Note From Dave Regarding MouseFest and PassPorter Meets - 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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Note From Dave Regarding MouseFest and PassPorter Meets
As you may already read here at the PassPorter boards, at the MouseFest web site MouseFest - An International Gathering of Disney Fans at Walt Disney World and on the Disney Cruise Line , in e-mail from the MouseFest Executive Committee, or elsewhere, MouseFest is going on hiatus. I'm sure the many folks who have already been looking forward to MouseFest 2009 have to be very disappointed, so I very quickly want to assure you that PassPorter will be one of those communities that will meet at Walt Disney World this December, as usual, and Jennifer and I look forward to being there with you. These community meets were the inspiration for MouseFest, and I'm sure we can keep that spirit alive. While this December's events may be a bit more intimate that we've become accustomed to, the fellowship and mutual enjoyment we get out of sharing the holiday season at Walt Disney World with our Internet friends will be stronger than ever! I encourage you to join in as we begin planning the 2009 PassPorter Holiday Meet.
If you read the official announcements, you also know that I stepped down as MouseFest Chairman, in order to devote more time to PassPorter and to my family. The chairmanship of MouseFest has been enormously satisfying - watching everyone have such a great time (and sharing in those great times) has been one of the great joys in my life. But it has also required huge amounts of time and effort all year round from Jennifer, me, and at times, the entire PassPorter office staff. The bigger and more complex MouseFest became, the more time it took from my family and business, and the harder it became to share those good times with members of the PassPorter community. Something had to give, and unfortunately, MouseFest had to be it. Fortunately, MouseFest has a strong, capable, and experienced Executive Committee, so I was able to confidently hand the MouseFest reins over to them, knowing that, not only do they know how to put on a great MouseFest, but that they share my love for and belief in MouseFest and the "Spirit of MouseFest."
__________________
Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Dave, thanks for all the work you and everyone at PP has put into past Mousefests. Ultimately, the best part of Mousefest was getting together with so many great people, and I am glad to see that will continue!
Dave - I have been at Mousefest the last 2 years and was amazed at how large and involved it was. You and Jennifer and the rest of the MouseFest organization did a wonderful job! I will admit though that my best times at MouseFest were some of the smaller gatherings where I was able to get to know my PPer friends better. I'm hoping to go again this December and will enjoy the smaller meets.
Thank you guys have done over the years. Hope to see you in December!
This was to be my First Mousefest, but I was going mostly to meet Passporters anyway!!! I think a scaled down version, with my meets with the peeps is just what I need for a "starter"!! Nothin but luv for ya'll!!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
As you may already read here at the PassPorter boards, at the MouseFest web site MouseFest - An International Gathering of Disney Fans at Walt Disney World and on the Disney Cruise Line , in e-mail from the MouseFest Executive Committee, or elsewhere, MouseFest is going on a one-year hiatus, with plans to return in 2010. I'm sure the many folks who have already been looking forward to MouseFest 2009 have to be very disappointed, so I very quickly want to assure you that PassPorter will be one of those communities that will meet at Walt Disney World this December, as usual, and Jennifer and I look forward to being there with you. These community meets were the inspiration for MouseFest, and I'm sure we can keep that spirit alive for a year while the MouseFest organization works towards MouseFest 2010. While this December's events may be a bit more intimate that we've become accustomed to, the fellowship and mutual enjoyment we get out of sharing the holiday season at Walt Disney World with our Internet friends will be stronger than ever! I encourage you to join in as we begin planning the 2009 PassPorter Holiday Meet.
If you read the official announcements, you also know that I stepped down as MouseFest Chairman, in order to devote more time to PassPorter and to my family. The chairmanship of MouseFest has been enormously satisfying - watching everyone have such a great time (and sharing in those great times) has been one of the great joys in my life. But it has also required huge amounts of time and effort all year round from Jennifer, me, and at times, the entire PassPorter office staff. The bigger and more complex MouseFest became, the more time it took from my family and business, and the harder it became to share those good times with members of the PassPorter community. Something had to give, and unfortunately, MouseFest had to be it. Fortunately, MouseFest has a strong, capable, and experienced Executive Committee, so I was able to confidently hand the MouseFest reins over to them, knowing that, not only do they know how to put on a great MouseFest, but that they share my love for and belief in MouseFest and the "Spirit of MouseFest."
Thank you Dave. This really makes me feel good about my plans for my December trip. I am really happy to hear this news.
Thanks for all the hard work and dedication you put into MouseFest, Dave (and Jennifer and crew too )! After seeing in December how much it had grown in just a few years (leaps and bounds since 2005 even!), I am sure it was VERY time consuming and I certainly don't blame you for stepping back from the chairman position!
Glad to hear that there will still be fun to be had at "MouseFest time" even if on a much smaller scale.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
Dave, you have done such an awesome job as chairperson for Mousefest. Thanks to you, Jennifer and everyone else who provided you assistance in the complex duties of Mousefest. DH and I have been fortunate to experience several Mousefests, unfortunately missed 2008 because of family obligations. We are looking forward to many more Mousefest experiences, and PP meets whether or not they have the name "Mousefest" attached to them or not. Anywhere those associated with this great community can meet for fun, fellowship and the exchange of ideas (whether online or in person) is a great time!
Dave, many thanks for all your hard work over the years and I'm delighted to hear that you, Jennifer and Alexander still plan on being around during that time. That's great news.
I think I hopefully speak for a lot of others when I say that our travel plans won't change - we still plan on being there, as we love meeting up with other PassPorters and, knowing that's still the plan, we'll be there.
Please note that I've modified my official statement to remove mention of what may or may not happen in 2010. To quote Deb Wills on this week's WDWToday podcast, "...at this point it’s premature to say yes or no to MouseFest 2010."
__________________
Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Thank you Dave, Jennifer, and the whole PassPorter staff!
Thanks to you guys, I have some of the best friends of my whole life and a rich and rewarding group of people that I like to hang out with -- daily in the discussion boards, and on those special vacations when our paths cross.
Here's to the "gathering" this December and to many, many more!
Eileen
i just want to say thank you to dave and jen and there family for such a great place . i was around this year during mouse fest but got on board to late to join in.
but it was really nice to bump into dave in the parking lot at the contemparary .
thanks for the pin ! you were so nice to stop and talk for a minute or two even with the busy schudual you had . this shows me that kindnest starts at the top and works it's way down . LONG LIVE THE PASSPORTER .
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Dave, Jennifer and your Passporter staff for all the hard work.
Lisa 
)! After seeing in December how much it had grown in just a few years (leaps and bounds since 2005 even!), I am sure it was VERY time consuming and I certainly don't blame you for stepping back from the chairman position! 
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