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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I'm looking to hear from people who LOVE where they live in Florida. I can't get enough of Mickey from North Carolina so we are thinking about moving to Florida (or possibly Georgia). I'm trying to avoid direct hurricanes, high homeowners insurance, and big cities and crime- Is there such a place? Please let me know where to begin our search! Family friendly area, low crime, nice homes, good schools, within 5 hours to Mickey OF COURSE!!!! Thank you!!
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I live in Palm Beach County (561), and we're 3 hours away from Disney.
Our Schools are great.
Crime depends on where you live (I live in the suburbs and it's fine).
Everyone's friendly.
There's lots of things to do.
Haha.
Idk what else to sell you on!
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Concierge Level: 6
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I live in Jacksonville - let me say there is no where in Florida that can promise direct hits of hurricanes. Homeowner's insurance in florida is very pricey since the insurance agencies know that there is no where in Florida that can avoid hurricanes and some will not even write new policies for homes in Florida.
I am 2.5 hours from Disney - all interstate to get there. I live on the south side of the city and really like my home. Downtown JAX has higher crime than the suburbs - but I agree with the previous poster that living in Florida for crime is similar to everywhere else in the country.
I don't have kids - so I can't discuss schools - but I know that the "grades" for the schools in Florida are available from the Florida dept of education on line.
I would recommend looking at "myflorida.com" for more information about the different areas of Florida, schools, tax rates, etc.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
I live in Davenport, Florida near the Champions Gate Resort Area. We are located about 3 or so miles from I-4 and two exits down from the Disney Exits. I love this area and highly recommend it!
Your schools question is of particular interest because I am a Kindergarten teacher for Polk County. While FCAT scores and school grades are a helpful tool in determining a school's accountability- it's only part of the picture. I have also taught for Osceola County also and encourage you to explore all of the area's county websites to get more information on schools within each district. I think there is a website called greatschools.net that serves like a Trip Advisor of schools- parents and teachers leave comments and rate each school individually.
There are certain areas within Orlando and Central Florida we avoided in our search- but any big city experiences the same issues in regards to crime.
Feel free to pm with any questions if you find Central Florida interests you! Good luck!
ohhhh, Lakeland Florida is my home town. It's about 40 min from the front gates. It's right in the middle of the state. Totally beautiful, House prices not to bad, close enough to commute to Tampa or Orlando for work. About an hour from good beaches. Great shopping. I can't tell you how wonderful it is. I live in England right now and we are waiting for my husbands visa to come thru so we can go HOME!!! My mom is a kindergarten teacher in Lakeland and while the schools in central FL don't rank the highest, if you are an invloved parent your kids will do well. Lakeland is pretty sheltered from the storms because it is in the center of the state. I just can't say enough good things about it. It's where my heart is.
ohhhh, Lakeland Florida is my home town. It's about 40 min from the front gates. It's right in the middle of the state. Totally beautiful, House prices not to bad, close enough to commute to Tampa or Orlando for work. About an hour from good beaches. Great shopping. I can't tell you how wonderful it is. I live in England right now and we are waiting for my husbands visa to come thru so we can go HOME!!! My mom is a kindergarten teacher in Lakeland and while the schools in central FL don't rank the highest, if you are an involved parent your kids will do well. Lakeland is pretty sheltered from the storms because it is in the center of the state. I just can't say enough good things about it. It's where my heart is.
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