Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
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08-21-2000, 05:41 PM
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#1
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Wishing I was at WDW!
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Southwestern Florida, USA
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 39,153
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emotional ups and downs
well - if there is any place where I can put my heart on the table - I know it is here. This week-end was such an emotional roller coaster for me. I got my airfare for our trip to Disney (finally) and was so excited! And then I took my first born son to his first year at college yesterday - and I can't stop thinking of all of the great things that have happened in our family for the past 18 years - and the tears won't stop - taking your child to a huge university and leaving them for the first time - knowing that life will never be the same - it is very overwhelming! I am just so glad that we have this Disney vacation planned at Christmas time - it will probably be our last "family" vacation - as I am sure as he gets older (actually all of them) he will not be too keen on going with his Mom and Dad and brothers on vacation!!!!!! Well - thanks for listening ----- Disney is what I look forward to!
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08-21-2000, 05:56 PM
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#2
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Community Rank: Wayfarer 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Kalamazoo,MI USA
Posts: 139
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Re: emotional ups and downs
Boy do I know what your going thru. It will
get easier. Just think about your trip and
take lots of pictures. They do grow up too
fast. But oh those memories last a lifetime.
Best of luck to you.
Robyn
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08-21-2000, 07:01 PM
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#3
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Community Rank: Traveler 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Posts: 272
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Re: emotional ups and downs
I know this must be a very difficult time for you, filled with mixed emotions. It must make you proud to see that you have raised your son into a very capable young man - ready to start life on his own. On the other hand, I can't imagine the feeling of loss that comes with sending a son out into the world. It makes us realize how lucky we are as parents to have the wonderful opportunity to know and love our children from the start. I know I cherish the time I have with my toddler....one day he won't be my baby anymore. Oh, I could cry at just the thought!
I hope all goes well with your son at this momentous time in his life and I hope your family remains close always! And speaking from experience, he may shun some family vacations as a young adult (especially early 20's), but as he gets a little older, he'll be wanting that time again. Good luck to you and your family!
Nicki
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08-21-2000, 09:11 PM
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#4
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Community Rank: Jetsetter 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Pleasant Valley, NY, USA
Posts: 2,398
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Re: emotional ups and downs
This is a very happy/sad time for you, Luvsun! It's great that you are into computers, though! You can carry on a daily conversation with your son! I'm so happy for you that you have that December vacation to look forward to! You will make memories that will last a lifetime!
Here's some pixie dust to get through this hard time and to watch over your son as he ventures out into that jungle we call life!
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Cruella ºoº 
"...where the young at heart, of all ages, can laugh and play and learn, together!"
Cruella |
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08-21-2000, 09:24 PM
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#5
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Cape May Court House NJ USA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 11,259
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Re: emotional ups and downs
 A little pixie dust for you as I know exactly what you are going through! My youngest just turned 21 and having an empty nest hasn't been easy for me. (our daughers solution................... adopt!) 
Everyone says it gets easier. Just take one day at a time and cherish the moments spent together!
Wishing your son best of luck in his scholastic adventures!
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 "Remember the Magic!"
Happy Planning!
Take Care, debe-nj
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08-21-2000, 11:34 PM
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#6
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Wishing I was at WDW!
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Southwestern Florida, USA
Concierge Level: 7
Posts: 39,153
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Re: emotional ups and downs
Thank you each and every one for the kind words - and the wise words. It seems like time has a way of flying by so fast - that holding on to "life" is getting even more difficult! I know that I am not the first to go through this adjustment - nor will I be the last - but until it happens to you - the sudden onset of such overwhelming feelings- you truly cannot understand. Again - I thank all of you for your very dear thoughts and words - and as usual - the place I go to get cheered up - where else - but Disney - and this is the closest I can get to it right now - with special people like you who share the same interest! Take care all - you are all just great! |
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08-22-2000, 03:14 PM
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#7
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Community Rank: Globetrotter 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: East Haven, CT, USA
Posts: 3,406
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Re: emotional ups and downs
I can't even imagine what I'll be like when my kids get to be college age. My first born is starting kindergarten in two weeks. She got a letter from her teacher the other day and I cried while I read that. They will probably have to commit me when they go off to college.
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08-22-2000, 05:05 PM
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#8
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Community Rank: Explorer
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Cape May Court House NJ USA
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 11,259
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Re: emotional ups and downs
aurora1429, try not to blink too much while they are growing.............. They grow so fast! Oh how I remember those days...
I keep trying to figure out where all the time has gone!
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"Remember the Magic!"
Happy Planning!
Take Care, debe-nj |
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08-22-2000, 05:47 PM
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#9
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Foothills of the Adirondacks
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 4,733
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Re: emotional ups and downs
Luvsun-
I know just what you are feeling.  I was very weepy myself yesterday because my DD made the move to CA permanent yesterday. She hasn't lived any closer than 4 hours for the past 10 years, but it's hard.
Time stands still for no one, so we need to cherish the time we spend with our family.
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Take care-
Laura
"When you wish..........
laura |
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08-22-2000, 06:14 PM
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#10
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Community Rank: Adventurer 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Drexel Hill, PA USA
Posts: 739
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Re: emotional ups and downs
Aurora,
I think, God, in all His wisdom, was kind enough to give us mothers(and fathers), the teen years, so that we do not go to pieces when our children leave us.
I, too, was devastated when my daughter started Kindergarten. I cried when she went to school full time in 1st grade. When she started middle school, I was beside myself.
Next year she will start high school.
Can I just say, without sounding too much like an evil mom, that I am counting down the days until college. 
I know that I put my mom through some hoops, but I never knew the payback would be so bad! 
I am sure that I will cry like a baby when she leaves for good. But, in the meantime, I have a light at the end of the tunnel!
Margaret |
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08-22-2000, 09:34 PM
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#11
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Community Rank: Traveler
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Oak Park, IL, USA
Posts: 343
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Re: emotional ups and downs
Hey Luvsun, don't worry too much. My brother, who is now 20 and in his "listening to Korn, wearing Tommy Hilfilger, going back to college" phase announced recently that he wanted to go on a family vacation like we used to. So, next year or so, Mom (50) Dad (51) Me (24) and Rob (20) will be going on our first adult family vacation. Can I just say how scary it will be to see my brother get into Pleasure Island and (he'll be 21 at the time) DRINK?! Scary, but it's his idea to go on vacation to Disney again.
So hold out hope, I'm sure your son will surprise you one day.
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