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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.
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I never purchased a Cricut. While I liked the concept, being a designer would be very limiting to me. (No, I do not need to purchase your font when I own my own library, or cute animal when I can make my own.) This brings me to my question.
What other cutter would you recommend? I would need something that is Mac compatible. I also would like something that is Adobe Illustrator compatible (if that exists). While searching, I think that leaves the Black Cat cutters or Wishblade. While they might be expensive, the $$ my neighbor spent on her personal cricut and several carts comes pretty close.
TIA
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I can only speak for myself, but...I purchased a Wishblade a few years ago. I'd read it had a steep learning curve, but I'm pretty tech-savvy in general and figured I was up to the task. Besides, my neighbor had one and made great stuff with it. How hard could it be?
Well....I made one bucking bronco, tracing the intricate lines with my mouse (way hard); it looked pretty good. I tried and failed at making a title, but the paper was too thick, so it didn't cut all they way through; it was also expensive paper, so I was very frustrated and gave up on it. (By the way, I never used the bronco, so that ended up being a $400 design that I still have )
I finally gave the Wishblade away at the end of last year. I think it would've been easier if there had been more people around using it, and more pre-made designs. I know it's been upgraded at least once, so it may be easier now, or you may have the savvy to get it right to start with. I'm happy with my Cricut, because I'm NOT a designer, as you are (though I'm a little less happy, hearing about some of PC's legal wrangling).
Having said that, have you looked into the Pazzles machine? A woman who designs for our local scrapbook store uses that, and she makes lovely items. I don't know anything else about it, but it's another option you can look at.
So, there's my confession. Good luck with your decision!
Ginger
I can only speak for myself, but...I purchased a Wishblade a few years ago. I'd read it had a steep learning curve, but I'm pretty tech-savvy in general and figured I was up to the task. Besides, my neighbor had one and made great stuff with it. How hard could it be?
Well....I made one bucking bronco, tracing the intricate lines with my mouse (way hard); it looked pretty good. I tried and failed at making a title, but the paper was too thick, so it didn't cut all they way through; it was also expensive paper, so I was very frustrated and gave up on it. (By the way, I never used the bronco, so that ended up being a $400 design that I still have )
I finally gave the Wishblade away at the end of last year. I think it would've been easier if there had been more people around using it, and more pre-made designs. I know it's been upgraded at least once, so it may be easier now, or you may have the savvy to get it right to start with. I'm happy with my Cricut, because I'm NOT a designer, as you are (though I'm a little less happy, hearing about some of PC's legal wrangling).
Having said that, have you looked into the Pazzles machine? A woman who designs for our local scrapbook store uses that, and she makes lovely items. I don't know anything else about it, but it's another option you can look at.
So, there's my confession. Good luck with your decision!
Ginger
The Sillouette HD is currently onsale for $179 with free shipping I believe. I'm not sure if it is adobe compatible or not though. I believe it's compatible with Mac... as my friend mentioned she was interested in buying one and she's a Mac only person....
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Tia, if you can wait until probably Friday, Jin at www.underacherrytree.com is going to do a comparison of several cutters including the Black Cat, Sillhoutte, Wishblade and others.
Thanks Mary Ann. I can wait as I'm just looking to get more involved in card making/scrapping. And, possibly see if I could do a little side business with custom cuts/embellishments. I looked on a comparison chart and only Black Cat and Wishblade are Mac compatible.
Ginger- With the Wishblade, were you able to import your own images into the software? That is mostly what I'm looking to do.
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Michele
I'm living the dream 20 minutes from Disney! Next trip...tomorrow. Follow me on instagram at ShirtsByShell
PassPorter Guide Author PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Navigator
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Ohio & Florida
Concierge Level: 6
Posts: 6,129
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Quote:
Originally Posted by minemoz1
Ginger- With the Wishblade, were you able to import your own images into the software? That is mostly what I'm looking to do.
Seriously, I never got close to that far! I don't remember seeing anything in the documentation about that, but it was several years ago and there's at least one newer version out there. Sorry!
Ginger
PS: Yahoo! has several Wishblade user groups; you might find some good info there.
The Sillouette HD is currently onsale for $179 with free shipping I believe. I'm not sure if it is adobe compatible or not though. I believe it's compatible with Mac... as my friend mentioned she was interested in buying one and she's a Mac only person....
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! This is EXACTLY what I'm looking for. It even has a plug-in to use in Adobe Illustrator that will send it to the cutter!! Ohhh! I'm getting excited about what I can make now! I'll have to see who has the best deals tomorrow and order one!
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I'll have to see who has the best deals tomorrow and order one! 
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