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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Well, the trip is underway, so I'm going to say aloha to the PTR (har har har) and guten tag to the trip report!
I am beyond tired. It's been a long travel day. This morning I was up at 530am, and I knocked out some work. At 6am I ran out to Dunkin Donuts to pick up 3 dozen donuts for the Kindergarten Reception. Then, after another hour and a half of work, I walked Meri to school, and grabbed a seat in the front row for the kindergarten program. It was positively adorable, and the reception that followed was chaotic, but fun. Fortunately I was able to duck out early with Meri, and knock out more work (plus clean some). At 1:30pm we packed up the car. We stopped to get gas, then stopped at Chick Fil A, and we were on the road to Little Rock at 2:18pm.
We made amazing time, and got to Little Rock Airport at 4:40pm. After a snafu with losing my cell phone (I had left it in the trunk of the car) (this is a very common occurrence with me) I got through security and settled in at the gate.
Meri and I got some Burger King, and then after a time, we boarded. It was a VERY empty flight, so we headed straight for the very back of the plane - my favorite place to sit. I realize it's odd to say that, but it's very convenient. Right by the bathroom, and pretty quiet.
The flight was pretty uneventful, but after landing, we had a new experience. We taxied all around the terminals, and then swung back around and parked in a little "holding area" beside a runway. We ended up being there for about 25 minutes, which was annoying, but what can ya do? I just played on my phone, and Meri played on the iPod, and that was that.
After we finally parked at our gate, we headed down to baggage, where Meri saw our suitcases, and ran for them. Yes, my 6 year old dragged three suitcases off of the belt before I could even get to her. *sigh* She didn't get to her booster seat in time and promptly freaked out. She thought it was gone for good, lol, so I reassured her that it would come back around in just a second, and sure enough, there it was.
It took us a while of grouching and complaining and getting lost, but we found the hotel shuttle area (which, after we found it, was right where I remembered it being) and and our shuttle was there waiting for us! YAY!
Now we're at our hotel, relaxing in our room on the top floor. There's free wi-fi here, which is nice, and a full room service menu. Tomorrow morning we're going to get room service breakfast! YAY! Now THAT'S what I call vacation!!
See you all tomorrow! I hope we get on this plane tomorrow... I'm so nervous! It's not TRULY vacation until we get on that airplane and take off!
I'll add photos to this in the morning, as well... but I'm exhausted and don't even want to upload them.
How wonderful that the Little Rock airport was so well set-up. What a difference that makes! Logan in Boston is terrible. The hotel looks perfect for your needs as well. You all look wonderful and excited!
Forgive me if I don't respond individually with multi-quotes all of the time. I will try to at least answer questions / address things even if I don't do it individually! It depends on how pressed for time I am when I'm popping in here!
You "should" hear from me from O'Hare... we're about to check out, have lunch with my friend, and head to the airport. And keep sending pixies please! LOL! I'm so stressed, even though "thus far" it looks do-able, with 7 hours to go.
I hate flying standby. It saves $3,000 but... lol...
Hoping you're close to checking in at O'Hare, if you haven't already.
I do think it would have been hilarious to continue with the Aloha theme for the Germany TR, but perhaps I'm just a bit warped that way....
Loved the hotel room in Chicago - looked nice & roomy!
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