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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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That's what my mother just asked me about our cable bill.
Our cable bill has been going up and up and up and the one we got the latest one yesterday. At least twice this year my mother complained about the bill and I looked into ways to lower it but then mom was like "no, I'll pay it for now, we won't make any changes." Yesterday when we got it but before she opened it, mom said how when the rates go up in February (they're like clockwork with their raise in rates) we'll start to drop services. When she opened the bill and she told me what it was ($175 ), I said why wait until February? Why give them 4 more months of sending high bills? So I just got off the phone a little while ago and with the changes I made, the bill is $70 lower and mom said to me "why is it still so much?" I told her unless we go down to basic cable and get rid of the DVR boxes (4 of them - and 2 are moms) we can't get much lower than where we are (about $100 now). It's a lot lower than it was but mom's still not happy - I can't win.
Have you looked into Direct TV? Maybe their rates are lower? We've had Direct TV for about 10 years now because we can't get cable where I live. It's been great so far.
We went to AT&T's UVerse a while back and love it. I don't remember how much we're paying, but for the premium package with 5 DVR boxes, internet, and phone, it's a lot cheaper than they used to be separately. When they raise the rates, I just call and threaten to cancel - and they have always given us some "special" that keeps it the same price.
For me, the biggest problem is when the TV goes out, there's always a message on it "Go to _________.com (website) for help". Yeah, hard to do if your internet is also out because it's on the same thing. Only issue though.
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Chapel Hill, NC USA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 36,592
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I think you are doing well. We have cable, one DVR and two regular boxes, phone and Internet for $166. Couldn't get it lower without going to basic either.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I switched from Comcast to Verizon fios, which I loved, but the bill was wayyyyy more than we were told. Now we have directv, which is like $50 something a month, we have Verizon Internet and we get a discount from directv for that. We have vonage for our phone and I love it. All total, we pay about $100 a month, and we have a lot on directv.
Wow! I had no idea cable cost so much... I got rid of cable years and years ago.... We have zero channels now, but the last time I had cable (about 6 years ago) the cost was definately under $50 per month and I think it was more like $35; that was basic cable though....
(Of course, that DH works for AT&T in the Uverse division may have some slight influence upon my opinion. Particularly since we get an employee discount. )
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Cable is crazy. We switched to directtv a few years ago, and it's stayed pretty stable. I would just as soon get rid of it too, but DH loves his Sunday Ticket for football. At least you got the bill down some.
We had DirecTV for many years but switched to Dish, I am very happy with Dish. I left DirecTV because they were not fixing problems and got to where they just didn't seem to want to help me. Although we did get the Hopper and they are not completely honest about it. You can only record 6 programs when you chose to record the prime time shows on major networks and you have to record them all.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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), I said why wait until February? Why give them 4 more months of sending high bills? So I just got off the phone a little while ago and with the changes I made, the bill is $70 lower and mom said to me "why is it still so much?" I told her unless we go down to basic cable and get rid of the DVR boxes (4 of them - and 2 are moms) we can't get much lower than where we are (about $100 now). It's a lot lower than it was but mom's still not happy - I can't win. 
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I love Directv and would never go back to cable. The price is better, as is the service. (We also get several channels that cable doesn't get...)
Mary - not enough trips!
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