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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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My history with Disney trips is very stop-and-go. I went a couple of times with my folks growing up, was my first 'real' vacation of my adult life, then took a back seat to getting married, divorced, re-married and becoming a mom. Then we had a great few years where we went several times!
When my running team decided to 'retire,' I took a break from RD events, and I have to avoid social media during January because I'm so jealous of friends running! I realized that it has been three years since I was last in the bubble.
2016 was a rough year. I took on a lot more responsibility at work, and often found myself working 8 hours a day on-site and then coming home and doing another 4-6 hours of work each night. At the end of November, I packed up the warehouse I've been running, and shipped it to the midwest - a good financial move for the company - and I took on a whole different set of responsibilities, working totally from home, but often just as many hours!
On top of that, I homeschool my daughter and try to keep the house (my roommate thankfully helps a ton!). DD has been suffering from anxiety about succeeding in her schooling and her career focus (the sciences), even though she's doing well with her lessons.
Mentally, I've continued to adjust to my mother's battle against ALS, staying in touch the best I can and fundraising for the ALSA, and trying to keep my dad's spirits up as he is her primary caregiver. This summer, my uncle went for a swim in the Gulf (as he did every day), and never came home. He and my aunt (mom's sister) lives next door to my folks, so it was just overwhelming for all of them. My aunt still hasn't really recovered.
On Sunday, I leave for a week and a half, to set up the new warehouse, train the new team, and start fulfillment for one of our launches. When I return from that, I have to finish creating the new database and websites for our ecommerce.
When all that is done?!?!?! I might get a rest. LoL
So missing my happy place, combined with more than a year of stress and emotion, led my hubby and roommate to tell me, "PLEASE go to Disney already!"
... well okay then.
Since mom was diagnosed, DD and I (sometimes hubby if he can get away) go down to visit for at least a few days on/around mother's day. We had planned to do that this year as well, so we decided we'd make it a bit longer trip away from home, and we'll add a few days of Disney on!
After talking over our options with my TA, we got a few quotes, which I presented to DD for a decision. She has wanted to be able to watch the animals on the savannah since she learned about it during our first visit, so it didn't take long.
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Heather ~ Peanut's Mommy!
Member of The Mickey Milers
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I realized that it has been three years since I was last in the bubble.
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