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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Writing a trip report is not as hard as it might seem. Here are some guidelines to help you whether you are a first time or old pro author!
Suggestions on keeping notes and remembering the details:
Use the Passpockets and jot down special things each night.
Use your camera or pictures as a guide to take you through the day’s events.
Save receipts – most are time-stamped and are helpful for remembering the day.
Watch your video if you shot footage that day.
Bring a blank journal or notebook along- jot notes poolside or whenever you have some down time.
When writing your trip report and posting it here on Passporter:
Don’t type your report in all caps- it makes it pretty tough to read.
Use paragraphs as much as possible so that your trip report installment is not run on- this also can make it hard for others to read.
Post your report and subsequent installments as replies to your original post. If your trip report reaches 200 or more replies, then it is acceptable to begin a new thread - but for new readers, be sure to provide a link for the original thread so they can read in order, if they wish.
Photos are welcome and certainly add a lot of “magic” to any trip report. Use the guidelines for photos.
Sometimes folks may ask questions in response to an installment-it’s a good idea to read responses to your report so you can answer them.
Please feel free to PM any of our Sharing the Adventure Guides if you need any help or if you have tips to add to our list.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
I would add that your receipts usually list the CM that served you at sit-down meals -- just in case you forgot their name! (This is handy if you want to compliment them through Guest Services later.)
I have an additional suggestion on keeping notes and remembering details. Each time we went into a park, we got a new map. I'd put the date on the front of my map, and number the attractions as we hit each one as well as mention where we got FPs. I also included a few notes here and there. Each time we came back to the room, I put my used map in my Passporter pocket. Those maps, along with my receipts, where a huge help as DH and I worked on our TR. Especially, since the note book we used to journal our trip is currently MIA.
Is there any kind of software or program anyone uses for writing their trip reports? I found it took a very long time to resize my photos in photobucket.
Is there any kind of software or program anyone uses for writing their trip reports? I found it took a very long time to resize my photos in photobucket.
Thank you.
I used Windows Photo Gallery for resizing my photos. You can select them all and then resize them all at once. Saves a lot of time and frustration.
I started using Photobucket to resize, but found that it still used the original size of the photo to calculate the amount of storage space it used. Then I found out a out the resize option on Photo Gallery. Makes it a lot easier!
I, of course, saved copies of the resized photos to a separate folder.
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
I used Windows Photo Gallery for resizing my photos. You can select them all and then resize them all at once. Saves a lot of time and frustration.
I started using Photobucket to resize, but found that it still used the original size of the photo to calculate the amount of storage space it used. Then I found out a out the resize option on Photo Gallery. Makes it a lot easier!
I, of course, saved copies of the resized photos to a separate folder.
I too have used a separate resizer for my pictures. Created a folder, copied them over, and then resized them all at once. It was an add on from Microsoft. Not sure what is called, as I've moved to Windows 10 and I haven't found the add on. Will have to investigate Windows Photo Gallery and try that out! I would advise to not resize directly in Photobucket. Not user friendly at all! Thanks Donna!