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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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House hunting in the Orlando area without visiting the Mouse next month. Looking for a 55+ community for a second house that could become our legal residense in 3+ years when I retire. Should be interesting. Anyone heard of Solivita? Celebration is too $$$ for us. If we find something we'll sell 2 of our 4 DVC contracts. We have to save 2 contracts to give to our kids later.
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I know a very popular location is The Villages spoke with a really nice guy at MCO 3 weeks ago when waiting for a flight who lived in NY but moved down to the Villages 10 years ago, who raved about the amenities, and activities that they offered there. Maybe something to look at I know its a retirement community and they have community pools, community halls with tons of cards, bingo, games, meetings, all sorts of activities.
If your looking for a nice area to live in but not a retirement Village Windermere is a nice location that tends to range from 180K-Millions depending on the size and lot and they do have a lot of Bank Owned homes have heard of some good deals going on if you are patient enough, very little crime there and your about 20 minutes from WDW.
Clermont is a nice area if you stay off Rt 50 usually get a little larger lot for the price very hilly and nice.
Lake Mary and Seminole county have a lot of nice areas about 30 minutes or so from WDW.
I live in Hunter's Creek which is a really nice area but its very city a lot of rentals but 12 mins from Disney. It's a young area but the crime is low. Traffic is a bit heavy but we have gotten used to it we love how everything we need is no more then 10-12 mins away.
Good Luck with the move and all I can say is make sure you visit any area you think might interest you and go to places in the area and just get a feel for what it would be like to live there.
If you have questions about Orlando, or living here let me know I'd be happy to answer any that I can if I don't know the answer I can try and find out for you
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Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust! Studying Hard to Make a Difference!
My parents live in The Villages and are so very happy there, it is the perfect place to live for retired people. There is so much to do, they are never bored. Also, they are just one and a half hours from us and the Mouse so Disney is a nice easy day trip for them. They visited Solvita when they came down to look for a home and they liked it very much but found that The Villages had more to offer in entertainment such as clubs and community events.
I suggest you check out The Villages as well, its such a wonderful community and still close enough to get the Disney fix!
Well, apparently we have purchased a home in Solivita Florida. 40 minutes from MouseLand. In 4 to 5 years it'll be our full time home. One of the many clubs is a Disney Cast Members Club as a lot of residents work part time there. Had dinner with a resident couple whose daughter is a trainer for Traditions for new employees and met another whose daughter is a performer.
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Horrors. Visting Orlando and not seeing Mickey. DS thought up until last year that the only thing that existed in the state of Florida was Disney World. He was severly dissapointed when we went down for 2 days from Penn State's bowl game. We attempted to visit the parks but abandoned that idea when we saw the parking lot. We took him to DTD instead and bought him tons of stuff because we felt so guilty. Good luck finding a house.
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Orlando w/o the mouse.
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I'd be happy to answer any that I can if I don't know the answer I can try and find out for you 
PassPorter Guide Author
with the house hunting! 
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