PTR Jan 30 - Feb 7, 2016: Returning to Writing PTRs (Updated December 30, 2015) - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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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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PTR Jan 30 - Feb 7, 2016: Returning to Writing PTRs (Updated January 25, 2016)
Well… it has been altogether too long since I tumbled down the PassPorter rabbit hole, hasn’t it? Sorry about that. Life got in my way, big time.
There will be two parts to this PTR. Part 1 (here) will go into the two people going on this trip and the non-Disney-related details, and then Part 2 will be over at the Sharing The Adventure boards (link will be here when I post that thread) and will basically cover the same ground, but for the Disney end of this trip.
So, without any further delay…
The People Going On This Trip!
BJ (me)
A slightly more recent picture of moi.
Obviously, I love this picture.
Hi there! I have been doing some really fun (if a bit crazy) things as of recently! Back in September 2014 I moved up to the Philadelphia, PA area and I think I’ve made more good, lasting friendships up here than I have in a very long time.
A lot of my friends now are people I met in an “adults with autism spectrum disorders” support group I found up here called New Horizons Club, and they’ve just given me some wonderful friends (many of whom share my love of science fiction), and one of whom even finally pushed me off the fence and made me into a full-fledged Whovian, so yes, I’m tumbling down THAT rabbit hole too!
But, as much as things have changed for me (and for the better), a lot of things are staying the same. I still love traveling, still love writing (in fact, that has kinda fallen by the wayside recently… may as well make that one of my New Years resolutions, to do some writing every day…), and I also still enjoy reading others’ TRs as well. Plus my photography will possibly be getting a gigantic improvement too, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
And the other person going on this trip is…
My mom!
This was a couple years ago, before the Segways got booted from Epcot. [AND the Wand Of Doom, but I'm NOT sad about THAT. ]
My mom is my favorite travel partner. Always has been. We have had some wonderful and memorable trips together over the years, and it’s going to be 10 years next year (2016) since our most excellent California trip, which I still have very fond memories of.
So… what’s the non-Disney portion of this trip going to be?
Well, we’re headed to Saint Augustine after we fly into Orlando, and then we’re spending about a week in a condo in Daytona Beach, and that’s before we get to the Disney portion of our trip, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
A lot of the things we’ll be doing a lot of on this trip is shopping and eating. Also, apparently the Daytona Beach area is a shopper’s mecca. I’ll believe it when I see it, but I also am kinda excited to get a few nicer things as well.
And speaking of nicer things, for Christmas I got a Nikon D3300 digital SLR! So, I should be used to this thing’s little quirks before I get down there in a few weeks.
That’s basically it for this update. Stay tuned to this thread for the non-Disney portion of the trip!
Good to see you back! Your trip sounds wonderful. Oh and as a fully fledged Whovian of more than 30 years now (I started very young ) welcome aboard to that!
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If you get a chance, visit the Pirate museum in St. Augustine. Disney helped design it and it is very enjoyable for children or adults. There are many authentic artifacts and lots of historic information. Have fun!
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back! Congrats on the trip to Florida and WDW! Cool new camera!
Thanks! Glad to be back for sure!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Good to see you back! Your trip sounds wonderful. Oh and as a fully fledged Whovian of more than 30 years now (I started very young ) welcome aboard to that!
Yeah... thanks for that
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great start!
Thanks! I got one more tiny update before I jet off on my vacation ready to go up tonight!
Quote:
Originally Posted by BadBoyBill
If you get a chance, visit the Pirate museum in St. Augustine. Disney helped design it and it is very enjoyable for children or adults. There are many authentic artifacts and lots of historic information. Have fun!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Wow, thanks for the Pirate Museum recommendation! Definitely keeping that one in the ye olde back pocket for the trip!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MayraLR
Sounds like a great trip!
Yes, yes it does! But I have one more update before I leave, which should be up shortly.
Almost ready to “Go Away” (AKA the final plans update before I go on vacation!)
Well, since my plane is set to take off this Saturday (pixies needed that it all goes well and all our checked baggage gets to MCO all right…), I figured I’d give you all a Plans Update. But this vacation has been very much a vacation where I want to keep certain things set in stone and the rest is basically whatever we feel like doing, which I think is a great idea.
So, basically once my mother and I set down in MCO (she is scheduled to arrive a couple hours after I do so I figure we’ll just meet up in baggage claim), we’re getting our rental car and heading off to St. Augustine! We’ll probably have a day or so in St. A, so that’ll figure into our plans.
Basically from Monday, Feb 1 to Sunday Feb 7, we’re going to be in what is supposed to be a very nice beach condo in Daytona Beach, and the lady who owns it charges quite a bit more for the race weeks and bike weeks in Daytona, so I am really looking forward to spending time here.
On that Tuesday, Feb 2, we’re doing a Segs on the Beach in Daytona Beach, which is a Segway tour that doesn’t seem to be all that far away from our condo. There seem to be a lot of things that aren’t all that far away from our condo (both good and bad), so we seem to be in a great place to be right in the middle of what Daytona Beach has to offer (probably why she charges a fortune for bike week as well as Daytona 500 week, LOL).
Then the 7th thru the 9th we'll be at WDW, which is in the Sharing The Adventure forums.
But, other than that? There is not all that much that’s set in stone. We’re definitely planning on cruising down A1A, we’re definitely planning to do some shopping, we’re definitely planning a possible movie (as there's a movie theatre or something not far from our condo), and we’re definitely planning to go to the Daytona International Speedway for a tour. Luckily, we’ve dodged Race Week by one week. Much as I have a near-zero interest in NASCAR these days, I’ve always wanted to go to Daytona International Speedway, much like I visited Darlington Raceway all those years ago. I’m SO looking forward to doing that!
Anyways that’s the last update before the vacation begins in earnest. I probably won’t do “live updates”, just because I want to focus on having fun, and I should at least try to have my TR started upon my return.
About This Page: 
Sorry about that. Life got in my way, big time.
I have been doing some really fun (if a bit crazy) things as of recently! Back in September 2014 I moved up to the Philadelphia, PA area and I think I’ve made more good, lasting friendships up here than I have in a very long time.
[AND the Wand Of Doom, but I'm NOT sad about THAT. 
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Pixie Dust
back! Congrats on the trip to Florida and WDW! Cool new camera! 
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