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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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, I thought I'd be posting my next trip to Disney about now, but my mom threw me a curve ball when she suggested going to Europe this year. And not only did she make the suggestion, she's treating me - a very, very, very nice birthday present! Unbelievably, I haven't seen her since our 2005 Disney trip, and I am super excited!
A few facts about our trip:
* October 4th: Depart Seattle for NY (A few days to visit family I haven't seen in ages! Used the last of my FF miles)
* October 7th: Depart from NY for Venice, Italy (Used my mom's FF miles)
* October 8th: Arrive Vencie, take the train to Verona for a few days' stay
* October 11th: Train back to Venice, board Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the Seas for a 7 day Cruise (my first cruise, too!)
Cruising - 12th: Dubrovnik, Croatia
Cruising - 14th: Ephesus, Turkey
Cruising - 15th: Santorini, Greece (I've rented us scooters for the day on Santorini!)
Cruising - 16th Corfu, Greece
* October 18th: Return to Venice for a few days' stay
* October 21st: Fly back to NY for a few days' stay
* October 25th: Back to my husband, dogs, chickens, and bees in Seattle! I'll be exhausted, I'm sure!
If anyone has any tips or suggestions for me, let me know. If anyone's been to any of my destinations, please share your adventures there!
I'm thinking Disney next year...I actually have almost 200 Disney dollars on my Disney Visa now.
What an awesome plan. Of the places you've visited, we've been to Venice and it's absolutely beautiful - you're going at a great time of year, as it shouldn't be too hot or too crowded.
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I've been to Venice and Verona. Venice is beautiful but was too crowded when we were there (in the summer). It should be nice and quiet in October, though. Make sure you read about what's offered and where before you get there as I found it a tad hard to navigate around (because there are canals and tiny alleys everywhere). It's pricey, too - just a heads-up. Other than that, the gondolas are pretty, of course!
I personally liked Verona better than Venice (not sure why). We saw the Romeo and Juliet spot which was neat! Definitely check out Lake Garda (Lago di Garda) which is like right by Verona. It was soooo beautiful and quaint!
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We did a Med cruise last summer and it was a blast. The Turkey ports were my favorite - you will LOVE Ephesus. Our Turkish tourguides really made the experience, we used Ekol Travel and they were just amazing.
I've been to Venice twice and it is beautiful - tends to be hard to find your hotel though! Be sure you take a glance at a map and figure out the vaporetto stops before you go. I highly recommend the "Secret Itineraries" tour at the Doge's Palace - lots of stuff about Casanova and the Inquisition, very interesting! Feel free to email me if you'd like more specific info on either Ephesus or Venice.
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My first trip overseas! October 2008
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PassPorter Guide Author
Of the places you've visited, we've been to Venice and it's absolutely beautiful - you're going at a great time of year, as it shouldn't be too hot or too crowded. 
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