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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Re: NO, NO, NO..Is this MY Child?
When my husband and I were first married we lived in Alaska. My mom and dad came to visit and brought along my 15 yo old brother. What a drip! He acted like they'd taken him on vacation to a library for seven days, only I think he'd have liked 7 days in a library better. I mentioned when he had finally reached adulthood and he said, "I was just a dumb kid!" Any chanceyou can leave him home? Sure seems like a waste of money that could be more wisely spent on souveniers for you!
I know that when I went as a teenager, my parents laid down some basic ground rules. We had to have supper with them every night and we had to check in with them at a designated spot every day. Other than that it was freedom to roam the property. Funny part is, I ended up spending alot of the time hanging with the folks. It was great to be given that freedom. My sister definately took advantage.
I'd try to find a friend who could go with him. They could sleep late, stay up late and catch up with you for some meals. We took our sons 2 best friends and they had a blast!
We were able to get a 2 bedroom at OKW so they had the 2nd bedroom and were living like bachelors(they're 10-12years old) I had to stay on them a little bit to pick up the clothes so we could see the floor!
So typical for a teenager. I now leave my teen home with Grandpa. (He stays at our house) This way I can enjoy WDW with our 9yo. When she was 16 I was so upset by her not wanting to do anything. Well the only thing she wanted to do was be on the phone with her then BF. So now she stays home with her friends and we go and have a great time with no complaining.
For Christmas, 2002, we gave my DStepS (17 at the time) and my DNephew (13 at the time) a trip to WDW for spring break. What began as excited on Christmas turned into boring and by the time we were actually there. I heard the word "lame" so many times that I was ready to smack both of them. I'm not sure what they expected, but it wasn't what they got.
That being said, we did a few things to make EVERYONE's life more tolerable (and to stop me from saying over and over again, "You know how much money we spent on this trip so that you could be grumpy?" ) We let them pick out where they wanted to eat 2 nights, we picked the other 2. (Did this before we left so we could get PS). They picked Japan and Cape May Cafe, we picked Tony's and Le Cellier, and everyone was happy. They still talk about the great meals they had! We let them go off on their own sometimes, to MGM, DD and one time just to explore. Other times were "family time" (meals, for instance.) (This was a family vacation after all). They did DisneyQuest and, believe it or not, hated it. ("Crowded and boring" ) They hated the pool (we were at WL, "Too many little kids" ). They loved the villa, and spent time...you guessed it, watching TV in the air conditioning. We let them pick a water park, they picked Blizzard Beach and they liked that. We let them sleep in on every day except the BB day and our last day. We made no PS for breakfast except our last day since we had an early flight. I kept cereal and milk in the room so they could eat when they got up. DH and I are not huge breakfast eaters, so coffee and muffins were fine for us. We did not one character meal. DStepS had informed my MIL before we went that he was afraid all we would want to do was "hug the characters" and he would be mortified. Our transportation to WDW was a towncar (they were not at all impressed) and back to the airport was a stretch limo (they thought that was cool.) The flight home was direct, so there were no layovers for them to whine about, so that was OK, too.
I know this is long, but the bottom line of this is, he is 17, he is going to whine, complain and hate alot of the stuff you do. His priorities are way different than yours, but don't let it spoil your vacation. WDW is the perfect place to let a 17 year old off on his own with designated meeting times and cell phones.
One thing I kept in mind the whole time was if they wanted to be on vacation and have a miserable time, it was their problem, not mine. When I travelled with my parents, I was always excited to just be away. These 2 made it seem at times like they were doing us a favor by giving us their company. Not! So if they chose to remember this trip as a lousy vacation, so be it. DH and I would have plenty of child-free trips in the future, we were going to remember the good times from this trip, too.
Of course, now, my DStepS talks about what a good time he had that year! I guess perspective really is everything!
LoL, Sure, perspective is everything My brother has to be a pain about everything, and afterwards he'll say he had a good time They just have to make things difficult, lol!
I'm sure a week in WDW isn't the first place that a teenager, especially one who has been there a few times already, thinks of going to for vacation. I'm sure he'll have fun, just make sure to give him his own space so he doesn't feel like he's with "mommy and daddy".
I'm definitely in the minority LoL! For Spring Break in January if we don't go on a cruise my friends and I are planning on flying down to Disney for a few days and we can't wait!
Well, my DS age 16 has just decided not to go along this trip. He's been there 4 times, 2 times in the last 2 years. He asked a few months ago if there was a chance that he could stay home, and I said we'd think about it. We've talked a few times about it and last night he said he's decided not to go. By staying home (with his dad and spending some time with my parents)he gets to go on a houseboat for a week and enter a fishing tournament in NY, which are both right up his alley! So, DH, DS11, and I will go with the other 7 in our party! I'm sure I'll be missing him -we've never been apart that long- but I know he's doing things he LOVES to do,so maybe that will make it easier!
Well, I guess my rambling didn't help you much, but at least you know others are in the same boat!
Have fun,
Paula
Thanks for all your words of support. Paula I'm sure you
will miss him & believe it..he will miss you guys, but thats
a great experience for your DS. AND next year he will be
ready to do Disney with the family.
My son is a funny mix. He would not want to miss out on a family
trip & this one is planned for the two of US! I guess thats
why I felt a little hurt. Yes, he wants to go...just for a
shorter time. But I think the answer is to split up some & meet
later, relax a bit more than our usual trips
& it will be fun. The more I think about it the better I
like it too!! Yep, teens can be difficult...but don't you
just 'em? No more little girls & boys following us like little devoted soldiers ...
now they are young adults-with hormones & minds of there own!
We've done a good job...that is what we wanted right?
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I'm sure you'll all have a great time!
So now she stays home with her friends and we go and have a great time with no complaining.
both of them. I'm not sure what they expected, but it wasn't what they got.
We let them go off on their own sometimes, to MGM, DD and one time just to explore. Other times were "family time" (meals, for instance.) (This was a family vacation after all). They did DisneyQuest and, believe it or not, hated it. ("Crowded and boring" ) They hated the pool (we were at WL, "Too many little kids" ). They loved the villa, and spent time...you guessed it, watching TV in the air conditioning. We let them pick a water park, they picked Blizzard Beach and they liked that. We let them sleep in on every day except the BB day and our last day. We made no PS for breakfast except our last day since we had an early flight. I kept cereal and milk in the room so they could eat when they got up. DH and I are not huge breakfast eaters, so coffee and muffins were fine for us. We did not one character meal. DStepS had informed my MIL before we went that he was afraid all we would want to do was "hug the characters" and he would be mortified. Our transportation to WDW was a towncar (they were not at all impressed) and back to the airport was a stretch limo (they thought that was cool.) The flight home was direct, so there were no layovers for them to whine about, so that was OK, too.
Not! So if they chose to remember this trip as a lousy vacation, so be it. DH and I would have plenty of child-free trips in the future, we were going to remember the good times from this trip, too.
AND next year he will be
'em? No more little girls & boys following us like little devoted soldiers 
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