From National Treasure to Mining for Treasure-- A PTR! - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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From National Treasure to Mining for Treasure-- A PTR!
We’ve been transplanted to the West for quite a while now. In the fourteen years we’ve been here, it’s never really been possible to explore our adopted state. Family visits back East made vacationing there more convenient than here. My kids are born and raised in MT, but are more likely to tell you about NY, DC, or FL because of where relatives live or our affinity for WDW.
This summer is different! This summer we’re taking it upon ourselves (DH, me, DS13, DS10) to really explore a portion of this large state to discover what makes MT special. My friends assure me that Glacier is a fabulous place with only the occasional bear.
Note the fear and trepidation of wildlife bigger than me and capable of death?! Yep, I’m probably the only person who’s heading out to a national park and hoping NOT to see any wildlife of the bear variety. But hey, I have lousy luck, so I’m betting I’m going to get a close encounter of the grizzly.
This year is a very special year to visit as Glacier is celebrating its centennial. One hundred years of offering up beautiful vistas of Mother Nature. We'll take you along for the trip as we discover part of beautiful Montana. As we’re always looking for good things to eat, I’ll also review the places we stop at along the way. Bring on the bison burgers and huckleberry pie!
Here’s a few of the highlights for this trip:
* Our accommodations include staying at Lake McDonald Lodge. It makes DS13 very happy as pictures of the interior make him think of his favorite lodge (WL) at WDW. Nestled right along Lake McDonald, we’re looking forward to fishing, boating on the historic De Smet lake cruise, riding in a Red Jammer bus to see the Going to the Sun Highway, and possibly even swimming in ice cold glacial water. Brr…
* We’ve got a full day of whitewater rafting in store with the folks of Wild River Adventures. We float the middle fork of the Flathead River in the morning, stop for lunch along its banks, and ride a coaster nature has provided in the afternoon. We’re really looking forward to this!
* One day will find us at Whitefish Mountain Resort for adventure of another kind. We’re zip lining the mountain one morning. I’ve always wanted to do this!
* We leave Glacier Park and head to the National Bison Range near Missoula to view 350-500 bison on the prairie. (a bit freaked out about large wildlife again, but as long as I stay in my vehicle, I should be okay…right?)
* After a stay in Missoula, we’re headed for Gem Mountain near Phillipsburg, MT. They don’t call MT the Treasure State for nothing! After exploring a national treasure, we’re mining for treasure of the sapphire variety. Join us as we sift, swish, and pick over gravel for the ultimate sparkly souvenir!
* We end our journey at a former DVC MT property. (It may be former, but I gotta have some Disney in there somewhere!) Fairmont Hot Springs Resort promises a soak in the hot pools and springs, spa treatments, and maybe even yummy food!
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Yep, I’m probably the only person who’s heading out to a national park and hoping NOT to see any wildlife of the bear variety.
But hey, I have lousy luck, so I’m betting I’m going to get a close encounter of the grizzly.
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