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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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 have heard & scene a lot about Pick a Peral in Japan at EPCOT, but I am wondering if anyone knows what the average costs are for the different settings you can buy for the pearls. I know it will depend on how "fancy" you want to go, but I am thinking about doing this on our next trip & getting pearls for DD, the baby & me. I know I want an inexpensive ring setting for me & was thinking about either necklaces or earrings for the girls (inexpensive to moderate). Just want to get an idea of about how much I should expect to put away for this. If anyone has any pics of the jewlery they decided on would be greatly appreaciated too. THANKS!
Prices definitely range from reasonable to outrageous! DD wanted a pearl and had a $50 gift card to spend. Our "pearl expert" started with all the outrageous ones, never mentioning price, so when DD finally found the one she wanted, we were shocked to find out it was $250!!! And it was a tiny setting, nothing fancy! When we asked to see the more reasonably priced settings, they pulled out a tray from the bottom drawer and were a little less enthusiastic in the presentation.
She followed the directions and kept it sealed until it was dry. The pearl fell out of the setting the first time she wore it....
I've found that the DTD pearl factory pick-a-pearl location is much more expensive than the location inside Epcot. Granted, they do have really nice quality but very few inexpensive settings. I got my wyland settings there a long time ago. They don't carry wyland now though.
I'm interested in checking out the location at the beach club as I've never been to that one.
I can't wait until DD is older because I read that in the SeaWorld pick a pearl location you pick the oyster and they have a diver go down and get it... what a fun experience that must be!
I can't wait until DD is older because I read that in the SeaWorld pick a pearl location you pick the oyster and they have a diver go down and get it... what a fun experience that must be!
Yes they do!!! DH & I watched them for a while when we went on our honeymoon. I thought about getting one, but the settings at SW were Very expensive.
I read that in the SeaWorld pick a pearl location you pick the oyster and they have a diver go down and get it... what a fun experience that must be!
I didn't know SeaWorld still did that. We had a SW in Cleveland when I was young and one of my favorite memories was the pearl diver. I got a pair and still have the pearls in our safe deposit box.
I can't remember how much my flower pendant setting was, but it had to be reasonable or we wouldn't have done it. When I say reasonable I'm thinking it must've been under $50. I did that back in 07 and still have it today I don't wear it anymore bc of the diamond Andy gave me for our 5th anniversary so I don't know if that has helped it stay in tact better...
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I got a silver neclace charm the first time I did the pick a pearl in 2008. It was $15 apprx for the pearl and then $15 for the charm that the pearl is attached to. In 2009 I got another pearl and had it placed on a silver dolphin charm that is a keychain or cell phone charm. That was $10 for the dolpin and that is also silver. last year I just got the pearl and I have ordered to cinderella coach cage charm for ebay which is silver plated and was $5.50 including shipping.
__________________
Love, April
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass;
it's about learning to dance in the rain.
$50 is resonable to me. I may even splurge a little more on a ring for me since the pearl will be the baby's birth stone & I'll need another Mother's ring once she is born!
The Cinderella's Carrage cages are really cute & may be what I go with for my girls. It will be a nice Christmas present for them when we get home.
We bought a carriage and a heart with a crown for DD on ebay before we went and offered her the choice when she got her pearl. She preferred the carriage, but her pearl was too big, so she wears it in the crown.
My DH and I did the pick-a-pearl last year -- it was a surprise for my birthday and anniversary (both on the same day). I got a really simple mount (just a post that goes through the pearl and something it hangs from) so that I could wear it on the gold necklace DH gave me when we got married. I think we were in and out for around $30 - $35 total.
__________________
-- Patti
(Anxiously awaiting our miracle baby in March 2011 after four years of "One Last Trip to WDW Before We Have Kids" trips!!!)
My dd & I went to the one at DTD for her 13th bday and got georgous necklaces but they were very very expensive. They didn't have anything that was silver only white gold. I'm still wear mine all the time but it was way too expensive.
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I don't wear it anymore bc of the diamond Andy gave me for our 5th anniversary so I don't know if that has helped it stay in tact better...
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