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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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Background
As kids Santa always filled a stocking to keep us occupied and in our rooms on Christmas morning until a reasonable time. As we got older we realised Santa had a helper and therefore it was decided to stop the stockings when my DSis got to 18. DSis was a University when this happened and asked if the stockings could continue so she had something to look forward to whilst being away. Well the stockings have continued and she is now 25 but now to ease the burden we have allocated stocking filling around the "helpers"
Couple 1 fills couple 2, Couple 2 fills couple 3 and couple fills couple 1 then it's rotated the next year. Also the fills are to be free items. So white elephant gifts, Buy one get one free items, items we acquire i.e. suppliers giving away calendars etc. and any craft items that we make.
The new tradition
This year, as all the ladies now scrapbook we added an extra element to the challenge. Each lady would have to complete two pages on a given topic. So I would create a page for DM and a page for DSis and they would complete pages for the other two. The given topic was holidays (US and/or UK definition)
The men were not let off. They had to complete one page for the couple they were filling the stocking for. They could do it on any topic.
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.
My pages IMG_0546.jpg This the page I completed for my DSis. Dh and I at Chef Mickey's Oct 2008.
IMG_0540.jpg This is the page I completed for DM. It is Dm and her husband skiing in Winter Park. Funny I did this page when you see the page she did for me.
All pages are done in secret so we had no idea what each of us were doing
The pages DM completed IMG_0545.jpg The page she completed for my DSis. the Olympic Games in Greece. Our uncle is Greek so DM and my Aunt stayed with the family
IMG_0548.jpg. The page she completed for me. Yep DM and my step father skiing.
The pages my DSis completed IMG_0538.jpg. The page Dsis completed for Dm. it is incomplete as the phot to be insert had not been taken. DM, Dsis and step dad were all going riding on Christmas Day but the weather and road conditions were too bad so the photo never happened. There is no photo of the 3 of them riding together it is so rare to get them out on the horses at the same.time.
IMG_0547.jpg. The page DSis completed for me. DH and I enjoying breakfast with the Princesses.
IMG_0539.jpg. this is a digital page and completed by DSis's partner. It was given to DM and Step dad. The horses are DM and DSis
IMG_0544.jpg. This page was completed by my Dh and given to DSis and partner. It is all the cars we have hired and driven on our US vacations. DH was unaware of the vacation theme at the time
IMG_0549.jpg. This is the page my step dad completed and was given to me and DH. It is my step dad at work.
I have to say, some of them were done under protest and with some very small suggestions but all were pleased with the results and are geared for doing another page for next Christmas.
The theme for the next Chrsitmas challenge is favourite food and purple. Interesting combination - thanks DSis, but at least we have year to think about it. Again the men are allow any theme
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.
Very cool idea. I don't think I could get my DH to complete a page if I paid him. He enjoys looking at the completed books, but has no interest in actually doing any.
What a neat idea! My family would never agree to it because of "organizational issues". In other words, most of us are too unorganized to put something like that together. Having said that, I will attempt to convince everyone to give it a try this year!
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