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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

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Old 12-31-2011, 04:56 PM   #1
Pris
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Our unusual Christmas Day

DH and I just got home from a terrific Christmas Caribbean cruise. The only down thing was it wasn't Disney. We sailed Royal Caribbean this time and did enjoy it thoroughly. We got to witness quite an event (for us, anyway) on Christmas Day. Our ship, the Navigator of the Seas, took part in the rescue of 12 Cuban refugees! It all took place right off our balcony. We encountered the sailors in what our captain referred to as an "open whaler." Looked like an inflatable dingy to me. One of the men had an injured ankle and was brought on board for medical treatment immediately. The others stayed in the raft for several hours waiting for the Coast Guard to arrive from Key West to take over. We finally brought them on board as well, as they said they were taking on water. The CG finally arrived and the refugees were transferred to their cutter and we were at last on our way. We waited about 5 hours for the CG which made our arrival the next day about 4 hours later than planned. It did throw quite a monkey wrench into the excursions desk workers, but I didn't hear anyone complaining.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Refugees in raft.jpg (50.6 KB, 30 views)
File Type: jpg The raft.jpg (53.1 KB, 29 views)
File Type: jpg Coast Guard rescue.jpg (53.0 KB, 28 views)
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Old 12-31-2011, 07:01 PM   #2
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Glad everyone was safely rescued.... It will definately be a Christmas to remember!
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Old 12-31-2011, 07:04 PM   #3
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Wow, what an interesting event! Glad you had a great time despite the delay!
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Old 12-31-2011, 10:47 PM   #4
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How awesome to be a part of a rescue!
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Old 01-01-2012, 12:29 AM   #5
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glad you are safe
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Old 01-01-2012, 12:41 AM   #6
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Wow! That is certainly an event you will never forget! I am so glad that everyone is safe!
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Old 01-01-2012, 04:37 AM   #7
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My goodness, that certainly was an unusual Christmas!
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Old 01-01-2012, 08:57 AM   #8
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"Honey, remember that Christmas when the refugees boarded our ship?"
Now there's something you don't hear every day! Bummer about the delay but glad everyone was safe.
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Old 01-01-2012, 01:09 PM   #9
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Wow! Glad everyone's safe!
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Old 01-02-2012, 09:21 AM   #10
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That will be a Christmas to remember!
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