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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I haven't had a chance to read through all of the posts here, but I plan to go back and do so. I just wanted to post my own experience for now.
We've only been to WDW once, back in 2011. From what I recall, everything was wonderful. There may have been one incident that was unpleasant, but it was due to another guest, not a Disney CM. We've been to DL several times over the years, and we've always had great treatment by the CMs there too.
Our most recent experience was at Tokyo DL at the end of last month (March). OMGosh, I could hardly believe how all the CMs there were so polite and smiling ALL the time! So much so, that my 15 y/o DD told me that if her plans to be an Oncologist falls through, she wants to work for Disney. I know, in general, that the Japanese people are courteous and polite almost all the time, but the CMs at Tokyo DL were truly exceptional. The very best that I've experienced at any Disney property.
Now I hope this expectation doesn't disappoint us, when we travel to WDW in June. From reading some of these posts, I am getting a little worried, and I feel like I will have to warn my sister and her family, just in case. They are traveling with us, and it will be their first trip. They are used to DL's CMs, who, for the most part, make Disney experiences very magical.
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I think we can make our trip more magical by trying to bring a little magic to the CMs as well. Every role a staring role...including the role of guests to the park!
All this makes me sad and we're going in June. I've read so many negative things. We haven't been since 2011. I hope there's still some magic to be had.
I think we can make our trip more magical by trying to bring a little magic to the CMs as well. Every role a staring role...including the role of guests to the park!
This is a great point!
I'm sure CMs have to deal with some grouchy (and worse) guests. Guests being nice to them I'm sure could help uplift the CMs too and what goes around comes around.
I have been going to WDW since the 70's and I would say that the service tends to go up and down. Don't know what makes it do that but I am sure changes in management and economy I have some effect. That said, overall it seems to decline in the "specialness" that is the hallmark of Disney. Not just the cast members but in the little things like condiments at the sandwich bars, offerings at the food courts, and the sameness of the bags, napkins, plastic silverware, note pads that used to be so distinctive to each park and resort. I know it saves the money but my goodness the ticket prices should compensate!
In our experience, service, knowledge, friendliness, and genuineness (if that is a word!)have declined. As I posted somewhere else about this same topic, we will still go to Disney, however, it's just not the same. My entire family has noticed.
If Disney is gonna promise the magic, they need to go back to the simple ways they have provided beautiful experiences for people. Contrived doesn't work.
We got back from our WDW trip about a week ago. I will say that I felt overall, we had a very magical experience, with most CMs being friendly and polite. We also had a wonderful mousekeeper, and even though we didn't have any surprise towel animals (I know they aren't supposed to do them anymore, but I've heard of some families who have had surprises), our mousekeeper(s) did an excellent job of servicing our room!
There was only one incident that sticks in my mind, when a CM did not meet the "Disney standard". We stayed at the AoA resort, and it happened at the food court. I went with my older DD to pick up breakfast for my family. The CM who rang me up didn't even acknowledge me at all. I told her I was using our DDP QS credits and she didn't even say one word to me, no thank you, no smile, no looking at me, nothing. I thought perhaps she was having a bad day, but I did witness her speaking with another CM just prior to my going to the register, and she didn't seem like she was in a bad mood. Maybe she just didn't like us or something. It sure was not the way I wanted to start off our day, however, it was quickly forgotten, because of the many other CMs who were super nice and several who wished me a Happy Birthday, due to my wearing my birthday pin.
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I know, in general, that the Japanese people are courteous and polite almost all the time, but the CMs at Tokyo DL were truly exceptional. The very best that I've experienced at any Disney property.
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It sure was not the way I wanted to start off our day, however, it was quickly forgotten, because of the many other CMs who were super nice and several who wished me a Happy Birthday, due to my wearing my birthday pin. 
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