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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Has anyone ever used the vacuum bags to pack their clothes for the trip? If so, do the bags really become as compact as it shows on tv? Also, would I be able to borrow a vacuum on the boat to help suck the air out of the bags for the trip home? I have seen the roll-up bags also, has anyone used these? I will be packing for 5 and woul love any extra room in the suitcase that I can get. Thanks for your help!
Make sure you are considering both size AND weight when packing your bags. My experience with the compression bags was that for every inch of space I saved, I added another pound of weight! If you are flying, many airlines have weight restrictions at either 40 or 50 pounds, after which you pay a hefty premium for overweight bags. Definitely check with your airline to determine what their weight threshold is.
If you decide to go ahead with compression bags, I'd buy the roll-up ones from the travel department so you don't have to worry about the vacuum. One less thing to worry about on your last night of your vacation!
I wouldn't count on borrowing a vacuum on board, either. Yes, you can talk to your stateroom host/hostess, and maybe he/she will help you out, but I wouldn't hitch all my packing plans to that hope. Still, you can probably compress those bags somewhat by sitting on them, if you can't get a vacuum.
Rather than try to fit more stuff into fewer bags, I recommend carefully trimming your packing list until each person needs no more than one medium-sized bag. Some folks end up with extra items to tote because they use too many small-sized bags, and on the other hand, I've seen a lot of people with jumbo-sized bags paying overweight baggage fees these days.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
I use the travel space bags (roll out the air v. vacuum). And yes, like somone posted above, be very careful about adding so much extra that the weight of the suitcase is over the limit - gets very expensive to pay the extra!
Outside of being careful of the weight, we found these to be priceless on our trip to Japan and China! They saved a ton of space and my clothes actually didn't wrinkle bad at all.
We used the roll up ones. A vacuum is just too much work for a vacation. LOL You may be able to save enough room to pack into two carryon suitcases versus a large suitcase.
I found the roll up ones at either Target or Walmart,...can't remember which. My coworker borrowed them for a trip so I can't report on how well they worked until next week!
I've gotten them at Walmart and at Linens and Things here. I just bought the "6 bag value set" for $14.99. It came with 3 carry-on (13.5" X 19.5") and 3 suitcase (18" X 22.5") sized bags. I fit 6 sets of clothes (shirts, shorts, underwear, socks) for each child in a suitcase sized bag. The two bags only take up about half of a mid-size suitcase so I am able to get their sweatshirts, extra shoes, hats and everything else in there, too. One suitcase for both kids I think is good because I tend to pack it all - including the kitchen sink! I will be able to get all DH and my stuff into the one large suitcase. Last year without the spacebags we took 4 suitcases (2 large, 2 mid-size)for a shorter trip.
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I will be able to get all DH and my stuff into the one large suitcase. Last year without the spacebags we took 4 suitcases 
(2 large, 2 mid-size)for a shorter trip.
DVC Member BWV- 6/08
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