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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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just got all caught up...I'm so happy for you that you got the AK and as far as the crying don't worry i've cried for you reading your updates i'm so excited for you...your a true inspiration for us all dawn kudos to you and your family can't wait to read more
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Disclaimer: There will be no photographic evidence until my white shoes arrive and I can be in my full, lime green or white glory.
Yes, 2 costumes, one is very loud and is for Chester and Hester's, the carts in Dinoland/Nemo, and, yes, folks, the Dino Games! I get to work the carnival-type games in Dinoland. There's going to be some serious testing of my "in-character" skills here, I'll tell ya!
The second is the Dino Institute costume where I could possibly be working either in the store or Dino Photo. I'm very excited to learn the photo thing, even if I don't work it very often.
Today was spent walking around Dinoland, pin trading (we were pin trading MACHINES!) and interacting with guests. The idea was to get us comfortable with talking to people and starting to be able to pick up on things we could do/say to help with the magic. I had several moments that I thought were CM-worthy, the first being knowing where "the other dinosaur ride" was...Ellen's Energy Adventure in Epcot! I was able to describe it for them and confirm that was the one they were looking for, then told them where to find it. My trainer was impressed. I also "got" to redirect someone to a smoking area and I noticed a lady looking at a map and offered to help. She was so relieved b/c she wasn't a native speaker of English, but we still communicated. It made me happy.
I will say that the amount of information I've been given in the last few days is overwhelming and I wonder how I will ever remember it all. I know that it's early and I'll be "old hat" (as if I need "old" anything!) in a few weeks, but for now, it's mind-boggling. My manager made me cry just a little today b/c she talked about Walt the way *I* talk about Walt and I think we're going to get on just fine (she got choked up when I did...we had a cwaffee twalk moment)
After work, I came back to the Lodge, changed clothes and made 2 trips to the new townhouse from the older DDs place. We hit Cracker Barrel about 8pm for dinner and just got back. I report at 8am tomorrow for my next round of training. I'm exhausted, but it's a good exhausted.
Dawn ..... it all sounds so wonderful and exciting. Ifeel like I am there too. I get very choked up when I talk about Walt Disney. I just wish he could have seen WDW come to be. I can't wait to hear about your days in Dino land whatever it is you get to do...oh nad to see that pic of you in your lime green costume
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Aug,1978- LBV;Apr,1987-Disneyland;March,1993-offsite;Jan,1997-offsite;Aug,1999- CBR;Sept,2000- ASMo;Aug,2001- ASSP;Aug,2002- ASMU/AKL;Jan & July 2003-POR;June,December 2004- PC;January 2005- ASMU; Aug 2005-PC;Dec 2005-AKL;Jan 2006-CBR ; July/Aug-Saratoga springs; Dec. PC;April 2007- Disneyland;Aug 2007-Disneyland & So Cal;Dec 2007-POFQ; Aug2008-POFQ & Nov 2008 PC,Y&B May 2009 ASmu, June 2009 PC ; Nov 2009 WL & POFQ;Jan 2010 BW & WL; June 2010 POFQ ; Aug 2010 Poly ;Oct 2010 WL; Jan 2011 PC
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Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
Dawn - First I am glad that your DH is being really supportive, sorry though that your mom is not being much of a help. I am so enjoying your updates...the whole experience sounds exhilarating. Even with all the training and the busy days you can hear your happiness in your writing. Can't wait to hear more of your adventures....
today! Yesterday sounded like a Magical today, forsure! I'm trying to teach DD all about Pin Trading so we'll keep a look out for you when we're there soon!
PassPorter Guide Community Rank: Legend Extraordinaire
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Chapel Hill, NC USA
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Great updates! I'm loving it.
As for your mother.... I'd have to be yelling at her at this point. She isn't making life easier for you at all. I guess the only upside is that you have an 'adult' with the girls. What does she do with her time if she's not helping them, I wonder?
How exciting! I cannot wait to read more. You are such an inspiration to go after a dream and make it happen.
AK would be my first pick, too. HOW FUN!!!
Dawn, I'm finally caught up. . . . I'm so glad your DH is coming around, because that must make you so much happier!! It sounds like everything is going pretty smooth. That's just fantastic and I am just soooooo happy for you! I can't wait to hear more. . . . .
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and as far as the crying don't worry i've cried for you reading your updates i'm so excited for you...your a true inspiration for us all dawn kudos to you and your family can't wait to read more
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Pixie Dust
-Amanda 
There's going to be some serious testing of my "in-character" skills here, I'll tell ya!
I also "got" to redirect someone to a smoking area and I noticed a lady looking at a map and offered to help. She was so relieved b/c she wasn't a native speaker of English, but we still communicated. 
It made me happy.
ºOº ~*~ 
Claytrgtshooter (Minnie Lor's Hubbie)
today! Yesterday sounded like a Magical today, forsure! I'm trying to teach DD all about Pin Trading so we'll keep a look out for you when we're there soon!
It sounds like everything is going pretty smooth. That's just fantastic and I am just soooooo happy for you! I can't wait to hear more. . . . . 
Danny and I at Epcot 8/14/08
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