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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 just got back from the Disney College Program, so I just thought I would let everybody know that I'm here to answer any questions you may have.
I lived in apartments near Disney with around 2,000 other students doing this program and worked at Disney World for 5 months. My role was as a lifeguard, first at the Yacht and Beach Club resorts and the Boardwalk, and then at Blizzard Beach.
As part of this program there are classes you can take to earn college credit. I took Corporate Communications and a Finance Professional Development Series.
Anyway, I found this to be an amazing experience and just wanted to spread the word!
Im glad you had a good time. My son has been accepted and will probably go to the spring one. Were you able to make it financially with the compensation you were given? Are the apartments nice? Did you feel safe? Did you meet a lot of nice people? Sorry for all the questions, but I worry about my baby! I appreciate your input. My son is 20 and majoring in finance. He is a senior at the University of Tennessee. As you can see from the photo below, he loves Disney too!
I recently told DD what I know about the program (very little I'll admit!), and her jaw dropped! She's 9, and loves Disney as much as her Mama does! How did you apply for the program? Is it basically an exchange program between universities? How does it work? thanks!!
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Looking forward to another Christmas with The Mouse!!
I recently told DD what I know about the program (very little I'll admit!), and her jaw dropped! She's 9, and loves Disney as much as her Mama does! How did you apply for the program? Is it basically an exchange program between universities? How does it work? thanks!!
Recruiters often will come to local colleges. The pay is not great but you get very low cost housing and utilities with college credit classes. Once you have graduated, you can do an internship program in your field of study.
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Honestly, I found it hard to live on the compensation, probably because i was used to making almost twice as much at home. I had savings that I spent, as did a lot of people I know, or, near the end, a number of people received money from home (I didn't however). But I still think it was worth spending the money I had saved up!
I lived in Chatham Square and loved my apartment and was surprised at how big it was. New apartments just opened as well, called Patterson Court, which are great. I would avoid living in Vista Way as these apartments are older and I didn't find them to be as nice as Chatham or Patterson. It is a gated community and security patrols regularly, so I felt very safe.
I met so many amazing people from all around the country and the world and made some of the best friends I've ever had. I was also fortunate that me and my roommates all got along great, which was really helpful at the beginning before I met other people. I'm not the most outgoing person and didn't know anybody when I came, but pretty much everybody else was in the same boat, so it worked out. What role is your son looking into? I felt that being a lifeguard I was able to quickly get to know a lot of people since about 50 of us spent three full days together at the beginning getting licensed. Additionally, no matter where you work as a lifeguard almost everyone you work with is a cp (college program) or young, so it was really easy to make friends. One of my roommates worked in merchandise, and a lot of the people she worked with were older, so she didn't know as many people and it took her awhile to make other friends.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you have anymore questions or want more info on anything!
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Honestly, I found it hard to live on the compensation, probably because i was used to making almost twice as much at home. I had savings that I spent, as did a lot of people I know, or, near the end, a number of people received money from home (I didn't however). But I still think it was worth spending the money I had saved up!
I lived in Chatham Square and loved my apartment and was surprised at how big it was. New apartments just opened as well, called Patterson Court, which are great. I would avoid living in Vista Way as these apartments are older and I didn't find them to be as nice as Chatham or Patterson. It is a gated community and security patrols regularly, so I felt very safe.
I met so many amazing people from all around the country and the world and made some of the best friends I've ever had. I was also fortunate that me and my roommates all got along great, which was really helpful at the beginning before I met other people. I'm not the most outgoing person and didn't know anybody when I came, but pretty much everybody else was in the same boat, so it worked out. What role is your son looking into? I felt that being a lifeguard I was able to quickly get to know a lot of people since about 50 of us spent three full days together at the beginning getting licensed. Additionally, no matter where you work as a lifeguard almost everyone you work with is a cp (college program) or young, so it was really easy to make friends. One of my roommates worked in merchandise, and a lot of the people she worked with were older, so she didn't know as many people and it took her awhile to make other friends.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you have anymore questions or want more info on anything!
Thank you so much! I appreciate all the answers. We arent sure what Casey would be going into. He was chosen for this fall but wanted to do the spring one because its for a shorter period of time, so they told him to refuse this offer and then call and tell them he would accept the spring. I think it would be a great experience for him in the long run too! Im glad you had a great time!
Glad you enjoyed your CP. My DD went through three (original-intermediate-management) and loved them all! She is currently working as a mgr for WDW. My DS#1 Luke is currently in his first CP internship. He will be finishing up in August. He is at Chatham and is currently in merchandising. He is a transfer from seasonal (where he was in food and beverage). When he is done in August, they will transfer him back to seasonal.
I think it is a great program! It's been over 5 years and DD is still great friends with a lot of former CP friends.
I am a former CP, did the program twice. I lived in Chatam my first experience and loved every minute of it. When i went back for the summer, only for alumni, I lived in Vista. The only nice thing about living in Vista is that it is the transportation hub, or at least it was when I was there. I worked in Quick Service Food and Beverage and although it was hard work I loved every minute of it. If I was offered the chance to return, there is a strong possibilty I would.