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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I purchased the Birkenstock Milano's and have been wearing them a little bit each day to break them in. Yesterday, I wore them to work yesterday (desk job with moderate walking between buildings & offices), and I thought my feet were falling off. The fit just didn't feel right!
This morning, though, I had a brainstorm. I pushed my foot to the front of the sandal so that my toes were resting in the toe bed and the arch of the sandal was under the arch of my foot. Then I cinched up the strap on the heal to hold my foot in that position. What a difference! It no longer feels like I'm walking on lumps and bumps in my sandals!
Here's my question - am I going to be doing any harm to my heel if it's not sitting at the back end of the sandal? I now feel like I have the proper arch support and it doesn't feel awkward on my heel where it is now. Or is that what the back strap is for? Was I fitted incorrectly? I tried on a couple different sizes before the saleslady said that the 38's were my best bet. Are their half sizes in Birkenstocks?
Once I cinched up that back heel strap, the difference in the feel of the sandal is remarkable, and they now feel much more comfortable and natural. There's approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inch at the back of the sandal between the back of my heel and the heel bed. Is that okay? I think it's probably too late to bring these sandals back as I've been walking (outside) with them for a week or so.
I also purchased a pair of Keen Venice H2 sandals and they fit and feel like a dream. I've done a lot of walking in them with no problems, but more importantly, no sore feet (my problem was ball of foot pain). My next test will be to wear them at the Zoo to see if I can make it through, for once, without my feet bursting into flames from the sheer pain.....if I can do that, they'll be my primary Disney shoe in late August.
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When my Birks were broken in, they fit like a second sole. If you're comfortable and supported where they are, leave them there and they will settle into that fit and you'll love them.
__________________
Heather ~ Peanut's Mommy!
Member of The Mickey Milers
I love my Birkenstocks! I wear mine with just about everything. It takes a little time for them to conform to your feet. They do not come in half sizes.
Thanks, Heather & Dacy! That's great news! Today I've been using 2 different adjustments with the heel strap to see which of the two makes the fit feel better. Thank goodness for the heel strap!
How long did it take y'all to break them in? I've been taking it slow and not wearing them all day long. For instance, if I wear them to work, I don't wear them when I get home and go out to run errands...not yet.
They have the firmest arch support that I've ever, ever had in a shoe and I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get used to that. Someone here commented that Birks are good for the feet and that it takes time for our feet to get used to the proper support, but once they do, they're wonderful.
I guess I'll continue to wear them to work as long as I know it's not going to rain that day, and when I get brave, I'll wear them grocery shopping at Woodman's (a store that has nearly 225,000 square feet).
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yess in genaral birkenstocks have extra room in the heel also in genaral european womens sizes are your size + 31 so a 38 is a 7-7.5 but birks tend to run a little wide
is your foot in the heel cup at all? the shoe should be alittle longer than your foot my birks are atleast 1/4 of an inch past my heel the most important thing is if they are comfortable
yess in genaral birkenstocks have extra room in the heel also in genaral european womens sizes are your size + 31 so a 38 is a 7-7.5 but birks tend to run a little wide
is your foot in the heel cup at all? the shoe should be alittle longer than your foot my birks are atleast 1/4 of an inch past my heel the most important thing is if they are comfortable
Yes, I guess my foot is in the heel cup, but just the front part of it. The concept of having more room in the heel as opposed to the toe is foreign to me. LOL
They definitely feel more comfortable now that I've tightened the heel strap, but my feet were still a bit sore from walking in them yesterday with it incorrectly tightened, so that may be why it doesn't feel quite right today.
With the excellent arch support, I'm hoping it takes the burn out of the ball of my foot that tends to happen when I've been on my feet for too long. The podiatrist said that it would, so I'm hoping the Birks are just the shoe for that problem.
if you have ball of the foot pain also check out earth shoes good arch and the heel is lower than the ball of the foot
it took more than a month to breakin my birkenstocks the first time(i would wear tem 1 day and not wear them for a couple of days cuse i had blisters) then it takes 3-5 days every summer to get used to the sandels again just cuse they rub in difernt places vrs my other shoes
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i use the 400 style in all my shoes that have room but for you the 05 series should work they have a bump right before the ball of your foot to take the pressure off but be warned it takes some getting yoused to
try going to a store that specializes in comfort shoes and explain your issuesthe staff are trained to help find the best shoe for your feet
i know the walking co is a nation wide chain that specializes in comfort shoes but im sure there are others in your area
__________________
LizBunny
Me and mom at Wilderness Lodge Dec 2009
Last edited by EmpressLizBunny; 05-20-2009 at 08:14 PM..
Reason: wrong link
I kind of dove in head first, as I bought my Birks at an outlet store in Virginia on our way down to Disney back in '98, and I wore them the entire trip. By the end of the second day in the parks I was in love. I had to retire them last year after a referb around five years. (We had a leak that we didn't catch until it was too late for several pairs of shoes that molded. I almost cried). I'm on a flip-flop kick at the moment but I will probably get a new pair for our trip in October.
__________________
Heather ~ Peanut's Mommy!
Member of The Mickey Milers
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