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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Not so much in the way of the "Good" either! I was pretty disappointed to be honest. This trip was number 23 for me. Now, I have stayed in 99% deluxe resorts, concierge, suite ...alot. And I LOVE t shop and I have a thing for Fleece jackets etc from Disney.
I was very disappointed to see that there was not much, at ALL in the way of great choices, and also found them to be made very "cheaply" I use to get such great quality at disney, and it just seems like it has gone to pot!
I still have and wear two AK fleece jackets I got at the AK park opening, they are so warm, and I get compliments on them all the time.
I looked everywhere I could, and nothing....with the one exception of a white MICKEY sweatshirt I got..
What has happened to Disney's stuff ? It looks like it is a thing of the past...I have some great things here, I guess I will have to hold on to for dear life, since they cannot be replaced!
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That's precisely why we didn't buy any clothing this last trip. I couldn't believe that the cheapest hoodie we saw (either in the parks or DtD) was at least $55......that's ridiculous! We all got nice zip-down hoodies in 06 for $35......I guess those days are over. The T-shirts were over $30 and I'm not paying that OUT of Disney.
Sounds like I'll be saving money on our next trip by not purchasing clothes
yep! I always buy the same things when I go...the paperholder with magnet that hangs on frig, I also buy mickey head calculators, mouse pads, my fleece jackets. I buy my kitchen stuff...cutting boards, etc. I could not find anytihng like I always love to buy!!!
I also went down to disney to bring home this beautiful chess set they had at the AKL~it is no longer there! I did come home with the artwork I always buy, and bought several shirts at the AKL giftshop, but other then that........I CAME HOME WITH MONEY!
and that NEVER happens to me!!!
I have to agree - I used to buy several tshirts a trip, and always wanted more than I should spend. This time, I found it easy to resist. A lot of the clothing was overpriced, and frankly, a little on the tacky side. Not just quality-wise, but style too. I also haven't found a set of pajamas I like in years. I used to love a set of pajamas (top and bottom type, not just a t-shirt) when I went. I haven't found a set I like in ages. Whoever is in charge of merchandising needs to re-evaluate, especially for clothing.
I'd also like an updated cookbook...or, like I suggested to DH, I'd LOVE a bartender's book for some of the special WDW cocktails from the restaurants.
yes, I always buy one pair of PJ's also...and nothing. BUT I did buy a nightgown at the AKL. I guess that is the only place I more or less shopped! being I could not get around, and of course there was Mary from East Boston a CM in the gift shop...and Milly from NY, who being this was the day of the super bowl, she would not wait on me with my PATRIOTS shirt on!! I really got to know them there!
Yikes!!! I must have really bad taste, or I am shopping in different stores - because on our last visit over New Years, we bought a ton!! Each family member got a nice heavy weight hooded sweatshirt, I bought a night shirt and a fantatic zippered hooded jacket with a thin lining of fleece on the inside that's "like buttah." I also bought two hot pads for my kitchen counter and four placemats. I also hate to admit that I visited WDW four times last year and bought stuff each time!
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All you need is faith and trust -- and a little bit of pixie dust!
We love doing our souvenier shopping at Disneyshopping.com! We got a lot of shirts for under $10 each before we left and got free shipping to boot! Granted, they did not have park specific or year specific items but my disney polo shirt with my name and Buzz on it was only $10!!
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Ginny
Sept 2007 First WDW Trip All Star Music
Sept 2008 All Star Music/Jan 2010 Pop Century
Dec 2010 Summer Bay/May 2011 All Star Music/Nov 2011 Summer Bay Timeshare
Jan 2013 Old Key West
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I got a great hockey jersey in December that I ADORE.... says 2007 on the front and Walt Disney World on the top in the back where a player's name would be.
But other than the emergency outfit I had to purchase for ds the first day of our trip (he gagged on some food at lunch and puked on himself...and STANK)... we didn't buy any other clothing.
I agree on the fleece. When I was there for the marathon, I was so excited to see what they had to offer cuz I could really use another WDW sweatshirt. I don't particularly care for hoodies (they're OK) and I didn't see any regular sweatshirts. Granted, I didn't hit many stores other than World of Disney, but I just didn't care much for what I saw. And the prices are enough to make you faint. What happened?
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Tanya
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I have to agree. I started noticing the decline in t-shirt styles I liked back in August 2006. I thought it was just me being picky. Then I had the same issues in November 2006. Then December 2007! It was my first time not coming home with a shirt, although my DH surprised me with a blue monorail resorts one.
i have bought t-shirts galore each trip and I am quite sad that I am not finding what I like. It's not just the tackiness of them, but they also seem to be made of cheaper, flimsier material, unlike the study cotton ones I'm used to buying.
I've only bought 1 hoodie at WDW and that was in December. I was not happy because it was white, but it wasn't for me. I didn't like that there weren't many to choose from and I looked in several resort shops. Also, it seems to be harder to find the sizes for us Pooh sized people!
i agree about the hoodies and pj's. I havent found a nice set at disneyworld in a few years. There was a shop on the boardwalk that had some but that was about all i saw. I also feel they dont change out the merchandise enough with themes,etc. I go once a year and sometimes its hard to find something that i havent already purchased. Now saying all this...i spent 450 last time mostly on myself*L*....But....you guys are right about the lack good stuff here lately. never fails though i always find something i need
I actually didn't have a problem finding souvenier t-shirts and whatnot on our last trip. I got a brown t-shirt with the vintage Walt Disney World logo on it, and also replaced a zip-up hoodie I had lost - gray with a black WDW emblem on the right top. I had to stop myself from buying a really cute white Epcot warm-up jacket - I just didn't need it.
I wasn't looking for heavier items, so that might be the difference. Sorry you didn't have good luck!
I miss the days when the merchandice in the stores was themed along with the area. Yeah, it was a bummer when you didn't get something in Frontierland and couldn't find it anyplace else the entire trip but it sure was more fun than the same old things in every store.
Suzie
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Disneyland 1969
WDW 1983-2004 Disney Village Resort,Fort Wilderness Trailer,CB, PO, Dixie Landings,ASS, ASM, ASMo, Contemporary, Polynesian,PORiverside,POP,AKL,Coronado Springs, Disney Village Resorts, Grovesnor, Lake Buena Vista Hilton, etc....
Feb.2005-AKL,Oct.2005-PopCentury,Feb.2006-
Contemporary,Aug.2006-POP,Dec.2006-POR,Feb.2007-POP,June 2007- POP,Dec. 2007- POP