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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We're planning a first-ever (and quite possibly only) trip to DL in Feb.
What is your favorite souvenir of your DL trips?
We do Christmas ornaments wherever we go, so that's a given. And I'm sure we'll get the typical sweatshirts and mouse ears. But is there something especially interesting or memorable?
I use my WDW refillable mugs all the time, but there doesn't seem to be a DL equivalent. And having gone with a 5-then-6-year-old, Pal Mickey is probably the best money we ever spent at WDW. Though this year we will likely be a bit more budget minded.
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We love our little book with squashed pennies but I have to say my favorite thing from DL is a picture of my whole family riding the firetruck that Walt Himself rode around the park. Have a great trip!! We love Disneyland.
I have to agree. We have been doing smashed pennies for years in my family. We also love a dated photo album to hold photos until we scrapbook, or in my case if I ever get to scrapbook them, but at least you know where and which year And for everyone I work with I try to get a magnet or a pin that is specifically DL and every year they are well appreciated the pins are usually worn on our aprons for several months at least.
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Special ops issued us flip-flops, a guitar and a week or two! -Roger Clyne
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.
We usually get Christmas ornaments for all of us (Christmas gifts, since we go in Dec). Lately, I've been into getting household stuff, so I made sure that someone bought me the MM head chip and dip bowl. 2 years ago, I got the MM cookie jar.
This year, we also got a premade scrapbook, since we decided not to do the online photobook. It's cool - they set up everything, so there's still a fun element, but we plug in our pictures.
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.
We like to get a pin to commemorate the occassion. Like if we go for someone's birthday we'll get a happy birthday pin. If it's a holiday weekend we look for a pin for the holiday. We have a pin from the Soda Fountain and Studio Store, NYC World of Disney, WDW and parks/lands or rides that we really enjoy. We like the pins because you can get them relatively inexpensively (granted I probably wouldn't spend $7-12 anywhere else for a pin, but when you compare that to the price of a lithograph or some other very durable gift...it's not so bad...not as inexpensive as the pressed pennies, though) and they don't take up a lot of storage room.
I have a friend who collects post cards from the places she's visited and adds them to her scrapbook. Another friend get's his daughters a pin with the year on it (they go semi-annually).
My mom and sister love the pressed pennies. It cost them less than $10 for the book to keep them in, and 50 cents to press each penny. If you can, use the all copper pennies...I don't remember the year, but one year they started making pennies with zinc and that's why some pennies come out of the press with silver streaks...it's because that's a zinc penny with a copper overlay. Pressing pennies is also relatively inexpensive and also doesn't take up much space...we do press pennies, but it's not the souvenir we choose to collect because the presses are pretty much the same every time we go. So if we go on 3 different occassions in a year, there's not really a way to tell which penny is from which occasssion and which year. I also analyzed the overall cost...total cost if I got the book and used every penny press available...I thought that was too pricey....but if you spread it out over several visits it might not be so bad. I just wouldn't know how to indicate that this one is from this trip and that one is from that trip if I keep them all in one little book...but PP's are very creative! I'm sure someone else is doing it...or they're just not as obsessed with linking souvenirs with the trip they were obtained in as I am. I hope we've all helped you get an idea...
My all-time favorite souvenir is from 1963, a Thumper bank! Yes, I still have it and love it, but that was then and you can't even find anything close to it. Now, I love to pick up the small stuff Disney animals. I finished the Poos collection with our last trip and now am working on --well, haven't decided. One of the reasons I like them, is when a small one comes to my house and falls in love with their favorite character, I figure I've found a home for it and let it go. Sharing a little Disney magic!
Now, I love to pick up the small stuff Disney animals. I finished the Poos collection with our last trip and now am working on --well, haven't decided. One of the reasons I like them, is when a small one comes to my house and falls in love with their favorite character, I figure I've found a home for it and let it go. Sharing a little Disney magic!
I love that idea. That is amazingly sweet and giving. That is the perfect souvenir not only for you, but for everyone in your life! just wanted to share how that made me smile and has given me a new idea for souvenirs as well
__________________
Special ops issued us flip-flops, a guitar and a week or two! -Roger Clyne
If you can, use the all copper pennies...I don't remember the year, but one year they started making pennies with zinc and that's why some pennies come out of the press with silver streaks...it's because that's a zinc penny with a copper overlay.
May be harder to find now, but any penny pre-1982 is mostly copper.
They do have the plastic mugs at the bakeries, and some of the other stands, but they aren't refillable in the park. I never looked close to see if they have Disneyland Resort on them, since I have so many from WDW, that I don't have space for anymore.
You already mentioned shirts and hats, so I would just keep my eyes pealed for other items. Unfortunately, WDW and DLR sell a lot of similar things now. In the past (even 6-7 years ago), the parks had more unique offerings. Now, it's the same shirt with different printing on them.
We're planning a first-ever (and quite possibly only) trip to DL in Feb.
What is your favorite souvenir of your DL trips?
We do Christmas ornaments wherever we go, so that's a given. And I'm sure we'll get the typical sweatshirts and mouse ears. But is there something especially interesting or memorable?
I use my WDW refillable mugs all the time, but there doesn't seem to be a DL equivalent. And having gone with a 5-then-6-year-old, Pal Mickey is probably the best money we ever spent at WDW. Though this year we will likely be a bit more budget minded.
My husband had an Uncle Scrooge watch customized while we were there, it is one of kind and he cherishs it.
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And for everyone I work with I try to get a magnet or a pin that is specifically DL and every year they are well appreciated 
the pins are usually worn on our aprons for several months at least.
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