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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I know I've been complaining about Lenny's job situation and I've really have been feeling like a Pixie hog. I know we're not the only ones with job troubles but I'm sure what I'm about to write others might agree with (maybe not too, it's too soon to tell). So on to my rant.
If Lenny asks me to help him out one more online application I think I'm going to . This is getting ridiculous. We've been searching over 2 months now and almost everyone wants online applications. Considering how many jobs Lenny has applied to that have been relisted it makes me think 2 things:
1. either these companies are not getting the online applications or emails
2. They're somehow figuring out Lenny's age and don't want him. I can't helieve that he's totally not suited to any of these jobs....including working at a local retail store (which is absurd - he has over 10 years retail experience).
A couple of places he called today gave him the excuse that they're getting so many applications it's taking a long time to go through them. It's truly my opinion (and my opinion only) that if you got rid of the and put back the , you wouldn't get every Tom, Dick and Harry applying for jobs. You'd only get people who are serious about it and live in the immediate area (you know, support your local neighbors - they're the ones who keep you in business, not the guy who lives 45 minutes away and never heard of your town). Some jobs I agree, Lenny's not suited for them, but the majority have been retail - he has 10 plus years retail experience, What could these places possibly want that Lenny doesn't know? And with what he's making at the carwash, I know we're not asking for pay that's absurdly high - it's within range of what I've found out most of these places want to pay.
And just another little rant...just the online applications themselves. Why do we have to put in a resume only to have to type all the info over again?? I think these places like to waste your time. Most places I've gone, if I've given a resume, I don't need to fill out an application, but not online, they want both. Plus all those questions...
How many times have you taken something without paying
How many times have you argued with a coworker
How often is it okay to take something without paying
How often do you use drugs or alcohol before or during work
Come on employers, think. First of all, if someone does these things, are they going to be truthful about it to a prospective employer?? No, I don't think so (unless I'm just totally stupid and naive). And second of all, for those of us who are good and don't do things like that, it's very annoying to prolong the online application process with anywhere from 25 to 50 questions along these lines. I swear it's almost a test, almost like if you're willing to answer the questions, you're serious and can be considered. Me, I think it's all a bunch of you know what. We've emailed over 60 applications/resumes (and just did a few inquiry calls to a few of those places) and Lenny has gotten exactly 2 phone calls for an interview. One went really well and they liked Lenny but we haven't heard back from them and it's been 3 weeks.
But anyway, thanks for listening to me yet again. It's just gotten very aggravating and depressing at the same time. And not to be rude, but you don't need to send pixies - I'm not asking for them. They haven't worked anyway so please give them to someone who really needs them here on the boards.
I think Lenny may just want to do a little cold calling on some of the places he's applied. He should try to find out when the manager is in, and show up asking to talk to him/her about his application and where they are in the process of hiring. He should be ready to talk about why he thinks he's perfect for the job. In a sea of emails, maybe a live person showing some get-up-and-go might just get the attention of the management. Pixies to you both.
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I suggest calling back the place that hasn't called in 3 weeks. Be a thorn in their side. Persistance pays off! I've seen it first hand! Years and years ago, I worked for Home Depot. The top manager there told me that he has a policy not to even glance at an application unless the potential employee calls. Once they call, he said it shows inititive and he will look at it. Then, he won't bring them in on an interview unless they call back! He said it's surprising how few people call after submitting their applications and that most people that call him atleast a few times gets hired (as long as they qualify) and he doesn't even consider those that don't call. Just thought I'd share that as encouragement to just keep calling, just keep calling....
I don't blame you for being frustrated. The job market is nuts right now, and I think you've got a really good point about the online application thing and every Tom, Dick and Harry applying for jobs and slowing things down.
I feel for you and Lenny Darlene. This is a tough climate jobwise. I think employers can sometimes forget there are real people behind the resumes and applications.
I hope Lenny is aware it isn't a reflection on him but on external forces and that he will be able to keep his confidence up.
Competition for jobs is so fierce just now - we managed to win a new contract which meant we had to recruit new staff a few months ago - we had a LOT of applicants who were clearly over qualified/experienced for what were entry level posts. Such a waste of talent - hope it gets better for us all soon.
I know I've been complaining about Lenny's job situation and I've really have been feeling like a Pixie hog. I know we're not the only ones with job troubles but I'm sure what I'm about to write others might agree with (maybe not too, it's too soon to tell). So on to my rant.
If Lenny asks me to help him out one more online application I think I'm going to . This is getting ridiculous. We've been searching over 2 months now and almost everyone wants online applications. Considering how many jobs Lenny has applied to that have been relisted it makes me think 2 things:
1. either these companies are not getting the online applications or emails
2. They're somehow figuring out Lenny's age and don't want him. I can't helieve that he's totally not suited to any of these jobs....including working at a local retail store (which is absurd - he has over 10 years retail experience).
A couple of places he called today gave him the excuse that they're getting so many applications it's taking a long time to go through them. It's truly my opinion (and my opinion only) that if you got rid of the and put back the , you wouldn't get every Tom, Dick and Harry applying for jobs. You'd only get people who are serious about it and live in the immediate area (you know, support your local neighbors - they're the ones who keep you in business, not the guy who lives 45 minutes away and never heard of your town). Some jobs I agree, Lenny's not suited for them, but the majority have been retail - he has 10 plus years retail experience, What could these places possibly want that Lenny doesn't know? And with what he's making at the carwash, I know we're not asking for pay that's absurdly high - it's within range of what I've found out most of these places want to pay.
And just another little rant...just the online applications themselves. Why do we have to put in a resume only to have to type all the info over again?? I think these places like to waste your time. Most places I've gone, if I've given a resume, I don't need to fill out an application, but not online, they want both. Plus all those questions...
How many times have you taken something without paying
How many times have you argued with a coworker
How often is it okay to take something without paying
How often do you use drugs or alcohol before or during work
Come on employers, think. First of all, if someone does these things, are they going to be truthful about it to a prospective employer?? No, I don't think so (unless I'm just totally stupid and naive). And second of all, for those of us who are good and don't do things like that, it's very annoying to prolong the online application process with anywhere from 25 to 50 questions along these lines. I swear it's almost a test, almost like if you're willing to answer the questions, you're serious and can be considered. Me, I think it's all a bunch of you know what. We've emailed over 60 applications/resumes (and just did a few inquiry calls to a few of those places) and Lenny has gotten exactly 2 phone calls for an interview. One went really well and they liked Lenny but we haven't heard back from them and it's been 3 weeks.
But anyway, thanks for listening to me yet again. It's just gotten very aggravating and depressing at the same time. And not to be rude, but you don't need to send pixies - I'm not asking for them. They haven't worked anyway so please give them to someone who really needs them here on the boards.
I do agree with you and think your right!!! It is so aggreviating these days to even look for work. The country wants to work but where are our leaders???
Our office has listed for two different positions....got 67 applications for one and 80+ for the other. There are a lot of people out there looking for jobs. I agree, Lenny should follow up on some of these and just talk to the hiring manager. Certainly can't hurt!
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Jennifer / Eeyore is my favorite!!
OMG - He's sooooo grown up!!!! And an EAGLE SCOUT!! I can still remember my cute little Tiger Cub! 2016 Reading Goal - 75 books