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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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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We were planning on going down in Oct. 2011, now my DSIS and her family invited us to stay with them for a bit in the house they rent every year on Sanibel Island if we go when they are down there. They Are there late Nov. until a few days before Christmas (they drive back up to be with family on Christmas.) Last time we went we were there for the Christmas season and we have not done the food and wine festival yet, Plus our wedding anniversary is in Oct. On the other hand it would be nice to stay on the beach for a little bit too and it would give us another month of saving for either more nights or more spending money. Keep in mind we drive from MN and last time we drove both there and back there was bad, bad winter storms! We made it though. I really don't know what to do!
October is a great time of year to go...we love MNSSHP and F&WF. It would be nice to be there at a different time of year than when you were there last.
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Stephanie- Mom to Jaden and Emerson, Wife to Keith, Novelist
I'm an independent agent with Fairytale Journeys, specializing in Disney vacations!
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Chapel Hill, NC USA
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I'd do your Disney part of the trip in the late part of November (after Thanksgiving) and then end your trip with the stay in Sanibel once they get there.
Wow this would be hard even for me . I love holloween in disney did it 3 years in arow and after this year i will be going 3 years in a row after thanksgiving it is too even for me too pick which one i like better for both have the same to me
Actually I take that back, they go in the middle of November. They are there during Thanksgiving. When do they start taking down Halloween and putting up Christmas?
I'd do your Disney part of the trip in the late part of November (after Thanksgiving) and then end your trip with the stay in Sanibel once they get there.
You get the Best of Both plans....alone at Disney with your family then enjoy the beach, additional days with extended family!
Christmas decorations begin to appear mid November & day after Thanksgiving they're in full swing...just Amazing...my Favorite time to visit.
Enjoy.
We have decided to go late Nov. and/or Dec. All 5 of us "kids" and our families plus our mom and dad are planning on going in Oct. in 2-3 years so we can just wait for the Food and Wine Festival and Halloween decorations for when we go then. Thanks for the advise!
When do they start taking down Halloween and putting up Christmas
We were there one year from Nov 10-15 and a fair amount of decorations were already up in the parks. Our resort (WL) was going to be putting up their tree the morning after we left. It was a fabulous time to go, that being said I would def. take into account the weather if driving. Personally, a few days at the beach (and it's my fav thing next to WDW) isn't worth driving during winter weather. Good luck with your decision.
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