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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Just found this and all I can say is "WOW" and I'm so jealous!!! Now, waiting to hear all the plans you all have for this trip, even if it is a short one!
Thanks!! I'm not even going to look at the flights again until about 2 weeks out, because it will just make me crazy! LOL!
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Originally Posted by MayraLR
Great start! Can't wait to hear about your plans. Now I'm off to read your other PTR.
Welcome aboard both! Thanks for reading along!
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Originally Posted by chezp
Hope the flights work out for you - and how great you don't have to fly into LAX!
I had a frustrating experience at LAX years ago (the fault of one lousy ticket agent), and it just left such a bad taste in my mouth that I'm glad to not have to go through there!
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Originally Posted by mcc0313
Melanie....look at you having two trips going at once. I am so excited that you and Meri are going to get to spend some time in LA, I am sure Meri is totally excited and how wonderful that you will finally get to meet up with Jeannie and her kids. Think this trip is going to be a blast.
I'm really excited about both trips! AND I have a third long weekend trip (a cruise) following these two, in November! But I'll wait until after CA to do that PTR! LOL! This is a traveling fall!!!
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Originally Posted by Grammy Grumpy
Just found this and all I can say is "WOW" and I'm so jealous!!! Now, waiting to hear all the plans you all have for this trip, even if it is a short one!
I'm really excited about the trip, and hanging out with Jeannie!
So, I left off where we were landing around 1030am on Saturday. I'm hoping we'll be able to sleep on the planes (I mean, I know *I* will, but I hope Meri will), and then we can arrive feeling at least partially awake!
Jeannie will pick us up, and then I presume we'll go to her house to get settled a bit. She gave me her address, and together (while chatting over instant messenger) we google-street-view-stalked her house, lol! It looks really neat, and she's got a great pool, which will thrill Meri to absolutely no end! I'd better add her goggles to my packing list, or it will be the end of the world as we know it!
I had mentioned the possibility of a beach afternoon, so Jeannie came up with an idea to go to this neat little boardwalk / beach area. I can't find the link that Jeannie sent me, darn it all, so I'll make sure she pops in here to post it so you can see. If I recall correctly, she's never been there, so this will be something new for both of us to do! If I had to hazard a guess, I'd figure we'll probably have lunch at or near her house, and sit and relax, and then head to the beach maybe around 1230 or 1? We can spend the afternoon there, and then grab dinner, maybe somewhere on the boardwalk thingy, if there's anything there. Since I can't pull up the link, I can't see what food options are there. But I'm sure there's something somewhere. I imagine we will be in bed fairly early this night (at least Meri and I will) after a long day of travel and then sunshine and sand and whatnot! I'm really excited to put my feet in the Pacific Ocean, though, and so is Meri. I hope the weather cooperates!!!
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Popping in really quick because all of a sudden my life got crazy busy! The kids are back in school now, so I thought I would have a few quiet days, but no!
Well, Melanie, I'm actually thinking something slightly different from your plan, so let me know if this works. If you do fly in to John Wayne, we'll be 10 minutes from Balboa Island/Beach. I was thinking that we could just go straight there to chill and have lunch. We can go walk around Balboa Fun Zone, Newport beach, California and see what interests the kids. I've actually never "participated" in any of the fun zone offerings, but I've been to Balboa many times. It's just that the last time I was in the Balboa area, it was about 10 years ago! So, it will feel like a new adventure for me!
If you fly into Ontario, we'll probably head to my house first and go with your idea, since we'd have to pass it on the way to the beach...so I think maybe we'll have two plans for this first day, depending on where I pick you up!
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I like your plan! Depending on which flights cooperate, we're totally in for whatever. Meri will be excited no matter what. And even if I'm dragging a little, I'm always up for anything!
I hope to get a picture with a Newport sign, though, because I used to watch The OC, and I really want to see if I can find a sign that says Orange County or Newport, just for fun! Most of the filming was done in Long Beach, I think, and I don't need to go to any of the locations. Just a sign (and maybe a tshirt or a gray hoodie, lol) would suffice for me.
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Second day plans... tentative, of course, but likely!
For Sunday, we have discussed heading into LA to see the touristy things like the walk of fame, hand/footprints, etc... and get a shot of the Hollywood sign. Jeannie is looking into how to maybe get a little closer to the sign for a better view, but worst case we can always get a shot from the Loews Hotel, as she suggested.
Jeannie also suggested lunch at the Disney Soda Fountain. Of course I was ALL over that suggestion! How could I not be??? Woo hoo!!! Meri will be so excited!
Jeannie, what else are we going to do on this day???
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Great plans-- having just done all that myself! Graumann's and the hand/footprints area will be mobbed with crazies, but Jeannie knows her way around and will get you through! On the ABD tour we drove up the hill for a closer view of the sign and I actually thought seeing it from the Loews or the Highland Center Mall was a much better, straight-on view. I think we drove up Mulholland, which was a very nice drive in itself, but I wouldn't do it just for the sign.
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Melanie
I imagine we will be in bed fairly early this night (at least Meri and I will) after a long day of travel and then sunshine and sand and whatnot! I'm really excited to put my feet in the Pacific Ocean, though, and so is Meri. I hope the weather cooperates!!! 
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