Forums Closed
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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!
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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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09-29-2003, 09:42 PM
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#1
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Community Rank: Explorer 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Robbinsdale, MN
Posts: 7,526
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Liz Battista (Versafox), 1958 - 2003 (updated w/funeral home info)
Dear PassPorter Friends and Family,
I'm so sorry to have to post this.
Elizabeth "Versafox" Battista, born October 14, 1958, died at 1:52 p.m. CST on September 29, 2003, two weeks shy of her 45th birthday.
Jim was not with her when she died, and he said that's the way Liz always wanted it. He left her bedside today to take care of one of Liz's pet-sitting clients; he told her when he left that if she needed to go before he got back, he'd understand. He only asked that she save him a seat. Her parents were at her side, and they told Jim that her passing was peaceful and dignified. Her last days were pain-free, and she was getting the best possible care.
In Jim's words, Liz is now doing her two favorite things: riding all her favorite Disney rides (with no waiting in line) and training dogs. And, he said, probably waiting for the rest of us to get there so we can have a PassPorter meet.
Jim asked me to tell you all that Liz was never happier than she was when she was at Disney World. The only things that came close to giving her as much joy and pleasure were planning a Disney trip, training and showing her much-loved dogs, and spending time on these boards. She was always telling Jim about things she'd read here, and she always felt like we were her family.
Jim is going to the funeral home tomorrow morning to make the final arrangements; I have the funeral home's phone number and address if anyone in the Elgin, Illinois area would like it.
Jim said that Liz never believed she touched anyone's life. One thing Jim would like to do is print out some of the things PassPorters have posted about her in the last couple of months and include those thoughts on a program to be used at Liz's service. Feel free to post your memories of Liz in this thread for Jim to use -- what better way to show Liz that she did, indeed, touch many lives?
Jim will not be able to go to Disney World as planned this year, but he intends to go next year. He'd like to go when a group of PassPorters will be there; if you're going with or meeting other PassPorters at WDW in 2004, let Jim know about it -- JD_Moore2003@yahoo.com.
Memorials are preferred to the family. Many of you have already asked for this information; I am now posting it here with Jennifer and Dave's permission:
Laird Funeral Home
310 South State Street
Elgin, IL 60123
phone: 847-741-8800
To send a donation that will help cover the funeral costs, make a check payable to Laird Funeral Home and write "Elizabeth Battista arrangements" on the memo line.
On a personal note: I find it a sad irony that we are two days away from the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness month. If you're able, please do something small during the month of October to honor Liz's memory. It doesn't have to be a big thing -- light a candle. Say a prayer for someone who has breast cancer and doesn't know it yet. Call your friends and remind them to do their self-exam. Let's not lose any more friends because of this horrible disease.
Rest in peace, Liz. We'll miss you.
[ 09-30-2003, 12:39 PM: Message edited by: whoSEZ ] |
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