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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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What is throwing me are the "online community" comments that Disney is making in the announcment, but I am not seeing anything that tells me they are starting an exclusive community like Mattel has for Barbie collectors (for example).
I know that people will say I'm crazy, but I think it is another part of Disney's strategey to eliminate 3rd-party information systems like Passporter.
I don't think its crazy. Disney likes to monitor their information so having boards they maintain makes perfect sense...whether or not that "eliminates" the other boards...I don't know. Personally I just have to go to B&N to see a magazine worth $16 per issue. Must be more like a book...
I am totally with you WVUgirl. This is my favorite site by far of the Disney sites but it seems that if you think something Disney does is negative, people get all defensive. This site is the only that is even close to thinking this club was executed well. Even "The Motley Fools" gave Disney a tongue lashing over the underwhelming stature of this "club"
Totally agree Matt. I actually saw yours (and Mollie's) post's on the other board, so I am very aware of what kind of uproar it's causing. I actually went to those boards specifically to see what they thought.
I'm not completely sure how I feel yet. I bought the magazine...and it's beautiful...but I don't think I'll be "buying in" to D23 anytime soon...unless they offer something more exclusive, and I can truly see a value in the membership. As a working college student I just can't justify the cost right now.
What is throwing me are the "online community" comments that Disney is making in the announcment, but I am not seeing anything that tells me they are starting an exclusive community like Mattel has for Barbie collectors (for example).
Am I missing something?
I am wondering the same thing, has the "online community" even started yet? And if it has how is it?
Regarding the online community, I just read this on the D23 FAQ:
Quote:
D23 WEB SITE
What's on the D23 Web site?
Disney.com/D23 features breaking news, insider info, and exclusive feature stories from every part of Disney, as well as rare classic articles and other treasures from the Walt Disney Archives. The site also includes regular items like vintage daily comics, "D Society," and "This Day in Disney." The Web site is updated regularly with fresh content.
Is the D23 Web site for D23 members only?
No. All Disney fans have access to Disney.com/D23, but only D23 Members can access member-exclusive merchandise and special event opportunities.
So it sounds like even if you aren't a D23 member, you can still read the info from the online community.
According to the Disney Insider, this is what the online community will include:
Quote:
D23 will also have a huge presence online at Disney.com/D23, ensuring fans get the up-to-the-minute scoop from all around Disney, in-depth feature articles on an endless array of Disney topics, and quite a few fun diversions along the way. "We wouldn't dream of stopping at the quarterly publication. Our fans want more and we know it, so we're giving them a daily dose of Disney as well. Umm ... alliteration not intended," Steven laughs. "We're committed to making sure that our fans know that they can come to Disney.com/D23 for their Disney news, whether it's the day's big announcements, photos from last night's premiere bash, or the fun, late-breaking tidbits from all over Disney that will appear in the site's 'Twilight Bark.'" Brownie points for anyone who knows "Twilight Bark" is from "101 Dalmatians"!
The online features don't end there. For example, under the "Walt Disney Archives" section, fans can get their daily Disney history lesson with "This Day in Disney," discover the humor of vintage Disney daily comic strips on "The Funny Page," and, of course, "Ask Dave," your chance to have Chief Archivist Dave Smith answer those burning questions about Disney minutia. The site also features online content from "Disney twenty-three," as well as Boutique 23, which boasts an assortment of Member-exclusive D23 merchandise and collectibles from the newly created Walt Disney Archives Collection.
I think we need to think back to the "uproar" there was about the the DisneyMoms Panel. We are were wondering if it was a ploy by Disney to drive the third party sites out, did it work? Resounding NO. We are still here, aren't we.
I was on the fence about this, at first. I bought the magazine and decided I was willing to spend the money on the membership. It was an amazingly laid-out magazine with alot of money spent on the printing. I should know, due to my printing background. Definately a high quality piece worth praise. Maybe the membership isn't for all, but the magazine is definately worth the gander.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
It was an amazingly laid-out magazine with alot of money spent on the printing. I should know, due to my printing background. Definately a high quality piece worth praise. Maybe the membership isn't for all, but the magazine is definately worth the gander.
Plus, coming from Disney, there will be no posts like "Where's my third issue?" and such. Side note: How much is the Celebrations Mag and can you get it at Barnes and Noble?
We are were wondering if it was a ploy by Disney to drive the third party sites out, did it work? Resounding NO. We are still here, aren't we.
For now.
Disney has divided and conquered or adsorbed competition before, in all of the history I have read about the corporation. I think they will do all they can to keep or increase their market share, especially in these economic times. Allowing third-party information systems are probably in Disney's best interests for now. This may not be so in the future, no matter what they may be saying to the public. I am sure Dave has better insight on this. This project (D23) is something that can help to maintain loyalty while many people cut back on the length or frequency of their trips to the happy place.
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'll buy the magazine...if AAFES bookstores ever get it but I won't join just now. I truly miss the old Disney Club and Disney magazine. The "problem" I have with their "on-line" community is that their website is so unstable that everyone has a heck of a time accessing it just do basic research and transactions for a trip. Can you imagine what it will be like now that people will be accessing it for a forum/chat room kind of situation?
I'll stick with Passporter and UAB...these places are home!
Somebody says since it is Disney we won't have to wonder where the third addition is. I hope so but My daughter subscribed last year to the little Disney magazine and they stopped printing it during the middle of her subscription.
I keep hearing people mention forums on the D23 site but when I go there nothing like that exists. It's really just an information area. Does somebody know something I don't?
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.
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but I won't join just now. I truly miss the old Disney Club and Disney magazine. The "problem" I have with their "on-line" community is that their website is so unstable that everyone has a heck of a time accessing it just do basic research and transactions for a trip. Can you imagine what it will be like now that people will be accessing it for a forum/chat room kind of situation?
Danielle Harmon
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