No, we're not crazy....and, yes, we are going to Disney again! A 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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No, we're not crazy....and, yes, we are going to Disney again! A PTR!
Hi everyone!
This is my first stab at doing a trip report. I have read and enjoyed so many of them, that I decided to give it a try.
We have made many changes to our plans.....started out as a Christmas trip....then changed dates and resorts to BC....then to YC....and finally, ta-da....we are staying August 17-25 at the Polynesian Club Level! So excited....have never stayed there, but always wanted to.
Cast of characters in our blended family: myself (Dana) 43 year old Hospice Nurse, my DH (Joe) 46 year old carpenter, my DD (Tatum) 12, Joe's DS (Luke) 13. We will be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary on August 24th!
This picture is from MNSSHP in October. We did 5 days at BLT that trip and then did a 3 day cruise on the Dream.
We've just spent the better part of a year remodeling our home and are really looking forward to this vacation. And when I say "we", I mean "Joe"!
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.
So excited! Just got our Disney Mail today! Got to put it in a safe place so as not to be forgotten. I have just started laying some stuff out and putting things together. I find it is harder to pack when you go in the summer, as we are wearing everything we will be taking. When it's cold up her in Massachusetts, it's fun to lay out all our warm-weather clothes.
I just bought a new Vera Bradley carry-on to take with. Was kind of hoping that the Disney Vera would be out when we are down there, but looks like it won't be out until the fall. I have a friend at work who is going in October, so I may have to send her down with some $$$ to buy me something.
This trip is going to have some new experiences for us. This is one of the many things that I love about Disney. No matter how many times we go, we always find something new that we have never done before. This trip we are going to experience a water park and Disney Quest for the first time. We will also be renting a car for 2 days so that we can drive to St. Petersburg to visit my cousin and his wife. They live right on the water and have a boat. He said that we will probably see dolphins. Was kind of hoping to see manatees, too, but he said that the water will be too warm for them in August.
Getting a preview of the weather while we are down there.....it is hot and muggy here in Massachusetts today! I can handle it better when I am sitting by the pool drinking a Pina Colava!!!! Love those drinks!
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.
So, I can't believe how close we are to going back to our happy place! When you start planning so far in advance (as I'm sure a lot of us do!), it feels like you have so long to get everything done....now it's right around the corner--and I feel like I don't have enough time! Not to mention that I picked up some nights of on call the week before we go. It always seems like a good idea when I am signing up, but then I hate actually doing it...can think of a million things I'd rather be doing. I am the Clinical Director for the hospice and don't normally do on call, but with summer vacations and it being very hectic, I thought I would be nice and pick up a few shifts. I'm sure I will regret being nice! I always do!
Anyway, I think that I have finally got all of our dining plans sorted out and will share for your perusal, thoughts, and opinions.
We are flying out of Providence on Jet Blue. I booked the flights almost as soon as they came out and got a good price for nonstop roundtrip. I just looked yesterday and the same flights are $90 higher than what we paid for them! Score! You never know what to do...because it could go either way. I gambled, and it paid off this time.
August 17-we are doing dinner at Jiko (repeat, loved)
August 18-we have no dining plans. will be getting up early and driving to St. Petersburg to visit my cousin
August 19-breakfast at Cape May (DD's favorite!) and dinner at Chefs de France (new to us)
August 20-dinner at Tusker House (love!)
August 21-dinner at Raglan Road (new)
August 22-dinner at Flying Fish (yum!!!!)
August 23-breakfast at Crystal Palace (must do) and dinner at Narcossee's (new)
August 24- Our Anniversary-dinner at Artist Point (my and DH's favorite)
August 25-breakfast at Kona (Pineapple Macadamia Pancakes-enough said!)
We will be eating breakfast at the lounge, except for the 3 booked breakfasts, and will be doing snacks there as well.
I have started to lay a few things out, but really need to get myself moving! It's been so hot here, I have not been super motivated lately. This weekend I am going to buckle down.