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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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It's been a while since I've really done a trip report, and after feeling awful for having to cancel our intended WDW trip this past June because of the extended school year (too many snow & cold days), unexpected car repairs and life in general, we finally decided to make several "mini vacations"
The main cast of characters:
Me, Melissa, planner, over-analyzer and "cruise" director as my husband jokingly refers to me. I work two part time jobs, and hold down the fort for our three kiddos. I also turn 41 mid-adventures
Brian, aka "Coach" who values family vacations because he never really had any growing up - one trip to WDW when he was five, and several trips to his grandparents cottages in the Irish Hills of Michigan and in Canada. He was really bummed about Disney and not very excited about our replacement park, Cedar Point, because he's not a "ride" person That changes by the way.
Nolan, 9. He has two trips to WDW under his belt and is avidly saving and planning for a return trip next summer. He LOVES to read - and LOVES anything about history, and science. The side trip he was looking forward to the most? Our trip to the Great Lakes Museum of Science in downtown Cleveland. He's a very cautious person and needs to study things before he decides to ride them. In fact, we had to carry him on to Peter Pan on our first WDW trip because he was afraid the ride would fly to high
Patrick, 6. He barely remembers his first trip to WDW, and still talks about the amazing pool at the Beach Club he experienced on our 2nd trip. He is my dare devil and will ride anything we let him. At 43 inches, he isn't going to be tall enough for the "big rides" at Cedar Point, but can't wait to try out the smaller roller coasters. He's also a Lego nut - he can glance through the instruction booklet, close it and build from memory.
Cullen, 4. He doesn't remember much about our WDW trips. He has been diagnosed with PDD -NOS, and a pretty significant language delay in the area of expressive speech. His receptive language is "off the charts" according to his doctors, and his hearing beyond perfect - equivalent to someone with 20/10 vision. Loud noises can prove problematic, as can over stimulation and changes in his schedule.
My younger two also have a severe milk protein allergy, so part of this report will be talking about how the various places we visit handle or accommodate not only the food allergies, but Cullen's special needs.
We had to plan our extravaganza in two separate trips because of my teaching schedule at the college. The first trip was over the July 4th holiday, and included Memphis Kiddie Park and The Great Lakes Science Center. the 2nd trip was July 31st - August 1st and focused on Cedar Point.
I've attached a more recent picture of the boys, taken at the start of the summer at our local swimming pool.
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The Fun, Old-Fashioned Family Vacation, 3.0 http://www.passporterboards.com/foru...ml#post4472933
Ch-Ch-Changes July 2015
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