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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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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.

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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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Old 08-21-2017, 01:47 AM   #1
mamajab
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Question Adventures by Disney & other guided tours

I know the Williams family (aka toddjodybrent) have been on one, but has anyone else? We just returned from our first one, to Costa Rica, and it was FANTASTIC!! It truly is in our top 3 list of favorite vacations! We loved the guides, the activities, the hotels, not having to reserve rooms or handle luggage or pay admission fees. We can't wait to go again, but AbD can be pricey, so I'm looking at options. Does anyone else have experience with other programs, like Tauck, Vantage, National Geographic, etc?
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Old 08-21-2017, 04:20 PM   #2
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I loved my Backstage Magic Adventures by Disney! I have sent clients on Tauck itineraries as well and love their options.
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Old 08-22-2017, 01:00 AM   #3
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I loved my Backstage Magic Adventures by Disney! I have sent clients on Tauck itineraries as well and love their options.
Have you personally done a Tauck tour?
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Old 08-22-2017, 05:55 PM   #4
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My daughter and I did Backstage Magic in California a few years ago. It was fantastic. Also, a few years ago we did the Adventures by Disney add on for our Mediterranean cruise. We had some exclusive tours that weren't available to the other people on the cruise. The best one was a trip to a local farm where we made the best margarita pizza from scratch. The kids on the trip had a blast rolling out the dough and getting flour everywhere! We had fresh from the oven pizza and other local delights, along with wonderful wine for the adults, on an outside patio.
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Old 08-22-2017, 05:57 PM   #5
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I've also done a Tauck safari to Tanzania. I would have to say that they out did ABD in terms of customer satisfaction, but maybe that was just the spectacular exotic locale.
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Old 08-24-2017, 09:08 AM   #6
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Have you personally done a Tauck tour?
I have not personally done one but have worked closely with the company for clients. They have a fantastic product and great service.
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Old 08-26-2017, 12:06 PM   #7
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I've also done a Tauck safari to Tanzania. I would have to say that they out did ABD in terms of customer satisfaction, but maybe that was just the spectacular exotic locale.
This is what I was looking for -- someone who has done both, to give me a comparison. Although I'm not sure how Tauck could have outdone AbD for customer satisfaction, because our trip was phenomenal!
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