Solo-on-a-Scooter, Live from the World, Jan 31-Feb 16, 2014 - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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Solo-on-a-Scooter, Live from the World, Jan 31-Feb 16, 2014
Hi, everyone! Most of you know me, but for those who don’t, I’m Laurie. Mid-60’s, retired, have been vacationing solo at WDW for about 25 years, DVC owner at BWV since before the resort was completed. The title of the report says it all—this will be a solo trip, I use my own mobility scooter and I’ll be making live posts daily throughout the trip.
As usual, I plan to visit the veterinary window at Rafiki’s almost every morning and then head to another park in the afternoons. There are always new things to do and see at WDW and this trip seems more full of newness than usual! First of all, there are all of the new techie things—RFID Magic Bands, FP+, My Disney Experience. I’m fairly tech-challenged and don’t have a smart phone, so we’ll see how this goes for me! I’ve spent quite a bit of time fighting with the MDE website, making ADRs and FP+ arrangements. Most of the time the site works pretty well until I’m nearly done, then either freezes and times out, or I get a server error. SO frustrating! I hope the magicbands and in-park kiosks work better than the website and from most recent reports, they do. I resisted the idea of making appointments for the attractions, since I don’t always know what park I’ll be in after finishing at AK for the day. In some ways, though, I think I’m going to like FP+ because I can arrive at the Studio in the afternoon and still ride Toy Story!
There are also changes in the parks. In Epcot there’s the new Spice Road Table restaurant at Morocco and I can’t wait to try it. I’ve not yet done the Enchanted Tales show at MK, and AK has changes to the Dawa Bar, Tamu Tamu, and the building of the new theater for Lion King.
I’m staying at BLT for the first two nights. I never feel I get enough time at MK because I go to AK every day, so I thought I’d start the trip with JUST MK for the first two days. I’ll try to attend the evening parade and Wishes the first night and should have enough time to see and do all I want to do at this park. Since I don’t ride coasters or anything that spins (even the carousel and Dumbo!) my very favorite thing to do at MK is sit on Main Street and soak up the atmosphere. It NEVER gets old, never fails to put me in the best mood ever.
On Feb 2 I will move to BWV and stay put there for the next two weeks! I love the convenience of being able to scoot to Epcot or the Studios and all the dining options around the lake. I plan to go to Epcot almost every evening—another thing that never gets old for me is exploring World Showcase, and watching Illuminations. I hope the weather will cooperate and it will be warm enough for it to be comfortable after dark. You never know with a Florida winter! I can be sure, though, it’ll be warmer than the temperatures we’ve been having in Boston!
I’ll be meeting up with several PP posters throughout the trip, but I think I’ll just let them make surprise appearances as the trip unfolds. For the first three nights at BWV I’ll be joined by a Boston friend, Kathy. She’s a long-time Disney person, having grown up going frequently to DLR. We met while in college studying in Greece and it’s so great that we both ended up living in Boston. She’ll be in Florida with a bicycling group and tacked on a few days to spend with me. I think this is her first time at WDW without her family.
I’m looking forward to escaping the winter, and enjoying a nice, long visit to my favorite place! Glad to have you along on the ride.
Just checking in for the ride. Very much looking forward to the live updates! Be sure to tell Cinderella Brent says Hi if you get a chance to stop in and see her.
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Oh Laurie...........I have been falling behind so much on all my friends TR's and post's, I'm glad I caught you again in the beginning ........So looking forward to your MK days. I love sitting on MS too and taking it all in, but the kids always keep me on the move.......so I'm excited to hear about your days.
Enjoy and I hope you have some nice and cozy weather too
I have been eagerly awaiting the start of this live trip report. I'm really going to enjoy living in the bubble vicariously with you, and hope to see lots of sunshine and warm temps in your updates. This winter has been a bit frigid all around. I'm also anxious to hear your review of Spice Road Table as I want to squeeze this in for our May trip.
Hooray! I'm so excited for you! I hope the new tech stuff works well for you. I don't know if I was just lucky or what, but I had a great time with FP+, the Magic Bands, MDE...AFTER I arrived, lol! I experienced some of the same glitches you are experiencing, but once I got to WDW, things went really smoothly with the new technology!
I can't wait to follow along with your nightly updates!
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Huge Disney Fan...Always Have Been...Always Will Be!
Disneyland 60th Anniversary Celebration TR here!
2013 WDW trip here!
2011 trip to Hawaii here!
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