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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
I have exactly 19 more working days until I retire (November 30th). I have been at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since August 1978. Because of some amount of sick time I get to count towards years of service, I will retire with 32 years of service to the U of I. It's been a great career and I wouldn't have changed anything, well, not much! I will miss working with students. I have learned so much from them over the years and can only hope that I was able to help them achieve their goals in whatever way they needed. I will miss my office mates, co-workers, faculty and other staff within the department, college and university as well. So many mixed emotions about "leaving". However, I have lots of things on my "to do" list, some additional opportunities to volunteer at my church, and maybe some part-time work back at the campus.
However, you know those commercials that say "Mr. So and So, now that you have achieved that great thing (won the world series, #1 NCAA basketball, won the superbowl, etc.) what are you going to do?" "I'm Going To Disney World!!!!"
DH and I will be at WDW Dec 6-15 to celebrate his birthday and my retirement! I will have a few days after my last day to get a few last things in place (actually have an 8 am breakfast scheduled for Dec 1st with a former co-worker who retired 18 months ago) for the trip, get my Christmas cards (PPers, friends/family) done and in the mail, shop for, buy and wrap gifts, finish a Christmas gift project, complete two Christmas stockings for my youngest grandkids that didn't get done last year for their first Christmas (I know, BAD GRANDMA), etc., etc., etc.! But, having better than one week to finish all those things after we get home and before the 25th without having to worry about having to go to work every day will seem like a gift.
Anyone else out there just retired, gonna retire before the end of this year, or are "close" to retirement? If so, what are you going to do (that is AFTER you go to WDW if you are able!!!)?
I hope to have some more time to keep in touch via this community and perhaps my facebook pages. I want to spend more time with the grandkids. I also need to get myself and DH healthier (Challenge group - I'll be back again first the year! Fair warning!), and of course do some traveling. DH retired a few years ago but returned to the university a short time later part-time and will probably continue to do that for a few more years, powers that be permitting!
So thanks for reading about my countdown and for those who will be at WDW in December I hope to get a chance to see you all and help you to celebrate being a part of this wonderful place!
Congrats on your retirement! If finances remain good, I'll be able to retire in four years after 33 years of teaching. Then I plan to help other folks plan their Disney vacations.
Congrats on your retirement! Ironically, my DS just completed his college app for U of I and really wants to attend there. I'm sorry he won't have a chance to cross paths with a fellow Passporter!!
Your many years of service are quite an accomplishment! Your trip sounds wonderful and you certainly deserve it!
My swimming partner retired about six years ago now (where does the time go?!) and I swear she's busier than ever with family and friends, she's out nearly every day and enjoys a lot of holidays too, as her husband retired a few years before she did.
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.
Congratulations on your retirement. I can't think of a better place to celebrate than at WDW! I hope you enjoy your retirement and get to do all the things you didn't have time to do before.
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19 days and counting!
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Pixie Dust
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