2017 WDW Passporter Guide [multiple updates with info on LIVE! Guides!] - Page 5 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Originally Posted by Indio
I got an Amazon gift card for Christmas and just went online to order my passporter. It took my order and my gift card. Now I'm afraid I've wasted my gift card! I'm about to go back online and see if I can cancel the order....I've got a passporter for every long trip we've taken over the last 20 years. So sad I won't have one next year....
I'll make sure Jennifer knows Amazon is still listing it. I've never had any problem canceling an Amazon order that hasn't shipped, so you should be okay.
I hear you on the data issue, also I don't carry my iPad into the parks, though I used to carry the relevant pages on me (as I was a Deluxe devotee). We went to DL last year, and didn't buy a Passporter because the updated one was not out prior to our trip, but we definitely wouldn't have used an electronic version because DL doesn't have wi-fi. Fortunately, WDW does have it.
In 2017, we are bringing my last stepson to WDW for the first time, and I was hoping to have the new Passporter to share with him. Although he's the oldest of the kids in our combined family (at the age of 22), he's the only one who hasn't been yet and he's super excited. I know I still have my 2014 refill, and I will pull that out for him.
Not all of the 2017 WDW formats/guides are ready yet, so I will make a decision about what to get when I have more choices. I love my Passporters and have recommended them to many people. I'm sad about no more printed deluxe refills, though I understand why, and I'm going to try to find a way to support Passporter and manage my vacation planning.
So sad. We stopped on our way home from the in-laws specifically to buy the 2017 version because we're planning a huge family vacation. While its great there's an online version, I don't know that I'll be buying it. I understand the reasoning for not printing more copies (I'm an author, I get it), but I'm not carting a 3 ring binder through the parks, and the cost of the ink to print all that at home would be way more than its worth.
Such a bummer. I love the passporter! I'll have to think about whether I want to spend the money on an online version I can only use at home, or another print book I can take with us (several of the people coming with us have not been before - I love the way the passporter is laid out, so I was looking forward to handing it to them to look through on the way down).
I love the forums, so I'll always still be a Passporter Fan, but.... man. So sad.
Also, I'm glad I found this thread. I just put the preorder 2017 planner in my Amazon cart to buy!
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I found the 2016 WDW spiral version online at Barnes & Noble the other day, and I bought it just because I couldn't bear to be without what seems like the last printed Passporter.
I'm hoping that between my 2016 spiral (which I will likely take apart), my last set of deluxe refills (2014), and either the pdf or electronic version, I will be able to put together a collection of pages that have the wonderful information that I'm used to using and that I can put in my old deluxe binder. That way, I can do my usual thing and carry the necessary pages and a pocket with me while I'm out and about at WDW. If only they would restock the pockets. . . I've heard rumors, but haven't seen them.
I found the 2016 WDW spiral version online at Barnes & Noble the other day, and I bought it just because I couldn't bear to be without what seems like the last printed Passporter.
After reading this Thread to which I am so sad - I thought I was so Lucky to find this site in 2006. I only bought the book IF I was going to Disney that year....but am a True fan here on the boards!
I am a visual person so the Passporter's Book was the-book to go to for any Disney planning. So this past Saturday I went to Barnes & Noble and bought the 2016 Possporter's...Actually it was the folders I really wanted for my upcoming trip and any special planning I might need to check out too. But what am I going to do when I want to go back to Disney in 2019?
I am computer savvy but I have taught myself.... I too would like to see a test page as to what Disney Live will look like.... Like someone else said I am not interested in paying for something that I have not checked out first.
I get the small business...I work for a small business too. For some reason this past year 2016 was not a great year to make money. Today a colleague, who worked part time and was at this company for 2 1/2 years was let go today! So SAD!
I probably could make my own folders... I am artistic!
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Kate in PA All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them- Walt Disney
One year we tried a "library edition" which was black and white, perfect bound -- essentially what a POD (print-on-demand) would look like. It didn't sell enough to pay for itself either. I think people would be really disappointed, but I could do that if there was enough request for it. Sadly, it's price point would be higher than the current price point for the spiral.
