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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
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.
Just what is the PassPorter's Club?
In essence, it is an enhanced access subscription club for PassPorter's e-books, e-worksheets, and server-intensive message board privileges. There's also a 35% discount code and early access to special offers, like our $1 book sales. There's even the option to commission a custom e-worksheet! The price is extremely reasonable -- the monthly price is the same as just one of our e-books in the store ($4.95), and the annual price is even less (25% less). Read a much more detailed description, along with the Club FAQ and Agreement. You can read both in the Club's public forum, the Gallery.
Why the low price?
E-books and e-worksheets have proved more popular than we ever anticipated -- by making them easily available to passholders in the Club, we get more e-books out to them and in turn can create more e-books. It's a group share concept. We'll be adding to our e-book and e-worksheet collection as our Club grows -- there'll always be something new in the pipeline.
Why are you charging for it at all?
E-books require intensive effort on the part of the author, editor, and publisher to research, format, and distribute. Our e-books are professional publications, able to sit on any bookstore's shelves but in e-book format due to their scope and appeal. Additionally, the costs to maintain our message board is growing, but we want to keep our community freely open to all -- so this is a way to offset the high costs of servers, software, and support.
Is this a social group or clique? Will I feel like an outsider if I don't join?
No and no! The Club is first and foremost an information repository -- a sort of online library or electronic book club. Everyone can join, but it is optional. Our community members are highly valued, passholder or not. No privileges are being removed from our community members' accounts. Think of it this way -- plenty of our community members do not have a copy of a PassPorter guidebook, but we welcome them here with open arms regardless -- this community is for all like-minded travelers, whether or not they have a PassPorter guidebook or Club Pass.
PassPorter's Club is an add-on -- Club Passholders receive NEW access on top of what's already available freely to anyone. The new access on the message boards mostly involves things that are server-intensive and thus cost us extra money, such as increased allowances for private messages, longer signatures, larger image sizes, unlimited file uploads, and so on. Club Passholders also receive the ability to change their board layout style and have a custom member title below their names.
What if I just want to show support for the community but don't need the access?
Easy -- get a pass and don't use the extra access. It's perfectly acceptable to show your support this way.
What if I don't want it at all?
Also easy -- just don't get a pass. Nothing about your message board account will be changed if you don't get a pass, and you can expect the same level of maintenance, features, service, information, and friendliness you've come to love here! The Club is just a cherry on the top.
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.
What the heck. I mean, for our first trip last year, all the $ the PassPorter saved my family, so that I could PLAN, and not go into WDW blindly....
The subscription is worth it to me.
My first PassPorter was my "safety net" so to speak. I couldnt have managed to understand the best (and sometimes most economical) ways to enjoy WDW, and our first trip there without it.
I see this PassPorter's Club as a win-win situation.
What the heck. I mean, for our first trip last year, all the $ the PassPorter saved my family, so that I could PLAN, and not go into WDW blindly....
The subscription is worth it to me.
My first PassPorter was my "safety net" so to speak. I couldnt have managed to understand the best (and sometimes most economical) ways to enjoy WDW, and our first trip there without it.
I see this PassPorter's Club as a win-win situation.
I couldn't agree more kismet I got the year's worth also
I agree that the annual membership fee is well worth it. The cost of the e-books alone makes it a great value. I realize that running the boards and upgrading does take money, so if this helps to defray the costs; then it is money well spent. The PP boards have been invaluable to me and my family over the years. The tips that I've gotten have saved me money and made our vacations so much better. I definitely want the boards to be around for a long time! Thanks to Jennifer, Dave, and everyone for making this a great community to be a part of.
A heartfelt thank you to the 40 community members who got passes to the PassPorter's Club in the first 24 hours of its soft opening. Thanks to you, we've already got one e-worksheet commissioned and completed (character autographs) and several e-book ideas. You rock!
My computer tells me it's March 15, official opening day. I'll roll out the red carpet gradually during the day.
Hey how cool is that mine was the 1st commissioned worksheet
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Isabel
Happy Scaring
Trips to DL Many as a kid
12/00 1st family trip POFQ
04/04 2nd family trip The Dolphin
03/05 3rd family trip The Dolphin & Magic
12/06 4th family trip Xmas Magic & the Dolphin
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.
Very cool indeed!! I subscribed for a year Wednesday morning. I am excited about all the extra little things!! right now I'm GREEN in honoro of St. Paddy's day!!
I got the one year pass. What a great resource to have for WDW information. Besides saving money on Disney you help keep the magic alive all year long. Thanks
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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Thank you Jennifer for making the pin e-worksheets. I knew someone who was brillant and a genius would figure something out. Thanks. Now I have to decide if I want to be an annual member or monthly? Desions, desions!! Mkymselady