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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Wow! It took me several days, but I finally finished reading your TR. What an amazing vacation you had!
I was very interested in your Boston week. We will be visiting there this summer. My SiL lives there. We are planning on doing the Freedom Trail and a whale watching tour. But I think we will drive up to Gloucester and go out of there, we did that 12 years ago and saw sooo many whales, that was in August. I am really sorry you did not get to see any. Was it too late in the season? You wouldn't think they would have the tours if all the whales had already migrated!
My DH was in New York on Halloween too, he and a friend went up for WhiskyFest. That really was a freak snowstorm! So cool that you got to see those shows! I've been wanting to take our DS to NY for years now, that will be next on my list after Boston!
My family went to OKW to eat at Olivia's last year and I decided that is one resort I really want to stay at. It is just so pretty and relaxed. I loved the pool area. One of the chefs at Olivia's is the son of a member of our church, so last year we met him. That was pretty cool! And the bread is soooo yummy! I had the key west burger and they serve it on that bread! It is the same bread they serve at Ohana's at the Poly. Yummo!
We also went to the WWoHP last year. It really is just unbelievable isn't it? It was just like being in the movie. I wish I could have ridden FJ more than once, but no one else in my family was up to it.
When we went to Scotland in September (my 3rd trip there! I wrote a TR in the Globetrotting Forum if you are interested) we flew in to Manchester. It was a really confusing airport, and going through customs was a riot. It was so low key we didn't even realize that was what it was!
Thanks so much for sharing your journey, and so glad you will be going back to WDW!
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Donning my Wellies to cut Peat in Scotland
Melissa
Hi Melissa! Thanks for the lovely comments, glad you enjoyed the report!
The Boston week was wonderful, we really loved it there. I guess the whales had all packed their little planktony suitcases and hightailed it out of there by the time we went looking for them, as it was right at the end of the season. We will definitely try again next time, maybe going over there in September instead of the end of October. Although I agree with you - they shouldn't sell the tours if they don't think the whales will still be around!
Freak snowstorm is right - it took everyone by surprise! The other problem was that we just didn't have any warm clothing, and there wasn't a Wal-Mart around to pick up a cheap coat from! The Halloween parade was amazing, but just soooooo long! And the shows were just fantastic - I would recommend them both to anyone, although I believe Daniel Radcliffe has now left HTSIBWRT.
Olivias was great, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal there, and it was worth going for the bread alone, in our opinion! I didn't realise the house burger was served on that bread, I think we would have had that if we had known!
WWoHP was incredible - I agree it was just like being in the movies! We couldn't spend enough time there, and cannot wait to go back, although that may be on our next but one visit - we need to rotate where else we go, and I think the Kennedy Space Centre is on our list for this year! We went there in 2007 and loved it, so I think it is time to go back.
Wow - Scotland is so beautiful, and so rugged - it always feels 'real' when you go there because everything is so extreme - the weather, the views, etc. I will look for your trip report.
You made me laugh about customs in Manchester - that is why we were so freaked out by customs in the USA because it is so full on! We are used to our laid back customs, although I agree that Manchester airport can be really confusing!
Once again, thank you so much for taking the time to read my massive report, and I am really pleased that you enjoyed it.
Disney Hugs.
Carolyn.
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Silvercat
(Enjoy reading trip reports? Why not try my books, "Tiggerific Travels Parts 1, 2, 3 & the new volume 4" - available now as e-books)
Just stumbled across your report, loved reading it! Congratulations to you guys, and I see you have another trip right around the corner. I can't wait to hear about the next one!
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Offsite May 2005, POR September 2006, POR August 2007, POFQ December 2008, POR February 2010,
Pop Century April 2011,
What a great trip report. I found this this morning and just now finished. Good thing in rained all day today.. I would love to spend two weeks in Disney....so much to see , so little time. Congrats on your engagement...sounds like you have a keeper