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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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So, last night I put my DS on an airplane to Disney World WITHOUT me!!
He is going with one of his buddies and I know they will be fine. Both are seasoned Disney guests and both have flown a lot.
However...this is the first time he will be traveling with an adult (yeah, yeah, his buddy is 21, but I've known the guy since he was like 10 years old so it's hard to think of him as a grown up!)!!
Okay, I know, he's 19 and has been flying with us since he was 5...and he has flown to Wash DC twice without me (but there was a HUGE contingent of boy scouts involved in those trips)...and yeah, I know, his buddy has flown all the way to Australia by himself...Heck, he even drove almost 400 miles (one way) to visit a friend in Fairbanks about this time last year...I know all this, but I can't help being a little freaked out!
Especially when less that 5 minutes after I dropped them at the airport last night and headed home, he called me from his friend's phone...
DS: "Mom, you need to come back."
ME: "Why?"
DS: "I left my phone in the car."
I know they will be fine. DME is picking them up at the airport and they have DME tags so they don't even have to go get their luggage. They have the dining plan so food won't be an issue. It will all be good! I know they are going to have a great time and that I shouldn't worry, but I just can't help myself!!
The only thing keeping me from COMPLETELY losing it is the fact that DH and I leave on Tues night/Wednesday morning for our own trip down there. We will get to meet up with the boys for dinner on Wednesday and hear all about their trip!
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!! OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
My oldest is also 19. He and two friends went to WDW alone back in April (when he was still 18). It was what they chose to do for their "senior trip". They had a great time!!
Glad to hear they have the dining plan! My son and his friends did not have it. My son budgeted food money as did one other friend. The third friend was trying to be super thrifty and take sandwiches. I knew he would get burnt out on sandwiches, but also figured it was find. When it was send off time (they drove my van down)- I found out the boy had packed all of the sandwiches IN ADVANCE! I was worried sick they would all be nasty long before the end of the trip.... He made do- but my son said afterwards he was pretty miserable eating those sandwiches after a few days. My son and the other boy frequently shared some to help off set the sandwiches.... In retrospect- I think a meal plan would've been good for them!
My oldest is also 19. He and two friends went to WDW alone back in April (when he was still 18). It was what they chose to do for their "senior trip". They had a great time!!
Glad to hear they have the dining plan! My son and his friends did not have it. My son budgeted food money as did one other friend. The third friend was trying to be super thrifty and take sandwiches. I knew he would get burnt out on sandwiches, but also figured it was find. When it was send off time (they drove my van down)- I found out the boy had packed all of the sandwiches IN ADVANCE! I was worried sick they would all be nasty long before the end of the trip.... He made do- but my son said afterwards he was pretty miserable eating those sandwiches after a few days. My son and the other boy frequently shared some to help off set the sandwiches.... In retrospect- I think a meal plan would've been good for them!
As that kiddo's mom, I would have been really concerned about him eating basically only sandwiches for that long! However, when they are that age...you have to start letting them make their own mistakes (and yes, I keep telling myself this about my DS's traveling...I just really don't want him to get on the wrong plane or miss a connection, hence freak out mode - but trying not to let DS realize how bad I'm freaking out!).
We also have the added issue that my DS is Type 1 diabetic (this is also part of my freak out issues). He HAS to eat and eat good food regularly. Luckily his buddy's parents are DVC members so they are at Saratoga Springs and have a minimal kitchen. We sent them some basic snacks/breakfast stuff and they are going to get milk at the resort. What we sent and the QSDP should feed them pretty good for the time they are there. I am so glad that Disney has yummy food at the QS restaurants and not just hamburgers and fries!!! And luckily, my DS likes good food, so he will search out the good for him stuff instead of settling for junk!
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!! OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books
We also have the added issue that my DS is Type 1 diabetic (this is also part of my freak out issues).
That's probably a big part of your freaking out. The rest is being a mom. Whether they are 9, 19 or 90, you're still going to worry. that he calls home and gives you information that reassures you he's doing okay. It won't make the worry go away but hopefully it'll make it less for you.
DD and her BFF did a vacation on their own to WDW senior year-flying standby as BFFs father was a pilot. They did fine although there may have been a minor issue with DD being only 17 at check in. They are both smart girls and handled it.
19 is plenty old to be traveling on his own. Many kids will be beginning a junior year abroad at 19. My DN did hers to Australia, leaving a month short of turning 20.
Adventure is important to kids and IIRC you DS is not going off to college but my kids had many friends who dealt with medical problems from across the country. Letting go is the hardest part of letting them grow up but probably the most important.
At least you get to go meet up with them soon! I understand being nervous - I've sent my kids off on their own to different countries, states, and cities. It really doesn't make a difference where they go - it's just that they're out of our control. The Type 1 would make it even worse.
Pixies that you make it! He always sounds like a great kid and I'm sure he'll be thoughtful about his illness. No-one wants a visit to the ER on vacation!
I will be putting my 17 year old son on a plane to Arizona/California next July for a student trip. First time he's ever been away from us. I haven't started stressing yet, but I know I'll get there.
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. My son and the other boy frequently shared some to help off set the sandwiches.... In retrospect- I think a meal plan would've been good for them!
I know it is never easy no matter how old they are. But trust in his experience in flying and Disney.
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