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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Thought of Dot and her "Disney Diet" thread every time we strayed from our near vegan, nutritarian diet! I'd say we fell about half-way off the wagon : ) Mostly I let the kids indulge in at least one good treat every day when I had intended to make that a more sporadic thing rather than daily.
As fried food goes, the girls each had one hot dog the whole trip, one burger, and one order of fries. Not too bad, I guess. They also shared a couple of those huge cupcakes and had one all to themselves on the last night. Meanwhile, they had ice cream nearly every day. so yeah, that's off the deep end for this mom! but I don't really regret it. Just harder to get back to our norm with the treats now that we're at home and pretty much pointless until after Christmas. ya gotta live, right?
Also, it was an enormous help having brought a small container of peanut butter and 4 packages of whole grain wraps. That combined with the bananas I had delivered in my GG order made for the girls' lunches more than half of the days. many times there wasn't one thing on the kids' menu that the would even eat, so I was thankful I brought the more nutritious and cheaper option along with me!
My favourite indulgence was the child size birthday cake ice cream I had from the Plaza ice cream parlour (which was plenty big). I was so disappointed when it wasn't available on the last day : ( Also enjoyed my bread pudding dessert at Tusker House and a mickey waffle there and at Disney junior breakfast. Otherwise it was enough for me to sample the girls' treats most of the rest of the time. No fried food for me or DH except for his accidental side order of fries at Roaring Forks.
Dot wasn't kidding about the special Christmas treats popping up everywhere you went!! normally I can sail on by most of the treat offerings, but man, this is some mega level temptation! I bought some goodies to bring home and share with friends. Had hoped to have a little more left for the Christmas stockings, but then kept thinking of friends who would appreciate a little treat from the world. I did get myself a package of the candy cane frosted pretzels and look forward to "discovering" those in my stocking Christmas morning!
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I think allowing yourself and the girls to indulge while at Disney is fine. DD14 and I both have to watch our sugar, but at Disney, we allow ourselves a little extra wiggle room. Moderation is always the key.
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Should add that even after all that diet diversion and only getting to the gym once, I gained less than a pound. I was down 3 ponds from the basement flooding stress before we left and that was below healthy for me. But my concern is mainly overall health and cancer prevention.
My kids were never the chicken nugget, pizza, hotdog or burger eaters. We always stayed for at least half or vacation in a property with a kitchen. It was so much easier if they could make a sandwich or grab a piece of fruit.
I never travel without peanut butter -some times I pack crackers, other times will pick up a loaf of whole grain bread. To me it is so much easier than trying to find something edible many places.
LOL! Delighted to learn that your family followed my favorite diet, Amy. Your mentioning my Disney diet thread gave me a grin. Happy as well to hear that you enjoyed "dieting" and your stay both.
We're on the Yuletide diet ourselves, having both had a sizable piece of homemade cherry pie for dessert which neither of us ought do very often at all. Was it ever savored though! Yummylicious!
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
I also kept thinking about that older couple you described and the wife pronouncing that she was having a Mickey bar. that's pretty priceless and what I thought of instead of the calroies, etc. when my girls each had one to themselves after getting uncooked broccoli at Liberty Inn lead to complimentary dessert!
Yup, sometimes making lovely memories trumps eating as we feel we should. I know I definitely did the Disney Diet when we were there and didn't suffer more than a single pound gained.
Within reason, I think "forbidden food" feeds the spirit which needs nourishment more than the body at times.
I'm still tempted to pay double the at-WDW price plus shipping and order some decorated Disney krispie treats from Minnie's Bake Shop. I might just do it!
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
I usually lose weight when I go to Disney. I am walking alot more and drinking more water. This last trip in August I was hoping to try more snacks, but that didn't happen. Okay I did have 2 kaki gories...but they were so refreshing on 2 hot days.
I did walk into the bakeries in World Showcase but nothing grabbed me. I only ate one burger and I still had a snack when I got back at night. I do watch my sugar and salt intake...but eating something sweet at night is something I do at home too. I can't eat burgers and chicken all the time, I get bored.
I look forward to going to Disney...not for the obvious reasons but the fact I eat better there than at home. Plus I get alot more exercise too!
I truly believe in the word "Moderation".... and I am glad that your girls had a variety of things to chose from than eating the same kids' meals all the time.
My next trip in May I am hoping to plan better meals..like for Lunch and Dinner only; sit down meals too. This way I get out of the counter meals and get something a little more nutritious. I have yet to eat a Mickey bar or a rice krispie treat...or a Dole Whip! : ) lol
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Kate in PA All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them- Walt Disney