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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
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As many of you know, on 1/9/09, I became a CM at WDW in the College Program. I am as non-traditional as they come (forty-something, mother of 4), but I knew the path my dream had to take and there it was. Back to school and all. I continued my adventure with a management internship which ended, ironically, on 1/9/10.
On 1/10/10, I am beginning Act 3 in my see-how-far-it-takes-me play. This act is entitled: Statused Duty Manager.
Here's the scoop: there are 3 levels at Disney: statused, temporary, and seasonal. Statused means you have a real job with your name on it (for the most part). Temporary is just that, an assignment that is backfilling someone else, usually for something like a maternity leave or a special project. Seasonal is you work when you can, picking up shifts here and there with no promises. Statused positions are like gold, which is why I feel so truly blessed.
My role is 3rd shift, 3 nights per week. I'm a natural night owl, so I'm hoping adjusting to the sleep schedule won't be much of an issue for me. The 3 nights per week part is so that I can dedicate the kind of time I need to finish my master's degree that has become the song that never ends. 3 more classes, 2 more seminars and I will be D-O-N-E. It also gives me more time with my 2 younger DDs (13 & 11) who have been amazing through this whole process and have shown me that they are resilient and compassionate people.
For those who don't know, my older 2 DDs (now 24 & 21) were part of the inspiration behind this whole journey when they both came through the College Program. They both also decided they loved the Company so much, they came back to work for the Mouse. 24yo is at the resort call center and 21 yo has been a Fairy Godmother in Training and was on the opening team of Kim Possible. She, sadly, moved away this past week, but has gone seasonal so she can maintain her status as a CM.
As to the role, I am basically the "guardian angel" of the resort overnight. If someone needs something, I'm there to make sure the proper CMs meet that need, or if they can't, meet it myself. I want to be the Pixie of Sweet Dreams . The cool part is that my partner and I are also the 'boss' of the resort, so that's pretty heady stuff right there, 2nd largest resort in the world and all. I'll eventually get some Segway training (can we say, "cool factor"???) and I'll be adding several new lines of business to my retail-heavy resume.
I'm still stunned and shocked that my dream has finally come circle and is coming true. When I think that I was sitting on a closet floor at the very bottom of a very deep pit of despair a little less than 20 years ago and today I'm the duty manager of the world's 2nd largest resort, asked by the *GM* of that resort to "consider the role", my mind just can't get around that some days. Blessed is the best word I can think of to describe it (besides 'surreal').
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Congrats! So happy to read about the start of your new journey. Keep up the good work on your masters, it is almost over, and the resort is very lucky to have you as their "guardian angel".
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3 more classes, 2 more seminars and I will be D-O-N-E. It also gives me more time with my 2 younger DDs (13 & 11) who have been amazing through this whole process and have shown me that they are resilient and compassionate people.
. The cool part is that my partner and I are also the 'boss' of the resort, so that's pretty heady stuff right there, 2nd largest resort in the world and all. 
I'll eventually get some Segway training (can we say, "cool factor"???) and I'll be adding several new lines of business to my retail-heavy resume.
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Pixie Dust
Trish
Parlor Panther in 'stalking mode'
PassPorter Guide Author
Danielle Harmon
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