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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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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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All right, my procrastination has reached a new level and I really need to get this PTR posted. We leave for our trip on the 13th in only 8 days. So, here goes…………..
Yes, we are going back to Disney World. This will be the second trip this year. We spent two weeks at WDW for the Flower Festival in April. This new trip was planned so we could catch Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and the start of the Food and Wine Festival. The wine part does not interest either of us but it will be nice to sample some of the food from the booths. DW has a problem with the Florida heat and humidity in the summer months so we are planning this trip and two more during the winter. (There will be more to follow later on the other two trips.)
Here are the plans:
Travelers: DW (Judy) 64; Me (Michael) 69
Travel dates: September 13 through September 29, 2014. This includes the extra day at each end for driving.
Stops in route on Sunday 9/14: We plan to visit the Disney Outlet in the Pr1me Outlets mall near St Augustine, FL. We stopped at this outlet when we went down last March and were told that this store would be closing in September. We are hoping that they are still open and that we will be able to get some good deals.
Resort: As usual we are staying at resorts we arranged through trades with RCI. This trip we will be staying at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge (VWL) for the first week. We traded our 4 bedroom condo in Virginia for a 1 bedroom condo here plus an exchange fee. On the 21st, we will check out and move to Vacation Village at Parkway (VV@P) in Kissimmee. This is a timeshare resort off 192 a little east of I-4. For reference and for those who know 192, the now closed “Arabian Nights” dinner theater is inside this resort. With this trip, we will have stayed at this resort for about 12 weeks.
Celebrating: Since we are never at WDW on the exact dates for our birthdays or anniversary, we always pick one day (at least) for each of these important days. DW does not like FL in the hotter months so we try to avoid May through August.
We will be celebrating: DW bd# 64, My bd # 69 and anniversary # 44. The actual dates all fall inside that May to August time period.
Preparation: We have booked and paid for the resort stay. We will have to pay an amenities fee at each of the resorts when we check-in. With the exception of meals and souvenirs, we have already paid for all of the parties, tours and shows.
We have Annual Passes from our trip in March/April and I did order a new Memory Maker Plus for this trip. We have been issued two sets of Magic Bands, one for the APs and one for the VWL. I understand that the MBs are really only a link to the actual records on Disney’s computers. This would mean that either of them can be used for this trip. Hope this is true. I am bringing both sets with us.
Day by day plans: The original plans that we had made when we started have been constantly changing. I believe that what I am showing here will be the final plan with the exception of adding the FPs for the second week. I had originally made several ADRs; but, as we decided to add tours and other shows I have reduced the number of TS meals. We have kept a few but plan on doing CS mostly. We will probably go to some of the Landry’s restaurants during our visits to DTD and AK.
9/13 Saturday: Travel to Jacksonville, FL. We are spending the night at the Hyatt Hotel at the airport just north of the city. We plan on having dinner at the Chart House Restaurant on the river near downtown. This is part of the Landry’s restaurant chain. We are members of the Landry’s Select Club which gives us some privileges. (The Rainforest, T-Rex and Yak & Yeti are also Landry’s properties.)
9/14 Sunday: We will drive to the Pr1me Outlets in St. Augustine and see if we can get any bargains. After a short stop here, we will be on our way to VWL where we can check-in. I have already done the early check-in so maybe our room will be ready. If not, we will just leave everything in the car and take the boat to MK for the rest of the afternoon. Hopefully this will still be early in the afternoon since our first FP+ is at 1:45-2:20 for lunch at BOG. This will be followed by Peter Pan’s Flight, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Haunted Mansion. DW usually doesn’t ride anything that moves much faster than IASW; but, she is determined to ride SDMT at least one time during this trip. After we ride the mine train, we will take the boat back to VWL to get unpacked, cleaned up and ready for dinner at Whispering Canyon Café. Since the ADR is at 7:55, we will have some time to explore the resort and grounds. OK, at least a little exploring.
