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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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I know we are definitely going in August, but I'm not sure when in August. As of now, we have 8/7-8/19 booked. We just found out that DH's boss said he could take any two weeks in August for his vacation (his old boss would only let him take July or the first two weeks in August). Should we change our plans and go the last two weeks of August? I like the idea because of the lower crowds, however I'm not sure if I like the fact that it's so close to the start of school (the day after Labor Day for us). What do you think? Thanks.
I don't know what the first part of August is like, but i've heard it is busy. We just got back from an end of Aug into Sept trip this year though. The rides never really had a wait, with a couple of exceptions. Our DS had his first day of school 3 days after we got back. So it was a little fast, going from vacation to school that close. But we did most of the prep before we left so there wasn't alot to do once we got home. You might want to change it if you can? I'm not alot of help I guess!! Good luck deciding.
We've gone last week in August, and while hot and rainy, the crowds were very manageable... I suspect lower than early August when the Southern schools are not yet in session.
I would recommend the closest you can get to Labor Day. We went this year from the 19th through the 28th & had some friends down there at that time who came back the weekend before Labor Day. They said they couldn't believe how much the crowds dropped off for that last week before the holiday weekend. Good luck with whatever you choose! You'll be at Disney, can't beat that!
We went 8/21-8/28 this year, because I wanted it as late as possible. The kids started school on 8/30! It was rainy and hot, but I don't think it was that much more than 2 weeks earlier and there were not only less crowds, but free dining and cheaper room rates (Value season).
We have been going the last week for the past two years, and it has been great. The low crowds really make a difference, can't complain about the free dining either.
I really try to get all school related stuff done before we go, and I try to make sure they at least have the long Labor Day weekend at home so they have some downtime but the girls say it is the best way to be in a good mood for when school starts.
If you can do the last weeks I would, I have heard that the crowds really down in comparision to the earlier weeks and less crowds is always a good thing
We went the 2nd week in August 2008 & 2009. 2008 wasn't bad that's why we decided to get married the same time in 2009. Yuck! It was ridiculously crowded, but the weather was perfect. it started getting nasty the day we left, and we missed a hurricaine by 2 days in 2008!
My kids start school around the 3rd week in August so I too finished school supply shopping before we left.
yeah we too like the low crowds we are going from 20th-29th, and it is a good end of summer trip for the kids right before they go back to school, with a few days to chill after vacation/before school starts.
We have gone the last 2 weeks of August for years. Low crowds, free dining, hot and summerlike, no lines, no waiting, great pool weather, what more could you ask for? Only downfall is the rain, but same for the rest of the summer in Florida.
I don't know what the first part of August is like, but i've heard it is busy. We just got back from an end of Aug into Sept trip this year though. The rides never really had a wait, with a couple of exceptions. Our DS had his first day of school 3 days after we got back. So it was a little fast, going from vacation to school that close. But we did most of the prep before we left so there wasn't alot to do once we got home. You might want to change it if you can? I'm not alot of help I guess!! Good luck deciding.
[QUOTE=RunningPrincess;3431144]We went the 2nd week in August 2008 & 2009. 2008 wasn't bad that's why we decided to get married the same time in 2009. Yuck! It was ridiculously crowded, but the weather was perfect. it started getting nasty the day we left, and we missed a hurricaine by 2 days in 2008!
My kids start school around the 3rd week in August so I too finished school supply shopping before we left.[/QUOTE
We were there in August in 2008, but we went the first two weeks.