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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Okay, so this trip that we are going on in less than 2 months is driving me crazy. I normally have our bags out at this point and put a few things in daily as I think about them. This trip is a secret to our boys, however. The two oldest started school today, so that helps a little. I can do some planning while they are away. My 4 yr. old is still at home with me and I don't want him to find out either. Any suggestions? We will be checking the 2 older boys out of school early on the day we leave and would like to keep the secret until we arrive at the airport. Is that possible? I'm so excited! I can't stand it!
You can do it! Maybe you could tell them you are going to visit a certain relative in a different state, or a friend you haven't seen in years. Trust me, only 2 months to go, you can definately do it, don't let the secret out!
I always pack the night before anyway!
What a nice surprise! Hopefully your boys will be in soooo much shock they will be as quiet as mice on the plane. and to the boards!
I could NEVER keep a Disney secret like this one. Congratulations on keeping it this long.
Do you have a plan for what you will tell them on the ride to the airport??? What if there is something they may want to take that you forget???? That is the only problem i would have with keeping a secret like this.
I sure hope you can pull it off, it will be such a huge surprise. Keep us posted.
Noreen
We've been keeping our secret for about 7 months now.. Some days are harder than others! Sometimes I just really want to tell DD that we're going, just so I can see the look . I talk to DD about Disney all the time, though.. See, she thinks we're going on a surprise trip for her Dad's birthday (when we're really going on one for hers). I'm such a sneaky Mom.
I can't worry about not packing something that they might want. They have never packed for themselves, so they know that whatever mom packs, that's what they get. I know to include their loveys, their mickey, and their few favorite things. I'm really hoping that it won't really matter once they find out.
It's possible. I did it and then some (we had to spend the night in Kansas City before traveling on to DL) and I didn't tell them where we were actually going until we were in the MCI airport the next morning. It's so worth it. The looks on their faces will be something you remember forever.
Oh, yeah!! That is just the coolest! I surprised my DD with our trip last April. It was so great!! She had no idea.
Keeping it secret was tough! We had planned to tell her right after she got home from school the day we were leaving, but my DH kept slipping so we ended up telling her 2 days early. It was still a huge surprise, gave her a little time to be excited before the trip, and she liked being able to choose and pack for herself. Good luck with your planning! I had to do some crazy stuff to hide our trip! 90 days before we left, I had to stay up until 3am (we're 4 hours behind Florida time), hide in our pantry so no one could hear me , and call Disney Dining for our CRT breakfast. I felt silly but it worked! Luckily I'm on this site all the time, so she didn't realise what I was doing.
Keep strong! The surprise will be sooooo worth it. My tough 10 yr old actually cried when she realised what I had done!
Have a camera or video camera ready.
You can do it... I've been planning my Disney Proposal for some time now and let me tell you, that ring is burning a hole in my pocket! I'm nervous as heck about getting through airport security with it ... and there have been times when I've thought... I'll just pop the question now instead of waiting. But I know that it'll be that more magical for Jen if I wait and do it in WDW! 5 days!! WHOOO HOO!!
My DH and I did this last year and it was GREAT! We told the kids that daddy had to fly out to Tampa for work and we needed to drop him off at the airport. When we got the airport we pulled out my DS's new Buzz suitcase and my DD's new Pooh bag. They still didn't get it until we told them that we were kidnapping them and taking them to Disney! They were in complete shock! I had bought new Disney t-shirts for them and packed for them so they had absolutely no idea! It was great and I think every parent should do this at least once! Once was enough for me! It was really hard to keep it a secret for almost a year, but my kids will never forget their surprise Disney trip! Have a great time and until then, keep it quiet!!!
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Some days are harder than others! Sometimes I just really want to tell DD that we're going, just so I can see the look 
. I talk to DD about Disney all the time, though.. See, she thinks we're going on a surprise trip for her Dad's birthday (when we're really going on one for hers). I'm such a sneaky Mom. 
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