FOR THE HOLIDAYS , MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM AT THE FORT - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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FOR THE HOLIDAYS , MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM AT THE FORT
I have to be honest, that we are still doing this trip is something of a miracle. Just a month ago Lucille and I both considered cancelling and trying to get through Christmas at home the best we can. On top of all the universal holidays that are celebrated falls my birthday and since this year I will turn 60 we had decided to cross some obvious things off the old bucket list.
Our RV and Disney's pet policy allows us to bring our furry ones and hence we can go for Christmas as waking up on Christmas mourning without them is something neither of us can even consider.
Jump back a month ago and we lost our Little Girl Maggie without warning. She suffered a major heart attack and passed as we tried to make her feel better. Lucille myself and big sister WookieBear were broken. I was prepared for WookieBear to pass as she is and has been showing her age (13) for some time now. Over the days that followed even Chubbs our big fat black bowling ball of a cat was out looking for Maggie. Three days later Lucille suggested we go to the local Pet Smart and just see what they had available. She went into the initial viewing area while WookieBear and I roamed the store. When she came out I was told about the 2 she would consider and was sent in. The girl who was
helping us warned me that one of them is very shy and sometimes they can't get her to come out of her crate. Well not only did she come right to me but let me take her out of the crate leash her and bring her into the interaction room . WookieBear was already there with Lucille and she instantly went over and snuggled up to WookieBear. They then brought in the other one who she had nothing but Kisses for the 3 of us . We we officially adopted by the two of them And SKY and KATIE took us home.
So now our cast of characters reads
Me. Mike, Lifelong Disney Fan turning the BIIIIG 60 during this trip
DW Lucille only 5 years from her first trip to Disney but slowing coming around
The Furbabies
WOOKIEBEAR my big girl or as Lucille calls her Your daughter
Chubbs The oldest of the kids and the least social we can count on her to make sure our bed doesn't float away
Chester our special needs child he will chase away the imaginary mice but somehow never catches them
Sky miss shy aka Mischief Sky knows that acting up in the house is a no no so she just lurks near Katie or stands with a toy so Katie will start in
Katie aka Mayhem She thinks playtime is whenever she decides it is and the rougher the better
When We leave for Disney Sunday Dec 18 and will return some time in the end of Jan,
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Thank You Cherly her loss lef a huge hole in our lives
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara
Aww, that stinks about your little pumpkin'. I would love to see photos of your gang!! How fun to actually spend Christmas at WDW!!!
Tara hoping to get some of the pics we took when we took them ADVENTURING the first weekend they were with us. Spending Christmas at WDW has been on my list for years This year we make it a reality and can hardly wait.
So sorry about the loss of Maggie, but it sounds like you've added some great characters to your family with Sky and Katie. Can't wait to hear about your plans!
So sorry about the loss of Maggie, but it sounds like you've added some great characters to your family with Sky and Katie. Can't wait to hear about your plans!
Thanks for the condolences and the Kids are a couple of characters and a handful to boot
Reading along! Very excited for your TR. But very sorry for your loss of Maggie. But thank you for getting 2 more furbabies to add to your family!
Losing Maggie left a huge hole in our lives Sky and Katie give us a direction for love that was aimless for a bit. Hopefully I can figure out how to transfer pics from my phone to computer and add some we took right after we got them. They are in fact sisters so now our stinky sisters are really stinky and really sisters
Travel Plans
For us this is simple. Pack the RV with all the things we think and know we will need. Clothing , added chairs for sitting outside , Bikes for riding around and exploring the decorations. Lights ( decorative and functional ones) movies for nights we just want to hang out at our site. Food for us and the kids. Some of these things we keep stored in plastic totes in the coaches basement others we get from the garage and pack.
From where we live the easiest way for us to go is straight down I 95 to I 4. With Maggie and Wookie we could travel longer and stop less but 2 10 month old puppies we now need to make a number of changes. We now need to stop more for potty breaks and and our overnight stops will be closer together than
When we bought the RV Lucille signed us up a Membership in a National Camping association that has a trip routeing service included Not only is our route laid out for us but we can get affiliated campgrounds as well as private ones with association ratings and reviews from others. Best yet we an access their websites and see how they are laid out and what amenities they offer.
So for our first night we will travel to Camp Wilderness in Va just north of Richmond. We are hoping to be able to go over to The Meadows complex of Kings Dominion Park for the holiday light display but as of now the plans for that have not been announced but we are hoping. Total travel will be just 190 miles but it meets our needs
Great travel plans so far!! My goodness, we have t been to Kngs Dominion in ages!! I didn't even know they did stuff for Christmas. How fun!!
Lucille found out about it somehow. Unfortunately details at this point are somewhat skimpy ie they are not sure they are having it this year. Still it is a great CG with all the amenities we'll need for the night so siple enough choice
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
How great that they give you places to stop along the way!
They list the ones that are part of their network and ones they know about outside it. We learned the hard way that those with no reviews are suspect. Went to one that had really good rating but in reality was a shanty town. But I do like that I can take some time and preplan days travel and have a good idea of what under ideal conditions it should take me to get from point A to Point B and what will be waiting on me when I get there.
FYI Disney's FT Wilderness Gets 10 out of 10 across the board
I'm so sorry about your Maggie. I've read your TRs in the past and love your girls and their antics! Bless you for taking in two more girls in need of your love!
I live about an hour north of KD...I haven't heard of much this year. Since Paramount left, details of stuff has been hard to get!
Can't wait to hear about your adventures, and how your two babies adapt to life on the move!
I'm so sorry about your Maggie. I've read your TRs in the past and love your girls and their antics! Bless you for taking in two more girls in need of your love!
I live about an hour north of KD...I haven't heard of much this year. Since Paramount left, details of stuff has been hard to get!
Can't wait to hear about your adventures, and how your two babies adapt to life on the move!
We took them out 5 days after we got them for a trip we had planned on and they love going Adventuring. They think everyone is there to see them. Only problem is Lucille had them in her car as we had intended to go to Chincoteague Island ( Think Misty the pony) and see it once when not on a Sunday and everything is closed. In the coach they were fine until playtime
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I would love to see photos of your gang!! How fun to actually spend Christmas at WDW!!! 
Can't wait to hear about your plans!
My goodness, we have t been to Kngs Dominion in ages!! I didn't even know they did stuff for Christmas. How fun!!
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