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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Ok, Ive done some research and hit a little of a dead end here...
My fiancee has dreamed at getting married at WDW... But we do not want an 'elaborate wedding' nor a very big one... Basically there will be 6 adults and 6 kids there. The Disney Wedding packages are nice, but at 4K plus that seems awfully rich for what we want. (Don't need the violins or the other stuff that goes with it)...
Is there another game in town that can do a small wedding at WDW?
Even something as simple as: Pay a minister to go with us into the park... Pick a spot, say the bridge in frontierland... We walk over stand there and do our vowels, etc... 10 mins done... (A great time would be during wishes fireworks) Is something like that possible? Is there anyone that does something like that? Also would the CM's screw with us? (We wouldnt be wearing the typical tux and gown)
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I have heard there are very strict rules and you must go through WDW weddings or risk being ejected from the park. I recommend you checking out mouseweddings....they have some altenatives that may fit your needs.
Good luck,
danielle
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~Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you will land among the stars~
Its true you have to go through the wedding consultants there or else you can't get married on the Disney grounds. It is expensive and they used to have minimums like it has to be at $10k or something like that. I wonder if you could get married somewhere in the Central FL area and then go to Disney for a reception dinner since your party is relatively small and then get some pictures taken there? Maybe you could call the Wedding Planners and ask.
Try the Swan or Dolphin, or one of the DtD hotels. JustMarry.com plans in the Orlando area. Not sure how much less than 4K you'll get, but it's worth a try.
An alternate idea would be to book a suite and have the ceremony inside the suite, followed by a small reception inside, or make a PS for a non-park restaurant. They can't stop you from wearing your wedding attire to a resort or DtD restaurant, but it is not allowed in the parks.
FTW is pretty strict and you are likely to be interrupted inside the parks or resorts in public.
Hope something works out for you!
Okay, I feel very self-conscious saying this, but I have to say it...
...with the disclaimer that I know your situation may be TOTALLY different, and I may just be barging in with totally stupid and irrelevant personal details.
Think about it very very carefully. My DH and I were financially challenged when we got married, and we had very little/no family support. We did a small wedding, total of 9 including us and the officiant, and it was overwhelming to try to get everything put together. I did all of the coordinating (since I had no bridesmaids, etc), hand printed/made most of the invitations and favors. We figured that the wedding was just a formality...
And we've regretted it ever since. I'm seriously considering a 10-year vow renewal at WDW because my heart aches every time I see a wedding on the travel channel. I wish we had done a WDW wedding, mostly because of the total package. That $4k means that everything would have been done for us; I would have been able to enjoy my wedding day. I would have had pictures of my wedding. I would have had a decent cake and champagne. I would not have had to drive to the reception hall and set up the decorations in my wedding dress and be mistaken for a bridesmaid.
I know, I know...you're probably coming from a totally different place. But please, think carefully. Believe me, I wouldn't want to put out 10-14 thousand dollars for a cadillac wedding either, but this is a once in a lifetime (hopefully) day. And, yeah, your wedding is completely secondary to your life together, but it is something you dream of. Be sure it's something you never, ever regret.
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I believe that dreams come true...and that believing in them drives away the darkness.
Proud to write for YourHighwayInTheSky.com - enjoy Disney news and views from a diverse crew of Disney lovers!
I recently got married at Disney (March), and we thought the intimate wedding was worth every penny. We had 15 guests, so a few more than you, but it had always been my dream, and my husband acquiesced. Of course, we had initially started planning a big wedding, so the 5K we paid (we reserved the Wedding Pavilion which is a bit more) seemed like a bargain. But when we got there, we realized just how much of a bargain it was.
Everything was taken care of. We got two annual passes, which alone would have cost around $750, which we used then and one other time, saving us a ton. We had a limo, we had gorgeous flowers, we had a fabulous small reception (included in the package), and a photographer. Everything ran so smoothly, and doing all of these things alone would have easily cost 5K. Cakes are so expensive, as are flowers, and a photographer. But the best thing about it was that it was, for the most part, worry free.
I had always dreamed of a WDW wedding, and if your fiance is like me, they will always regret it if they don't get married there. I knew that's how it would be, so I went the cheapest route I could to get married there. We skimped in other areas, like buying a dress on consignment, shoes at DSW, driving instead of flying, etc.
If you have any other questions, PM me! I can tell you anything you need to know about the intimate weddings!
And if you decide to not go that route, I hope you find some way to incorporate some Disney touches in your special day.
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