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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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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 used to underpack. Just one outfit a day.
I do overpack a bit now with a few more clothing changes than I need.
I use a duffle bag for the week. I've decided I like them better than suitcases unless I'm flying.
Well there's a loaded question - how much luggage I'd take for a week depends on so many things. Are we flying or driving? We can take as much as we like if we drive, so we'll take more. Is it likely to just be hot temperatures? We can take less. Changeable temperatures or winter cold? Then we'll need more. See what I mean?
I don't think I over or underpack. I usually come back and can honestly say I've used everything I've taken, maybe with the exception of one or two things....
I definitely overpack. I need to have options. That said, I am pretty good at packing and can manage with one suitcase (bigger than a carry-on, but not super gigantic) for a week. Well, that and my backpack.
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MNSSHP 2015: DH (Bane), Me (Batgirl), Genie, and our friends
I tend to overpack. Not so much with clothes, but with toiletries. It seems like I bring the whole medicine cabinet. We stuff a large checked bag and each bring a carry on for a week.
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Over packer here! I swear every trip that I'm going to be better....and I'm not. How many suitcases I take is much like Cheryl...where are we going? How long? A cruise will call for more than a week at Disney. At Disney I have a washer in the room, on a cruise, I have to fight the masses.
I've pared it down over the years - and now, with being quite a bit smaller, my clothes take up less room. Depends on where we're going, and what the plan is.
Earlier this month, DH and I went on a driving trip for 4.5 days. We took one suitcase and a small tote bag with toiletries and books. In that suitcase, we fit 2 dressy outfits for each of us, plus an outfit for every day and an extra (2 extras for me), 4 pr. shoes for me, 2 for DH, pjs for each.
Usually for a week, including at least one nice outfit, we each take a suitcase. We traveled to Europe for a month about 16 years ago, with another family. Between the 2 families we had 11 people (4 adults, 4 teens, 2 elementary schoolers, and 1 preschooler) - we also had a total of 44 bags (suitcases, totes, and backpacks). Disclaimer: 3 of those suitcases were medical supplies for DD Samantha.
We are light packers for a trip to WDW. We are DVC members so always have room with a washer and dryer. We usually do a couple loads of laundry while we are there so we don't have to take so much. If we are going somewhere else we probably overpack.
I like to think I've gotten more adept at packing. We almost always use all the clothes that we take, but unless I plan a laundry day, we don't need to use them twice.
I probably take more than I need in the way of toiletries and such, because I like to be prepared for headaches, sun exposure, blisters, etc.
My rule of thumb is one bag per person, plus an overnight bag. That's it.
I overpack for EVERYTHING. When I go up to visit my family in PA for the weekend--only an hour and one-half drive from where I live in the DC suburbs--I take more clothes, books, and other crap than I'll need. I try to cut back, but I think of things I might need, and it all blows up. Part of the problem, I think, is that I have a short attention span, and what I want at the moment I'm packing might not be what I want 36 hours later...
I tend to overpack because I never know what I'm going to want to wear. I usually take two bags. I travel with overpackers, too. It's a good thing we drive everywhere.
Liz
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Just one outfit a day. 
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I swear every trip that I'm going to be better....and I'm not. 
How many suitcases I take is much like Cheryl...where are we going? How long? A cruise will call for more than a week at Disney. At Disney I have a washer in the room, on a cruise, I have to fight the masses.
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Part of the problem, I think, is that I have a short attention span, and what I want at the moment I'm packing might not be what I want 36 hours later...
Hybrid Mode
