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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Yesterday I had to run to Wal-Mart ( okay, so I'm there every day it seems ) I was on the lookout for the cardboard underbed storage containers for Shelby for her room.. which I think they don't carry/make anymore as I went to 4 stores & nada, zip! .. Then, the cashier was a total dweeb who was intent on packing faster than I could put in the cart.. She was very rude & short.. maybe it was her break time?
These 2 incidents should have told me it wasn't going to be a good day but I still trudged on..
I decided to go to Big lots to look for the underbed storage boxes, I figured while there I would pick up a jar of Kalamta olives ( only place that has them cheap!) & I was browsing around & was super excited to find a heated mattress pad ( with dual controls) that Jim has been salivating over for weeks.. It was on clearance so I snatched it up. I realized it was almost 11AM & I have to be at work at 11:30 ( & take all of the groceries home before that) so I rush to the check out.
Got to the check out & decided to use my pay pal debit card ( which I rarely use) it was declined & I realized I probably put the wrong pin # in & idiot cashier kept insisting we try it again, while I explained I was kind of in a hurry & pulled out another charge card to use..
I go to my van load the coveted bed heater in the back.. all the while musing & puzzled over what my pin # is .. I start to close the hatch & the bed heater almost falls out .. I try to grab it with one hand while still closing the hatch with the other & the door came down on my nose... I literally saw stars..
got in the van with tears in my eyes then started to laugh ... I realized i probably broke my nose & knew I would be black & blue... Came home & told my story to Jim who was more concerned over his heated pad
I was making dinner last night (steak salad) & couldn't find the cans of chick peas & baby corn I bought.. we hunted everywhere & I guess the super fast cashier at wal-mart forgot to give me one of my bags ( I DETEST those bag swirl things at Wal-mart) I was soo livid I wanted to call the store & complain but realized they won't believe me when I say I didnt get a bag.. I still might call today regarding the cashiers attitude..
you'd have thought I had my fill of shopping but nope, I went to K-Mart & Target last night in search of these storage boxes ( I ended up getting the plastic ones)
this norning i'm sporting a nice bruised nose ( not to mention bruised ego.. what a klutz I am) and slightly black eyes.
so any good shopping stories to share?? I probably could remember a ton with my kids but the one that stands out is when Jamie ( appx 9 months old) in a stroller grabbed a package of candy snot while I was checking out & I didn't realize it until I was getting in the van.. I was too embarassed to go back into the store & tell the cashier.. "My son took your snot" I made Jim take it back later that day
OOH I remember another kid one... ( again at wal-mart.. ) all 5 of us were shopping & we took my Aunt.. she had Shelby ( about 2YO) in her cart & Brendan (5YO) thought he was so big, .. he was helping my Aunt push the cart.. She was looking at some clothes on a rack & Bren kept hanging on the cart handles, I kept telling him to be careful . He then stood on the rail of the cart & toppled it over.. Shelby let out an ear piercing scream. Well, a worker immediately ran over to see if Shelby was okay ( & she was fine) & then got on the loudspeaker calling a "code 12" I believe ( It was some kind of code) at least 15 Wal-Mart employees came rushing toward us & the manager made me fill out an accident report.. All the while this is going on Jim & Jamie are in electronics looking at video games & when they heard the scream & the code called, Jim turned to Jamie & said " Yep, that's your brother & sister" but he didn't come over to see what was going on..