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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Silly question for my PassPorter family: Do you bring any crafts with you to your WDW vacations? I’m not talking just for kids, either (though that’s nice too)! I'm not talking Disney themed crafts that you do at home - I mean crafts that you take with you on vacation!
If you do, what are your favorite crafts to bring and why? Do you have any suggestions, tips or other advice?
I’m a crafter myself, and over the years I’ve brought cross stitch, kumihimo and crochet projects to work on during my flight and resort downtime. There’s something lovely about quiet early mornings in Florida with my DDP mug full of tea, sitting on a bench near the water at my resort and crocheting as the sun rises. To me, that’s about as close to heaven as I’m liable to get while on this planet!
I’ve seen a lot of people – even adults – bring portable crafts like crochet/knitting, coloring books, kumihimo, friendship bracelets, cross-stitching/needlepoint, paracording, journals, etc., with them to WDW. Personally, I like having something to do with my hands while I’m relaxing at my resort, or to calm myself down during my flight. It can be a real friendship maker and conversation starter. It's also a nice break from staring at electronics / cellphones / tablets all day. Of course I don’t bring crafts into the parks; I am too busy having fun to worry about that!
Crafts have been a part of my personal and business travel plans for decades. And I found some truisms I can share, especially when traveling by plane:
** TSA gets testy when they come across my nail clippers, but I can bring on 13” aluminum knitting needles with no problem. Those knitting needles can impale a moose! One of the many mysteries of airline travel.
** Start your project early – if only to show TSA staff that your items are safe. Many TSA personnel don’t know what a knitting needle is – what they see is a pointy piece of metal that could be dangerous. To lower the chance of your tools being confiscated, cast on a few rows before you go to the airport and have the started project in your carry on. Same for other crafts.
** Never bring any craft tools with you that you can’t afford to lose. Leave your expensive gadgets at home. I bought a cheapie set of crochet hooks/accessories on Amazon (less than $10) that I bring on trips in case security gets froggy on me.
** If you can, stash a spare in your checked luggage. If TSA does decide to confiscate your tools, all is not lost if you have a backup. I usually have a cheap plastic crochet hook in my checked luggage. Usually I have a spare skein of yarn somewhere around me – I’ve been known to smuggle one or two skeins in my luggage! Did I mention that I’m a hardcore crafter? LOL WookiePants just rolls his eyes at me.
** School scissors (you know, the rounded safety kind) with blades less than 4" long are fantastic for travel. And back to school sales means you can get them dirt cheap. You don't have to worry about stabbing yourself when reaching for them in your bag, and they do a good job of cutting thread/yarn/paper.
** If you travel often - even if it's just by car, or you use public transportation - consider creating a travel pouch just for crafts. Keep your good stuff at home, and have a spare project / set of tools at the ready.
** Choose patterns that are super easy for your vacations, and crafts that you're familiar with. The last thing you want to do on a flight is frustrate yourself with complicated patterns, or spend all your time learning a new stitch. Patterns that are mindless and fun help you relax!
** Be practical when it comes to choosing a craft. You might love beading with all your heart, but imagine what would happen if the plane hits an air pocket and your Delicas shoot all over the flight cabin like sparkly buckshot? Same goes for crafts that are wet (no clay molding or making slime!), have strong smells, or require a lot of room. You barely have space to settle your back end into that seat – be courteous to everyone else in the metal tube!
** Keep your projects small and portable. You do not want to drag a 6 foot afghan project or all your jewelry making supplies with you on a plane! Place your project on top of the rest of your carry ons for easy access. You also don’t need more than 1-2 mini projects with you!
** Zip top bags are your friends, and I love the dollar store for these. They’re transparent so you can see what’s in them. They zip closed so all your needles, pencils, hooks, notions and gadgets don’t spill /leak all over your carryon (or under your airplane seat, or down the cabin aisle!). They keep your stuff organized & don’t take up additional space.
For my October trip, I already have my projects packed & ready to go, and they’re already in my carryon bag! I'm going to be making my go-to lace infinity scarves with some lightweight yarn in a super easy pattern. They make nice holiday gifts so I am doing something productive! Other knitting/crocheting ideas include scarves, hats, granny squares, dishcloths, coasters, mug cozies, and bookmarks.
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Arts & Crafts and Your WDW Vacation
One of the many mysteries of airline travel. 
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