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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
I’ve wanted to share this on the boards so bad for the last several weeks, but felt it would jinx me to do so and ask for pixie dust, so I waited and now I can finally share!. I’ve very blessed that my DH and I get to go to Disney every fall for an annual trip, but this year we decided we could not afford it because we booked a DCL Cruise for Feb 2011. I’ve been living vicariously through all your planned trips and questions, and taking joy in the fact that we’ve talked 2 friends (whose children are grown) into cruising with us in Feb, and they’ve never cruised before, so I’ve had fun planning their trip for them.
You should probably know that my job includes planning corporate meetings for my international company. I’ve extremely fortunate that they’ve paid me to travel the world for this job and I love it. But….even though I’ve been to far flung countries, only you all could share my incredible joy when a co-worker who is VP of Marketing & Communications for our company asked my assistance in planning an international meeting in….Orlando. And better yet, he wanted a day of Disney Institute Training for everyone, followed by 3 days of meetings at a Disney hotel. I even got to choose the hotel! So after planning private dinners, special events and choosing the Yacht & Beach Club, and signing contracts for all of the above, of course it was my dream to be able to go and run this meeting in person. It was too much of a dream to even hope it could happen. So I arranged for my co-worker’s boss (who is a direct report to my boss) ask my boss directly for permission for me to go run the meeting in person. I know this is already getting to be a long post, but to give a few more important details, my boss had agreed to the Disney Institute Training but I guess he didn’t get it that it would ALL take place on Disney property. So a couple of months ago when I gained final permission to sign the hotel contract, my boss said, “Listen, we’re not mentioning Disney on this. The meeting is in “Orlando”. Stick with Orlando.” He was concerned about impressions from the home office in this economy, etc. I told him I could go with Orlando but eventually I would have to tell the attendees (who by the way are 30 and only 3 Americans, from nearly every continent around the world and most of whom have NEVER been to WDW!) Insert here that my favorite pastime is planning friends, co-workers and fellow church members family vacations, so just imagine how much I’m enjoying this! So I told my boss that I’d use Orlando for the location but eventually I would have to give them their hotel address to the Y&BC and also give them instructions for finding and boarding Disney’s Magical Express. I was pretty sure that would give away the location. : ) He asked me to hold these details as long as I could and only tell them closer to the meeting time. The meeting is scheduled to start with a group welcome dinner on Sunday Oct 3 and go through that Friday midday. (Food & Wine!).
My boss was on a rare vacation all last week so I scheduled the conversation between the two men who would decide my fate for the first day after his vacation, counting on him being relaxed and happy. I just received the email that I get to GO! And more astounding, my boss said he’d look at his schedule to see if he could come down and attend one day. I have planned a vacation for his family when his daughters were younger that he enjoyed. Now I just have to get his permission to take the Wed- Friday off the week prior so I can go down and enjoy the parks with free dining myself before I start to work the meeting, as I will be working long days that week with no park time. I expect he will agree to that as I have the vacation time coming.
So, my excitement level is beyond extreme. This will be the only time I'll ever get to stay in a Deluxe Resort - and the best part is that it will be paid for by the company! Hoping I would get to go, a month ago I put a deposit down on POP for 4 nights (Wed – Sun) before the meeting for myself to go as cheaply as possible and get free dining. I was also smart enough to make some ADRs just in case so I wouldn’t be out of luck if I got to go. Just thought I’d share my excitement with folks who’d understand. Some of the private dinners I’ve arranged include a private room one night at CA Grille with the fireworks during dessert, a private deck on Fulton’s boat at DTD for the welcome dinner so they can all see DTD, and the finale, a group dinner in Epcot followed by a private dessert party and viewing patio of Illuminations. They are going to LOVE it. Now I’ve got a job ahead trying to talk the international attendees to come early or stay late to enjoy the World, instead of flying in and out just for the meeting. Wish me luck! Annette in WI.
Sounds like you have been having fun at your job Congratulations on getting to go to the meeting as well. I am sure it will be a great time getting to see everyone enjoying the plans you have set up for them and see their reactions.
Congratulations!! My grandma was sent to Disney Institute last year and it said it was amazing. I'm sure you will have an unforgettable experience! Good luck!!
__________________
Amanda =)
Living out a childhood dream during my summer 2015 trip to WDW. Is it time to go back yet?
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." –Walt Disney
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WOW oh WOW – A DREAM Come True!
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Let us know how it goes!!
Jen
Cassie
PassPorter Guide Author
for Disney?
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