We do all our POD here in the states. It needs to be done that way because of shipping.
Jennifer thank you for all you do to help us have the perfect vacation. To be honest I have always used your books for past Disney trips and have referred many family and friends. This year I decided to try a different one and I HATE it. I was so disappointed and could not wait to order my pass porter. This is such sad news but I truly understand. I will order the online copy and see how it goes but I will miss my hard copy.
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Count me in as one who probably won't use an electronic version - I love my 'bible' for so many reasons, and as much as I appreciate the hard work that went into making the new versions possible, they don't really fit my needs.
Have you considered crowdfunding a print run? That way if we can rally the troops enough to gather the cash, it won't put the burden on you, Jen, and if it doesn't make it, then there's nothing lost.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peanut_mommy
Have you considered crowdfunding a print run? That way if we can rally the troops enough to gather the cash, it won't put the burden on you, Jen, and if it doesn't make it, then there's nothing lost.
I forwarded your suggestion to Jennifer to make sure she sees it--good one!
Count me in as one who probably won't use an electronic version - I love my 'bible' for so many reasons, and as much as I appreciate the hard work that went into making the new versions possible, they don't really fit my needs.
Have you considered crowdfunding a print run? That way if we can rally the troops enough to gather the cash, it won't put the burden on you, Jen, and if it doesn't make it, then there's nothing lost.
What a good idea - one I would definitely support.
That is a good point. I wonder if Jennifer could make one or two pages available, outside the intro pages, so folks could see how useful they are...or perhaps a sample page.
The entire front matter and first chapter of every LIVE! Guide are available for everyone to read (and have been since they launched). And you can still see the whole rest of the book, you just get a pop-up after a second or two letting you know to get a pass.
Have you considered crowdfunding a print run? That way if we can rally the troops enough to gather the cash, it won't put the burden on you, Jen, and if it doesn't make it, then there's nothing lost.
I have, but the persons I ran the idea past thought it was a bad idea. They felt it would reflect poorly on PassPorter, because crowdfunding has a bad rap.
I agree with all the previous people! I'm SO sad. I just booked a special Disney trip to celebrate my retirement. We haven't been to WDW for 5 years and I was really looking forward to cuddling up on the couch with a REAL book and making plans.
Does anyone know if I can still order a Real printed book of the 2016 version? If so, how outdated is it? Are there any HUGE changes?
You can get just the pockets from their online store...however they have been out of stock for over a month now...
I've had the store closed to update and modernize it, but it's going too slowly. I will be re-opening it -- watch our newsletter for an announcement of when it's open again and you purchase both binders and extra pocket sets through there.
I agree with all the previous people! I'm SO sad. I just booked a special Disney trip to celebrate my retirement. We haven't been to WDW for 5 years and I was really looking forward to cuddling up on the couch with a REAL book and making plans.
Does anyone know if I can still order a Real printed book of the 2016 version? If so, how outdated is it? Are there any HUGE changes?
I urge you to not discount the new LIVE! Guide just because it is different and new. I've put a lot of work into it, all based on feedback from PassPorter readers over the years. The single biggest complaint I hear is about how the print guidebooks go out of date so quickly -- so I made a system that has all the information and it never goes out of date. I know change is hard. But please ... if you enjoyed PassPorter before, isn't it likely you might enjoy it again? There's more information than I could fit in the LIVE! Guide. And it's the same person writing it and pouring her love into it.
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We stopped on our way home from the in-laws specifically to buy the 2017 version because we're planning a huge family vacation. While its great there's an online version, I don't know that I'll be buying it. I understand the reasoning for not printing more copies (I'm an author, I get it), but I'm not carting a 3 ring binder through the parks, and the cost of the ink to print all that at home would be way more than its worth.
- I thought I was so Lucky to find this site in 2006. I only bought the book IF I was going to Disney that year....but am a True fan here on the boards! 
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