9/15 Monday: We will be making an early start at EPCOT. My first FP is for Mission Space. DW will probably walk with me and wait at the exit, then we will go back to ride Spaceship Earth. After that, we will grab a quick lunch. Next will be Soarin’ for me and the Character Spot for DW. When we made the FP ressies, DW was given one for Soarin’ in the afternoon. She will not ride it so I plan on borrowing her MB and going in her place. She will stay in the area probably at Captain EO or the Imagination Pavilion. This will finish the first three FPs so we will try to get others when we get back together. After the rides, we will head into the World Showcase to see if we can catch some of the shows that are scheduled to close near the end of the month. Another very important feature of the World Showcase is meeting the PRINCESSES.
9/16 Tuesday: We have a very late evening planned for today so we will be sleeping in a bit and then heading by boat over to the MK. The afternoon FP schedule ranges from 1:50 and 5:50. These are POC, IASW and SDMT. Sometime in the late afternoon, we will pick up our armbands for MNSSHP and the Villains’ Dessert Soiree. Near 7 pm, just before the official start of MNSSHP, we will have to pick up our back pack and change into our costumes and apply the makeup. DW has chosen to be Minnie Mouse. I will be dressed as a pirate.
We are booked for the late Villains’ Sinister Soiree which provides us with special viewing for the Boo to You Parade and the Hallowishes fireworks. We will have to be at the CRT entrance by 11:35 so we can get inside for the dessert party at 11:45. (Not sure how this will work since my wife is a diabetic. Perhaps they will arrange for her to have fruits instead of the special dessert choices.) I plan to get some pix with the villains at the party. Of course, everyone else there will want that as well.
The main objectives for anyone going to MNSSHP are to see the Headless Horseman, the parade and the fireworks. This usually involves standing along the side of Main Street or some corner along the parade and then being jostled by the crowds. Next comes trying to get to a place where you can see the Castle show and the fireworks. This is usually another crowded situation. The Soiree ticket is supposed to make this much easier. We will see.
Hopefully we will be able to get more of the MNSSHP activities completed as well. We do hope to get some rides in and some character meets. I hope that we can get Jack and Sally and especially the Seven Dwarfs. Our party is so late that we should get a lot accomplished before it starts. Our party ends around 12:45 AM. I checked with the resort and found that the last boat runs at 1:30. Hopefully, we will be able to catch it.
We have been trading posts with several other PP members who are also going to be at MNSSHP tonight. Perhaps we will get to see some of them as well.
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My wife decided that we would not do the soiree, but hope we can meet you guys for a few minutes at least during the party!
DW says look for a pirate that has kidnapped Minnie. You might also look for her large white with red polka dot trick-or-treat bag. Of course, you could PM me with your schedule and we will see if we can meet. I do know that we will be trying to find restrooms near the front of the park around 7 so we can get into costume and get the backpack back into the locker before we start to brave the crowds along Main Street. After that, who knows.
Yay - you've started a PTR for you almost here trip. That's great that the two of you are going to MNSSHP in costume.
Hope to meet you in your second week.
I will be by myself on the 26th and will probably not be in costume. This night I plan on seeing and doing all of the things we missed on the first party. Yes, I will probably try to stake out one of my favorite places to photograph Wishes. That would be on the hump at the top of Main Street. This way the large bursts will not be blocked by the castle. I plan on watching the second parade to get shots I missed before. We will see how any of this comes together. I will text you so we can set a place to meet.
All your plans are looking great! We might do the soiree, too!
It took us a little time to decide. Especially since DW is a diabetic and really can't enjoy the desserts. I booked it once for the 10:15 party and had second thoughts and cancelled it. After we read the reviews both good and bad, DW told me she really wanted to do it. I called back several days later asked for and got the second party at 11:45. The reserved standing areas and the very positive report we read online clinched it for us. The cost was a factor so we cancelled a dinner at a signature restaurant and figured that what we would save there would make up for part of the cost of the Soiree tickets. Let us know what you decide. It would be nice to meet you guys. I know we are staying at the same hotel but it is a large hotel and without plans we could pass in the halls and never realize it. Just think it is only 10 days to the MNSSHP.
I did read that they will make some special dessert options for allergies, so maybe also for your wife. It's worth sending an email or a call to check.
I did read that they will make some special dessert options for allergies, so maybe also for your wife. It's worth sending an email or a call to check.
When I made the reservation, they told me to call the week before to make sure that the request was on our reservation. I hope it works out. She is such a good sport to put up with me.
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