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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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YAY for a great night. We learned on our last visit that going to the park at night is a great thing! We would go in the morning and then take a break mid day, head back for dinner and then stay until closing and it was so much nicer (and cooler). I'll have to remember visiting the princesses during the parade so hopefully we can scoot right in (well, maybe not right in, but quicker than our usual 1 hour wait). Thanks for the heads up on being able to get the FP's for both the princess and Mickey M&G at the same time. Since we are not doing CM's this year, we will definitely need to stand in line to see Mickey...we can't go to Disney and not see him! I love the Buzz ride, but stink at playing the game. I can never hit those targets for some reason...way to go Abby for getting the high score! Oh, and I loved your acronym for CRT...too cute. We love Cosmic Rays b/c it has something for everyone, but it is always crowded when we go and it does not make it easy to have to stand in one long line, then go to another long line to stand yet again to get everyones food. Glad you caught it at a down time and was able to get your food quickly! So glad that Abby was able to get to ride IASW so many times especially since she did not get to on your last trip. I love that you were able to get back to tradition and have that as your final ride! I always hate packing up, but unfortunately it always has to be done! Hope that all goes well and that you are able to board quickly even though you called later than you had intended. OH....I am always amazed that we have never ridden on COP with our girls. I was a little girl when I last went on that show. Since you go to sleep most of the time on it...I'm guessing it is boring??? I just can't remember, and I don't know why we have always managed to not do that show. I think it is one of the few, if not the only ride my dd's have not done. Should we keep skipping it? LOL
Lenny's been saying that for a while - go in the park, leave to rest and then go back but I'm sorry, that just doesn't work with 2 people who want to sleep in and I tell him that. There's no way I'm going to get into a park at 11 or 12 or 1 to leave at 3 or 4 for a rest to go back for 6 or 7. I don't go in the summer to spend "half" days in the parks. If I wanted shorter hours I would attempt to go during the year when the park closes real early. I go during summer so we can have the most hours to get things done (and it's easier going that time working at a school).
I was surpised at being able to get the FP's at one time. I don't remember if that was ever mentioned in any of the various articles out about the FP capability with the M&G. But whether you go during a parade or not, definitely get the FP's because there's always plenty of shopping you can do to wait out the time
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who doesn't do well at Buzz. We like Cosmic Ray's because of the variety as well. Luckily none of us are overly fussy so when it's busy, we'll just pick from one counter and be happy with whatever we get. And I'm glad too we could ride IASW before leaving. Last year it was just so strange not to be able to and it just didn't seem like the trip was over because of it.
Packing went well and as for coming home, you'll have to stay tuned. I'll post that at some time (probably tomorrow morning if I can) because my lips are sealed as to what happened.
Now to your CoP comment. Believe it or not, no I don't find it boring. It's just a matter of we do so much during the day and the heat just wipes you out that once I sit down in the nice cool theater, exhaustion comes over me and I fall asleep. I don't care how interesting something is, if you're pooped, you're gonna go out . And we've ridden this at all different times during the day - and it still doesn't matter. I can go out like a light. I've also done it in the movie at One Man's Dream, MuppetVision 3D, the movie in France at Epcot, I even did it on IASW this year (I don't remember when I did it, I just know I did) and I'm sure there's a few other places I have done it in. Like I said, when exhaustion comes over you, nothing will keep you awake.