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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 want to get the ball rolling. Are all you event planners still exhausted from the December 2009 meet?
I bought an Annual Pass this year and intend to utilize it to the fullness of my pocketbook and my vacation time allotment! So if dates that Cheryl posted back in a 2006 article are still correct, might we be looking at:
Cruise on Disney Wonder December 5-9
Mega Mouse Meet December 9-13
I'm just askin'. I'd love to participate for at least part of the time PassPorters will be gathering!
No idea MouseFan Travel (PP sponsor) along with WDW Today podcast and most probably AllEars are planning for (Land) Dec. 1-5th. No mention of cruise. Mike Scopa is with WDW Today and of course, Deb Wills is AllEars. Both of those people are on the MF committee. I don't know if PP would follow the crowd or choose their own dates.
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Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
I have no idea what's happening now that MouseFest no longer exists. Someone told me this year's date and, to me, they seem very early. There's no way we'll be back at WDW in December until 2012 and if the meet's that early in the month, we won't make that one.
I don't really know what is in the works--MFT and WDW Today seem to be moving away from the traditional dates--maybe becuase that weekend seems to get busier every year. A week earlier may avoid some of the crowds! I don't think I'll be making it to any of those events--but u never know!
The first question I'll ask is, do we want to wait to see what the MouseFest Committee has to say (so far, there's nothing new at MouseFest.org)?
Since MFT does have a close relationship with a number of the organizations/individuals on the MouseFest committee, I'd assume Dec. 1-5 would be the MouseFest Land dates, if there is to be a MouseFest. Reading the tea leaves, let's assume there won't be MouseFest Cruise under any circumstances.
Was crowds the reason for the shift of dates from the old MouseFest schedule? I'm not sure whether any of the Value Season dates between Thanksgiving and mid-December are much different at this point when it comes to in-park crowds. We can't blame any one event - MouseFest, Pop Warner, the DVC holiday celebration, various corporate meetings and conventions, etc. for the larger attendance. Disney built "it" (holiday festivities at Value Season rates) and everybody has come. The Pop Warner and cheerleading events do put a lot of booking pressure on the Value and Moderate resorts. The 2010 Pop Warner schedule starts on December 4 (with Division Championships) and runs through December 11. If folks want to avoid Pop Warner, that doesn't leave many other dates during the "sweet spot."
The MF Cruise has been an important piece of the scheduling puzzle. Basically, it really only made sense to have the MF Cruise precede the Land. The Sunday departure for the 4-night cruise kills half of the "big weekend" on Land if the Cruise follows Land (we tried it one year, and it was pretty much a disaster). If the Cruise precedes Land, a cruise that starts anytime earlier than about Dec. 1 runs into higher, Thanksgiving season rates. That's why the old MF schedule tended to push Land closer to the middle of December. Eliminate the Cruise, and there's more flexibility for Land scheduling (like avoiding Pop Warner in order to get better group room rates).
So the questions for now would be,
Do you want to wait for news from the MouseFest Committee?
If there is no MouseFest, would you still be interested in December 1-5?
Would you be interested in different dates in December?
Might you be more interested in, say, Early November or sometime in October, during F&WF?
Right after New Years...
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Lots of things to think about, Dave. Personally, I can't make it the first week of December because of work. The next weekend works out better for me. I do love that time of year with the decorations, extra parties, the cooler weather, resort rates, and generally lower crowds.
I also love the end of October with F&WF and the MNSSHP. That would be a fun option.
Of course, I'll wait to see if the MF committee has any plans this year before deciding. I'm a Passporter first and foremost, but listen to various podcasts and interact with others that aren't PP. So I love it when we all get together.
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Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
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Dave, at this point I'm on board with just about any of the ideas you listed. For me personally, the earliest weekend in December works better because I wouldn't have to work around my company's holiday party (always the second Saturday in December, and I everybody I work with and have never missed a holiday party in 21 years and don't plan to start now ). But I'd also gladly come for at least a few days the second week of December and would hope to do a few things with my PP buds. So if that second weekend is one that more of the PP regulars choose, I'll work around it.
While I hope to do a cruise with PP someday, I probably wouldn't do so THIS year.
I can only imagine what a scheduling nightmare this has to be for you. I'm more interested in MNNSHP and MVMCP (plus the Osborne Lights and the wonderful Candlelight Processional at Epcot) than I am in the F&WF. But might I show up there if you plan an event? Probably.
You can count on me showing up for something that the PP group does in December 2010.
I'm all for anything that avoids Pop Warner - but if that is the only way to get together, I am a go for that too! The kids had so much fun at the dessert party in May and the other planned events, we would be grateful to just have set dates so that we can get a jump on searching for reasonable airfare - it may be me plus 10 11 year olds this time
I like the first half of December for the MVMCP, the decorations, parades, shows, the festive atmosphere, etc. The more intimate gatherings are ideal. Just a personal preference, as I enjoy spending time with PP's and getting to know them better.
I would like to attend if something gets put together as this is my second year as a PP and have met some of you but would love to meet more. Plus, if I go this year, it will more than likely be a solo trip and what a better way to spend it than with fellow PPs!!
I am pretty flexible and the suggested dates are all ok, except, right after new years, that's a toughie. If MNSSHP or MVMCP are happening when it is planned all the better.
I'm looking into this and may change my original plans to go Dec. 5-8.
Except will December 1-5 be crowded because it's right after Thanksgiving weekend? Or will most people who are at WDW for Thanksgiving weekend clear out of there then?
I would really, really, REALLY like to see some PPs at WDW in early December!
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MouseFan Travel (PP sponsor) along with WDW Today podcast and most probably AllEars are planning for (Land) Dec. 1-5th. No mention of cruise. Mike Scopa is with WDW Today and of course, Deb Wills is AllEars. Both of those people are on the MF committee. I don't know if PP would follow the crowd or choose their own dates.
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everybody I work with and have never missed a holiday party in 21 years and don't plan to start now 
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