend more than once. They are no longer friends and my dh knows better than to help a friend ever again
:[QUOTE=Shawnam1868;4142865]Also...if he was kicked out his own sisters house for not being able to pull his own weight, he's certainly not going to change
been there done that! Never Again. On the bright side I am really looking forward to hearing more of you TR.
I am so sorry it's worked out like that with your husband's friend. I know someone who went through something similar with her boyfriend's sister and their new born baby.
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.
Glad i found this TR in the begining! Cannot wait to read more. good Luck on getting your DH buddy out. We just had a friend ask to stay with us until she got on her feet. I hated to say no, but, I also wont ruine my marriage over it.
Sorry to hear you are having such problems with Pat Seems like he needs to be told a hand up doesn't mean a hand out. Hopefully you made enough really great memories to help through the bad times Poor Bolt hopefully camp wasn't too hard on him and love the idea he wants to protect his Mommy
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
About This Page: 
I couldn't really get offended because I did baby him and he probably did always feel like he had to be my defender because Aiden and I are home by ourselves pretty much most of the day. But I knew it needed to be stopped so it was very hard for me to leave 
but I did, tearfully. Mike headed straight to work after that so I had to pick up Aiden from school and get some last minute shopping done that I had forgotten about. You know, things like razors and stuff. I double checked the bags to make sure I brought enough clothes and enough warm attire for the trip, as I knew from last year at the same time, it can get rather chilly. I thought I had the perfect amount of warm and cool clothes so I brought the suitcases downstairs and was done. Keep this in mind because it will be a mistake that haunts me this ENTIRE trip. So, while I'm at home, packing and doing some tiny cleaning jobs here and there, I get a phone call from Mike. This isn't unusual but the conversation was one I was not expecting.
: He said Pat was going to be looking for jobs while we were away, using our computer to do so. This is also fine with me. Then he lowers the BOOM on me. Now that he has me sympathetic and what not, he wants to know if Pat can stay with us for A FEW MONTHS, RENT AND BILL FREE. I said he can certainly stay with us and we will see what we can do about bills and stuff, after vacation. Mike thanked me repeatedly and then went back to work. I had a feeling in my gut that this wasn't going to go as planned. And, it hasn't. Pat is a big guy who has hygiene issues. He hardly showers, doesn't use deodorant as far as I can tell, he sleeps until noon, ON MY COUCH, plays video games and computer games LITERALLY all day. Has not looked for a job in a month. He eats like he has never had food before. For example, in ONE day he ate 4 eggs, half a ring of kielbasa, two pieces of toast, a whole frozen pizza, two hard salami sandwiches, two crispy club sandwiches from McDonalds, and two bowls full of rice later. Plus snacks. And that is not an exaggeration. My food bill more than doubled since he got here. My house smells, my downstairs bathroom is always dirty now. I'm at my wits end. Ugh.. He is leaving soon though, so hopefully this madness will end when he leaves. Now, back to Disney.
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
on the friend staying with you all! Can't wait for more! 
been there done that! Never Again. On the bright side I am really looking forward to hearing more of you TR.
PassPorter Guide Author
Linear Mode
