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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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'm going to my DNephews wedding the first weekend in June and we're trying to figure out where to stay. The wedding is in Stillwater and they have a block of rooms at a hotel there. Another member of the family has found a hotel in Woodbury which is supposedly 8 miles SE. It is about 1/2 the price of the hotel in Stillwater and is in the same chain. Does anyone know anything about either town? Right now I'm holding reservations at both places, but I'd like to release one of them. There will be 8-12 rooms booked at whichever place we decide to stay. I appreciate any help you cam give me!
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Lesley-either location would be fine. It probably would be handier to stay in Stillwater if the wedding is there. Stillwater if you have never been there before is a beautiful little town located on the banks of the St. Croix River. Wisconsin is just across the river. There are a lot of neat little shops and restaurants located in downtown Stillwater. Woodbury on the other hand is your typical suburban community. It probably would involve more driving back and forth, although if you have a car anyways; it might not be that big of a deal. Woodbury has lots of strip malls and shopping areas which aren't bad as Woodbury is one of the newer growing suburbs of St Paul. It might be more convenient if you are planning on doing anything else in the area as I-94 and I-694 converge in Woodbury and can easily take you anywhere in the Twin Cities. So either place would probably work for you. Just an FYI, the Mall of America which is located in Bloomington is probably about 20-25 minutes from Woodbury. I hope this helps!
My sis and her DH live in Woodbury; it's a very nice town with very easy access to both 94 and 694. As Vicky mentioned, Stillwater is a gorgeous place, and for sheer convenience and charm, you might want to stay there. But if you're really hoping to save some $$$, then Woodbury isn't far and wouldn't be an inconvenience. (Side note: I would have guessed it's a bit farther than 8 miles from Stillwater, but not a LOT farther.)
One thought: June is "ultra-high season" for road construction around here, and for that reason -- just in case they're working on the roads between Stillwater and Woodbury -- you might want to put one more point in the "Stillwater" column.
guys! I'll talk with the rest of the group. We knew Stillwater was a great place (the bride has told us all about it) but we weren't sure if Woodbury would be Ok or not. I'm coming in on Thursday because my son Sean is in the wedding and the guys are going golfing early on Friday. Most of the other family groups aren't arriving until sometime on Friday. I'm not sure if they have plans for the moms/aunts on Friday,but if not I may head to Mall of America. I've never been. I'll let you know if I have any more questions.
We attended a wedding in Stillwater almost two years ago. I found it to be a charming place. Can't remember where we stayed though, I know it wasn't right in town.
Lesley, is this the wedding that has been postponed that we've been reading about in the MOA thread?
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Denise
Counting down to....
May 2017 - Poly (Grandma's 1st Trip to WDW)
Sept 2017 - DH's bday celebration
Aug 2018 - DCL Family cruise on the Dream
No - I actually had 4 weddings to attend this year. Now I'm down to 3. This is my DNephew. His bride lives in Wisconsin not too far from Stillwater. She is a member of the Catholic Church there. My DSIL and DBIL were up there 2 weeks ago and said it is a wonderful town. I'm looking forward to this wedding. It sounds like most of us will be staying in Woodbury. I think we will have 10 plus rooms. I just found out me ex and his new wife will NOT be staying at the hotel with the rest of the family . They have made "other" plans.
I will be coming up on Thursday with my DS who is in the wedding. The guys are golfing on Friday so I think the gals will probably plan an outing as well. Either wandering around Stillwater or over to MOA. It should be a lot of fun!
I will be coming up on Thursday with my DS who is in the wedding. The guys are golfing on Friday so I think the gals will probably plan an outing as well. Either wandering around Stillwater or over to MOA. It should be a lot of fun!
Lesley-let me know if there is anything you need to know about the MOA or how to get there. I live in Bloomington not too far from MOA, so I'm very familiar with it! It sounds like you will have a fun weekend!
Lesley~ If you're wanting some other ideas to do around Stillwater, a group of you should look into doing one of the ferry boat rides/ w/ or w/o dinner. I live a bit further up the St. Croix River and it's so beautiful. Also the little town of Marine on the St. Croix has a few nice shops to... (if anyones in need of a tatoo over the weekend, may I suggest Zaps by Tapps or is it Taps by Zapp --- they do great work--- I'm thinking of going Disney to add to my Tweety Bird. You know, just in case those groomsmen get a crazy thought or two while having fun!)