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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Yesterday while walking through the Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco my wife was approached by two tourists. They were from Switzerland. They asked her if she knew of any motel/hotels rooms in that area they could stay at!!! They had no reservations. They also did not want to spend more then $100.00 a night!!! She did her best to direct them to other parts of the city--but the couple were determined to stay around that area!! Well I would have told the couple that that area is the main destination for most people that visit for San Francisco. $100.00 a night for a motel room in that area during the Summer is almost impossible to find. I would have sent them to areas that are not so popular. This is why we need to plan trips ahead of time. This is why we need to make reservations ahead of time. This is why we need to have a clue when we travel!!! I am amazed.
I agree with Janice. Winging it is fine--but not if you want to stay in the middle of the most crowded travel area in San Francisco. Try showing up at WDW without reservations!!
Ok so this post reminds me of something funny I observed the other day. Not really hotel related, but travel none the less. I was in a McDonalds in Middle TN when a woman came in from the drive thru. She had just ordered some iced teas and received sweet tea instead of unsweet tea so she inquired how she should order when going thru the drive thru to make sure to get what she wants. The manager behind the counter replied with a thick southern drawl just ask for "iiiced tea" and then ask for splenda when she gets to the window. So she repeats back to him ask for "iiiiiiced tea" trying to mimic his accent. All of the other people working at the counter were trying not to laugh as she was practicing her new southern accent to be sure to order correctly. Then she said. "Thank you so much - we are from northern Indiana, really far from here, so we just haven't known what do - its like a whole new world to us." It cracks me up to think of her ordering at other drive thrus....
Location: Cypress....Deep in Southern Illinois, close enough to see the Kentucky blue grass
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Originally Posted by tkm1005
Ok so this post reminds me of something funny I observed the other day. Not really hotel related, but travel none the less. I was in a McDonalds in Middle TN when a woman came in from the drive thru. She had just ordered some iced teas and received sweet tea instead of unsweet tea so she inquired how she should order when going thru the drive thru to make sure to get what she wants. The manager behind the counter replied with a thick southern drawl just ask for "iiiced tea" and then ask for splenda when she gets to the window. So she repeats back to him ask for "iiiiiiced tea" trying to mimic his accent. All of the other people working at the counter were trying not to laugh as she was practicing her new southern accent to be sure to order correctly. Then she said. "Thank you so much - we are from northern Indiana, really far from here, so we just haven't known what do - its like a whole new world to us." It cracks me up to think of her ordering at other drive thrus....
When we were flying back to Philly from the UK last month, a nicely dressed older woman tapped DH on the shoulder and asked if Philadelphia was in Pennsylvania. I hope she had someone meeting her....
Ho-ly moly! My sister and her family went to SF last summer about this time of year and could barely walk around Fisherman's Wharf due to the amount of tourists . . . I can't imagine showing up during a busy tourist time with nowhere to stay.
Now, my mom likes to wing it on vacation (and sometimes it drives me nuts), but it is normally only with things like meals or certain events/places to go during the day. She ALWAYS at least makes hotel reservations (and transportation if they need it) well before traveling.
When we were flying back to Philly from the UK last month, a nicely dressed older woman tapped DH on the shoulder and asked if Philadelphia was in Pennsylvania. I hope she had someone meeting her....
When we were flying back to Philly from the UK last month, a nicely dressed older woman tapped DH on the shoulder and asked if Philadelphia was in Pennsylvania. I hope she had someone meeting her....
Its in Pennsylvania??? How come nobody told me they moved it from Utah??? LMAO!!!
That's why I would never dream of going anywhere in the world without planning. My goodness, I hope those tourists were OK and found somewhere to stay.
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I hope she had someone meeting her....
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