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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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DH wants to use his frequent flyer miles and is urging me to plan a quick 4-day weekend trip for the F&WF in October.
How do you request time off? Do you ever feel guilty? I just started this job in March and my boss was kind of put-out when I had to leave early on a Friday in order to be a bridesmaid in an out of town wedding. I want to be in Epcot so bad I can taste it...but I'm afraid to ask for the 2 days off (he's already accused me of not "caring" enough about my job--because I have had to leave early twice so far, for appointments and weddings. )
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Re: Getting the Time Off
Sounds like your boss has an issue... and it's not with you. He owns the company right? So he expects people to be like him and work TONS of hours... Nope sorry.
Rachel - do you accrue vacation leave? If so - you are entitled to take it (the law says so). I would make the request in writing (as long as you have the time accrued).
Rachel, I can sympathise entirely. I have the same problem over asking for leave. It seems the further ahead I ask for it, the more of an issue it is, which I can never understand, as then everyone else knows what my plans are and I can schedule my work around that.
As Terri said, keep in mind that you're entitled to take leave and in fact taking leave and having a break is the way to ensure that you get the best out of people.
Like everyone else said, if you have vacation days you're entitled to use them! I wouldn't worry about taking the time off.. it seems as if your boss is being a pain just for the sakeof being a pain (like in The Office on NBC lmao!) Good luck, I'm sure you won't have a problem!
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Sounds like your boss has an issue... and it's not with you. He owns the company right? So he expects people to be like him and work TONS of hours... Nope sorry.
Rachel - do you accrue vacation leave? If so - you are entitled to take it (the law says so). I would make the request in writing (as long as you have the time accrued).
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If you have the vacation time, then it's yours to use. He should not be making you feel guilty for using what is rightfully yours.
I would wait until a little closer to time too . . . and put your foot down!!! Be firm! Like Marnie said, you just say "This is when I am taking some time off. Thanks very much. Have a nice day. Buh-bye." He doesn't need to know where you are going or why either!
When I was working, I had the same problem with getting time off (and I worked at day care - in Freeport, ME in fact - which was overstaffed, so it wasn't like they were going to miss me or anything!) My boss there would ask me everytime I needed to leave early or take a day or more off "What is the purpose of this time off?" I had to tell her every time it was "personal and none of her d--n business!"
Is this grumpiness something recent with your boss or has it always been like this? If it is recent, you could just hope that it is new baby "no sleep" related and that it will blow over soon. If not, then he just sounds like he needs a punch in the nose!
Yea, it might be a good idea to wait until it gets closer. You still have a lot of time before your trip so don't worry about asking now, once it gets closer hopefully your boss will have had time to cool off a bit, and you'll have been working there longer!
Rachel what a sad little man he must be. Sounds like he has no life & no skills as a boss.
This is exactly what makes employees sneak & lie & play sick...not to deal with with people like him. As stated already.. This is your right, by law to take time off. Your family is important & time together makes a happy family. I too would wait maybe two weeks before your vacation. #1-its enough notice (its only TWO days) #2-make your life easy. He still will be a pain, but you'll only have to deal with him for 2 weeks. & remember--your job description doesn't include listening to him question your integrity!
Rachel, I'm like Marnie. I just told my boss in writing when I was planning to be off and if she ever had any issues with it, she could always come and talk to me about it. She never did, but she also wasn't an "anti-vacation" boss, so that helped. Your boss sounds like a control freak and my prediction is that you won't be working there for long based on his record so far! This is probably just the one of many things that you will find unacceptable about him. I am assuming that you will have accrued 2 days by the time the trip comes around, so you are entitled to take it. If you really want this job, just start planning the trip and tell him later if you're afraid it's too soon to ask for more time off.
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I would say just tell him you need this and this day off work and thank you.
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That's not a bad idea. This guy is indeed a little weird, but he's a mega workaholic (definitely needs to lay off the workahol ) and expects everyone else to be too. I'd love to get the plans *set* and would like to get that done asap. Also, if you look at my countdown clock, I'm hoping to take 10 days next March, when I know I'll have the vaca time built up.
Two days isn't THAT bad, right? I just need to catch him on a good day and lay it on him. We're moving to a new building tomorrow (i.e. STRESS) so I think I'll wait a week or two. Thanks for everything, guys!
I would wait until closer as well because you will have been working for a little longer and then it should be easier to ask...dont you hate when bosses dont understand the importance of family time together.
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It seems the further ahead I ask for it, the more of an issue it is, which I can never understand, as then everyone else knows what my plans are and I can schedule my work around that. 
If you have the vacation time, then it's yours to use. He should not be making you feel guilty for using what is rightfully yours.
Sounds like he has no life & no skills as a boss. 
I too would wait maybe two weeks before your vacation. #1-its enough notice (its only TWO days) #2-make your life easy. He still will be a pain, but you'll only have to deal with him for 2 weeks. 
& remember--your job description doesn't include listening to him question your integrity!
) and expects everyone else to be too. I'd love to get the plans *set* and would like to get that done asap. Also, if you look at my countdown clock, I'm hoping to take 10 days next March, when I know I'll have the vaca time built up. 
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