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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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With a few minutes more than 24 ½ days left until we depart for WDW, I thought I ought to do a pre-trip report to post for family, friends, and the interested. This is my first attempt at this, so here it goes. First, some background. I am the mother of 6 kids, five girls, one for me, one for my husband and three together and one son. I have been married for going on 14 years, although they haven’t all been perfect. Once my husband and I finally grew up and vowed to be together and happy, we have. For almost every year now for 7 years, my family has made the Thanksgiving week trek to the Walt Disneyworld Resort in Orlando, FL. We spend hours planning each and every day of the trip, buying all of the WDW books, reading all of the post on our message boards, and getting advice from friends, travel agents, and other Disney fans. It has become a passion for me. Waiting patiently until I can book the trip. Slowly paying down the balance, which keeps growing since my family does. Marking the calendar for 180 days out so I can book “ressies” for restaurants and shows. Saving cans and spare change, working the books at baseball games, and subbing at local schools for extra “Disney spending money”. We pack the car with games and movies for the kids to help keep them quiet. I load up with snacks that can be eaten on the trip and during our stay. I make sure we have lots of Ziploc™ bags on hand for just about anything. Our yearly WDW trip was approaching fast. I had all of my ADRs ready and Mamie’s 9 year birthday supper planned. With only a few months to go, I get a call from my husband’s uncle and his wife. They are the same age as us and have kids near the age of ours. This call was to let us know that they will be traveling to WDW for the 1st time when we go. That’s 5 more people added to already large party of 8. Unfortunately, we could not add them to our ADRs. But, at least we can hang out during some of the days we are there. A few weeks later, I get another call. This time from a good friend of ours, Jeanne, another die hard WDW fan. She and her family of 3 and her mom will also be joining us in WDW. WOW!! Our party has now increased to18. Although we will not be together all the time, this large group of Louisianans will be sporting LSU and Saints gear all throughout the world. Another couple weeks later, the best new of all, add one more. My husband, who has been going through a really long and drawn out custody battle for his daughter, finally got the news he has been waiting for. His daughter will be joining us in the world. She has never been and is looking forward to it. He can’t be more excited about sharing this experience with her. We are determined to make her a Disney “freak” just like the rest of us. Now, with 9 people to pack for, my job is a rough one. I have begun to go through clothes, decide which ones to bring and what new I need to buy. This is the first time on a plane for 8 of us as we usually drive the 16 hours to get there. It has been hard to decide what to carry on and what to check. It is also the first time for me with such a young child. We usually wait till they are a year old, but this time we have a baby that will turn 4 months with we are there. Once again, what to pack for this young one. With 2 kids who have never been to Disney, a birthday party for my daughter, 2 whole families meeting us there, and first time flyers, this should be a trip that we will never forget. Not that you can ever forget any trip to the happiest place on earth.
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My trip report: Part I
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