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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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I am planning our next grand gathering which is making me remember our last family trip, where 11 of us hit DW for a week. There were 6 adults. 5 of us had been to DW before and loved it (or at least liked it alot ). One had never been there at all. He is my DBIL, and is cynical. I thought he might hate it. Well, even he was impressed. He could not believe the service he got (his wife, my sister, had a battery in her cell phone die. She tried to order one to be sent to DW, but by the time it would get there, our vacation would be over. DBIL went to front desk and asked where the nearest cell phone store was. The cast member drove him there!). He didn't think the rides were corny. He liked the restaurants. He loved DTD. He went through Carosel of Progress twice. He was just as touched on our Wishes cruise (for my DH's birthday) as all of the rest of us. We had a great time with him.
So, my question to you is - were you so lucky? Did you ever go to DW with someone who fell in love with it, or were you stuck with someone who just didn't get it?
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Great story! Its nice when the magic works so well
I have traveled with family who find ways to complain about everything, but then when its over want to know when we will do it again!! Turns out it wasn't so bad after all. I would love to have your experience.
I've done two Grand Gatherings and had great success at showing my Happy Place to newbies -- my dad even liked it enough to consent to another trip!
Eileen
We went at the same time as a family from DH's work a few years ago and none of them had been before. The guy just didn't get it beforehand - couldn't comprehend how big Disney was or anything. We only met up with them a few times while we were out there, but we could see the magic working its wonder on them every time we met them. I guess you could say we were lucky.
In 2003 we went with my parents and girlfriend and her family. I don't think she and her DH were newbies, but my DGF had NO interest in going to AK, which I told her to just give it a try.
Well, she planned their first afternoon for AK - only giving them maybe 4 hours and she wished she had more time!!!! That's my story of "just give it a try!"
My Dh & I took a trip with DD and DS in 03 and brought Dmom & Ddad (who had done DL waaaaay back when) and Dsis...all newbies. From about 10 minutes after we got home they were bugging me when we were going back!! My Ddad just told me "honey there wasn't ANYTHING i didn't like about the place" Needless to say come Nov. 08 we will be making a return trip to WL with the whole lot of us. i think my parents are more excited than the kids.
I went a few months ago with newbies. My best friend, her husband, and their daughter. He was complaining beforehand about the cost, how he hated coasters, dealing with the crowds and lines, etc. When he got there and saw how happy his daughter was, we never heard another complaint! He found plenty of rides to go on that weren't coasters. He was impressed with the Fastpass. Unfortunately they had to leave early due to a family emergency back home. Disney upgraded their tickets to no exp for half the cost and refunded a portion of their hotel bill. Needless to say all of us were impressed with that. He's now a huge fan of WDW!!
On the marching band trip, I tried to give a "best of the park" chat on the bus before we arrived. People on our bus said that helped a ton which made me feel great. We had about 10 hanging with us. At EE, I chatted up the CM when I handed him the time tracking badge and he gave me enough FPs to put everyone on 3 more times!! Needless to say, everyone was impressed with that success.
I have wanted to get my family to go. My mom has passed and my dad would say, "he has done it before". My one sister is pretty well off and takes her vacations to The Gapapagos Is and to their place in Panama. Disney is too close I guess. I even tried to get her into the free dining this year and she did not want to do it despite kids 11 and 13. My last sister has no interest at least for now. Maybe when her grandkids are a little older she'll spring for a trip since their mom cannot afford it.
We LOVE the time we can show others around and make sure they get the best of the parks. On the other hand, we love our time as a family of 4 too.
Lyle
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'78-'88 - 4 stays w/ parents! '89 - w/ HS Band & Choir '90 - 3rd date w/ my wife! Super Q on I-Drive '91 - w/ College Choir '94 - Comfort Suites on 192- '97 - Orange Lake Country Club '03 - Rented home! '04 - Pop Century! 60's Building - Partied w/ Hurr. Charley! '06 - 9 nights free dining at ASMu! '08 - May-MS Marching Band- '08 - September - 7 nights free dining! Aug '09 9 nights - free dining. Nov '11 7 nts free dining @ Cabins!. Jan '15 8 nites DD 21st b-day ASSp, DDP.
When we took my in-laws with us in Dec. I was very very nervous for months beforehand. My DMIL and I weren't always on the best of terms anyway, and they had visions of the WDW they remembered from when my DH and his brother were little kids. Everyone was very surprised at the trip. I was surprised at the fact we all got a long magically (and our relationship has gotten better.... it used to be great, then after DH and I got married and had to move b/c of his job it got bad....) and they had such a great time that they already wanted to plan another trip before that trip was over So I would call it a success
When we took my DH's best friend and his wife and 3 year old daughter back in March.... that was a different. They had a good time even though they didn't act like it while they were there and they plan to go back in Sept (without planning and they're going during free dining but didn't get the package I don't think b/c they didn't know about it b/c they have to do things their own way.....) So we don't want to go back with them again If we did.... we would all have our own plans and do our own things and if we happen to cross paths, so be it...
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My DH has never been, neither have my kids. My first trip was in May 1999 (was 17). Then I did the college program in 2000. That's it for my trips to Disney. So while I "know" about things, I never did anything geered towards the kids while I was there. So I have had a lot of fun planning this trip for my kids and DH. My DH did tell me yesterday he is tired of hearing about Disney. haha. My DH doesn't "get it". I am predicting he'll complain, but here's hoping!
Actually the 2nd time we went, we took my DMIL and one of my friends with us. DMIL got it, but was a little over whelmed, she does want to go back with us some time though. I think it had a lot to do with my DFIL passing away about a year before that was weighing on her mind though. My friend totatly got it after the first day. She had a ton of fun and can't wait to go back with us again. In fact I may ask her for our next trip if she isn't going to school then.
My sister brought her two kids along who were 6 and 2 at the time and tried to go commando touring. Needless to say the kids started to break down, the whining started, the crying started, the yelling started. I think there may have been some threats made. I'm never going with her again until she realizes that the kids need breaks.
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My sister brought her two kids along who were 6 and 2 at the time and tried to go commando touring. Needless to say the kids started to break down, the whining started, the crying started, the yelling started. I think there may have been some threats made. I'm never going with her again until she realizes that the kids need breaks.
What great memories those kids will have! Don't you just cringe when you see people acting like that in the parks? You want to shake them and say "CHILL!"
Lori and I took our friend Karen with us last October. She didn't realize how big the place was. Luckly. she was willing to listen to Lori and I and had a great time. She's planning a trip in 2009 with her sister and niece. Lori took her boyfriend earlier this month for Star Wars Weekend. He hadn't been there since he was a kid. he had such a great time that he wants to go back as soon as he can.
Liz
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). One had never been there at all. He is my DBIL, and is cynical. I thought he might hate it. Well, even he was impressed. He could not believe the service he got (his wife, my sister, had a battery in her cell phone die. She tried to order one to be sent to DW, but by the time it would get there, our vacation would be over. DBIL went to front desk and asked where the nearest cell phone store was. The cast member drove him there!). He didn't think the rides were corny. He liked the restaurants. He loved DTD. He went through Carosel of Progress twice. He was just as touched on our Wishes cruise (for my DH's birthday) as all of the rest of us. We had a great time with him.
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If we did.... we would all have our own plans and do our own things and if we happen to cross paths, so be it...
I'm never going with her again until she realizes that the kids need breaks.
Don't you just cringe when you see people acting like that in the parks? You want to shake them and say "CHILL!"
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