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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Just as an FYI... passport processing times have now been extended due to high demand. They're saying up to 10 weeks to receive a routine passport, and 3-4 weeks for an expedited one. It's taking up to 3 weeks before you can even check your passport status online to make sure they *got* the application!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I applied for my Passport this past Friday and just like Gina posted, they said it would be 8 to 10 weeks before I would get anything. So, you might want to get those applications in a little earlier.
__________________
Erin
"Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow, for all you know tomorrow, the dream that you wish will come true."
On our recent cruise, we were told that while the passport isn't necessary to take the cruise, you could face difficulties getting back to the states if you had to leave the cruise in Nassau in an emergency. Just an FYI.
As of today, I was told by a rep at the National Passport Center that passports are taking 12-14 weeks. An expedited passport can be had in about a week. It will cost $65 extra and you should send it Priority Mail. Mark the envelope "Expedited Handling".
Well, frankly I'm getting a little nervous. Today marks 5 weeks since we submitted our applications at the post office, and none of them is even showing up on the tracking system yet. We fly out 6 weeks from today. If it's taking 14 weeks, they definitely won't arrive before we leave.
At the time we submitted the applications, we were told it was taking 8-10 weeks.
Oh, well, at least it's not required yet, and we'll just pray none of us gets so sick or injured we need to fly home!
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Just wanted to let everyone know that I received my passport exactly 3 months and 1 week after I submitted my application. They say that is taking even longer now, so if you need one don't wait. From what I understand, the Government is facing quite a mess due to the surge in passport applications.
__________________
Erin
"Don't let your heart be filled with sorrow, for all you know tomorrow, the dream that you wish will come true."
Depending on when you want to take your cruise if you process the paperwork now you should have your passport in time. We just applied for one for our little girl and we were told it was taking 8 to 10 weeks at the time. So we applied the last week of May and should have the passport by the last week in August or early September. Otherwise a certified copy of your birth certificate should work find with a government issued id for each person in your party. Again, as long as your not flying as mentioned above!!! Just don't loose those birth certificates.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Our traveling companions applied for their passports in April and they still have not received them. They were told 3-6 months when they contacted the state dept. not the 8-10 weeks they're saying at application. Not a problem, as we don't cruise until March 2008, and DCL said they have a procedure in place for folks whose don't arrive 90 days prior to the cruise...:fingers crossed: Sure glad we got them last time around!
We just received our passports 8 weeks and 2 days after application so I guess the wait has not extended out as far as some have heard. This is good news for those anxiously awaiting their passports. I was beginning to be worried, reading some of the other posts, but we received them with 4 months to spare
Our neighbor's daughter applied for her passport the first week of March. It hadn't arrived as of early June, so bright and early on a Thursday morning they headed to the passport office in Houston (with an appointment made on Monday).
Sure enough, her passport arrived on that Saturday. But she was flying to Germany on Monday, so she had to do it. Her folks mailed the passport they got in the mail (now canceled) and they will get a refund.
I've been telling my clients to get a passport for almost two years.
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Are any of you getting certified copies of your birth certificate before applying for a passport? Back when it only took a few weeks I wasn't worried about being without my birth certificate but now that it can take from 4 to 6 months I don't know if I want to be without my birth certificate for that long. Plus if for some reason I don't get my passport before our cruise won't I need a certified birth certificate to go on the cruise? I am applying now and our cruise is not until June but I still have concerns about being without my birth certificate for that long. I have a regular photo copy (not certified) of my birth certificate. Is this good enough?
__________________
Paula
Last edited by Humbug; 06-29-2007 at 03:12 PM..
Reason: Spelling
For your peace of mind, I suggest you pay for Expedited Service - processing time is currently estimated at 2-3 weeks. When you compare the cost of Expedited Service to the cost of obtaining an additional certified copy of your birth certificate, and add the reduced anxiety, I think Expedited Service wins.
Meantime, there are procedures in place to protect you if you applied for the passport in a timely manner (a year ahead is certainly timely) and it doesn't arrive in time. The passport application includes your travel plans, so the government will know when you absolutely need that passport. You can track the passport application process online, too.
I think part of the delay these days occurs because the passport office is prioritizing standard applications, based on the date of travel. Again, Expedited Service gets you around that problem.
__________________
Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
the kids and I applied for our passports around the 20th of April and received them on Thursday (6/28). So it did take a little longer than 6-8 weeks.
Amy
__________________
Amy
1977,198?,1990 WDW with parents
4/2000, 3/2003, 1/2004-WDW offsite
Nov/Dec 2005-SOG
March 2007-sis's wedding at WDW
Nov 2007 1st Disney Cruise/WDW
June 2009-Saratoga Springs
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