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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Let me explain the "solo" first and get the pity party out of the way. Last fall my wonderful husband of 32 years suddenly passed away. As some of you may remember, he had quite an interesting medical history when he had a kidney transplant 6 years ago. After the transplant, we had 5 really great years when he was healthy and happy again. So, needless to say, his passing was a particularly nasty and sudden shock. Also needless to say, this year has been quite challenging for me in every way. Our grown children have been an awesome support system for me and for each other. As the one year anniversary of his death approaches, I have become very stressed and weepy - really needing to get away from work and other stressors in my life. Since we didn't take any kind of vacation last year, I had money that was already " ear-marked" for a trip that we were planning to take together this past spring. Since the Fall with MNSSHP and the Food and Wine Festival is my favorite time to visit WDW, I decided to do a quick weekend trip. Normally, I would choose to go in October because that is my birthday month, but I have a really great and happy reason to stay home this October. My youngest daughter is expecting her first child - and my first grandbaby! - ON MY BIRTHDAY! So we will be balancing the loss of my dear husband with a beloved grandson! I am only so sorry that his Granddad won't get to hold him and spoil him as he always dreamed of doing!
So, enough background and tears - I AM GOING TO DISNEY!
When: September 19 thru 22
Where: Art of Animation Resort. Little Mermaid section
Who: just me - Karen, the Fairy Godmother wannabe who will soon be a Grandma!
Why: for MNSSHP and the Boo to You Parade, of course!
All the fun details to follow!
__________________
A Fairy Godmother wannabe -
Look what a little Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo can do!
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I am so sorry for your loss.... and Congrats on being a 1st time Grandma!
I am not in your situation but I am a divorced , single mom. No pitty please! : )
Anyway I just went on my 1st solo trip to Disney! I had the Most Magical and Fantastic time! Magical things happened to me and I can't explain it!
I just wanted to tell you that you will have a Great, Fantastic, and Magical time as well! Do what you want when you want. Sleep in and enjoy some pool time.... Just enjoy your time!
Now being home this is the 1st time I am not sad... and that I was able to do what was important to me....I missed my kids but it was totally different feeling being on my own!
I just wanted to wish you a Fabulous Trip too! : )
__________________
Kate in PA All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them- Walt Disney
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
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.
So sorry about the loss of your husband.
Congrats on the upcoming birth of your first grandchild!
I can't wait to hear how your solo trip goes. I can't wait to take my own, although it will be quite a while before that happens, but still looking forward to it.
I love MNSSHP, hope you have a blast!
I am so sorry for your loss.... and Congrats on being a 1st time Grandma!
I am not in your situation but I am a divorced , single mom. No pitty please! : )
Anyway I just went on my 1st solo trip to Disney! I had the Most Magical and Fantastic time! Magical things happened to me and I can't explain it!
I just wanted to tell you that you will have a Great, Fantastic, and Magical time as well! Do what you want when you want. Sleep in and enjoy some pool time.... Just enjoy your time!
Now being home this is the 1st time I am not sad... and that I was able to do what was important to me....I missed my kids but it was totally different feeling being on my own!
I just wanted to wish you a Fabulous Trip too! : )
Thanks for your condolences and your congrats for the grandbaby too! I am hoping that my trip can help me get my optimism back and show me that there is still light hearted fun and Magic all around! I'm glad your trip was awesome and empowering for you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bsblady01
great start
.
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DisneyDana
I did my first solo trip the week after my mom died. I think it's a great thing. You're not in the mood to worry about what other people want to do, and you can go at your own pace. Careful, it will spoil you. I was worried about having too much time in my own head and hardly speaking, but it will surprise you the people you end up talking to that you wouldn't if you had a friend or family with you. You'll be more in tune with the conversations happening around you too. It's really fun!
Thank you for the encouragement!
Quote:
Originally Posted by JoanneS
Does the F&WF start that early? I thought it started on the 27th?
Sorry about your DH but I'm happy you have a new grandbaby to celebrate! Enjoy your trip.
You're right about F&WF but MNSSHP was my main focus! Thanks for the condolences and the happiness about the grandbaby!
Quote:
Originally Posted by momabaarjo
Hugs to you...so many things going on that are bittersweet...congrats on a grandbaby and I so sorry for your loss.
It makes me happy to see you doing something for yourself with this trip...enjoy each moment!
Thank you so much! Bittersweet has been my word for so much this year! Some days that I think will be hard turn out to be ok or even good and then I'll be breezing through a normal day and something just comes over me and brings me to tears. I'm hoping this trip will help me get my bearings back. Thanks for your excitement and encouragement !
__________________
A Fairy Godmother wannabe -
Look what a little Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo can do!
About This Page: 
Let me explain the "solo" first and get the pity party out of the way. Last fall my wonderful husband of 32 years suddenly passed away. As some of you may remember, he had quite an interesting medical history when he had a kidney transplant 6 years ago. After the transplant, we had 5 really great years when he was healthy and happy again. So, needless to say, his passing was a particularly nasty and sudden shock. Also needless to say, this year has been quite challenging for me in every way. Our grown children have been an awesome support system for me and for each other. As the one year anniversary of his death approaches, I have become very stressed and weepy - really needing to get away from work and other stressors in my life. Since we didn't take any kind of vacation last year, I had money that was already " ear-marked" 
for a trip that we were planning to take together this past spring. Since the Fall with MNSSHP and the Food and Wine Festival is my favorite time to visit WDW, I decided to do a quick weekend trip. Normally, I would choose to go in October because that is my birthday month, but I have a really great and happy reason to stay home this October. My youngest daughter is expecting her first child - and my first grandbaby! - ON MY BIRTHDAY! 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
Sounds like this trip is just what you need. 
PassPorter Guide Author
Liz 
Hybrid Mode
