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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Have you ever rented a car?
When was the last time you rented a vehicle? Was it for vacation?
Did you fill the gas tank before you dropped it off once you were done with it?
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We've only had to rent a car once and it was out of necessity not choice. In May of 2010 our car was totaled in an accident and we needed a vehicle until we were able to purchase a new car. We filled the tank before we returned it.
We rent a car about once or twice a year. Often, I can find a great price on a vehicle and when compared to the wear and tear on my car (including the price to change the oil on my), is sometimes cheaper for long drives - and I don't have to worry about blowouts, stalls, etc. (not whether they'll happen, but getting them fixed).
The last time was probably last February? We rented cars for about a week a time for a while, about once a month, when we found cars we thought we might like to purchase. Driving a car once at the dealer didn't tell us whether the car was for us or not, driving it for a week did. We went from a Chevy Impala to a Nissan Maxima to a Nissan Murano (SUV) to a Chevy Traverse (SUV) - we ended up buying a GMC Acadia (SUV that is very like the Traverse).
We rented a Jeep about five years ago so that we could get to the house my FIL rented for the extended family in Corova, NC. To get to it you have to drive on the beach in a four wheel drive (no road). We had to wash it and fill it up before returning.
Have you ever rented a car?
When was the last time you rented a vehicle? Was it for vacation?
Did you fill the gas tank before you dropped it off once you were done with it?
Last time we rented a car was in June this year when we were in Utah. Yes, it was on vacation, and yes we filled the tank before returning it. No way I'm paying the rental company gas prices!
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
We almost always rent a car at WDW. Tha last time we rented a car was in Alaska. We drove from Anchorage through the Kenai to Seward, stopping for a few days along the way at the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge. Gorgeous country. Our next rental will probably be at either DLR or WDW
We last rented a car at the end of August when we visited Northern Ireland for the Bank Holiday weekend. We always return our cars with the tanks filled up.
The only time we've ever rented a car was when our car was totaled in an accident (and our other car was broken down and in a lengthy repair) in 2007 and we were left with NO car to drive! We had it for 2 weeks until we bought a new vehicle and we did fill the tank up before returning it.
If we fly to Orlando on our next trip to WDW (which is, so far, the plan), we will be renting a car for the 2nd and 3rd days of our trip so that we can drive to Universal Studios those two days.
I get a rental car every time I drop mine off for service. I always have too much to do on my days off to not have a car. And yes, I always refill, the penalty for not is too high
The last time we rented a car was May 2012 when we went to San Diego. There were 7 of us, so we rented a mini van. We filled up the tank before returning it.